The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan offers a “midsummer breakdown” of the Atlantic Division’s 8 teams this morning, and he suggests that the Red Wings’ trade for John Gibson won’t be enough (on its own) to push the Red Wings past the Ottawa Senators or Montreal Canadiens:

▶ Detroit, 39-35-8, 86 points:

Pros: The Wings appear to finally have solidified their goaltending with the acquisition of Gibson. The tandem of Gibson and Cam Talbot could be formidable. Gibson should be motivated after the way he lost his job in Anaheim and, if healthy, will make the Wings better.

Cons: The Gibson acquisition is big, but otherwise this largely still looks like a similar lineup to last season. Internal growth will be vital for the Wings. Projection: Sixth, no playoffs.

Continued; I’ve been thinking more and more over the past couple of days that the Gibson trade and the signings of Jacob Bernard-Docker, Mason Appleton [edit: and James van Riemsdyk] might be all the Wings do this summer…

And if that’s the case, the Red Wings are really going to lean upon internal improvement in order to hop over the Senators and Habs into a Wild Card spot. That’s skating steeply uphill for the Wings.

While I believe in the Wings’ roster, it’s hard to see them managing to leapfrog their divisional rivals unless everything goes right for the team this upcoming season.

So I’m crossing my fingers and hoping against hope that the Wings can swing an August trade and/or sign a couple of older players to Pro Try-Outs (see: yesterday’s discussion of Max Pacioretty’s fit) who can meaningfully help bolster the Wings’ bottom six or 2nd defensive pairing.

We’ll see. Training camp is a month-and-a-half away, and it feels like the clock is ticking, even though that’s an artificial construct.

We have seen a fair amount of “quarter-century” talk over the course of the summer, including the Free Press’s “Quarter-Century Team” yesterday…

And this morning, Bleacher Report’s Lyle Richardson offers a “Mount Rushmore” for each and every one of the NHL’s 32 teams over the course of the first 25 years of the 21st century:

Detroit Red Wings

Nicklas Lidström, Defense

Steve Yzerman, Center

Pavel Datsyuk, Center

Henrik Zetterberg, Center

Lidström won the James Norris Memorial Trophy seven times from 2000-01 to 2010-11 and was the first European to captain an NHL team to the Stanley Cup (2008). Yzerman is the franchise assist leader (1,063) and captained the Wings to three Stanley Cups, including his last in 2002. Both are in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Datsyuk is also in the Hall of Fame, winning four Lady Byng Memorial Trophies and three Frank J. Selke Trophies between 2005-06 and 2009-10. Zetterberg won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2008 and is fifth among the franchise leaders with 337 goals, 623 assists and 960 points.

Continued; I’m not certain whether I’d have Captain Yzerman on the list as he only played four seasons in the 2000’s, but the Red Wings’ GM did have a tremendously complicated surgery in order to continue his career after the Wings’ 2002 Stanley Cup, so his dedication to the team can’t be questioned.

Who fits on your “Mount Rushmore” for the Wings’ 2000 to 2025 teams?

Red Wings prospect and 2025 draft pick Eddie Genborg is taking part in the World Junior Summer Showcase this week in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but when he returns to Sweden from the WJSS, the 6’2,” 205-pound forward will be switching teams.

Genborg spent his developmental seasons with Linkopings HC, breaking into the SHL after a 34-points-in-28-games performance with Linkopings’ J20 team, and Genborg hopes to make the SHL full-time while playing for the SHL team that Henrik Zetterberg starred for, Timra IK.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff spoke with Genborg regarding his hopes of making the men’s A team this upcoming season:

“Yeah, I’ve signed for two years with Timra now in the SHL,” Genborg confirmed. “So I hope to play as much in the SHL as I can.”

Much like his status with the Red Wings, Zetterberg isn’t on the payroll for Timra. However, he’s available and willing to help out his old club whenever he is called upon for assistance.

And yes, Genborg, selected 44th overall by Detroit in the 2025 NHL entry draft, is already tapping into this unique resource.

“Yeah, I’ve talked with him a lot on the phone, and, yeah, he’s a really good guy,” Genborg said of Zetterberg. “And, yeah, I think I can get some help from him. So that’s really good.”

Continued; I try to keep up with the Swedish newspapers. As Duff notes, Zetterberg isn’t paid by Timra IK or the Red Wings, but he’s definitely “on retainer” for both teams.

If Timra needs help with player personnel, or the Red Wings are tracking a SHL prospect or free agent, Zetterberg always seems to find his way to a rink with Niklas Kronwall or Nicklas Lidstrom to informally scout players and give his opinion to the Wings’ personnel.

Technically speaking, Zetterberg still manages his investments and manages a fast casual sandwich shop in Angelholm, but Kronwall called Zetterberg the Red Wings’ “Swedish Spy” when they picked Genborg 44th overall in the 2025 NHL Draft for good reason.

Zetterberg hasn’t signed with Timra or Detroit because he wants to keep his schedule flexible and centered around his son, Love and his private life…

But he’s always a phone call or text message away whenever Timra or Detroit need an extra pair of eyes to help their teams.

