The NHL released its “payroll ranges” for the next three seasons, with the salary cap tentatively rising to $95.5 million, $104 million and $113.5 million over the next three seasons. As such, MLive’s Ansar Khan assessed the Wings’ cap situation going into this summer:
The Red Wings are in good shape, cap-wise. Their top players (Dylan Larkin, Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond) are locked up to long-term contracts through 2031 and 2032, and Alex DeBrincat has two more years on his deal after this season.
The Red Wings also will be trimming more than $10 million from their payroll with the unrestricted free agents not expected to return.
Their young players on entry-level contracts, notably Simon Edvinsson and Marco Kasper, aren’t up for new deals until 2026-27 and 2027-28, respectively.
This will give general manager Steve Yzerman flexibility to seek big-money players through free agency or trade, if the opportunity is there.
As of now, the Red Wings have 15 players signed for 2025-26 (nine forwards, five defensemen and one goaltender) at a cap figure of $69.6 million. That would give them roughly $25 million to fill out their 23-man roster with eight more players. That includes their own restricted free agents and any prospects being promoted to the NHL, most notably of which figures to be defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka.
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