As the Detroit Red Wings approach the 2026-27 NHL season, the franchise faces a 10-year playoff drought alongside roster and leadership turnover. Dylan Larkin is sidelined with an off-ice injury and requested an offseason trade, while defenseman Moritz Seider and Marco Kasper face pivotal expectations under an expanded 84-game schedule.
Moritz Seider Takes the Lead Amid Dylan Larkin Absence
The Detroit Red Wings enter the 2026-27 NHL season following a dramatic summer marked by the longest playoff drought in franchise history, now stretching to 10 straight seasons, according to reporting by Detroitsportsnation. Dylan Larkin is dealing with an upper-body injury sustained in an off-ice workout, forcing him to sit out the first day of training camp. Larkin requested a trade in the offseason, has not yet been dealt, and is no longer the captain after holding the letter for six seasons.
With Larkin sidelined and stripped of the captaincy, defenseman Moritz Seider is positioned to step into a primary leadership role for the club. Only 25 years old, Seider is primed to elevate his game and make his teammates better. During the 2025-26 NHL season, he played in 82 games, netting 10 goals and recording 50 assists with a plus-15 rating, with both his assist total and plus-minus marking career bests. The National Hockey League expanded the regular-season schedule to 84 games for 2026-27, giving Seider two extra contests to target a bold prediction of reaching 70 assists.
Marco Kasper and Alex DeBrincat face Contract and Roster Crossroads
Marco Kasper enters a critical stretch as he enters the final year of his three-year entry-level contract signed in July 2022, making him a restricted free agent at the conclusion of the 2026-27 season. Selected eighth overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, the 22-year-old is positioned to earn a top-six role due to Larkin’s injury. Last season, Kasper posted nine goals and 10 assists with a minus-20 plus/minus rating. Projections point toward a major statistical jump to 25 goals and 25 assists as he looks to prove his first-round selection value.
Meanwhile, 28-year-old Alex DeBrincat is playing out the final season of a four-year contract carrying a $7.875 million cap hit ahead of unrestricted free agency next summer. DeBrincat stated that his intention is obviously to stay in Detroit
long-term, though he has not yet signed an extension. Last season, he appeared in 82 games, tallying 41 goals and 44 assists for a career-high 85 points alongside a plus-8 rating. His contract features a modified no-trade clause allowing him to submit a 16-team no-trade list, giving him control over a potential destination if the Red Wings fall out of playoff contention by the trade deadline and management considers trade offers.
More on Detroit Red Wings
Keep reading
