With the 2025 NHL Draft kicking off on Friday, the Detroit Red Wings are poised to build upon their 2024-25 season and push the organization into contention status for the 2025-26 campaign. There have been no shortage of rumors in the days leading up to the draft, and, today, we’ll dive into a few that relate to the Red Wings.
Red Wings Reportedly Looking at Goalies
On Monday, NHL correspondent Andy Strickland mentioned that the Red Wings are among the teams currently exploring the goalie market. Notably, he said that they were looking to “upgrade their goaltending.”
Steve Yzerman mentioned previously that they’d go year-by-year with their goaltending tandem strategy. That appears to be the case still, even with Cam Talbot and Petr Mrazek under contract next season.
So far, the Red Wings have not been linked to any particular goalie this offseason. They expressed interest in acquiring John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks last summer, but, ultimately nothing came of it, and the veteran remained in Anaheim for the 2024-25 season.
Gibson is reportedly back on the trade block. So is Vancouver’s Thatcher Demko and Columbus’ Elvis Merzlikins. As far as free agents go, Jake Allen represents the best available option. Ilya Samsonov, Alexandar Georgiev, Anton Forsberg, and old friend Alex Lyon are other, less appealing options.
If the Red Wings intend to upgrade their goaltending tandem, then Gibson is their best bet. He’s the best goalie in the group mentioned above and would fit in well with the organization. Not only would he be an upgrade, but also a great mentor for the likes of Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine.
That said, I don’t think it makes sense to carry three goalies again this year with Cossa pushing for NHL minutes. They’ll need three goalies, for sure. They have for the past several seasons. But it’s better to not block Cossa’s path to the best leagues at this stage in his development.
Any deal for a new netminder should include Talbot or Mrazek, in my opinion. Talbot holds more trade value at the moment. His $2.5 million AAV should be palatable for the Ducks (or whomever the Red Wings deal with). More would need to be offered, of course. In the case of the Ducks, including a high draft pick and a prospect like William Wallinder or Anton Johansson should get them close.
Dobson a Fit In Detroit?
DailyFaceoff’s Matt Larkin tapped the Red Wings as his frontrunner to acquire defenseman Noah Dobson if the New York Islanders move the pending restricted free agent.
“Detroit could dangle one of its two elite goalie prospects in Sebastian Cossa or Trey Augustine,” noted Larkin. “The Isles could ask for center Nate Danielson. If the Isles want an NHL-ready contributor: how about RFA right winger Jonatan Berggren as part of the package? Many permutations could work.”
Detroit has a clear need in the top four of their defense and I previously mentioned the Islanders as a prime trade partner. He also ranked 13th on my Red Wings trade board for this offseason.
Dobson’s calling card is his offensive zone contributions. He’d instantly become the best offensive defenseman on the roster if acquired.
Though Dobson saw a sharp decrease in his offensive production last year, it was made up by improvements to the defensive side of his game. His zone defense and zone exit microstats improved greatly year-over-year. He also fared decently against elite competition, though Alexander Romanov and Ryan Pulock played slightly more minutes against the league’s best.
There’s a good chance that if the Red Wings want to acquire Dobson, they’ll have to part with one of their premium prospects (Nate Danielson, Axel Sandin Pellikka, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard) or this year‘s first-round pick. While Dobson‘s appeal is clear, I’m hesitant to give up these kinds of assets, especially if his next contract could be north of $10 million per season.
Red Wings Release Preseason Schedule
On Tuesday, the Red Wings unveiled their preseason schedule for the 2025-26 season. They’ll play eight games in 12 days, including trips to Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Chicago, and Toronto.
Preseason!
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 24, 2025
📰 » https://t.co/aFaaSRM1w1 pic.twitter.com/4Q50TdnWRm
More Red Wings News & Rumors
- Henrik Zetterberg and Chris Osgood were passed over in the 2025 NHL Hall of Fame voting, so they’ll have to wait another year to see if their names will be enshrined.
- Tony Wolak released his Red Wings Mock Draft 2.0, which features all seven rounds.
- Devin Little highlighted three prospects the Red Wings could target in the second round.
- The Flying Octopus Podcast welcomed NHL draft expect and NHL Network Radio host Shane Malloy as a guest to preview the 2025 NHL Draft.
Data courtesy of All Three Zones and PuckIQ.
