RED WINGS SEASON IN REVIEW - Detroit 2025/2026 Recap - Apr. 19th, 2026
Winged Wheel Podcast - A Detroit Red Wings Podcast
Winged Wheel Podcast
4.9 • 968 Ratings
🗓️ 20 April 2026
⏱️ 117 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
We couldn't wait for Steve Yzerman any longer. This Detroit Red Wings podcast breaks down the 2025-26 season in review as Hockeytown misses the playoffs yet again. Full season analysis, grades for every forward, defenseman, & goalie, & reviews on McLellan, Yzerman, & what went wrong.
(0:00) Intro
Jim Rutherford's wild presser throwing Patrik Allvin under the bus and why he should hold a press conference every morning.
(5:35) Season in Review Intro & DeBrincat and Raymond
Setting the table for the annual grading episode - forwards, defense, goalies, coaching, and special teams. Alex DeBrincat's 41 goal season to lead the Red Wings forwards. Plus, the Lucas Raymond shoulder injury that quietly defined his 76-point season.
(17:05) Dylan Larkin's Complicated Season
Larkin's 34 goal campaign, the non-contact knee injury after Olympic gold, and the five-on-five drought that hurt Detroit most.
(26:20) Kane, Copp, and Finnie
Patrick Kane defeating Father Time next to DeBrincat. Andrew Copp's finishing issues as the emergency 2C, and Emmitt Finnie earning a full 82 as a seventh-round rookie.
(44:35) Kasper's Sophomore Slump
Marco Kasper's "lost golf swing", what it means for the second-line center hole, and whether the offensive ceiling is a real concern.
(49:20) JVR, Compher, Appleton, Rasmussen
The "jersey" problem - who should be back, who shouldn't, & why J.T. Compher's contract is the most frustrating watch on the roster.
(1:07:55) Defense Breakdown
Moritz Seider's Norris-worthy season & Simon Edvinsson's RFA extension looming. Axel Sandin Pellikka's rookie year, how the Justin Faulk trade panned out on ice. Plus, the Hamonic/Holl/Gustafsson mess.
(1:29:50) Goaltending and Team Grade
John Gibson's nuclear December, Cam Talbot's rough year, what Sebastian Cossa's runway is like, and a D for Disappointment across the board.
(1:42:35) NHL News and Notes
Draft lottery odds on the St. Louis pick, John Leonard's extension, and takeaways from player exit interviews before Steve Yzerman speaks.
(1:47:10) Overtime: Patron Questions
Cossa vs. Trey Augustine in a hypothetical trade, Kasper vs. Nate Danielson, and who we're rooting for in the playoffs.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Wingwheel podcast, the number one source for news, analysis, and discussion on the Detroit Red Wings, the NHL, and all things hockey. |
| 0:19.2 | Here are your hosts, Ryan Hanna, |
| 0:21.5 | Brad Criscoe, and Evan Lopsinger. |
| 0:28.8 | I hope Rutherford never retires, man. |
| 0:32.1 | I love that guy so much. |
| 0:34.9 | And if you're a Vancouver fan listening to this, |
| 0:36.6 | I am sorry. I'm deeply sorry because |
| 0:38.6 | there's very few organizations that have worse vibes right now than the Red Wings and Vancouver |
| 0:43.7 | is absolutely one of them. So I know this is infuriating to hear, but that guy is just, as long |
| 0:48.7 | as you're completely neutral on him, 100% dial turned to 11 entertainment every time he gets in front of him, Mike. |
| 0:58.5 | He should, it should be the league mandate that he holds a press conference every morning. |
| 1:05.3 | Yes. |
| 1:06.5 | Just, just check. Hey, Jim, just checking in. It's up. It's up today. And then just let him roll. |
| 1:10.9 | Like, he, and he'll just like gaslight. He'll lie. He'll tell the truth on things that he absolutely should not have told the truth on. It's like, Jim, why would you say that, bud? You got to keep that one to yourself. But man, is it pure, pure entertainment? |
| 1:25.6 | If you took 10 hockey fans, |
| 1:28.3 | how many of them do you think would know that Patrick Alvin was the GM? |
| 1:34.1 | If they were Canadian, I would say seven. |
| 1:38.2 | But non-Canadian fans, |
| 1:41.5 | so they wouldn't really be too overe too over exposed to the Canadian franchises. |
| 1:45.8 | I would, maybe like three. I think this is one of those ones where the more diehard the fan, |
| 1:50.4 | the more likely they think Rutherford's the gym, because they just see him and read him all the time. |
| 1:54.8 | The casual hockey fan who just checks the team's website every once in a while might actually |
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