Florida Panthers assistant general manager Brett Peterson, reportedly a candidate for the Detroit Red Wings director of hockey operations job, has a history with the Detroit organization that is easily forgotten.

He played 18 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2008-09, his final season as a pro hockey defenseman.

Peterson, 44, never advanced beyond the AHL as a player, but he has been an impact performer in hockey management. Massachusetts native Peterson joined the Panthers in his current role in 2020 to become the NHL’s first Black assistant general manager.

Elliotte Friedman: Re Red Wings management search: I think the biggest thing is…[Detroit] have been shocked and surprised at getting people to want to play for them, or be there; explain to us how we can get back to being…where people wanna play for us – 32 Thoughts (8/25)

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) August 28, 2026

Undoubtedly, the Red Wings are interested in the role Peterson played in helping the Panthers win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. I

USA Hockey officials appointed Peterson as general manager of the U.S. Men’s National Team at the 2024 IIHF World Championship in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia. He put together a team that posted a 5-0-1-1 record in group play.

Before joining the Panthers, Peterson worked as a player agent, once representing Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask among others. Peterson played his college hockey at Boston College.

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Is Marco Kasper in a make-or-break season? At the very least, he is a pivotal character in the Red Wings story for 2026-27.

Red Wings Extra

With all of the focus on Detroit’s lower-rung offensive ability, it should be pointed out that there are a myriad of reasons why the Red Wings have missed the playoffs for 10 years. It’s not only about scoring. Another critical shortcoming is penalty-killing ineffectiveness. The team ranked 23rd in the NHL last season with a 77.1% killing efficiency. The Red Wings were sharp on the kill early and then grew increasingly leaky as the season wore on. This has been a chronic struggle. The Red Wings haven’t had a top-10 penalty-killing team since 2009-10. They finished 10th that season at 83.1%. Nicklas Lidstrom and Brad Stuart were the top PK defensive pairing, followed by Jonathan Ericsson and Brian Rafalski. The top penalty-killing forwards were Darren Helm, Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby, Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. That 2009-10 team scored eight shorthanded goals and gave up only one shorthanded tally. Last season, the Red Wings netted three shorthanded goals and surrendered six.

Hockey Now Digest

Colorado: Defenseman Cale Makar already has a Calder Trophy, two Norris Trophies, a Conn Smythe Trophy and a Stanley Cup championship. Now he owns the distinction of being the NHL’s highest-paid player. Colorado Avalanche.

Florida: If the Florida Panthers were going to trade for Connor Hellebuyck, they would have done it already. That’s George Richards’ take. They won’t be among bidders in the Hellebuyck Sweepstakes. Florida Panthers.

New Jersey: James Nichols writes that the Devils are not ready to make a move for Connor Hellebuyck. He believes that GM Sunny Mehta’s previous moves say he will be out on Hellebuyck. New Jersey Devils.

Pittsburgh: There is a difference between trade chatter and a rumor about trade talks. Dan Kingerski explains. Pittsburgh Penguins.