Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen offers theories as to what Red Wings prospect defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka will have to show Detroit’s coaching staff to make the Red Wings’ roster this upcoming season:

Today, the numbers don’t add up in his favor. Moritz Seider, Simon Edvinsson, Justin Faulk and Ben Chiarot own the top four spots. Albert Johansson isn’t going to let himself become displaced. Jacob Benard-Docker has also earned some trust.

Even if Detroit carries eight defensemen, no general manager wants an intriguing 21-year-old defenseman prospect in a No. 7 defenseman role. He wants him playing 20-plus minutes per game in the American Hockey League.

It doesn’t help Sandin-Pellikka’s cause that he is still waivers exempt, meaning he can be sent down without putting him on waivers.

“It’s hard to crack the league,” McLellan said. “It’s even harder to crack this league as a small offensive guy because he’s got to figure some things out.”

The Red Wings want Sandin-Pellikka to figure out how to master his defensive responsibilities because they respect his offensive knack. He totaled seven goals and 21 points last season. That made him the third-highest scoring defenseman on the team. He did that averaging 16 minutes per game, and there were a meaningful number of games when he played three, four or five fewer minutes.

“We’re not overly concerned at all about the offensive part,” McLellan said. “He’s got great vision, good legs going down the wall. He shoots the puck well.”

Continued at length…

Of Alex DeBrincat-related note this morning:

1. The Free Press’s Helene St. James discusses Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat’s desire to remain in Detroit this morning. St. James notes that DeBrincat understands why negotiations with the Wings have been drawn out over the course of the summer…

DeBrincat, 28, is in line to receive a significant raise on the $7.88 million annual average value he carries right now, given his status as a 40-goal scorer. He’s been eligible for an extension since July 1, but two weeks after that the Wings parted ways with Steve Yzerman as general manager, and it took until Sept. 15 – two days before the start of camp – to name Shawn Horcoff interim.

“I think we kind of, once it all happened, we kind of knew the lowdown,” DeBrincat said. “It wasn’t something I think probably either sides wanted to do without anyone there. But we’ll see what happens here. I think we’ll leave the business side to them and my agent.”

But DeBrincat’s bottom line is fairly simple:

“I love playing here,” he said, “but I think all that is kind of put to the side right now. I’m focused on the season, focused on getting the new systems and all that stuff, meeting the new guys and just playing well.

“I take a lot of pride playing for the Red Wings, putting that jersey on every night. I think all of us in this room take a lot of pride in that and the history that comes with it. There’s so much respect behind that crest. I definitely want to be part of the solution here and get back to the glory days.”

2. Detroit Hockey Now’s Max Smith also discusses DeBrincat and his role as a leader in terms of generating offense for the team:

The Detroit Red Wings have posted a Tweet/X Post and YouTube video “short” of highlights from today’s practices and scrimmage at the team’s 2026 training camp:

Day three📍 pic.twitter.com/liXfMDyddh

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 19, 2026

Red Wings prospect JP Hurlbert “takes a lap” around Yost Ice Arena’s rink Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Will Horcoff on TikTok, discussing some, well, lighthearted topics.

This one should be filed under the, “This is cute, but also fluffy” category. But we’re all allowed a little laugh now and then!

Also: Hurlbert is not going to win at karaoke any time soon.

I can’t embed this, but CBS Detroit posted a 1:11 report from training camp, and the report spotlights Alex DeBrincat’s remarks regarding remaining in Detroit, and coach Todd McLellan’s praise for DeBrincat’s off-ice leadership skills.

Coach McLellan pointed out that DeBrincat’s become a bit of a social manager as well:

“Also, away from the rink, with all that’s gone on, and around us, he’s been one of the guys that stepped up, and arranged things for teammates, and made sure that everything’s taken care of for guys, so, some real good leadership qualities there.”

The Hockey News’s Adam Proteau took note of the comments made by Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat on the NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour earlier this month, as made to THN’s Michael Traikos, regarding several topics of interest. DeBrincat suggested that the Red Wings’ previous season wasn’t as dire as it appeared to be…

“We can get our minds set and get confident again and learn from our mistakes last year,” DeBrincat said. “I think that’s really the biggest thing. We made too many mistakes late in the season, and it ended up costing us. But the first 60, 75 percent of the season was really good. We were right at the top there, and we just, you know, fell off a cliff. So try to get back that confidence side of the game and hopefully not go through that same lull.”

And DeBrincat, who asked for a trade out of Ottawa, offered sympathetic commentary regarding Dylan Larkin’s situation:

Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat put to rest rumors that he may “want out” from the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday afternoon, telling the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan and the rest of the assembled media that DeBrincat, who can become an unrestricted free agent next summer, plans on staying right here in Detroit:

“I’ve said it before, I love playing here,” DeBrincat said as the Wings concluded a third day of training camp practices. “But all of that is kind of put to the side right now. I’m focused on the season and getting the new systems and all that stuff, and meeting new guys, and just playing well. I want to get off to strong start and the rest will take care of itself, and we’ll see what happens.”

The Wings have missed the playoffs the last 10 consecutive seasons, but DeBrincat wants to “be part of the solution here and get back to the glory days and be a big part of that. I take a lot of pride playing for the Red Wings and putting that jersey on every night. Everyone in this room takes a lot of pride and has respect wearing that crest. It’s a privilege and something I don’t take care lightly.”

DeBrincat tied a career high last season, scoring 41 goals for a third time in his career. With salaries exploding around the NHL as the salary cap consistently rises each summer, DeBrincat is likely to earn a contract well past $10 million per season (currently has an annual average value of $7.875 million).

DeBrincat told Kulfan that he understood why negotiations with the Red Wings stalled while the team settled on Shawn Horcoff as Yzerman’s interim replacement…

“We kind of knew once all that happened (Yzerman’s transition in the front office), we knew it was something probably either of the sides wanted to do (contract negotiation) without anyone there,” DeBrincat said. “We’ll see what happens.”

And DeBrincat had this to say about Patrick Kane’s decision to head back to Chicago:

According to MLive’s Ansar Khan, Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin remains out for an indefinite period of time due to his upper-body injury. As such, it’s entirely possible, if not probable, that the Wings will start the 2026-2027 season with Andrew Copp centering the Wings’ top line, with Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond on Copp’s wings:

“I don’t know when Dylan’s going to be back; I don’t know how quickly he’ll get up to speed,” coach Todd McLellan said on Saturday. “So that’s Copper spot for now and we’ll see what happens after that.”

Copp centered a productive second line with Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane for much of last season. Kane signed with the Blackhawks. Now Copp is centering DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond.

“Obviously, different types of players, righty, lefty, but I think those two have a chemistry for sure,” Copp said. “I think Cat and I have a chemistry. Ray and I haven’t played as much together, so trying to figure out exactly where each other are all going to be.

“Obviously, I need to be around the net, winning battles below the goal line, driving through the middle, especially on entries, and kicking out, giving them time and space. But I’ve got to be available, too, as the one lefty on the line without Kaner hanging out on the side.

“I think we’ve kind of had some ups and downs throughout the first few days. A couple things that almost clicked, that I think can work if we get a little bit more time together. And then we got to produce right away. Hopefully with the preseason games, we find a little bit of a groove and some confidence going into the regular season.”

Continued (paywall)

This Tweet from the Free Press’s Helene St. James breaks down the Red Wings’ goaltending rotation for the team’s 4 exhibition games:

Re: Red Wings' 4 exhibition games. McLellan said plan is for John Gibson and Daniil Tarasov each to play one full game and two periods. Expect Tarasov 2Ps Monday at CBJ, Gibson 2Ps Tuesday at Pittsburgh. Leaves 1p each for Augustine & Postava.

— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) September 19, 2026

That’s what cutting the exhibition season in half does to you…it cuts down prospects’ ability to make an impact.

Red Wings coach Todd McLellan told MLive’s Ansar Khan that he’s emphasizing an increase in team toughness, seeking to hone an edge to the Red Wings’ play that will make the team more difficult to play against:

“Our team has to harden up a little bit,” McLellan said this week during training camp. “It has to get harder in front of the net. We have to try to push them to become that.”

He wants a heavier and harder forecheck.

“If we’re able to go back and win pucks along the boards and play in areas that aren’t comfortable and do it better than we have in the past, we spend less time in our zone,” McLellan said. “If we’re better around our net, heavier, firmer, and going after the puck, we spend less time in our zone. We have to be harder, and we’re going to ask the players to do that.”

Coach McLellan told Khan that the departures of Patrick Kane, James van Riemsdyk, and David Perron mean that the team can add a physical edge to through its new personnel: