Lucas Raymond, RW, Detroit Red Wings: Sophomore slumps suck. Lucas Raymond would agree with that, as the Red Wings’ burgeoning star had an up-and-down year last year. He started slow and then got back to playing his game before falling off again and repeating that trend throughout the year.
The tough part of playing in the NHL, especially as a sophomore who made a big impact as a rookie, is that opposing players in the league get the notebook on your game, and it’s on you to diversify and adjust your game accordingly.
Raymond looks poised to ride shotgun with team captain Dylan Larkin once again, but they will be adding an elite goal-scorer to the opposite wing as Alex DeBrincat joins the Wings. With Raymond freed up a bit more, some added strength to his frame from a good off-season, and some maturity coming into his third NHL season, we could see the 21-year-old Red Wing ascend to star status.
In the Swedish Allsvenskan, Liam Dower Nilsson had an assist, finishing even with 2 shots in 14:13 of ice time as IF Bjorkoven won 4-1 over AIK;
In the DEL, Kevin Bicker blocked 2 shots in 7:16 played during the Frankfurt Lowen’s 2-0 loss to the Straubing Tigers. I’m starting to wonder whether they’re going to place Bicker in a lower league (the Germans have an under-20 league for youngsters) to give him more playing time;
Rubbing shoulders with Dylan Larkin, meeting Alex DeBrincat at the gym, finding yourself in the entire world of the Detroit Red Wings. The experience for Phoenix forward Israel Mianscum over the past few days will remain etched in his memory. His next goal: taking part in a preseason game during his next visit to a main NHL camp, and, who knows, maybe even signing a first professional contract.
Returning to Sherbrooke at the start of the week, Israel Mianscum finds himself returning to the Phoenix lineup this Friday after missing the first two games.
The 20-year-old had good reasons to explain his absence: after taking part in the rookie tournament in the company of Sherbrooke native Alexandre Doucet, Mianscum joined the veterans without having the opportunity to find himself on the same rink.
Danielson scored a goal in Tuesday’s opener, a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins at Little Caesars Arena. Danielson played nearly 17 minutes, including three minutes of power play time, and he was out in the last minute of the game, when the Penguins had pulled their goaltender and the Wings were protecting a one-goal lead.
“It’s very valuable,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “He’s building off a good rookie tournament, good camp in Traverse City. He was good tonight. We’d like to get him back in there soon.”
The Wings drafted Danielson at No. 9. General manager Steve Yzerman said that, “we like all parts of his game. He’s got pretty good size, he’s a good skater, he’s got good skills, he’s a good two-way centerman, so there’s a lot to like about him. He’s just a solid all-around prospect.”
Michael Rasmussen, himself a No. 9 pick from 2017, shared his thoughts on Danielson’s early showings.
“He’s impressive,” Rasmussen said. “He’s really poised, just goes about his business, good attitude. Works hard. It’s nice to see him get rewarded. Besides the goal I thought he played really well, too. I just think he handles himself really well — hockey sense, skill, patience. He seems like he’s got a good head on his shoulders.”
The Detroit Red Wings won 4-3 over the Pittsburgh Penguins in their preseason opener. Nate Danielson scored his first pro goal, Alex DeBrincat had two assists, and Jan Bednar played a very solid half-game in relief of James Reimer, as NHL.com’s recap notes:
DeBrincat assisted on Dylan Larkin’s power-play goal that gave the Red Wings a 2-1 lead at 6:58 of the second period. He had the secondary assist on Moritz Seider’s power-play goal at 11:40 that put Detroit up 3-2.
DeBrincat was acquired by the Red Wings in a trade from the Ottawa Senators on July 9 and signed a four-year, $31.5 million contract ($7.875 million average annual value).
Michael Rasmussen scored, and Shayne Gostisbehere also had two assists in his debut with Detroit, which played its first game of the preseason. James Reimer allowed two goals on nine shots in 30:14, and Jan Bednar made 11 saves in relief.
Radim Zohorna and Valtteri Puustinen each had a goal and an assist, and Alex Nedeljkovic made 29 saves for the Penguins.
Zohorna gave Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead at 6:23 of the first period, but Nate Danielson tied it 1-1 with a power-play goal at 17:23.
Puustinen tied it 2-2 at 10:14 of the second, and Sam Poulin made it 3-3 with a power-play goal at 13:08.
Rasmussen gave Detroit a 4-3 lead at 6:13 of the third period.
The Red Wings dominated the play, outshooting the Penguins 33-22. Pittsburgh dressed mostly an AHL lineup as stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, among others, did not make the trip.
Dylan Larkin and Moritz Seider also scored for Detroit. Free-agent additions Alex DeBrincat and Shayne Gostisbehere each contributed a pair of assists.
James Reimer started in goal and stopped 7-of-9 shots before Jan Bednar took over midway through the second period. Bednar stopped 12-of-13 shots.
…
Former Red Wings goalie Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 29-of-33 shots.
The Red Wings continue the preseason Thursday in Washington (7 p.m., NHL Network).
“Felt good, felt good in camp and good to get a game, especially at home here,” Rasmussen said. “To get back with the guys. There’s some stuff to clean up here and there, but I felt good and it felt nice to be out there with the guys.”
Dylan Larkin and Moritz Seider had second period power play goals, and first-round pick Nate Danielson had the other marker.
Danielson, the Wings’ first-round draft pick in June (ninth overall), played over 16 minutes and made a positive impression.
“He’s just building off a good rookie tournament, a good camp in Traverse City, and he was good tonight,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “There was some learning to do (also) which is great. We’d like to get him in there soon again. Very valuable minutes (for him).”
Earlier in the day, coach Lalonde explained that the Red Wings know that they didn’t necessarily play Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson on Tuesday…
“Some of these lineups are so (varied) night in and night out. They’re (the Penguins) not bringing in a very deep NHL roster and we’ll probably returned the favor to them (next week in Pittsburgh) but that’s just the reality of the schedule,” Lalonde said. “You’re more concerned about structure, some individuals (competing for jobs), a lot of teaching and building and what you’re trying to accomplish. But I love the mix of camp. The fact we have eight games, you get both ends of that (facing veteran and inexperienced lineups), and some of our young guys will see those (star) types of guys along the way.”
“It was good to play, good to get some reps out there,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “Little sloppy in some areas – two goals against from the defensive zone, on some puck play there. For the most part, fairly good. Just what you expect a first exhibition game to look like.”
Exhibition games are about seeing who fits where, and giving young players a chance to show where they’re at developmentally. First-round pick Nate Danielson continued a strong camp by scoring a goal. Alex DeBrincat, the prize acquisition of the summer, assisted on goals from Dylan Larkin and Moritz Seider.
Newcomer Shayne Gostisbehere showed off his power play prowess in earning an assist. Defense prospects Simon Edvinsson and William Wallinder assisted on Rasmussen’s goal.
“Some good movement (on the power play),” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “It looked organized with some of the habits. We had some really good looks, cashed in twice. But we had some really good looks. Power play is important for scoring, but sometimes momentum. It was good. A work in progress. We’ll get some different looks but guys did some good things tonight. That’s definitely a good step.”
Alex DeBrincat was brought in to score goals, and he showed his offensive instincts with a pair of assists. He managed four shots on goal. The Red Wings used DeBrincat down low on the left on a five-on-three power play. He set up Dylan Larkin with a nifty pass through the crease area. Gostisbehere delivered a perfect feed to Seider on his tally. He was set up on the right flank.
“It’s a simple goal but he makes a play on the half wall to Mo,” Lalonde said “(David Perron) gets the goalie’s eyes and it’s in the back of the net. But that’s a good play. He draw the guy over and makes a good pass. We’ll have some different looks there but Shayne looks pretty comfortable in that spot.”
