Detroit Red Wings
What We’ve Been Hearing: Red Wings News And Rumors
Fabbri coming back to NHL? Could a Detroit reunion be in the works?
Welcome to the latest edition of what we’ve been hearing, a recurring feature offering the latest news and rumors relating to the Detroit Red Wings.
Johansson Taking The Drop?
After signing an entry-level contract with the Red Wings last summer, defenseman Anton Johansson was returned to play one more season in the SHL with Leksand. And as things are turning out, it could indeed prove to be an ideal prep for an eventual career in Detroit.
Leksand is at the bottom of the SHL standings with 22 points from 25 games. The club is 4-14 over the past 18 games, and would appear to be doomed to suffer relegation at season’s end.
“I think we’re going down,” Johansson admitted to Swedish broadcaster TV4 during a recent broadcast.
Former Red Wings Defenseman A Mammoth Loss
When the Utah Mammoth visits Little Caesars Arena later this month on December 17, it’s quite possible that former Red Wings defenseman Olli Maatta won’t be in the Utah lineup. Maatta was placed on IR with an upper-body injury. He’s missed the past two Mammoth games.
The Utah Mammoth have recalled forward Kevin Rooney from the Tucson Roadrunners.
Defenseman Olli Maatta has been placed on Injured Reserve (upper-body).
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) November 27, 2025
However, even if Maatta returns to health in time for the trip to Detroit, that’s no guarantee that he’ll be facing his old team. Before being injured, Maatta was a healthy scratch for eight of Utah’s previous nine games.
The season has proven to be a rough go for Maatta. He’s collected one assist in 16 games while registering a minus-two rating. The 31-year-old defenseman signed a three-year contract with an AAV of $3.5 million in the summer. He’s expected to play for Finland at next year’s Winter Olympic Games.
Fabbri Skating Nearby; Could A Red Wings Reunion Be In His Future?
Robby Fabbri is skating near Detroit, but does that mean a Detroit reunion could be nearing in Fabbri’s future?
The veteran forward, an 18-goal scorer for the Red Wings in 2023-24, is currently working out across the border from Detroit with the OHL Windsor Spitfires. He failed a preseason PTO with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
After putting this out, I got a note about Robby Fabbri — skating with OHL Windsor after a preseason PTO with Pittsburgh.
18 goals two years ago in DET, sounds like he’s getting closer to an NHL return. https://t.co/32y2CgGGbw
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) November 25, 2025
There’s been speculation that an NHL return is imminent for the talented but oft-injured Fabbri. Does Detroit make sense?
The Red Wings are in desperate need of depth scoring. For all his flaws, Fabbri does know how to put the puck in the net.
Gallant On The Way Out?
Former Red Wings player Gerard Gallant’s arrival to coach the KHL’s Shanghai Dragons was a significant development in late summer. He was a smash hit early in the season, leading Shanghai to the top of the KHL standings with a 9-4-1 record.
However, since then, the Dragons have been slain regularly. Shanghai has gone 4-12-1, slipping to seventh in the Western Conference. There are rumblings that management is already seeking Gallant’s replacement. He held a reputation for wearing out his welcome as an NHL head coach, but not usually this quickly.
I can see Fabbri returning. Another beneficiary of the Yzer-retirement-plan.
Who the heck do you have translating these articles for you???
“It would appear to be doomed to suffer relegation at season’s end.
“I think we’re going down,”” — Was not about getting relegated from the leauge!
The quote was “– Jag tycker vi går ner oss. Vi startar matchen väldigt bra i den första perioden, säger Anton Johansson i TV4.” = Meaning roughly “I think we folded in this game after having a really good first period”. Poor reporting in this one with obviously not double check facts….
Absolutely zero chance Fabbri plays in Detroit ever again. Guy can’t stay healthy for longer than 3 weeks. He is a huge defensive liability. Wings have all the forwards they need. They are in Grand Rapids but they can’t bring them up because they have to many bad veteran contracts. You can’t just send as many contract players down as you want. They are stuck with Copp and Compher and Rasmussen and with Hamonic on defense. Now, they can try to trade as many of those guys as possible at the deadline but hard to see most of them being wanted by anyone. Maybe Compher or Rasmussen. Most of those contracts like Holl, Hamonic, Copp end after this season. Really all the wings need is to trade for a solid defensive defenseman and never let Hamonic play again. Trade Gibson to whatever desperate team needs a goalie and bring up Cossa. If they can trade Compher or Copp or Rasmussen for a pick, they can bring up Watson to give them some much needed toughness and depth scoring. They will be a playoff team at that point. What they absolutely have zero use for is Robbi Fabbri.
Which is precisely why Yzerman will sign him