With just under two months remaining before the start of the 2025-26 NHL Training Camp, several free agents across all positions remain unsigned. That list includes several players who previously wore the Detroit Red Wings jersey.
Some of these names last featured for Detroit as recently as last season, while others moved on from the organization in the past few years and now find themselves without a deal.
One of the more recognizable names for Red Wings supporters is Robby Fabbri. He spent the 2024-25 season with the Anaheim Ducks after Detroit traded him last July in a deal that brought goaltender Gage Alexander and a conditional 2025 fourth-round pick to Michigan. Fabbri’s contract, a three-year, $12 million deal signed in 2022, expired this offseason.
Injuries once again hampered Fabbri’s year, a recurring theme throughout his NHL career. He managed just 44 appearances with Anaheim, tallying eight goals and eight assists. The veteran underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in November and was later moved to Injured Reserve in February due to an upper-body issue.
Fabbri had been a key addition by Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman during the team’s difficult 2019-20 season. He arrived in a trade with the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Jacob de la Rose and quickly made an impact, finishing that season with 14 goals, fourth-most on the team.
His last season in Detroit, the 2023-24 campaign, marked a personal best. He featured in 68 games and set a career-high with 18 goals.
Two more players from last season’s Red Wings squad are also without contracts: forwards Tyler Motte and Craig Smith. Smith was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in March, arriving alongside goaltender Petr Mrazek as part of the Joe Veleno trade.
Motte, who signed a one-year deal last season, posted four goals and five assists in 55 appearances. Smith played in 19 games for Detroit, notching two assists after the deadline move.
Daniel Sprong, who scored 18 times for Detroit in the 2023-24 season, endured a nomadic 2024-25 campaign. He started the season with the Vancouver Canucks but was traded after just nine games to the Seattle Kraken, where he had previously played before joining the Red Wings. Following a stint in the AHL after being waived, Sprong was later dealt to the New Jersey Devils.
Between those three clubs, Sprong saw action in only 30 NHL games this past season, producing two goals and five assists.
Another familiar face still searching for his next chapter is Luke Glendening. Now 36, he spent his first eight NHL seasons in Detroit before playing with the Dallas Stars and most recently, the Tampa Bay Lightning. Glendening appeared in 77 games for Tampa in 2024-25, contributing four goals and three assists.
Other former Red Wings players who remain unsigned include Brendan Smith, Jakub Vrana, and Klim Kostin—all of whom continue to be recognizable names among fans in Detroit.
