| Pos | Role | Name |
| C | 1 | Dylan Larkin  ActiveDylan Larkin, who has just returned from the World Cup of Hockey tournament, has added muscle this off-season and seems to be in terrific shape. Larkin, who has put on five pounds of muscle in order to help him withstand the rigors of a long NHL season, is enthusiastic about shifting from wing to center this campaign. "He’s been a center most of his career", said Detroit coach Jeff Blashill. "He learned a lot of important lessons last year on the wing. He got a chance to watch two of the best two-way centers in the history of the game in Pavel and Hank. He’s a fast learner, so I’ve got lots of trust in him. The thing that, to me, that can really separate Dylan is his competitive fire and desire. He wants to prove that he is one of the best players." We don't expect a sophomore jinx from Larkin and wouldn't be surprised if he upped his point totals from 45 to the 60-range in 2016-17. Sep 25 |
| 2 | Frans Nielsen ActiveWings GM Ken Holland feels newly signed forward Frans Nielsen is a 200-foot player. "He’s been in the New York Islanders as a top two-line center," Holland said. "He’s had a lot of responsibility, offensively and defensively, we feel he’s a 200-foot player. He fits the type of player we look for here in Detroit and quality person. We did a lot of checking and talked to a lot of people and everything we got on and off the ice was top notch." The 32-year-old had 20 goals and 52 points in 81 games last season. Jul 3 |
| 3 | Darren Helm ActiveDarren Helm was frustrated towards the end of the 2015-16 campaign due to what he felt was a lack of communication about his role. Helm talked it over with coach Jeff Blashill and GM Ken Holland in June though. "Sometimes I just didn’t feel like the message was relayed to me clearly," Helm said. "I didn’t know if I was moving (lines) because I wasn’t playing well or doing things wrong or matchups. I had lots of talks with Kenny and lots of talks with Blash, and we just opened up a better line of communication between us (Helm and Blashill), and I feel confident things would be a little better between him and I, and we could make things work." Helm signed a five-year, $19.25 million contract with Detroit in July. He's being penciled in to serve as the third-line center. Sep 14 |
| 4 | Luke Glendening ActiveLuke Glendening (ankle) expects to be ready for training camp. "So far, so good," he said. "Hopefully, it will keep turning in the right direction. We've had enough time off; I should be all set." Glendening has skated a few times during the summer after an ankle bone bruise hindered him at the end of 2015-16. Aug 4 |
| LW | 1 | Henrik Zetterberg  SidelinedHenrik Zetterberg (knee) isn't ready to participate in the Red Wings' practices. Zetterberg will be skating on his own as the Red Wings' training camp begins. Red Wings GM Ken Holland previously stated his belief that Zetterberg will be ready for the start of the regular season. Sep 22 |
| 2 | Tomas Tatar ActiveTomas Tatar is playing for a new contract in 2016-17. He will be a restricted free agent after the upcoming season and will be looking to bounce back after he produced 45 points in 81 contests. Tatar could also be part of a trade package for a defenseman, which has been a rumor since the 2015-16 campaign ended. Jul 30 |
| 3 | Anthony Mantha ActiveAnthony Mantha wants to be more intense this season. Mantha played his first 10 NHL games last season, but he knows he needs to be better in certain areas if he wants to stick with the Wings this season. "I just need to be ready, be in my spot, play my game," said Mantha. "I need to be hard on pucks, score a few goals. I need to be a good net-front presence, win my one-on-one battles. It all comes down to being intense and wanting the puck more than I did in the past few years." It would be considered a disappointment if Mantha doesn't stick with the Wings out of training camp this fall. Sep 17 |
| 4 | Teemu Pulkkinen SidelinedTeemu Pulkkinen (shoulder) isn't cleared for full contact as the Red Wings' training camp gets underway. We'll have to see if Pulkkinen ends up getting into preseason contests, but previous indications suggest that he will. If all goes well, he'll be available for Detroit's season opener. Sep 22 |
