The Detroit Red Wings don’t have a shortage of problems. What they have is a shortage of urgency.
That’s the real frustration here: so many of the issues in front of them can be handled, and yet the organization keeps letting them linger. The record is 1-2-0, the roster has its own questions, and the trade request hanging over the team only adds to the noise. But the bigger issue is how preventable a lot of this feels.
Simon Edvinsson is the clearest example. The young defenseman was clearly interested in locking in a long-term extension, and he and his agent spent the offseason unsure who they were even supposed to talk to about it.
He came to training camp on a tryout and paid for his own insurance out of pocket, accepting the injury risk while trusting the team to get a deal done. Instead, the negotiation dragged into the regular season.
Now, months later, there still isn’t a contract in place. Edvinsson has even floated the idea of a trade. At that point, it’s difficult to blame him, and even harder to understand why this has been allowed to drag on so long.
If the Red Wings are trying to get their house in order in 2026, there are three issues they could clean up relatively quickly.
First, they need to sign Edvinsson. If this is really about a few thousand dollars, the Red Wings should simply give in and treat it as a show of good faith.
Eventually, Horcoff - or whoever ends up running the team from here - is going to have to deal with agent J.P. Barry again.
It makes sense to keep that relationship in decent shape.
Second, they need to get clarity on Alex DeBrincat. In July, DeBrincat said he wanted to stay with the Red Wings.
But that was July, and a lot has changed since then. The team needs to meet with him and figure out where he stands now.
They can work through contract details during the season if that’s the path they want to take, but if he doesn’t see himself as part of the future, the Red Wings need to prepare for the possibility of trading their best forward.
And then there’s Larkin.
The team and Larkin need to get on the same page, because the trade request isn’t going away. Tuesday night’s game showed that Larkin is still committed to taking things one game at a time, but if the rumors are to be believed, he has widened his list of possible destinations. That gives the front office a chance to work with him and try to find the right fit so this can end on better terms.
All of that, though, requires a level of competence that hasn’t really shown up from the front office or ownership.
The fix here is simple in theory: the Red Wings need to stop getting in their own way.
In Other News...
Red Wings Standings Chase Just Got Tougher In The Atlantic
The Atlantic race is getting a little tighter for Detroit to navigate, with Ottawa set to add some important bodies back into its lineup after a stretch of injury absences. Defensemen Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub are expected back within the next few days, and forward Andr Burakovsky is also nearing a return from an upper-body injury, giving the Senators a chance to steady themselves at a time when every point matters in the division.
Detroit, meanwhile, made a pair of its own roster moves by activating forwards Chase Stillman and Carter Bear from the injured list and sending both to Grand Rapids. For the Red Wings, those transactions are more about keeping the pipeline moving than altering the NHL picture right away, but they underscore how quickly the standings chase can shift when rivals start getting healthier and depth pieces are being sorted out on both sides. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings May Already Have Another Goalie Worth Watching
Michal Postava is off to a strong start in Grand Rapids, and the early returns have already given the Red Wings organization something else to monitor in net. He stopped 36 shots in a 2-1 win over the Manitoba Moose, helping the Griffins keep rolling at home and improve to 2-0-1-0 on the season.
For a team always watching its goaltending pipeline, Postavas first two games have stood out even more because of how calm he has looked. The Griffins have won their last four home openers, and with Postava posting a 1.50 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage so far, there is at least a little more reason to pay attention every time he gets the crease. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Suddenly Get A Tougher Canadiens Matchup Tonight
The Canadiens are getting a significant boost on the blue line tonight, and it comes at a time when theyve already been trying to sharpen the edges of their roster. Kaiden Guhle is set to make his season debut after missing the first four games following offseason surgery on his adductor muscle, and Montreal plans to slot him next to Mike Matheson against the Red Wings.
To make room for Guhles return, Montreal recently moved Jayden Struble out of the picture in a trade with Nashville for a 2027 second-round pick. For Detroit, it means the matchup suddenly looks a little stiffer on a night when the Canadiens can roll out a more complete defense and lean on a player theyve been waiting to get back. [Read more 🡒]