Key departures
Petr MrazekG: Traded to the Ducks for Gibson. Mrazek’s second stint with the Red Wings was limited to five games late in the season after being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks on March 7, but his .902 save percentage led all five of the team’s goaltenders. … Jeff PetryD: Signed a one-year contract with the Florida Panthers on July 1. He had eight points (one goal, seven assists) in 44 games last season. … Alex LyonG: Signed a two-year contract with the Buffalo Sabers on July 1. Lyon started 69 games over the past two seasons with Detroit, going 35-27-6 with a 2.96 GAA and .901 save percentage. However, with Gibson and Talbot in place and prospects like Sébastien Cossa And Trey Augustin along the way, Lyon was replaceable.
At dawn
Nathan DanielsonF: Detroit’s first-round pick (9th) in the 2023 NHL Draft, Danielson got off to a slow start in his first full season in the AHL. He finished with 39 points (12 goals, 27 assists) in 71 games with Grand Rapids and scored one goal in three playoff games. He is expected to start the season in the AHL, but could be one of the first forwards recalled. … Axel Sandin-PellikkaD: Another 2023 first-round pick (No. 17), Sandin-Pellikka turned 20 in March, but he has already played 107 games in the Swedish Hockey League, the country’s highest professional league, and has 52 points (24 goals, 28 assists). He helped Skelleftea AIK win a championship in 2024 and needs more experience on North American ice, but Sandin-Pellikka is considered Detroit’s top defenseman prospect. … Carter MazurF: A third-round pick (70th) in the 2021 NHL Draft, the Red Wings believed Mazur was ready for the NHL last season. Unfortunately, his debut on March 6 ended after two appearances when he dislocated his elbow. He is healthy again and will compete for a spot in the final six.
What they still need
A frontline striker. Van Riemsdyk is not at the level the Red Wings need to play at Dylan Larkin And Lucas Raymond on the top line. They could move Marc Kasper return to that spot, but that would mean needing a second-line center to play between Patrick Kane And Alex DeBrincat On defense, Detroit would like to find someone more experienced to play with Simon Edvinsson on the second pair. Albert Johansson was impressive as a rookie, but playing there might be too much to ask.
They said it
“A lot of the guys we were hoping to talk to have signed – or been traded in the case of Mitch Marner — before July 1st. There’s not much you can do about it. Everyone has cap space now, so there just weren’t as many high-end free agents available this year. This means that we will have to take a step forward internally. » — general manager Steve Yzerman
EDGE statistic to watch
The Red Wings were tied for fourth in mid-range goals (88) last season and had two of the top 10 players in the class: Raymond was tied for fourth (17) and DeBrincat was tied for ninth (15). Detroit was tied with the Vegas Golden Knights for the NHL lead in power play percentage (30.2 percent) from the time of their coaching change (it hired Todd McLellan on Dec. 26) until the end of the season, and DeBrincat was tied with Larkin for the Red Wings lead in power play goals (13) last season. Raymond’s success is due to his solid offensive time percentage (45.6 percent; 89th percentile), particularly on the power play (64.9 percent; 97th percentile). -Chris Meaney
