{"id":575890,"date":"2026-05-15T22:54:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T22:54:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/575890\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T22:54:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T22:54:30","slug":"red-wings-forward-lines-could-be-transformed-by-bottom-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/575890\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Wings Forward Lines Could Be Transformed By Bottom 6"},"content":{"rendered":"

The bottom-six of the Detroit Red Wings forward lines were in shambles this season. Plus, the free agency class looks bleak. However, there will be players who could make a significant impact. If the Red Wings bring in the right forwards<\/a>, they could easily surprise, as the Buffalo Sabres<\/a> and Anaheim Ducks did this season.<\/p>\n

Credit Image: \u00a9 Armando L. Sanchez\/Chicago Tribune via ZUMA Press Wire<\/p>\n

The Bottom Six of the Red Wings Forward Lines Could Change the Group\u2019s Narrative<\/p>\n

With hidden gems in a weak free agency class<\/a>, the Red Wings must find players who can play a distinct role. That would help them get the most out of anyone they acquire this summer. All three players below can fall into a single role, and that, in turn, would make Detroit much deeper this season than they were in recent years, starting with a successful reclamation project.<\/p>\n

1 \u2013 Eeli Tolvanen<\/a>, Seattle Kraken<\/p>\n

Eeli Tolvanen found his groove over the past four seasons with the Seattle Kraken. He appeared in 288 games, with 139 points, 67 goals, and a 12.7 shooting percentage. His Corsi For at even strength was just 43.2 in 2025-26, but that shouldn\u2019t scare fans away.<\/p>\n

Tolvanen showed he had the potential to be a dynamic middle-six scorer in 2024-25, when he finished the year with 23 goals. But that wouldn\u2019t be the primary role he\u2019d play in Detroit. Instead Tolvanen would contribute as a sledgehammer that the Red Wings have lacked<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With 703 hits throughout his time with the Kraken, he has averaged 2.44 per game. He\u2019d be a godsend for a team that let opponents bully them way too often in 2025-26. And if he displays the same scoring potential he enjoyed in Seattle? The Wings can take that as a bonus.<\/p>\n

2 \u2013 Brandon Duhaime<\/a>, Washington Capitals<\/p>\n

Brandon Duhaime has never produced over 21 points in a single season. But that\u2019s not why he\u2019d be in Detroit. Like Tolvanen, Duhaime\u2019s ability to land consistent body checks would make him valuable. Unlike Tolvanen, his game would purely come as a defensive forward.<\/p>\n

Duhaime hasn\u2019t been as physical with the Washington Capitals like he\u2019d been before landing in D.C. In 2023-24, he landed 208 hits with the Minnesota Wild and later, the Colorado Avalanche. That number sits at just 324 across 164 outings with the Capitals. Not a bad number, but Duhaime\u2019s capable of more. He could rediscover that edge with a change of scenery.<\/p>\n

How much pure defence would Duhaime bring to Detroit? In Washington, 81.7 of his starts came in the defensive zone at even strength. He watched just 54 goals land in the back of his own team\u2019s net in those two seasons, and finished with a 92.4 on-ice save percentage.<\/p>\n

Duhaime also contributed to the penalty-kill unit with just over 275 minutes between 2024-25 and 2025-26. He\u2019s not a big name, but the Wings could use at least one player with Duhaime\u2019s style.<\/p>\n

3 \u2013 Jack Roslovic<\/a>, Edmonton Oilers<\/p>\n

The Red Wings need someone on the third and fourth line who can score consistently. Ideally, they\u2019d find a top-six winger, re-sign Patrick Kane<\/a>, and let Kane take the role. But they need to act as though that top-six winger won\u2019t be in town until they actually snag one.<\/p>\n

This is where Jack Roslovic comes in. Roslovic has scored 21+ goals in each of his last two seasons, one with the Carolina Hurricanes and this past campaign with the Edmonton Oilers. Roslovic can also provide adequate depth on the power play, and that would give sensational relief for a team that was top-heavy last season in scoring.<\/p>\n

If the Wings can land a player with Roslovic\u2019s style and someone like Tolvanen or Duhaime in free agency, then the class of 2026 won\u2019t be such a waste as far as general manager Steve Yzerman\u2019s concerned. He\u2019ll need to move a few players to revamp the Red Wings bottom six, but every one of these three players would bring more value than most on the lower lines brought in 2025-26.<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: Detroit Free Press<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The bottom-six of the Detroit Red Wings forward lines were in shambles this season. Plus, the free agency…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":575891,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5101],"tags":[599,93,5137,5,4,3358,5138],"class_list":{"0":"post-575890","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-detroit-red-wings","8":"tag-detroit","9":"tag-detroit-red-wings","10":"tag-detroitredwings","11":"tag-hockey","12":"tag-nhl","13":"tag-red-wings","14":"tag-redwings"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116581057696644235","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=575890"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575890\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/575891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=575890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=575890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=575890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}