Last Word on Hockey’s Puck Drop Previews are back for the 2025-26 season! As the regular season approaches, Last Word will preview each team’s current outlook and stories to watch for the upcoming year. We’ll also do our best to project how things will go for each team throughout the campaign. Today, we’re previewing the 2025-26 Detroit Red Wings .
2025-26 Detroit Red Wings
2024-25 Season
The Red Wings finished sixth in the Atlantic Division with an 86-point campaign (39–35–8), once again falling short of the playoffs. They sat ahead of Buffalo and Boston but well behind the division’s five postseason qualifiers. Respectable? Sure. Satisfying? Hardly. This was yet another year where Detroit lived in the dreaded middle tier — not bad enough for prime lottery odds, not good enough to actually matter.
Dylan Larkin remained the heartbeat of the roster, while Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat supplied steady offence. Patrick Kane chipped in flashes of brilliance when healthy, and Moritz Seider cemented himself further as the cornerstone on the blue line. Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson showed promise, but defensive depth remained an issue. Special teams, as has become routine, sputtered at key moments; the power play was a rare bright spot as it was the fourth-best power play last season, but the Red Wings had the worst penalty kill in the league, essentially negating their top-class powerplay. And between the pipes, Alex Lyon and Petr Mrazek couldn’t provide the stability needed to keep Detroit in the playoff chase. The result? Another season where fans were left being told to stay patient with the Yzerplan, even as patience continues to thin out.
2025 Offseason
Detroit was ranked the ninth-most improved team in the NHL by The Athletic , thanks to a string of incremental upgrades. The biggest move came in net, with John Gibson acquired to take over as starter. His Anaheim exit left questions, but the Wings are banking on him rediscovering form. Veteran Cam Talbot was added as backup, creating a tandem that is at least more stable on paper than Lyon–Mrazek.
Up front, Detroit brought in James van Riemsdyk and Mason Appleton for depth. They aren’t game-changers, but they represent upgrades over previous stopgaps like Tyler Motte . On the blue line, Jacob Bernard-Docker joined as a depth right-shot option, a modest but needed move considering the struggles of Jeff Petry and Justin Holl last year. The losses — Tarasenko, Motte, Petry, Lyon — were more about clearing clutter than subtracting value.
Still, confidence in the front office continues to waver. The Jake Walman trade remains a cautionary tale, where Detroit attached a second-round pick just to dump his salary, only for Walman to thrive elsewhere. Moves like that make fans wonder whether Steve Yzerman can complement his strong drafting with equally strong roster management. That might be too critical, though as players can often find renewed motivation and take their game to another level with a change of scenery. With Dylan Larkin approaching 30, aligning timelines with cornerstone pieces like Raymond and Seider is no longer a luxury — it’s a necessity.
Lineup Projections
Forwards
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| James van Riemsdyk | Dylan Larkin | Lucas Raymond |
| Alex DeBrincat | Marco Kasper | Patrick Kane |
| Andrew Copp | J.T. Compher | Mason Appleton |
| Elmer Soderblom | Michael Rasmussen | Jonatan Berggren |
| Extras: Austin Watson | – | – |
Top Six
Detroit’s top line continues to run through Larkin, with Raymond’s scoring touch and JVR’s net-front game rounding it out. The real intrigue lies in the second line. Marco Kasper will be asked to step into a massive role between DeBrincat and Kane. If he succeeds, Detroit could finally have two legitimate scoring lines. If he falters, depth down the middle again becomes a glaring weakness.
Bottom Six
The third line of Copp, Compher, and Appleton offers veteran responsibility and a defensive conscience, even if offence may be limited. The fourth line adds size and upside with Soderblom, Rasmussen, and Berggren — players who still have room to grow into impactful NHLers. Compared to last year, Detroit’s bottom six looks sturdier, though questions remain about finishing ability.
Defence
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Ben Chiarot | Moritz Seider |
| Simon Edvinsson | Albert Johansson |
| Erik Gustafsson | Travis Hamonic |
| Extras: Jacob Bernard-Docker, Justin Holl |
Top Four
Moritz Seider remains the engine of Detroit’s defence, playing big minutes and drawing the toughest matchups. His pairing with Chiarot is less than ideal, but the Wings lack better options on the right side. If Chiarot can be the steady presence the Wings want him to be, it will allow Seider to play with more freedom and creativity. The second pairing of Edvinsson and Johansson represents the future: two young, mobile defencemen learning on the fly. If they stabilize, Detroit may finally have a credible top four.
Bottom Pair
The third pairing projects as Gustafsson alongside Hamonic, a mix of puck-moving and veteran grit. Bernard-Docker and Holl are depth options, but expectations are minimal. Depth behind Seider is still thin, leaving this group vulnerable to injuries or regression.
Goalies
Starter: John Gibson
Backup: Cam Talbot
The crease is now Gibson’s to command. Detroit is gambling that his apparent statistical rebound last year was real, not a mirage. If he gives them league-average or better play, the Red Wings’ playoff chances improve considerably. If he falters, Talbot is only a short-term patch. For a franchise that has cycled through stopgaps in net for years, this duo represents cautious optimism with plenty of risk attached.
Players to Watch
Marco Kasper – The 21-year-old will be under the microscope. Slotted as the second-line centre, his ability to hold his own against NHL competition will define Detroit’s top-six balance. If he thrives, it elevates both DeBrincat and Kane. If he struggles, Detroit will once again be looking for options that can help to push into the postseason.
John Gibson – The most impactful offseason addition, Gibson is both Detroit’s wild card and their potential saviour. If his rebound is real, he could give the Wings the steady goaltending they’ve missed since the Jimmy Howard days. If not, it’s another year of patchwork tandems and frustration.
Prediction for the 2025-26 Detroit Red Wings
Detroit enters this season once again walking the tightrope between progress and stagnation. Their young core of Seider, Raymond, Kasper, and Edvinsson offers hope, while veterans like Larkin, DeBrincat, and Kane still provide proven skill. The addition of Gibson could solve a long-standing weakness in net, and modest depth upgrades help the floor.
But questions remain. Chiarot is still miscast as a top-pair defenceman, the forward depth relies heavily on Kasper’s readiness, and Gibson’s volatility could swing the season either way. The Athletic may have called Detroit the ninth-most improved team, but “most improved” does not necessarily mean “good.”
Expect Detroit to once again hover around the wild card chase, likely finishing in the mid-80s to low-90s in points. If everything breaks right, they could sneak into the playoffs. If not, the treadmill continues, and the Yzerplan narrative grows even murkier.
Main Photo: Ed Mulholland- Imagn Images
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