As the Detroit Red Wings are fighting for a playoff spot, there continue to be question marks on who will not be returning next season. With plenty of players hitting free agency, whether as an unrestricted free agent (UFA) or a restricted free agent (RFA), who will be back in the Red Wings organization and who will be looking elsewhere come the 2025-26 season?
Pending Restricted Free Agents
F Jonatan Berggren
After a strong rookie season during the 2022-23 season, where he tallied 15 goals, 13 assists, and 28 points, Jonatan Berggren has struggled to return to that production. He has shown flashes of what many have hoped for him to turn into, but Berggren has not found any true consistency. He has found himself in the bottom six of the forward grouping for most of the season and is averaging just south of 13 minutes of ice time a game. Only 24 years old, there is still hope for the Red Wings’ 2018 second-round pick to find his true footing, and after signing a one-year extension last offseason, there is a strong chance that general manager (GM) Steve Yzerman could bring him back on a very similar deal to give him one last chance at making a more significant impact in the lineup next season.
Stay or Go?: Stays on a one-year deal comparable to the $866,000 cap hit he signed for last offseason.
D Albert Johansson
One of the young players on the roster who seems to have benefited from the coaching change on Dec. 26, Albert Johansson, has found his footing as the season has progressed. At the beginning of the season, he struggled to find a consistent spot in the lineup, and when he did, he struggled. However, as he has continued to earn more ice time under new head coach Todd McLellan, he has gained more confidence. He has created a strong pairing alongside Simon Edvinsson for most of the regular season’s second half. As an RFA this offseason, Johansson has positioned himself as a defenseman who should be considered part of the future along with Edvinsson and Moritz Seider. A multi-year extension to keep him in Detroit should be possible this offseason.
Stay or Go?: Stays with a multi-year extension.
D William Lagesson
Spending parts of the season at the NHL level but only dressing for two games, William Lagesson should be brought back to the organization on a two-way contract. Before being called up to the Red Wings this season, he had a solid start in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Having him as a veteran presence in Grand Rapids next season, with the possibility of being around the NHL club like he has been this season, would serve well for him and the organization with the younger players in it.
Stay or Go?: Lagesson is a veteran presence on a one-year, two-way contract with the Red Wings. He will likely spend most of his time with the Griffins again.
F Elmer Soderblom
The beneficiary of Tyler Motte’s upper-body injury in January was Elmer Soderblom. He earned a call-up with Motte being out and has taken full advantage of it. The big forward has worked his way up to playing on the top line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond at times and is much like Johansson in the sense that he has gotten more comfortable and confident as time has passed this season.
Stay or Go?: The big man has earned himself an extension to keep him in Detroit for at least the next two seasons.
Pending Unrestricted Free Agents
F Patrick Kane
Patrick Kane continues to defy the odds of players who have had surgery the magnitude he underwent after the 2022-23 season. Since coming to Detroit last season, he has continued to show the highlight reel plays that earned him the nickname “Showtime” and has gotten his game to a level that should make it easy for the Red Wings to bring him back for at least next season. He has been lethal on the power play for the Red Wings (ten power play goals) and has fully rediscovered the chemistry he and Alex DeBrincat had together from their time with the Chicago Blackhawks. Another one-year deal in the ballpark of $3.5 million should not be out of the question.
Stay or Go?: Kane returns under another one-year contract for next season.
G Alex Lyon
After taking over the starting goaltender role last season and carrying the load as the Red Wings pushed for a playoff spot, Alex Lyon was rock solid when called upon. This season, he has taken a backseat to free agent signing Cam Talbot. He has looked solid for the most part again this season when he has been in between the pipes, but Yzerman’s acquisition of Petr Mrazek at the trade deadline makes Lyon’s future with the team murky at best.
Related: Mrázek’s Red Wing Return Hints at 2025-26 Goaltending Plan
With Mrazek being signed for next season, it seems that Lyon will be the odd man out and should have suitors in free agency with teams looking for a strong backup or a 1B for a team in need.
Stay or Go?: Lyon ends up being the odd man out at the end of the season and signs elsewhere in free agency.
F Tyler Motte
Brought in on a one-year deal last offseason, Motte has never been an offensive powerhouse and was brought in to be a bottom-six player and a penalty kill specialist. A couple of upper-body injuries have hampered his time with the Red Wings, and he has only played in 40 games. He has filled in admirably in a fourth-line role when he has been in the lineup, but it seems like he could be replaced by either a younger player within the organization or another free agent. In my mind, the chances of Motte returning next season are 50/50.
Stay or Go?: Motte does not return to Detroit and is replaced in the lineup by a player like Carter Mazur for next season.
D Jeff Petry
One of the easier players to predict if they will be back or not in my mind, Jeff Petry has had plenty of tough times as a Red Wing. This season, injuries have done him in for most of the season (34 games played), but overall, his play has not been up to par, and he has struggled in what will be two seasons with the organization. With younger defensemen pushing for a spot in the NHL, Petry will be looking for another team next season.
Stay or Go? As the defense grouping’s youth movement continues, Petry will not be brought back in the offseason.
F Craig Smith
Part of the Mrazek trade, Craig Smith is like Motte in the sense that he has never been a major offensive threat. However, with the team losing Christian Fischer to the Columbus Blue Jackets (waiver claim), Smith seems to have filled the role of energizer in the bottom six left by Fischer. His age plays a factor in whether he is brought back or not, and the Red Wings have a similar player in Dominick Shine under contract.
Stay or Go?: Smith does not return to Detroit next season.
Finish to the Season Will Play a Big Role
If the Red Wings make it to this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs and some of these players become a big part of it (which many of them should), there is a chance that some stances on them returning or not returning change. Coming down the stretch, the performance of many of these players will be key for not only their future with the team but also the immediate success and hopeful ending of the organization’s playoff drought.
As always, let us know your thoughts in the comment section and tell us who you think returns to Detroit next season and who will be wearing another jersey!
