A bit more from Dylan Larkin at the Rocket Mortgage Classic

Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin took part in the “AREA 313 Celebrity Scramble” at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit yesterday, and he spoke with the Free Press’s Chandler Engelbrecht regarding the state of his revamped team:

Larkin, who turns 26 on Saturday, was also just happy to lend a hand to the charities surrounding the event. Additionally, he said he took the time to unwind more as the Wings’ season draws even closer — something Larkin is also excited for.

“The team’s spending money on some very skilled players (and) a lot of pieces that we needed,” Larkin said at the Detroit Golf Club. “I’m very excited for the pressure going into camp. We’ve got the pieces. Now we’ve got to do something with it.”

At the NHL draft earlier this month, general manager Steve Yzerman selected forward by Marco Kasper at No. 8, and picked up six other forwards and two defensemen with their remaining picks. Yzerman also traded a third-round pick for goalie Ville Husso before the draft’s second day.

Detroit’s front office then acquired three forwards and three defensemen through free agency as the summer progressed. There are now more than 12 experienced forwards under contract for the Wings’ next season. This will help the team’s depth immediately, as forward Robby Fabbri (knee) and defenseman Jake Walman (shoulder) have been ruled out for the start of 2022-23.

“There’s a lot of new faces,” Larkin said. “We’re going to have to mesh quickly. I’ve already spoke to a lot of the new signings. Everyone’s excited, everyone’s very knowledgeable about the players we have and what we added.

“What I like most is the (new guys’) skill level … I haven’t been this excited for going into camp and going into the season in quite some time. There’s huge upside for our team, we just have to go out and prove it.”

Continued (paywall)

NHL.com’s Fantasy Hockey staff weighs in on coach Lalonde’s potential impact upon the Wings’ point-producers

NHL.com’s Fantasy Hockey staff compiled a column in which they discuss the fantasy hockey impact of the NHL’s offseason head coaching changes.

They weigh in on the players which the TEN new head coaches might affect. Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde’s potential impacts upon the Red Wings’ best players was analyzed at length:

RED WINGS HIRE LALONDE: Derek Lalonde was named coach of the Detroit Red Wings on June 30, replacing Jeff Blashill. Lalonde was an assistant under John Cooper with the Tampa Bay Lightning for four seasons from (2018-2022).

The Lightning made the playoffs in all four of Lalonde’s seasons, including the Stanley Cup Final in each of the past three, and won back-to-back championships in 2020 and 2021. Lalonde joins Detroit during its full-fledged rebuild but has a promising opportunity under general manager Steve Yzerman, who helped build the current core of the Lightning when he was their GM from 2010-2018.

Lalonde’s experience with the Lightning’s elite talent should help the development of young defenseman Moritz Seider, who won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie this season, and wing Lucas Raymond. Raymond had the third-most points (57) among NHL rookies this season, and Seider was fourth in points (50) and led rookies in blocks (161). The Red Wings also signed defenseman prospect Simon Edvinsson (No. 6 pick in 2021 NHL Draft) to an entry-level contract April 24 and could see him debut as early as next season.

It’s worth noting center Dylan Larkin, who had an NHL career high in points per game (0.97; 69 in 71 games) this season, is a potential 2023 unrestricted free agent. But Larkin could have an even higher fantasy ceiling if Lalonde plays him more often on a line with valuable wing Jakub Vrana, who missed most of last season because of injury but has 30 points (including 21 goals) in 37 games over two seasons with Detroit. Additionally, Detroit signed forwards David Perron and Andrew Copp, significantly increasing the strength of their top-six forward group for this season. Both forwards had good postseason performances with Perron leading the St. Louis Blues in both points (13 in 12 games) and goals (nine) during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Copp was an instrumental part of the New York Rangers’ Eastern Conference Final run with 14 points in 20 playoff games.

DET players in top 250 rankings: Moritz Seider, D; Dylan Larkin, C; Lucas Raymond, LW/RW; Jakub Vrana, LW; David Perron, LW/RW; Andrew Copp, C/LW/RW; Tyler Bertuzzi, LW/RW; Ville Husso and Alex Nedeljkovic, G

Continued; given how damn smart the NHL’s Fantasy Hockey staff is, I’m surprised that they don’t suggest that Larkin will remain on a line with Tyler Bertuzzi and Raymond.

Dylan Larkin speaks with Detroit News’s Silva at the Rocket Mortgage Classic

Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin took part in the “AREA 313 Celebrity Scramble” today in Detroit, ahead of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Larkin spoke with the Detroit News’s David Silva regarding the Red Wings’ offseason remodel. Larkin told Silva that the Red Wings need to come to Traverse City ready to impress:

“Obviously, there’s a lot of new faces, so we’re going to have to mesh quick,” team captain and two-time All-Star Dylan Larkin said. “I’ve already spoke to a lot of the new signings. Everyone’s excited, everyone’s very knowledgeable about the players we have and obviously the pieces we’ve added.”

