Author: George Malik

The Free Press’s Carlos Monarrez weighs in regarding the challenges Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman faces in attempting to trade disgruntled captain Dylan Larkin:

What Yzerman needs to understand very clearly about his first fight in three decades is that this is a fight he cannot win.

Regardless of how angry he is at Larkin, regardless of how betrayed he feels, regardless of how much he wants to show Larkin who’s the boss, regardless of just about any factor you can think of, Yzerman must throw in the towel and trade Larkin to one of his preferred teams.

If Yzerman digs in his heels and refuses to trade Larkin because he can’t get what he believes is fair value in a trade with one of the few teams Larkin is willing to waive his no-movement clause for, that creates the possibility of an ugly and potentially toxic environment that could poison the Wings’ season, their future and hasten the end of Yzerman’s tenure as GM.

Monarrez paints a picture of Larkin having to come to training camp as a player who doesn’t want to be in Detroit…

Brothers Max and Victor Plante spoke with the Red Wings’ media corps yesterday, and, this morning, the Free Press’s Helene St. James took note of the comments both players made during their press conference:

The two were on a podium seated next to each other at Little Caesars Arena on Monday, June 29, fresh off the first day of development camp. It was a special moment, coming just days after the Detroit Red Wings had drafted Victor at No. 47 in the 2026 NHL draft, two years after drafting Max at the same spot.

“Coming into the week, that was kind of Detroit’s first pick,” Max said. “So I was kind of just trying to stay all week, like, ‘I hope it’s Victor.’ It ended up being it, so it was pretty surreal. Awesome we get to play together next year, but then hopefully in the future we can play on the top level together.”

The Wings didn’t have a first-round pick until they traded Sebastian Cossa to the Utah Mammoth for pick No. 23, where the Wings selected J.P. Hurlbert. Victor, 18, was part of the Day 2 haul. Like his brother Max, Victor is considered a very smart, competitive hockey player with a passion for the game.

“I think he just competes the whole time,” Max said. “I think a lot of people look at stats and stuff, and then he obviously does have quite a bit of points. But if you go and watch their team this year, if there was a guy that really flashed out to you, I feel like he was kind of the player that kind of stuck out to you, not only on the ice, but just in the locker room, too. He’s my brother, but just listening to what people talk about him, he’s a great kid.”

Continued (paywall); as St. James notes, the Plante brothers will join their eldest brother, Zam, at Minnesota-Duluth this upcoming season.

Max won the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s best player last season, too.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff and I agree on at least one point: we both believe that the Red Wings will sign a veteran goaltender of some sort via the free agent marketplace, which opens up tomorrow at 12 PM EDT.

Duff suggests that the Wings need to sign a goaltender who can serve as a back-up to John Gibson and/or someone to push Michal Postava and Trey Augustine in Grand Rapids, and I believe the same point:

[Red Wings GM Steve] Yzerman won’t be looking to sign someone like Cam Talbot, last season’s backup to John Gibson. Talbot would expect to be an NHL goalie.

Yzerman will be looking for a goalie who is more versatile in his destination choices. They will want to ink a netminder who is capable of playing regularly in the NHL, but will also be comfortable in the AHL, serving as a mentor to incoming rookie Trey Augustine.

“We’ll look at all the various options leading into the free agency period and offseason and decide what is the best option for us to go with John to start the season is,” Yzerman said.

As Duff suggests, the Red Wings will give Michal Postava a long look during training camp and this upcoming season’s exhibition games, but they will require some insurance in goal:

If Postava continues to shine through training camp and the NHL preseason, no worries. He’ll be starting the season as part of Detroit’s goalie tandem.

However, if Postava hits a rough patch and struggles, having that journeyman veteran, another goalie in the system with NHL games on his resume, will prove invaluable.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen suggests that the Red Wings’ 23rd overall pick in this past weekend’s 2026 NHL Draft, one JP Hurlbert, should be considered among the team’s top 10 prospects already:

Based on how impressive he was (42 goals and 97 points) in his rookie Western Hockey League season and the fact that he will play this fall for an elite Michigan team, we are starting Hurlbert at No. 10 on Detroit Hockey Now’s Red Wings Prospect List and will adjust accordingly after we watch him until Christmas. But his scouting reports are too encouraging to ignore his potential.

…

“Obviously (Hurlbert) can score for sure,” said Detroit prospect Carter Bear who played against Hurlbert “He’s quick with the puck and can handle the puck well and he has good smarts for the game.” Bear and Hurlbert are roommates at the Red Wings Development camp. “Just getting to know him now,” Bear said. “He’s a great person. . . it’s going well so far.”

Even though the Red Wings claimed Hurlbert with the No. 23 pick in the first round, some draft analysts had him as high as 11th (The Hockey News, Ryan Kennedy).

The Blazers are a storied Canadian junior team and yet Hurlbert is only the third Kamloops rookie to score 40 or more goals. None of Detroit’s forward prospects have put up numbers like Hurlbert. Is he a can’t-miss? Of course not. Hurlbert was not a top five pick. Hurlbert is 18. He needs to work on his skating and other skills. He needs to prove his scoring touch translates to the college and then professional games. But scouts do like his NHL potential.

“He shows real good offensive instincts — he knows how to score goals,” Detroit assistant general manager Kris Draper said. “He can make plays.”

Continued

Updated at 12:57 AM: From NHL Puck Report on Twitter: The Detroit Red Wings’ qualifying offers were posted this evening, and, for some reason, the Wings didn’t qualify Carter Mazur. I can’t imagine that they’re going to let him walk for nothing, but we shall see:

#LGRW qualified RFAs Simon Edvinsson and Carter Gylander.

