With free agency having (largely) come and gone, and Dylan Larkin’s trade request still unresolved, it’s totally unclear when Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman will make what will likely be the biggest move of his tenure.That looms over everything about this Red Wings offseason.But it’s not the only bit of business still needing to be done. And while the Larkin domino is certainly the biggest in Detroit, three other major decisions are coming that will have huge impacts on the Red Wings in 2026 and beyond.NHL free agency: Early winners and losersShayna Goldman and Madison EadesPatrick KaneA week into free agency, Kane still hasn’t picked where he’ll play in 2026-27.As recently as the draft, Yzerman acknowledged the Red Wings still want the future Hall of Famer back in Detroit this season. And certainly there remains room for him in the top six, even after the signing of Viktor Arvidsson. But given all that, it’s also fair to believe that if Kane was dead-set on returning, he likely would have signed by now.As long as Kane is still out there, the Red Wings can hold out some sliver of hope that he’ll wind up returning to the city where he’s signed three consecutive one-year deals. But they realistically have to be planning for the possibility he’ll land elsewhere. And if that happens, it’s another blow to whatever competitive chances they currently have in 2026-27.While Kane has his warts at this stage of his career, he was still a big part of the Red Wings’ offensive push last season, especially at five-on-five. His 2.03 points per 60 ranked second on the team, trailing only his linemate Alex DeBrincat. That’s a strength of Arvidsson’s game too, but ideally, the Red Wings would be adding Arvidsson to what they already had. Kane was also a key piece of Detroit’s power play, as the team’s most creative facilitator.So if Kane leaves, even if Arvidsson ends up replacing Kane’s production — albeit in a different style, as an interior scorer compared to Kane’s playmaking — that likely ends up being more like a lateral move. And with the expected subtraction of Larkin (eventually), that would amount to going backward on the whole.The Red Wings could still pivot elsewhere in the event Kane leaves — Eeli Tolvanen is 27 and only one year removed from a season with more than 20 goals and 200 hits — but players with Kane’s level of intelligence and playmaking are hard to find, and harder to replace. And really, it would leave Detroit to again rely heavily on internal improvements from their young players.That could happen. Marco Kasper should bounce back from a down sophomore season. Emmitt Finnie had 21 individual expected goals last season but converted only 13 — making a step forward seem possible there, too (though playing on a line with Larkin, of course, helped). Maybe Michael Brandsegg-Nygård’s heavy game and big shot make the bottom six more threatening.The continued infusion of youth should bring a certain energy to the lineup. And by adding Arvidsson and Keegan Kolesar, perhaps the Red Wings start to shift their broader lineup identity too.