The Detroit Red Wings continued to trim their roster as the start date of the 2026-27 NHL regular season draws closer.
The Detroit Red Wings have already completed one-fourth of their preseason schedule, and by the end of Tuesday evening, they'll be halfway through.
Following their 1-0 shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday evening, the Red Wings will be back on the ice 24 hours later against the Pittsburgh Penguins. And before their second exhibition contest, they've moved closer to finalizing their roster for the upcoming 2026-27 NHL campaign.
Multiple Detroit players hit the waiver wire, including John Leonard, who was the leading scorer for the American Hockey League affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins last season.
Among the other names waived by the Red Wings are forwards Dominik Shine, Sheldon Dries, Cameron Butler, and defensemen William Lagesson and Jacob Bryson.
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Leonard originally joined the Red Wings on a one-year, $775,000 contract last summer after spending the previous season with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. He later made his Detroit debut in December after leading the AHL with 19 goals through his first 20 games.
He finished the season with two goals and two assists in 11 NHL appearances while leading Grand Rapids with 32 goals and 21 assists in 46 games.
He also added a goal and four assists in eight Calder Cup Playoff games. Following the season, he was given a one-year extension worth $850,000.
Shine, a Michigan native, has spent his entire professional career with the Griffins and was named their captain prior to last season. He made his NHL debut with nine appearances in 2024-25 before scoring three goals in 18 games with Detroit last season.
He also recorded 21 goals in 40 games for Grand Rapids and was Detroit's 2026 Bill Masterton Trophy nominee.
Having played at Western Michigan, Dries went undrafted but has NHL experience with the Colorado Avalanche and Vancouver Canucks. He signed with Detroit in 2024 and scored 23 goals and 45 points in 57 games for Grand Rapids last season. The Red Wings re-signed him to a two-year, two-way deal in February.
Butler also went undrafted and has one NHL game with Columbus, along with time in the Minnesota Wild organization. He signed a one-year, two-way deal with Detroit this offseason.
Lagesson, drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in 2014, has 107 NHL games under his belt, including seven with Detroit in 2024-25. He added three goals and 18 assists in 61 games with Grand Rapids last season.
Bryson, a 2017 pick of the Buffalo Sabres, split last season between the Sabres and Winnipeg Jets before signing a one-year, $850,000 deal with Detroit. He has six goals and 45 assists in 304 NHL games.
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