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The Detroit Red Wings are hoping to contend in the 2025-26 season. They do not want to end up where they've been for the last nine seasons: outside of the playoffs and in the NHL Draft Lottery. Detroit entered NHL Free Agency hoping to make a significant move. Unfortunately, that significant move has yet to come.
Detroit did make some notable moves, of course. Their most notable being the patented Steve Yzerman goaltending addition. The Red Wings acquired John Gibson in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks at the 2025 NHL Draft. In return, Detroit sent veteran netminder Petr Mrazek and future draft picks to Orange County.
In free agency, Detroit had the intention of making moves. However, a lot of the players the team had an interest in didn't make it to market. As a result, they focused on their depth. The Red Wings signed James van Riemsdyk, Mason Appleton, and Jacob Bernard-Docker to contracts in NHL Free Agency this summer.
Free agency is largely over. And while a trade is certainly not out of the realm of possibility, that possibility grows smaller by the day. This could very well be it for Detroit's offseason. Did they do enough? Only time will tell for sure.
In saying this, an analysis of Detroit's roster shows that something else could be done. And perhaps it should've happened already. Here is one move the Red Wings should have done in the 2025 offseason that would be wise for them to do before training camp begins next month.
Red Wings needed to add top-six forward
Arguably, there were two needs Detroit needed to address this offseason. On one hand, they needed a top-four defenseman. Outside of Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson, the Red Wings have lackluster defensive options. Albert Johansson showed promise at times, but Jeff Petry left for the Florida Panthers, Ben Chiarot is inconsistent, and Justin Holl has kept the press box occupied for a lot of his Red Wings tenure.
However, Johansson could conceivably get better in 2025-26. He'll have the opportunity to do so, at the very least. Chiarot can perform in a top-four role. Erik Gustafsson improved once head coach Todd McLellan took over before the New Year. And Bernard-Docker is a good bet to take in a bottom-pairing role. A move here would help, but Detroit can go into the season with this group.
Their other need is a top-six forward. And this is a much more pressing need. In 2023-24, few offenses were as potent as the Red Wings' offense. This past season, though, they weren't as good. They lacked goal-scoring depth, leading to only four players scoring more than 20 goals.
There are internal improvements to be expected. Lucas Raymond could challenge for 90 points after hitting 80 in 2024-25. Marco Kasper could hit 20-25 goals this upcoming season after he became a legitimate top-six player under McLellan. Futhermore, Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Larkin should be locks for at least 25-35 goals.
Beyond these four, though, it's hard to find where the scoring could come from. Patrick Kane is still an excellent playmaker, but his scoring touch is on the decline. J.T. Compher struggled to score last year. Andrew Copp hasn't put the puck in the net much, either. At this time, it appears as if van Riemsdyk and Jonatan Berggren are the best bottom-six scoring options for Detroit.
This is a couple with scoring potential, but it's uninspiring all the same. Adding another top-six forward — whether it be a star-level talent or a more underrated name — would help solve Detroit's scoring woes. And it could see them make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in a decade.
