Updated 3x at 10:16 PM: Good news from NHL.com’s Nicholas J. Cotsonika:

Alex DeBrincat wants to stay with the Detroit Red Wings despite Dylan Larkin’s trade request, Patrick Kane’s departure and the ongoing search for a general manager.

DeBrincat, who grew up in the Detroit area, led the Red Wings in goals (41) and points (85) last season. In three seasons with them, he has scored 107 goals, 10 more than his closest teammate, Larkin.

The 28-year-old forward is entering the final season of a four-year, $31.5 million contract ($7.875 average annual value) he signed with the Red Wings on July 9, 2023. He is eligible to sign an extension, but talks are on hold due to the GM situation.

“When a new GM (is announced), I’m sure there’s going to be some conversations, but you know, as of right now, my opinion hasn’t changed,” DeBrincat said at the NHL/NHLPA North American Player Media Tour on Tuesday. “I love playing for the Red Wings. I love wearing that jersey and battling with those guys out there. My intention is obviously to stay in Detroit. We’ll see what happens, I guess.”

DeBrincat admits that he’s disappointed about losing Patrick Kane to the Chicago Blackhawks…

“It (stinks) for me and for our team,” DeBrincat said. “He was a big part of our team, obviously skill-wise but also leadership-wise. For me, he’s one of my best friends. He’s a guy I hang out with. Our kids are great friends. In that aspect of it, it (stinks). But if he’s going to go anywhere, I’m happy he went to Chicago. I feel like him going back home is probably the story that needed to be written.”

And there is this:

The players have been skating informally at Little Caesars Arena, and DeBrincat said Larkin has been around the rink. How has he been received after his trade request?

“From my perspective, he’s a great teammate, he’s a great friend of mine, and that’s a decision he made,” DeBrincat said. “That’s about as far as I’m going to go there. He’s always been a great teammate to me and a great friend. I feel like at this moment our team is definitely better with him, and he’s still our leader. He’s still one of our best players. That’s the way it is.”

Continued;

Update #1:

Continue reading Red Wings’ Alex DeBrincat tells NHL.com’s Cotsonika that he hopes to remain in Detroit →

The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun weighs in regarding two matters of Red Wings-related importance in Simon Edvinsson’s attendance at next week’s Red Wings training camp, as well as Detroit’s managerial search:

The expectation is that RFA Simon Edvinsson will take part in Detroit Red Wings training camp even if he remains unsigned. That’s a little unusual, but I think the player doesn’t want to fall behind, and we’ve seen in the past how missing camp has hurt other players.

Also, shorter training camps under the new CBA offer less of a ramp-up to the regular season. That could be a factor.

So Edvinsson’s plan at the moment is to show up for camp regardless of whether he’s signed.

As previously noted, Edvinsson told Aftonbladet’s Anton Johansson that he’s showing up for camp earlier today…

The holdup in talks, of course, is that the Red Wings still don’t have a GM. Detroit Tigers GM Jeff Greenberg removing himself from consideration might open the search back up. I’m surprised the Red Wings haven’t interviewed Ryan Martin yet, given his longtime work in the Detroit front office before joining the Rangers’ front office. He would seem like a logical candidate to at least speak with. Perhaps that will happen now?

Continued (paywall); I’m shocked to hear that the Wings haven’t interviewed Martin, too.

TSN/The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the NHL held a conference call today with all 32 NHL teams’ general managers and head coaches today…

The NHL has a Zoom call/meeting with all 32 GMs and head coaches today at 1 pm ET. This meeting was held in person last September in Detroit but it was decided to do it online instead this year, easier for everyone involved.

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) September 8, 2026

And Frank Seravalli reports that Red Wings interim GM Shawn Horcoff represented Detroit on the call:

Sounds like assistant GM Shawn Horcoff was representing the @DetroitRedWings on the #NHL’s virtual call today with GMs and head coaches.

Their search for Steve Yzerman’s successor continues.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) September 8, 2026

Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson spoke with Aftonbladet’s Anton Johansson (the reporter, not the defenseman) about his contractual situation with Detroit and more topics. Here’s a rough translation of their conversation from Swedish:

Swedish NHL star: “What to do?”

