Red Wings 2025-26 season preview: Depth chart, X-factors and more – The Hockey Writers Latest news, analysis and more

Rejoice, Hockeytown – the Detroit Red Wings kick off the 2025-2026 season this week. They open the year Thursday night against the Montreal Canadiens before hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.

The 2025-2026 season represents another opportunity for the Red Wings to break through and reach the playoffs – from rebuilding to rebuilt.

But are they ready? Do the Red Wings have enough talent to get over the hump? Can they survive the challenge of the Atlantic Division? To find out, we examine Detroit’s lineup, key factors and scoring expectations. Let’s dive in.

Red Wings Depth Chart 2025-2026

Here’s a look at Detroit’s NHL depth chart now that the preseason has concluded:

(Erik Gustafsson is currently on the roster, while James van Riemsdyk has been designated as a non-roster player. If van Riemsdyk is activated, the likely corresponding move will be to assign Gustafsson to Grand Rapids.)

Arguably the biggest storyline of training camp and preseason was the emergence of three Red Wings prospects: Emmitt Finnie, Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard. The trio made their way onto the roster, ousting experienced skaters.

Earning roster spots for Finnie, Sandin-Pellikka and Brandsegg-Nygard is a reflection of the overarching strategy of Steve Yzerman, colloquially known as the Yzerplan. No roster spots have been distributed. There was meaningful competition and the rookies seized the opportunity. This is how you build a quality team – everything has to be earned. Their next task is to continually prove that they belong.

There is also competition within the 23-man roster. The two extra attackers above – James van Riemsdyk and Jonatan Berggren – are not everyday scratches. In fact, more often than not, they won’t be in the lineup. Who comes out will depend on performance. The same goes for the blue line: the nightly scratch will depend on who is hot and who is not.

Overall, this is a deeper team than what we’ve seen recently. The mix of added depth, internal competition and lineup flexibility should position the Red Wings to build on their 86-point performance last year.

One final note: Detroit’s roster hasn’t been set yet. Players are sent down and others are called up. Injuries will occur. This is just the opening night depth chart. Expect a lot of change to happen throughout the season, including ice time for Nate Danielson, Carter Mazur and others.

Red Wings X-Factors 2025-2026

These four factors will determine the fate of Detroit’s season. They could mean the difference between a playoff berth and another year on the outside.

Defender steps up

We know that Moritz Seider, Simon Edvinsson and Ben Chiarot will make up three-quarters of Detroit’s top four. Who is the fourth? Whether it’s Albert Johansson, Axel Sandin-Pellikka or someone else, the Red Wings need a blueliner to step up and give the team two very good defensive pairings to balance the stakes. Doing this will spread out the elite matchups and give Seider more opportunities to create against lesser competition.

Contract years

Chiarot, Edvinsson, Berggren, van Riemsdyk, Patrick Kane, Jacob Bernard-Docker and Cam Talbot are all in the final years of their respective contracts, giving them incentive to go even further this season. Contract year bumps from these players should make the Red Wings more competitive as a whole.

Young players are rising

When considering NHL age curvesseveral of Detroit’s key players should see increased productivity this season, including Seider, Edvinsson, Johansson, Berggren, Lucas Raymond, Marco Kasper and Michael Rasmussen. They have not reached a plateau or peak yet; they are still rising.

Goals

John Gibson gives the Red Wings their most talented netminder since the days of Chris Osgood and Dominik Hasek. While he may need some time to adapt to a new environment, the stability of an above-average goalkeeper can be a big boost for the team.

Red Wings projections for 2025-2026

Below are my projected leaders for the three major statistical categories:

Goals

1. Dylan Larkin – 35
2. Alex Debrincat-33
3. Lucas Raymond – 31

Assists

1. Lucas Raymond – 50
2. Dylan Larkin – 45
3. Moritz Seider – 44

Points

1. Lucas Raymond – 81
2. Dylan Larkin – 80
3. Alex Debrincat-72

Stay tuned for scoring projections for the entire Red Wings roster.

What to expect from the Red Wings from 2025-2026

Make no mistake, the Atlantic Division will be very competitive in 2025-2026. However, there is still a chance for the Red Wings to reach the postseason.

With such parity, it wouldn’t be surprising if the third through seventh place teams in the division were separated by less than 10 points. If we expand to the entire Eastern Conference, there are only a few teams that are certain to make the playoffs. Third through twelfth could be very tight.

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That’s why the Red Wings need to put up points early and often. Matches with one goal will matter. Having a penalty kill that matches league average will matter. The extra effort will matter.

Detroit has the talent, depth and attitude to dispel the narrative that they are not yet a playoff team. And if they can show up on a consistent basis and fight through the tie, they could very well be a team that performs above average in 2025-2026 compared to preseason predictions.

Data courtesy of Natural statistical trick And PuckPedia.