When you started to see Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Emmitt Finnie, and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard’s names so late in the preseason, the writing was kind of on the wall. The talented trio are set to make their NHL debut Thursday night against the Montreal Canadiens.
The news was all but sealed when the Red Wings placed defensemen Erik Gustafsson and Justin Holl on waivers. No other NHL team was interested in their services and both cleared waivers earlier today. Holl has been assigned to Grand Rapids while Gustafsson appears to be sticking around for now. I believe there is an open roster spot to facilitate Gus’ stay due to James van Riemsdyk being listed as non-roster. Here’s a look at how the Red Wings listed their 2025-26 regular season roster as of Monday evening:
Read ’em and weep, haters!
Stopping for a moment to come down from Prospect Paradise, there could be some concerns having three rookies in your lineup. The obvious one is experience. Another physicality. Going from the AHL to the NHL at a young age is quite the leap. There will be bumps, there will be bruises, and perhaps someone spends some time in the press box. I am really interested to see how Todd McLellan handles this roster, and what he can make of it.
Anyway. Talk about one hell of a turn from what we all expected, huh? I saw Detroit having at most one rookie on the roster to start the season. If you got the oppotunity to watch any of the preseason games (it was challenging for me!!!), you already know that these three young players earned it. Will they be with the team all season long? Who knows. It’s fun though, and we love fun around here.
Speaking of fun, here’s what lines looked like today at practice, per Max Bultman.
