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Axel Sandin Pellikka, Detroit Red Wings (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Red Wings 2025-26 Season Preview: Depth Chart, X-Factors & More

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Tony Wolak | Last updated Oct 8, 2025 11:25 AM ET

Rejoice, Hockeytown – the Detroit Red Wings kick off the 2025-26 season this week. They open the year Thursday night against the Montreal Canadiens before hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.

The 2025-26 campaign represents yet another opportunity for the Red Wings to break through and reach the playoffs – go from rebuild to rebuilt.

But are they ready? Do the Red Wings have enough talent to get over the hump? Can they survive the gauntlet that is the Atlantic Division? To find out, we’ll examine Detroit’s lineup, key factors, and scoring expectations. Let’s dive in.

2025-26 Red Wings Depth Chart

Here’s a look at Detroit’s NHL depth chart now that the preseason has wrapped up:

LW	C	RW
Emmitt Finnie	Dylan Larkin	Lucas Raymond
Alex DeBrincat	Marco Kasper	Patrick Kane
Andrew Copp	J.T. Compher	Michael Brandsegg-Nygard
Elmer Soderblom	Michael Rasmussen	Mason Appleton
James van Riemsdyk		Jonatan Berggren

LD	RD	G
Ben Chiarot	Moritz Seider	John Gibson
Simon Edvinsson	Axel Sandin-Pellikka	Cam Talbot
Albert Johansson	Travis Hamonic
	Jacob Bernard-Docker

Position	PP1	PP2
Quarterback	Moritz Seider	Axel Sandin-Pellikka
Left Flank	Lucas Raymond	Michael Brandsegg-Nygard
Right Flank	Patrick Kane	Marco Kasper
Bumper	Dylan Larkin	Andrew Copp
Net Front/Side of Net	Alex DeBrincat	J.T. Compher

Position	PK1	PK2	PK3
Forward 1	Dylan Larkin	Andrew Copp	J.T. Compher
Forward 2	Lucas Raymond	Mason Appleton	Michael Rasmussen
Defense 1	Ben Chiarot	Simon Edvinsson
Defense 2	Moritz Seider	Travis Hamonic

(Erik Gustafsson is currently on the roster, while James van Riemsdyk has been designated as a non-roster player. When van Riemsdyk is activated, the likely corresponding move will be Gustafsson being assigned to Grand Rapids.)

Arguably, the biggest storyline from training camp and the preseason was the ascension of three Red Wings prospects: Emmitt Finnie, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard. The trio forced their way onto the roster, displacing veteran skaters.

Finnie, Sandin-Pellikka, and Brandsegg-Nygard earning roster spots is a reflection of Steve Yzerman’s overarching strategy, known colloquially as the Yzerplan. No roster spots were handed out. There was meaningful competition, and the rookies seized the opportunity. That’s how you build a quality team – everything must be earned. Their next job is to continually prove that they belong.

There’s also competition within the 23-man roster. The two extra forwards above—James van Riemsdyk and Jonatan Berggren—are not every-night scratches. In fact, they’ll be in the lineup more often than not. Who comes out will depend on performance. The same thing goes for the blue line – the nightly scratch will depend on who’s hot and who’s not.

Overall, this is a deeper team than what we’ve seen recently. The mix of added depth, internal competition, and lineup flexibility should position the Red Wings to build upon their 86-point performance last year.

One final note: Detroit’s roster is not set. Players will be sent down and others will be called up. Injuries will occur. This is just the opening night depth chart. Expect there to be plenty of change throughout the season, including ice time for Nate Danielson, Carter Mazur, and others.

Red Wings’ 2025-26 X-Factors

These four factors will determine the fate of Detroit’s season. They could be the difference between a playoff berth and another year on the outside.

Defenseman Stepping Up

We know that Moritz Seider, Simon Edvinsson, and Ben Chiarot will comprise three-fourths of Detroit’s top four. Who’s the fourth? Whether it’s Albert Johansson, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, or someone else, the Red Wings need a blueliner to step up and give the team two very good defensive pairs to balance deployments. Doing so will spread out elite matchups and give Seider more opportunities to create against lesser competition.

Contract Years

Chiarot, Edvinsson, Berggren, van Riemsdyk, Patrick Kane, Jacob Bernard-Docker, and Cam Talbot are all in the final years of their respective contracts, giving them incentive to go above-and-beyond this season. Contract year bumps from these players should make the Red Wings more competitive as a whole.

Simon Edvinsson has shown tremendous growth this season. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Young Players Ascending

When considering NHL age curves, several of Detroit’s key players should see increased productivity this season, including Seider, Edvinsson, Johansson, Berggren, Lucas Raymond, Marco Kasper, and Michael Rasmussen. They haven’t plateaued or peaked yet – they’re still ascending.

Goaltending

John Gibson gives the Red Wings their most talented netminder since the days of Chris Osgood and Dominik Hasek. While he may need some time to adjust to a new surroundings, the stability of an above-average goalie could be a major boost for the team.

Red Wings’ 2025-26 Projections

Below are my projected leaders for the three main statistical categories:

Goals

Dylan Larkin – 35
Alex DeBrincat – 33
Lucas Raymond – 31

Assists

Lucas Raymond – 50
Dylan Larkin – 45
Moritz Seider – 44

Points

Lucas Raymond – 81
Dylan Larkin – 80
Alex DeBrincat – 72

Stay tuned for scoring projections for the entire Red Wings roster.

What to Expect From the 2025-26 Red Wings

Make no mistake, the Atlantic Division will be highly competitive in 2025-26. There’s still a chance for the Red Wings to reach the postseason, though.

With such parity, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the third- through seventh-place teams in the division separated by less than 10 points. Expanding to the entire Eastern Conference, there are only a couple teams that are surefire locks to make the playoffs. Third through 12th place could be very, very tight.

Given this, the Red Wings need to bank points early and often. One goal games will matter. Having a league-average penalty kill will matter. The extra effort will matter.

Detroit has the talent, depth, and attitude to reject the narrative that they’re not a playoff team yet. And if they can show up on a consistent basis and fight through the parity, they could very well be a team that overachieves—relative to preseason predictions—in 2025-26.

Data courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and PuckPedia.