Daily Faceoff’s Tyler Kuehl discusses the Red Wings’ trade of Sebastian Cossa to the Utah Mammoth for the 23rd overall pick in this past weekend’s NHL Draft. Kuehl wonders whether Detroit mismanaged Cossa’s development:

After a solid rookie season with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye, the Hamilton, Ont. native established himself as the No. 1 goaltender with the Red Wings’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. An exceptional finish to the 2023-24 season and a strong start to the 2024-25 campaign led many to believe he was ready to take the next step sooner rather than later. He even got his first taste in the NHL in December 2024, earning a shootout win in a relief effort against the Buffalo Sabres.

That was, and still is, Cossa’s lone NHL appearance.

There are a number of factors that have certainly held Cossa back. Prior to the 2025-26 season, the Red Wings had three more experienced goaltenders ahead of him on the depth chart. Last year, general manager Steve Yzerman traded for John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks. Cossa was only the No. 3 netminder heading into this past season, with many expecting him to get an honest shot if/when one of Talbot or Gibson got hurt. It never happened.

Continue reading Sebastian Cossa, cautionary tale

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas posted a new episode of “32 Thoughts” this morning, and the gentlemen very briefly discuss the Dylan Larkin situation at approximately the 23-minute mark of said podcast (and as such, it’s useful to listen to the Zach Werenski part of the podcast, which begins at 16:00):

Friedman first discusses Steve Yzerman’s need to separate his emotions from maximizing a trade for Larkin, as Don Waddell must do with Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski…

And, at 26:00, Friedman discusses Larkin’s desire to head to Minnesota, Vegas, or possibly the Dallas Stars, who Friedman believes could target both Larkin and Werenski, though Friedman admits that he’s “spitballing” such a scenario.

Updated at 7:04 AM: The next week will be particularly busy for the Detroit Red Wings’ management team and development staffs.

Detroit’s holding their annual Summer Development Camp at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center starting this morning (the SDC takes place between today and Thursday, July 2nd), and then, the Red Wings will approach free agency (which begins at 12 PM EDT on Wednesday, July 1st) without roster certainty as it appears that Dylan Larkin won’t be traded any time soon.

MLive’s Ansar Khan examines what is an undeniably weak free agent class, and Khan wonders how Detroit will fulfill some of the team’s roster needs:

If they need a top-line center to replace Larkin, they weren’t going to find one in free agency. And having Larkin’s $8.7 million still on their cap doesn’t impede their ability to pursue other needs. They are in the market for a top-six forward (center or wing) – two of them, if Patrick Kane doesn’t re-sign — an abrasive bottom-six forward with some offensive ability and possibly an experienced backup goaltender.

They have roughly $29 million in cap space, a figure that’s highly fluid depending on who’s projected to make the roster. A large chunk of it, perhaps more than $12 million in earmarked for re-signing Kane and Simon Edvinsson, a restricted free agent.

That will still leave Yzerman with more than enough to address other needs in a thin free-agent market. It’s a market that got thinner after Alex Tuch signed with Washington following a trade from Buffalo.

Continue reading Previewing a busy week ahead for the Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings’ 2026 Summer Development Camp begins today at Little Caesars Arena. After the Red Wings released the roster for said event on Sunday evening.

As such, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff examines the 8 free agent invites who will attend the 4-day event:

Arguably, the most curious of the bunch is 23-year-old Russian forward Yegor Vinogradov. The 6-foot-3, 202-pound left shot put up 23-31-54 totals this past season for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the KHL. He has one year remaining on his KHL contract.

Forward Salvatore Viviano, 18, was the second-leading scorer for the USHL Waterloo Black Hawks with 16-24-40 numbers. The GM of the Black Hawks is former Red Wings scout Kevin Gibson. Right-winger Michael Dec, 19, split last season between the Owen Sound Attack and Erie Otters of the OHL. He scored 28 goals among his 68 points.

Defenseman Yaroslav Busygin, 23, is a five-season veteran of the KHL. He put up 9-15-24 totals with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg last season. The player development head for that club is Red Wings Hall of Famer Pavel Datsyuk. Cade Christenson posted 5-2-7 totals as a sophomore defenseman at Penn State. He’s transferring to Providence for his junior season.

Continue reading Examining the free agent invites to Detroit’s 2026 Summer Development Camp

Of note from The Athletic this morning:

First, Shayna Goldman examines 10 players who become eligible for contract extensions on July 1st, lest they become unrestricted free agents a year from now:

Alex DeBrincat, Detroit Red Wings

A rising tide lifts all boats, so the [Martin] Necas, [Kyle] Connor and [Adrian] Kempe contracts should all benefit DeBrincat. Kempe’s contract carries the lowest AAV of the three and will take up 10.1 percent of the cap this season. That shakes out to $11.6 million in 2027-28 with an $113.5 million cap. Connor’s $12 million cap hit would be comparable to an $13.1 million salary. AFP Analytics projects something in between: a seven-year deal carrying a $12.2 million AAV.

The real question, in his situation, is where that contract will be signed. The Red Wings clearly need his scoring ability and play-driving. But the Dylan Larkin situation could change the Red Wings’ timeline. If it forces Detroit to reset and take a step back, it may not make as much sense to sign a 29-year-old to a contract of that value. It may not make sense for DeBrincat to extend there, either.

This is not to say DeBrincat is on his way out of Detroit. It’s that both sides have options here. Players capable of scoring 40 goals don’t grow on trees in the NHL, so there will be demand if he’s available. This situation will likely take more time and depend on how the chips fall around Larkin first.

