A bit about Trey Augustine, both as a goaltender and a ‘magic pull’

The Hockey News’s Frank Zawrazky spoke with Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine at the NHLPA’s Rookie Showcase in Chicago, suggesting that Augustine represents growing roster stability in goal (if only eventually):

Between 2008-2026, Detroit had 24 different goaltenders play at least one game. Jimmy Howard, who spent 15 years in the Red Wings organization and was the last goalie to appear in the playoffs, was a great regular season goalie. 

Detroit currently has two goaltenders on its roster this year, neither of which are a long-term solution.

John Gibson is a solid veteran, coming over via trade from Anaheim last summer. While the longtime Duck had his moments, the 33-year-old isn’t the same goalie he was earlier in his career. Daniil Tarasov, who was signed on July 1, has struggled at the NHL level in both Columbus and Florida. He earned a 20-25-3 record and 0.888 save percentage in 50 games across the past two seasons.

Both players are pending UFAs at the end of next season, which should pave the way for Augustine as he makes the full-time jump from college to the pros.

“I think just being around Tom Wilson and Kyle Okposo at dinner last night, hearing what they had to say about their experiences and kind of how they’ve gone about their own business, it’s super valuable to hear from them and how different it really is from college or juniors or wherever you’re coming from,” Augustine said at the Rookie Showcase. “Definitely, the highest level of hockey there is. I’m just going advantage of all the things that the NHLPA and these guys and the players have to offer.”

The Hockey News’s Jake Tye reports that Augustine also had the magic touch as NHLPA Rookie Showcase participants “broke” several boxes of Upper Deck cards:

Continue reading A bit about Trey Augustine, both as a goaltender and a ‘magic pull’

Examining some free agent ‘fits’ for the Red Wings

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan discusses seven “clearance rack” free agents who might be of use to the Red Wings this upcoming season. Kulfan includes some names that haven’t been linked to Detroit yet…

▶ Adam Henrique, 36, center, 65 games, three goals, 12 assists— The best center available on the market, Henrique has played 1,058 games and has been a nice addition to the lineup wherever he’s been. A dependable veteran who supplied consistent offense early in his career, Henrique struggled last season with Edmonton but someone might be willing to offer one more one-year contract.

▶ Patrik Laine, 28, right wing, five games, no goals, one assist— Laine is the wild card in this bunch. He still possesses one of the hardest shots in the league and would be a weapon for a team on the power-play flank. But his inability to stay in the lineup, along with defensive struggles, cost him basically the entire season in Montreal. That being said, Laine is such an intriguing gamble for a quality team.

As well as the favorites:

▶ Michael Bunting, age 30, left wing, 74 games, 14 goals, 19 assists (2025-26 stats)— Bunting has scored at least 19 goals four times in his career and plays the agitating type of game the Wings could always need. Bunting will be playing on his seventh team in seven years, which is a bit shocking considering his production, but some team will add him before training camp.

▶ Eeli Tolvanen, 27, right wing, 78 games, 12 goals, 24 assists— Tolvanen dropped from 23 goals to 12, and he struggled defensively last season. At his age, it’s surprising no team has committed to Tolvanen, who should be able to help anyone’s middle six forwards. The Wings have been linked to him and Tolvanen would bolster the lineup.

Kulfan continues, naming Vladimir Tarasenko, David Perron and James van Riemsdyk as potential UFA “fits.”

THN: Fans aren’t thrilled with the price of admission to Red Wings games

Red Wings fans have dealt with losing for a long time, and they’re the reason why I don’t believe in the Red Wings tearing down what structure Steve Yzerman constructed for a full rebuild all over again. Fans have paid too much money for too long to watch losing hockey, and I don’t believe that it’s fair.

According to the Hockey News’s Jake Tye, fans aren’t thrilled with ticket prices for the upcoming season, either:

As tickets for the Detroit Red Wings‘ 2026-27 season officially go on sale, many fans are voicing frustration over what they see as steep prices despite the club entering a 10th consecutive season without a playoff appearance.

While preseason pricing has largely been viewed as reasonable, with entry-level tickets generally starting around $29, the regular season tells a much different story.

The biggest point of contention has been Detroit‘s home opener against the New York Rangers. Standard admission, not resale, for seats in the 10th and 11th rows of the upper bowl is listed at more than $88 before fees. 

Fans looking for seats in the first few rows of the upper bowl can expect to pay well over $100, while the least expensive tickets in the lower bowl begin around $188 at standard pricing.

Once taxes and fees are added, attending the game becomes a significant expense with a pair of lower-bowl tickets can climb to more than $400 for a single night, prompting criticism from fans who believe the prices don’t reflect the current state of the franchise.

Continued; I try to keep my criticism of the organization to a moderate level, but I do feel that the team’s “dynamic pricing” system is inherently…it’s a bummer for fans who want to get into games for a fair price.

Duff on Dinosaur Yzerman

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff certainly has his timing right in examining several reasons why “the game passed by” former GM Steve Yzerman this morning, especially in light of the Free Press’s Helene St. James’ report that the Wings are looking to build an analytically friendly front office.

Duff suggests that Yzerman’s legacy could still be at least a mixed bag in that he did build a strong core of prospects for Detroit…

But Duff believes that the Red Wings didn’t pursue trades aggressively, and that the team didn’t do enough to build enough of a core of young players:

The Red Wings did insert some young players. In the case of Seider, Raymond and Edvinsson, they were able to count on them to fill key roles. Still, it always seemed that they were only half-committed to a youth movement.

Yzerman stayed with the traditional Detroit philosophy of letting prospects ripen on the vine with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. It meant that they traded goalie Sebastian Cossa, a 2021 first-round pick, after he’d played less than a full game in the NHL.

The Wings inserted way too many mediocre journeymen into roles that could’ve been filled in house by prospects.

Meanwhile, teams like Buffalo, Ottawa, and Montreal fully embraced youth and sailed past Detroit in the standings.

I do agree with Duff that the Wings didn’t give the team’s prospects enough opportunities to make the team. Under the previous management, there was almost a glass ceiling between the Red Wings and the Grand Rapids Griffins, and that’s not how you build a team with a young core.

Duff also believes that the Wings didn’t do enough to build an analytically-based front office:

Continue reading Duff on Dinosaur Yzerman

HSJ in the morning: Red Wings utilizing an outside search firm to find analytics-based GM; Larkin still wants to be traded

The Free Press’s Helene St. James breaks the Red Wings’ radio silence this morning, discussing the team’s front office machinations:

In selecting new leadership for the Detroit Red Wings, owner Christopher Ilitch is seeking outside assistance. 

A league source told the Free Press that Ilitch has hired a search firm to help determine who should replace Steve Yzerman, who served as general manager from April 19, 2019-July 15, 2026, when it was announced he would transition to a role as a senior advisor. 

In the meantime, assistant general manager Shawn Horcoff is handling day-to-day responsibilities, though that does not extend to making trades. 

St. James also updates Dylan Larkin’s status, which remains the same…

Continue reading HSJ in the morning: Red Wings utilizing an outside search firm to find analytics-based GM; Larkin still wants to be traded

DeBrincat works hard for his money

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen discusses Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat this evening, arguing that the diminutive scorer is more than worth whatever it takes for the Red Wings to re-sign him this upcoming season:

[Red Wings coach Todd] McLellan likes the competitiveness, durability and shot that comes with the DeBrincat package. This is a man who can handle heavy hitting. He has played every game in each of the past five seasons. Obviously, NHL Network selectors didn’t appreciate those attributes as much as McLellan does, never mind the fact he was 19th in the league’s points race last season.

