Patrick Kane won't be joining the Detroit Red Wings for at least the first game of the upcoming road trip. That's a setback for the Wings, since they have been 2-2- without him. In most of the previous three games, the Wings had put up some uninspiring performances, until they capped up a legendary comeback win.
Still, Ansar Khan provided some hope, noting that head coach Todd McLellan implied Kane could be back in action before the road trip is up. If that's the case, the Wings will have an easier time getting the sticks going early and putting up much-needed goals, given Kane's impact this season.
#RedWings McLellan said Kane won’t leave with the team for St. Louis tomorrow but they hope he joins them at some point during the trip. Maintenance days for Larkin and Chiarot.
— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) October 26, 2025
Still, they managed to at least play an outstanding half of a game against St. Louis without Kane in the lineup. And if you missed that epic comeback against the Blues on Saturday, it's more than worth reading about. Down by four goals, the Wings pulled off a magnificent and historical comeback over a team that used to be a heated division rival.
Shifting gears from the big club to one promising prospect, Eddie Genborg has been impressive in the SHL with nine points and six goals through 15 games. If he keeps up this trajectory, he will find the net 21 times through 52 regular season games. Should Genborg's SHL season end while the Red Wings and Griffins are still playing, don't be surprised if he shifts gears and heads over to North America.
Detroit Red Wings' upcoming road trip is more important than you think
Road trips are never easy when you're an Eastern Conference team heading out west. For the Red Wings, that's what's on their upcoming schedule, and a successful road trip will give them a massive boost as October fades into November.
Opponent | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
St. Louis Blues | Oct. 28 | 8:15 |
Los Angeles Kings | Oct. 30 | 10:30 |
Anaheim Ducks | Oct. 31 | 10:00 |
San Jose Sharks | Nov. 2 | 8:00 |
Vegas Golden Knights | Nov. 4 | 10:00 |
If you're planning on watching, prepare to stay up later than usual. These West Coast games are notorious for ending between 1:00 and 1:30 a.m., and that's assuming they don't go into overtime.
How important is this early-season road trip? Helene St. James of Detroit Free Press wrote a compelling piece called, "Next 10 days may tell us if Detroit Red Wings really are a playoff-worthy team." She may have the answer.
While the Red Wings will only be 14 games into the 2025-26 season once their next 10 days are up, early November is when those playoff races start taking shape. No guarantees, but you'll get a good idea of what kind of Red Wings team we're going to watch this year. So far, they have been a mixed bag, so let's see if they gain any consistency.