The Detroit Red Wings have concluded their offseason business for the summer of 2025. And it was a rather interesting summer, to say the least. The Red Wings traded for John Gibson in a deal with the Anaheim Ducks at the NHL Draft. It seemed as if big moves were ahead following that opening salvo. However, things did not quite turn out that way.
The Red Wings were largely quiet following the trade for Gibson. Detroit's biggest signings this summer include veterans James van Riemsdyk and Mason Appleton. They did make a late summer signing of Travis Hamonic to a one-year contract. However, he merely serves as a depth piece for this team more than anything else.
The lack of a true impact move could very well haunt the Red Wings this season. Detroit has a solid foundation, to be fair. It wouldn't entirely be surprising to see this team win games and make the playoffs. At the same time, this is a team with a lot of glaring roster issues heading into the 2025-26 season.
Detroit drops the puck in a little more than a month. How could things shake out for Detroit in this upcoming campaign? Here are two very bold predictions for the Red Wings as the 2025-26 season continues its approach.
Red Wings trade an important player at the deadline
The Red Wings have some very good players on their roster. However, this roster as a whole is not built to contend for the Stanley Cup. And there's a good argument to be made that it's not built to contend for the postseason, either.
The Red Wings lack scoring depth, and they didn't really address this in the offseason. Detroit's defense is fine, with Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson carrying the vast majority of the load. However, the depth behind these two is uninspiring, especially on the right side. There are also question marks in goal, even after the Gibson trade.
There is a very real chance the Red Wings are well out of contention by the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline. And this will lead Steve Yzerman to take drastic measures. He will trade an important player off the team in exchange for a younger talent with more potential, as well as draft capital. It's not the sort of trade Detroit wants to make, but it's one they may need to make to further their rebuild.
Detroit finishes bottom-10 in the NHL
The Red Wings have not had lottery luck over the last decade. In fact, the one time they finished with the best lottery odds is the lottery in which they fell down to the fourth overall pick. Detroit did well with that pick, as Lucas Raymond looks like a potential 100-point scorer. The point remains that they have had no luck when it comes to relying on the draft lottery to help them out.
Unfortunately, they may need to be watching those lottery balls closely once again. Detroit will finish as a bottom-10 team in the NHL. This will be the first era of franchise history where the team missed the playoffs for a decade straight. They will surpass the 1970s “Dead Things” in on-ice futility in the process.
Detroit can be comforted by the strength of this draft class. Gavin McKenna leads a very impressive class that could become one of the best of the decade. However, the goal is postseason hockey. Falling well short will be a tough pill to swallow.
