Todd McLellan’s arrival was a boost for the Detroit Red Wings’ young players who weren’t progressing.
Marco Kasper got an opportunity to play alongside the team’s best players and seized it, becoming one of the NHL’s top rookie forwards and one of the Red Wings’ most important players during the second half of the season.
Albert Johansson, a frequent healthy scratch whose NHL future could have been questioned midseason, gained confidence and established himself as a dependable regular capable of playing even on the second defense pairing.
Elmer Soderblom came up from Grand Rapids and was a fixture in the lineup with a unique skill set for a 6-8 forward, even fitting in well on the top line when given the chance before missing 10 of the final 14 games with an injury.
Simon Edvinsson was solid throughout his first full NHL season and exceeded expectations with seven goals and 31 points despite virtually no power play time. Read what you will into his team-leading plus-12 rating, but on a roster full of minus players, that stat stands out.
Jonatan Berggren is the one younger player who did not improve under McLellan, getting scratched five times in March. He’s not a fit on the fourth line, or even the third line. He needs to be with skilled linemates in a top-six role but didn’t secure a spot there, putting his future with the organization in doubt.
The Red Wings for ages leaned heavily on experience. That’s fine when you’re consistently competing for Stanley Cups or even just playoff spots. But now the postseason drought has reached nine seasons, and a lot of veterans signed the past few years haven’t had the impact the club expected.
It’s time for the Red Wings to rely more on youth.
General manager Steve Yzerman will sign some free agents. Toronto’s Mitch Marner is sure to be a target, but it’s probably a pipe dream. Yzerman will explore trades, but for the most part the players other teams would want are the ones the Red Wings can’t afford to move. The team needs a scoring winger and up upgrade on defense. It could also use a big, physical fourth-line winger.
The core of Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, Lucas Raymond, Patrick Kane (it makes sense for both sides that he re-signs) and Moritz Seider will drive the team again in 2025-26, but they’ll need significant contributions not only from the young players who stepped up this season, but others in the system.
The Red Wings might be pinning much of their hopes for improvement on skilled defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka, who they are counting on to make the roster next season. He set scoring records in the top Swedish men’s league for a player under 20. He made his North American debut last week with Grand Rapids and will get some valuable AHL playoff experience.
Gritty winger Carter Mazur had the misfortune of suffering a season-ending elbow injury during his first shift in his NHL debut. He should be on the season-opening roster in October instead of a veteran who’s seen better days.
When Yzerman traded for Petr Mrazek at the deadline, it signaled another year in Grand Rapids for top goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa.
But Mrazek is 33 and Cam Talbot will be 38. To think they’re both going to go through the entire season healthy is not realistic. Cossa, while likely starting in the AHL, should get some games in Detroit, preferably quite a few.
Center Amadeus Lombardi, who has 19 goals and 40 points in 44 games this season with the Griffins, might even warrant a look in Detroit at some point next season.
Underachieving veterans, not overwhelmed youngsters caused the Red Wings to fade in March for the second year in a row. So why not lean into youth more?
