For the last 23 years (12 with The Hockey News), Dobber and his team have reviewed each team from a fantasy hockey standpoint and graded them.

The 24th annual review will appear here on Dobber Hockey throughout the summer. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey, both for the season ahead as well as the foreseeable future.

Offensively, will the team perform? Are there plenty of depth options worthy of owning in keeper leagues? What about over the next two or three years? These questions are considered when examining the depth chart and evaluating the potential of the players on it.

Enjoy!

** Be sure to pick up your copy of the 2026-2027 Fantasy Hockey Guide **

Gone – Patrick Kane, David Perron, James van Reimsdyk, Sebastian Cossa, Cam Talbot

Incoming – Viktor Arvidsson, Keegan Kolesar, Jacob Bryson, Daniil Tarasov

Impact of Changes

Replacing the aging group of Kane, Perron, and JVR with Arvidsson, Kolesar, and some internal competition is likely a small improvement at even strength, but a downgrade on the power play. 

Bryson's departure on the blue line barely makes a scratch, and the group will continue to be led by the youngsters, especially in the second half after Justin Faulk is flipped for what the Wings should hope will be a first round pick. 

In net, the main bulk of the work is John Gibson's while Tarasov's arrival gives him a bit more immediate competition than any of the youngsters were likely to provide. That being said, any injury or trade likely opens the door for Michael Postava, who now has some breathing room on the depth chart thanks to the changes. The 24-year-old Czech import is coming off a fantastic season in the AHL, and could be NHL-ready any time now. 

It's also not the kind of changes that Dylan Larkin is going to want to see, which means that despite the change at the GM level, he is likely still wanting to be gone soon, one way or another. 

Ready for Full Time: Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Carter Mazur, Michael Postava

The Red Wings have some openings in the lineup even with everyone healthy, and that's even assuming that Dylan Larkin doesn't decide to hold out waiting for a trade. With that noted, both Mazur and Brandsegg-Nygard have very good chances to make the roster in the fall. Both showed very well offensively in the AHL last year, and are known for being all-around players, meaning they don't just have to win a scoring line role in order to make the team. 

The Red Wings currently have eight defensemen on the roster that played 50 or more games last season, so there isn't room for any newcomers off the bat. After the trade deadline, there could be space for William Wallinder to see a few games, but the 24-year-old doesn't hold much offensive upside so there isn't much fantasy relevance to be found on the blueline that isn't already on the current NHL roster.

In net, with Gibson and Tarasov likely accounting for 80+ starts next season, there isn't much room for Postava, as ready as he may be for the NHL. The 24-year-old has plyed his trade in the Czech Pro leagues for a couple of years, and after his quick transition to the AHL which saw him post a 1.71 GAA and a .937 save percentage, he has shown his upside for solid numbers as a future starter at the NHL level as well. 

Fantasy Outlook

This is a team that finished in the bottom-third for goals scored last season, and lost more offensive talent than they gained. There might be a bit of internal growth to help them hold steady, but at best this would be a 20th overall team in the league on offence, with an average power play. If and when Larkin is traded, that offence won't be replaced right away, and there will be a gaping hole up the middle. There is still value in Lucas Raymond and others further down the draft board, but there is no high-end piece here, and Detroit is suddenly lacking in both the middle of the lineup and in the quality of their depth pieces. 

For those worried about the key remaining piece in Lucas Raymond losing some value after a Larkin trade, you probably don't have to worry. Larkin was Raymond's linemate about 80% of the time in 2025-26, and Raymond scored 75-78% of his points with Larkin on his line (depending on how you include the points from penalty shots or times when it was Raymond and two defensemen on the ice). In a smaller sample size, being separated from Larkin doesn’t seem to affect Raymond's scoring.

On defence, Mortiz Seider is the team MVP, and with both scoring and peripheral numbers, he's a huge fantasy value player too. After Justin Faulk joined the team, Seider's SOG and scoring rates both increased. If he can keep that up for more of the season next year he jumps into the top-five in terms of fantasy value quite easily. However, with Seider leeching all of the value, it holds others like Axel Sandin-Pellikka back, who would need a heavy dose of PP time to be relevant in standard leagues. 

In net, Gibson and Tarasov are entrenched in the starter and backup roles, and should be able to provide similar numbers to last year, though maybe with a handful less wins for Gibson. With a full year of Faulk it could be that the goals against numbers drop a bit as well, especially since the team may need to focus a bit more on defence to win games this year. 

Fantasy Grade: C+ …removing the plus if/when Larkin is traded (last year was a B)