Continued (paywall); DeBrincat definitely wants to remain in Detroit for the balance of his contract, but whether he signs an extension remains up in the air.

Second, Harman Dayal, Sean Gentille and each NHL team’s beat writer discuss the salary cap situations of every NHL team, including Detroit:

Continue reading Two things: On Alex DeBrincat’s next contract, and the Red Wings’ salary cap situation

Of Red Wings-related note early on a Monday morning:

First, DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills posted his second-day-of-the-draft article on Sunday afternoon, and the most interesting part thereof comes in the form of some draft philosophy from Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman:

Yzerman highlighted the decision-making process that occurs during the later rounds of an NHL Entry Draft, outlining how there’s a healthy mix of strategy and communication.

“We look a little bit at our depth chart maybe closer in those later rounds, maybe who we’ve picked in the previous rounds today and last night,” Yzerman said. “And then just kind of go through and see does anybody really stand out? Who do we really want? What specific traits or skills that each prospect has do we think can help our organization or give us belief that player is a legitimate prospect? It all seems to work itself out and ultimately, we kind of make these decisions more as a group and based on the individual scouts or area scouts who they really feel excited about, who they really want from their particular area.”

Detroit’s 2026 Summer Development Camp begins later today at the BELFOR Training Center inside Little Caesars Arena, and assistant GM and director of amateur scouting Kris Draper previewed what the prospects can expect to experience over the course of the 4-day camp…

Continue reading Two overnight things: On the Red Wings’ later-round draft philosophy, and a thought experiment in Ferrari’s Wings picks

The Red Wings posted two videos on Sunday afternoon: one “reel” affording fans an introduction to JP Hurlbert, and a second video featuring behind-the-scenes footage of the Red Wings’ prospects at the 2026 NHL Draft:

Continue reading Videos: Red Wings post ‘getting to know you’ reel of JP Hurlbert, behind-the-scenes look at the 2026 Draft

The Detroit Red Wings will hold a 4-day Summer Development Camp at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center between Monday and Thursday of this week. This afternoon, the Wings released their roster of participating players:

From the Detroit Red Wings:

Red Wings release 2026 Development Camp roster

Twenty-seven recent draft picks on roster, including seven from 2026 draft

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today announced the roster for their 2026 Development Camp, which will be held at the BELFOR Training Center inside Little Caesars Arena starting Monday, June 29 to Thursday, July 2. The camp roster currently consists of 20 forwards, 11 defensemen and six goaltenders.

Continue reading Red Wings release 2026 Summer Development Camp roster

The Detroit Red Wings are holding their annual Summer Development Camp at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center between Monday and Thursday.

The Wings always emphasize that this camp is an educational endeavor, and not a time of player evaluation, but I can also tell you that the entire management team does watch every second of the on-ice activities, if only for the sake of getting a feel for their new and returning prospects (as well as the free agents who will join the roster).

The Wings will release their camp roster this afternoon, and ahead of the “news drop,” the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted a notebook article which offers Wings assistant GM and director of player development Kris Draper’s emphasis on the learning aspect of the team’s Summer Development Camps:

“We want to bring them in, enjoy it and give them an incredible amount of information, for on and off the ice,” said Kris Draper, the Wings’ director of amateur scouting. “If these guys have any questions throughout, we have, to me, the best development staff in the league, and they create relationships with everybody.

“Whatever they need, we’re here to help them maximize their potential.”

The Wings’ skill development coaches, including Dan Cleary and Niklas Kronwall, help instruct the players on the ice, but the Red Wings emphasize off-ice education as well, and they really flood the players with off-ice information.

As far as the Red Wings’ brass is concerned, sometimes the off-ice information is more important than the on-ice activities:

Players in attendance will take part in classes and presentations designed to help players transition to pro hockey. The importance of sleep, nutrition and dealing with media are classes usually covered. Players also get feedback from Wings coaches and management on what prospects need to improve upon and how to improve in those given areas.

“What we want with these guys is basically give them as much information as possible,” Draper said. “The importance of training on and off the ice. They’re going to get a full body analysis of how they move and what they need to do and what they need to improve on. This is the important time for hockey players. You have two to three months to train, so that’s something that is very important.”

Kulfan also reports that Red Wings draft pick Beckham Edwards will return to a familiar location when he steps on to Detroit’s practice rink tomorrow:

Continue reading Detroit’s Summer Development Camp emphasizes education over player evaluation

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen and Bob Duff posted a pair of articles this morning, discussing the Red Wings’ present state, as well as the team’s training camp plans.

First, Allen discusses the Red Wings’ lack of urgency to make moves over the course of this weekend’s 2026 NHL Draft…

Forwards J.J. Peterka, Mason McTavish, Pavel Dorofeyev and Andrei Nichushkin were all traded Friday. And none of them ended up on the Red Wings roster. With the Dylan Larkin trade request clouding the team’s future, it’s fair to say the fan base is looking for something, anything really, that sends the message that they are taking steps to improve the situation.

Fans are waiting for them to trade Dylan Larkin for a strong return, trade for a center, re-sign Patrick Kane, make an aggressive offer to Columbus for Kirill Marchenko, hear that Alex DeBrincat plans to stay in Detroit and add a veteran scorer like Rickard Rakell or Bryan Rust or move Michael Rasmussen and Mason Appleton to make room for more physical players.

If they could start working off that checklist, fan morale would likely improve.

And second, Bob Duff took note of GM Steve Yzerman’s remarks as to why the team chose to hold their 2026-2027 season’s training camp at Little Caesars Arena:

Continue reading DHN on fan morale, as well as holding training camp in Detroit this upcoming season