Red Wings' Ondrej Becher: Overage prospect heading to Motown
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Becher was the 80th overall pick by the Red Wings in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
An overage player with a February 2004 birthday, Becher had gone undrafted in the past, making this a surprise pick. He had a huge year for WHL Prince George, producing 32 goals and 96 points in 58 games. He also generated 10 points in seven outings for Czechia at the World Juniors. The draft history for overage players isn't great, but the Wings saw something they liked in Becher to pull the trigger at this point.
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Red Wings' Max Plante: Hard worker taken No. 47
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Plante was the 47th overall pick by the Red Wings in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
The son of Derek Plante, who played 450 career NHL contests, Max has made a name for himself at the US NTDP as a universally loved energy player with sneaky and underrated offensive abilities. It's impossible not to notice him on the ice. He has the puck a lot, and when he doesn't, he's busting his tail to get it back. Plante looks like a three-to-four-year college guy who can hopefully make enough strides to climb the ranks after turning pro. He is a 2025-26 commit to the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
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Red Wings' Michael Brandsegg-Nygard: Makes history in first round
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Brandsegg-Nygard was the 15th overall pick by the Red Wings in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft on Friday.
Brandsegg-Nygard is a Norwegian buzz saw and the first-ever first rounder taken from his country. His skills are solid -- nothing really pops except his shot, which would grade out as a plus. But when coupled with decent size, great compete and smart defensive chops, Detroit has a middle-six winger with an edge who will drive the net and play up the lineup when needed. Brandsegg-Nygard stood out with three goals and two assists in five games at the most-recent World Juniors for a Norwegian team that was sorely outmatched at the tourney. Can he carry an NHL team the same way? Probably not, but he'll be an asset if he can contribute as a gritty, smart, responsible winger (like a T.J. Oshie type) who can get under your skin and score goals.
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Red Wings' Jesse Kiiskinen: Obtained in trade
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Detroit acquired Kiiskinen and a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft from Nashville on Tuesday in exchange for Andrew Gibson.
Kiiskinen accounted for four goals and 10 points in 38 regular-season outings for the Pelicans of Finland's Liiga during the 2023-24 campaign. The Predators selected the 18-year-old forward with the No. 68 overall pick in 2023 NHL Draft. He is projected to play for HPK in Finland's top league in 2024-25.
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Red Wings' Ville Husso: Ready to rock in 2024-25
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General manager Steve Yzerman said Friday that Husso (lower body) will be ready for the start of the 2024-25 season, Sean Shapiro of EP Rinkside reports.
Husso played only once after Dec. 20, as he suffered a recurrence Feb. 13 when he gave up one goal on seven shots before being removed against the Oilers. He is now considered healthy and is set to battle Alex Lyon for the No. 1 job with the Red Wings next season, though Yzerman did say that he will look at the goalie market come the start of free agency.
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Red Wings' Alex Lyon: Dealing with cut finger
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Lyon suffered a cut finger at the 2024 IIHF World Championship in May, per Sean Shapiro of EP Rinkside.
Lyon was representing the United States in Czechia. He will not require surgery and is expected to be ready for the beginning of training camp in September. Lyon will battle Ville Husso for the top job with the Red Wings in 2024-25 -- Lyon went 21-18-5 with a 3.05 GAA and a .904 save percentage in 44 regular-season appearances in 2023-24.
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Red Wings' Dylan Larkin: Undergoes offseason surgery
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Larkin (upper body) has undergone offseason surgery, but he's expected to be fine for the start of training camp in September, Sean Shapiro of EP Rinkside reports.
Larkin missed eight games in early March, but he returned to finished the regular season with 33 goals, 36 assists, 26 power-play points and 221 shots on goal in 68 appearances. Look for Larkin to center the top line with Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat on his wings next season.
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Red Wings' Albert Johansson: Agrees to one-year deal
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Johansson signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Red Wings on Wednesday.
Johansson had six goals, 21 points and 46 PIM in 66 regular-season contests with AHL Grand Rapids in 2023-24. He also registered three assists in nine playoff appearances with the minor-league squad. The 23-year-old blueliner was taken with the No. 60 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.
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Red Wings' Jakub Rychlovsky: Secures entry-level deal
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Rychlovsky penned a two-year, entry-level contract with Detroit on Monday.
Rychlovsky has spent his entire career playing for Bili Tygri Liberec in Czechia, including racking up 26 goals and 20 assists in 51 games this season. By signing his entry-level deal, the 22-year-old winger seems poised to make the transition to North America next season -- though he likely will have to start his career in the minors with AHL Grand Rapids before getting a crack at the Red Wings roster.
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Red Wings' Alex Lyon: Suffers injury with Team USA
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Lyon sustained an apparent hand injury while playing for the United States at the 2024 IIHF World Championship.
Lyon has returned to the US to undergo further evaluation and will not participate in the tournament any further. The netminder figures to be in a battle with Ville Husso for the starting job in Detroit next season, assuming he doesn't miss any significant time.
