Updated at 11:18 AM: The Detroit Red Wings kick off their 2026-2027 season against the New York Rangers tonight (6:30 PM EDT start on TNT/97.1 FM).

The New York Rangers have played in two games already: on Tuesday, they lost 3-0 to the Boston Bruins, and last night, goaltender Igor Shesterkin scored a goal as the Rangers defeated Tampa Bay 5-1. As such, the Rangers won’t hold a morning skate today.

As the Free Press’s Helene St. James noted this morning, the Red Wings may be a little rusty given that the Rangers have their sea legs underneath them:

“I think we’re super excited,” Alex DeBrincat said Thursday. “You’re watching the games on TV the past couple nights, and you see the intensity and it looks so fun out there. So we’re definitely excited to get going and start off strong.”

The Wings may have an edge in rest − or they may look rusty against an opponent that already is up and running. Last year, the Wings looked sharp in camp only to flunk their first test, falling 5-1 at home to the Montreal Canadiens in a chaotic performance.

There’s only one way to find out if a lesson was learned.

“The first game, as I’ve shared with you before, is so unpredictable,” coach Todd McLellan said. “You don’t know how it’s going to go. After that, you seem to settle in. Last year we didn’t perform very well on opening night. It gave us a chance to bark a little bit. We put it back together and we were better after that. We went on a little run right away.

“As far as this year goes, it’s a brand new season. Unpredictable to start with. We’ll play the game. The games have been sloppy, in my opinion, watching again last night. If we can eliminate that, we’ll give ourselves a better chance at winning. Come Saturday morning, we’ll have a blueprint, more to work off of.”

Coach McLellan insisted that the Red Wings’ lack of depth up front has a positive aspect for Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond…

The Detroit Red Wings hit the ice at Little Caesars Arena a little early this morning, ahead of tonight’s home opener vs. the New York Rangers (6:30 PM EDT start on TNT/97.1 FM):

Back. #LGRW

⏰ 6:30 P.M.
📺 @NHL_On_TNT
📻 @971theticketxyt
🎟️ https://t.co/JEZEpKfjeY
🤝 @cocacola, @meijer pic.twitter.com/lQjwmYbTwO

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 2, 2026

#RedWings morning skate prior to tonight’s season-opener vs. NYR (1-1) at 6:30 on TNT. Gibson in the starter’s net. pic.twitter.com/oodF6CakXZ

— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) October 2, 2026

Morning skate underway; home opener later this evening. #LGRW #RedWings pic.twitter.com/YvOdgwc9Ue

— Michael Whitaker (@mwhitaker_89) October 2, 2026

#RedWings lines:
DeBrincat-Copp-Raymond
Finnie-Compher-Arvidsson
Rasmussen-Kasper-Kolesar
Appleton-Danielson-MBN
Larkin/Mazur
D pairs shuffling around a bit but I think it’s:
Albert Johansson-Seider
Faulk-ASP
Chiarot-Anton Johansson
JBD/Wallinder/Englund pic.twitter.com/KvH5y2VEcb

— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) October 2, 2026

The Red Wings hope that the Michael Brandsegg-Nygard who posted a lone assist over the course of his first 14 NHL games last season has become the Michael Brandsegg-Nygard who also fired off 20 goals and 24 assists for 44 points over the course of 60 games played for the Grand Rapids Griffins last season, and then blazed through 4 goals and 4 assists for 8 points in 8 playoff games.

MBN seemed to lose his confidence while making his NHL debut early in the 2025-2026 season, but there’s no doubt that he found his goals in Grand Rapids, and, going into the 2026-2027 season, the Red Wings need MBN to find his scoring touch at the NHL level.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff posted a 4 AM column discussing coach Todd McLellan’s hopes for the 20-year-old power forward…

“He’s proven he could shoot a puck in the net and put himself in position to do that,” Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said. “So we need him to get confident fast and feel good about his game. We’re really hoping he can [score], for the goal totals that we lost. Especially without Larks (Dylan Larkin) right now, that’s significant.”

“I did watch him in the [AHL] playoffs, and he did grow,” McLellan said. “His entry into North American hockey, like real intense North American hockey, was at the NHL level. It started well, but we could see that we probably weren’t going to get him what he needed to develop. And then he went down. We brought him back later in the year, and I think that return stint had already shown or proved to us that he was physically more engaged. He was more confident in where he was going on the ice to get the puck.

“He didn’t defer to somebody else for shots. He’s got a great shot. He used it. And then he went back to Grand Rapids for the playoffs, and yes, we did get to see him play a little bit. And I thought he used all of those tools and became a real effective player mentally.”

Brandsegg-Nygard told Duff that he understands his role is different now, and that he’s willing to put the work in that’s necessary for him to remain with the NHL team for the entirety of the 2026-2027 campaign:

“I feel more grown and know the game over here a little more,” Brandsegg-Nygard said. “I feel much more confident.

