Red Wings interim GM Shawn Horcoff turns 48 today:

HBD, Horc! 🎂 pic.twitter.com/JjKX95npog

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 17, 2026

Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson took part in today’s training camp activities…for the most part. H

e did not scrimmage for his own protection as he remains a restricted free agent, but NHL.com’s Nicholas J. Cotsonika noted Edvinsson’s presence…and the lack thereof:

The 23-year-old defenseman did not participate in a full-contact scrimmage and declined to speak to the media, saying he wanted to wait until his contract was signed.

“There are some business things that have to be taken care of, and they will get taken care of,” coach Todd McLellan said. “But I give Simon a lot of credit. It would have been easy for him to say, ‘I’m staying at home in Sweden. I don’t want to be around my teammates.’ He recognized the situation we were all in. He showed up, and he was ready to perform. His team and the team of managers that we have right now are working diligently to get something done, and we can’t wait to have this guy back on the ice, because he means a lot to our group.”

Shawn Horcoff, who was named interim general manager Tuesday, said Wednesday that signing Edvinsson is a priority.

“Simon is a fantastic player and a bright spot in our organization,” Horcoff said, “so we’re going to get to work on that contract as soon as we can and hopefully have something done here shortly.”

Continued; Cotsonika also wrote an article about Dylan Larkin’s situation, and you may take this for what you will:

Red Wings coach Todd McLellan was asked to weigh in on Dylan Larkin’s press conference comment that he’s now “on the bottom of the totem pole” in terms of the team’s hierarchy after having relinquished the captaincy due to his trade demands.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Max Smith took note of coach McLellan’s response:

‘We’re all on the totem pole, and there can only be one guy on top. Is it Mo? Is it Cat?,’ Said McLellan, ‘Is it Razor? We can be interchangeable pieces on the top and everywhere else on the pole… Other guys have to step up in moments and provide that leadership.’

The Red Wings and Larkin find themselves in an odd transitional period as they await a new general manager, and potentially a new home for Larkin. Where that leaves the rest of the Red Wings roster is still in flux. But one way or another, the team will need to sort its own problems out over the NHL’s newly shortened training camp schedule.

‘I think I said this in the past- We do pick the team, but we don’t really pick the team,’ Said McLellan, ‘The players do. They’re going to sort themselves out, and we need the best version of the Red Wings we can possibly find.’

Continued; everybody’s going to have to row the boat in the same direction, Larkin included for as long as he’s here, or the Wings will go nowhere, fast.

Then there’s this:

Red Wings coach Todd McLellan: "Who wouldn't want Dylan Larkin on their team? He made a commitment to the team signing a contract. We made a commitment to him to provide an opportunity to play and that's where we're at right now."

— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) September 17, 2026

The Red Wings posted a 29:35 super-cut of Wings defenseman Ben Chiarot, forward J.T. Compher and coach Todd McLellan all speaking with the media on Thursday afternoon:

Update: The Free Press’s Helene St. James did post an 8:40 clip of coach McLellan’s press conference, too.

The Score’s Kyle Cushman makes suggestions as to which prospects fans should keep a close eye upon during the NHL’s truncated preseason, and Cushman zeros in on Red Wings prospect Nate Danielson as Detroit’s representative to watch:

Detroit Red Wings

Nate Danielson. The 2023 ninth overall pick played 28 games with Detroit last season but was sent back down in January. The forward needs to play his way into the Red Wings’ lineup soon.

Danielson turns 22 on September 27th, and the 6’2,” 187-pound center does need to take a step forward after suffering a hip injury and/or stress fracture which truncated last season.

Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin spoke with a host of players taking part in the NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour at the start of September, and Larkin addressed the fact that more and more NHL players are demanding and/or asking for trades, including disgruntled Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin.

Alex DeBrincat was asked to weigh in on the sticky wicket, and he offered this commentary:

The public-opinion element is very real, and it’s one reason DeBrincat supports Larkin. DeBrincat wasn’t popular in Ottawa after he decided the Senators were no longer the right fit for him, so it’s only fair he sympathizes for Larkin.

“The backlash is a part of it, but you can block it out,” DeBrincat said. “Obviously you want to do anything for your family or yourself to make yourself happy. You’re not just going to sit somewhere you’re not happy with for X amount of years just because you don’t want to get hated on by that fanbase. There’s another fanbase that will love you. It’s not always that easy, but I don’t think you can totally take just the fans’ words for it. You feel their frustration. You know why they’re frustrated. It’s not the easiest thing for you going through, but it is ultimately what you felt you needed to do at the time, and you’ve got to live with that.”

Continued at length, including some comments from NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly; this is a very, very good examination of the “player empowerment” phenomenon. At least some of the players seem to understand that it’s a two-way street.

Red Wings prospect forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygard had an up-and-down 14-game stint with Detroit last season, posting 1 assist in 14 games…But MBN headed down to Grand Rapids and posted a 20-goal, 44-point season for the Griffins over the course of 60 games played.

Heading into his sophomore season, it’s believed that the Red Wings will give Brandsegg-Nygard a better shot to create offense and physicality after losing Patrick Kane’s services and declining to re-sign James van Riemsdyk…

And Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen reports that MBN comes highly recommended and highly-regarded by Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson:

“He should be ready, in my opinion,” Watson said during the NHL Prospects Tournament. “He was our best player in the playoffs, and he has the ability to play physical hockey.”

The hard-hitting Norwegian may not need Watson’s support because the man making the final roster decision is Detroit’s interim GM Shawn Horcoff. He was GM of the Griffins team last season. Horcoff appreciates that MBN’s toolbox could be an asset for this Red Wings group. Plus, Horcoff seems inspired to change the look of this team.

Brandsegg-Nygard delivers goals and hits. The Red Wings are looking for help in both of those categories this season as they try to find a formula that will return them to the playoffs.

Sportsnet’s Ryan Dixon offers his first set of power rankings as training camps open today, and I guess I can’t disagree with the spot in which he places the Wings, all things considered:

25. Detroit Red Wings Until there’s resolution on Dylan Larkin’s future, it’s hard to know what to make of the Wings. Detroit is thin down the middle with Larkin and, obviously, it gets way worse — depending on the return — if he leaves. Hard as it is for playoff-starved Wings fans to hear, a small reset might be in order. 

Continued; I’m not certain whether fans can stomach another reset, never mind a rebuild.

Updated 8x at 1:27 PM: Here’s 12:41 of an uncomfortable press conference (if you want a shorter version, the Free Press’s Helene St. James posted a 6:57 clip):

Update #4: Here’s the Free Press’s Helene St. James in text form:

Asked what triggered the request, Larkin said that, “There’s a lot there. A lot of personal stuff. To be honest with you − I’m going to try and be honest with you guys today. And that’s as far as I’ll go on that.

“I understand that there’s answers that fans and people that care about this organization around the world want to know. But I’m really not ready to go there. It’s maybe something that I may never be. And it wasn’t easy to get to that decision. It was very hard. It wasn’t a spur of the moment thing. I don’t take what I did lightly. I got to that point and, you know, I’m not quite ready to talk about it.”

The Detroit Red Wings posted a 6:43 clip of prospect goaltender Trey Augustine “mic’d up” over the course of the Red Wings’ 2026 prospect tournament: