The Hockey Writers’ Tony Wolak posted an article about the fact that the NHL’s salary cap is supposed to rise to $95.5 million in 2025-2026, $104 million in 26-27, and $113.5 million in 27-28.
As it currently stands, the Red Wings have nine forwards, five defensemen, and one goalie signed for the 2025-26 season. If you throw in new deals for Albert Johansson, Jonatan Berggren, and Elmer Soderblom—and add in Sebastian Cossa—Detroit is left with roughly $19.8 million in cap space to address their remaining needs.
That means the Red Wings have flexibility to go big-game hunting this offseason if they so please. Elias Pettersson? Yep, they can definitely afford him. The same goes for Mikko Rantanen and Mitch Marner if they make it to free agency.
Yes, all teams will get an extra $7.5 million in cap space to work with this summer. The point is that the Red Wings will have plenty of cap space at their disposal if they want to use the 2025 offseason as a springboard to contention.
The one caveat here is that Detroit should be conscious of what Simon Edvinsson’s next contract could look like. He’s the only Red Wings player who will be due for a significant pay raise in the next couple years. As one of the team’s most promising young defensemen, Edvinsson is expected to transition into a top-pairing role, solidifying himself as a cornerstone of Detroit’s blue line. With his current entry-level contract set to expire in 2026, his next deal will likely reflect his growing impact, especially if he continues to develop into the elite two-way defenseman the Red Wings envision.
It’s still going to take winning to make Detroit a destination for free agents again, and that’s going to take time. I’m not anticipating the Red Wings to contend for marquee free agents for a couple of years yet, honestly…
And this is the most important part of Wolak’s article: what happens to the Red Wings’ “internal cap” figure as the salary cap rises dramatically?
One thing I’m curious about, though, is how the organization will manage their internal cap. No player has a higher cap hit than Larkin[‘s $8.75 million contract]. Will that continue to be the unspoken rule moving into the future? Or will the Red Wings be comfortable throwing higher dollar amounts at other players? My guess is the latter, especially as Larkin approaches his 30s.
