The Detroit Red Wings are nearing the end of their preseason. But Detroit is still making some major decisions regarding its roster. The Red Wings have a wealth of promising young players. And a lot of them have made quite the impression in preseason to this point.
Not every young star for the Red Wings will make the roster, of course. Detroit wants to compete for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025-26. Some of their youngsters, such as Marco Kasper, can definitely help their chances at making the postseason. However, some of their top prospects still need time in the AHL to figure things out.
Detroit's veteran will likely lead the charge this upcoming season. Dylan Larkin remains the heart and soul of this team as its captain. Alex DeBrincat is coming off a near 40-goal season in 2024-25. And Patrick Kane is closing in on officially staking a claim as the greatest American-born NHLer of all time.
However, general manager Steve Yzerman has been adamant about building through the draft. His goal is to create long lasting success in Hockeytown. He was apart of the last great glory period in franchise history, after all. Yzerman captained the Red Wings to three Stanley Cups and through the majority of its 25-year playoff streak.
As a result, it should come as no surprise that this team is going to lean on a young star in 2025-26. Larkin, DeBrincat, Kane, Moritz Seider, and Lucas Raymond are all vital parts of this team's success. However, it's a recent first-round pick who is going to be the team's true X-Factor this upcoming season.
Marco Kasper's importance to Red Wings can't be understated
The Red Wings have struggled to find a second-line center to complement Larkin in recent seasons. At first, Andrew Copp was believed to be the answer. Then, the idea was that it would be J.T. Compher. Unfortunately, neither player has worked out as envisioned to this point.
Copp did play well under Todd McLellan last season before a season-ending injury. However, the totality of his Detroit tenure has been less than ideal. Compher, on the other hand, has not had a promising showing in preseason. And his spot on the roster is under legitimate threat from some of the young talent in the pipeline.
Now, it appears as if former first-round pick Marco Kasper is the leading candidate to anchor the second-line. He has had a very impressive preseason performance thus far. But more encouraging was his play under McLellan after Detroit's midseason coaching change on Boxing Day 2024.
Kasper scored 30 of his 37 points in the final 45 games of the season in 2024-25. He primarily flanked Larkin as the first line left wing. When Copp went down with an injury, he was moved to his natural center position. There, he showed the ability to shutdown opposing offenses while also producing offense of his own.
The Red Wings did not make a significant splash this summer. Their biggest move was trading for goaltender John Gibson, which is a notable move. However, the team did little to address an obvious and critical need for additional scoring depth.
Call it a sign of confidence, then, in Kasper. Detroit clearly likes what it has in the Austrian pivot. The fact that he scored nearly 20 goals last year after a glacially slow start is quite promising. Kasper will need to step up as a goal contributor and all-around play driver. A sophomore slump from the former first-round pick could have a severe impact on Detroit's offense this coming season.
