Kulfan talks free agency targets

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted a free agency preview today, discussing some of the targets for the Red Wings to sign ahead of the start of unrestricted free agency tomorrow at 12 PM EDT.

Kulfan notes that the Red Wings “face uncertainty” in terms of the statuses of the Dylan Larkin trade and Patrick Kane’s decision as to whether he will return, but Kulfan believes that the following players should be pursued no matter what:

▶ Mason Marchment, left wing, Columbus: Marchment, 31, would be a nice fit for the Wings, playing up or down the lineup, and at 6-foot-5, plays the rugged type of game they need. He twice scored 22 goals in Dallas, and last season had 19 goals between playing for Seattle and Columbus. Marchment will have a lot of interested teams who likely will overpay for the good player, but not star.

▶ Viktor Arvidsson, left wing, Boston: Arvidsson, 33, scored 25 goals in Boston in sort of a rebirth season. He’s been a steady pro for much of his career and has been a dependable 20-goal scorer. It would be surprising if he doesn’t work something out with the Bruins.

▶ Anders Lee, left wing, N.Y. Islanders: Lee, 35, has played on Long Island is entire career, and the expectation is the two sides will work something out in the late hours. Lee saw his streak of 20-plus goal seasons end at five last season — he scored 19. He’s excellent around the net.

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Three Red Wings prospects invited to World Junior Summer Showcase

Red Wings prospects JP Hurlbert, Victor Plante and Brent Solomon have been invited to participate on Team USA’s roster at the World Junior Summer Showcase, which will take place in Windsor, ON in late July:

A more moderate take on the Dylan Larkin situation

The Free Press’s Carlos Monarrez weighed in with his opinion regarding the Dylan Larkin situation this morning; now, the Hockey News’s Adam Proteau offers a more moderate take:

Finally, Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman spoke about Larkin’s trade request over the weekend. Yzerman confirmed that Larkin officially wants to be dealt out of town. However, the GM also said he’s acting with the best interests of the Wings in mind.

“I cannot make any guarantees, and I did not make any guarantees, that that request could or would be met,” Yzerman told reporters.

That could make things extremely awkward come training camp if Larkin hasn’t been traded. That said, we don’t expect it to get to that uncomfortable point.

The market for high-end centers is going to be robust this summer, and even if Larkin – who controls his destiny with his no-trade clause – chooses only a few teams he’d be willing to join, Yzerman still should be able to get something of consequence for Larkin’s services that keeps them competitive. It will just take some time to craft the best trade possible for the Red Wings.

You can’t have a cynic in your dressing room, and that’s what Larkin now is if he’s requesting a trade. So Detroit must find the best trade for him this summer, completely cut its ties with Larkin and try picking up the pieces as they push for a playoff spot next season.

Larkin gave it a long try in Motown, but things haven’t worked out, and there’s no longer any good reason to keep him around.

Continued with assorted topics; I’m gonna be honest here and tell you that I can’t imagine the team asking Larkin to actually show up at training camp. That would yield a nasty situation all around, and there’s no reason to add a toxic element to the team in a severely disgruntled player for the sake of punishing him. Larkin would be better off skating alone, away from the Red Wings, as he prepared for the 2026-2027 season.

Tweets of note from Day 2 of the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp

Updated at 11:36 AM: The Detroit Red Wings began the second day of their 2026 Summer Development Camp on Tuesday morning, with a large roster of prospects and free agent invitees convening at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center:

The Red Wings also posted an 8-image photo gallery from day one on Facebook…

And a “meet the campers” video…

This post will be updated throughout the day, so stay tuned!

Continue reading Tweets of note from Day 2 of the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp

Hyping Patrick Kane, free agent target of playoff-bound teams

Updated at 10:18 AM: Red Wings forward and pending unrestricted free agent Patrick Kane may leave the Red Wings, and he may end up re-signing with Detroit today, as he has two times before this.

But the hype about Kane as a free agent is getting a little silly. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, who I respect greatly, believes that Kane’s text message to #1 overall draft pick Gavin McKenna is proof that Kane wants to relocate to Toronto…

Among the congratulatory messages that flooded Gavin McKenna’s phone upon being drafted No. 1 overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, one stood out.

“Patrick Kane texted me,” McKenna said. “He’s my idol, so that was cool.”

Even cooler?

The idea of Kane — who is still putting up 0.85 points per game at age 37 — joining the three other first-overall picks in Toronto on Canada Day.

Don’t rule it out.

While Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman hasn’t closed the door, the all-time leading U.S.-born scorer is believed to be changing sweaters once again.

The Maple Leafs, captained by Auston Matthews (another boyhood Kane-iac), were keen to acquire the future Hall of Famer when he first got traded away from Chicago in 2023, and general manager John Chayka is eager to round out a forward group that has taken a significant hit since March.

