The Toronto Maple Leafs travel to Little Caesars Arena to take on the Detroit Red Wings in an Original Six matchup. Here are the projected/expected lineups sourced from NHL.com staff writers, independent correspondents, and others.
MAPLE LEAFS (17-15-5) at RED WINGS (22-14-3)
7 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, SNO
Maple Leafs projected lineup
Bobby McMann — Auston Matthews — Max Domi
Matias Maccelli — John Tavares — William Nylander
Dakota Joshua — Scott Laughton — Steven Lorentz
Mathew Knies — Nicolas Roy — Nicholas Robertson
Morgan Rielly — Philippe Myers
Jake McCabe — Troy Stecher
Oliver Ekman-Larsson — Chris Tanev
Dennis Hildeby
Joseph Woll
Scratched: Easton Cowan, Calle Jarnkrok, Simon Benoit
Injured: Anthony Stolarz (upper body), Brandon Carlo (lower body), Dakota Mermis (lower body)
Status report
Neither team held a morning skate. … Nylander traveled with the Maple Leafs but is questionable after he sustained a lower-body injury in the second period of a 7-5 win against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
Latest for THW:
- DeBoer’s Message to Berube, Stamkos Hesitation, Tkachuk Return & More NHL Rumours
- 3 Takeaways From Maple Leafs’ 7–5 Win Over the Senators
- NHL Morning Recap – December 28, 2025
Red Wings projected lineup
Emmitt Finnie — Dylan Larkin — Lucas Raymond
Alex DeBrincat — Andrew Copp — John Leonard
Mason Appleton — Marco Kasper — Nate Danielson
Michael Rasmussen — J.T. Compher — James van Riemsdyk
Simon Edvinsson — Moritz Seider
Ben Chiarot — Axel Sandin-Pellikka
Albert Johansson — Jacob Bernard-Docker
Cam Talbot
John Gibson
Scratched: Travis Hamonic, Elmer Soderblom
Injured: Patrick Kane (upper body)
Status report
Kane, a forward, is questionable; he has missed six straight games, including a 5-2 loss at the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.
Latest for THW:
- NHL Morning Recap – December 28, 2025
- Hurricanes Sit Alone Atop of Eastern Conference with 5-2 Win Over Red Wings
- Projected Lineups for Red Wings vs Hurricanes – 12/27/25
