As injuries mount across the Atlantic Division, the Red Wings have a chance to capitalize with a healthy roster and a string of early-season divisional matchups.
The Detroit Red Wings find themselves in a difficult Atlantic division with many Stanley Cup contenders around them that can be routinely penciled in for a playoff spot and makes things more challenging to break through and make the postseason. The tide may be changing however as many divisional rivals are starting to struggle with health early into the season.
The back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers have suffered major setbacks, losing two key players. Matthew Tkachuk is expected to miss the first few months of the season due to a torn adductor, while team captain Aleksander Barkov could be sidelined for the entire 2025–26 season with a knee injury.
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The injury woes don’t stop there.
The Montreal Canadiens suffered a setback Thursday night, losing key defensemen Noah Dobson and Kaiden Guhle to apparent groin injuries during a preseason game.
In Buffalo, star goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is in doubt for the start of the season, with no clear timetable for his return.
Ottawa is also dealing with injury trouble, as top-six winger Drake Batherson remains sidelined.
Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy is currently out but expected to be ready for opening night, though lingering effects from his issue could carry into the season.
In Toronto, backup goalie Joseph Woll has stepped away from the team due to a family matter, and his return date remains uncertain.
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These injuries to key players on divisional rivals could help the Red Wings get out to a better start than expected in the Atlantic division standings. Detroit currently has all of their opening night starters healthy and ready to go as one of the five teams in the league as of today with no players on the injury report.
The Red Wings begin their season with a tough slate of divisional matchups, facing Montreal, a home-and-home series with Toronto, followed by games against Florida and Tampa Bay. Gaining an early edge in the Atlantic Division by winning the majority of these games would be valuable. While most of the current injuries to key players around the division aren’t expected to last all season, with the possible exception of a longer-term issue in Florida, Detroit has a prime opportunity to capitalize.
A strong start could help them establish early momentum and secure a favorable position in the divisional race as the Red Wings will be working on ironing out their lines and beginning to mold them together while others are trying to make up for the losses.
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