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Red Wings' Axel Sandin Pellikka: Signs entry-level contract
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Sandin Pellikka signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Detroit on Monday.
Sandin Pellikka generated 10 goals and 18 points in 39 games with Skelleftea AIK of the SHL during the 2023-24 regular season. He also earned two goals and five assists in 14 playoff outings en route to helping his team become SHL champions. The Red Wings selected the 19-year-old blueliner with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Sandin Pellikka could get a long look at training camp in the fall before potentially being loaned back to his Swedish team. He could also spend most of 2024-25 in the AHL with Grand Rapids.
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Red Wings' Dylan Larkin: Unavailable for World Championship
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Larkin won't represent Team USA at the 2024 IIHF World Championship because of an undisclosed injury, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Larkin will use the offseason to recover instead, which should put him on track to be available for training camp in the fall. He finished the 2023-24 season with 33 goals and 69 points in 68 appearances.
Gibson signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Red Wings on Sunday.
Gibson had 12 goals and 44 points with the Soo Greyhounds in the OHL last season. Detroit's second-round pick in 2023 isn't likely to offer much offensive production, though he could develop into a steady defensive presence. Gibson will likely open the 2024 campaign with AHL Grand Rapids.
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Red Wings' Dylan Larkin: Sets bar higher in ninth season
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Larkin finished with more points than games played for the first time in his nine-year career, adding 33 goals and 36 assists -- with 26 of those points on the power play -- across 68 contests in 2023-24.
A fierce competitor, Larkin fought to the bitter end of the regular season, and had it not been for the captain's late-season surge -- including two goals and five assists in the final four games -- the Wings wouldn't have had even the slightest hope for a playoff berth in those final moments of the 2023-24 campaign. Larkin appeared in five playoff games as a rookie in 2016, but the Wings haven't returned to the postseason since then. Staying healthy and solidifying his chemistry with Alex DeBrincat on the top line will be crucial steps in getting Larkin where he needs to be from both a fantasy standpoint and in terms of his playoff aspirations.
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Red Wings' Olli Maatta: Caps off productive campaign
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Maatta posted four goals, 14 assists, 96 blocked shots and a team-leading plus-14 rating through 72 games this season.
Maatta didn't post the type of stat that would enthrall the masses in fantasy hockey but was efficient for a retooled Red Wings blue line that desperately needed more cohesion and consistency. The 2024-25 campaign will be a contract year for Maatta before potentially being able to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent.
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Red Wings' Jake Walman: Robust totals in abbreviated season
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Walman finished the season with a career-high 21 points (12 goals, nine assists) to complement 42 hits and 151 blocked shots through 63 games.
Walman was bogged down by an illness in January, and a lower-body issue limited him to two games in the season's final month. But when healthy, Walman surfaced with a series of special moments. The skilled defenseman surged to a three-point performance while facing the Predators in the penultimate contest of 2023, and his penalty-shot goal in overtime against the Canucks on Feb. 11 roused the home crowd. Walman's industrious style of play makes him a good fit in Detroit, though he may be a bit too injury-prone to stay on fantasy rosters for a sustained period.
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Red Wings' Christian Fischer: Discouraging finish in Motown
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Fischer completed his debut campaign with the Red Wings, adding five goals, 14 assists and 138 hits through 79 games. He was neutral in the plus-minus category.
Despite a bottom-six role, Fischer has proven that he's capable of providing a decent amount of offense, but his production screeched to a halt at a time when the Red Wings were desperate in their attempts to clinch a playoff berth. Fischer was held without a point for the final 12 games, failing to provide ancillary scoring for the Original Six club that failed to qualify for the postseason. It could end up being a "one-and-done" stint for Fischer in the Motor City, as the physical winger is a pending unrestricted free agent.
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Red Wings' Ben Chiarot: Caps off well-rounded campaign
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Chiarot finished with five goals, 15 assists, 163 hits and 167 blocked shots for the 2023-24 campaign.
Chiarot averaged 19:47 of ice time in his second season with the Red Wings. He's a serviceable blueliner, albeit not the type that will captivate the masses in fantasy hockey. Chiarot's power-play role was left behind in Montreal when the Habs dealt him to the Panthers in March of 2022, and the Wings have since rendered him more of a stay-at-home style of defenseman. Chiarot is halfway through a four-year, $19 million deal with the Wings, which has a modified no-trade clause baked in there as well.
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Red Wings' Joe Veleno: Improves in fourth year
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Veleno finished with 12 goals, 16 assists and a minus-16 rating through 80 games of the 2023-24 campaign.
Veleno established new career highs for goals and helpers, but that should be taken with a grain of salt, as this was just his fourth year in the league, including a five-game sample in the 2020-21 campaign. When Veleno was drafted in the first round (No. 30 overall) in 2018, the consensus thought among hockey pundits was that the skilled forward would rapidly evolve into a top-six skater with heavy utilization on the power play, but that hasn't materialized. Veleno took a pay cut ahead of last season and ended up with a one-year, $825,000 contract to remain with the Wings. The 24-year-old is set to become a restricted free agent after showing modest improvement this season.