[Free agent signing Andrew] Copp and the rest of the free agent class won’t be the only new part of the team, of course, as Derek Lalonde became the 28th head coach in Red Wings history last month.

“We talked right away when he was hired, and it seems like he’s very excited to come in,” Larkin said of Lalonde. “Obviously, everyone knows through what Steve has said and his press conference to start, team defense is something that we’re going to really work on, and I think the guys that were on the team last year and the new signings are excited for that challenge.”

Lalonde was in Tampa Bay since 2018 as an assistant coach, helping the Lighting win back-to-back Stanley Cups.

“I haven’t been this excited for going to camp and going into the season in quite some time,” Larkin said. “There’s a huge upside for our team, we just have to go out and prove it.”

Continued; Spartans coach Tom Izzo’s group won the Celebrity Scramble, but Larkin’s had a good summer. He’s gotten engaged, he’s worked out with Lions draft pick Aidan Hutchinson, and, in theory, anyway, a new contract extension is somewhere on the horizon.

Twitter video: Sebastian Cossa sits down with BSD’s Natalie Kerwin

Here’s a 3-and-a-half-minute Twitter video of Red Wings prospect Sebastian Cossa speaking with Bally Sports Detroit’s Natalie Kerwin:

Our @NatalieKerwin1 sat down with 2021 @DetroitRedWings draft pick @SebastianCossa to learn more about his development since being drafted, his offseason plan and how he became a goalie as a kid.#LGRW pic.twitter.com/NU0zcQ5foL— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) July 26, 2022

DHN’s Allen profiles Chase Pearson, who’s ‘got a short runway’

When we talk about prospects, I like to talk about the concept of having “runway” with which to develop, meaning that the longer a prospect has to develop before his chances of making the jump to the NHL, the more “runway” he has.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen profiles Red Wings prospect and recently re-signed center Chase Pearson today, and Pearson, who is 24 going on 25 this August (and is 6’3″ and 203 pounds), very simply needs to make the jump to the Red Wings’ roster sometime this upcoming season, or he may need to pursue other opportunities.

He’s running out of runway at an alarming rate, as Allen notes:

The Detroit Red Wings brass may believe Chase Pearson can play in the NHL. What they don’t know is whether he can make a difference in the NHL.

Grand Rapids coach Ben Simon told Pearson at his season-ending meeting that his focus coming into the 2022-23 season must be on proving he has the drive to take that next step. Two seasons ago, Pearson had a strong AHL season. He posted eight goals and 22 points in 28 games. But last season, Pearson had less of an impact for the Griffins.

“We just have to make sure he’s ready to go next season,” Simon said.

Pearson, 24, did get three games with the Red Wings and didn’t look out of place. Even if he’s a bottom six forward, the Red Wings need him to do more than just blend in.

He’s a 6-foot-3 center with a strong understanding of how he needs to play to be effective.The Red Wings believe in him enough to sign him for another season. But they want to see more from him, more consistency and more production.

Allen continues, wondering aloud whether another team might pluck Pearson off the waiver wire if/when he’s sent to Grand Rapids this fall.

My assessment is that he would not be picked as a no-longer-waiver-exempt player, mostly because he experienced a bumpy 2021-2022 season, but I do believe that he’s going to be a fine checking-line center somewhere, and that his skill set and work ethic are NHL-worthy. I’m just no longer certain whether he’ll “make the jump” with the Red Wings.

Tweet of note: NHL.com’s ‘Fantasy on Ice’ podcast discusses the Red Wings

Per NHL.com:

The Yzerplan is in full swing in Detroit. 🙌@NHLFantasy discusses the @DetroitRedWings & more in the most recent episode of Fantasy on Ice.

Listen ➡️ https://t.co/VS3dc4PHUn pic.twitter.com/Fc3XyIHkNR— NHL (@NHL) July 26, 2022

You can listen to the 50-minute podcast on various streaming platforms here.

Roughly Translated: The Buffalo Sabres wanted Marco Kasper at 9th overall, but Detroit got their man with pick #8

A couple of days ago, the Kleine Zeitung in Austria posted a behind-the-paywall article discussing Red Wings 8th overall draft pick Marco Kasper and his relationship with his dad, Peter, who was a long-time professional hockey player.

Yesterday night, Hockey-News.info’s Markus Rinner lifted the veil on the article ever-so-slightly, revealing that the Buffalo Sabres, who picked right behind the Red Wings at 9th overall, really wanted to pick Kasper instead of Winnipeg Ice center Matt Savoie.

This is one of those “small detail, but you might be interested in it” articles.

Anyway, here’s a translation thereof:

Continue reading Roughly Translated: The Buffalo Sabres wanted Marco Kasper at 9th overall, but Detroit got their man with pick #8