The Red Wings were 17th on the power play last season with a 21.1% power play efficiency. If they could raise that power play effectiveness above 24% it would certainly help their scoring numbers. DeBrincat is also known for drawing penalties. He created the 5-on-3 by drawing a penalty on a power play in the second period.
On defense, Shayne Gostisbehere has been on the “half wall” on the right wing half boards–on the power play–since the start of training camp, and he’s looked strong there, as Sean Shapiro noted…
The Red Wings brought him on a one-year, prove-it deal. And in an era where teams are going more of a 4-forward, 1-defender approach on the power play, Detroit seems inclined to give Gostisbehere a chance to find his game with a 3-forward, 2 defender look with Gostisbehere on the flank and Moritz Seider manning the top of the 1-3-1.
Gostisbehere had a pair of assists, both on the power play, and embraced the distributing role on the side of the 1-3-1. He’ll have to shoot at some point to be more of a dual threat, but against a the Penguins’ AHL squad, he was able to surgically find passing lanes with patience.
Gostisbehere’s play at even strength will likely determine how much of an overall role he plays with the Red Wings this season, but Lalonde and his staff seem happy with giving him those extra opportunities to win the job on the man advantage.
Reimer, who earned plaudits from Lalonde for his performance in the Red & White game Sunday, faced a light workload in his 30:14 of action. He stopped seven of the nine shots he faced, but he hardly stood a chance on either of the goals he conceded—the first a byproduct of a defensive breakdown, the second on a 2-on-0 after the aforementioned Berggren turnover.
It wasn’t a spectacular performance by any stretch, but it was a solid one, and Reimer would seem to maintain a lead on Alex Lyon for the number two goaltending spot behind Ville Husso.
Bednar started slowly but finished with a tidy 12 stops on 13 shots. The lone goal he conceded (to Pittsburgh’s Sam Poulin) was one he would certainly want back, losing his post and allowing an innocuous stuff attempt to slip through him. However, Bednar recovered nicely and answered every subsequent question the Penguins asked of him.
I understand that roster spots are earned on merit, but I’m not quite ready to bury Cossa in Toledo after one exhibition game.
Lalonde on Danielson navigating situational play against the Penguins
“Very valuable, just building off a good rookie tournament and good camp in Traverse City. Good tonight. Some learning too, which is great. We’d like to get him back in there again soon.”
Lalonde on the value of having Grand Rapids Griffins head coach Dan Watson behind the bench
“Continuity and cohesion. We kind of have a routine. We rifle through every American Hockey League coach for one game on the bench because we think it’s a valuable experience.”
Rasmussen on the overarching goal of the NHL preseason
“Being in the offseason, you kind of get out of that compete and grind mode. Just get the systems down and really get our compete high because come Game 1, it starts.”
One game down. Eight to go. No, preseason results don’t usually translate into regular season results–be that in terms of even strength or specialty teams play–but it’s always good to get systems down, establish good work habits, and integrate new players into your team, and the Red Wings turned over a good 40% of their roster, so there’s a lot of integration to accomplish over the next two weeks.
