The Detroit Red Wings hit the ice at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center ahead of tomorrow night’s home opener against the New York Rangers, minus a key contributor:

#RedWings final practice before tomorrow’s season-opener vs. NYR at LCA (6:30, TNT). Chiarot not skating. Rasmussen is back after missing yesterday. Englund (immigration issue) still out. Everyone else who’s supposed to be here is here. pic.twitter.com/E7iNgdIyun

— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) October 1, 2026

#RedWings lines:
DeBrincat-Copp-Raymond
Finnie-Compher-Arvidsson
Rasmussen-Kasper-Kolesar
Appleton-Danielson-MBN
Larkin/Mazur pic.twitter.com/L55BpaT2Mn

— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) October 1, 2026

Red Wings practice, day before seasoner opener vs NYR.
DeBrincat-Copp-Raymond
Finnie-Compher-Arvidsson
Appleton-Danielson-MBN
Rasmussen-Kasper-Kolesar
Larkin & Mazur extras
Seider, ASP, Anton & Albert Johansson, Faulk, JBD, Wallinder. Don't see Chiarot.
Gibson & Tarasov pic.twitter.com/NPQhjapQ8T

— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) October 1, 2026

Red Wings wrapping up practice with small-area battles. pic.twitter.com/KPm0O8ge5f

— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) October 1, 2026

#RedWings take part in a small area game. pic.twitter.com/Sx5NvZwimN

— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) October 1, 2026

At Red Wings practice today. It’s the final full practice before Friday night’s season-opener. Dylan Larkin is on the ice with the team again pic.twitter.com/qqscHUMoGg

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) October 1, 2026

And in the “free advertising” department…

WZZM 13 posted a video in which Michal Postava and Trey Augustine are spotlighted, with Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson suggesting that the Griffins’ netminding tandem will have to step up as their workloads increase:

The Grand Rapids Griffins have posted their first weekly press release of the 2026-2027 season ahead of tomorrow’s season-opening game in Cleveland. Here’s the press release:

GRIFFINS BEGIN 31ST SEASON ON FRIDAY IN CLEVELAND

This Week’s Games

GRIFFINS at Cleveland Monsters // Fri., Oct. 2 // 7 p.m. // Rocket Arena

GRIFFINS at Cleveland Monsters // Sun., Oct. 4 // 3 p.m. // Rocket Arena

Listen:WOOD 106.9 FM & 1300 AM at 6:45 p.m. on Friday and at 2:45 p.m. on Sunday

Watch:AHLTV on FloHockey on Friday and Sunday

Season Series: First and second of eight meetings overall, first and second of four at Rocket Arena

All-Time Series: 83-44-9-14 Overall, 35-25-5-10 Road

NHL Affiliation: Columbus Blue Jackets

Noteworthy: Grand Rapids will begin the campaign on the road for the second straight season, which hasn’t happened since a run of three straight road season openers from 2018 to 2020.

31st Season of Hockey: The Grand Rapids Griffins begin the franchise’s 31st overall season of play, 26th as a member of the American Hockey League, and 25th as the primary affiliate of the 11-time Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings on Friday evening when they travel to the Cleveland Monsters. The Griffins have competed in 2,277 games between the IHL and AHL and have amassed a 1,196-834-27-90-130 regular-season record (.585), to go along with 20 playoff appearances, eight division titles and two Calder Cups (2017, 2013). 

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff ponders whether the Red Wings can sell their fan base “hope” this upcoming season given the tumult surrounding the team. Red Wings coach Todd McLellan told Duff that all the team can do is attempt to produce a better on-ice product:

“I don’t know if it’s going to be different than any other year,” Detroit coach Todd McLellan told reporters. “We’re trying our darndest to change it. We’ve adjusted some things systematically. We want our guys to play harder and heavier, and have brought a couple of players in to do that.”

He knows what they must do to foster change.

“We’re going to have to spend less time in our zone,” McLellan said. “So that’s where that structural thing comes through. We’re going to have to spend more time in o-zone.”

He understands implementing a system and making it work are entirely different scenarios.

Bleacher Report’s Lyle Richardson posted a “trade board” this morning, listing his top 15 candidates to be traded over the course of the upcoming season, and he does not mince words when it comes to Dylan Larkin’s fate and the complications surrounding actually trading the Red Wings forward:

2. Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings

For the second straight month, Dylan Larkin sits at No. 2 on our Trade Block Big Board. The 30-year-old center requested a trade during the off-season, but his narrow list of trade destinations and the Detroit Red Wings’ ongoing search for a new general manager have hampered efforts to move him.

Larkin initially asked to be traded to the Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers, and Vegas Golden Knights. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported the veteran center expanded his list to eight teams. Friedman believes they included the Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, Washington Capitals, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

The problem is that none of those clubs have the salary cap space to take on Larkin’s $8.7 million average annual value through 2030-31. Most also lack suitable trade assets to meet the Red Wings’ high asking price, as they reportedly sought Matt Boldy from the Wild.

