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Woe is us

The Hockey News’s Adam Proteau posted a column for the Sporting News, discussing the state of the Detroit Red Wings, and it’s a gloomy one:

The biggest need the Red Wings have at the moment appears to be the pending hole in the lineup that’s going to be left by captain and top-line center Dylan Larkin. The veteran center has requested a trade out of Detroit, and we all should know by now how valuable a first-line center is in today’s NHL. So if Wings GM Steve Yzerman does follow through on Larkin’s trade request, Detroit is going to have to acquire a center one way or another.

There really isn’t an equivalent to Larkin in the free-agent field. But would Columbus Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner be an option for Yzerman? Jenner really isn’t a No. 1 center, but if Detroit gives Jenner the financial payday no other team is willing to match or improve on, a fit between Jenner and the Red Wings is plausible.

Otherwise, the Wings need as much help on offense as they can get. Detroit ranked 22nd in goals scored this past season at 2.91 goals for per game, and losing Larkin is going to put an even bigger dent in the Red Wings’ ship. So, literally any UFA player who can help them score is going to be a target for Yzerman & Co.

Maybe that’s New York Islanders winger Anders Lee or even Blue Jackets winger Mason Marchment. The Red Wings can’t afford to be picky and choosy with the talent they bring in this summer. Whoever they can find who doesn’t want a terrible and obvious overpayment on their next salary should be considered by the Wings.

Proteau continues while discussing the Red Wings’ goaltending, and he offers a grim conclusion:

Continue reading Woe is us

Khan offers his take on the Red Wings’ free agency needs

MLive’s Ansar Khan offers his take on the Red Wings’ free agency needs this evening, noting that GM Steve Yzerman offered the most succinct take on Detroit’s roster holes during his end-of-the-regular-season press conference:

“The reality is we need to score more five-on-five,” Yzerman said on April 23. “That requires talent and scoring ability. We need to be a harder team to play against. We hear our players talk about that and my message to them would be … in order to do that, you guys got to be harder to play against. So, either that or I got to get ready and bring in other guys.”

The Red Wings ranked 30th in the league in five-on-five goals with 142 and 22nd in goals of any kind with 239. Larkin scored 34 goals. Patrick Kane, an unrestricted free agent who’s signed one-year deals with Detroit on the eve of free agency in each of the past two years, remained unsigned as of late Tuesday afternoon. Losing Kane would be a further blow to the offense.

Alex Ovechkin, who’s either going to re-sign with Washington or retire, and Anthony Mantha, who Yzerman traded in 2022 and isn’t likely to return, are the highest-scoring free-agent forwards with 64 points each, followed by Kane with 57.

The Red Wings’ main target could be Viktor Arvidsson, coming off a 25-goal, 54-point season with Boston. Other available forwards with some offensive ability include Mats Zuccarello (Minnesota), Mason Marchment (Columbus), Anders Lee (Islanders), Michael Bunting (Dallas), Erik Haula (Nashville) and Jack Roslovic (Edmonton).

The Red Wings also need scoring and grit from their third and fourth lines.

Continue reading Khan offers his take on the Red Wings’ free agency needs

Video/text: TSN’s Chris Johnston suggests that Patrick Kane will test the free agent marketplace

On today’s episode of “Early Trading” on TSN, Gino Reda and Chris Johnston suggest that soon-to-be unrestricted free agent forward Patrick Kane will at least gauge the free agent marketplace tomorrow, regardless of whether he might re-sign with Detroit:

Reda: What about Patrick Kane? We realize he’s going to turn 38 a month into next season. We also know he’s not going to be able to play the full new 84-game schedule, but I imagine he’s got more than a couple of suitors come opening free agency.

Johnston: He does. And look, I think teams were wondering if he would even get to free agency just because he’s spent the last few years with the Detroit Red Wings and did have interest in returning there.

It seems now as we get this close, though, he’s going to at least take a peek at what the market has out there for him. And I do think there’s going to be a fair amount of interest.

Patrick Kane, you’re right, he’s a legacy player. He’s one of the best, if not the best, American-born NHLers ever. But he also remains pretty productive and produced a fair amount of offense last season. He’s going to have a few intriguing opportunities.