“Just being around the group here and knowing everyone better and feeling welcome to be here. So I’m happy to be here, and I really want to be here the whole season. So I’m going to work hard for that.”

Continued; cross your fingers…

The Detroit Red Wings posted a “hype video” ahead of tonight’s home opener, and I’ve got to give them credit–they managed to find a handful of highlights from last season that didn’t include Dylan Larkin, Simon Edvinsson, or the departed Patrick Kane:

⏳ pic.twitter.com/bAK2JEx59i

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 2, 2026

I hope this season works out, I really do, and I hope that Simon Edvinsson’s back in Detroit ASAP.

Of Red Wings-related note very early on Friday morning:

1. The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted a very brief set of Red Wings season preview articles, including “5 factors that could help the Red Wings surprise” the NHL in 2026-2027. The first and most obvious one is simple–manage the chaos surrounding Dylan Larkin’s trade request and the team’s inability to sign Simon Edvinsson in a timely fashion by playing the best hockey that the players can play, and coaching the best hockey that the coaches can coach:

Coach Todd McLellan is keeping it as simple and direct as he can, and the Wings have responded in kind.

“We have a good practice, we get ready for the game, and if you’re in a Red Wing jersey, then you’re playing,” McLellan said. “That’s the only way we can deal with it. Everybody has to have their hands on the wheel.”

Forward Andrew Copp believes there are enough hockey-centric matters to concentrate on a daily basis, that keep players’ attentions focused.

“I can’t really worry about if Simon’s going to be here Friday or not, and everyone in here just needs to kind of like focus,” Copp said. “There’s enough to focus on with each individual game, your own line, special teams, the systems, being prepared yourself and as a team to play.”

2. Kulfan also posted a set of player biographies, and we’re going to accentuate the positive here:

Of disparate Red Wings-related note tonight:

First, WZZM 13 spoke with Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson about the surprising continuity of the Griffins’ leadership group going into tomorrow’s season opener in Cleveland, and the importance thereof…

The Athletic’s Max Bultman appeared on the Brad Galli Show to issue a Red Wings season preview…

And, after the jump, there’s a video short of David Pagnotta and Jeff Marek discussing Simon Edvinsson’s future as a Red Wing:

According to DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills, the Red Wings’ players and coach are “champing at the bit” to get the regular season started tomorrow when Detroit hosts the New York Rangers (6:30 PM EDT start on TNT/97.1 FM)…

“We’re super excited,” Alex DeBrincat said after Thursday morning’s practice. “Being one of the later games too —you’re watching the games on TV the past couple of nights, and you see the intensity, and it looks so fun out there. I think we’re definitely excited to get going and start off strong.”

Several Red Wings players and head coach Todd McLellan have shared they would rather have started their regular season a little earlier than Friday, but they know they can’t control how the 84-game slate is pieced together.

“We got to show up and be ready for the game,” DeBrincat said. “I think having a couple games on the nights before, we know the intensity is going to be there. It’ll be the Rangers’ third game and our first, so we got to be ready to play. They will have gotten some stuff out of their legs and made mistakes already, and we haven’t. We got to show up on time.”

But coach Todd McLellan is very aware of the fact that home openers can be a little rocky in terms of implementing a game plan, so he’s cautioning the Wings’ players to be ready for the unexpected…

“We’ll play the game,” McLellan said. “The games have been sloppy, in my opinion, watching again last night. So, if we can eliminate that, we’ll give ourselves a better chance of winning, and come Saturday morning, we’ll have a blueprint more to work off of.”

With coach McLellan emphasizing that getting off to a good start is essential for his charges:

Of Detroit’s 14 contests in October, only five are on the road — and seven of their first eight are at home.

“Early urgency,” McLellan said. “Another reason why we adopted that moniker, if you will. A chance to put our game together here at home. I don’t think fatigue should be a factor in these first eight or nine games. We’re not traveling all over the place, one back-to-back, so we should have good practice time. We should feel good about being in our building and being in front of our fans.”

Continued; McLellan’s right. Home openers are weird, and teams have to adapt in a hurry to the emotional ups and downs thereof.

Moreover, the New York Rangers come into tomorrow night’s game having played their home opener tonight, hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning this evening, so the Rangers are going to have their game legs under them going into their 3rd game of the season, and Detroit’s got to prepare for the probability of needing to work the kinks out without committing too many mistakes.

The Detroit Red Wings posted a press release online which details the special events, giveaways and happenings taking place over the Detroit Red Wings’ first four games at Little Caesars Arena, starting on Friday, October 2nd vs. the New York Rangers:

Detroit Red Wings Reveal Fan Details for 2026-27 Opening Week, including Opening Night on Friday, Oct. 2

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings will officially begin their 101st NHL campaign with 2026-27 Opening Night, presented by Coca-Cola and Meijer, on Friday, Oct. 2 against the Original Six-rival New York Rangers at Little Caesars Arena, with puck drop set for 6:30 p.m.

