With training camp for the 2025-26 NHL season still about two months away, numerous free agents from all position groups are yet to receive contract offers. Among those seeking new deals are several former Detroit Red Wings players who recently played for the team.
One notable name Red Wings fans remember well is Robby Fabbri, who spent the past season with the Anaheim Ducks. Fabbri was traded from Detroit in exchange for a conditional 2025 fourth-round draft pick. His three-year, $12 million contract, signed in 2022, expired this offseason. Unfortunately, injuries have frequently hampered Fabbri’s NHL career, limiting him to just 44 games last season where he recorded eight goals and eight assists. In November, he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and later missed more time due to an upper-body injury.
Fabbri was a valuable pickup by Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman during the challenging 2019-20 season, finishing fourth on the team with 14 goals. In his final season with Detroit (2023-24), he achieved a career-high tally with 18 goals in 68 games.
Other Red Wings players who are currently without contracts include Tyler Motte and Craig Smith, both acquired in a March trade with Chicago that also involved Petr Mrazek. Motte, signed on a one-year deal, scored four goals and added five assists in 55 games, while Smith contributed two assists in 19 games post-trade.
Daniel Sprong, who notched 18 goals with Detroit in 2023-24, had a whirlwind season in 2024-25. He started with the Vancouver Canucks, was traded to the Seattle Kraken after nine games, reassigned to the AHL, then traded to the New Jersey Devils. Sprong played only 30 NHL games last season, scoring two goals and five assists.
Luke Glendening, aged 36, spent the first eight NHL seasons with the Red Wings before splitting time last season between the Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning, where he scored four goals and three assists in 77 games.
Other former Red Wings still well-known among fans include Brendan Smith, Jakub Vrana, and Krim Kostin.
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Fan Take: This free agency update is crucial for hockey enthusiasts as it highlights the shifting landscape of familiar players and their potential new roles, impacting team dynamics and league competitiveness. It also emphasizes the unpredictability in players’ careers due to injuries and trades, making the upcoming season’s storylines even more compelling for fans.