One I would mention that’s been rumored, though, is a fit with the Toronto Maple Leafs. At this point in time, it doesn’t seem to me like that’s actually something that’s likely to materialize. I’m not sure that’s as good a fit as some people have said.

But keep an eye on, whether it’s his hometown, Buffalo Sabres. Does he ponder a return to the Chicago Blackhawks or any number of other situations? I do think Patrick Kane is going to have some options on Wednesday.

Here’s the video:

Continue reading Video/text: TSN’s Chris Johnston suggests that Patrick Kane will test the free agent marketplace

Kulfan talks free agency targets

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted a free agency preview today, discussing some of the targets for the Red Wings to sign ahead of the start of unrestricted free agency tomorrow at 12 PM EDT.

Kulfan notes that the Red Wings “face uncertainty” in terms of the statuses of the Dylan Larkin trade and Patrick Kane’s decision as to whether he will return, but Kulfan believes that the following players should be pursued no matter what:

▶ Mason Marchment, left wing, Columbus: Marchment, 31, would be a nice fit for the Wings, playing up or down the lineup, and at 6-foot-5, plays the rugged type of game they need. He twice scored 22 goals in Dallas, and last season had 19 goals between playing for Seattle and Columbus. Marchment will have a lot of interested teams who likely will overpay for the good player, but not star.

▶ Viktor Arvidsson, left wing, Boston: Arvidsson, 33, scored 25 goals in Boston in sort of a rebirth season. He’s been a steady pro for much of his career and has been a dependable 20-goal scorer. It would be surprising if he doesn’t work something out with the Bruins.

▶ Anders Lee, left wing, N.Y. Islanders: Lee, 35, has played on Long Island is entire career, and the expectation is the two sides will work something out in the late hours. Lee saw his streak of 20-plus goal seasons end at five last season — he scored 19. He’s excellent around the net.

Continue reading Kulfan talks free agency targets

Three Red Wings prospects invited to World Junior Summer Showcase

Red Wings prospects JP Hurlbert, Victor Plante and Brent Solomon have been invited to participate on Team USA’s roster at the World Junior Summer Showcase, which will take place in Windsor, ON in late July:

A more moderate take on the Dylan Larkin situation

The Free Press’s Carlos Monarrez weighed in with his opinion regarding the Dylan Larkin situation this morning; now, the Hockey News’s Adam Proteau offers a more moderate take:

Finally, Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman spoke about Larkin’s trade request over the weekend. Yzerman confirmed that Larkin officially wants to be dealt out of town. However, the GM also said he’s acting with the best interests of the Wings in mind.

“I cannot make any guarantees, and I did not make any guarantees, that that request could or would be met,” Yzerman told reporters.

That could make things extremely awkward come training camp if Larkin hasn’t been traded. That said, we don’t expect it to get to that uncomfortable point.

The market for high-end centers is going to be robust this summer, and even if Larkin – who controls his destiny with his no-trade clause – chooses only a few teams he’d be willing to join, Yzerman still should be able to get something of consequence for Larkin’s services that keeps them competitive. It will just take some time to craft the best trade possible for the Red Wings.

You can’t have a cynic in your dressing room, and that’s what Larkin now is if he’s requesting a trade. So Detroit must find the best trade for him this summer, completely cut its ties with Larkin and try picking up the pieces as they push for a playoff spot next season.

Larkin gave it a long try in Motown, but things haven’t worked out, and there’s no longer any good reason to keep him around.

Continued with assorted topics; I’m gonna be honest here and tell you that I can’t imagine the team asking Larkin to actually show up at training camp. That would yield a nasty situation all around, and there’s no reason to add a toxic element to the team in a severely disgruntled player for the sake of punishing him. Larkin would be better off skating alone, away from the Red Wings, as he prepared for the 2026-2027 season.

Tweets of note from Day 2 of the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp

Updated at 11:36 AM: The Detroit Red Wings began the second day of their 2026 Summer Development Camp on Tuesday morning, with a large roster of prospects and free agent invitees convening at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center:

The Red Wings also posted an 8-image photo gallery from day one on Facebook…

And a “meet the campers” video…

This post will be updated throughout the day, so stay tuned!

Here’s the only update:

Continue reading Tweets of note from Day 2 of the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp