Sportsnet’s Luke Fox earns the masthead story on Sportsnet this morning, listing 27 people who Fox believes will define the 2026-2027 NHL season. Dylan Larkin’s name is among them:

DYLAN LARKIN

The Detroit Red Wings’ stripped captain has showed up to collect his paycheques despite submitting a not-yet-fulfilled trade request that now falls on the desk of interim GM Shawn Horcoff — the man (for now) charged with ending the NHL’s longest active playoff drought.

The gold medalist’s desire to join a contender and dictate where he plays, for reasons he is choosing to keep private, is just one more thing fretting a restless fan base that remains in the dark regarding Detroit’s front-office direction, the contract status of RFA Simon Edvinsson and the future of impending UFA Alex DeBrincat.

How uncomfortable will life get for Larkin and the Wings?

“Larks has played five playoff games. He’s going in his 12th season. That guy’s the ultimate team guy. Seriously. And any team in the league would be lucky to have Larks. Larks is one of my favourite people out there,” Quinn Hughes defends. “The Wings would be lucky to have him. I would take him (in) two seconds. You watch him in the Olympics. You know how much the guys love him, what a team guy he is, and how he performs in big moments. Yeah, so that’s what I feel about Larks.”

Continued; for better or worse, Dylan Larkin remains the Red Wings’ problem, and until he’s traded, he’ll be seen as a colossal distraction, even if the Red Wings’ locker room doesn’t see it that way.

It’s prediction time around the NHL, and some predictions are more lighthearted than others.

This morning, The Athletic’s Sean McIndoe makes one slightly amusing prediction about all 32 NHL teams, including the Red Wings…

Detroit Red Wings

Where will Dylan Larkin be traded? I’m not sure. What about Alex DeBrincat? Also no idea. But without getting into either player’s new home (if any), let’s thread the needle with this prediction: DeBrincat and Larkin will end up facing each other in this year’s playoffs.

While Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin offers two predictions regarding Red Wings players which are dead serious in their tone:

18. The top names moved at the 2027 Trade Deadline: Alex DeBrincat and Erik Karlsson.

DeBrincat is a Michigan kid living his childhood dream, but he’s nine seasons into his career and has played in the playoffs once – six years ago. If the Detroit Red Wings remain rudderless, might DeBrincat inform them he wants to pursue a Cup? He’d fetch a significant return as a three-time 40-goal scorer.

…

10. Dylan Larkin never takes the ice again as a Red Wing and is shipped out before the holiday break in December.

His injury provides a convenient smoke screen to keep him from what would surely be a hailstorm of home-crowd boos if he played for Detroit again minus the captain’s C. Some combination of the right contender having an injury that frees up cap space, or Detroit being bad enough to entertain picks and prospects and not just NHLers in a trade, creates the right conditions for the deal to happen.

I’m an optimist when it comes to hockey, so I’m going to suggest that none of these predictions will come to pass.

DeBrincat really does want to stay in Detroit, and as inept as the Wings’ management group has been thus far, I believe that they’ll get a deal done…

And something tells me that Larkin will have to endure the boos at Little Caesars Arena for a little bit before he’s finally traded.

Update: I actually believe that Sportsnet’s Frank Seravalli’s prediction for the 2026-2027 season will come to pass:

2. Dylan Larkin will be traded to the Minnesota Wild before Christmas

It’s no secret the interest is mutual. After years of searching, a true No. 1 centre is right in front of the Wild, and GM Bill Guerin will present an offer that addresses more of Detroit’s immediate needs to get it done — just like he did for Quinn Hughes

ESPN’s Emily Kaplan discusses the Red Wings’ situation with Dylan Larkin and the Winnipeg Jets’ attempts to trade the equally disgruntled Connor Hellebuyck as part of a column highlighting the NHL’s “biggest storylines” going into the 2026-2027 season.

She reports that the Wings stubbornness regarding their “asking price” for Larkin is holding up a deal:

While Detroit stripped the “C” from Larkin, there’s still a path forward for the homegrown center to remain with the Red Wings. Larkin was nicked up entering camp but is expected to start the season with Detroit and see where it goes. As far as I understand, the trade request still stands, though there are no guarantees it gets done this season.

Teams that have inquired about Larkin over the past several weeks say they aren’t sure the Red Wings know what they want to do. They also believe that, to complete a trade, Detroit will have to come down from its asking price and potentially become more willing to accept futures.

The GM search this summer yielded no long-term hire, with Shawn Horcoff getting the interim title in September. Detroit says Horcoff has full authority, but how aggressive can an interim GM be in making a franchise-altering trade?

Continued; I understand that there’s frustration about Detroit not closing a deal, but Detroit cannot simply accept future assets for their #1 center, even if he’s a #1B center on other teams. The team is holding out for the right reasons, and while the return for Larkin isn’t going to be what the Red Wings hoped…

They can’t just accept some draft picks and prospects and simply move on for the sake of moving on.

The Athletic’s Max Bultman discusses the atmosphere in the Red Wings’ locker room as the team’s summer of discontent from Dylan Larkin and inability to re-sign Simon Edvinsson hang over the team like a dark cloud:

“So far … so good,” [coach Todd] McLellan said. “We have some hurdles in front of us that we’re going to have to continue to cross and to deal with, but it’s probably appropriate that we’re (speaking) inside the locker room because the group in here has come to play hockey. They’ve focused on the things that they need to do to get themselves ready. The outside noise through the summer and everything else that’s gone on, they’ve done a good job focusing on what they can control, and that’s the hockey part of it.”

And in my experience the last two weeks, that’s mostly true. You can certainly feel an awkwardness in the air at times, but the Red Wings’ players have been diligent this preseason.

On Monday, new arrival Keegan Kolesar went out of his way to note that “this is a team that’s doing a great job of internalizing everything here and worrying about what’s in this locker room, despite all the noise outside.” Veteran Andrew Copp said the Red Wings “talked about it before camp, and then ever since then, it was honestly pretty normal.”

That’s important, because the Red Wings will have enough challenges this season. Even with Larkin, the team lacks scoring punch down the middle. And since no one knows how much they’ll have Larkin this season, who, aside from the trade request, is working back from an upper-body injury, that issue could very well worsen. That’s a scary thought in the league’s deepest division.

Yet, even with their path to the playoffs narrow, the Red Wings’ collection of rising young players and veterans with something to prove is the kind of set-up teams can rally behind, even — and perhaps especially — if they’re short on superstars.

“I think everyone’s gonna feel important,” Copp said. “I think the team makes sense the way it’s constructed. … Everyone’s just gotta do their job. That’s all it is. Whether we win 5-4 or we win 1-0, it doesn’t matter. We’ve just gotta find a way to win games, get off to a good start and then you start feeling good, momentum builds, everything goes. I think a good start is instrumental for us.”

Continued (paywall)

The Free Press’s Helene St. James updates the statuses of restricted free agent defenseman Simon Edvinsson and new acquisition Andreas Englund this morning, discussing the slightly uncomfortable situation that the Red Wings’ players find themselves in as Detroit attempts to re-sign Edvinsson:

“We all have Simon’s back,” fellow defenseman Moritz Seider said, “but also we know it’s a hard situation for [interim GM Shawn Horcoff], as well. It’s obviously his first deal. I think it will be done eventually. I think we just have high hopes and a good mood. Just got to remind everyone that we’re all in the same team in the end, and I think it will be worked out.”

Edvinsson, 23, is a restricted free agent. He’s one of the team’s most important players, a 6-foot-6, 225 pound behemoth who is an excellent skater and puck-handler. To not have him in the lineup would be a blow – but there’s time yet this week, as the Wings don’t open the 2026-27 season until they host the New York Rangers on Friday, Oct. 2 (6:30 p.m., TNT/truTV).

Having arranged his own insurance, Edvinsson practiced with the team through training camp but did not take part in scrimmages or exhibition games. Now, with the preseason done, he’s not on the ice with his teammates – but if a contract is signed, for example, hours before a game, there’s a spot for him in the lineup.

“He’s fit,” [coach Todd] McLellan said. “He’s ready. He knows the guys. He’s been working systematically with us. So if that happened, yeah, we would, providing he’s mentally and physically ready to go, we would have no problem playing him quickly.”

Continued (paywall); Edvinsson is probably practicing on his own at a rink in Metro Detroit to keep up his conditioning.

As far as the 30-year-old Englund is concerned, the 30-year-old defenseman awaits for his immigration papers, and Seider praised the Wings’ waiver move to land a #7 defenseman who can step into the lineup and contribute stability and toughness to the team’s cause:

Continue reading HSJ in the morning: On Simon Edvinsson’s contract negotiations being ‘just business’ to his teammates, and tough guy Andreas Englund →

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman offers the following regarding Red Wings restricted free agent defenseman Simon Edvinsson in his “32 Thoughts” column:

10. Heading into last weekend, Detroit was firm on a bridge for Simon Edvinsson. I say it a lot: If you think someone is a cornerstone, lock him up for as long as you can, because the price never goes down. This is a great opportunity for Shawn Horcoff, but it might be prudent for Detroit to bring in an experienced advisor, a sober second thought, if you will. I can understand the Red Wings don’t desire to make major commitments in the interim, but time does not stop. Edvinsson, Larkin and UFA-to-be Alex DeBrincat must be dealt with sooner or later.

Continued at length; the Wings should lock up Edvinsson and they should lock him up long-term.

The Red Wings released their 23-man roster on Monday promptly at 5 PM, but Detroit coach Todd McLellan cautioned both the Free Press’s Helene St. James and the rest of the Red Wings’ fandom that it may not be the roster we see hit the ice vs. the New York Rangers on Friday:

“Often see a roster submitted, and it’s made public, and then all of a sudden things change two or three days down the road,” coach Todd McLellan said. “We’re one of the late-starting teams this year. There’s games tomorrow already, and I think when we do play the Rangers, if I’m correct, that’ll be their third game already. So we are a late starting team. We have a little more time to shuffle things around, and we’ll use that time.

