With the 2025-2026 NHL Preseason now underway and the regular season approaches quickly, it’s time we all make some outlandish predictions that will no doubt come to fruition!
Should I set the stage for you? Probably don’t need to, but…. the Red Wings have a lot to prove this year after a frustrating roller coaster ride of a 2024-2025 season. Steve Yzerman and his front office have created a nice cache of talented young players. Some of those players will continue to serve time in the AHL, but it should be no time until they are ready for full-time NHL jobs. That makes a tricky situation for this roster, which has a healthy share of veteran players. Injuries happen, so I’m not terribly concerned about that. The depth on this team looks good. They will get a full season of Todd McLellan behind the bench, and have brought in John Gibson to mind the net with Cam Talbot.
But will they take the next step? The Red Wings narrowly missed the postseason just two seasons ago. It’s clear now that the bar is set at making the playoffs.
This time around, we’re going with three Red Wings predictions and one NHL prediction. Please drop yours in the comments and let the (friendly) discourse begin!
Kyle K
Prediction 1 – Goaltending is stabilized
After shaking up the crease seemingly every summer, Detroit’s investment in John Gibson will pay off as he plays 50+ games and has a save percentage netting out around 0.909. It’s not his former All-Star, Vezina vote-getting form, but it’s enough to help Detroit stay in more games. Under a lighter workload, Cam Talbot also finds more consistency and slightly improves on his numbers. The cherry on top is that Sebastian Cossa sees enough action to leave fans feeling great about a Gibson/Cossa tandem heading into 2026-27.
Prediction 2 – Danielson follows Kasper’s lead
Nate Danielson’s rookie AHL season had a few bumps, but he played a major role on a team that did not have the offensive firepower it expected due to injuries and call-ups. Danielson (who is coming off back-to-back strong preseasons) will be one of the final roster cuts, but he’s an early-season call-up who plays his way out of the AHL by midseason. He may not score on the 30-goal pace Kasper was at late in the year, but he’ll silence the doubters once he’s surrounded by teammates who can play at his NHL-level pace.
Prediction 3 – Detroit trades for a 40-goal scorer
Every summer, people start drooling over the strength of “next year’s” free agent class… Inevitably, over the next 11 months, many players re-sign and the quality thins out considerably. That was never more true than this summer, which saw only a handful of real impact players even reach July 1. Several former 40-goal scorers have yet to sign extensions, and I think now is the time for Detroit to get aggressive. In particular, Shelby Township-native Kyle Connor might be worth paying the premium he would cost, at 28 years old and coming off a 97-point season.
NHL Prediction – Bubbles burst in Montreal and Ottawa
Fans north of the border are declaring rebuilds over in Montreal and Ottawa, after each team made the playoffs in 2024-25. I predict the tune will be different next summer, after they both miss the postseason and are left scratching their heads regarding their long-term outlooks. In Ottawa, I don’t see the depth necessary to survive significant injuries in the top six. Montreal made a marquee addition in Noah Dobson, but already had a couple of puck-moving PP quarterbacks (Lane Hutson and Mike Matheson). I don’t think their defensive unit is tough enough to play against or will be particularly strong on the PK, and while I like Sam Montembeault, I’m not sure he’s enough to overcome some in-zone struggles in front of him.
Scout
Prediction 1 – The defense will be much better given Yzerman’s plan of developing from within the organization. ASP potentially being integrated as the season moves along could be exciting to see.
Prediction 2 – The Red Wings get much more scoring depth from bottom six, especially with a full year under the McLellan system. JVR serving in a third/fourth line role should be able to bring some scoring to those groups.
Prediction 3 – Goaltending rebounds to form a consistent A1 and A2 pairing between John Gibson and Cam Talbot/Sebastian Cossa. Bringing in Michael Leighton as goalie coach should definitely help, especially for Cossa.
NHL Prediction – Florida Panthers get knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. I don’t know who it will be, but the Atlantic division is too competitive for a constant winner like Florida has been over the past few years.
EmergencyBackupCoach
Prediction 1 – The offense doesn’t improve near as much as we’d like, but there’s still some fun to be had. 3 months after 91 goes to the rafters, Lucas Raymond finishes with the team lead in points (31/60), hitting 60 assists for the first time in franchise history since Pavel Datsyuk had 65 in 2008-09. But! He’s not even a top-two scorer on the team – most of his assists are going to Larkin and DeBrincat who both eclipse Raymond’s 31-goals mark.
Prediction 2 – Where the (perhaps surprising) improvement comes from is team defense. While I believe that the penalty kill can ONLY improve (League-worst 70.1%, the fourth-worst penalty kill in NHL history), there will be notable improvement at even strength as well, yielding a +15-ish goal differential over the season and a 7th or 8th seed in the playoffs with a little room to spare.
Prediction 3 – My first prediction presupposes good health fortune for Larkin, Raymond, and DeBrincat, but only one of these players is top-three on the team in games played this season. The man at the top of that list is obvious, but number 2 is surprising!: Albert Johansson.
NHL Prediction – Joel Quenneville wins the Jack Adams.
KyleWIIM
Prediction 1 – Living the van-Dreamsdyk
Yeah man, I’m going there. I’ve always been fond of JvR for his longevity alone. The dude is pushing close to 20 NHL seasons and has been a consistent contributor for his team(s) the entire time. I have a feeling van Riemsdyk will mesh well with the likes of Dylan Larkin, Patrick Kane, and others. JvR hasn’t notched a 20-goal season in a few years. He’ll break that streak this season with the Red Wings. Mark him down for at least 20.
Prediction 2 – Coach’s Decision
I think we can all agree that the coaching snafu last season buried Detroit. Todd McLellan came in and we saw instant results. A full season under a “details” guy like McLellan could go a long way. Now that coach is settled in, and the players have had time to adjust to his style, I predict Detroit will be one of if not the most improved teams in the NHL this season. That means a playoff berth.
Prediction 3 – “let me in….LET ME INNNNNNNNN”
There will be a player(s) who isn’t on the opening night roster that gets a call-up at some point in the season. That’s automatic, right? Well, I predict that one of those young men won’t be sent back down. He’ll let himself in and he won’t be letting himself out.
NHL Prediction – Superstar Me
I think we’re entering an era of the NHL where teams cozy up to the idea of moving superstars. Maybe not on the same level as the NBA, but I feel the Rantanen trade may have broken the seal, for lack of better words. Mark it down, multiple superstars will be moved during the regular season.
