ByTonyWolek-The Hockey Writers
Ranking the Red Wings’ 2026 Offseason Priorities: Detroit’s Needs & Targets
At their end-of-year press conference, Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman and coach Todd McLellan outlined what they want to see from the team heading into next season:
- Score more at five on five
- More offense from the center position
- Greater contribution from the bottom six
- Be harder to play against
Given this, I’ve put together a list of priorities that, in my opinion, can accomplish these four objectives from a roster management standpoint. They’re ranked below by their overall importance to the organization and include both trade and free agent targets. Let’s dive in.
More Red Wings Offseason Analysis:
- Red Wings Team Evaluation: Year-Over-Year Analysis
- Red Wings 2025-26 Player Grades
- 360-Degree Audit of the Red Wings Franchise
- Analyzing the Red Wings’ Organizational Depth
- Red Wings Contract Projections for 2026 RFAs
Red Wings’ No. 1 Priority: Top-Six Forward
Objective: Score more at five on five.
Rationale: 2.13 five-on-five goals-for per 60 ranked 30th in the NHL.
Analysis: Offensive production was Detroit’s Achilles heel in 2025-26. The reality, though, was that the Red Wings only had three bonafide top-six forwards. You can get by with versatile contributors plugging a hole or two in the top six; three miscasts watered down the lines too much and produced subpar results as expected. Given this, it’s paramount that the Red Wings bring in a top-tier talent to give the top two lines more firepower.
Impact: Consistent linemate for Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond; more appropriate slotting for Emmitt Finnie and Marco Kasper further down in the lineup.
Potential Targets: LW Jordan Kyrou, LW Jared McCann, C Elias Pettersson, C Robert Thomas, RW Alex Tuch, C Tyler Seguin, LW/RW Bobby McMann, LW Mavrik Bourque, LW Jason Robertson, LW Pavel Dorofeyev.
Red Wings’ No. 2 Priority: Second-Line Center
Objective: Score more at five on five; more offense from the center position.
Rationale: Andrew Copp, J.T. Compher, Marco Kasper, and Michael Rasmussen combined to score 25 goals at five on five in 2025-26.
Analysis: Essentially the same as above. Steve Yzerman specifically called out the center position as a key focus area. And while it’s likely that Kasper improves year-over-year, the same can’t be said for Detroit’s other non-Dylan Larkin centers. Outside reinforcements are needed.
Impact: More appropriate slotting for Copp in the bottom six; stronger bottom six.
Potential Targets: Pettersson, Seguin, C Mason McTavish, C Vincent Trocheck, C Ryan O’Reilly, C Tomas Hertl.
Red Wings’ No. 3 Priority: Patrick Kane
Objective: Score more at five on five
Rationale: Impressive chemistry with Alex DeBrincat and elite offensive hockey IQ, especially on the power play.
Analysis: Kane still has plenty left in the tank and it sounds like there’s mutual interest in bringing him back. He was a point-per-game player post-Olympics and stepped up in a major way when Larkin went down with a knee injury.
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Impact: Continuity in the top six.
Potential Targets: RW Patrick Kane.
Red Wings’ No. 4 Priority: Bottom-Six Value
Objective: Score more at five on five; greater contribution from the bottom six; be harder to play against.
Rationale: Non-bottom-six forwards only scored 46 goals at five on five last season.
Analysis: Detroit’s bottom six didn’t have much of an identity in 2025-26. Michael Rasmussen, James van Riemsdyk, and Elmer Soderblom had some success as a heavy, grinding line, but that was only temporary. No shutdown line. No energy line. Just lines that didn’t do much in either zone. This needs to change – less “jerseys” and more intentionality in generating value in all situations.
Impact: Less reliance on the top six and the power play to do the heavy lifting.
Potential Targets: McMann, RW Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (internal), LW Patrik Laine, LW Jaden Schwartz, LW/RW Mason Marchment, LW Michael Bunting, C Scott Laughton, LW Michael Eyssimont, RW Viktor Arvidsson, RW Pavol Regenda, LW/C Jack Roslovic, LW Boone Jenner, RW A.J. Greer, LW Oliver Bjorkstrand, C Michael McCarron, C/LW Kevin Stenlund, C Jason Dickinson.
Red Wings’ No. 5 Priority: AHL Depth
Objective: N/A
Rationale: Amadeus Lombardi, Carter Mazur, and William Wallinder are set to graduate to the NHL; Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and Nate Danielson could, too. The Griffins also have several pending UFAs.
Analysis: Grand Rapids needs to reload after an impressive 2025-26 season that ended a little earlier than expected. There’s a solid core in place – they just need to add a few contributors to replace outgoing players.
Impact: Insulation for Detroit’s top prospects.
Potential Targets: LW Eduards Tralmaks, RW Austin Watson, RD Antti Tuomisto, LD Jacob Moverare, RW Alex Boulet-Barre, LW Mitchell Chaffee, LD Declan Carlile, LW Max Jones, C Wyatt Bongiovanni, RD Ronnie Attard, C Patrick Brown.
Final Word
Detroit should have about $19.9 million available to spend this offseason after factoring in likely contracts for the organization’s RFAs. That should be enough to accomplish the objectives at hand – or at least three of four.
