Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen ponders whether promising rookie forward Emmitt Finnie will remain as an energy-producing winger as the Red Wings prepare for the post-Dylan Larkin era…
When the Detroit Red Wings Emmitt Finnie selected in the seventh round of the 2023 draft, he only had a 6.4% chance of having an NHL career of 300 or more games. Today, he is well down the path to conquering those odds.
Playing 82 games as a rookie, Finnie has already established himself as a key performer on the Red Wings. On Wednesday, the Detroit Sports Media named Finnie Red Wings Rookie of the Year for 2025-26.
Finnie’s 13 goals ranked sixth on the team last season and his 30 points were good enough for eighth.
With Dylan Larkin looking to be traded and Patrick Kane likely leaving through free agency, one of the questions about Finnie is where will he play this season? If Detroit’s roster had remained close to the same, Finnie might have been headed to a third line role, maybe playing with Carter Mazur, or Marco Kasper or Michael Brandsegg-Nygard. All four players have potential to deliver goals and 150-plus hits per season. Finnie boasted 131 hits last season.
But with the uncertainty of how the top six forwards will shake out, Finnie’s skating ability makes him a candidate to play in that group. He can play both wing and center, and he did spend time last season playing with Larkin and Lucas Raymond.
Continued; my gut feeling is that coach Todd McLellan will probably utilize Finnie as an”energy forward” and forechecker on the 1st or 2nd line, but it is possible that Finnie could find himself playing 3rd line center, too.
Over the course of the short term, the Red Wings need any and all centers that are available; long-term, I see Finnie as the center of his own grinding, forechecking line.
