The Detroit News’s John Niyo weighs in regarding the Red Wings’ announcement that Dylan Larkin will no longer be the team’s captain, as well as the managerial mess that the team finds itself in:

Team officials have tried to push back on the building narrative of a dysfunctional front-office search in recent weeks. And to be fair, this isn’t the sort of hire a team should hastily make. Then again, it’s also not one that should begin in July, ideally. Back in April, New Jersey wasted no time in hiring Sunny Mehta, Florida’s assistant GM who was arguably the top candidate on the market. Nashville hired another in former Colorado GM Chris MacFarland in early June.

But this was the path Chris Ilitch ultimately chose back in June, when the Wings announced a leadership change and promised a “seamless transition” while a search committee led by Ilitch, with company president/CEO Ryan Gustafson running point, got to work.

Plenty of intriguing candidates are out there, and some of the names most often mentioned in league circles are assistant GMs with strong resumes: Brett Peterson (Florida), Scott White (Dallas) and Jeff Kealty (San Jose) among them. It’s not as if the Wings have any competition at the moment, either, a point that was highlighted again this week when assistant GM Shawn Horcoff represented the Wings on a league-wide virtual meeting.

They do have business that needs to get done, though. And soon. Training camp begins Sept. 17, with the Wings’ regular season opener slated for Oct. 2 at home against the New York Rangers. But the team’s annual prospect camp gets underway this weekend in Detroit.

And beyond the pivotal decision involving their No. 1 center, the Wings have other core pieces that need to be put in place. Simon Edvinsson, the team’s 23-year-old top-pair defenseman, is a restricted free agent waiting on a new contract. He reportedly plans to show up for camp, but Edvinsson must sign by Sept. 15 to get the maximum eight-year term under the current CBA. After that date, the most Detroit can offer is seven years.

Also waiting on the Wings is their leading scorer, Alex DeBrincat, who is entering the final year of his contract and coming off a career-best 41-goal, 85-point season. With the rising salary cap and all the leverage an agent would want, the 28-year-old winger could command an average salary of $12 million or more.

Continued (paywall)

Updated 3x at 11:16 AM: Per the Detroit Red Wings, Dylan Larkin will attend training camp, but the Red Wings state that he’s going to relinquish the captain’s “C” for now.

Statements from Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings. pic.twitter.com/P2sZjqp9Iz

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 11, 2026

Update: The Athletic’s Max Bultman weighs in with some background information:

Red Wings prospect goaltender Trey Augustine has earned his share of praise from multiple outlets over the course of the past week. This morning, Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis joins the chorus in suggesting that Augustine’s the Red Wings prospect to watch at this weekend’s prospect tournament at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center:

Detroit Red Wings: Trey Augustine, G

Event: NHL Prospect Tournament in Detroit, Sept. 12-15

Augustine is one of the top goaltending prospects in the world, and he’ll finally get to wear the red and white for the first time. The 21-year-old is coming off a strong three-year run with Michigan State, and while he failed to win a national title, he did rack up a career record of 66-25-7 with nine shutouts and a .922 save percentage in 99 games. He was a proven winner at the junior level and is easily one of the most technically sound goalies around, which helped build up the hype. Augustine tends to play better when he’s busier, and he has the lightning-quick reflexes teams absolutely crave – and never seems to slow down during a game. Augustine will have the opportunity to steal starts in the AHL before pushing for the long-time starter gig in Detroit. He’s definitely the best goaltender at any one of these prospect events, too.

Continued; again, it’s going to be very difficult to assess Augustine’s readiness for pro hockey over the course of 2 starts in 4 days at the prospect tournament. Training camp and an exhibition season game may serve as a better assessment of “where he’s at”…

And we won’t really know the level at which he’s capable of playing until he splits time with Michal Postava with the Grand Rapids Griffins this fall and winter. Augustine has a great resume, but nobody should panic if he struggles at the prospect tournament.

Sportsnet’s Michael Amato discusses four “Burning Questions” ahead of NHL training camps opening next Wednesday and Thursday, and yes, the Red Wings’ managerial search is among his topics:

Will Red Wings have a general manager in place?