Simon Edvinsson, 23, is in a special situation.

The defensive star is without a contract and has no one to negotiate with.

“It’s been standing still for quite a while now,” he said.

Simon Edvinsson calls us up after sitting for a while in the sauna.

As usual, the Gothenburger has prepared as well as he can for the upcoming hockey season.

But this time he’s in a strange position.

Edvinsson’s rookie contract with the Detroit Red Wings expired this spring. After two successful seasons in the NHL, he has grown to become one of the NHL’s most promising defensemen, and a new contract with a juicy pay rise was to be expected.

He himself and many others probably thought it would be solved by now. But with the NHL premiere less than a month away, he stands without a contract with Detroit, and he has no one to negotiate with.

The reason is that Steve Yzerman resigned as Detroit General Manager in mid-July — and the club hasn’t found a replacement.

“It’s a special situation. I haven’t seen anyone else who’s been in a position like this before, when there’s not even anyone to talk to this late in the summer. What to do about it? There is not much you can do. It will be to try to take it day by day, and hope that it will soon work out,” he says.

Continue reading Roughly translated: Simon Edvinsson speaks with Aftonbladet regarding his unique situation with the Red Wings →

Sportsnet’s Ryan Dixon offers “best and worst-case scenarios” for every Atlantic Division team today, and here’s what he discerns might happen for the Detroit Red Wings, good and bad alike:

Detroit Red Wings

Key additions Viktor Arvidsson, W; Daniil Tarasov, G; Keegan Kolesar, W

Key subtractions Parick Kane, W

Cap space today $19,572,084

Best case A home-run trade involving captain Dylan Larkin and soft reset

Worst case Being the worst team in a strong division by some margin

Training camp may be right around the corner, but there are still so many questions in Detroit. The Wings still have not named a successor to former GM Steve Yzerman and it’s unclear if the new person has a chance to save the marriage with captain Dylan Larkin, who requested a trade following last season.

Continue reading A variety of ‘best-case and worst-case scenarios’ await the Red Wings →

Per TSN/The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun:

Hearing that RFA Simon Edvinsson intends to still be at Detroit’s training camp next week even if still unsigned. Patiently waiting for the Red Wings GM situation to iron itself out before resuming negotiations.

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) September 8, 2026

That’s a hell of a leap of faith by Edvinsson and his agent in Europe, Peter Werner, who told Expressen’s Gunnar Nordstrom that the pair are “patiently waiting for the new general manager” earlier this summer.

Update: Per MLive’s Ansar Khan:

Defenseman Simon Edvinsson intends to report to Detroit Red Wings training camp next week even if he doesn’t have a contract in place.

“That’s the plan right now; still need to get his visa finalized this week,” J.P. Barry, Edvinsson’s agent, said on Tuesday.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff posted 5 unique storylines about the Red Wings’ prospects who will be participating in this upcoming weekend’s prospect tournament, including the following:

Christensen Went on a Championship Run

Defenseman Justice Christensen signed an AHL contract with the Grand Rapids Griffins. He also played in last year’s rookie series against the Dallas Stars, back then as a free agent.

Christensen is a hockey world champion, which in itself isn’t necessarily unique among the NHL prospects that will be on display at this tourney. That is, until you learn how he won his world title.

In the summer of 2025, Christensen, then a defenseman with the WHL Prince Albert Raiders, captained Canada to the World U20 ball hockey gold medal. He talked about his other hockey passion in an interview on the Raiders’ Facebook page.

“There’s similarities for sure,” Christensen said. “But it is a little bit slower and [you need] a little bit more patience waiting for those plays to open up, because you’re moving a little slower.”

Duff continues with four more storylines…

The Detroit Red Wings will host the Dallas Stars, Columbus Blue Jackets and Pittsburgh Penguins as Detroit holds a 3-game round robin prospect tournament this upcoming weekend at the BELFOR Training Center under Little Caesars Arena.

