The Red Wings are running out of runway before training camp, and the roster still has too many loose ends.
A top-six forward was already on the to-do list when the offseason began, but Dylan Larkin’s trade request turned that need into a much bigger problem. Then Patrick Kane left, and even bringing in Viktor Arviddson only gets Detroit back to a -1 from where it stood in late April, assuming Larkin does end up moving on.
The market hasn’t offered much help, either. Free agency has mostly gone quiet, and with no true general manager in place, the Red Wings are stuck in a holding pattern with several jobs still open.
That kind of uncertainty could open the door for younger players to earn spots. It’s the sort of chance that didn’t come around often under Steve Yzerman in the previous regime.
For now, though, the league as a whole seems to be leaning on internal upgrades and whatever options are already in the system. With training camp and preseason just three weeks away, even the final wave of college free agents barely moved the needle over the weekend. Most of those players have either already landed AHL deals or watched their former teams move on from them.
Detroit may end up quieter than most while it waits to settle on its top front-office hire. Once that decision is made, the new GM will walk into a long list of needs, including contracts for Simon Edvinsson and Alex DeBrincat.
Elsewhere in the Red Wings’ orbit, former Grand Rapids Griffins forward Joe Snively has found a strong foothold in the Swedish Hockey League. The Virginia native spent most of his career with the Capitals’ AHL affiliate in Hershey before joining Grand Rapids for the 2024-25 season, where he put up 21 goals and 26 assists in 72 games.
Snively then signed a one-year deal with Djurgårdens IF in the SHL and delivered 39 points in 52 games. He later agreed to an extension with the club in January.
Djurgårdens also has former Red Wings 2019 third-round pick Albin Grewe on its roster.
And as for Larkin, the expectation is still that he’ll be in a red sweater when camp opens next month.
In Other News...
Red Wings May Have Let Needed Scoring Help Slip Away
As Detroit looks for ways to add offense, one of the more interesting near-misses from the offseason was a reunion that apparently got close enough to matter. Reports said the Red Wings had a deal lined up to bring back Anthony Mantha as an unrestricted free agent, a move that would have added a familiar, needed scoring presence to the roster before the talks stalled out and the winger ended up with the New Jersey Devils on a two-year contract.
The wrinkle is where the process hit a wall, with internal deliberations slowing things down at a time when Detroit could have used a cleaner decision. It is the kind of missed opportunity that lingers because it sits right alongside the clubs broader hunt for finishing help, especially now that other teams keep circling available scoring options and the Red Wings are left to wonder how different the depth chart might look if that one had gotten over the line. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Fans Have One Big Question About Theo Rochette
Theo Rochettes move to Detroit brings an intriguing layer of added competition to the Red Wings depth picture, and it is the kind of signing that can pay off quietly if the players development keeps trending the right way. The European free agent has already linked up with the organization and, just as important, he is approaching the opportunity with a clear plan to stay in North America and make his case for an NHL job rather than treating this as a stopover.
Rochette has also done his homework on what it takes to bridge that gap, leaning on former Red Wings players for perspective as he settles into a new challenge. He has drawn inspiration from Pius Suter, whose own path from Switzerland to the NHL offers a familiar blueprint for the kind of jump Rochette is trying to make, and the next question for Detroit is whether that background can translate into a real roster push. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings New Regime Faces A Huge Cap Space Debate
The Red Wings new front office is staring at a rare kind of problem in the NHL, one that usually only comes around when a rebuild starts to turn a corner: real spending power. Detroit is projected to carry significant salary cap space in the coming seasons, even after taking care of restricted free agent Simon Edvinsson, and that flexibility could shape everything from short-term roster tweaks to how aggressively the team can chase upgrades.
The bigger debate is what to do with all of that room before it starts to disappear. By the time the 2027 free agent period rolls around, Detroit could be sitting on close to $40 million in space depending on re-signings and trades, with Alex DeBrincat and other coming-off-the-books contracts helping define the picture. Add in the expected rise of the salary cap, and the Wings are in position to be patient or pounce, but the real challenge is deciding which path best accelerates the roster without sacrificing the long-term plan. [Read more 🡒]