The Red Wings open the Hockeytown 101 campaign with four straight home games, including a Sergei Fedorov Bobblehead giveaway, presented by Little Caesars, and Kids Day on Sunday, Oct. 4, We Are Hockeytown: Hispanic Heritage Night on Tuesday, Oct. 6 and We Are Hockeytown: Pride Night on Friday, Oct. 9. More information on theme games and special ticket packages is available at DetroitRedWings.com/TicketOffers.

Friday, Oct. 2 vs. New York Rangers | Puck drop at 6:30 p.m.

Opening Night, presented by Coca-Cola and Meijer

Opening Night will begin with the annual fan-favorite Hockeytown Red Carpet Walk in the Chevrolet Plaza outside Little Caesars Arena, with fan arrival beginning at 2:30 p.m. The Hockeytown Red Carpet Walk is complimentary and is open to fans of all ages with or without game tickets, where attendees can interact with Red Wings players and coaches and get autographs on the red carpet.

Red Wings players and coaches will be escorted down the Red Carpet by youth participants from Detroit Red Wings Foundation partner organizations like Detroit PAL, Special Olympics Michigan, Clark Park Coalition, United Heroes League and more.

Little Caesars Arena doors open on Oct. 2 at 4:30 p.m., and before doors open, fans are welcome to visit the Little Caesars Arena restaurants. Once doors open, ticketed fans can enjoy photo opportunities and check out new Red Wings merchandise before puck drop at 6:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 6:15 p.m. to watch team introductions and this season’s pregame show.

According to Daily Faceoff’s Tyler Kuehl, the multi-talented Jeff Marek weighed in as to the Red Wings’ attempts to re-sign Simon Edvinsson during Thursday’s episode of DFO Live, saying this about the contract negotiations going sideways:

On Thursday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Jeff Marek joined Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton to explain why the Red Wings are screwing up the Edvinsson contract talks.

Jeff Marek: If you’re Simon Edvinsson, to me, to me the question is, ‘You you don’t want a bridge, right?’ So, you’re not looking at like a three-year deal, a four-year deal. You’re probably looking at, ‘I’m either going to take a two, which gets me to arbitration, or you’re going to take a seven, and a big number.’ We know what the comparables are now, starting with Zeev Buium. After Zeev Buium signed that ticket, I think we all looked around and said, ‘Oh man, what is that going to mean for Simon Edvinsson here, and the Detroit Red Wings?’

So, it feels like it’s one of the two. I understand Detroit’s position in the sense that they have an interim general manager, and they don’t want to get locked into long-term decisions made by someone who’s existing in an interim capacity or a caretaker’s capacity right now. But every time I hear that, I say, ‘Well, that’s the corner you’ve driven this car into, and somehow you have to get it out, right?’ There’s been a whole lot of like rake stepping that happened all summer long with the Detroit Red Wings, and it’s brought you to this. Now, this is only one piece of the puzzle, and you can make the argument that they’re all joined, but there’s Dylan Larkin, there’s Alex DeBrincat, etc., and there’s finding a full-time general manager.

Jeff Marek appears at the 18:36 mark of the podcast:

Three articles, one point: the Detroit Red Wings’ players and coaching staff are doing their best to navigate through the chaotic situation surrounding the team, from the messy GM search over the course of the summer to Dylan Larkin’s trade request, the bungled contract negotiations with Simon Edvinsson, and questions about the commitment from ownership to help the team win.

MLive’s Ansar Khan kicks us off with coach Todd McLellan’s take on how the Red Wings will try to change their trajectory from an also-ran or a draft lottery team to one that can compete for a playoff spot:

“We’re trying our darndest to change it,” Todd McLellan, entering his second full season as coach, said. “We’ve adjusted some things systematically. We want our guys to play harder and heavier and have brought a couple players in to do that. We’re going to have to spend less time in our zone. We’re going to have to spend more time in the O-zone. Will it be different than last year? I can’t read into the crystal ball, but we’re going to do everything we possibly can to make it better.”

Larkin won’t be in the lineup for Friday’s season-opener against the New York Rangers at Little Caesars Arena (6:30 p.m., TNT) due to an upper-body injury. His future with the organization is unclear. Edvinsson practiced with the team during training camp but there’s no telling when the restricted free agent will sign.

“We’re trying to keep everybody unified, everybody believing in the purpose and the goal,” McLellan said. “We’re not putting our heads in the sand and pretending some of these issues don’t exist. Once we deal with them internally, that will give us a chance and that can be our rallying point.”

Moritz Seider insists that the Red Wings can only focus upon themselves…and proving their critics wrong: