Now what?
Anyone else miss the Wings?
The Olympics are done, and, in two days, the Red Wings will be back in action against the Ottawa Senators. As fun as it was to see Team USA take home the gold, I miss the NHL.
I miss being stressed over a ridiculously close Atlantic division. I miss checking the schedule every day and going “I thought we already played the Stars twice this year”. Heck, I even miss Michael Rasmussen.
The Red Wings have just 24 games left before their regular season comes to an end. They currently sit third in the Atlantic with 72 points in 58 games. The Buffalo Sabres, with one game in hand, sit at 70 points. The Bruins have 69 and a game in hand.
It’s going to be a wild end to the season. Let’s talk about what the Wings have done - and what they still need to do - to close out the 2025-26 season.
How the Wings have fared so far
Things seem different this year. Rather than give up when down a goal, the Wings fight. Even if things don’t turn out as planned, it’s hard to deny they don’t go down swinging. According to StatMuse, Detroit’s power play is the eighth-best in the league with a 23.1% efficiency. Their penalty kill ranks 12th with a 79.6% chance, respectively.
Lucas Raymond has 60 points in 56 games, good for 20th in NHL scoring. Alex DeBrincat leads the Red Wings with 30 goals, good for 8th in the NHL. Dylan Larkin showed the world just how talented he is on both ends of the ice throughout the Olympic tournament. Take a look at what he did against a stacked Team Canada’s 5 on 3 during the gold medal game:
With that said, there’s one name that sticks out from the rest:
Norritz Seider?
It isn’t just the forwards leading the charge: Moritz Seider is, without a doubt, the best player on the roster. He’s receiving nods from national media for his outstanding defensive play. Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic believes that Seider is the best all-around defenseman in the NHL this season:
“Seider is having a special, all-around season and if voters want the complete package, he might be the best choice. No one is doing it all like him.”
During an interview with FanDuel Sports Network in December, head coach Todd McLellan emphasized Seider’s outstanding season.
“I think it all goes together. He defends well, and all of a sudden the puck’s on his tape. He makes really good decisions with it most of the time. I think he’s starting to use his shot a little bit more. It’s not the big slap shot, it’s just that feeder wrist shot that becomes effective.”
Seider has seven goals and 38 points in 58 games with the Red Wings this season.
Glaring issues that need to be addressed
Having said that, there are still a few questions that need answered. In order to make the playoffs in this division, they have to break away from the competition. To do that, they need to address a few key positions by adding a second line center and second pairing defenseman.
For better or worse, this upcoming trade deadline is a seller’s market. There are too many teams close to clinching that need to separate themselves from the pack. Consequently, there are a handful of teams looking to sell off assets for their respective retools and rebuilds. So, with that said, what - and who - should the Red Wings track?
Finding help for the second pairing
While rookie Axel Sandin-Pellikka has certainly had some strong games, his ice time has been inconsistent at best. There are some nights where he’ll play up to 17 minutes, and others where he’ll have just 9:08 to make an impact. Part of this can be chalked up to rookie growing pains, but, when it comes to a playoff push, teams want a little more reliability from their second pairing defenseman.
With that said, players like Logan Stanley are often mentioned as a temporary replacement. Stanley, who currently plays for the Winnipeg Jets, is not a permanent solution. Rather, he provides enough defensive responsibility to alleviate some of the burden taken on by ASP.
Plus, he’s one heck of a fighter. Here’s a clip of him knocking Brady Tkachuk down with just one punch:
Other candidates linked to the Red Wings include St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk, who is older and has more term, and San Jose Sharks defender Mario Ferraro. Faulk has another season after 2025-26 making $6M per season, while Ferraro is a pending unrestricted free agent. Who Yzerman chooses to target will ultimately depend on their respective skillset and where they see ASP playing in the near-future.
Answering the 2C question
The line of Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat, and Andrew Copp has played well above expectations this season. Copp is having his best year yet with the Red Wings, scoring eight goals and 25 assists for 33 points in 58 games. With that said, however, is Copp the answer at 2C for the playoffs?
Darren Dreger of TSN’s Insider Trading believes the Red Wings will almost certainly target a top-six forward with term. The good news is that there are a multitude of top-six forwards up for grabs. From Nashville’s Ryan O’Reilly to Brayden Schenn of the Blues, the chance for Hockeytown to find their answer comes in many forms
The bad news is that the market, as emphasized earlier, is built for sellers. If the Red Wings truly hope to secure a difference-maker with term, they may find themselves in a bidding war with other would-be contenders. Is general manager Steve Yzerman prepared to go toe-to-toe for a player like, say, Nazem Kadri? Will he pony up if the asking price for Robert Thomas is higher than expected?
Conclusion: Stay the course
It would be extremely remiss of Yzerman to not make a splash during the deadline. How big of a splash that will be depends on two things: how the team performs and where Yzerman believes the team is at. If he thinks they’re ready to take the next step, expect to see a major move. If he’s more risk averse, he’ll almost certainly make a marginal move.
While the latter may seem disappointing to some, it’s important to note that this is just the beginning. The contention window hasn’t even begun to open for the Wings. There’s plenty of time to improve and allow the core to further come into their own. Having said that, if no moves are made, criticism should both be warranted and encouraged.
At this point, it’s on Steve Yzerman to show the team he believes in them.