Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Frank Seravalli reported a list of waiver moves across the NHL Sunday afternoon. Included in those moves were a couple by the Red Wings. The Wings are waiving defensemen Erik Gustafsson and Justin Holl.

#NHL Waiver Notables Sunday:

D Justin Holl DET
G Mikey DiPietro BOS
G Cayden Primeau CAR
F Sammy Blais MTL
G Kaapo Kahkonen MTL
D Calen Addison NJD
F Arthur Kaliyev OTT
C Jan Jenik OTT
D Ville Heinola WPG
F Walker Duehr OTT
D Max Jones EDM
D Erik Gustafsson DET

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) October 5, 2025

We’ll find out tomorrow if Gustafsson or Holl are claimed by any teams. I could see Gus being claimed simply because he’s affordable depth. Holl, well, not so affordable but still a warm body that maybe someone could use. If they aren’t claimed, they will report to Grand Rapids.

After the last round of preseason roster cuts, Detroit has 25 players on the roster. Waiving Gus and Holl would pave the way for a big injection of youth on this Red Wings roster. Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Emmitt Finnie, and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard appear to have secured spots on the opening night roster. The three rookies would make their NHL regular season debut on October 9 against Montreal.

A lot can happen between now and the first game of the season, technically Gustafsson and Holl are still on the roster. The NHL has some silly rules when it comes to waived players. If the two were to clear waivers, they don’t necessarily need to be sent to the AHL right away. An official announcement about a solidified roster has not been released by the Red Wings at this point, but I think we can all see where this is heading.

The waiver moves come the day after Detroit closed out the preseason with an OT win against Toronto. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard scored two goals while Sandin-Pellikka picked up a pair of helpers. MBN actually finished tied for first in preseason scoring. It’s been an impressive showing to say the least — from all three of these young men.

Now, like I said, a lot can change. No roster spot is guaranteed to any rookie, so we’ll have to sit and wait until official word from the Red Wings. That being said, putting three rookies on the roster (especially two of them being high-profile prospects) is something we haven’t seen since… When? It’s a big deal for a team that has long leaned on veteran players to fill out the roster.