The Malik Report

We’re grinding it out here in South Lyon. Aunt Annie remains bed-bound, and she’s battling significant side effects from a heavy antibiotic being used to rid her of chronic UTI’s.

I worked myself ill this past week, and I’ve tried to recover via some actual rest and recuperation on Saturday, but it’s difficult when I’m “on call” so very regularly.

We’re pretty tired and burnt out right now…

But we’re also feeling incredibly grateful and humbled by your generosity in terms of our dual fundraisers.

Aunt Annie’s about $400 from her goal on the GoFundMe, and I’m about $200 from my goal for the server fees. It’s going to be difficult to push through those numbers, but they’re entirely possible to meet over the course of the next week.

If you’re willing to lend a hand, here are the details:

Continue reading Fundraiser update: getting closer…

WXYZ’s Brad Galli posted an interview with Red Wings TV play-by-play broadcaster Ken Daniels this morning, conducting a 21-minute interview in which Daniels discusses the Red Wings, the Jamie Daniels Foundation and the imminent Roast of Chris Osgood:

Red Wings TV play-by-play broadcaster Ken Daniels joins me on the newest episode of The Brad Galli Show.

We sat down in his backyard to discuss the tumultuous Red Wings offseason. He also spoke extensively on the Jamie Daniels Foundation.

▶️ Watch: https://t.co/6jiQQaNFB8

The… pic.twitter.com/BMG4pWpLbQ

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) August 23, 2026

Continue reading Red Wings play-by-play broadcaster Ken Daniels appears on The Brad Galli Show

Detroit Hockey Now’s Max Smith profiles Red Wings 2026 first round draft pick JP Hurlbert this morning, discussing the 6,’ 190-pound forward’s pluses and minuses.

Hurlbert scored 42 goals in 68 games with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers last season, and he’s going to enter his freshman season with the University of Michigan Wolverines this fall:

Three Reasons Why Hurlbert Will Play in the NHL

1. Hurlbert’s a scorer, plain and simple. If he gets the puck on his stick and he thinks he has a shot, he’ll take it. With 42 goals on 294 shots on goal, he’s good for a point on about 14.5% of his
2. Hurlbert is a high character, high motivation player. While he faces some physical limitations in the checking and defensive game, there’s no question about him trying.
3. He’s got plenty of runway to develop more dimensions to his game. Hurlbert wasn’t commonly viewed as a first round pick going into the year, and found himself going in the Top 25 on actual draft day.

What May Hold Hurlbert Back

The biggest problem Hurlbert faces as a hockey player is his ability to find a second gear. Hurlbert’s speed isn’t one of his greatest strengths, and with a lack of size at the moment to make up for that missing speed, he can sometimes find it hard to get separation from opposing skaters. Shooting from anywhere is one thing, but he has to actually get to those spots somewhat cleanly if he wants to make an impact on the scoresheet.

Continued; Hurlbert’s got issues to fix in terms of his skating and “compete level,” but he’s only 18, and he’ll be playing for coach Brandon Naurato and the Wolverines’ hockey machine this upcoming season. That should provide Hurlbert with a “learning environment” both on and off the ice.

The Hockey News’s Michael Whitaker reports that disgruntled Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin was spotted golfing with Detroit Lions players Aidan Hutchinson and Amon-Ra St. Brown as part of a promotion for “4th And Fore,” a clothing company owned by Hutchinson. Here are the two Instagram videos of Larkin, Hutchinson and St. Brown facing off in a “2 vs. 2,” with Larkin and Cam Kostus battling Hutchinson and St. Brown.

There are some Instagram highlights from the event…

Continue reading Dylan Larkin goes golfing with Aidan Hutchinson and Amon-Ra St. Brown

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen describes defenseman Shai Buium, center Ondrej Becher and left wing John Leonard as “on the clock” to make the Red Wings’ NHL roster.

Buium, 23, needs to get back into the conversation about the Red Wings’ depth defenders with NHL potential, and Becher, 22, could very well impress as a center in an organization with not-so-much depth at the position…Leonard is the oldest of the three, but the stakes may be highest for the 28-year-old:

Left Wing John Leonard, signed as free agent

At 28, Leonard isn’t truly a prospect. He’s a journeyman who has played 81 NHL games. But the former UMass-Amherst player is also a late bloomer.

Counting playoff games, Leonard has netted 78 goals and registered 134 points in his last 145 AHL games.

This could be both his best and last time to show an NHL team he can score at the NHL level. The Red Wings are among the NHL’s weakest scoring teams and there will be a new director of hockey operations in charge. This will be a man looking for solutions. If he watches Leonard light up the AHL, he may give Leonard the real shot that GM Steve Yzerman did not.

Leonard did not look out of place in the first nine-game call-up he had to Detroit last season. He had two goals and two assists. Leonard can get open around the net.

Allen continues, and I’m very curious what happens to the 5’11,” 190-pound winger. He possesses a scoring punch that the Red Wings lack from their “bottom six,” and while he doesn’t have James van Riemsdyk’s size or Patrick Kane’s hands, he could be utilized as a stop-gap solution for the Wings’ third and fourth lines.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff adds interesting quotes from Moritz Seider to the mix this morning, as made by the Red Wings defenseman during the NHL/NHLPA European Player Media Tour, per Eishockeynews.de’s Michael Bauer:

As to the departure of GM Steve Yzerman and the ongoing search for his successor as training camp nears, Seider figures that element is out of his control.

