Month: October 2023

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills filed a morning notebook which focuses on Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde’s remarks about the Wings’ roster, Klim Kostin’s acclimation to the Wings, and coach Lalonde’s take on the Grand Rapids Griffins’ mission this upcoming season:

Led by first-year head coach Dan Watson, Grand Rapids will begin its 28th campaign in franchise history Friday night against the Colorado Eagles at Van Andel Arena.

Lalonde said Watson will play an important role in helping develop the organization’s up-and-coming prospects.  

“We had those last conversations (Sunday), and Dan was the first guy to talk about how those conversations go,” Lalonde said. “He already had a plan for all of them. That communication is important. It’s not far off from where I was with Benny (Simon) last year.”

The Griffins earned a 28-36-4-4 (64 points) record last season, finishing seventh in the Central Division and missing the Calder Cup Playoffs for the second straight campaign.

Staying organizationally aligned with Watson is important to Lalonde, who wants the transition from the AHL to NHL to be seamless for prospects.

“Structurally, things will look similar,” Lalonde said. “Verbiage will look similar. I think there will be some positives, especially since some of these guys are knocking on that door. We’re only carrying 12 forwards. It’s just a matter of time before we start seeing guys from Grand Rapids.”

Continued

The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton issues his Red Wings season prediction this morning, and the most pertinent part thereof is his issuance of three “keys” to the Wings’ upcoming campaign:

1. Newly Acquired Depth Provides Added Stability Across Line-Up: The talk throughout Red Wings training camp—from players, coaches, and executives—has emphasized the significance of off-season acquisitions like Alex DeBrincat, J.T. Compher, and Jeff Petry.  Detroit knows because of its poor lottery luck there is a certain class of elite player it can’t add.  Instead, Red Wings brass is banking on the idea that the deepest Detroit team since Steve Yzerman returned as GM can make progress in the Atlantic, even without a top-of-the-draft prospect leading the way.

2. Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Larkin Click Straight Away: It’s no secret that the Red Wings need to score more than they did in 2022-23, and the Michigan-born duo of DeBrincat and Larkin will be central to making that happen.  The Red Wings believe a year ago they could hang in games with anybody but struggled to grab the goal they needed to push themselves over the top.  DeBrincat (and, to a lesser extent, Daniel Sprong) came to Detroit to help solve that problem, and the Red Wings will also be hoping that the diminutive winger can help push Larkin above the point-per-game threshold for the first time in his career.

3. Ville Husso Thrives in His First Season as an Unquestioned Number One Goaltender: A year ago, injuries forced Detroit to play Husso more than they had intended, and his performance suffered (.896 SV%, 3.11 GAA).  This year, Husso enters as the team’s definitive number one option, and Derek Lalonde is counting on somewhere between 55 and 60 starts out of the Finn.  For Detroit to be successful, Husso will need to make the most of that opportunity.

Continued; I’m gonna be honest here; I’m not expecting DeBrincat and Larkin to “click immediately.” I fully expect there to be an adjustment period for DeBrincat, as well as search for the right right wing to forecheck and grind out pucks for Larkin and DeBrincat to work with.

To me, the biggest challenge for the Wings may very well be my suspicion that they’re going to have to find secondary scoring while DeBrincat finds his bearings. Between that and the back-up goaltending situation getting sorted out, those are my two biggest “worries” about the start of the Wings’ 23-24 campaign.

The Athletic’s Sean McIndoe, a.k.a. Down Goes Brown, offers a season preview this morning, and he’s predicting that the Red Wings will finish in his “Middle-of-the-Pack Division,” and he notes that it’s fashionable to bash the “Yzerplan,” at least:

Detroit Red Wings

Last season: 35-37-10, 80 points, seventh in the Atlantic

Their offseason in six words: Yzerman blockbuster! (He can do that?)

Why they’re here: You know the drill by now. Where outsiders see a rebuild that’s spinning its wheels and watching other teams zoom past, Wings fans see a patient plan unfolding without much help from the lottery gods. They trust Steve Yzerman — maybe not unanimously, but close enough that I know not to dig too deep into any criticism. Instead, I’ll put the Wings here, expecting them to be better than last season but not quite good enough for a playoff spot. