The curtain lifts on the 2025-2026 National Hockey League season a week from today.
On the second night, Oct. 9, Detroit will celebrate its centennial campaign, as the Red Wings hit the ice at Little Caesars Arena against their Atlantic Division rival Montreal Canadiens.
The regular season will feature a special centennial sweater for the Red Wings that will be worn for more than a dozen home games, including the home opener.
That night will begin with a red carpet walk outside. Once inside the arena, fans will get a centennial rally towel and can check out historical team exhibits and banners featuring a franchise timeline.
Before that, Detroit’s preseason wraps up with a pair of games this week against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Red Wings were established in 1926 as one of the NHL’s Original Six franchises. They were originally known as the Detroit Cougars, then the Falcons, before adopting the Red Wings name in 1932.
While the Red Wings are celebrating their 100th year as a franchise, the festivities may not extend to the playoffs.
Detroit has a franchise-record, nine-year postseason drought, and the skid could continue in the spring.
The team’s best chance to exceed low expectations is for winger Lucas Raymond or defenceman Moritz Seider to suddenly become a superstar.
The Red Wings’ most significant off-season moves were acquiring a backup goaltender, John Gibson, in a trade with Anaheim, and signing the 36-year-old James van Riemsdyk and 29-year-old rugged forward Mason Appleton.
The good: Raymond, Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane and Marco Kasper are scorers the Red Wings can count on.
Seider has not missed a game in his four NHL seasons and has averaged 45 points per year, providing much-needed stability and talent on the blue line.
The 32-year-old Gibson and 38-year-old Cam Talbot give the team a lot of experience in net.
Todd McLellan has 624 career wins, ranking fourth among active NHL coaches, and is entering first full season.
The not-so-good: General manager Steve Yzerman, a beloved Hall of Fame player for the franchise, has not been able to make enough moves to turn around a team he was hired to guide in 2019.
Detroit does not have a superstar, a void the franchise has had since 2012 when four-time Stanley Cup champion and seven-time Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom retired.
When the Red Wings’ top two lines are on the bench, they may struggle to score.
Gibson started the fewest games (28) in a decade last season for the Ducks, and he will have every opportunity to play much more as Detroit’s primary goalie.
Raymond had a team-and-career-high 80 points last season, and the Red Wings desperately needs him to become an all-star for the first time.
Simon Edvinsson, the number six overall draft pick in 2021, showed some promise in his first full NHL season, with seven goals and 24 assists last year.
Patrick Kane, who had 59 points last season, is 32 points away from breaking the NHL’s all-time record for points by a player born in the United States (Hall of Famer Mike Modano, 1,374 points).