Multimedia:
Highlights: Both the NHL and Sportsnet posted YouTube highlight clips from the game:
Bally Sports Detroit posted several Tweets of note, including the following…
Ken and Mickey Redmond said “hello” for their 27th season in the broadcast booth:
They're back! Mickey Redmond and Ken Daniels are ready to bring you the very first Red Wings preseason game and they're talking about some of the many changes that the team has undergone in the offseason.#LGRWpic.twitter.com/23bviTWx36
There was a bit of a highlight clip from the “Roast and Toast of Tomas Holmstrom and Nicklas Lidstrom” during the second intermission…
John Keating takes a look back at the recent fantastic Jamie Daniels Foundation event, the Roast and Toast of Tomas Holmström and Nicklas Lidström. Ken Daniels spoke about how much this event and the foundation mean to him.#LGRW@JDanielsFundpic.twitter.com/YCADsRmKIi
Nate Danielson spoke with Keating after the first period…
John Keating caught up with Nate Danielson, who scored the Red Wings' goal in the first period. Danielson was Detroit's first-round pick, ninth overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.#LGRWpic.twitter.com/WE9Sk7WsCJ
And Michael Rasmussen gave Keating a post-game interview:
John Keating spoke with Michael Rasmussen after Rasmussen scored the game-winning goal in the third period in the Red Wings' 4-3 preseason victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.#LGRWpic.twitter.com/8L0Gh4MOoZ
Lucas Raymond, Detroit Red Wings: Before we get into Lucas Raymond’s well-documented sophomore slump, we have to keep something in mind. He’s scored 102 points in 152 career NHL games and he just turned 21 in March.
“The fact that he’s never seen the American Hockey League — he jumped right into the National Hockey League — I don’t think people respect how hard that is,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde told reporters back in April.
But despite all of that, there’s no denying Raymond’s dip in production during his second NHL season. After scoring 23 goals and 57 points as a rookie in 82 games — finishing fourth in Calder Trophy voting — Raymond recorded 17 goals and 45 points in 74 games. He was more trigger-shy, too — averaging 1.81 shots per game last season after recording 2.24 per game the year prior. He also recorded a paltry 42.60 Expected Goals-for percentage during 5-on-5 play. Mind you, this is a player who played alongside Dylan Larkin for most of the year.
Yes, the Swede is still young, but he’s also entering the final year of his entry-level contract. If Raymond wants to cash in on a long-term deal, or even a comfortable bridge deal, he’s going to have to show that he’s capable of more and able to bring something to the table every night – even when he’s not scoring points.
Entering camp 12 pounds heavier this year and on the Red Wings’ top line alongside Alex Debrincat and Larkin, the stars appear to be aligning for Raymond’s season. But what if they don’t and Raymond repeats another empty calorie 40-50 point season? It’ll undoubtedly affect his next payday, and there’s little doubt he’s well aware of that.
Continued; no need to freak out about Raymond yet.
When you look at the other Atlantic playoff contenders – Buffalo, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Florida, Toronto and Boston – can you say the Wings have the high-end quality of talent that its opponents do? Stranger things have happened, but on the whole, the answer to that question is “no.”
The Red Wings need all the stars to line up perfectly to be a post-season team in 2023-24. As we all know, very rarely do all the stars line up perfectly for any team. A fifth- or sixth-place finish is in the cards for them, and that won’t please long-suffering Wings fans, but that’s the sense many NHL observers have for them.
Continued; I’m with coach Lalonde here. Bah, humbug.
With forwards Carter Mazur and Matt Luff both out with long-term injuries, it possibly betters the odds for Jonatan Berggren and Elmer Soderblom to make the opening night roster.
Then again, if neither is actually in the lineup but rather a healthy scratch or maybe not seeing meaningful minutes, would it be better for them to play in Grand Rapids? What happens during the exhibition season will answer those questions.
“It’s something we’ll evaluate,” Lalonde said of the Berggren and Soderblom issue. “We’d like to have the luxury of having 13 or 14 forwards. We’re two forwards down long term with the Mazur and Luff injuries. They (Berggren and Soderblom) are very raw in their development. It’s something we’ll evaluate after the eight (exhibition) games.”
Berggren, 23, played in 67 games with the Wings last season, with 15 goals and 13 assists. He got off to a quick start and sparked the Wings offensively, but he tailed off as the season progressed.
Soderblom, 22, made the opening night roster last year as injuries cut into the Wings’ depth. But as those players got healthy, Soderblom’s role diminished and he was returned to Grand Rapids. Soderblom did come back, but he was sent back and eventually saw his season cut short by injury.
Soderblom played 21 games with the Wings, with five goals and three assists.
