As the Detroit Red Wings hit the quarter mark of the 2025-26 NHL regular season, they find themselves right in the mix of the Atlantic Division and the playoff hunt. They have seen plenty of players who have stood out in a positive manner, but have also seen some who have failed to live up to their expectations early on this season.
High Honors
Alex Debrincat
2025-26 stats: 20 games played, nine goals, 14 assists, 23 points
After being snake-bitten early on in the season, Alex DeBrincat has gotten his goal-scoring on track. His move up to the top line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond has paid massive dividends for the Red Wings, as the three have been unstoppable, it seems. Even when DeBrincat was not scoring early on, he was making a difference on the ice and has become a strong two-way player so far this season. There is still a solid chance he could push to become the first Red Wing to hit the 40-goal mark in a season since Marian Hossa did so in the 2008-2009 season.
Grade: A+
Emmitt Finnie
2025-26 stats: 20 games played, five goals, four assists, nine points
The surprise out of this year’s training camp was the play and inclusion of Emmitt Finnie on the opening night roster. He immediately made an impact in the lineup with his work ethic and nonstop energy on the ice. He plays the game hard every shift and is all over the ice while showing no hesitation to get involved in the physical aspect of the game. He started strong offensively, but has plateaued a bit as of late. Even with that being said, the overall game and performance from the 2023 seventh-round pick bode very well going forward. He has shown the ability to play up or down in the lineup, which the team will need to help generate production across all four lines.
Grade: A
Dylan Larkin
2025-26 stats: 20 games played, 12 goals, 12 assists, 24 points
The captain continues to be the leader on the ice for the Red Wings. Dylan Larkin has led the way not only in the offensive zone with his point production but also with his all-around game. He could easily end up at the 40-goal mark himself this season and is on pace to set career-highs across the board offensively. He has been the team’s most consistent faceoff taker and has been a constant in every situation. He leads all forwards in ice-time, averaging just north of 20 minutes a game, and his motor just never seems to stop running. With the man wearing the “C” on his jersey leading the way and playing some of, if not the best, hockey he has had in his career, the Red Wings have ridden his play to their strong start.
Grade: A+
Lucas Raymond
2025-26 stats: 18 GP- six goals, 16 assists, 22 points
Raymond continues to show more and more signs of being on the verge of becoming a superstar in the league. He is playing with a lot more speed in his game and has been all over the ice, making plays with or without the puck. After hitting a drought in the middle part of the opening 20 games, he has broken out with multi-point games in the last four games and has really gotten himself going alongside DeBrincat and Larkin.
Grade: A+
Moritz Seider
2025-26 stats: 20 games played, two goals, 10 assists, 12 points
Seider continues to be the model of consistency from the backend of the ice for the Red Wings. He plays such a smooth defensive game, mixed in with his typical physical play. The impressive part of his play is that, even with how physical he is, he stays out of the penalty box well. He has only 14 penalty minutes to this point while also leading all skaters in ice time at 25:03 a game. If his offensive game can continue to stay at the pace it has so far, he could be looking at a career year.
Moritz Seider continues to be a model of consistenct defensively for the Detroit Red Wings (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
Grade: A
Cam Talbot
2025-26 stats: 8-2-0, 2.64 goals-against average (GAA), .897 save percentage (SV%)
The expectation when the Red Wings traded for John Gibson at the 2025 Draft was that he would create a one-two punch with Cam Talbot. But to this point, Talbot has been the better of the two netminders and has helped the team steal a few games early on. With Gibson having a bit of a struggle to his start as a Red Wing, seeing Talbot take over the reins and step up has been a big shot in the arm for the team early on.
Grade: A
Honors
Mason Appleton
2025-26 stats: 20 games played, three goals, five assists, eight points
Appleton continues to look like a major underrated free agent signing by general manager (GM) Steve Yzerman. When injuries have popped up early, he has shown the ability to fill a top-six role for the team and has performed well when called upon. He brings some flair and physicality to the lineup that it seemed to miss at times last season. The only downside to his season so far is that he has not been able to produce much while in the bottom half of the lineup.
Grade: B+
Ben Chiarot
2025-26 stats: 20 games played, one goal, three assists, four points
After a rough start to his time with the Red Wings in the 2022-23 season following signing with the organization as a free agent, Chiarot has looked more solid the last two seasons. He has been a solid partner for rookie Axel Sandin-Pellikka. He may not chip in a ton offensively, but being defensively sound and throwing his weight around has helped out immensely this season.
Grade: B+
Simon Edvinsson
2025-26 stats: 20 games played, three goals, three assists, six points
For the most part, Edvinsson has played a solid game at both ends of the ice. He has taken on the top-pairing spot with Seider, and they have formed a legit top pairing for the team. The only downsides to his game so far have been lapses in judgment on plays in the defensive zone and, at times, his pace of play. This is expected from a still young defenseman, and as the season progresses further, these kinks should be worked out to further solidify himself as the top-pair defenseman that the organization expects him to be.
Grade: A-
Albert Johansson
2025-26 stats: 20 games played, zero goals, two assists, two points
The mainstay of the bottom pairing of defensemen, Johansson has had a solid season from his spot in the lineup. He does not stand out in a negative way, and while his offensive numbers have not matched his play, he has still been impactful for the Red Wings while rolling with two different defensive partners through 20 games.
Grade: B+
Patrick Kane
2025-26 stats: 11 games played, three goals, six assists, nine points
An injury early on has limited Kane to only 11 games, and in those games he missed, it was noticeable. He is still a player who can make a play at any time with the puck on his stick and has been great on the power play for the Red Wings. He has gone a bit quiet lately with his production, but it is only a matter of time before he starts putting up the points again. Playing at the level he is at, given his age, injury history, and surgery history, is nothing short of impressive. The hope is that he can remain in the lineup and continue to be a key contributor for the team.
Grade: B+
Axel Sandin-Pellikka
2025-26 stats: 20 games played, two goals, four assists, six points
Sandin-Pellikka has been exactly what the organization and fans expected after a few years of hearing the hype surrounding him. He plays with great poise on the ice and has great skating ability with and without the puck on his stick. He has shown no problem getting involved in the offensive play, whether it is jumping into the zone or making a play from the point. He recently got bumped up to the top power-play unit and has brought a bit more life and movement to it. The biggest shortcoming to this point has been his size and the growing pains of being a young defenseman.
Grade: A-
Players the Red Wings Need More From
John Gibson
2025- 26 stats: 4-5-1, 3.32 GAA, .875 SV%
Gibson has shown flashes of the goaltender he was during his time with the Anaheim Ducks, but his play has not been consistent enough. He has struggled to make the big saves when the Red Wings need him to, even though there have been times when the team defense in front of him has not been the greatest. Getting on track and playing more consistently will go a long way toward the Red Wings’ long-term success.
Grade: C+
Jacob Bernard-Docker/ Travis Hamonic
Bernard-Docker’s 2025-26 stats: 10 games played, zero goals, one assist, one point
Hamonic’s 2025-26 stats: 11 games played, zero goals, one assist, one point
When Bernard-Docker was signed in the offseason, the hope was that the young defenseman could establish himself as a bottom-pair defenseman and build himself into a strong position going forward. He has not played awful when in the lineup, but to this point has not been able to lock down that final spot on the third-pair with Johansson.
Hamonic was a bit of a surprise signing in the offseason, and he, like Bernard-Docker, has not been able to lock down that final defenseman spot. The veteran has brought a bit of physicality and edge to the lineup, but he has also struggled defensively more than Bernard-Docker has.
Grade for both players: C
Andrew Copp/ JT Compher
Copp’s 2025-26 stats: 20 games played, one goal, seven assists, eight points
Compher’s 2025-26 stats: 20 games played, three goals, three assists, six points
Both Copp and Compher have remained solid on the penalty kill together, but they have lacked consistency offensively. With the money both players are owed on their contracts, bringing some extra secondary scoring to the lineup would be massive for the roster. Relying too much on the top two lines is only going to get the Red Wings so far in an 82-game season.
Grades for both players: C–
Marco Kasper
2025-26 stats: 20 games played, three goals, zero assists, three points
Coming into the season, there were hopes that Kasper could take the next jump in his offensive game and become a major contributor for the Red Wings. To this point in the season, that has not been the case. With only three goals in 20 games, he is another player who needs to step up his production to help alleviate the workload of the top six in the lineup. He has looked a lot better in his third-line role alongside rookie Nate Danielson, and there is hope that he can get himself going. Outside of his production, Kasper has been a pest on the ice and has not let the lack of offense impact the rest of his game.
The Detroit Red Wings need Marco Kasper to step his game up after struggling offensively to start the season. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Grade: C
James van Reimsdyk
2025-26 stats: 15 games played, one goal, one assist, two points
A veteran that Yzerman brought in over the offseason, van Reimsdyk has filled his bottom-six role fairly well. He has brought grit to the bottom half of the lineup, but has not been able to produce offensively. Getting him to chip in, much like the rest of the bottom six, will be imperative if the Red Wings want to make the playoffs come the end of the season.
Grade: C-
Related: Red Wings’ 3rd Pairing Is Better With Jacob Bernard-Docker
Jonatan Berggren/ Michael Rasmussen
Berggren’s 2025-26 stats: 12 games played, two goals, four assists, six points
Rasmussen’s 2025-26 stats: 18 games played, two goals, three assists, five points
Both Berggren and Rasmussen have struggled to take the opportunities they have been given this season and run with them. There have been times that they have shown flashes, but for the most part, they have not been able to do enough to help the Red Wings’ lineup. Both players are reaching the point that a change of scenery may be the best course of action.
Grade: D
Too Early to Tell
Nate Danielson
2025-26 stats: Five games played, one goal, one assist, two points
After being called up at the beginning of November, Danielson has progressively seemed to get more comfortable on the ice. His two-way game has stood out right from the first time he was on the ice, but his offensive game has really began to pick up and his confidence seems to be growing with every shift he takes. If he can continue to play his all-around game and chip in some offensive production, it will be a much welcomed thing in the lineup for the Red Wings.
Plenty to Like So Far
While there are certainly things that need to be cleaned up and kinks to be worked out, the Red Wings find themselves in a good spot 20 games into the 2025-26 season. The biggest thing for the rest of the season is getting more help from the bottom-six of the forward lines and getting more consistent goaltending out of Gibson. If things line up the way everyone hopes, the playoff drought could soon be coming to an end and playoff hockey will once again be played in Hockeytown.