I have no idea where this information is coming from, but Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin is buying into the hype:

Continue reading Hyping Patrick Kane, free agent target of playoff-bound teams

If Kane is able (to sign)…

The Red Wings and unrestricted free agent-to-be Patrick Kane tend to sign contract agreements on June 30th, and as such, Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen believes that if Kane chooses to re-sign with Detroit, we should see him sign another 1-year, bonus-laden contract sometime today:

Kane signed right before July 1 in each the past two seasons. With Dylan Larkin’s trade request hanging over the team and the team’s need to renovate its offense, Kane’s decision is even more critical than it was the last two seasons.

The team needs to score more goals, and this year’s free agent marketplace is short on proven scorers. If you take Larkin and Kane out of the team’s offense, then Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond are the only proven Top Six forwards remaining.

Continued, with an examination of free agents available tomorrow…

I’m not certain whether Kane will re-sign in Detroit, comfortable familial circumstances and relationship with DeBrincat included…But I would suggest that it’s more likely than not that Kane will return. Maybe 60% to 40%?

Ironically, Kane’s agent is CAA’s Pat Brisson, who represents Dylan Larkin and many other NHL stars.

A heavy critique of the Wings’ rebuild via free agent talk

The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn suggests that the Red Wings should “sit out” of the NHL’s free agent marketplace as the Red Wings’ outlook for the 2026-2027 season is that of a “draft lottery hopeful”:

Detroit Red Wings

Timeline: Back to the drawing board
Needs: Franchise forward, middle-six depth, two top-four defensemen
Projected cap space: $21.2 million

Here’s the ugly truth: Even with Dylan Larkin around, the Red Wings would be a lot closer to this tier than any other as the obvious worst team in the Atlantic.

That’s a tough pill to swallow after 10 straight years of futility, but it may be a blessing in disguise if the Red Wings can right the wrongs of 2022 and go back to the drawing board. The Red Wings left the accumulation stage of the rebuild too early and have paid the price for it.

Detroit needs to start re-accumulating, and fast, to time it right with the primes of Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider. Otherwise, the Red Wings may end up right back here in five years. They’re not getting out of this jam via free agency and half measures that just lead to 80-point seasons.

Continued (paywall); the Red Wings do have an uphill climb to battle Buffalo, Ottawa and Montreal in the Atlantic Division, but I don’t believe that the Wings are a lottery team that needs to clear the decks and trade Alex DeBrincat, for example.

It’s not that bleak in Detroit.

Bultman discusses the Red Wings’ 2026 draft haul, including JP Hurlbert

The Athletic’s Max Bultman weighs in regarding the Detroit Red Wings’ 2026 NHL Draft class this morning, discussing the players who Kris Draper and the Wings’ amateur scouting staff targeted to address team needs.

Here’s what Bultman has to say about JP Hurlbert, the Red Wings’ first round draft pick, who was acquired via trading Sebastian Cossa to Utah for the 23rd overall pick.

Bultman notes that Hurlbert received a glowing recommendation from fellow WHL player Carter Bear, whose Everett Silvertips battled Hurlbert’s Kamloops Blazers on a regular basis this past season:

“Obviously, he can score, for sure,” Bear said. “He’s quick with the puck and can handle the puck well, and he has good smarts for the game. Getting to know him now, he’s a great person.”

Bear said he and Hurlbert are rooming together, which is a cool setup for the two WHL scorers.

General manager Steve Yzerman said Hurlbert was “one of a small group of players” the Red Wings estimated might be available around pick 23, before trading Cossa to Utah for that pick. And when they executed the trade and went on the clock, Yzerman said Hurlbert was “without a doubt the prospect we wanted the most at that pick.”

As with Bear, Hurlbert will need to continue to work on his skating, but he’s a natural scorer, and adding a player with that ability to the system definitely addresses a need for the Red Wings.

Continued (paywall); as per usual, Bultman’s discussion of the Wings’ prospects is worth your time.

Monarrez weighs in on Dylan Larkin’s trade request

The Free Press’s Carlos Monarrez weighs in regarding the challenges Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman faces in attempting to trade disgruntled captain Dylan Larkin:

What Yzerman needs to understand very clearly about his first fight in three decades is that this is a fight he cannot win.

Regardless of how angry he is at Larkin, regardless of how betrayed he feels, regardless of how much he wants to show Larkin who’s the boss, regardless of just about any factor you can think of, Yzerman must throw in the towel and trade Larkin to one of his preferred teams.

If Yzerman digs in his heels and refuses to trade Larkin because he can’t get what he believes is fair value in a trade with one of the few teams Larkin is willing to waive his no-movement clause for, that creates the possibility of an ugly and potentially toxic environment that could poison the Wings’ season, their future and hasten the end of Yzerman’s tenure as GM.

Monarrez paints a picture of Larkin having to come to training camp as a player who doesn’t want to be in Detroit…

Continue reading Monarrez weighs in on Dylan Larkin’s trade request