Eastern Conference off-season preview: Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings made one big move heading into the 2025-26 season.

In 2023-24, the Red Wings finished with a 41-32-9 record with 91 points, but missed out on a playoff spot as the Washington Capitals, who also finished with 91 points, had the tiebreaker. It’s safe to say the Yzerplan hasn’t quite worked out in Hockeytown.

Let’s take a look at how their 2024-25 season went, what they did over the off-season, and how the team stacks up heading into the new season.

How the season went

Although the Red Wings missed out on a post-season berth in 2023-24, there were positives to take away from that season. That was until they started 13-17-4 over 34 games, leading to head coach Derek Lalonde getting the boot on Boxing Day. At that point, they were just eight points out of a post-season spot, but had plenty of teams to jump over.

To say that the Red Wings got a coaching bump would be an understatement. They fell 5-2 in their first game after the coaching change, then embarked on a stretch where they went 15-3-1, putting them in the first wild card spot. A six-game losing streak from late Feb. 27 until Mar. 10 is what sunk them in the end.

It didn’t help that the Wings elected to have a quiet trade deadline. Their lone notable move saw them trade Joe Veleno to the Chicago Blackhawks for Craig Smith and Petr Mrázek, not nearly enough to give them a boost to make the playoffs.

The Wings had taken a step forward in each season that Steve Yzerman took over as the general manager, but they finished with a 39-35-8 record, good enough for just 86 points, five points out of a playoff spot and five points fewer than what they achieved in 2023-24.

Drafted players

Because they finished in the mushy middle, the Red Wings ended up with the 13th overall pick, using it to select Carter Bear from the Everett Silvertips. In the second round, they selected Swedish winger Eddie Genborg.

They went with a goalie in the third round, using the 75th overall pick to select Michal Pradel from the United States Hockey League’s Tri-City Storm. With their two fourth-round picks, the Wings selected wingers Brent Solomon and Michal Svrcek. Yes, there were two players named Michal selected in the 2025 draft; the Red Wings drafted them both.

Their fifth-round pick saw them select Russian defenceman Nikita Tyurin, followed by Will Murphy, another defenceman, with their sixth-round pick. With the Wings’ final pick of the draft, they chose Grayden Robertson-Palmer 204th overall.

Trades

The Red Wings made their biggest move of the off-season on the second day of the draft, sending a 2027 second-round pick, a 2026 fourth-round pick, and Mrázek to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for John Gibson, a potential solution to their goaltending woes.

That same day, they shipped off their 2025 third-round pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 2025 and 2026 fourth-round pick, and swapped seventh-round picks with the Calgary Flames. Their other notable trade this off-season saw them clear cap space by trading Vladimir Tarasenko to the Minnesota Wild for future considerations.

Free agent signings

Although they cleared up cap space, the Wings didn’t do a whole lot with it. Before free agency started, the team re-signed defencemen Albert Johansson and William Lagesson to two-year deals, along with Jonatan Berggren to a one-year deal worth $1.825 million.

The Wings’ most notable re-signing was that of future Hall of Famer Patrick Kane, who agreed to a one-year deal worth $3 million. When Canada Day rolled around, they signed James van Riemsdyk to a one-year deal worth $1 million, as well as Mason Appleton to a two-year deal worth $2.9 million.

Other smaller moves saw them sign former Flame Travis Hamonic to a one-year deal worth $1 million, as well as re-signing Elmer Söderblom to a two-year deal worth $1.125 million annually.

Departures

As for who the Wings lost, netminder Alex Lyon signed with the Buffalo Sabres when free agency opened. He was their best netminder over the past two seasons. Mrázek also departed, as the two-time Wing was sent to the Ducks.

Jeff Petry will get a chance to win a Stanley Cup, as the Michigan native departed his hometown team for the Florida Panthers.

What the team looks like heading into 2025-26

So, what do the Wings look like heading into the 2025-26 season? They’re weak down the middle, as they feature Dylan Larkin, Andrew Copp, J.T. Compher, and Michael Rasmussen. Of the four, Larkin is the game-changer, while they’re missing a 2C.

Rounding out the top six are Marco Kasper, Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat, and Patrick Kane, a solid wing core, especially with Raymond on the verge of being a serious star and Kasper’s emergence in the second half of last season. Appleton, van Riemsdyk, Jonatan Berggren, and Söderblom  make up the bottom-six wingers.

On defence, Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson are their two best defenceman. Johnasson had a strong rookie campaign, while they’ll also feature veterans Ben Chiarot, Justin Holl, and Erik Gustafsson.

In net, Gibson will get the bulk of action, with former Flame Cam Talbot backing him up.