The Detroit Red Wings have a problem that every team in transition wants, but few have. No, their roster isn't talented enough to be a top three team in the Atlantic, but when you're a year or two away from breaking into the discussion to win division championships, that's fine.
But with a strong prospects pool creating chaos and forcing tough decisions, this is the situation that gives the Wings a leg up over others who will fight for their playoff lives when March and April 2026 roll around.
Look at the Atlantic Division alone, where the Bruins prospects pipeline is just starting to get deep with James Hagens headlining it. Then there are the Buffalo Sabres, who all but proved they had the league's most overrated pool over the past few years and it's no better than mid-tier.
Other teams out there have stocked their pipelines well, like Detroit's former division rival, the Chicago Blackhawks. But the difference? Chicago's gonna be terrible again while the Wings could get lucky enough to steal a wild card spot.
Also, this problem won't end once preseason's over. When Steve Yzerman and Company need to make tough decisions, players he'll reassign elsewhere will play with a boulder on their shoulder. That will make them push the fringe vets or even rooks who get to wear the Winged Wheel on opening night.
Detroit Red Wings have one of the best problems in the NHL
Let's take a couple guys who won't make the team unless they put together a string of epic, points-producing and stout defensive showings: Amadeus Lombardi and Emmitt Finnie, two standouts at the Showcase.
Lombardi played like every shift was his last, and Finnie showed hustle that you'd expect from someone who could find a niche on an energy line. Prospects like this who play with reckless abandon and can transition that game to the NHL will continually raise the floor for the big club.
But it's not just Lombardi, Finnie, and players like them. What about the future stars, like Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, and Nate Danielson? Sandin-Pellikka and Brandsegg-Nygard have one burning question to answer: How fast will they catch on to the North American game?
When they catch on, the clock will start ticking for their debuts in the Winged Wheel. But either way, they're further raising the floor since they're expected to find a niche in the NHL and transform into top-tier players. Ditto for Nate Danielson.
With top-tier and mid-tier guys looking like they belong in the NHL sooner than later, that brings about a better organization. The fringe guys on the big club don't want to see a youngster take their spot, and those youngsters want to force the Wings into burying a contract or two.