Most of the dust from free agency chaos has settled, but that doesn't mean teams are done solidifying their rosters ahead of the 2025-26 season. Detroit has improved its roster, but by how much? Are Steve Yzerman's additions enough to keep up with other teams in the Atlantic Division?
The Red Wings are set to play in a tough Atlantic Division this season. The Panthers are the reigning back-to-back champions and have already brought back several impact players such as Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, and Brad Marchand.
The Lightning are a veteran team with eight straight playoff appearances. The Maple Leafs re-signed Red Wing killer John Tavares and still have elite goal-scoring in the likes of Auston Matthews and William Nylander. Another team that is on the rise and poses a threat to Detroit is the Montreal Canadiens.
The Canadiens have shown the ability to develop their players through various outlets. Whether it be the draft, trading for prospects, or the free agent market, Montreal is quickly becoming a problem. The Habs took took a big step forward last week with the addition of star defenseman Noah Dobson.
Montreal's D core poses a big threat to the Red Wings in 2025-26
Montreal is building their D core very effectively. The addition of Dobson solidifies a Montreal blue line that has the potential to pose a real problem in 2025-26.
Dobson has scored double-digit goals in four straight seasons, and is one season removed from a 70-point campaign in 2023-24. He saw a bit of a dip in production last season, but now that he is away from an Islander offense that hasn't been lighting up the score sheet, Dobson could settle in very well in on exciting Canadiens team.
Dobson joins a blue line that already features Lane Hutson and Mike Matheson. Hutson dished out 60 assists and added six goals for a total of 66 points last season en route to winning the Calder Trophy. He also finished ninth in Norris Trophy voting.
His offensive outburst last season could be the start of a bright future ahead for Hutson, who was drafted 62nd overall by Montreal in the 2022 NHL Draft. That same summer, Matheson was traded to Montreal from Pittsburgh.
Other impact players on the Montreal blue line include Jayden Struble, Kaiden Guhle, and Arber Xhekaj. They also traded for Zack Bolduc this summer, who brings depth to a well-rounded defensive unit.
Montreal not afraid to go for it, something Detroit has been hesitant to do
Starting last season, the Canadiens saw an opportunity to take a chance on Patrik Laine, and it worked out. Laine scored 20 goals in 52 games for Montreal, and could see a bigger role in 2025-26. Montreal also hit a home run with trading for Nick Suzuki in 2018. Suzuki was drafted 17th overall by the Golden Knights in 2017 before being traded alongside Tomas Tatar to Montreal for veteran forward Max Pacioretty. Suzuki his coming off an 89-point campaign, and at just 25 years old, already has 455 NHL games under his belt and is one of the best young leaders in hockey.
Cole Caufield was drafted 15th overall by Montreal in the 2019 NHL Draft. He had some ups-and-downs in his first couple seasons, but after accumulating 135 points over the last two seasons and potting a career-high 38 goals last season, Caufield figures to keep rolling offensively in 2025-26.
Former No. 1 overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky is also finding his footing at the NHL level. If he takes a step forward this season, this Canadiens team could keep getting better and better.
There's nothing wrong with building through the draft as Yzerman has done. He is sticking to his plan of not wanting to trade away draft picks or prospects. But at the same time, Red Wings fans can make the argument that the core is in place and the addition of 1-2 impact veteran players could take this team to the next level.
The Red Wings have sat back and watched other teams in the Atlantic Division vastly improve their rosters this offseason, and while more moves could be made, at this point in time, teams like the Canadiens make can already tough Atlantic Division even tougher heading into 2025-26.
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