Each year, when the dust starts to settle on the offseason and the summer months begin to drag, we take a look into the future and project what the Detroit Red Wings lineup will look like in three years.
The forecasts aim to show where the Red Wings’ current rebuild is headed and where it still needs improvement, not to be exact after three years. We have started leaving gaps in the lineup in recent years to draw attention to locations where Detroit will need to make adjustments because there is not a clear long-term solution.
With all that said, let’s dive into it.
Forward Line 1: Remaining Need – Dylan Larkin – Lucas Raymond
Raymond will be 25 years old at this point, well into his prime. Even though he scored 31 goals and 72 points last season, he still has not been with the Red Wings. He should be Detroit is top scorer and the focal point of the power play. If he keeps improving, his advancement and the possibility of a bigger position might make him a star right away.
Moreover, Detroit will truly require him to be. Because even while the Red Wings have filled their pipeline with players who might make a significant effect over the next three drafts, the group’s potential star power remains a genuine concern. This is demonstrated by the need still present at top-line left wing. In order to fill that position in time for the 2027–2028 season under consideration, Detroit would probably need to either select a quick player in the 2025 draft or acquire a more seasoned difference-maker through free agency or trade.
In the meanwhile, Larkin will begin his 31st season. By then, he should still be a very productive center, and he has improved over the last two years by depending less on his quickness alone to generate plays. He is a competitive driver who has significantly improved his scoring touch, so he should be able to handle anything the aging curve throws at him with more ease. However, Larkin is past most players’ prime at 31, so it makes sense that he will start to experience the ravages of aging as he approaches his 30s. Although he should still be a first-line player (Mika Zibanejad of the New York Rangers may be a useful analogy), his advancing years make it more important to find another impact.
Forward line 2 : Alex DeBrincat (UFA 2027) – Nate Danielson – Michael Brandsegg-Nygård
It is important to keep in mind that DeBrincat might not actually be in the picture come October 2027 because his current contract expires the summer before this estimate would take effect. Should he leave, the top six would have an additional void at left wing. DeBrincat will still be 29 in the summer of 2027, so I listed him here because he does look like a feasible contender for an extension once his current deal ends, but it is important to keep an eye on his contract status.
The two most recent first-round selections from Detroit make up the remaining line. Given that we have not seen these individuals compete in the NHL yet, there is considerable speculation and ambiguity involved. With his great skating and two-way awareness, along with his offensive prowess demonstrated in both the NHL preseason and the second half of his WHL season in Portland, Danielson appears to be a second-line center. To be a comfortable 2C, he likely has to be a 55–65 point center with good two-way impacts, and as of right now, it seems well within his range of possible outcomes. Similar like Raymond’s ongoing growth, Detroit is heavily dependent on this turn of events transpiring.
As a player selected less than two months ago, Brandsegg-Nygård has even less assurance, but his skill set suggests he will be a second-line winger. He is bigger and heavier than the other top-six wingers we have spoken about here, but he also has a big-time shot and plays a responsible, competitive game. He will turn 22 around the beginning of the 2027–28 season, thus the key question may be how soon it is realistic to expect him to achieve this kind of slot in the lineup.
Because of all that uncertainty, there is a wide variety of possible outcomes for this theoretical line. It is probably not optimal to have three right-hand shots on a line together, especially when two of them are shoot-first players. However, this can be a productive, well-rounded second line if Danielson and Brandsegg-Nygård reach their full potential and DeBrincat (or a substitute) continues to be a 30-goal, 70-point danger.
Forward line 3: J.T. Compher – Marco Kasper – Carter Mazur
Compher’s current contract expires in 2027–2028; based on this forecast, he would finish it as the veteran on a potentially thrilling third line. Under Steve Yzerman, Kasper projects to be a reliable third-line center for a playoff club, maybe even more, while Mazur appears to be Detroit is greatest draft pick outside of the first round. At the end of the previous season, both were among Grand Rapids’ most influential postseason players, and they both have a chance to compete for NHL time as early as this fall.
Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that Kasper and Mazur will be established as essential members of a line that can play quickly and physically, produce offense, and make things difficult for opponents by 2027. Compher is a good fit for such approach, even if he will be 32 at the beginning of the 2027–2028 season.
Looking a little further forward, Detroit should be able to replace Compher in the third spot on this line with an equally intelligent and difficult player to play against; also, there is a chance he will decide to stay with Detroit once his current contract expires. Although Kasper and Mazur have not yet established themselves as NHL regulars, they still appear to have the makings of a formidable third line.
Forward line 4: Max Plante – Joe Veleno (RFA 2026) – Michael Rasmussen
Similar to Compher, Rasmussen is scheduled to enter the final year of his current deal in 2027. It seems a little unjust to project him onto the fourth line given his skill level. He might be the third player in the line above because he is a forward that is difficult to play against and might already be wearing a letter. However, Compher’s ability to write plays gave him the advantage there, relegating Rasmussen to a part that is overqualified for him.
Veleno might be overqualified for it by 2027 as well; in fact, based on his next contract in 2026, he might even be priced out of it. Currently, though, it appears that having both first-round picks together here may be a luxury in the bottom six because they can both contribute some offense and play responsible north-south games with a heavy weight down low.