It’s coming up on two months since Steve Yzerman was relieved of his duties, and the Detroit Red Wings still haven’t found his replacement. 

The Red Wings have plenty of business to conduct, and things are getting to a critical juncture. For instance, standout defenceman Simon Edvinsson is a restricted free agent and needs a new contract imminently. Edvinsson has said he plans to participate in training camp even without a deal, though he can’t suit up on opening night without one. Alex DeBrincat also recently expressed his willingness to sign an extension in Detroit after a career season, so that needs to be taken care of as well. 

Montreal Canadiens fans have been abuzz with discussions as to how their team can convince Dylan Larkin to join their team over the past 10 days, but I’ve more or less ignored the rumors as they’re a waste of ink. This morning, Bleacher Report’s Lyle Richardson agrees that the rumor “is BS“:

Dylan Larkin to the Montréal Canadiens

Since his trade request was reported in early June, Dylan Larkin has been a fixture in the offseason rumor mill. The 30-year-old Detroit Red Wings center sits at No. 2 on our NHL Trade Targets Big Board for September 2026. His request is currently in limbo as the Red Wings search for a new general manager.

Larkin is signed through 2030-31 with an average annual value of $8.7 million. He has a full no-movement clause, but will waive it for the Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers, and Vegas Golden Knights. The Dallas Stars are also rumored as a possible landing spot.

However, Larkin’s preferred destinations lack the salary cap space and tradeable assets to acquire him. Some observers suggest he must widen his list if he hopes to be traded before the regular season begins, assuming the Red Wings have hired a new GM by then.

On Aug. 28, NHL Network’s Mike Johnson suggested the Montréal Canadiens as a trade destination if Larkin wants to play for a Stanley Cup contender. He noted that the Canadiens are loaded with young talent to be a contender for several years. They can draw on some of it to make a tempting offer to the Red Wings.

BS Meter: It’s BS

Larkin’s list of landing spots is all American-based teams. He’s unlikely to join the Canadiens or any other Canadian franchises. If he has to widen his trade list, it probably won’t include clubs north of the border.

Continued; I don’t know whether Larkin would consider a move to a Canadian team , or Montreal at all, but we do know that he hasn’t expanded his list (unless you count the Dallas Stars), and no one expects Larkin to expand his list any time soon.

So the impasse continues.

The Detroit Red Wings are holding a 4-team prospect tournament between tomorrow and next Tuesday at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center, hosting prospects from the Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins at LCA for a 3-game round robin-formatted set of games.

Ahead of the tournament, MLive’s Ansar Khan offers a list of 6 prospects to watch at the event, including the following:

Nate Danielson: He’s the player in this tournament with the best chance of earning an NHL roster spot this season after appearing in 28 games with the Red Wings in 2025-26 (two goals, five assists). The ninth overall pick from 2023 was drafted as a two-way center but needs to develop more offensively. He suffered a season-ending injury with the Griffins in February, after putting up three goals and 15 points in 18 games.

Dylan James: Left wing drafted in the second round in 2022 (40^th overall) is coming off his most productive season as a senior at North Dakota (21 goals, 32 points in 40 games). Described as a good-skating, 200-foot player, he scored a pair of goals in two games with the Griffins at the end of last season.

Anton Johansson: An intriguing, under-the-radar, good-sized (6-4, 198), two-way defense prospect who’s highly thought of in the organization. The former fourth-round pick (104^th overall in 2022) made a favorable impression during a brief stint late last season with the Griffins, picking up five assists in 11 regular season games and one assist in three playoff games after playing for Leksands in the Swedish Hockey League.

Sutter Mazzatti: A 6-6, 241-pound center the Red Wings acquired this summer from Nashville for future considerations. Selected in the fifth round un 2023 (123^rd overall), he will start his pro career in Grand Rapids after appearing in 37 games with Notre Dame as a senior (13 goals, 32 points).

Continued (paywall); every team’s roster is stacked with star prospects and AHL talents this weekend, so it should be interesting to watch the tournament if you’re able (as the streaming area will be limited to Michigan and Toledo, Ohio).