No QO for Carter Mazur, Wojciech Stachowiak, Alexandre Doucet, Michael Milne, Jakub Rychlovsky, and Wojciech Stachowiak. @PuckPedia

⬇️ UFA no-QO list: https://t.co/R7UtnHHaG5

— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) June 30, 2026

Here’s a bit from the Hockey News’s Michael Whitaker:

NHL clubs had until 5 p.m. ET on Monday to submit qualifying offers to their pending restricted free agents, and the Detroit Red Wings have made their decisions.

Defenseman Simon Edvinsson and 2019 seventh-round (191st overall) pick Carter Gylander were the only players to receive qualifying offers from the Red Wings. At the same time, 2021 third-round (70th overall) pick Carter Mazur was among the many players who were not offered one. 

By extending qualifying offers, the Red Wings preserve their matching rights if either player signs an offer sheet with another club once free agency begins at 12:00 p.m. ET on July 1. Both players also have the option of accepting their qualifying offer or continuing negotiations on a new contract with Detroit. 

Update: Here’s Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen’s take…

The Red Wings posted a minute and-a-half long clip of action from Monday’s on-ice activities at Detroit’s Summer Development Camp:

Day one on ice 🥶 pic.twitter.com/MeI1m6VcCL

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 29, 2026

Update: The video’s also available in YouTube format:

Red Wings prospect Carter Bear managed to recover from a partially-torn Achilles tendon to help lead the Everett Silvertips to a WHL title and a berth in this past spring’s Memorial Cup.

Bear posted 36 goals and 44 assists for 77 points over the course of 53 games this past season, and he shined in the playoffs, posting 22 points in 18 games.

After today’s on-ice sessions at the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp, Bear spoke with the media, and the Hockey News’s Michael Whitaker reports that Bear is now focused upon turning pro with Grand Rapids this fall:

“It’s pro now, and it’s a whole new level of hockey,” Bear said. “It’s way different than juniors; it’s faster and you’ve gotta be smarter and stronger. Like I said earlier, I just need to work on my game that Detroit wants me to work on and focus on that, and trust Detroit on whatever their best development is for me, and just trust that. I think it’ll all work out.

As far as what aspects of his game he’d like to most work on, Bear pointed to his skating and strength building. 

“My skating, I think that’s one big thing and obviously, my strength,” he said. “Everything strength – in the gym, off the ice, all that stuff. So, that’s the big focus I want to work on for sure.” 

Bear checks in at 6′ and 179 pounds, though he plays bigger than his weight.

He also told Whitaker that he’s fully healthy as he’s training this summer:

The previous season, he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in early March, but had recovered sufficiently to participate in Red Wings Training Camp later in the fall. Thankfully, he showed no lingering negative effects from the setback. 

“I don’t really like to put any excuse on it, I just started playing, and it went away from my mind, and it started feeling normal,” Bear said. “It’s all healthy now for sure.” 

I’m not certain whether it’s kosher to share images from this photo gallery from the Detroit News’s David Guralnick, but he always posts a voluminous photo gallery on the first day of the Red Wings’ summer development camp, and he never fails to deliver great pictures. Give it a look!

Updated 2x at 5:41 PM: Both Max and Victor Plante spoke with the media after the first day of the Red Wings’ 2026 Summer Development Camp, and Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff took note of their remarks.

Max won the Hobey Baker Award for his 2025-2026 season performance with Minnesota-Duluth, skating alongside his brother, Zam, and Victor, who was picked by the Red Wings 47th overall on Saturday, will join the brothers on UMD this upcoming season:

“I was kind of talking to Drapes (Detroit assistant GM Kris Draper) the other day about how we just have to let [Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Zam] graduate college, and he’ll be a free agent,” Max said of Zam. “So, yeah, he’s got to have patience. Just got a couple more years of college and then maybe he can do it.”

Minnesota-Duluth coach Scott Sandelin has promised the brothers that they’ll get to play in a game this season as linemates. Each of the Red Wings Plantes was happy to offer up a scouting report on their sibling.

Daily Faceoff’s Hunter Crowther offers this quip from The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta today, on DFO’s live YouTube show (check the 25-minute mark):

Carter Hutton: My biggest question right now is the Red Wings, and Steve Yzerman’s relationship with the fan base. What do the Wings do now just to survive this Dylan Larkin trade drama and everything that’s surrounded the club so far?

David Pagnotta: Their preference is to get talent back, and I think, for now anyway, it’s proven to be difficult. Most teams are looking at packages that revolve around future assets. That’s why teams are also knocking on the door in terms of Alex DeBrincat and where his future is at with Detroit.

I think the preference would have been to get a deal done before the end of the weekend, and now we’re into Monday, so obviously it didn’t happen. We’ll see how much longer this gets prolonged; as we all know, Steve Yzerman is willing to wait this out and get a return that he deems worthy of making this trade.

But again, it’s going to be a matter of, “How much can I improve now vs. how much more valuable are the future packages?” That’s going to set them back, and are they willing to do that? That’s one of the things that’s being weighed out by the sounds of things.

I don’t see the Red Wings trading DeBrincat to clear the decks and restart the rebuild, but the Wings are probably going to have to “flip” some of the assets they receive for Larkin for the sake of snagging some present-day assistance.

The Wings are not going to be quite as good without Larkin, and that’s going to have to be addressed via the desert that is free agency and/or through another trade, whether that happens this summer or sometime into the 2026-2027 season. They’ll have to manage as they can.