Red Wings Offseason Blueprint for 2026: Larkin Trade, Free Agents & More

I had my offseason blueprint for the Detroit Red Wings written out, staged, and ready to go … and then Dylan Larkin’s trade request blew it up. After taking some time to evaluate the situation, I charted a new path forward.

As a reminder, this is not a prediction – it’s my own opinion on how the Red Wings can achieve their offseason objectives, which include:

• Improve five-on-five scoring
• Get more offense from team centers
• Become harder to play against
• Improve bottom-six production

Plus, of course, navigating a world without Dylan Larkin on the roster.

This is all based on my offseason research, including year-over-year analysis, individual player reports, auditing the Red Wings franchise as a whole, and assessing Detroit’s organizational depth.

With that being said, let’s dive in and explore how the Red Wings can get back on track.

Red Wings’ RFAs

First, we’ll start with Detroit’s restricted free agents since they are typically re-signed or tendered qualifying offers prior to the draft. You can find a deeper dive on the contracts here.

• LD Simon Edvinsson – Eight years, $8.5 million AAV
• LW Carter Mazur – One year, $874,125
• C Amadeus Lombardi – One year, $813,750
• C Wojciech Stachowiak – One year, $813,750
• LD William Wallinder – One year, $874,125
• G Sebastian Cossa – One year, $874,125
• G Carter Gylander – One year, $813,750

Detroit’s Offseason Trades

After evaluating Detroit’s opportunities in fulfilling Larkin’s trade request, the Anaheim Ducks emerged as a mutually beneficial option.

• Detroit trades C Dylan Larkin to the Anaheim Ducks for C Mason McTavish, C Roger McQueen, LD Stian Solberg, Anaheim’s 2027 first-round pick, and Detroit’s 2027 second-round pick (previously acquired).
• Detroit trades G Sebastian Cossa to the Utah Mammoth for C Barrett Hayton (who is then signed to a four-year, $5.5 million AAV contract).
• Detroit trades C J.T. Compher to the Chicago Blackhawks for future considerations.

McTavish slides into a top-six role with the Red Wings and get a fresh start. McQueen and Solberg could challenge for NHL time as early as this year, but are nonetheless long-term pieces to bolster Detroit’s competitiveness.

2025 NHL Draft

Even though the Red Wings are without a first-round pick this year, there’s still plenty of value to be found. Here are the results of my mock draft using PuckPedia’s simulator. 

• No. 47: LW Niklas Aaram-Olsen – Örebro (J20 Nationell)
• No. 79: RD Axel Elofsson – Örebro (J20 Nationell)
• No. 143: LD Ola Palme – Växjö (J20 Nationell)
• No. 175: C/RW Ludvig Andersson – Örebro (J20 Nationell)
• No. 196: LW Evan Jardine – Youngstown (USHL)
• No. 207: Dayne Beuker – U.S. National U18 Team (NTDP)

Red Wings’ UFA Additions

Alex Tuch appears to be the biggest fish in this year’s free agent class, but I don’t expect the Red Wings to make him their highest-paid player. Instead, I signed a few others to improve the team offensively and make them harder to play against.

• LW Pavel Dorofeyev – Five years, $9.5 million AAV
• LW Jaden Schwartz – Two years, $5.5 million AAV
• RW Patrick Kane – One year, $4 million (plus up to $2 million in bonuses)
• G Connor Ingram – Two years, $3 million AAV
• RD Antti Tuomisto – One year, $850,000

Let’s start with the big fish – an offer sheet for high-scoring winger Pavel Dorofeyev. It’s no secret that the Red Wings need scoring. It’s also not a secret that the Vegas Golden Knights are right up against the cap for 2026-27. With this signing, the Red Wings get a 25-year-old top-six winger who aligns with the Lucas Raymond/Moritz Seider core.

Adding Jaden Schwartz improves Detroit’s bottom-six and gives them a true veteran leader who puts in the effort night after night. While his offense took a step back in 2025-26, the 2019 Stanley Cup champion is the type of player Todd McLellan can trust to show his team how to play winning hockey.

Lastly, Patrick Kane and Antti Tuomisto were brought back on one-year deals. Other players considered were Scott Laughton, Viktor Arvidsson, Michael Eyssimont, Patrik Laine, Jason Dickinson, and Kevin Stenlund.

Red Wings 2025-26 Roster

Given these signings and trades, here is what Detroit’s roster would look like, including the opening night lineup, special teams, and more.

Suffice to say, it’s a new look top six. The top line of Dorofeyev, McTavish, and Raymond gives the Red Wings a little bit of everything – scoring, playmaking, and hustle. You can say the same thing about the make-up of the second line, too, with Hayton providing solid two-way play down the middle.

We should see improvement in the bottom six as well for a few reasons: 

• Compher (traded), David Perron (UFA), James van Riemsdyk (UFA), and Michael Rasmussen (waived) no longer on the roster
• Schwartz signed to play a depth role
• Marco Kasper rebounding from a sophomore slump
• Andrew Copp and Emmitt Finnie slotted more appropriately
• Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Carter Mazur, and Amadeus Lombardi promoted

Brandsegg-Nygard, in particular, is a player to watch next season after a stellar end to his 2025-26 season. He was a point-per-game player for the Griffins during their playoff run and followed that up with an impressive World Championship, where he helped Norway secure a bronze medal.

In addition to Brandsegg-Nygard, Detroit should be comfortable moving Finnie, Kasper, and Schwartz up and down the lineup as needed. Again, versatility is key here.

On defense, it’s more of the same, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Expect Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson to shoulder most of the load as a bonafide two-way top pair. Additionally, Justin Faulk and Albert Johansson—who could be Detroit’s second pair before long—are entering the final year of their respective contracts and have an incentive to go above and beyond for the Red Wings.

A notable absence is Axel Sandin-Pellikka. In this plan, he starts the year in Grand Rapids to build strength and play meaningful minutes. He would be the first recall if a defenseman gets hurt.

Proposed Red Wings Power Play

Main change to the top unit is Dorofeyev swapping in for Larkin. Detroit would have a center come out for the draw, then quickly switch out for Dorofeyev, who would play the bumper role and rotate into the flank as Kane works toward the middle of the ice.

Proposed Red Wings Penalty Kill

In addition to the players listed above, Detroit could have Mason Appleton, Lucas Raymond, and Justin Faulk kill penalties in a pinch.

Grand Rapids Griffins 2025-26 Roster

Expect the Griffins to be near the top of the AHL standings once again in 2026-27, even with the promotions of Mazur, Lombardi, Brandsegg-Nygard, and William Wallinder. Their strength will be in net with Trey Augustine and Michal Postava splitting duties. The arrivals of McQueen, Solberg, Rasmussen, Carter Bear, Jesse Kiiskinen, and Anton Johansson will help, too.

Final Word

Bold? Sure. But that’s what’s needed when you’re a franchise desperate for success.

After these moves, the Red Wings will have achieved all of their offseason objectives and be left with a little more than $1 million in cap space – enough room for recalls and cap space to bank for the trade deadline.

A lot of changes were made, and this is a good thing. I expect this team to be competitive in 2026-27 and push for a playoff spot once again. Of course, they’ll be up against a deep Atlantic Division and will need to bring their A-game every night to ensure they finally reach the postseason.

Data courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and PuckPedia.