“I’m stumped on that one,” Seider said. “I’m glad our owner (Chris Ilitch) can handle that.”

He readily admits to being completely caught off guard by Larkin’s early summer request for a trade.

“That wasn’t exactly something you saw coming,” Seider said. He may be in the minority, but Seider won’t criticize Larkin’s choice to leave. “Everyone certainly has their reasons for making certain decisions. Whether I or we approve of it is not for us to answer. But it’s clear that we’re a better team when Dylan Larkin is on the roster and playing than when he isn’t.”

Unable to solve either crisis, Seider instead focuses on what’s within his control.

“My summer training, my diet, my sleep, and how I prepare for the season,” Seider set as his offseason focus.

Seider readily admits to Bauer that the Red Wings’ annual March slide has doomed their playoff chances over the last couple of seasons, but #53 also suggests that the Wings must come out strong in order to battle against a difficult second-half-of-the-season performance:

“This season, it’s more important that we can block out the surrounding noise,” Seider said. “Therefore, the start of the season is much more important than in March or around the trade deadline.”

Duff and Bauer continue…

So Moritz Seider spoke with the media today during the NHL/NHLPA European Player Media tour, as noted by the Hockey News’s Erik Cruikshank (via David Alter) and NHL.com’s Shawn P. Roarke.

Seider also spoke with The Athletic’s Chris Johnston about Steve Yzerman’s departure from the GM’s chair, in his own way…

“I can only say how thankful I am for his opportunity back in ’19, where he saw something in me a lot of people didn’t see at the time,” Seider said of Yzerman. “He took a big risk putting my name on this board that early, and I think that’s something that obviously makes my connection a little bit more special with him, and that’s something I’ll always really be thankful for.”

Seider deked around the Dylan Larkin situation, too, deferring to management…

“Those are definitely things no player should be asked or should talk about,” he said. “I’m very good in the background. I do my job, I’m very excited about next year and wearing the winged wheel again, but those are things for our owner. I think he probably has a plan in place, and I’ll be very pleased to meet the new leader of our franchise once he is selected. He will obviously have a lot of work to do. We’re still looking to fix some things.”

And instead, Seider tried to emphasize that he’s focused on becoming an even better player and defenseman…

Continue reading More from Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider: discreetly discussing the elephants in the room

More than a few Red Wings partisans and pundits alike are reacting very strongly to the fact that Dylan Larkin was not included in this Tweet announcing Detroit’s top player rankings in EA Sports’ NHL 27 game:

.@easportsnhl ratings just dropped 👀

Pre-order #NHL27 for early access!
🎮 » https://t.co/LTx5ZpPwyx pic.twitter.com/s0nGrFjNgc

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 21, 2026

Sports Illustrated’s Nathan Smith certainly bit on the narrative…

Continue reading A Twitter/X harbinger of a doomed relationship, or another overblown reaction to the Dylan Larkin situation?

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen posted a profile of 24-year-old Red Wings forward Carter Mazur today, discussing the pluses and minuses of Allen’s 9th-ranked Red Wings prospect:

Three Reasons Why Mazur Will Play in the NHL

1. You would bet that Mazur is going to figure out how to create scoring chances at the NHL level. He has a scoring touch, but it’s tied into his penchant to be a physical player. It all works together.
2. While Mazur can score, he has the soul of a super pest. He’s feisty, prickly, always ready to throw a check or push back. He could be a 150-hit forward in the NHL.
3. He’s no longer the skinny athlete that he was when he showed up in Grand Rapids. He beefed up, adding 20 pounds of muscle to his frame.

What May Hold Him Back

It’s his hard-nosed play that gives him his best chance of making in the NHL, but it’s the promise of scoring that keeps coaches curious about him. Can he hit enough, score enough and stay healthy long enough to earn a permanent place.

Coaches will appreciate what he can offer, but this is a profession where you have to reach your production goals. All we know for sure is the former Denver college standout will give all that he has to stay on the roster.

Continued; Mazur simply has to avoid injuries and play his best while skating with the Wings’ “bottom six” (presumably) to start.

Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider spoke with the Hockey News from the NHL/NHLPA European Media Tour on Friday, and he also spoke with NHL.com’s Shawn P. Roarke regarding the uncertainty surrounding Detroit at present:

Seider says he is ready to take another step in his on-ice progression toward being among the game’s best defensemen. To him, that is the best way to help.

“I mean, you should always treat it like the sky is the limit; if you don’t aim for the stars, it’s tough to reach them,” he said. “If you don’t want to compare yourself to the best, you’re probably never going to be in a conversation with them.  It’s been really good what I achieved so far, but there’s plenty of room to work on. There’s plenty of opportunity to get better, and that’s something I have to shift my focus to because you want to get better, you want to be in conversation with the best defensemen in the League. I’m not there yet, but obviously that’s where I see my opportunity to shine is to just get better and better every single year.”

Last season was his best since he joined the Red Wings for the start of the 2021-22 season. Seider had a career-high 60 points (10 goals, 50 assists) and led his team with a plus-15 rating. It was the first time in his five seasons that he has been a plus player for a season. Seider also ranked third in the NHL in ice time per game at 25:40.

Continue reading More from Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider: on ‘taking the next step’ and roster uncertainty