Unless the Red Wings lower their price, it could take weeks, perhaps months, before they finally move Larkin. That means he could remain a prime trade candidate for the foreseeable future.

Continued; it’s going to be a money-in-money-out trade if the Wings manage to earn an offer commensurate with Larkin’s value to the team.

The Athletic’s Max Bultman makes 10 predictions regarding events which he believes will happen over the course of the Red Wings’ 2026-2027 season. Let’s start at the top:

1. Dylan Larkin is traded by Dec. 1

The Larkin situation is hard to handicap. Even beyond Larkin’s trade list, which will continue to play a big part in the process, the Red Wings have to be willing to make a deal knowing the return likely won’t be players who can match Larkin’s Day 1 impact. Realistically, there’s going to have to be a futures component to this.

And yet, eventually, the distraction factor is impossible to avoid for both parties. While the Red Wings are indeed a better team with Larkin in their lineup, everyone will still benefit from a fresh start. Both sides will have to work together to close the book on this saga, and I bet a few weeks of seeing it play out will be enough incentive to wrap it up.

I’ll say Larkin is dealt within the first two months of the season.

Bultman is not so optimistic about the team’s attempts to battle through the season and earn a playoff spot, however:

According to MLive’s Ansar Khan, coach Todd McLellan has spoken with Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond regarding shooting the puck more, and he’s hoping that Raymond takes heed:

Raymond averaged 2.16 shots per game [last season], down slightly from 2.34 the season before. He’s scored 25 and 27 goals in each of the past two seasons after producing a career-high 31 in 2023-24. McLellan believes he can flirt with the 40-goal mark if he unleashes his shot a little more.

“He’s got a tremendous shot,” McLellan said. “When I sat with him and we looked at numbers and the amount of shots, he is a 30- goal-scorer who gets compared to the 40-goal scorers like DeBrincat. The difference between the two — and they get equal opportunity — I think Razor can get his number up there.

“You take simple shooting percentage. If he can run it at 11, 12 percent, just keep firing away. Now, it’s not done erratically where it makes no sense. Hold on to the puck then. But if he has it, I’d rather him shoot it than defer to anybody else. Maybe to Cat, that’s it.”

Raymond suggests that he understands where McLellan is coming from:

“If you can keep the same shooting percentage and increase your shots, you’re going to score more goals,” Raymond said. “For sure, I want to shoot the puck. I like my shot, but I play my game and I’m not going to shoot for the sake of it, but for sure want to get my shot volume up.

“You set goals coming into a year, maybe not so much stat-based, but maybe your play-wise and what you want to get out of game. You look at shots, that’s one of those things, trying to increase the shots.”

The Free Press’s Helene St. James discusses the Red Wings’ opportunity to respond to the chaos surrounding the team by winning hockey games, duly noting that the “weirdness” surrounding the team remains a roar of white noise:

“As simple as it is, I think that just calms everything,” Moritz Seider said. “Calms a lot of noise, calms a lot of weirdness that maybe came with the summer. Points on the board is a really good answer to a lot of those things.”

…

“Since camp has started, it’s been pretty normal for us,” Andrew Copp said. “We’ve been worried about our systems, figuring out linemate chemistry, how our own individual games are going, our team game, all that kind of stuff. I would say that it was tumultuous for a while there in the summer, but since we had Larks talk to the team, and [Shawn Horcoff] was named GM and he talked to the team, and since then training camp started, it’s been pretty normal.

“Now we need to get off to a fast start and build confidence and get everything focused on hockey.”

St. James quotes coach Todd McLellan extensively in her long article, and his bottom line is the team’s bottom line:

WDIV posted a video “short” of Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider and coach Todd McLellan discussing Simon Edvinsson’s situation with the Red Wings as the big Swede remains unsigned. Posted after a “jump” due to formatting:

According to PuckPedia’s Steve Werier, there is a way in which the Red Wings could still lose Simon Edvinsson’s services to an offer sheet:

On July 1, Simon Edvinsson became a restricted free agent. 

As of Sept. 30, the 23-year-old defenceman hasn’t signed a new contract with Detroit. He also hasn’t signed an offer sheet from a rival club, even though he’s eligibleto receive one. 

Let’s talk about that last part.  

Offer sheets have almost always been signed during the offseason months, including the two most recent examples (Leo Carlsson and Barrett Hayton). That makes sense, as teams like to set their roster and cap as early as possible, and they prefer to act on offer sheets before another club or the player’s existing team signs the player.  

And so you might ask: “Well, if anyone was going to sign Edvinsson to an offer sheet, why haven’t they done it already?”

There’s at least one good reason. 

By waiting, a rival team can weaponize the calendar against the Red Wings and structure an offer sheet around a never-before-leveraged pressure point.

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