Gibson was excused from practice Monday because he was sick, per McLellan. Larkin practiced, but was still not part of a regular line. He has been nursing an upper-body injury since before camp began, and his availability for games remains unknown.

“He has, I believe he has a doctor’s appointment today at some point, and we’ll get more of a feedback from the physicians at that time to see where he’s at,” McLellan said.

McLellan also said this to MLive’s Ansar Khan about the unsigned Simon Edvinsson:

“He’s fit, he’s ready,” McLellan said. “He knows the guys. He’s been working systematically with us, so if that happened, yeah, we would (play him). Providing he’s mentally and physically ready to go, we would have no problem playing him quickly.”

Edvinsson, 23, is coming off his entry-level contract. He can sign for a maximum of seven years under the new CBA that took effect on Sept. 16, though there is speculation the Red Wings would prefer a bridge deal (two or three years).

Vancouver inked Zeev Buium to an eight-year, $75.04 million deal ($9.38 million average annual value) before the previous CBA expired. That’s one comparable to Edvinsson.

“The business part of the game sometimes takes a while,” McLellan said. “I know that Horc is working really hard and we’ll continue to do that. Simon’s an important part of our team and we’d like to have him here. But business is part of the game.”

From The Fourth Period (no author given):

Contract negotiations remain ongoing between the Detroit Red Wings and restricted free agent defenceman Simon Edvinsson, who attended training camp but is not longer with the club.

Edvinsson, 23, is believed to be seeking a long-term contract worth at least $9 million to $10 million per season, depending on term.

Red Wings interim GM Shawn Horcoff confirmed to the media earlier today that Edvinsson is not with the club, thought contract talks continue.

“As of today, Simon is not practicing with the team,” Horcoff told Red Wings beat reporter Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. “The organization will continue conversations with Simon and his representatives.”

Edvinsson and Carolina Hurricanes blueliner Alexander Nikishin remain the two unsigned RFAs in the NHL. While Detroit aims to keep their defenceman, Carolina has been actively trying to trade theirs, at the player’s request.

Pay the man. No bridge deal. Long-term. It will be worth the $ in the long run.

Amongst the items of note after today’s Red Wings practice at the BELFOR Training Center:

97.1 the Ticket’s Mike Stone posted a 3-minute “scrum” interview with Moritz Seider…

While waiting for some more Pistons on media day,it was a good chance to hear from Mo Seider pic.twitter.com/lEdQpqx3pf

— michael stone (@stoney16) September 28, 2026

Then the organization “put out a statement” regarding unsigned defenseman Simon Edvinsson:

Shawn Horcoff on unsigned Red Wings D Simon Edvinsson: “As of today, Simon is not practicing with the team. The organization will continue conversations with Simon and his representatives.”

— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) September 28, 2026

Statement from Red Wings interim GM Shawn Horcoff: “As of today, Simon is not practicing with the team. The organization will continue conversations with Simon and his representatives.” #LGRW #RedWings

— Michael Whitaker (@mwhitaker_89) September 28, 2026

Simon Edvinsson didn’t practice today and doesn’t have a locker in the Red Wings dressing room.

Statement from GM Shawn Horcoff via Red Wings: “As of today, Simon is not practicing with the team. The organization will continue conversations with Simon and his representatives.”

— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) September 28, 2026

There’s also a video link to a 4:31 clip in which John Buccigross and Frank Seravalli discuss whether the Blue Jackets or Red Wings have more questions heading toward the start of the 2025-2026 regular season…And they are f***ing gloomy in their outlook for Detroit.

Then there’s this…

Gibson was sick https://t.co/l3Pf9BTohd

— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) September 28, 2026

And this:

#RedWings McLellan said Larkin seeing doctor today and still not sure if he’ll be ready to play Friday. GIbson was sick today.

— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) September 28, 2026

And here’s the video from the Red Wings, in which Moritz Seider, Andreas Englund and coach Todd McLellan speak with the media:

Continue reading Post-practice Tweets/video: Red Wings ‘release statement’ regarding unsigned Simon Edvinsson; Gibson ill + a video of Seider, Englund and coach McLellan speaking with the media →

From the Detroit Red Wings:

RED WINGS REDUCE ROSTER TO 23

  … Detroit Opens 101st Season with Home Game Against New York Rangers

on Friday, Oct. 2 at 6:30 p.m. at Little Caesars Arena …

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today assigned goaltender Carter Gylander to the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Additionally, the Red Wings have placed defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker on injured reserve retroactive to Sept. 24. The Red Wings have also designated defenseman Andreas Englund as immigration non-roster, and forwards Carter Bear and Chase Stillman as injured non-roster.

The roster moves bring the Red Wings to a 23-man roster, consisting of 14 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders. The Red Wings will begin their 101st season in franchise history on Friday, Oct. 2 with a home game against the New York Rangers at 6:30 p.m. at Little Caesars Arena.

UPDATE: The Detroit Red Wings assigned goaltender Carter Gylander to the Griffins #GoGRG

DETAILS | 🔗 https://t.co/ZI4Qjg8AU2 pic.twitter.com/ubvgLkJ6xy

— Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) September 28, 2026