Month: June 2026

TSN’s hockey insiders took part in a pre-free agency episode of Insider Trading on Tuesday evening…

And Chris Johnston, Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger discussed Dylan Larkin’s situation with Gino Reda:

REDA: There are a couple of centres looking for a change of scenery. What’s the latest on Dylan Larkin and Vincent Trocheck, Dregs?

DREGER: Yeah, and both of those guys are linked. It seems likely that if Larkin gets traded, then Trocheck, most likely, will be not that far behind.

I know a number of teams that have expressed some interest in Trocheck have circled back. To this point, Larkin has not been willing to expand his no-trade list, and it’s a limited list, as we know.

Dreger’s comment here clashes with other insiders’ takes. If he’s not expanding his trade list, it’s still Tampa Bay, Florida and Minnesota. LeBrun reported that Larkin was willing to expand his list of teams to which he’s willing to be traded, presumably per Larkin’s agent, Pat Brisson, but things can change quickly in these scenarios.

That puts the Detroit Red Wings in a real bind here. They know what they need to replace the talent of Larkin. They can’t go backwards in a deal like this.

So if a deal doesn’t materialize, if Larkin doesn’t expand his limited no-trade list, well, then that means that the Red Wings are expecting Larkin to show up in training camp. I don’t think that would be best case scenario for either the player or the team.

Maybe Trocheck and the New York Rangers will pull the trigger sooner rather than later. But again, these two veteran centres are linked in some capacities.

Continued; I can’t imagine the Wings having Larkin show up for training camp as a disgruntled captain, but Larkin probably won’t be traded this week, either.

Red Wings goaltending prospect Rudy Guimond spoke with the media at Detroit’s annual Summer Development Camp on Tuesday afternoon.

The Hockey News’s Michael Whitaker noted that Guimond was inspired to play goal by a certain Jimmy Howard…

“I met Jimmy Howard yesterday, and he was the reason I got into the goaltending,” Guimond said following the second day of Red Wings Development Camp. “He had these Vaughn pads with Icebergs on them, and as a kid, you kind of look at what you see, right?”

While Howard initially began his professional career wearing Reebok pads, he switched to the eye-popping Iceberg design from Vaughn, a popular brand that Chris Osgood wore for much of his career.

Howard kept that design from 2009 through 2014, and it became known as his signature look. While Guimond wasn’t able to convince his father to pay for customized pads as a youngster, Howard’s gear still left an indelible impression on him.

“I thought it was really cool and wanted to get into goaltending,” he said. “Obviously, my dad didn’t want to pay for custom stuff when I was that age, so I never got those Vaughn Iceberg pads.”

But Whitaker points out that Guimond is building his own reputation as an excellent goaltender…

Appearing in 50 games [with the Moncton Wildcats], Guimond led all QMJHL goaltenders with 40 victories while posting a league-best 2.27 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage, eventually earning the Patrick-Roy Trophy as Goaltender of the Year.

And the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan discusses Guimond’s playing future:

Continue reading Red Wings prospect Rudy Guimond discusses his past, present and goaltending future

The Hockey News’s Adam Proteau posted a column for the Sporting News, discussing the state of the Detroit Red Wings, and it’s a gloomy one:

The biggest need the Red Wings have at the moment appears to be the pending hole in the lineup that’s going to be left by captain and top-line center Dylan Larkin. The veteran center has requested a trade out of Detroit, and we all should know by now how valuable a first-line center is in today’s NHL. So if Wings GM Steve Yzerman does follow through on Larkin’s trade request, Detroit is going to have to acquire a center one way or another.

There really isn’t an equivalent to Larkin in the free-agent field. But would Columbus Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner be an option for Yzerman? Jenner really isn’t a No. 1 center, but if Detroit gives Jenner the financial payday no other team is willing to match or improve on, a fit between Jenner and the Red Wings is plausible.

Otherwise, the Wings need as much help on offense as they can get. Detroit ranked 22nd in goals scored this past season at 2.91 goals for per game, and losing Larkin is going to put an even bigger dent in the Red Wings’ ship. So, literally any UFA player who can help them score is going to be a target for Yzerman & Co.

Maybe that’s New York Islanders winger Anders Lee or even Blue Jackets winger Mason Marchment. The Red Wings can’t afford to be picky and choosy with the talent they bring in this summer. Whoever they can find who doesn’t want a terrible and obvious overpayment on their next salary should be considered by the Wings.

Proteau continues while discussing the Red Wings’ goaltending, and he offers a grim conclusion:

Continue reading Woe is us

MLive’s Ansar Khan offers his take on the Red Wings’ free agency needs this evening, noting that GM Steve Yzerman offered the most succinct take on Detroit’s roster holes during his end-of-the-regular-season press conference:

“The reality is we need to score more five-on-five,” Yzerman said on April 23. “That requires talent and scoring ability. We need to be a harder team to play against. We hear our players talk about that and my message to them would be … in order to do that, you guys got to be harder to play against. So, either that or I got to get ready and bring in other guys.”

The Red Wings ranked 30^th in the league in five-on-five goals with 142 and 22^nd in goals of any kind with 239. Larkin scored 34 goals. Patrick Kane, an unrestricted free agent who’s signed one-year deals with Detroit on the eve of free agency in each of the past two years, remained unsigned as of late Tuesday afternoon. Losing Kane would be a further blow to the offense.

Alex Ovechkin, who’s either going to re-sign with Washington or retire, and Anthony Mantha, who Yzerman traded in 2022 and isn’t likely to return, are the highest-scoring free-agent forwards with 64 points each, followed by Kane with 57.

The Red Wings’ main target could be Viktor Arvidsson, coming off a 25-goal, 54-point season with Boston. Other available forwards with some offensive ability include Mats Zuccarello (Minnesota), Mason Marchment (Columbus), Anders Lee (Islanders), Michael Bunting (Dallas), Erik Haula (Nashville) and Jack Roslovic (Edmonton).

The Red Wings also need scoring and grit from their third and fourth lines.

Continue reading Khan offers his take on the Red Wings’ free agency needs

Red Wings goaltending prospect and 2026 draft pick Michal Orsulak spoke with the media after today’s on-ice activities at the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp:

Red Wings 2026 draft pick and Peterborough Petes forward Adam Levac spoke with the media at the conclusion of Tuesday’s activities at the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp:

Red Wings prospect goaltender Rudy Guimond spoke with the media after the second day of the Detroit Red Wings’ 2026 Summer Development Camp, conducting a 6-minute long interview:

On today’s episode of “Early Trading” on TSN, Gino Reda and Chris Johnston suggest that soon-to-be unrestricted free agent forward Patrick Kane will at least gauge the free agent marketplace tomorrow, regardless of whether he might re-sign with Detroit:

Reda: What about Patrick Kane? We realize he’s going to turn 38 a month into next season. We also know he’s not going to be able to play the full new 84-game schedule, but I imagine he’s got more than a couple of suitors come opening free agency.

Johnston: He does. And look, I think teams were wondering if he would even get to free agency just because he’s spent the last few years with the Detroit Red Wings and did have interest in returning there.

It seems now as we get this close, though, he’s going to at least take a peek at what the market has out there for him. And I do think there’s going to be a fair amount of interest.

Patrick Kane, you’re right, he’s a legacy player. He’s one of the best, if not the best, American-born NHLers ever. But he also remains pretty productive and produced a fair amount of offense last season. He’s going to have a few intriguing opportunities.

One I would mention that’s been rumored, though, is a fit with the Toronto Maple Leafs. At this point in time, it doesn’t seem to me like that’s actually something that’s likely to materialize. I’m not sure that’s as good a fit as some people have said.

But keep an eye on, whether it’s his hometown, Buffalo Sabres. Does he ponder a return to the Chicago Blackhawks or any number of other situations? I do think Patrick Kane is going to have some options on Wednesday.

Here’s the video:

Continue reading Video/text: TSN’s Chris Johnston suggests that Patrick Kane will test the free agent marketplace

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.

Continue reading Kulfan talks free agency targets

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:

4️⃣7️⃣ players have been invited to the 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase, set for July 26-Aug. 1 at WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario.#WJSS Details: https://t.co/WcYzQDpUr7 pic.twitter.com/K56esIwJop

— USA Hockey (@usahockey) June 30, 2026