The Detroit Red Wings trimmed their roster to 23 players Monday, opening Friday’s season without a captain but making a decision on the future of disgruntled ex-captain Dylan Larkin.
Larkin requested a trade over the summer, lost the captaincy that came with it, and Detroit still doesn’t have a permanent general manager to sort any of it out. But when the Red Wings released their 23-man roster Monday ahead of their 2026-27 NHL opener Friday, Larkin was right there on the list.
Larkin will be on the ice for the Red Wings Friday despite his trade request. He missed the early sessions with an upper-body injury suffered during off-ice training.
The Red Wings also made decisions on five players who will not be on the roster when Detroit hosts the New York Rangers Oct. 2.
Detroit sent goaltender Carter Gylander to AHL Grand Rapids and placed Jacob Bernard-Docker on injured reserve, retroactive to Sept. 24, according to DetroitRedWings.com’s Thomas Roth. Defenseman Andreas Englund was designated immigration non-roster, while forwards Carter Bear and Chase Stillman landed on injured non-roster.
That leaves 14 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders on the club’s official opening night roster for Friday’s 6:30 p.m. ET game against the New York Rangers at Little Caesars Arena, the start of Detroit’s 101st season.
| DETROIT RED WINGS — 2026–27 ROSTER: FORWARDS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | # | Pos | Sh | Ht | Wt | Born / Birthplace |
| Mason Appleton | 22 | C | R | 6’2″ | 193 | Jan 15, 1996 • Green Bay, WI, USA |
| Viktor Arvidsson | 33 | LW | R | 5’10” | 181 | Apr 8, 1993 • Skellefteå, SWE |
| Michael Brandsegg-Nygård | 28 | RW | R | 6’1″ | 205 | Oct 5, 2005 • Oslo, NOR |
| J.T. Compher | 37 | LW | R | 6’0″ | 192 | Apr 8, 1995 • Northbrook, IL, USA |
| Andrew Copp | 18 | C | L | 6’1″ | 200 | Jul 8, 1994 • Ann Arbor, MI, USA |
| Nate Danielson | 29 | C | R | 6’2″ | 196 | Sep 27, 2004 • Red Deer, AB, CAN |
| Alex DeBrincat | 93 | RW | R | 5’8″ | 177 | Dec 18, 1997 • Farmington Hills, MI, USA |
| Emmitt Finnie | 58 | C | L | 6’2″ | 196 | Jun 27, 2005 • Lethbridge, AB, CAN |
| Marco Kasper | 92 | C | L | 6’1″ | 203 | Apr 8, 2004 • Innsbruck, AUT |
| Keegan Kolesar | 55 | RW | R | 6’2″ | 218 | Apr 8, 1997 • Brandon, MB, CAN |
| Dylan Larkin | 71 | C | L | 6’1″ | 198 | Jul 30, 1996 • Waterford, MI, USA |
| Carter Mazur | 34 | LW | R | 6’1″ | 200 | Mar 28, 2002 • Jackson, MI, USA |
| Michael Rasmussen | 27 | C | L | 6’6″ | 220 | Apr 17, 1999 • Surrey, BC, CAN |
| Lucas Raymond | 23 | LW | R | 5’11” | 188 | Mar 28, 2002 • Gothenburg, SWE |
| DETROIT RED WINGS — 2026–27 ROSTER: DEFENSEMEN | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | # | Pos | Sh | Ht | Wt | Born / Birthplace |
| Jacob Bernard-Docker | 25 | D | R | 6’1″ | 190 | Jun 30, 2000 • Canmore, AB, CAN |
| Ben Chiarot | 8 | D | L | 6’3″ | 224 | May 9, 1991 • Hamilton, ON, CAN |
| Justin Faulk | 72 | D | R | 6’0″ | 209 | Mar 20, 1992 • South St. Paul, MN, USA |
| Albert Johansson | 20 | D | L | 6’0″ | 200 | Jan 4, 2001 • Karlstad, SWE |
| Anton Johansson | 42 | D | R | 6’4″ | 203 | Jun 10, 2004 • Stockholm, SWE |
| Axel Sandin-Pellikka | 44 | D | R | 6’0″ | 189 | Mar 11, 2005 • Gallivare, SWE |
| Moritz Seider | 53 | D | R | 6’4″ | 211 | Apr 6, 2001 • Zell, DEU |
| William Wallinder | 54 | D | L | 6’5″ | 210 | Jul 28, 2002 • Solleftea, SWE |
| DETROIT RED WINGS — 2026–27 ROSTER: GOALIES | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | # | Pos | Ca | Ht | Wt | Born / Birthplace |
| John Gibson | 36 | G | L | 6’3″ | 209 | Jul 14, 1993 • Pittsburgh, PA, USA |
| Daniil Tarasov | 80 | G | L | 6’5″ | 204 | Mar 27, 1999 • Novokuznetsk, RUS |
Detroit Red Wings’ Offseason Additions and Losses
Detroit’s biggest name remains Larkin, still the No. 1 center despite the trade drama, flanked by Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat, Moritz Seider, John Gibson, Justin Faulk and new arrival Viktor Arvidsson. Arvidsson signed to help replace Patrick Kane’s production after totaling 54 points in 69 games for Boston last season, according to NHL.com. Kane left for a two-year, $16 million deal with Chicago.
Keegan Kolesar, acquired from Vegas for a 2029 third-round pick and a 2027 seventh-rounder, adds the physicality Detroit ranked 29th in hitting without last season. Goaltender Daniil Tarasov signed on to back up Gibson. Faulk, acquired from St. Louis in March, put up 40 points last season and has topped 100 blocked shots in five straight years. Younger forwards Michael Brandsegg-Nygård and Nate Danielson both stuck on the opening night roster after bouncing between Detroit and Grand Rapids a year ago.
The subtractions go deeper than Kane. David Perron, James van Riemsdyk, Cam Talbot, Travis Hamonic and Erik Gustafsson all became unrestricted free agents in July. Defenseman Simon Edvinsson remains a restricted free agent, still unsigned four days before puck drop, though he’s practiced with the team throughout camp.
“I don’t see the reason for me to sit at home, to be honest,” Edvinsson said, as quoted by The Hockey News. Interim general manager Shawn Horcoff is working to get him signed before Friday.
Detroit Red Wings’ Playoff Outlook Remains Bleak
Detroit finished 41-31-10 last season, missing the playoffs for a 10th straight year despite sitting tied for first in the East on Jan. 24 with a 12-point cushion. The Red Wings then went 9-15-5 down the stretch, ranking 30th in goals per game over that span while blowing multiple third-period leads. They also finished 30th in 5-on-5 goals and 29th in hits, numbers the offseason additions were meant to address. Steve Yzerman moved from general manager to senior adviser in July, leaving Horcoff to run hockey operations on an interim basis while the front office searches for a permanent replacement.
The instability, layered onto Larkin’s trade request and Edvinsson’s unresolved contract, leaves Detroit further from a breakthrough than it looked the past two seasons. Simulation models agree with the pessimism. Detroit has just a 5 percent chance of making the playoffs and projects to finish 16th in the East, according to HockeyStats.com. Reaching the postseason would require the Red Wings’ young core, from Raymond and Seider to Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson, to take the leap the front office is still waiting to see.
Red Wings Announce Dylan Larkin Decision, Final Roster Before NHL Opener