Casino.org’s Frank Seravalli suggests that the Red Wings are a good bet to finish last in the league due to their front office dysfunction:
Detroit Red Wings (+1900) to have the fewest points
Yes, in a league with the Vancouver Canucks, this might seem like a stretch. Detroit finished 34 points clear of the Canucks last year, but their final position doesn’t tell the full story.
But this is a bet on the dysfunction in Detroit with a Red Wings team closing in on training camp without a general manager. “It’s inexcusable how long this search has taken, truly baffling to me that a billion-dollar franchise would operate this way in 2026,” an NHL GM said.
“When the league held its Zoom call with GMs and head coaches last week, we were all jockeying to try and figure out who was representing Detroit.” It was assistant GM Shawn Horcoff, alas.
But then the Red Wings announced Dylan Larkin would attend training camp, despite not rescinding his trade request, and would no longer be captain of the team.
“Why strip him of the ‘C’ and whose decision was that?” one rival executive asked. “I get he requested a trade but he has been a good citizen. They could’ve played nice and created some appearance of stability before they traded him.”
The concern is that these issues with the roster could be the main factor for a low scoring season.
By our count, the Red Wings only have five great players on their roster. Larkin is one of them; Simon Edvinsson is another and he does not have a contract yet. If Larkin departs midseason, look out for a team that played at the Canucks’ pace (.392) over the final 28 games of last season.
Continued; I’d call this flat-out bologna if I had any idea what was happening with the organization.
