Which Red Wings Players Could Lose Their Roster Spot?

Moritz Seider: The list starts with Moritz Seider pretty comfortably for me. There is no player in the NHL who fits what Detroit needs better than Mo Seider. He’s a rock on the right side, able to sponge big minutes and shut down anyone on the other team constantly. That alone puts him in elite company in the NHL. Pair that with his newly set career high of 60 points, and you’ve got one of the most complete players in the NHL. Seider is the backbone of this team and goes out there each night (and I do mean each night, he’s never missed a game), no matter how lackluster the team in front of him, and gives them a chance. No chance is he moving.

Alex DeBrincat: Cat is probably the best forward talent this team has had since Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg were around. His 40-goals and 85-points were both milestones that haven’t been hit since the pre-2010. The most impressive part of DeBrincat’s consistent totals is who he is doing it with. If DeBrincat can turn Andrew Copp and Patrick Kane at 37 into Detroit’s best line for a majority of the season, it makes you wonder what he could do with a better supporting cast. Unless Detroit suddenly finds themselves with the luxury of multiple other elite forwards over the off-season, I don’t know that there should be an iota spent on thinking about letting DeBrincat go.

Almost Certainly Back

Dylan Larkin: I’m not the kind of person who subscribes to the Dylan Larkin trade ideas. He just recorded a career high in goals and was on pace for 74 points. While I understand the need for more even-strength scoring, if Larkin wasn’t helping convert on the power play, the unit there would be functionally useless. We saw it firsthand during his injury that the power play just couldn’t convert without him there. Larkin is still essentially Detroit’s defenseman match-up player. He takes the hardest minutes each night. In doing that, Larkin has never been properly supported. Though Lucas Raymond has been great since breaking through in 2023-24, the drought on the left wing has left Larkin essentially playing against three elite forwards against two. While I do believe Larkin would be much better with some actual support, I acknowledge his age and lack of success may sway management one way or another. It would take an elite return, so I doubt he moves.

Lucas Raymond: This is the second season where a jump to the 85-90 point range was on the table, and Raymond simply faded in the second half. It was heavily speculated that Raymond was fighting through an injury to end the season, and that was why he was struggling. Todd McClellan’s comments in his post-season presser made it sound like it was something he should have been able to perform through. Raymond faces a similar burden to Dylan Larkin in terms of deployment and need for a winger on the other side. The only way Raymond gets moved is in a deal for an elite forward, which again, while unlikely, I don’t know that Yzerman would be as closed off to it as he used to be.

Simon Edvinsson: From the sounds of it, Yzerman had a chance to move Edvinsson for a superstar and didn’t. That should tell you all you need to know about the status of Edvinsson on this team. Admittedly, I’m not nearly as high on Edvinsson as some other fans are. He’s a solid defenseman, but this season was heavily buoyed by the play of Moritz Seider. Edvinsson juggles between offensive brilliance and defensive deficiencies that make his play feel more Jekyll and Hyde than future superstar. But again, if he wasn’t moved as a part of a Quinn Hughes trade, I can’t imagine something worth it will come up this summer.

Expect Them Here Come October

Patrick Kane: It’s tricky with Kane, but ultimately, Detroit still needs him. I don’t love the lack of speed and defensive ability, not to mention essentially keeping DeBrincat on the second line instead of letting him play with Raymond and DeBrincat. But Detroit is desperate for offense, and that’s always been Patrick Kane’s strong suit. Obviously, it’s his choice as a free agent. But if Kane is willing to return, Yzerman should be coughing up another deal to keep Kane in Hockeytown.

Andrew Copp: It’s been three seasons in a row that I’ve been pretty impressed with Andrew Copp. He managed a pretty solid offense as a third-line, checking forward in 2023-24, as well as playing great defense as a forward. The past two seasons have all had Andrew Copp as a serviceable second-line center, which, given his pedigree, is pretty impressive. If Detroit can get Copp some solid wingers as a third-line center, I’m pretty comfortable predicting that Red Wings fans will be impressed again.

Justin Faulk: After a strong finish to the season, Justin Faulk is almost certainly going to be a Red Wing next season. I thought him and Ben Chiarot looked pretty poor out there together, so I do wonder about getting another left-shot defenseman into the lineup. But all in all, Faulk was one of the better even-strength producers the Red Wings have had. Hopefully, with a full summer to get settled, Faulk should settle in to becoming the second-pair defenseman this rebuild has been clamoring for. However, if Yzerman doesn’t get some consideration about an extension from Faulk, he may look to get creative.

Ben Chiarot: Chiarot started the season really well. He was part of a really strong start to the season, but it seemed to follow a gradual decline. By the end of the season, I felt like Chiarot was making the wrong play more often than not. I think he still belongs on a bottom pair role, if he can get there I’d imagine I’d be alot more comfortable with him out there. If not, I have my concerns. Truthfully, I’d be interested in trying someone else but after signing a three year extension, I don’t know that is on the table.

