Check out the latest on the Red Wings, Islanders, and Kraken in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
MLIVE.COM: Ansar Khan looked at what led to the latest collapse by the Detroit Red Wings, and how they can remedy it.
Topping the list is the Red Wings’ need for an elite scoring forward. Khan believes they should be aggressive in this summer’s trade market. He suggested pursuing a center such as Robert Thomas of the St. Louis Blues or Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks.
Should the Detroit Red Wings pursue St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas? (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Red Wings have over $30 million in projected salary-cap space for 2026-27 with 18 active roster players under contract. Defenseman Simon Edvinsson is their only core player in need of a contract. He’s a restricted free agent coming off his entry-level contract.
The Wings have sufficient cap space to re-sign Edvinsson, add a scoring forward, and still have enough to fill out the roster.
Thomas and Pettersson were linked to the Red Wings in the rumor mill before last month’s trade deadline. Of the two, Thomas would be the more desirable. He’s been a more reliable point producer over the past three seasons and carries a more affordable contract than Pettersson. However, Pettersson might be more willing to accept a trade given his struggles in Vancouver.
Khan believes they must upgrade their bottom-six forwards. He also recommends finding a reliable second-line center.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Acquiring a first-line center such as Thomas could resolve that need for a second-line center. They could drop team captain Dylan Larkin into that role.
DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Bob Duff believes the Red Wings must move away from signing free agent veterans as they’ve done in recent years. He feels they should give more playing time to their promising youngsters.
Duff believes goaltender Sebastian Cossa, defenseman William Wallinder, and forward Amadeus Lombardi are locks to start next season with the Red Wings because they are no longer exempt from waivers after this season. He would also like to see youngsters such as Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Emmitt Finnie, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Nate Danielson, and Curtis Mazur given more opportunities.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Those decisions rest with Red Wings management. Whether it’ll be Steve Yzerman or someone else remains to be seen.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Adam Proteau offered up his post-mortem of the New York Islanders following their recent elimination from playoff contention.
Proteau singled out their popgun offense as the main factor that prevented them from clinching a postseason berth. They have the eighth-fewest goals-per-game average (2.81), with only three players (Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat, and rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer) having more than 42 points.
The Islanders have $14.3 million in projected cap space for next season. If GM Mathieu Darche re-signs captain Anders Lee, they won’t have enough to be major players in the free-agent market. Proteau believes Darche will have to make trades to improve their scoring punch for next season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Proteau pointed out that the Islanders have promising young talent in their system, and they have their own first-round picks in each of the next three drafts. While that bodes well for their long-term future, Darche might have to use some of those picks and prospects as trade chips to address his club’s more immediate needs.
THE SEATTLE TIMES: Matt Calkins believes the Kraken have little choice but to stage a rebuild. Five years after their inaugural season, they reached the playoffs in their second season, but have struggled to return to the postseason.
Meanwhile, the Kraken are being overshadowed by the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, the improving Seattle Mariners, and the possibility of a returning NBA franchise. The Kraken lack a star player, and they’re among the NHL’s lowest-scoring teams, which forces them to play a less-exciting defensive style.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Calkins noted that Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke has called for an organization-wide audit while Ron Francis recently stepped down as team president.
General manager Jason Botterill has only been in his job for a year, but he was Francis’ right-hand man from 2021 until last year. He was also the Buffalo Sabres GM from 2017 to 2020, so he has plenty of experience. It remains to be seen if Leiweke will entrust Botterill with a rebuild.
The Kraken aren’t a horrible team. In fact, their defensive style kept them in the playoff hunt for most of this season before fading down the stretch. Like the Islanders, their lack of scoring punch is their Achilles heel.
With over $28.7 million in projected cap space for 2026-27 and 21 active roster players signed, the Kraken have the room to add to their roster. They could re-sign recently-acquired winger Bobby McMann to a new contract, but they’ll still need to shop around to find more scoring.
The lack of depth in the free-agent market could see them turn to the trade market for an offensive star. They have the trade capital to get it done, with two first-round picks in the next two drafts and a prospect pipeline ranked seventh overall by The Athletic. There’s enough there to use some for trade chips without sacrificing most of their future.