Red Wings’ Worst-Case Scenarios for the 2026-27 Season

As the Detroit Red Wings continue to navigate an offseason full of questions and turmoil, the organization will be entering a pivotal 2026-27 season. There is still hope and reason to believe the team can get into a decent position, but there is also a lot on the other side of the coin that could end up happening and push the Red Wings’ playoff drought to 11 seasons.

Larkin Saga Drags Into the Regular Season

At the beginning of June, captain Dylan Larkin requested a trade from the only NHL organization he has played for in his 11-year NHL career. He had a short list of teams that he preferred to go to, and with a No-Trade Clause in his contract, it limits the Red Wings in the situation. As of now, they have not found a team or a package that suits both the organization and Larkin himself. The longer that the situation carries on and with the regular season beginning at the end of September, it could end up being an even more interesting situation to watch.

If it does carry into training camp or the preseason, the question becomes: what do both parties do? Does the situation become a distraction and a detriment to the rest of the roster and have an effect on the ice even more? In a worst-case scenario regarding Larkin’s trade request, he is still on the roster come the beginning of the regular season and becomes an even bigger talking point and an issue in the locker room itself.

Too Much Reliability on Top Six

If Larkin does reverse course after the organization moved on from Steve Yzerman as general manager (GM) and decides he wants to stay, that does not necessarily fix the bigger issues the Red Wings have in the forward grouping. Last season, they relied on the top six forwards for offense, as the third- and fourth-line players did not produce enough to lessen the load on the top two lines.

If Larkin is traded before the start of the season, there will be an immediate hole at the center spot on the top line in the lineup, and the hope seems to be that younger players, such as Marco Kasper and possibly Nate Danielson and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, can step up to help fill the hole and in the bottom half of the lineup. In a worst-case scenario, the younger Red Wings are unable to step up, and Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat are left to be the ones carrying the weight of the offensive production this season.

After an offseason that could end up with the loss of both Larkin and Patrick Kane (he returned to the Chicago Blackhawks), and not adding much to the roster (to this point), this would be detrimental to the 2026-27 season’s success.

Stuck in the Middle Again

With the organization entering an important time and season, along with plenty of questions to still be answered, the worst thing that can happen in the 2026-27 regular season is for them to end up in the middle of the pack standings-wise. Sitting in this position come the trade deadline would put multiple people in a tough spot, including whoever takes over the GM role and players like DeBrincat. Selling off pieces and embracing another rebuild could be a thought for a GM, and for DeBrincat, being a pending free agent at the end of the season could lead to him wanting to end up going to a contending team.

Finishing in the middle of the standings would also put the organization in a spot where they would likely be picking in the teens of the 2027 Draft. Needing prospects and players who are true game-changers, falling outside of the top ten of the draft with a solid class yet again. If things do go sideways, getting into the top ten or even top five would go a long way for the future of the organization draft-wise, but finding themselves where they have been the past few seasons would certainly not do them any favors.

Final Word

As the 2026-27 regular season grows near, there is plenty to keep an eye on when it comes to being a Red Wings fan. There are plenty of possibilities and scenarios that could play out, and the aforementioned ones would end up making for a disappointing season.