Lucas Raymond was 20th on the NHL Network list and that seems low as well. But it wouldn’t be hard to for most NHL fans to find someone in the No. 14-19 range to remove to add DeBrincat and his 26 even-strength goals from last season.

Continue reading DeBrincat works hard for his money

There’s always room for improvement

If I may be blunt, “list articles” kind of bore me. It’s very easy to write a list and post it as “news,” and, oftentimes, the lists are kind of pedestrian.

Sports Illustrated is starting up a Red Wings blog, and they’re following the “list article” script to some extent, but SI’s Jayd Serdy is offering a creative take on the “list,” discussing one item that each and every one of the Red Wings’ forwards and defenseman should strive to achieve in the upcoming season:

Lucas Raymond — Shoot More Often

Raymond has become one of Detroit’s offensive leaders, but he’s also an excellent playmaker. Sometimes he looks for the extra pass instead of trusting his shot. Adopting even more of a shoot-first mentality could push him into the league’s elite goal-scoring tier.

Emmitt Finnie — Add NHL Strength

Finnie has the skill to make plays in tight spaces, but the jump from junior to the NHL is a different challenge physically. Adding strength will help him win more puck battles, protect possession, and make his offensive creativity translate against bigger, stronger defenders.

We all know that Raymond is a fantastic finisher, but his 51-assist season this past year was only bolstered by hitting the 25-goal mark, and he could easily hit 30-35 if he shoots the puck more regularly;

Finnie had a great rookie season as a tenacious forechecker, but he didn’t win as many puck battles as he could if he had more trunk strength.

Sayd continues, and here are some of his suggestions for Detroit’s defensemen:

Continue reading There’s always room for improvement

Red Wings merit a very solid offseason ‘C-‘ from Sportsnet’s Dixon

Sportsnet’s Ryan Dixon offers “offseason grades” for the Atlantic Division’s eight teams, and he’s very fair regarding Detroit’s uncertain situation:

Detroit Red Wings

Key arrivals: Viktor Arvidsson, W; Daniil Tarasov, G; Keegan Kolesar, W

Key departures: Patrick Kane, W

Grade: C-

The Wings’ off-season was thrown into chaos when we learned captain Dylan Larkin had requested a trade. Then, just as we were wrapping our heads around how Larkin’s demand might play out, it was announced Steve Yzerman would be coming off his post as general manager and moving upstairs.

Now, with the calendar having flipped to August and the start of training camp basically six weeks away, it just feels as though Detroit is in a giant holding pattern. The GM search has yet to yield a replacement for Yzerman and, as far as we know, nothing the organization does between now and the end of the summer is going to change the way Larkin sees his NHL future.

Add to that the fact burgeoning defenceman Simon Edvinsson needs a new contract and that sniper Alex DeBrincat is entering the final year of his deal, and there’s just uncertainty everywhere you look in the Motor City.

Maybe a new GM will land on the scene and deftly move to address all the issues. But it sure feels like — with the team now 10 years removed from its most recent playoff appearance — momentum is moving the wrong way in Detroit. 

Continued…It’s a fair grade…for now…

Tweet of note: Red Wings single-game tickets are on sale today

The Detroit Red Wings are selling tickets to their 2026-2027 season games today:

One word describing Detroit’s offseason tension

Bleacher Report’s Sara Civian offers a “one word” answer for each and every one of the NHL’s 32 teams’ offseasons, and she’s not optimistic about Detroit’s moves thus far:

Detroit Red Wings: Welp

It’s been radio silence from the Red Wings since three weeks ago, when they announced a leadership change that took Steve Yzerman out of the GM position. The position remains vacant, but there are several big questions the next guy will have to answer ASAP.

The biggest: How will the Dylan Larkin saga end, and how can the Red Wings start to replace their first-line center and captain if he still wants out?

Continued; the “Radio Silence” doesn’t help at all, but we’re all in waiting mode, and the closer we get to training camp, the worse our worry will become…

But patience is necessary right now.