The vast majority of NHL teams hold or participate in prospect tournaments of some sort, so NHL.com’s Mike G. Morreale offers an list of prospects to watch around the NHL this weekend, including one Red Wings goaltender:

Trey Augustine, G, Detroit Red Wings

Where to watch: NHL Prospects Tournament, Little Caesars Arena (Detroit); Sept. 12-15

Augustine (6-foot-1, 183 pounds) combines technical polish, composure and fierce competitiveness, qualities that make him Detroit’s top prospect. He finished 24-9-1 with a 2.11 goals-against average, .929 save percentage and three shutouts as a junior at Michigan State, earning consecutive Big Ten Goaltender of the Year honors. The position always requires patience, but the Red Wings are excited about Augustine’s consistency in collegiate and international pressure situations that should provide the 21-year-old a chance to start for Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League this season.

Continued; in all honesty, short prospect tournaments just aren’t the best place to evaluate goalies.They earn one or two starts over the course of a handful of games, and they’re often adjusting to a higher level of competition, so they can be very good, very ordinary, or very mediocre, and it just doesn’t matter in the long haul.

Long story long, however, we’ve all been told that Augustine is not a goaltender to “sleep upon,” regardless of how next weekend goes for him.

Augustine’s proven himself to be a clutch goaltender with Michigan State, and he got his feet wet with the Grand Rapids Griffins last spring as well, so he should be ready to go this month, both at the prospect tournament and during training camp.

MLive’s Ansar Khan suggests that the Red Wings ought to hire interim general manager Shawn Horcoff as the team’s GM and/or president of hockey operations, given that training camp is a week and-a-half away, that Simon Edvninsson has yet to be re-signed, and given that the Dylan Larkin situation hangs over the team like a black cloud:

If they have no external candidates they’re sold on, or if no top candidate wants to leave his current team this close to the season, why not put Shawn Horcoff in charge?

That could be Red Wings governor and CEO Chris Ilitch’s best option at this point – promote Horcoff, if not permanently then at least on an interim basis.

Horcoff knows the organization as well as anyone, having worked for three years as assistant GM for the Red Wings and the GM of the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. Horcoff worked alongside former GM Steve Yzerman and assistant Kris Draper in all hockey operations matters as well as handling day-to-day responsibilities for the Griffins – personnel decisions, contract negotiations, player movement.

He is currently handling the Red Wings day-to-day operations.

Khan duly notes that the Red Wings’ timing in terms of relieving Steve Yzerman of his duties in the middle of the summer (July 15th) to supposedly look over 100+ candidates for the job via the Turnkey ZRG firm put the Wings on their back foot in terms of being able to swing for top managerial talent, and he offers the following names as potential GM candidates:

Assistant GMs Brett Peterson (Florida), Jeff Kealty (San Jose) and Scott White (Dallas) are among the names that have been floated as candidates.

Continued;

I’m not certain what to say here. There’s a very solid argument for hiring at least an interim GM who will be allowed to negotiate contracts and make trades given the team’s inertia over the past summer, and given that inking a secondary scorer in addition to re-signing Edvinsson and resolving Larkin’s situation wouldn’t be a bad idea…

But do the Wings make a hire for the sake of expediency here, or do they “wait for the right guy?” (or gal?)

That’s the choice that Chris Ilitch and the Red Wings’ hockey operations department faces at present.

Sportsnet’s Rory Boylen offers “one thing to remember” about each and every one of the NHL’s 32 teams ahead of training camps beginning next week, and he says this regarding the Detroit Red Wings:

Detroit Red Wings: Captain Dylan Larkin still has a trade request hanging out there

As Friedman reported in early June, Larkin had requested a trade out of Detroit with five years left on his contract, writing that there were two critical factors: “Detroit’s inability to make the playoffs, and a somewhat frosty relationship between the captain and the team’s top hockey executive.”

Since then, Steve Yzerman has vacated the GM seat, but no one has yet replaced him. There is no indication Larkin has rescinded that request, or that he will give the Red Wings freedom to cast a wide net in working around his no-trade clause. Training camp is right around the corner and if left unfinished, this could create an awkward reunion. Will Larkin report and/or rescind? Will he allow Detroit more trade options? Can he remain captain? Who is even making these calls?

Continued;

1. He’s going to report;
2. We don’t know.
3. We don’t know.
4. We don’t know.

That’s why Red Wings fans are so frustrated right now.