The Malik Report

Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis examines the Detroit Red Wings’ prospect pool this morning, assessing its strengths, weaknesses, and issuing a Top 10 prospects list. Here are Ellis’ “top 3”:

1. Trey Augustine, G, 21 (Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 41st overall, second round in 2023

Augustine is one of the top goaltending prospects in the world. The 21-year-old is coming off a strong three-year run with Michigan State, and while he failed to win a national title, he did rack up a career record of 66-25-7 with nine shutouts and a .922 save percentage in 99 games. He was a proven winner at the junior level and is easily one of the most technically sound goalies around, which helped build up the hype. Augustine tends to play better when he’s busier, and he has the lightning-quick reflexes teams absolutely crave – and never seems to slow down during a game. Augustine will have the opportunity to learn behind Postava this year to help ease him into pro hockey duty after a short two-game stint to close out the 2025-26 AHL regular season.

2. Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, RW, 20 (Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 15th overall, first round in 2024

The strong, two-way forward is easily one of the best players to come out of Norway in recent memory, so it was nice to see him have a strong performance at the World Championship. Brandsegg-Nygård helped Norway win bronze, building on an excellent first year with the Griffins in the AHL. He proved he could dominate shifts with his two-way game and his excellent release, and his off-puck game is already so established for a player his age. The 6-foot-1, 207-pound winger is as competitive as they come, and he showed that during his 14-game run with the big club this past year. Brandsegg-Nygård will definitely be in the running to crack the Red Wings’ bottom six this year. But if he misses out, he’ll be one of Grand Rapids’ top players yet again.

3. Carter Bear, LW, 19 (Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 13th overall, first round in 2025

Bear is coming off a productive three years with the Silvertips – and he probably would have had 90 points had he played the full 2025-26 season. I love his competitive nature, great shot and his net-front presence. He was one of Everett’s top players when the games started to really matter this past year, showing that he craves big minutes. I still wish we had seen more of him with Canada’s World Junior team – he had the skill and hockey sense the team really needed. Bear is set for his first year of pro hockey, and I fully expect him to spend some time with Detroit – maybe even out of training camp. Consider me a big fan.

Continued; it’s at least pleasant to read someone who’s bullish on the Wings’ top prospects after this past week’s headlines…

I almost threw my phone while reading yet another inflammatory clickbait headline suggesting that “the Red Wings hit another new low” on Sunday.

As in, “The phone was in my hand and I was ready to throw it because I could not stand reading the latest piece of bullshit so that my readers don’t have to click on that stupid clickbait headline.” I nearly did throw the damn thing at a wall.

This has been a tumultuous summer for the organization, and, just as importantly, importantly, the fan base. Mostly because Dylan Larkin is not going to reveal his motivations for requesting a trade to the media, nor will Steve Yzerman explain the how’s or why’s or when’s of his decision (and it was probably his decision) to step down as GM…

We’ve got about a hundred clickbait websites taking a single Tweet or a single written line from an article and insisting that THIS NEW NEWS WILL EXPLAIN EVERYTHING AND NOW EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED (click me, click me, click me!).

I cannot emphasize enough that 99.9999999999% of this bullshit is just that–bullshit.

Continue reading Uncertainty yields clickbait, and, in the Steve Yzerman and Dylan Larkin situations, uncertainty reigns.

The Hockey News’s Carol Schram wrote a very good profile of Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson, and the profile emphasizes that #77’s present NHL employer ought to re-sign the 23-year-old restricted free agent as soon as possible:

With each passing year, the young core GM Steve Yzerman has been assembling since his return to Hockeytown in 2019 has been putting down roots as the nucleus of the Red Wings’ roster. Lucas Raymond, a 2020 first-rounder, is establishing himself as a clutch scorer. Meanwhile, [Moritz] Seider and Edvinsson have quickly become one of the NHL’s elite defense pairs.

Seider, who’s big and strong on both sides of the puck and has razor-sharp hockey sense, has bulldozed his way into a crowded Norris Trophy field after collecting the Calder in 2022. Edvinsson, who’s four inches taller and a dozen pounds heavier at 222, profiles as the shutdown presence on the left side.

The pair gelled immediately.

“Even last year, we built that connection when it comes to playing together,” Edvinsson said. “For me to come in and find my game next to him, it’s been pretty easy. It’s been good for my growth – to watch him play and, honestly, learn from him as well.”

Look a little deeper, and Edvinsson’s offensive game also teases upside. Despite almost no PP time, he potted nine goals last season, including two game-winners. Over the past two years, his 53 even-strength points are just one shy of Seider’s 54 – in 14 fewer games.

As July approached, Edvinsson and the Wings continued to negotiate a new contract coming off his entry-level deal. It’s clear, however, the team views him as a key member of the future core. There were reports that Detroit balked when Vancouver insisted on Edvinsson as part of the return in a trade for Quinn Hughes last winter.

