Red Wings Almost Landed Panthers Star in Blockbuster Move

As the Detroit Red Wings try to build a roster to break the long playoff drought, it seems that the front office has been active this summer. While the Red Wings haven't landed anything wild, the team has at least been trying.

Detroit has needed to bring more energy to this roster, and the pressure is on general manager Steve Yzerman. The Yzerman era hasn't gone as planned, but there is still time for the Red Wings to turn things around.

And it seems that Detroit was very much involved in some negotiations with top free agents this summer. The only issue is that the team wasn't able to close the deal.

According to NHL insider James Mirtle of The Athletic, the Red Wings made a major push to land star defenseman Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers. Ekblad ended up returning to Florida, but it seems that Detroit may have offered more money.

I know Detroit was pushing for some of the top potential UFAs this summer, but as mentioned above, a lot of them didn’t end up even getting to market. Aaron Ekblad, in particular, could have signed for a much thicker average annual value in Michigan than the $6.1 million he took with Florida," Mirtle wrote.

With Ekblad not coming to Detroit, the search continues for this team to add to the roster. The Red Wings have missed the playoffs in nine years, and things are getting a little tight within the organization.

This 2025-26 season will be huge for this team as they try to show some growth. If they can't, big changes could be coming to the organization, with nobody being safe in their roles.