Patrik Laine is still unsigned, and Pierre LeBrun dropped the Red Wings into the conversation Saturday morning.
The line was short. He wonders about Laine as a possible fit in Detroit. That's the whole post.
No terms, no meeting, no agent on record. One insider thinking out loud, which is how plenty of these things start.
The reasoning isn't complicated. Detroit scored 241 goals last season, and that number explains most of the year.
They also gave up 258. A club living on the wrong side of that line doesn't get to be picky about help.
The Red Wings went 41-31-10 for 92 points and landed 16th overall. The worst address on the whole board.
The close was miserable. Three straight losses to finish, including an 8-1 night in Florida.
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Patrik Laine emerges as potential free-agent target for Red Wings
Horcoff was named interim general manager this week. His first days on the job include a free agent rumour and a trade request.
Dylan Larkin asked out, and ownership reportedly refused to move him for futures. That file is still wide open.
He carries the biggest cap hit on that roster at $8,700,000, and he's listed as questionable for the start of the season with an upper body issue.
So a club that won't move its highest paid forward is now floated as a landing spot for another expensive winger. Pick a direction.
The scoring isn't bare, either. Alex DeBrincat put up 85 points and buried 15 of them on the power play.
Lucas Raymond added 76 points on an $8,075,000 cap hit. That's two top six wingers already getting paid.
Which raises the obvious question. Where does a Laine contract actually fit on that sheet?
John Gibson played 57 games and posted a .902 save percentage. The crease was never the disaster in Detroit.
Todd McLellan has run that bench since December 2024. He'd take the help. Any coach would.
So does this turn into anything? Free agent chatter in late September works like the last table at a garage sale. Everything still sitting there has been picked up a few times already.
Horcoff has a roster that needs goals and a fan base that stopped taking his bosses at their word. Whatever he decides, somebody upstairs still gets a vote he probably shouldn't have.
Should Shawn Horcoff sign Patrik Laine before the season opens?
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