Mar 28, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider (53) celebrates after scoring in the second period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Because it seems as if the Detroit Red Wings have better odds of finding the lost city of Atlantis than a proven goal scorer, maybe it’s time to consider that we are looking at this all wrong.
Maybe the answer to the Red Wings’ problem is to change the question. Instead of asking how the Red Wings can find offense when there are no available scorers, maybe we should be asking whether the squad can improve enough defensively to be in contention for a playoff spot. Last season, the Los Angeles Kings were 29th in scoring and qualified for the playoffs because they were eighth in goals-against.
The Red Wings were 22nd in offense and 13th in goals-against. They didn’t make the playoffs. The question we should be asking if this group is capable of transforming itself into a Top 10 defensive unit.
The true answer is “maybe.” But there is a better chance of that happening than the Minnesota Wild trading them Matthew Boldy or the incoming general manager making a splash by acquiring a 40-goal scorer. Defense is Always King in the NHL Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson are still young enough that they are improving significantly each season. The Red Wings will benefit for the entire season from Justin Faulk’s two-way game.
Albert Johansson is as competitive as anyone on the team. And what if 6-foot-4 rookie defenseman William Wallinder is as steady and effective as scouts believe he can be? This defense could be very good.
If John Gibson plays as impressively as he did last December, the Red Wings will have a chance to be in the race even if they can’t score like the 1980s Edmonton Oilers. Gibson was 25-15-3 with a 2.45 goals-against average and .912 save percentage in his last 44 games. Last season, the league-wide save percentage was .896.
The Red Wings have to believe that the Daniil Tarasov and/or Michal Postava duo will give the team more wins from the backup goalie position than Cam Talbot gave them last season. The other interesting variable is the Red Wings’ expectation that they will be in the frequent hitters club this season, led by newcomer Keegan Kolesar, who has recorded 237 hits for five consecutive seasons.
Marco Kasper and Moritz Seider could be above 180 hits. Youngsters Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Carter Mazur and Emmitt Finnie also will help make the team harder to play against. It’s hard to know how much impact that will have on the standings, but in theory you wear down your opponent if you are constantly delivering body checks.
It does make it harder to score for some when they are worried about being driven through the boards. Everyone knows playing stingy defense will work. We see it every spring in the NHL playoffs.
But it’s hard to know if a team has the requisite mindset to play well defensively until you see them do it night after night. Maybe the Red Wings can transform themselves into that kind of team this season. But just in case, Detroit fans are hoping someone in the organization is working on finding another 30-goal scorer.