Going Forward, Red Wings Plan is Simple: Play The Kids

Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The post Going Forward, Red Wings Plan is Simple: Play The Kids appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn ImagesNathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Another playoff absence for the Detroit Red Wings, and you’re absolutely right. This is getting old.

If the Red Wings want the bleeding to stop, that right there is what must stop.

They can’t keep going with the old plan.

We heard it for years from Ken Holland, and we’ve seen it from Steve Yzerman since he took over as Red Wings GM.

Let the kids ripen on the vine. Keep them down on the farm until they blossom into NHLers.

When the Red Wings were making the playoffs every spring and winning the Stanley Cup with regularity, few questioned this game plan.

Today, it should be questioned at every turn. The game has changed. Hockey is younger, faster. Most teams allow the kids to learn on the job and are willing to trade some growing pains for overall growth.

It’s a blueprint that’s seen the Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators, and Montreal Canadiens all surpass the Red Wings and become playoff teams.

The Red Wings remain stuck in the past and stuck in neutral on the ice because of it.

Red Wings Must Move Away From Veteran Free Agents

Last summer, the Red Wings picked up three veteran unrestricted free agents in the summer. Forwards Mason Appleton, and James van Riemsdyk, and defenseman Travis Hamonic.

As the team battled for its playoff life in March, all three were invisible.

Hamonic has been a healthy scratch for Detroit’s past 23 games. Appleton scored one goal in 2026. On paper, van Riemsdyk’s 15 goals indicate he contributed. However, he’s netted just one goal over his past 28 games.

Veteran David Perron, a trade-deadline addition, has three goals in 15 games. He’s also minus-eight.

The puzzling part of leaning into the old guard is that almost every time the Red Wings opt for younger legs, it’s paid dividends. Lucas Raymond stepped right into the lineup and didn’t miss a beat. Moritz Seider is among the NHL’s best all-around defenders.

This season, the team started with three rookies – defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka and forwards Emmitt Finnie and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard. Finnie (13-17-30) and ASP (7-14-21) have contributed. And yes, they’ve made plenty of mistakes. But how much better will they be in the future for the experience gained this season?

Carter Mazur was summoned late in the season following another injury-plagued campaign with AHL Grand Rapids. He’s steadily improving while skating in a very limited role.

“You can see his play’s climbing a little bit,” Red Wings coach Todd McLellan told reporters following Monday’s overtime loss at Tampa Bay. “Been around the puck. It’s obviously a lot tougher to score here than it is there.”

Several Players On Verge Of Taking Next Step

Three players currently with the AHL Griffins will need to clear waivers to be sent back there next season. That makes it almost a lock that goalie Sebastian Cossa, defenseman William Wallinder, and forward Amadeus Lombardi will start the 2026-27 NHL season with Detroit.

The sad part about it is we don’t know if any of them are good enough to be NHL regulars, because they’ve never been given a chance to prove it.

Still, next season, wouldn’t you rather see them wearing the Winged Wheel along with Mazur and MBN and maybe even Nate Danielson, instead of another group of journeymen veterans?

The old saying is that continually trying the same failed formula is the definition of insanity.

For the Red Wings, moving forward, there’s only one route to take.

Play the kids.

It’s really that simple.

The post Going Forward, Red Wings Plan is Simple: Play The Kids appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.