| 5 | Steve Ott ActiveSteve Ott has signed a one-year contract with Detroit worth $800K. The 33-year-old veteran rebounded for 21 games played after missing most of the season with a nasty hamstring injury. In 2014-15, Ott posted 12 points and 86 PIMs in 78 games for the Blues. Jul 1 |
| 6 | Drew Miller ActiveDrew Miller is ready to battle for a spot on Detroit's roster after recovering from major knee surgery. He underwent the procedure in January and missed the last 40 games of the regular season as well as the playoffs. "Every year you come to camp, that's the discussion," Miller said. "You are always fighting for minutes. I have to prove myself again and show that my knee is ready to go. I do feel I have a spot on this team and that I can contribute." Sep 23 |
| RW | 1 | Gustav Nyquist ActiveGustav Nyquist wants to get back on track this season. "I'm just excited to get back at it and have a good bounce-back year," said Nyquist. "I didn't score enough goals last year and it's something I want to improve. For sure, a part of my game is to score goals and hopefully I'll be able to do that." He scored 28 goals in 2013-14 and 27 markers in 2014-15 before recording just 17 last season. As a result, Nyquist slipped to 43 points in 82 games. Sep 23 |
| 2 | Justin Abdelkader ActiveThere will be eight Detroit Red Wings playing in the World Cup tournament scheduled for mid-September. Justin Abdelkader was added to the U.S. roster on Friday, while Pavel Datsyuk and Alexey Marchenko will pskate for Russia, Petr Mrazek will tend goal for the Czech Republic, Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall will play for Sweden. Other Friday roster additions were Tomas Tatar (Team Europe) and Dylan Larkin (Team North America). May 28 |
| 3 | Riley Sheahan ActiveFormer Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood believes Riley Sheahan can be one of the best third line centers in the NHL. "I think Riley Sheahan -- and I love Riley Sheahan, so I'm not saying that he had a bad year, but I know his potential," Osgood said. "Riley is a strong center. I think we saw it the last month of the season; he played real solid. To me, he has a nice offensive ability, he's responsible defensively, he's really strong. I think if you put him in the right spot, he'll flourish. He'll become one of the best third-line centers in the NHL. And he's getting to be that age now where he's a little more mature. He's played a lot." Sheahan signed a new two-year deal with an AAV of $2.075 million after scoring 14 goals and 25 points in 81 games during the 2015-16 season. Sep 10 |
| 4 | Thomas Vanek ActiveThomas Vanek feels ready to bounce back this campaign. He posted career lows in 2015-16 with 18 goals and 41 points in 74 games with Minnesota last season. The Wild bought out the final year of his contract and he signed with Detroit on the first day of free agency. "I know I can still play the game and score goals. For me the biggest thing was Minnesota just wasn't a good fit," said Vanek. "It is what it is. There's no rhyme or reason for it. It didn't work out. I think being back in the East is going to help me and the way Detroit plays with smaller skilled guys, I think I can get to the front of the net and go to where I'm good at." Sep 19 |
| 5 | Tomas Jurco SidelinedTomas Jurco (back) isn't expected to be available until November. It was reported back in August that Jurco had undergone surgery after sustaining an injury while working out. As recently as last week it was stated that he was more than a month away from recovering so we knew that his situation was far from ideal, but this cements the fact that he'll miss a decent chunk of playing time. He had four goals and six points in 44 contests last season. Sep 22 |
| 6 | Johan Franzen  I.L.Johan Franzen is still dealing with concussion symptoms every couple days. Franzen last played on October 10th. Unfortunately it's not clear if the 36-year-old will ever play again. We wish him the best in his recovery. Apr 21 |
