The Detroit Red Wings must spend more money than they have currently committed.
And that’s not just a suggestion – Detroit needs to spend just to be in compliance.
The Red Wings are about $2 million short of reaching the NHL’s $76.9 million salary floor for the 2026-27 season (per PuckPedia) and are one of 10 teams that needs to spend to reach the needed threshold. That’s potentially good news for Red Wings fans, as Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman should have plenty of cap space once NHL free agency begins on July 1.
And with a potential trade of team captain Dylan Larkin incoming, the Red Wings could dramatically reshape what the roster looks like next season.
As it is for every team’s GM, however, Yzerman is limited in what he can spend, with NHL teams under a hard cap. But with that cap surpassing $100 million for the first time next season, Yzerman’s opportunities to improve the roster have grown, if that’s what he chooses to do.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the Red Wings salary cap situation.
Detroit Red Wings 2026-27 salary cap space
All numbers per PuckPedia as of Thursday, June 18.
PuckPedia estimates the Red Wings have about $29 million in cap space heading into the offseason, with about $75 million committed to 19 players. The first order of business for the Red Wings is to spend at least $2 million to get over the league’s salary floor, something they can do by signing restricted free-agent defenseman Simon Edvinsson to a well-deserved new contract, for example.
The next orders of business may get a little trickier, however.
Much of the Red Wings’ offseason strategy is going to depend on how they want to approach Larkin’s trade request. Larkin is scheduled to be the team’s third-highest-paid player next season, although his cap hit of $8.7 million is the highest on the roster (the NHL figures cap hit based on average annual value of a contract, regardless of year-to-year salaries), and with his contract extending to the 2030-31 season, the Wings are under no obligation to trade him.
But with Larkin still playing like a top-line forward on an increasingly team-friendly deal as the years tick off, the Red Wings could also bring in a franchise-shifting haul for their captain this offseason. If this haul is centered on win-now players, the Wings can use some of that cap space to absorb any new salary commitments the deal brings in.
If that deal is centered on draft picks or prospects, however, the Wings may be less inclined to spend money while undergoing another potential rebuild. They’ll still have to spend some money, of course, with franchise pillars Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond under contract until 2031 and 2032, respectively. But it won’t have to be as much money as it would take to build a contender, if that’s the newest wrinkle of Yzerman’s strategy.
Red Wings free agents
The Red Wings have most of their core players signed for the 2026-27 season, including Larkin, Raymond, Seider, forward Alex Debrincat and goalie John Gibson. But there are a few key free agents worth mentioning.
The biggest name among these free agents is 37-year-old Patrick Kane, who has spent the past three seasons in Detroit. Kane has previously said that there was mutual interest for him to return for 2026-27, but a recent report from The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun says that Kane is “mulling things over” despite the team’s continued interest.
After Kane, the next free agent the Wings will likely focus on is Edvinsson, who is a restricted free agent heading into next season. Edvinsson is just 23 years old but was second among Red Wings defensemen with 25 points over 72 games played. If the Red Wings plan on competing for a playoff spot next season, signing Edvinsson seems like a no-brainer, especially with the team having so much cap space heading into free agency.
Veterans James van Riemsdyk, David Perron and Cam Talbot will also be unrestricted free agents heading into next season. The team’s interest in all of these players may be dependent on their appetite to compete for a playoff spot next season, with van Riemsdyk potentially the most likely to return as a playoff-tested winger.
NHL free agency opens on July 1.
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings salary cap space heading into 2026 free agency
Reporting by Christian Romo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Christian Romo, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
