Analyzing Red Wings’ Organizational Depth Heading To 2026-27 – Hockey Writers – Detroit Red Wings

Change is coming for the Detroit Red Wings. There is no doubt about that. But before Steve Yzerman makes any decisions about how to fix the roster, it’s important that a thorough assessment of the depth of Detroit’s organization takes place.

In addition to team and player evaluations for 2025-26, a comprehensive analysis of Detroit’s depth will illuminate the franchise’s strengths and areas of need from a positional and role perspective.

Today, we’re going to do just that. Let’s dive in.

More Red Wings Offseason analysis:

Current Red Wings Depth Chart

First, we’ll look at Detroit’s depth in the North American professional ranks. The chart below ranks players based on a comprehensive view of their skills heading into the 2026-27 season. For clarity, the wingers and defenders are arranged manually – left shot and right shot.

Italics denote 2026 restricted free agent.

Let’s start with the good news. And yes, there is.

First, Detroit’s defense is excellent in 2026-27 and looks solid. The right side, in particular, fits well. The same goes for the left, except for Ben Chiarot, who may be replaced by Albert Johansson next season.

In fact, all of Detroit’s defensemen—minus Chiarot and Justin Faulk—will be better next year if we use the average NHL age curve as a guide. Furthermore, Faulk’s age-related decline may be offset by the fact that he is entering a contract year, too.

The team’s goal scoring also looks to be in a good place ahead of the 2026-27 season. Like Faulk, John Gibson is entering a contract year, while Sebastian Cossa has proven himself at the AHL level.

Detroit’s forward team has some good stuff, too. Several players have positional/role flexibility, and can play in various positions on the roster. In addition, there should be more competition for roles. There are 13 NHL players on the roster now, and the Red Wings are expected to add more players to the team this summer. Sure, there may be some turnover, but there will still be more than 12 NHL-caliber forwards on the team when training camp opens, and that volume breeds healthy competition.

Now the not so good news. There is a lot of work to be done with this group.

Of all the pitchers listed above, only three are top six players: Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, and Lucas Raymond. Some depth goes forward.

Relatedly, Steve Yzerman noted during his year-end press conference that the team needs more offense from the middle position. Also, using NHL age curves as a proxy, it’s unlikely that Andrew Copp, JT Compher, and Michael Rasmussen will increase their offensive production enough in 2026-27 to adequately address that concern. Marco Kasper and/or Nate Danielson could step up, but there is a risk in expecting them to do so.

This is a clear gap. Detroit needs at least six forwards, and at least one needs to be a center.

The Red Wings also lack players who consistently get to the net/play well in dirty areas. Most of their forwards are perimeter players, as shown by the Red Wings finishing 25th in five-of-60 most dangerous opportunities in 2025-26.

Detroit can rely on small players like Kasper, Carter Mazur, and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard to roam the net, but they shouldn’t rely on those three to do the heavy lifting. Consider this another area of ​​focus in the offseason.

Red Wings’ Prospect Pipeline Depth

Next up are Detroit’s 23-and-under pros and prospects – the future of the Red Wings. Those 23 years of age or younger are likely to climb their entire career path, regardless of whether they play in a minor or professional league.

The Athletic rated the Red Wings as having the fourth best prospect in the NHL for a reason. Although their analysis did not result in full-time NHLers Simon Edvinsson and Marco Kasper—who fit the criteria here—there is enough depth and talent in the program to warrant such a high ranking.

Up front, the Red Wings have eight or nine players 23 and under with NHL upside. And, if a few things go well, that number can climb into the double digits.

Kasper, Brandsegg-Nygard, and Bear all have top-six chances. Nate Danielson could end up there, too, but he’d be better off at a tight end. They also have several chess pieces that can play throughout the program, including Emmitt Finnie, Max Plante, and Eddie Genborg. Also, depth again talent.

Defensively, you should feel good about Detroit’s depth. Edvinsson is already a bonafide top-pairing blueliner and has been a star alongside Moritz Seider this season. Axel Sandin-Pellikka gives the Red Wings a third player with top-four upside. Aside from these three (and 24-year-old Albert Johansson), the Red Wings are in good shape – one or more of Anton Johansson, William Wallinder, and Shai Buium will develop into NHLers, with Larry Keenan also developing well.

Finally, the Red Wings loaded the net. Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine are the frontrunners, but Michal Pradel and Rudy Guimond also made waves last year. Pradel has a great opportunity ahead of him at Colorado College where he will play under coach Kris Mayotte, who has a long history of developing elite athletes – myself included.

In addition to the players listed above, Detroit also saw Brent Solomon, Nikita Tyurin, and Charlie Forslund improve in 2025-26. These three look a little bit to watch next year as they move on to stronger leagues.

If there’s any doubt about Detroit’s prospect pool, it’s that they’re one game short. Not much can be done about this from a draft perspective given the fact that the Red Wings don’t have a first round pick this year. Zero lottery luck over the years also includes. Given this, the Red Wings need to find a quality player elsewhere, which is a tall order, of course.

The Last Word

The theme that unites the whole organization is provide. At both the pro and amateur levels, the Red Wings have an abundance of players, and not all of them have a future in Detroit. Where possible, the organization needs to combine and use their offer to their advantage.

Do the Red Wings need all of their goaltending prospects (and Michal Postava)? Could a veteran or two be released to make room for an outside acquisition or addition? And what about Detroit’s prospect pool up front?

Another thing to consider is the characters the Red Wings have in the next two drafts. They don’t have a first- or fourth-round pick this year and are already dealing their 2027 second-round pick. Aggregation may include dealing with players through draft picks.

Regardless of what steps need to be taken, Detroit’s depth of hope is reason to believe in a bright future – as long as their development path continues on an upward trajectory.