Red Wings lose Kasper and Appleton week-to-week, Compher day-to-day

The Detroit Red Wings’ challenging start to the season has taken another hit, with three forwards sidelined due to injuries. Marco Kasper has been ruled out week-to-week with an upper-body issue, while Mason Appleton will also miss time on a week-to-week basis with an undisclosed injury. J.T. Compher is considered day-to-day, likewise with an undisclosed ailment.

Kasper and Appleton facing multi-week absences

Kasper, 22, did not dress for Sunday’s 3–2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets and may have been hurt in Detroit’s season opener, a 2–0 defeat against the New York Rangers on October 2. He logged just under 11 minutes in that game and did not record a point. The Austrian, drafted eighth overall by Detroit in 2022, played a full season with the Red Wings in 2025–26, posting nine goals and 10 assists for 19 points in 81 games.

Appleton, 30, has appeared in both of Detroit’s games so far this year, going without a point while averaging just under 10 minutes of ice time. No further details have been given on the nature of his injury. Last season, his first with the Red Wings after arriving from the Jets, he collected six goals and eight assists for 14 points in 65 games.

Compher banged up as Larkin nears return

Compher, 31, has also been held off the scoresheet through two games while averaging a little over 14 and a half minutes per night. His injury may have occurred when he absorbed a heavy, seemingly late hit from Jets defenceman Tyrel Bauer on Sunday. The veteran was a fixture in Detroit’s lineup last season, playing all 82 regular season games and finishing with 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points.

There is at least one positive development for Detroit down the middle. Top-line centre Dylan Larkin is expected to make his season debut on Tuesday when the Red Wings host the Ottawa Senators. After that home date, Detroit will continue its early schedule with another game at Little Caesars Arena on Friday against the Seattle Kraken, before heading out for its first road contest on Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens. How the Red Wings adjust their forward group during this run, with multiple regulars out, will be a key storyline in the coming weeks.