Next Up in Hockeytown: Michael Brandsegg-Nygård

Even when Brandsegg-Nygård was drafted, it was largely to address some of the issues with the current roster. Out of his draft, Brandsegg-Nygård was described as a high-motor player with the strength to punish teams with both his body and his shot. The brute strength is something the Red Wings really lacked, especially up front, both in their prospect pool and on the current roster. The 2025-26 Red Wings, more than any other Detroit team in recent memory, struggled with some of the things MBN brings to the table.

The biggest need for the Red Wings is getting harder to play against. Detroit was one of the worst teams in the league at even strength by nearly every advanced metric. There is obviously layers as to why that was the case. Some fans point to Detroit’s lack of physicality and hits as a reason they were so easy to play keep-away from. Others may point to the lack of speed on this roster aside from a few key bodies. Both of which, MBN brings in spades.

Even when surrounded by a pretty bad bottom six, MBN had a 52% xGF and 62.7% SF, meaning he was pretty comfortably dominating the play while he was on the ice. It didn’t translate to offense obviously, but part of that was due to Detroit being ranked 31st in the league for finishing by hockeystats.com.

The reason MBN has such positive analytics despite the poor team around him was that he brings what Detroit lacks, as mentioned, the speed and physicality to punish other teams.

Getting the Most Out of Brandsegg-Nygård

The biggest problem with Brandsegg-Nygård last season was that he was simply surrounded by players who weren’t good enough to get the most out of him. Brandsegg-Nygård only spent ~24:00 minutes total alongside one of the Red Wings 60+ point scorers. Simply put, that’s not good enough for a rookie.

The proof is in the pudding. Andrew Copp, Marco Kasper, J.T. Compher, and Emmitt Finnie all struggled when placed in depth roles and looked much better after getting time in the top six around genuine talent. Brandsegg-Nygård is no different; he needs to be around talent next season, and I think there is a pretty obvious line that could get a lot out of him.

Steve Yzerman needs to add a top-six forward full stop. He also made it clear that he is a firm believer in Marco Kasper next season. All signs point to the top six featuring one new addition, Marco Kasper, Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat, and Patrick Kane. That leaves a pretty solid third line to be built around MBN.

The first piece is Andrew Copp. He’s a gritty, playmaking center who is responsible defensively and able to take on any matchup. Brandsegg-Nygård is a shooter, and Copp is a great option down the middle to be the guy feeding him while still maintaining defensive integrity.

On the left wing, there would be Emmitt Finnie. After a great rookie season, his pace and two-way potential are a great fit next to Copp and MBN. Finnie has no problem throwing hits and creating rush chances which Brandsegg-Nygård strives with.

It would create a third line that not only fans but Steve Yzerman would love. In his postseason presser, Yzerman mentioned wanting a checking line or maybe a shutdown line for the third line, and this one can do both. Each player is responsible and gritty enough to throw hits and hold it down defensively while transitioning the puck offensively.

The coaching staff would love it, and I think it’s exactly how Brandsegg-Nygård can be let loose next season to help Detroit’s depth in a big way.

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