The Detroit Red Wings enter the offseason with some big decisions awaiting general manager Steve Yzerman.
The team wants to improve its defense. It probably needs to get harder to play against, at both ends. The blue line looks overcrowded. And some of Detroit’s most important young players are due for new contracts, making its salary-cap situation a bit of an obstacle.
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The 2024-25 roster, then, is a puzzle that won’t be assembled for months. But that doesn’t mean we have to wait until mid-July to look at who will stay and who will go.
So, today, I’ve divided up the roster into six tiers to match players with how I’d assess their roster status as the offseason begins. Let’s dive in.
The untouchables
Dylan Larkin
In case anyone had any lingering questions about Larkin’s importance to the Red Wings, the 2023-24 season answered them loud and clear: He’s the team’s engine, heartbeat and best player until proven otherwise, and a foundational piece for them.
Lucas Raymond
No one looked better in Detroit’s most important games than Raymond, who exploded for a 30-goal, 72-point season at age 21. He’ll be back with the potential to take yet another step next season. The only question is what his next contract will look like as a restricted free agent.
Moritz Seider
Like Raymond, the only questions here revolve around Seider’s next contract. But the 23-year-old defenseman was once again a horse for the Red Wings this season, leading Detroit in average ice time by two full minutes, and finishing second in the NHL with 212 blocked shots (Colton Parayko had 218). He’s a long-term pillar.
Simon Edvinsson
Edvinsson finally got a prolonged run in the NHL over the season’s final month, and he ran with it. Despite being a rookie playing in high-pressure, high-intensity games, Edvinsson looked ready for the moment, defending well and scoring an impressive goal in Toronto. Expect him to be a full-time NHLer next year, with a nightly top-four role entirely possible — and maybe probable.
Not going anywhere
Alex DeBrincat
It wasn’t a blistering, 40-goal season for Detroit’s marquee offseason addition, and a quiet March and early April came at the wrong time for the slumping Red Wings. But by season’s end, DeBrincat matched his goals total from last season (27) and finished with 67 points — right in line with his career average. That’s about right for his price tag, and three big goals in must-win games for Detroit in the season’s final week helped end his season on a higher note. Certainly, the Red Wings would love to see DeBrincat back in the 30s next season, though — as well as continuing to round out his overall game.
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J.T. Compher
Compher came as advertised, bringing some defensive conscience to a Red Wings team that badly needed it and matching his career-best production in 2022-23 nearly exactly this season (in fact scoring a career-high 19 goals). The key is going to be finding the right linemates for him, as it looks like he’ll center Detroit’s second line again next season.
Michael Rasmussen
Rasmussen locked in with a four-year extension midseason, answering any questions about his short-term future. Like with Compher, the defensive character in Rasmussen’s game is especially valuable to the Red Wings, and his role on a line with Andrew Copp and Christian Fischer was consistently one of Detroit’s most reliable lines when the three were together. Expect a similar role from him.
Staying put, almost certainly
Jake Walman
Walman probably belongs in the tier above, as one of Detroit’s most effective defensemen, but he lands here because of the Red Wings’ cramped blue-line situation. Outside of the young pillars Seider and Edvinsson, he’s the defenseman opposing teams are most likely to covet if the Red Wings make a move on D, but that goes both ways: Detroit should most want to keep him for the same reason. The expectation is still that he’s back, for that reason, but that’s where the hint of uncertainty comes in.
Andrew Copp
After playing last season as Detroit’s second-line center, Copp was in more of a checking role this season. That cut down on his assist numbers, and realistically, the 33 points he ended the season with are below what you’d like to see from him, especially given his $5.625 million cap hit. But his impact isn’t just measured in points, and the success his line with Fischer and Rasmussen had against top opponents was real. He looks in line for similar deployment next season.
Ben Chiarot
After a rocky first season in Detroit, things seemed to stabilize for Chiarot. He wasn’t mistake free, of course, but he was much steadier, and his physical presence remained near the top of the roster. The big question here is really role, with Edvinsson establishing himself and when Jake Walman is healthy next season. Will Detroit look for Chiarot to continue playing a top-four role or try him on the third pair against lighter competition?
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Alex Lyon
Did any Red Wing (outside of those on entry-level contracts) deliver more value for Detroit this season than Lyon, who ended up starting 43 games and turning in a .904 save percentage while making just $900,000? Signed for one more season, he’s a strong bet to be back again, although his exact role is still a bit up in the air.
Staying put … I think?
Jeff Petry
Petry drew the ire of fans in his first season back home, but by season’s end, his 48.79 percent expected goals share finished second among all Red Wings regulars (behind only Olli Määttä). He did look over-deployed in a second pair role for stretches, and the ideal lineup next year probably would slot him down to the third. But on just a $2.34 million cap hit, he feels like a strong bet to return.
David Perron
Perron made his feelings clear ahead of his pending free agency this summer.
“I like it here,” Perron said. “I think it’s a pretty special place. … The fans were incredible, the city in general, I think for me, my family really enjoy it here, and there’s no reason at this point to think about anywhere else, anything else. I hope it works out.”
Perron finished with 47 points in 76 games for Detroit, and his leadership and experience in playoff hockey showed up big time down the stretch. His buzzer-beating goal in Game 82 (although ultimately for naught) was a highlight of the season. This is a player the Red Wings have a lot of incentive to keep. The contract will be the key, as Perron will probably have to take a discount to fit into Detroit’s cap picture, but the bet here is the two sides can work something out.
Christian Fischer
A meat-and-potatoes forechecker and matchup player, Fischer’s value was clear all season, and though he is a pending unrestricted free agent, he played this year on a highly reasonable $1.125 million cap hit that Detroit can even give him a raise on and still expect some surplus value. Roster turnover can strike in the bottom six, but Fischer feels like the right blend of impact and affordability to re-sign on a modest raise.
Joe Veleno
Veleno is set to be a restricted free agent, and though he didn’t make a massive leap this season, he did set career highs in goals and assists and makes plenty of sense to qualify and, ideally, re-sign. There’s some potential arbitration risk, but Veleno has lineup versatility and should be back next season.
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Olli Määttä
As mentioned, Määttä finished the season with a 51.34 percent expected goals share, the best among all Red Wings who played at least 20 games. Some of that, no doubt, is the product of third-pair usage and easier matchups. But Määttä was as reliable as it gets for Detroit. He has one year left at a $3 million cap hit, and considering that steadiness, it makes sense to bring him back.
But as with Walman, Detroit is looking at a crowded blue line next year (especially on the left side), and Määttä’s profile as someone who is not a core part of either special teams unit means he could be a trade consideration if Detroit opts to subtract. Worth remembering, however: The Red Wings were uncommonly healthy on defense in 2023-24, and though that was great for them this year, they can’t count on it. Blue-line depth is never a bad thing.
Robby Fabbri
Speaking of health, Fabbri played his most NHL games (68) this season since his rookie year, when he had 71. That’s a fantastic development for a player who has battled injuries his whole career. Unsurprisingly, he also tied his career high with 18 goals. His $4 million cap hit (for one more season) isn’t ideal for the fourth-line role he played this season, but having a near 20-goal player that deep in the lineup was an advantage for Detroit this year. The bet is he’s back again to finish out his contract, but like Määttä, could be a trade consideration if the Red Wings go looking to clear cap room.
Ville Husso
Injuries plagued Husso in 2023-24, playing just 19 games for Detroit — the fewest of the team’s three regulars. And even when he did play, his .892 save percentage was the lowest of the three as well. The Red Wings still talk about Husso as their No. 1, but between the injuries and the way he looked worn down at the end of the 2022-23 season, they have to be at least somewhat concerned here, even with just one year remaining on his contract.
