Red Wings 2025-26 Season Preview: Defense

In terms of pure defensive ability, Seider is a top-20 defender in the NHL – he’s probably even within the top-15. He is the unofficial leader of the Red Wings’ blue line; he hasn’t missed a single game since making his NHL debut, and Detroit’s defense would suffer greatly if he does this season.

Despute only having 103 NHL games to his credit, Simon Edvinsson has already asserted himself as the Red Wings’ second-best defenseman. The Red Wings’ top pick in the 2021 draft, the Swedish defender made his debut as a full-time NHLer last season and showed himself capable of playing in almost any scenario. His plus-12 rating led the Red Wings last season, which suggests that he was Detroit’s best defenseman at even-strength last season (though the topic requires a little more nuance than relying on one faulty statistic.)

Edvinsson, who stands at 6-foot-6 and is just 22 years of age, averaged north of 21 minutes of ice-time last season. When he joined Seider on the Red Wings’ top pairing, he quickly established himself as the most capable partner Seider has had in the NHL. At times, they were outright dominant together last season, but Detroit’s lack of depth on the blue line necessitated that they were split up for most of the season, with Edvinsson holding things down on the team’s second pairing.

Together, Seider and Edvinsson are the two pillars of the Red Wings’ defense. Both have good size, both move the puck well, and both have proven themselves to be capable of defending at a high level. Even without a meaningful addition on the blue line, the Red Wings’ defense can be good enough to reach the postseason thanks to the talent these two players possess.

Chiarot & Johansson Headline Remaining Crew

Entering his fourth season with the Red Wings, Ben Chiarot projects to open the season in his familiar spot next to Seider on the top pairing. While his spot in the lineup fluctuated last season, he still spent the majority of the season next to the team’s top defender. Chiarot is Seider’s most-frequent partner to this point in his career, though it is worth noting that the 34-year-old veteran is in the final year of his contract.

When Edvinsson wasn’t playing with Seider, he most often played with Albert Johansson, the team’s 23-year-old rookie last season. After previously skated together in the American Hockey League (AHL), they were perhaps unsurprisingly effective as a second pairing for the Red Wings last season. Johansson was re-signed to a two-year contract in the offseason, and he projects to reunite with Edvinsson on the second pairing this season.

Rounding out the Red Wings’ depth chart on the blue line are a pair of returning veterans as well as two new additions. Erik Gustafsson and Justin Holl enter their second and third seasons in Detroit, respectively. Joining them are free agent additions Travis Hamonic and Jacob Bernard-Docker. While there aren’t any game-winners in this group, they simply need to be adequate in the roles they are given to give the Red Wings a shot every night.

Bernard-Docker stands out as a potential pleasant surprise due to his relative youth (25), and Johansson will look to assert himself as an everyday top four defenseman this season. Outside of those two, there isn’t a ton to get excited about when it comes to the Red Wings’ defensive depth.

Chiarot is a respected voice in the locker room, but the puck tends to go in the wrong direction when he is on the ice, and his fit with Seider has always been hit and miss. Gustafsson can produce points from the back end, but his defensive play is far from inspiring. Holl was the topic of buyout rumors this offseason, and Hamonic has settled into the role of a bottom pairing/extra defenseman. The Red Wings were connected to several defensemen this offseason, and one look at their shaky depth chart makes it easy to see why.

Reinforcements in Grand Rapids?

Outside of a trade, the Red Wings’ best bet for improving their defensive lineup is from within.

The organization’s top prospect, Axel Sandin Pellikka, happens to be a defenseman, and he possesses a unique skillset compared to the established talent on Detroit’s blue line. He’s an under-6-foot, offensive defenseman that excels at making things happen with the puck on his stick. He is set to compete in his first AHL season with the Grand Rapids Griffins after making a cameo appearance late last season, including all three of their playoff games.

Sandin Pellikka is widely considered to be one of the best prospects in the sport. While the Red Wings are known for taking their time with their prospects – especially on the blue line – this is one prospect that could force his way into the NHL ahead of schedule. While it will be tough for the 20-year-old to win a job right out of training camp, it wouldn’t be too big of a surprise if he earns a permanent spot in Detroit over the course of the season.

After Sandin Pellikka, the Red Wings have a few young defensemen that could wear the winged wheel before the season is over. William Wallinder, a 2020 second round pick, received a brief call-up last season, indicating the organization have some level of faith in him as a potential NHL player. He has good size and moves the puck well, but there isn’t a “stand out” feature to his game at this point in his development.

Antti Tuomisto, a 2019 second round pick, is the oldest prospect in the Red Wings’ pool and has been on the cusp of a call up for a while now. The Finnish defender has established himself as an effective defenseman in the AHL, but there are genuine concerns about how he would fare while dealing with the pace of play in the NHL. Still, if he is going to have a future in Detroit, this is the season for him to prove it.

Rounding out this group is Shai Buium, a 2021 second round pick that is set to embark on his second season in the AHL. After enjoying a fairly successful rookie season, the Griffins hope to see him take another step and establish himself as a top line defenseman in the AHL. In doing so, he may also earn a call up to Detroit.

Red Wings 2025-26 Defense: Work in Progress

There are some exciting defensemen at the top of the Red Wings’ depth chart and at the top of their prospect pool. That fact alone is enough to have hope that Detroit’s blue line group is good enough to get the job done this season. While their collection of depth defensemen isn’t the most exciting, they are all capable within their respective roles. Johansson taking another step forward would be a big boost to the Red Wings’ top four as well.

Realistically, that is what the Red Wings are betting on this season. Without a significant addition in the offseason, the hope is that the team’s young defensemen can take another step forward. If we’re talking about Edvinsson as a top-20 or 25 defenseman in the NHL by season’s end, the Red Wings would be in a select group of teams that have two defenders in that conversation – and that is a definite possibility! If Johansson takes that aforementioned step forward and Sandin Pellikka forces his way upward, the Red Wings could have a really young and exciting group on defense this season.

But all of that is the best-case scenario. The Red Wings’ veteran defensmen will have a significant impact on the team’s overall play, for better or for worse. If there is one thing last season proved, however, it’s that McLellan will not hesitate to play the best players he has, whether they’re a rookie or a 10-year veteran. That, as well as the focus on accountability from McLellan and assistant coach Trent Yawney, should give fans hope that this year can and will be different from yesteryear.

If the Red Wings are going to end their playoff drought, they’ll need it to be.