The Detroit Red Wings 2026-27 Preseason Wrap Up

The Detroit Red Wings have concluded their NHL preseason and are now shifting their focus to opening the regular season against the New York Rangers on Oct. 2.

Detroit's preseason finale resulted in a 4-2 loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets, with goaltender John Gibson stopping 18 of 21 shots for the Red Wings. Detroit opened their preseason with a 1-0 loss in shootout fashion to Columbus, but did post a 7-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sept. 22. Overall, the Red Wings won two of their four preseason games — with a 3-2 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres in addition to the win over Pittsburgh.

Red Wings Head Coach Todd McLellan said Detroit will be focusing on the following week of practice before they kick off their regular season.

"We played against a real NHL team tonight,” McLellan said to NHL.com following the preseason finale. "I didn’t mind our game. We were a little bit sloppy with the puck. Passing from A to B was sometimes A to B’s feet, or two feet in front of them. [It] cost us a couple goals. But other than that, I didn’t think we were under siege. I thought we had some scoring opportunities that, if it ends up on our stick just a second earlier or at a different angle, then we have a chance to finish. I didn’t mind tonight’s game. Should set us up for a good week of practice, and away we go."

Detroit Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

With preseason wrapped up, the NHL now requires all teams to submit their rosters by 5 p.m. EST on Sept. 28. A maximum of 23 players is allowed, and there must be a minimum of 20 — comprised of at least 18 skaters and two goaltenders.

McLellan said that he and his staff will be hard at work looking at names and discussing potential moves to make the best lineup possible for Detroit.

"We have to put the puzzle together," McLellan said. "What I can tell you too is that on Monday, the roster will go out and you’ll see names or whatever. That could change real quick. There could be paper moves. There could be moves made for waiver reasons. There could be something in the hopper somewhere else where you have to buy time. Remember, we don’t play until Friday. So, got to submit Monday. We got to go for four days before we play, and there could be some movement and stuff in there."

Regular season starts next week! pic.twitter.com/jHYL1bgTwc
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 27, 2026

How Did Detroit Finish the 2025-26 NHL Season?

For 2025-26, Detroit went 41-31-10; 92 points) finished 21-16-4 inside Little Caesars Arena and 20-15-6 on the road.

The Red Wings are also in the midst of a hunt for a new general manager, while Shawn Horcoff currently serves as the franchise's interim GM due to Steve Yzerman transitioning to the role of Senior Advisor to the Governor and CEO, Chris Ilitch.

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