3 Biggest Questions Facing the Red Wings Entering 2026-27

Detroit has plenty to figure out before opening night, but these three questions could have the biggest impact on the Red Wings' 2026-27 season.

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson (77). Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Detroit Red Wings enter the 2026-27 season with plenty of uncertainty surrounding the organization and a lot of unanswered questions that are becoming more pressing by the day.

After coming painfully close to ending their playoff drought before another late-season collapse, Detroit has undergone significant changes this offseason.

Steve Yzerman is no longer the team’s general manager, Dylan Larkin’s future remains uncertain and the Red Wings still have important roster questions to answer before the season begins.

With training camp approaching this month, here are three of the biggest questions facing Detroit.

Who Will Be the Red Wings’ Next General Manager?

This is easily the biggest, and possibly the most important, question hanging over the organization. To answer the question point-blank, no one knows.

The Red Wings moved on from Yzerman this offseason, leaving the franchise searching for a new general manager at a critical point in its rebuild. After a ten year hiatus from the playoffs, can we still consider this a rebuild?

Yzerman is still remaining with the organization but not in the GM role.

The decisions the new GM is going to face on Day one can and will determine the future of the franchise. Is it time to completely dismantle and try again, or are there enough building blocks here to push toward the playoffs?

The timing is usually never good when a team is facing all of this uncertainty, but for the Red Wings, it seems almost dire. The important decisions the new GM will have to address almost immediately include the situation with Larkin and getting Simon Edvinsson under contract.

Speculation runs wild around the Larkin situation, with some claiming that it is possible the team is hoping for reconciliation, while others say Larkin is dead set on leaving. The answer is probably somewhere in the middle, but as it stands right now, he should be reporting to training camp.

Detroit cannot afford to get this hire wrong.

What Happens With Simon Edvinsson?

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Edvinsson has quickly become one of the most important young pieces on Detroit’s blue line, making his unresolved contract situation another major storyline heading into camp. This will be one everyone is watching.

The 23-year-old defenseman took a big step forward last season and has established himself as a key part of the Red Wings’ future alongside Moritz Seider. Detroit needs to get him under contract and ensure that its promising young defense remains intact.

As a restricted free agent, Edvinsson could sign an offer sheet with another team, and that would be devastating to the Red Wings should they decide not to match it.

Edvinsson’s development could also be crucial to Detroit’s playoff hopes. The Red Wings need more consistency defensively, and having Edvinsson continue to grow into a legitimate top-four role would give the team another important building block.

Until his contract situation is resolved, however, there is still some uncertainty surrounding one of Detroit’s most valuable young players. As it ties into the original question about a GM, the Edvinsson contract should be something that is addressed almost on day one of the new hire’s schedule.

Can the Penalty Kill Finally Improve?

We addressed the biggest off-ice question in the GM. On the ice, the Red Wings have got to figure out the penalty kill. Detroit’s penalty kill was a major problem last season, finishing at just 77.1%, which ranked 23rd in the NHL. 

That was actually an improvement from the previous season’s disastrous 70.3% mark, but it still wasn’t nearly good enough for a team hoping to make the playoffs.

The truth is that if Detroit wants to make the playoffs, work has to be done here.

No one is saying that the Red Wings have to be the best team in the NHL on the penalty kill, but they do have to find a way to fix this.

A modest improvement could make a significant difference over 84 games. Detroit finished last season with 92 points, meaning there wasn’t an enormous gap between the Red Wings and the playoff picture, but it was enough to keep them out. An improvement in this area could be what changes things around for the team.

There are certainly other questions facing the Red Wings before opening night, but these three could have the biggest impact on the direction of the franchise.

The next few weeks should provide some answers.