Emmitt Finnie: I speak for everyone when I say I love Emmitt Finnie. The story with him is incredible, and the hustle makes him an easy favorite. Because of that, I’d imagine other general managers would be interested in adding him to some trade proposals. This summer, Detroit needs to pick a lane with Emmitt Finnie. Either commit to him as the first line winger and accept the growing pains for the sake of making him the winger of the future or, count on Finnie as a part of the solution to the depth problem on this time. Either way, Finnie is going to give it his all in any slot, which is why we all love the guy.

Potential Trade Pieces

Marco Kasper: It’s clear that this management group has a lot of faith in Marco Kasper. The comments from both Todd McClellan and Steve Yzerman suggest he is viewed as a core piece going forward, but I don’t know if that’s the right approach. Obviously, Kasper is still very young, but he simply looked inept offensively this season. While I’d be comfortable leaving him as the first line left-wing next season, Detroit needs some game breakers in their top six, and if management trusts Finnie more, I don’t think having Kasper in the bottom six is a better use than looking to include him in a trade. For a guy like Elias Pettersson, I could see Kasper being a centerpiece of that deal. If not, I think it’s top-line or bust for Kasper’s chance at bouncing back next season.

Nate Danielson: I’m very comfortable moving Nate Danielson if it means there is a good return on the other side of it. I’ve been unimpressed with his NHL body of work, and as a 22-year-old who was drafted in the top-10, I expect at least an NHL regular at this point. If he can be used as a part of a bigger trade, I’m all for it.

Axel Sandin-Pellikka: Let’s make this clear, Sandin-Pellikka isn’t here because I think he’s going to flop; he’s here because he’s one of the few players on this team with some value. I do believe that the key to landing an elite forward talent like Matthews or Robertson would be Sandin-Pellikka. In a way, I think if a deal comes up this off-season, ASP could be the sacrificial lamb this team needs. Besides, Seider has long proven he can hold it down as the top power-play quarterback.

Michael Brandsegg-Nygard: Similar to Sandin-Pellikka, MBN may also just end up being a trade sacrifice. I’ve liked his game while he’s been up. Brandsegg-Nygard has added that bite that this team sorely lacks. If he’s back in the bottom six next season, I’m happy, trust me. But again, if he needs to be included to bring in a star player, I’m fine with it.

Move If Possible

J.T. Compher: Shockingly, Compher has remained productive despite his pretty consistently underwhelming play. He recorded 28 points this season, which isn’t terrible for a fourth-line center. He kills penalties and is the best option for spot-filling during an injury, as he’s shown this season. However, the blatant lack of effort each night has led to him feeling like dead weight. The contract has aged poorly, but with how much cap space the Red Wings have, I wouldn’t even mind seeing a buyout for him. As I mentioned earlier, this feels like a classic case of addition by subtraction.

Albert Johansson: I’ve likely Johansson’s play, but I don’t get the sense he’d be any better than Chiarot is in the top four. The deal Detroit gave Chiarot leads me to think that getting rid of Johansson is best. I’d rather let Chiarot fall down to the third pair and try to bring in another lefty to play beside Faulk instead of another bid of optimism that Johansson can hold down the spot.

Mason Appleton: I could see this being a similar case to the Vladimir Tarasenko saga of last season. He’s a player who was pretty steady for a long time, but the Red Wings have a tendency to ruin players, and Appleton may be another on that list. It wouldn’t be a big trade or anything; you might get a late-round pick back at best. But it would free the spot for a rookie like Carter Mazur to have a full-time job, and you have to hope that would be an upgrade for the team.

Jacob Bernard-Docker: Detroit did ink another deal for JBD, so I guess I’m in the minority here. I do think that he played better as the season progressed, but I’m not going to let recency bias overshadow what was pretty comfortably a bad season from Bernard-Docker. Offensively, he recorded 5 points and only 1 goal in 63 games. I know he’s not here to be a point-producer, but his defensive game also sucked so I’m not sure what the silver lining is here. Even if he becomes a solid 7th defenseman, I’d rather that spot go to one of the guys in Grand Rapids just to see what is there.

Dead Weight

Michael Rasmussen: It’s been years since Rasmussen has had a stretch of play that has made me think he’s a long-term part of this team. Despite his frame, he doesn’t really throw it around as much as he should. The puck dies on his stick constantly, and the effort simply isn’t there most nights. He’s a part of the penalty kill, but given how mediocre that unit is, that’s hardly a positive. Rasmussen is emblematic of the problems with this team: he lacks offense, grit, and most of all, Rasmussen lacks effort.

James Van Riemsdyk: When he was on, he was on. JVR had stints where I genuinely really liked his play. He added some really gritty net front offense to this team and had some real highlights. But when he wasn’t at his best, he wasn’t doing much on the ice. He’s here because he’s a free agent more than anything, but bringing him back will continue making Detroit too slow to compete most nights, and at this point, guys in Grand Rapids have earned a spot more.

David Perron: Similar to JVR, while Perron had his moments, he didn’t provide enough to warrant him staying. It felt like more stupid penalties than anything. I’m ready for a torch passing moment of Red Wings psycho from Perron to MBN this off-season.

Travis Hamonic: Genuinely forgot he was here. I’m thankful for that.

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