Goaltending is sparse around the league, but upgrading there with a true No. 1 might be the simplest path to improvement in 2024-25 — Husso’s $4.75 million cap hit would likely have to be cleared out to do so under the cap. That’s a storyline to watch, but unless Detroit can trade for a bona fide No. 1 in the crease, it looks like Husso is slated to be back as the starter next season.
The toughest decisions
Patrick Kane
Kane looked close to his old self in Detroit, putting up nearly a point per game after joining the Red Wings midseason, and scoring some of the season’s most memorable goals. Now, the question is whether he’ll stick around. Kane had lots of nice things to say about his time in Detroit in his exit interview with local media, but his use of the past tense was conspicuous, leaving real questions about his future. He said he’s looking for term on his next deal, and whether Yzerman is willing to do that could decide the outcome here. This one will be fascinating, but my gut feeling at this point is that he moves on — and if he does, Detroit will have a significant hole to fill in the top six.
Shayne Gostisbehere
Gostisbehere was a big-time producer this season, finishing fourth on the team in scoring — and tied for 13th among all NHL defensemen. That impact was felt strongest on Detroit’s power play, and while his defensive play was less exciting, Yzerman certainly sounded like he wants to at least explore bringing Gostisbehere back. But with left-shot D Edvinsson, Chiarot, Walman and Määttä all under contract, plus left-hander Albert Johansson no longer waiver exempt next season, doing so would require some shuffling elsewhere. Maybe Yzerman can pull that off, but especially with Detroit tight to the cap, the simplest outcome here would be for Gostisbehere to move on.
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Jonatan Berggren
Berggren only played 12 games in Detroit this year, which had to be a letdown after spending 67 games with the Red Wings the season before. He’ll be 24 this summer, as well as a restricted free agent. It’s easy to see the outline of a fresh start in order here, but it was worth noting that Yzerman singled Berggren out by name as someone the team will need to make space for next season. As a matter of practicality, that’s true, with Berggren no longer waiver exempt.
He’s a talented winger who lit up the AHL season, and maybe he can help fill some scoring void left by other potential departures. But it will be interesting to see if the Red Wings go into camp with that idea, or trade Berggren this summer instead.
Hard to see them back
Daniel Sprong
It felt like the Red Wings tipped their hand with this one down the stretch, when Sprong was a semi-regular scratch until injuries struck. He is certainly a dynamic scorer — his 18 goals ranked sixth on the team despite playing just 12 minutes a night — but his game was too often one-dimensional, and that led to him being out of the lineup for some of the season’s most important games.
It should be noted Steve Yzerman has said he has interest in bringing back all of the Red Wings’ free agents, but for a team placing significant emphasis on improving its defense next season, Sprong’s shortcoming there (and resulting deployment) probably means he’ll be scoring his 20 goals elsewhere next season.
Justin Holl
Speaking of ominous deployment, Holl played in only 38 games for the Red Wings this season, and it wasn’t because of injuries. In the first year of a three-year contract carrying a $3.4 million AAV, he couldn’t consistently crack the lineup — and whether that’s more to do with his actual play, or a coaching staff that just didn’t trust him enough, it’s hard to see Detroit wanting to continue committing that kind of money to a seventh defenseman. The Red Wings can try to explore the trade market here, eating some cash and hoping someone wants to add a defenseman who played a real role on a playoff team the previous four seasons — that’s the ideal outcome. But it may also come down to a buyout, which would cost Detroit just $1.13 million against the cap (albeit for the next four seasons).
James Reimer
Reimer might actually have a slightly better chance to return than the other two here, after his .904 save percentage this season came in just above league average. The Red Wings certainly needed him down the stretch, and as mentioned, Husso’s injury risk is real. But he’s 36 now, a pending UFA, and the Red Wings ideally need to upgrade in goal. While that last piece certainly goes beyond Reimer, the overall equation likely signals an end to his time with Detroit.
(Top photo of Patrick Kane, Shayne Gostisbehere and Dylan Larkin: Nic Antaya / Getty Images)
