The Detroit Red Wings have been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. It all started when they failed to make the playoffs, despite being in a favorable position for the majority of the season. That then resulted in a offseason filled with big stories, such as captain Dylan Larkin requesting a trade off of the team, and general manager Steve Yzerman stepping down from the role weeks after free agency and the NHL Draft. To put it mildly, Red Wings fans are exhausted.
Even though the NHL is deep in summer vacation, the Red Wings are currently searching for Yzerman's replacement to run the hockey operations department. Safe to say expectations heading into next season are not the highest, especially since they don't know who is going to be running the team and are waiting to see if their relationship with Larkin can be salvaged. Despite all of this going on, one of the newest members of the Red Wings is excited about the upcoming campaign.
Forward Keegan Kolesar, who the team added this offseason, expressed confidence in the team, and feels the Red Wings are heading in the right direction.
“I think they’re going in a great direction,” Kolesar said, h/t NHL.com's Nicholas J. Costonika. “They have a lot of young studs who I have felt that have been good for a number of years and are tough to play against. I just want to bring whatever I can to (build) more of an identity for the team.”
Keegan Kolesar feels Red Wings are heading in the right direction
What else did you expect a player who just joined the team to say? Kolesar obviously feels that the Red Wings have the potential to be good for the foreseeable future.
The Wings, looking for forward help, decided to bring in Kolesar who spent the start of his career with the Vegas Golden Knights. He is a bottom six forward, who has shown to produce up to 30 points in a season, which was his career high when he accomplished that in the 2024-25 season. Not to mention, Kolesar knows what it takes to get to the Stanley Cup Final, as he did so twice during his time in Vegas, including when the Golden Knights won it all in 2023.
With the bottom six forward depth on Detroit needing a boost, they decided to trade away a 2029 third-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick to Vegas for Kolesar. The hope is that Kolesar can bring his playoff experience to the Red Wings to finally end their lengthy postseason drought.
The Red Wings do have some young top players on the roster, such as Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider, and Alex DeBrincat. But what clouds things for the Red Wings is the uncertainty in the organization, and the improvements in the Atlantic Division.
Red Wings have a lot working against them than for them heading into 2026-27 season
First up, the Red Wings need to hire a new general manager and president of hockey operations, whether that's one person assuming both roles, or making two separate hires. From there, fans should get a better idea as to whether or not this is a team looking to win now, build towards the future, or a combination of both in a "retool." It truly depends on who Red Wings ownership hires.
Next up, there's Larkin. As mentioned earlier, Larkin requested a trade, but only to the Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars, and Golden Knights. Yzerman oversaw the trade request and publicly said that he would not trade Larkin unless he got a strong enough offer. But now that Yzerman is out of his role running hockey operations, the Red Wings can see if they can convince Larkin to stay put and rescind his trade request. After all, Larkin had a strained relationship with Yzerman, dating back to contract negotiations back in 2023. Or, are things so far gone, that the Red Wings have no choice but to trade him. Then, the Red Wings' new general manager will have to decide whether to receive a return package that helps them win now or is more future-focused. Make no mistake about it, if Larkin is gone, they will have a glaring need at center.
It makes sense for the Red Wings to pivot to their prospects for center, but they haven't exactly shown enough to confidently make that transition. Nate Danielson is their top center prospect, and received a shot on the pro roster this past season, putting up seven points (two goals, five assists) in 28 games. Plus, Danielson is coming off of a lower body injury that limited him to just 18 games in the AHL.
Speaking of prospects, some of the Red Wings' top prospects are nowhere near close to making their pro debut. Costonika of NHL.com has forward Carter Bear's projected arrival during the 2028-29 season and JP Hurlbert projected to be ready for the 2029-30 season. Forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygard could make the team this upcoming season, but let's not forget that in 14 games with the Red Wings after making the roster out of training camp, Brandsegg-Nygard recorded just one assist. The hope is that he can replicate the production he put up in the AHL this past season, where he put up 44 points (20 goals, 24 assists) in 60 games played.
Then, there's the state of the Atlantic Division. The Montreal Canadiens have a young core of players that make them contenders for the foreseeable future. The Tampa Bay Lightning are, well, the Tampa Bay Lightning. They are always going to be in the playoff picture. The Buffalo Sabres shocked the world this past season by winning the Atlantic Division and ending their 14-year playoff drought. Then, teams in the division that missed out on the playoffs only got better. The Panthers added Brady Tkachuk to pair alongside his older brother Matthew, while getting nastier with the additions of Radko Gudas and Garnet Hathaway. Even by trading away Tkachuk, the Ottawa Senators should still be in good shape, as they brought in William Eklund to add more scoring to their top six. The Toronto Maple Leafs improved by signing a new goalie in Sergei Bobrovsky and selecting Gavin McKenna with the first overall pick. The Red Wings have a lot working against them in the division, especially if they have to trade Larkin.
While Kolesar has belief in the Red Wings and their future, it's hard for the Red Wings fanbase to feel incredibly confident heading into this upcoming season.
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