Will Edvinsson reach Lidstrom’s rarefied heights as his game matures? That’s a tough ask. But the Red Wings have something special if he can just keep being Simon Edvinsson.

Continued with some discussion of Edvinsson’s troublesome right knee, which required two surgeries over the course of the 2025-2026 season (prior to puck drop and down the stretch).

It’s kind of scary to think about what Edvinsson can provide to the Wings’ top defensive pairing when he’s fully healthy.

Of note from Detroit Hockey Now this morning:

1. You might raise your eyebrow at this note from Max Smith regarding the Red Wings and Tigers owner’s decision-making process as the CEO of both franchises:

Both [Steve] Yzerman and former Tigers GM Al Avila were given seven years to turn their respective franchises around.

Both were “legacy” managers known from their time spent working closely with the elder Ilitch. And both also ultimately failed to achieve the goal of bringing their team out of a rebuild phase.

However, in that parallel there should also be a glimmer for hope. Some of Al Avila’s draft picks (not all, but a couple, mind you) are major contributors to what is now a contending team. Led by an exciting rookie season from breakout star Kevin McGonigle, the Tigers are looking to get back into the playoffs this year even with their struggles on the mound.

The key for the Tigers was turning the keys over to a young, outside mind in Scott Harris who modernized the Tigers front office and as President of Baseball Operations, got them back into the playoffs after a decade long drought. Sound familiar?

I’m just not as sold as some of you are on the concept that an analytically-oriented GM is all that the Red Wings need to turn the franchise around.

I’m of the mind that Steve Yzerman backed himself into a corner because his circle of advisors was too small, and became something of an echo chamber.

Whatever happened, be it the Larkin situation serving as a breaking point for GM or ownership (or both), or frustration about the team’s inability to get over the hump and return to playoff status, something snapped, and as far as I’m concerned, Yzerman was serving at the pleasure of the Ilitches, and that period of time came to an end last Wednesday.

2. Smith also discusses what needs to be done by the next managerial regime to “right” the Red Wings’ ship.

Smith argues that the failures of the Red Wings’ pro scouting department may have yielded the downfall of Yzerman’s plan to rebuild the Red Wings with both top draft picks and veteran players to insulate their younger players as they grew into NHL stars:

Continue reading Two DHN things: On Christopher Ilitch’s managerial tendencies, and rebuilding the rebuild

Per the Grand Rapids Griffins:

GRIFFINS SIGN REIGNING ECHL MVP MARCUS CRAWFORD

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins signed defenseman Marcus Crawford to a one-year contract for the 2026-27 season.   

Crawford was named the 2025-26 ECHL Defenseman of the Year and MVP when he led the league with 86 points (14-72—86) and 72 assists in 70 regular-season games with the Kansas City Mavericks to go along with 125 penalty minutes and a plus-49 rating. The 29-year-old then totaled 14 points (2-12—14) in 17 postseason games, leading the Mavericks to the 2026 Kelly Cup Finals. Crawford has spent six seasons in the ECHL split between the Toledo Walleye (2018-20), Orlando Solar Bears (2019-20) and Kansas City (2019-22; 24-26). During his time in the ECHL, the defenseman has 260 points (53-207—260), 459 penalty minutes and a plus-62 rating in 350 regular-season outings.

Crawford has competed in eight-career AHL games during the 2018-19 season with the Griffins and notched four penalty minutes and a minus-two rating during his rookie campaign.

From 2022-24, the ninth-year pro suited up for the Cardiff Devils in the EIHL and produced 112 points (13-99—112), 157 penalty minutes and a plus-72 rating in 108 career regular-season games. Crawford was named the EIHL Defenseman of the Year in both campaigns and led all defensemen in points in 2022-23 (9-48—57) and 2023-24 (4-51—55). In addition, Crawford led Cardiff to a third-place finish in the Continental Cup in both 2022-23 and 2023-24. Throughout his pro career, the Ajax, Ontario, native has 401 points (70-331—401), 652 penalty minutes and a plus-153 rating in 498 appearances between the AHL, ECHL and EIHL, adding 21 points (5-16—21), 55 penalty minutes and a plus-five rating in 40 playoff contests.

Prior to turning pro, Crawford spent four seasons in the OHL with the Saginaw Spirit from 2014-18, accumulating 149 points (23-126—149), 174 penalty minutes and a minus-39 rating in 252 regular-season games.  

Red Wings 2026 1st round pick JP Hurlbert has deep Michigan roots, but he was born and raised in Allen, Texas, and Hurlbert mostly matriculated through a minor hockey program established by the Dallas Stars.

