Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff posted a subscriber-only story which wonders aloud whether the Red Wings will finally improve in the 2026-2027 season as a significant crop of Wings prospects will likely mature to NHL readiness at that time.
Here’s Duff’s take on the future state of the Red Wings’ defense…
Nowhere will the turnover be as readily apparent as along the blueline. Just two defensemen are signed beyond this season – Moritz Seider and Albert Johansson. Pacts agreed to by Ben Chiarot, Justin Holl, Erik Gustafsson, Jean-Bernard Docker, and Travis Hamonic all expire on July 1 of next year. Each will be a UFA.
Of course, at some point, Yzerman will get impending restricted free agent Simon Edvinsson’s name on a new pact. This is a factor he’s already pondering, perhaps looking to lock Edvinsson up sooner rather than later.
“I’ve personally thought about it,” Yzerman acknowledged earlier this summer. “We’ve thought about it internally.”
Expect 2023 first-round pick Axel Sandin Pellikka to start this year with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. Likewise, 2020 second-rounder William Wallinder will also be back with the Griffins. But both should have worked their way to Detroit by the start of next season at the latest.
And Duff does offer a caveat:
It might not take until next season for some of these young players to force their way into NHL duty. We saw it last year with Kasper and Soderblom that the Red Wings aren’t afraid to move a prospect in when they’re ready to make a difference in the show.
The thing is, a number of these kids must be ready to play by the fall of 2026. If they aren’t, then it might be time to slap a failure label on the Yzerplan.
Continued (paywall); there’s no denying that the Red Wings have a fairly large group of prospects who should step into NHL skates over the next 2 to 3 seasons, but it’s up to the Red Wings’ coaches and management group to get the best out of the players that are currently on the roster, flaws included…
And it’s harder to say for certain whether every prospect discussed is a sure-fire NHL’er. Predicting prospect development is particularly difficult, and I don’t think that prospects alone will be the answer.
Detroit will need to continue pursuing trade and free agency routes to help the team as well, because the harsh truth is that some of the Wings’ prospects might not slide into NHL roles next season.