| 7 | Joe Vitale I.L.The Detroit Red Wings have acquired Joe Vitale, the 20th pick, and the 53rd from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Pavel Datsyuk and the 16th overall pick. For Detroit the big thing is shedding Datsyuk's contract as he'll come with a $7.5 million cap hit in 2016-17, but won't play. Vitale only played in one game in 2015-16 due to a concussion and it's not clear if he'll be okay for the start of next season. Jun 24 |
| D | 1 | Niklas Kronwall SidelinedNiklas Kronwall (knee) doesn't know if he will be ready for the start of the regular season. He is disappointed that he has not made better progress with his knee injury. Kronwall wasn't able to play for Sweden at the World Cup of Hockey because of the issue and he dealt with knee problems over the course of the 2015-16 season. Sep 19 |
| 2 | Mike Green ActiveMike Green scored Wednesday night in a 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay in Game 1 of the playoffs. He got the Red Wings on the board in the second period. Green had four shots and a plus-1 rating in 17:02 of ice time. He saw 3:07 of that playing time on the power play, which went 0-for-5 in the defeat. Apr 14 |
| 3 | Danny DeKeyser ActiveDanny DeKeyser has signed a six-year, $30 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings. He averaged 21:48 minutes of ice time per game last season, while contributing eight goals and 20 points in 78 matches. DeKeyser has become a top-four defender for the Red Wings, but he still has work to do before he becomes a viable player in fantasy leagues. Jul 26 |
| 4 | Brendan Smith ActiveBrendan Smith made an impact in his return to the lineup in Game 3 on Sunday. On his first shift of the contest he leveled Tampa Bay's Cedric Paquette with a hard hit in the corner. He finished the game with three hits, two blocks and a plus-1 rating. Sunday's match was his first game since Mar. 26. Apr 18 |
| 5 | Jonathan Ericsson ActiveJonathan Ericsson has been dealing with a hip issue for years, but hopes to avoid surgery on it until his career is over. "It’s going to have its ups and down, and it’s been the biggest issue for me the last few years," Ericsson said. "But the rehab is at least four months, so it’s nothing I want to do in the first place." Ericsson also battles arthritis in that area. He had 15 points and 56 penalty minutes in 71 games last season. Sep 14 |
| 6 | Xavier Ouellet ActiveXavier Ouellet has worked hard over the summer to ensure that he sticks with the Red Wings going into the season. Ryan Sproul and Nick Jensen are out of waiver exemptions as well, but Ouellet is the only one of the three who has NHL experience. "I am really excited to have an opportunity where I'm going to have to perform and find a way to get a spot in the lineup," Ouellet said. With Kyle Quincey gone and Niklas Kronwall banged up, the 23-year-old defender could start the year as a top-six option. If Kronwall is good to go then Ouellet will have to get ahead of Alexey Marchenko on the depth chart to see playing time. Sep 19 |
| 7 | Alexey Marchenko ActiveAlexey Marchenko has undergone wrist surgery. This is mostly just an FYI as he's still expected to be healthy before the start of the World Cup. Marchenko is getting ready to begin a two-year, $2.9 million contract. Jul 6 |
| G | 1 | Petr Mrazek ActivePetr Mrazek stopped 36 of 39 shots in Team Czech Republic's 4-3 win over the United States. Mrazek gave up three goals in this game, but his team never trailed in this contest. The Red Wings goalie finishes the tournament with a 1-0-1 record and a .925 save percentage. Sep 22 |
| 2 | Jimmy Howard ActiveThis was an uncertain summer for Jimmy Howard, but in the end he's still with the Detroit Red Wings. "Not disappointed, that’s for sure," Howard said. "I’m happy I’m here. I didn’t really want to leave in the first place. My family loves it here. I love it here. I have great friends in the (locker) room. I’m happy to be back." There was speculation that the Red Wings would shop Howard this summer due to Petr Mrazek's rise, but nothing came of that. Howard's going to be entering this season with plenty to prove after posting a 2.80 GAA and .906 save percentage in 37 contests last season. Sep 15 |