Hurlbert spent this past season with the WHL’s Kamlooops Blazers, where he posted 42 goals and 97 points over the course of only 55 games, and he’s headed to the University of Michigan this fall…

But Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff notes that the goal-scoring forward is heading to the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario next week to take part in the World Junior Summer Showcase:

Continue reading JP Hurlbert’s spending his summer close to (his second) home

Of Red Wings-related note this morning, on a source-by-source basis:

Detroit Free Press: Helene St. James discusses the most popular theory as to how the Red Wings should move forward, managerially speaking, via hiring both an analytics-oriented general manager, and a more traditional president of hockey operations:

It could make sense to have someone with [Brendan] Shanahan’s cachet as the top man, with another hire serving as general manager. In Toronto, GMs were in charge of trades, with some involvement from Shanahan.

Analytics are a growing trend in the NHL – the Leafs just hired John Chayka, who in 2016 was the buzz of the hockey world when his hire by the Arizona Coyotes, based on his data-driven approach, made him the youngest GM in NHL history. Chayka’s hire as Toronto’s head of hockey operations in May came bundled with the addition of Mats Sundin, a Hall of Fame player with little front-office experience, as a “senior executive advisor of hockey operations.”

Continue reading Morning news: More general manager talk; on Jakub Kindl, the ‘Dylan Larkin reunion’ theory and Detroit’s Ontario Hockey League contingent

NHL.com/sv is posting a series of articles in which their correspondents interview Swedish NHL stars to discuss the 2025-2026 season in review. This morning, Peter Ekholm posted an interview with Lucas Raymond, which I believe was taken before Steve Yzerman’s decision to step down as the Wings’ GM.

Here’s a rough translation thereof:

Lucas Raymond left another NHL season without a playoff appearance. During his 5 seasons in the NHL, the 24-year-old Gothenburg native has yet to experience a single playoff game.

The Red Wings’ drought is ten years old now–but if there’s one player who’s going to get the team out of it, it’s Raymond.

“There have been too many years here where we have been just on the doorstep but haven’t succeeded. We need to get this in order quickly if we’re going to be able to take the next step,” Raymond said as he summed up another playoff miss for his team in the spring of 2026.

With his best season to date–and an 80-point season in the bank–Lucas Raymond entered the 2025-2026 season with high expectations. The Red Wings had the goal of being involved in battling for the top of the league standings, and Raymond would be the leading player.

“The expectations I have on myself are always greater than those that come from outside. But I think it’s fun to have expectations, and to take responsibility on the ice; I wouldn’t want it any other way. We all have expectations in this league, and I think it highlights the best of every player,” Raymond told NHL.com/en before the season kicked off.

Continue reading Roughly translated: Lucas Raymond reviews his and the Wings’ 25-26 campaign with NHL.com/sv

The Hockey News’s Ryan Lambert, an outspoken critic of all things Red Wings-related, offers a surprisingly circumspect column this afternoon, suggesting that the Detroit Red Wings’ next managerial regime needs to consider three important topics, including the following:

3. What’s The Timeline For Being Competitive Again, And How Competitive Is “Competitive,” Really?

This is a question lots of NHL teams have to ask themselves. While everyone would like to win the Stanley Cup, the vast majority of teams in the league aren’t especially likely to truly compete for it consistently. Some teams can make a conference final almost out of nowhere, but for most, their big prize at the end of the season is maybe getting into the second round.

The Red Wings are a team that should have higher aspirations than that, given their overall financial health (they don’t need to rely on revenue sharing to make ends meet) and their status as one of the league’s most important franchises.

But when you miss the playoffs for 10 years straight with no obvious end in sight, barring the kind of out-of-nowhere success teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins or Buffalo Sabres just had this past season, maybe the math is a little different. Will they be content building a team that reaches 96 or 98 points just to end the playoff drought, or will they take the longer view and try to build a team that can be Cup-competitive again further down the line?

Continue reading The Red Wings are too important to struggle indefinitely

In the middle of a day filled with “hypothetical” columns, Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen discusses whether Dylan Larkin’s relationship with the Red Wings can be salvaged:

All of this talk about whether Larkin’s trade request makes it impossible to stay in Detroit is misguided. We all know that whoever is named Detroit’s Director of Hockey Operations will call Larkin and see if he can change Larkin’s mind.

If the new Detroit boss doesn’t call him, then this person wasn’t the right person for the job. We are not past the point of a no-return. Not even close. America loves stories of athletes extracting themselves from things said or did to achieve sports glory. We have plenty of examples.

…

Maybe Larkin won’t change his mind. But let’s not close that door quite yet. Part of the new Director of Hockey Operations salvage operation may be to win back Larkin because he knows the Red Wings won’t get a desirable return in the trade market.

Fans may boos Larkin to start the season, but winning cures plenty of problems. If Larkin continues to score 30-plus goals per season and the Red Wings started winning, Detroit fans won’t boo him long. Fans love a good redemption story.

But here is what we do know:

First, If there was a good return for Larkin available in the three- or four-team marketplace, Yzerman would have already made a deal by now. If the Red Wings have to take futures for Larkin and lose Kane, this team is going to take another step backward. And fans will boo longer than they would boo Larkin.

Continued; I believe that Larkin is indeed out the door, but that’s my most educated guess…