The one that interests me is Plante. A little more than a month after being selected in the second round, I am taking a slight risk by having him in this lineup. But I have enjoyed what I have seen from him, both in terms of his competitiveness and defensive stick as well as his elite hockey sense and playmaking. That gives me hope that he can develop into an additional player and perhaps a longer-term contender on the third line. It is not unlike the gut sense I experienced after watching Mazur soon after his draft, but let me caution you that gut instincts are not always reliable. I used to have a similar sensation about former Detroit prospect Robert Mastrosimone.
Plante’s final development will be interesting to watch, but for the time being, I believe his profile is strong enough to include him in the long-term picture.
Nate Danielson looks like a key piece of Detroit’s future. (Dan Hamilton / USA Today)
Defense pair 1: Simon Edvinsson – Moritz Seider
This top duo should be quite formidable by 2027 if the Red Wings decide to use both of their No. 6 picks. Detroit might decide to permanently divide up Seider and Edvinsson so that at least one of them is always on the ice. However, I put them together here, and if that is how it works out, it would be difficult to compete with the length, mobility, and physicality that both players offer.
Defense pair 2: Remaining Need – Axel Sandin-Pellikka
It will take some time for Sandin-Pellikka to make his NHL debut, and I would not be shocked if it was not until the 2026–2027 campaign. Even so, it should be reasonable to anticipate him playing in the NHL four full seasons after being picked in 2023. At that point, the key question will be what kind of role he plays while healthy. Sandin-Pellikka’s forte is the power play, where he uses a huge shot and excellent hockey sense to run the man advantage from above.
Although he is competitive, his stature as a sub-6-foot defenseman makes him less dynamic than players like Quinn Hughes or Cale Makar. As such, it can be difficult to predict if he will be better suited for a big-minute position in the top four or whether he will need to play a bit more carefully, especially in the beginning of the season. Although I gave him a pass here and projected him onto the second pair, I believe that in order for him to truly flourish in that kind of deployment, he will need a strong defensive partner.
Though Detroit has selected a good deal of left-shot “D” players in recent years, I do not believe Edvinsson is currently a legitimate top-four prospect on the left side. Due to the lengthy development period for defensemen, this solution will most likely need to be found through free agency in the upcoming years. However, Detroit should definitely consider drafting a defenseman if the appropriate candidate emerges in the draft.
Defense pair 3: Shai Buium – Albert Johansson
Detroit has present depth of prospects on the blue line more comfortably translates to the third pair, where both Johansson (playing off hand here) and Buium should be well-positioned to be productive NHL players at this point.
It is anticipated that Johansson will join the NHL full-time in 2024, and by 2027, he might be a steady, knowledgeable defender with an influence like to Olli Määttä. If he can clearly define a special teams role—likely on the penalty kill—he will benefit himself much more. Buium, on the other hand, is tall enough to be a defensive stopper, and even if his offensive skills may not be as strong in the NHL, I have loved his inventiveness in spurts and am interested to see whether they translate.
In the event that neither of these two work out, there are still other candidates in the system, such as big-bodied Swedish prospect Anton Johansson, Antti Tuomisto, who is a big body on the right side who had a strong season in Grand Rapids in 2023–24, and William Wallinder, who has the size and skating you would want in this role but could stand to get more physical and solidify his defending. However, the finest options at this time would be Buium and Johansson.
Simon Edvinsson gives Detroit a blue-line pillar alongside Moritz Seider. (Julian Avram / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Goalies: Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine
Following successful 2023–24 seasons, Cossa and Augustine are headed toward becoming NHL goaltenders. Is either going to appear as a legitimate NHL No. 1 by 2027?
The more experienced goalie, Cossa, just finished a strong rookie campaign with a.913 save percentage in Grand Rapids. Although he is the longer of the two and a more remarkable natural athlete, he may still make occasional mistakes and will need to keep improving his consistency. While Augustine lacks Cossa’s stature and flair for the big save, he can still be a machine at times with his poised movements and precise moves.
They might still form a dangerous pair with their complimentary styles even if neither develops into a 55-game workhorse. Naturally, Detroit will be hoping that at least one of the two can establish himself as a starter who can start in the top half of the league.
Overall assessment: Given the quality of prospects being projected into the lineup places, this forecast is beginning to feel less unclear than previous editions. It is not difficult to see this squad developing into a tough playoff opponent if those prospects fulfill their promise and Detroit can adequately address the remaining requirements.
However, there are still a lot of unanswered issues about whether they will progress as anticipated and, more generally, if Detroit will have enough elite players to be more than simply a playoff team and a genuine Stanley Cup contender. It appears to be more of the latter at the moment than the former, though that would greatly benefit from the discovery of another true star up front.
Given the resources Detroit has committed to the defense, you would also probably hope for a more accurate blue-line forecast. On the other hand, a single large shutdown piece on the left would assist in easing those worries.
This squad has a lot of promise, and it also has the makings of an aggressive identity. Having said that, fans who have endured a few difficult years of rebuilding might view this prediction and question whether there will be sufficient star power to produce the big payout.
(Top photo of Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond: Melissa Tamez / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