The Hockey News’s Michael Whitaker adds a few new quips from Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat, as delivered during the NHL’s Player Media Tour in Las Vegas this week:

“I think we have a majority of our team coming back,” DeBrincat said at the NHL/NHLPA North American Player Media Tour. “Obviously Kaner is gone, but we got a couple of additions that will really help us out. Going into the year, we’re looking essentially the same as last year.”

The Red Wings signed Viktor Arvidsson, who scored 25 goals with the Boston Bruins last season, on the opening day of free agency. They also acquired hard-nosed forward Keegan Kolesar and signed backup goaltender Daniil Tarasov. 

Last season, Detroit lost what was a comfortable points cushion entering the month of March for the third consecutive year; they’re now mired in the NHL’s longest active postseason drought.

For DeBrincat, the new campaign represents a chance to correct the mistakes that have plagued them during critical times in previous seasons. 

“I think it’s a fresh start, we can get our mindset and get confident again and learn from our mistakes last year, I think that’s the biggest thing,” he said. “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, but we just fell off a cliff. Try and get back that confident side of the game and hopefully not go through that same lull.”

Continued with a bit of Patrick Kane talk…

And it’s hard to deny from an outside perspective that the Wings aren’t quite the same team without #88.

I am more optimistic than most about Detroit’s ability to get its shit together and battle for a Wild Card spot, but I’m not so blind a partisan as to suggest that it’s going to be easy for the team to rise above “mediocre” and in to playoff-worthy form.

The Detroit Red Wings’ 2026 prospect tournament takes place at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center starting on Saturday, with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins and Dallas Stars battling the Red Wings as the teams play 3 games over the course of Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday…

And the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan focuses on a trio of Wings prospects as he previews the round robin tournament:

Each of the teams will play three games. The Wings will face Dallas Saturday, Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m.; Pittsburgh Sunday at 7 p.m., and Columbus to end the tournament Tuesday at 2 p.m.

Thirteen of the 24 players on the Wings’ roster are former Wings’ draft picks, including two first-round picks (Nate Danielson, Carter Bear), and second-round picks (Trey Augustine, Dylan James).

Danielson, Bear and Augustine are intriguing storylines as the Wings’ training camp Thursday.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen discusses Red Wings prospect and Windsor Spitfires forward Michal Svrcek today, noting that the 19-year-old winger from Slovakia has made the jump from Europe to the OHL to play for Windsor (after struggling to earn playing time with Brynas IF of the SHL).

Svrcek’s earning hype from the Spitfires, who selected him a year ago in the CHL Import Draft, but the 19-year-old stands at stocky 5’11” and 190 pounds (per EliteProspects), and there are some concerns that his size may be an issue:

Three Reasons Why Svrcek Will Play in the NHL

1. High hockey IQ, understands how the game should be played. Strong on the forecheck.
2. Windsor coach Greg Walters says Svrcek boasts “a huge engine.” He can skate, owns breakaway speed
3. Comes with a strong work ethic and possesses a strong desire to improve his game.

What May Hold Him Back

He isn’t the biggest player on Detroit’s prospect list. Can he play his aggressive style against much bigger opponents? And will his offensive prowess translate to pro hockey? Those are questions that have not been answered yet.

Continued

MLive’s Ansar Khan makes a contribution to the complicated news stories surrounding the Red Wings’ managerial search process one week out from the start of training camp:

Now, NHL insiders are questioning the process. Frank Seravalli, on the Fan Morning Show in Toronto, said:

“Are they going to get a GM? Yes. I don’t have the slightest clue who this person’s going to be based on the calls that I’ve made. The names that have been reported and connected to this search, some of them haven’t even gotten interviewed. I really don’t know what’s happening there.”

He added: “I’m not saying they’re bumbling it, I’m just saying we’re none the wiser here. They had a goal of getting a general manager in place by Labor Day. Steve Yzerman, I was told, was informed he was relieved of his duties on July 2. It’s Sept. 9. I’ve never seen anything like this in terms of how long this has gone on.”

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.ca said something similar Thursday on his 32 thoughts podcast: “One of the things out there is that Detroit has asked for permission from some people and hasn’t interviewed them,” Friedman said.

Some inside the organization also describe this entire process as bizarre and said they have no idea what is happening.

Continued (paywall)