Update: Also, from Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff:

Red Wings second round draft pick Eddie Genborg (44th, 2025) played left wing for Sweden at the Summer Showcase in a 5-2 win against USA Blue. Genborg didn’t figure in the scoring. He’s playing on a line with center Linus Eriksson (drafted 58th overall by Florida, 2024) and wing Melvin Fernstrom (drafted 93rd overall by Vancouver, 2024).

Notable NHL scout Will Scouch has spent this past month “Scouching” every NHL team’s draft class, and today, he spends 12 minutes discussing the Detroit Red Wings’ 8 2025 NHL Draft picks:

Earlier this month, each of the Free Press’s Helene St. James, the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan and Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff have discussed the development of top Red Wings prospect Axel Sandin Pellikka as he prepares to make the jump from European hockey to North American ice this upcoming season.

Nobody’s quite certain whether Sandin Pellikka will compete for a spot on the Red Wings’ roster, perhaps as a seventh defenseman, or whether he’s going to munch minutes on the Grand Rapids Griffins’ blueline, though I would highly suspect the latter situation taking place.

On this slow Sunday afternoon, the Hockey News’s Jake Tye brings up the subject once again:

He’ll be involved in a very tight position battle for a right defence spot as the Red Wings have the top spot locked up with Moritz Seider followed by Albert Johansson and newcomer Jacob Benard-Docker in the second and third pairings. Defencemen Justin Holl and Ian Mitchell are also on the verge of making a spot but will likely operate as healthy scratch options in case of injuries. 

Sandin-Pellikka will be going against these defencemen that have already played and made an impact at the NHL level, which may make things challenging to break through. It’ll likely take a chance from management for him to break through as many of the defenceman ahead of him have lengthy experience but are far from game-breaking players.

If they can put a 20-year-old in Sandin-Pellikka in a position to succeed with meaningful minutes, he could learn how to play at the next level and hopefully transition his game.

He could also take a slower approach like his fellow countryman did in Detroit with Simon Edvinsson. At 20 years old, he came to North America and played 106 AHL games across two seasons to adjust to the style of play, while also working into NHL games along the way.

Edvinsson would finally get a full look last season, where he played in 78 games with the Red Wings and recorded 31 points and a +12 rating. He is now fully developed and is poised to take a run at making the Red Wings top pairing with Moritz Seider. 

Continued at length; unless Sandin Pellikka can cement a spot as the Wings’ 5th or 6th defenseman, I just don’t see the 5’11,” 185-pound Skelleftea AIK veteran jumping into the NHL pool immediately.

ASP is far more likely to start the season in Grand Rapids, and to play at least half-a-season in the American Hockey League so that he can adjust to the 85-foot-wide North American rink and the more physical style of game in a league where players are paid to try and take young defensemen’s heads off with some vicious checking.

Now Sandin Pellikka can change the equation with surprisingly NHL-ready training camp and preseason performances, but he’s going to have to “steal a job” from a more established NHL performer to cement a spot on the Red Wings’ roster, and that’s just unlikely at this point.

The Red Wings as a team tend to slow-roll the North American debuts of their top European prospects, affording even Moritz Seider time to adjust to the different game here, and there is no reason to surmise anything different in terms of the ways in which Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman and assistant GM/Grand Rapids Griffins GM Shawn Horcoff will approach Sandin Pellikka’s transition season.

Free agent forward Max Pacioretty has bounced in and out of the lineups of the Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals and then the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, but the 36-year-old forward still has some wheels, a lot of pluck, and depth scoring ability.

Given the dearth of available scorers remaining on the unrestricted free agent marketplace, the Hockey News’s Michael Augello speculates as to whether Pacioretty could land a job (or perhaps at least a Pro Try-Out) with seven teams, including the Canadiens, Oilers, one of the New York-area teams, Toronto, or yes, Detroit…

And there’s a bit of a “fit” for him in Detroit:

Detroit Red Wings

Pacioretty makes his off-season home in Michigan and played his college hockey with the Wolverines. His family remained there while he played in Toronto, and being away from them was a big factor in his hinting towards retirement immediately after the season. It is likely that in a perfect world, he would want to sign with the Wings, who are desperate to snap a long playoff drought, but there are no strong indicators that GM Steve Yzerman has interest. 

Continued; as Augello suggests, there’s no real urgency for the Red Wings to sign another middle-to-bottom-6 forward with James van Riemsdyk in tow…

But Pacioretty earned just south of $875,000 with Toronto last season, and his University of Michigan and Michigan-based ties have linked him to Detroit in the unofficial rumor mill for the better part of half-a-decade now.

If you don’t know by now, I hate talking about hypothetical trades or free agent signings in late July for the sake of clicks or chasing stories…

But I see a potential “fit” here, at least in the PTO (Pro Try-Out) or league-minimum salary + bonuses sense of the “fit” term.

The Max Pacioretty that skates in the NHL now is not anything like the 30-goal-scorer who captained the Montreal Canadiens back in the late-2010’s, but he’s still a plucky peripheral scorer and play-maker with some grit and poise, and he would not be the worst depth player to inquire as to his status as training camp nears in mid-September.

