Month: October 2023

Tweet of note: Red Wings Alums to play veterans’ benefit game on November 10th

The Detroit Red Wings Alumni Tweeted that they will play their annual game to benefit veterans on Friday, November 10th at 7:30 PM in St. Clair Shores:

Patrick Kane rumors persist

The Hockey News’s Lyle Richardson reports that there are still rumors linking Patrick Kane to the Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and yes, the Detroit Red Wings:

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen cited hockey analyst Pierre McGuire suggesting the Detroit Red Wings as a destination. Talking with Montreal’s TSN 690 last Thursday, McGuire thinks Kane could make “a massive difference” this season in Detroit, pointing out they also acquired his former teammate Alex DeBrincat.

This isn’t the first time someone has linked Kane to the Red Wings. John Dietz of the Chicago Daily Herald last month cited a source close to the winger claiming he wanted to be reunited with DeBrincat.

With PuckPedia showing more than $5 million in cap space, the Wings have the room to add Kane if he’s willing to accept a big pay cut from the $10.5-million average annual value of his previous contract. However, Sam Stockton doesn’t see Kane as a fit in Detroit, citing concerns over his health and production.

Continued; I don’t see a fit here, but you never know.

Red Wings-Blackhawks morning skate stuff: TV/radio info, morning skate Tweets and the Hawks’ lineup

Updated 7x at 12:01 PM: The Detroit Red Wings open up a stretch of 3 games to be played over the course of 3 nights tonight in Chicago vs. the Blackhawks (8:30 PM EDT on NBC Sports Chicago/ESPN+/97.1 the Ticket). Detroit will then play in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, and in Toronto on Thursday.

The Wings will likely cut down the roster either Friday, ahead of Saturday’s home exhibition finale vs. Toronto (7 PM EDT on Saturday, on Bally Sports Detroit), or they’ll make their cuts shortly afterward.

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills posted a preview of tonight’s game…

After using the summer months to rest and recover, jumping back into hockey’s daily grind can be an adjustment for players young and old. But when reflecting on the first half of the preseason, Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said prospects like Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson don’t appear overwhelmed.

“Playing and getting a lot of minutes in a lot of situations gets you more comfortable,” Lalonde said after Sunday’s 6-1 win against Chicago. “That’s why you do it. (Kasper and Danielson) are probably playing beyond what we had slated, which they’ve earned. I think these types of minutes and experiences are extremely important for those young players.”

J.T. Compher, who had a goal and two assists on Sunday, also praised the young talent in the Red Wings’ lineup this preseason.

“Some of the young guys have played really well,” Compher said. “They’re also good kids who work hard. They’re out there after practice asking questions and are willing to learn, which as a young guy is super important. This is an important time for them. Even if it’s a couple of games and they go back to wherever they play for the year, it’s good to get reps in and build a little bit of trust for Newsy.”

Mills continues;

In terms of morning skate Tweets: MLive’s Ansar Khan led us off…

Continue reading Red Wings-Blackhawks morning skate stuff: TV/radio info, morning skate Tweets and the Hawks’ lineup

Wings ranked low in ESPN’s ‘NHL Goalie Tandems’ rankings

I can’t even be made at ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski’s low ranking of the Red Wings’ goaltenders this morning. The Wings are going to have to prove a lot of people wrong, and Wyshynski’s rankings of the NHL’s goaltending “tandems” are representative of the Wings’ status in the eyes of their critics:

27. Detroit Red Wings
Ville Husso, Alex Lyon, James Reimer, Sebastian Cossa

GM Steve Yzerman made significant changes to the Red Wings’ goaltending after last season, which saw them finish 25th in team save percentage (.890).

Gone are Alex Nedeljkovic and Magnus Hellberg, both of whom ended up with the Penguins. Arriving are Reimer, who posted his first sub-.900 save percentage of his 13-year NHL career (.890) with the Sharks last season; and Lyon, whose 15 games with the Panthers (.912) practically saved their season when Sergei Bobrovsky was out down the stretch.

Cossa was taken 15th overall in the 2021 draft, but is only just getting on the path for his pro career.

Continued (paywall)

Cuts will have to wait

Just a quick note about the fact that the Red Wings are going to make their roster cuts a little later than most teams.

As all of you know by now, the Grand Rapids Griffins and Toledo Walleye tend to split off as AHL and ECHL teams begin training camps this week, but the Red Wings are playing 3 road games over the course of 3 nights this week (Tuesday @ Chicago, Wednesday @ Pittsburgh and Thursday @ Toronto), so while the Wings might start waiving players this week…

They’re going to need “two teams'” worth of players until at least Thursday, so I can’t imagine any significant numbers of roster cuts before then.

That’s a good thing for players like Alex Lyon (who could be plucked off the waiver wire), try-outs Artem Anisimov and Michael Hutchinson, and a bunch of younger players who have merited long looks in the exhibition season (see: Nate Danielson and William Wallinder, among others).

Eventually, Griffins coach Dan Watson and Walleye coach Pat Mikesch will get their players before Grand Rapids opens its regular season on October 13th and 14th at home vs. the Colorado Eagles, and Toledo plays its exhibition games vs. the Kalamazoo K-Wings on the 13th and 14th of this month as well.

But right now, the Red Wings need as many bodies as possible, so yes, we’ll see some waiver wire dumps over the course of the week, but we won’t see many reassignments until Thursday or Friday.

I do believe that the NHL requires its teams to be 23-man roster compliant by 5 PM next Monday, so the team will have to make its Lyon-or-Reimer and does-Danielson-get-a-9-game-try-out decisions by next Monday.

Well, it’s more like a ‘sick long weekend’

My apologies for the radio silence over the past three days.

I figured that one day would be enough to shake this “Traverse City flu,” but it’s taken three full days to just start feeling human again as Aunt Annie and I brought a bug back in addition to the fatigue from the trip (mostly because I was doing two jobs, writing and full-time caregiving).

I’ll try to rev up the blog a little later today, and I’ve got some catching up to do this afternoon/evening, as health allows. I’m not feeling at 100% by any means, but I don’t need to be at 100% to blog these days, so we’ll see what I can do.

I want to thank you for your patience and promise to keep you in the loop a little more going forward.