5 Reasons the Red Wings Can Win the Atlantic Division This Season

Then there’s Marco Kasper, who proved last season he belongs in the NHL. He’s stronger, smarter, and more comfortable. Don’t be surprised if he pushes for top-six minutes and becomes a playoff-style force down the middle.

This isn’t a team hoping its young players take a step forward. They already have.

2. Veteran Additions Are Built for Division Battles

General manager Steve Yzerman didn’t swing wildly in free agency, but he didn’t need to. Detroit added smart, targeted pieces that directly address the flaws of last season.

James van Riemsdyk brings net-front presence and power play punch. Mason Appleton will help fix a penalty kill that sank the Red Wings last season. And John Gibson? He’s the biggest swing of them all. If he stabilizes the crease and gives Detroit even league-average goaltending, this team will be a problem every night.

They’re not flashy additions, but they’re winners. They make this team harder to play against and more equipped to grind out divisional games.

3. The Atlantic Is Weakened

Let’s call it what it is: the division isn’t as scary as it used to be.

The Boston Bruins are transitioning. Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand are gone, and the magic is fading. The Tampa Bay Lightning are getting older, and Andrei Vasilevskiy can’t mask everything anymore. The Florida Panthers are still a threat, but a back-to-back long Cup run can come with a hangover. The Toronto Maple Leafs are talented, but are still figuring out what they are under a new coach and the loss of Mitch Marner.

There’s an opportunity here, and Detroit is poised to take it. For once, the division feels open. It’s not about just making the playoffs anymore; it’s about pushing for the top.

4. Depth Wins in an 82-Game Season

Detroit isn’t top-heavy; they’re balanced. Their third and fourth lines are no longer filled with placeholders. Players like Jonatan Berggren, J.T. Compher, Andrew Copp, and newly acquired Mason Appleton can all take tough minutes and produce.

On the blue line, they have a mix of puck movers and physicality, with Edvinsson, Albert Johansson, and Seider complementing the top pair. This group can roll three pairings without a drop in performance.

The Atlantic is a war of attrition. Depth matters. And this is the deepest Red Wings team in years.

5. They’re Playing With Purpose

You could feel it at the end of last season with the new head coach in Todd McLellan. The midseason push for the playoffs. The best record in hockey in December.

This group is tired of moral victories. They no longer want to be the “almost” team.

The hunger is real. The leadership is strong. The roster is built. The Atlantic is winnable.

And if everything comes together, the Red Wings won’t just end their playoff drought; they’ll do it with a division title hanging in the rafters of Little Caesars Arena.

This isn’t a prediction. It’s a statement: The Red Wings are ready to win now. And the Atlantic better take notice.

The Red Wings Aren’t Chasing, They’re Coming for the Crown

For years, the Red Wings were stuck in the “next year” cycle, waiting for prospects to develop, contracts to expire, and a window to open. That wait is over. The window is here. The Red Wings have the youth, the leadership, the depth, and now the urgency to take the next step.

Winning the Atlantic won’t be easy, but that’s exactly why Detroit is built for it. They’re deeper than the Bruins, younger than the Lightning, more structured than the Maple Leafs, and hungrier than the Panthers. They’ve got something to prove, and they finally have the roster to do it.

This isn’t about hope anymore. It’s about belief. The Red Wings are done chasing. Now, they’re coming for the crown.