Through free agency, the draft and the development process, the Detroit Red Wings gained a lot of new roster puzzle pieces to play with in 2024-25. They also lost some pretty big contributors to last season’s picture.

Let’s try to put the pieces together in a way-too-early roster projection.

Who’s Out?

The two biggest losses were forward David Perron to Ottawa and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere to Carolina. Perron was a battle-winning pulse for Detroit, while Gostisbehere quarterbacked a top-10 power play unit.

The Red Wings also lost backup goaltender James Reimer and bottom six scorer Daniel Sprong, who signed respectively with Buffalo and Vancouver. Their contributions might not be as significant as the likes of Perron and Gostisbehere, but they’re holes to fill nonetheless.

Who’s In?

The biggest add this offseason was Vladimir Tarasenko at forward. The sniper spent last season with the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers, winning his second Stanley Cup with the latter right before free agency. His scoring — 55 points in 76 games — is useful for a Detroit team that lost some scoring punch.

One could also argue that goaltender Cam Talbot is an important add, too. Los Angeles’ starter last season, Talbot allowed 2.50 goals against per game last season, which ranked seventh in the league. He also finished with a .913 save percentage that tied for 10th. Those stats came with a Kings team that did a far better job of checking in front of him than he can expect in Detroit, but they are encouraging metrics even if they may regress.

Other adds include defenseman Erik Gustafsson, who projects to run one of the power play units and will probably chip in on a bottom four defense pairing. Defensive forward Tyler Motte should bring tighter checking to the bottom six and penalty kill. Goaltender Jack Campbell, defenseman William Lagesson, and forwards Joe Snively and Sheldon Dries add organization depth.

Who’s Ready?

Detroit’s six NHL drafts under Steve Yzerman have yielded a lot of prospects. Many are nearing readiness for jobs with the big club.

The leading candidates consist of forwards Carter Mazur, Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson. Mazur is a pugnacious winger with a skilled shot, Kasper is a two-way menace and Danielson is a fleet-footed two-way threat. Of the three, it seems as though Mazur and Kasper are the leading candidates for NHL roster spots after playing big roles for Grand Rapids last season. Danielson had a great training camp last season, though, and his blend of skill, speed and defensive responsibility make him an exciting potential roster addition.

On defense, Yzerman has said in no uncertain terms that Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson will be chipping in on the blue line. Edvinsson anchored the second pairing in a late-season call-up last season. Johansson’s promotion is more out of necessity: he can’t go back to the AHL without going through waivers. Forward Jonatan Berggren, who spent last season in the AHL after his rookie season in the NHL, is in the same boat and will be an NHLer if and when he signs his RFA extension this offseason.

The Projection

Given what we know about head coach Derek Lalonde’s tendencies and the combinations that worked well last season, I predict that the roster shapes up approximately to:

Forwards
Line 1: Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Larkin, Patrick Kane
Line 2: Lucas Raymond (RFA), J.T. Compher, Vladimir Tarasenko
Line 3: Michael Rasmussen, Andrew Copp, Christian Fischer
Line 4: Jonatan Berggren (RFA), Joe Veleno, Tyler Motte
Scratched: Sheldon Dries

Defense
Pair 1: Ben Chiarot, Moritz Seider (RFA)
Pair 2: Simon Edvinsson, Jeff Petry
Pair 3: Olli Maatta, Erik Gustafsson
Scratch: Justin Holl

Goaltending
Starter: Cam Talbot
Backup: Alex Lyon
Scratch: Ville Husso

There are a few notes that one probably didn’t expect in this projection. Why, for example, would Lucas Raymond drop to the second line after his 72-point season led Detroit in scoring last season? Or, why would Detroit not call up one of its ripe prospects to get them NHL experience?

To answer these, Raymond proved last season that he can create scoring chances for his line independent of Larkin and DeBrincat. That creates scoring depth that allows others to elevate their own game alongside Larkin. Putting Kane on the first line assumes his offseason training — the first where he can train like an athlete in a long time — brings him closer to the elite level he can perform. Putting Raymond on the second line uses his power scoring game to complement shooter Vladimir Tarasenko.

In the case of the prospects, I don’t think Detroit wants to call up any players just for them to sit in the press box. At a developing age and experience level, players need reps and ice time. Calling up Dries while keeping Mazur, Kasper and Danielson in Grand Rapids helps provide them with these opportunities. They’ll get their NHL games when injuries and absences accumulate, but it doesn’t make sense for them to not play hockey games in the meantime.

As a note, I do believe a roster spot could open up depending on how Berggren performs next season. He was limited to just 12 games last season, spending some of those glued to the bench due to his defensive lapses. Next season will be key for Berggren to prove his long term future with Detroit. He’s going to have to prove he can perform outside of a cushy top six spot, including that he can play sound defense. If he can’t give the Red Wings what they need, it would not be surprising to see him hit the trade rumor mill once again like he did last season. Depending on the action or inaction on any such rumors, this could create a roster spot for one of the Mazur-Kasper-Danielson trio.

What Do Other Projections Expect?

Earlier this week, The Hockey News added a Lineups site, which has an early projection at what the roster might look like.

This projection doesn’t account for one of Patrick Kane or Vladimir Tarasenko playing the left wing, instead elevating Michael Rasmussen to the second line. It’s also very high on Tyler Motte, slotting him in to the third line and bumping Christian Fischer to the fourth. There’s a similarity in Joe Snively being a healthy scratch to Sheldon Dries filling that role, and this difference in name doesn’t change the projection that some AAAA veteran is likely to fill that role.