As reported recently, Red Wings forward Marco Kasper was taking part in the Sunshine Hockey League back home in Klagenfurt, Austria.

While Kasper’s “Lendhafen Seelöwen” lost the championship game against the Slovenian “HC Krocha,” the Instagram account of the Sunshine Hockey League posted a “Michigan goal” from Kasper in the championship game:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by SUNSHINE HOCKEY LEAGUE (@sunshinehockeyleague)

There’s also a paywalled article in Klagenfurt’s Kleine Zeitung in which Martin Quendler-Trabesinger reports that the Sunshine Hockey League’s success means that a “bigger, better” league will come next season.

Update: From Twitter…

Marco Kasper scored a filthy Michigan goal during his summer league game. 🤮🤮

(via IG/sunshinehockeyleague, IG/he_morle) pic.twitter.com/LsTIyh6WSX

— BarDown (@BarDown) July 28, 2025

Red Wings prospects Max Plante, John Whipple (Team USA) and Eddie Genborg (Sweden) are taking part in the World Summer Showcase in Minneapolis, Minnesota between today and August 2nd, with a team from Finland and two teams from Canada taking part…

And after Hockey Canada announced its participants in the WJSS today, the WHL’s website’s Tyler Rocca reported that Red Wings 2025 1st round draft pick Carter Bear was invited to the tournament, but is unable to participate due to his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon.

You can attend the tournament at the University of Minnesota’s Ridder Arena, or watch it on USAHockey.tv on a pay-per-view basis (you have to buy a “monthly plan” as well to watch the games).

It’s pretty expensive, however, so I’m guessing that you and I will be relying on bootlegged highlight clips to see what happens for the Red Wings’ three participants.

The Detroit Free Press has been examining the first 25 years of the 21st century in Detroit sports recently, discussing the all-star teams for the Tigers, Lions (offense and defense), Pistons, Michigan State University’s basketball and football teams (offense and defense), the University of Michigan’s basketball and football teams (offense and defense), and yet, the Detroit Red Wings’ “All-21st Century Team” as well.

Today, the Free Press’s Christian Romo was tasked with naming the “All-21st Century Team” for each and every one of Detroit’s four big sports teams (and the Michigan State and Michigan varsity basketball and football teams), and here are the Red Wings on his list:

First, Darren McCarty earned an honorable mention…

Darren McCarty (Red Wings, 1993-2004, 2007-09)

A four-time Stanley Cup winner and longtime enforcer for the Red Wings, McCarty is probably best known for his role during Fight Night at the Joe on March 26, 1997, where he forced Colorado Avalanche winger Claude Lemieux to “turtle” on the ice during a fight. (He also scored the Stanley Cup winning goal in Game 4 of the Finals that season.) But that’s so last century.

Nowadays, McCarty may be better known for his celebrity status around Detroit, with his involvement in the local wrestling scene and television commercials maintaining his popularity in the city.

Jimmy Howard and Dylan Larkin just made the cut…

Continue reading Five Red Wings make the Free Press’s cut for Detroit’s ‘All-21st Century Team’ →

The Free Press’s Helene St. James checks in on the progress made by Red Wings prospect Michael Brandsegg-Nygard this morning, discussing MBN’s 2024-2025 season…

“I’ve improved a lot in my skating – that’s one thing I focused a lot on in the last year, after I got drafted,” Brandsegg-Nygård said. “I’m young; I can develop everything. I just try to do everything at once.”

Everything all at once can overwhelm even those in the best of shape, but credit Brandsegg-Nygård for his enthusiasm. It’s shared by the Wings, who last year took the unusual step of bringing the forward to training camp in September, even though he already was embedded with his SHL team, Skellefteå. Because he already was 6 feet 1 and 207 pounds, Brandsegg-Nygård was able to hold his own physically against men.

Once the preseason was over, Brandsegg-Nygård was returned to his Swedish club. He posted five goals and six assists in 42 games, with another four goals and two assists in 11 playoff games.

“It was a tough season,” Brandsegg-Nygård said. “I wasn’t too happy about it. I’m not used to not getting as much points as you really want to make. But the team didn’t have a great season either, so pretty tough to have like you feel like you lose every game and you don’t help them enough. Just learn from it and get stronger in your mind.”

And his North American debut:

As soon as Skellefteå’s season ended, the Wings brought Brandsegg-Nygård to Grand Rapids so that he could experience AHL hockey.

“I thought as the games went along, he got better and better,” director of player development Dan Cleary said. “He’s got a good frame to him and he’s got a good mindset. He’s a very competitive player. He’s is really a super fun guy to be around. He’s always smiling.”

With the Griffins bowing out in three games and the series over by May 9, that freed up Brandsegg-Nygård to play at the World Championship, where he posted four assists in five games.

Continued; MBN is definitely going to have to adjust to the narrower North American ice surface (85 feet wide instead of 100 feet wide) and the faster pace of play in the AHL, but Brandsegg-Nygard’s shoot-first mentality should serve him well as he begins his North American apprenticeship in earnest.