The Detroit Red Wings have their 23-man roster. At least for now.
Detroit made its final round of roster moves Monday, assigning goaltender Carter Gylander to the Grand Rapids Griffins while placing defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker on injured reserve retroactive to Sept. 24. Defenseman Andreas Englund was designated as immigration non-roster, while Carter Bear and Chase Stillman were placed on injured non-roster.
That leaves the Red Wings with 14 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders as they prepare to open their 101st season Friday night against the New York Rangers at Little Caesars Arena.
The final roster also provides our clearest look yet at how different these Red Wings could be.
Nate Danielson, Michael Brandsegg-Nygรฅrd, Carter Mazur and Emmitt Finnie are all among the 14 forwards. On defense, Anton Johansson and William Wallinder join Axel Sandin-Pellikka among a suddenly young group surrounding Moritz Seider.
Considering Detroit opened training camp with 49 players and had only four preseason games to sort through them, the organization did not have much time to make these decisions. The compressed camp forced Detroit to move quickly
Anton Johansson Forces His Way Onto the Roster
Perhaps the most interesting name on the entire roster is Johansson.
The 22-year-old entered camp as anything but a lock, but he made himself increasingly difficult to send away. Johansson recorded five assists over a two-game stretch during the preseason, including four against Pittsburgh, and Todd McLellan acknowledged that the young defenseman had outplayed his competition for a roster spot.
That performance had already opened the door for Johansson to make the team. Now he is officially one of seven defensemen remaining on the active roster.
That is a pretty good way to win a job.
Danielson sticking around is also significant. McLellan revealed earlier in camp that the former No. 9 overall pick would have made Detroitโs roster last season if not for an injury. This time, Danielson made it through camp healthy and is positioned to begin the season in Detroit.
Brandsegg-Nygรฅrd, Finnie and Mazur surviving the final cuts gives Detroit even more youth up front.
Simon Edvinsson Remains the Giant Asterisk
There is one rather large name missing from the 23-man roster: Simon Edvinsson.
Edvinsson remains a restricted free agent, meaning Detroitโs roster construction could change as soon as the two sides finally reach an agreement.
Interim general manager Shawn Horcoff has already called signing Edvinsson a priority and described the 23-year-old defenseman as a major part of Detroitโs future. More recently, reporting indicated the Red Wings could be leaning toward a shorter bridge contract rather than immediately signing Edvinsson to a long-term extension. The Edvinsson contract remains unresolved
Until that changes, Detroitโs seven-man defensive group is Seider, Ben Chiarot, Justin Faulk, Albert Johansson, Sandin-Pellikka, Wallinder and Anton Johansson.
That is hardly what anyone would have penciled onto a depth chart six months ago.
Detroit Red Wings 2026-27 Roster
Forwards
| # | Player | Pos. | Shoots | Height | Weight | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Andrew Copp | C | L | 6-1 | 200 | Ann Arbor, MI |
| 22 | Mason Appleton | C | R | 6-2 | 193 | Green Bay, WI |
| 23 | Lucas Raymond | LW | R | 5-11 | 188 | Gothenburg, Sweden |
| 27 | Michael Rasmussen | C | L | 6-6 | 220 | Surrey, BC |
| 28 | Michael Brandsegg-Nygรฅrd | RW | R | 6-1 | 205 | Oslo, Norway |
| 29 | Nate Danielson | C | R | 6-2 | 196 | Red Deer, AB |
| 33 | Viktor Arvidsson | LW | R | 5-10 | 181 | Skellefteรฅ, Sweden |
| 34 | Carter Mazur | LW | R | 6-1 | 200 | Jackson, MI |
| 37 | J.T. Compher | LW | R | 6-0 | 192 | Northbrook, IL |
| 55 | Keegan Kolesar | RW | R | 6-2 | 218 | Brandon, MB |
| 58 | Emmitt Finnie | C | L | 6-2 | 196 | Lethbridge, AB |
| 71 | Dylan Larkin | C | L | 6-1 | 198 | Waterford, MI |
| 92 | Marco Kasper | C | L | 6-1 | 203 | Innsbruck, Austria |
| 93 | Alex DeBrincat | RW | R | 5-8 | 177 | Farmington Hills, MI |
Defensemen
| # | Player | Pos. | Shoots | Height | Weight | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Ben Chiarot | D | L | 6-3 | 224 | Hamilton, ON |
| 20 | Albert Johansson | D | L | 6-0 | 200 | Karlstad, Sweden |
| 42 | Anton Johansson | D | R | 6-4 | 203 | Stockholm, Sweden |
| 44 | Axel Sandin-Pellikka | D | R | 6-0 | 189 | Gรคllivare, Sweden |
| 53 | Moritz Seider | D | R | 6-4 | 211 | Zell, Germany |
| 54 | William Wallinder | D | L | 6-5 | 210 | Sollefteรฅ, Sweden |
| 72 | Justin Faulk | D | R | 6-0 | 209 | South St. Paul, MN |
Goaltenders
| # | Player | Pos. | Catches | Height | Weight | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | John Gibson | G | L | 6-3 | 209 | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 80 | Daniil Tarasov | G | L | 6-5 | 204 | Novokuznetsk, Russia |
Injured Reserve
| # | Player | Pos. | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Jacob Bernard-Docker | D | Injured Reserve |
Immigration Non-Roster
| # | Player | Pos. | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Andreas Englund | D | Immigration Non-Roster |
Restricted Free Agent
| # | Player | Pos. | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77 | Simon Edvinsson | D | Restricted Free Agent |
Injured Non-Roster
| # | Player | Pos. | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Carter Bear | LW | Injured Non-Roster |
| 49 | Chase Stillman | RW | Injured Non-Roster |
Now We Find Out What the Kids Can Do
There are still moving parts here. Edvinssonโs eventual contract could force another transaction, Bernard-Docker can return from injured reserve, and an NHL roster written in late September tends to have roughly the shelf life of milk left in a hot car.
But this is Detroitโs group today.
And for a franchise that has spent years talking about prospects eventually becoming NHL players, โeventuallyโ appears to have finally arrived.
Danielson is here. Brandsegg-Nygรฅrd is here. Sandin-Pellikka is here. Wallinder is here. Anton Johansson is here. Finnie and Mazur are here.
Now comes the considerably more important part.
The Red Wings open their 101st season Friday, Oct. 2, against the New York Rangers at Little Caesars Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET.
It is time to see whether all that youth can help Detroit finally take the step it has spent years chasing.
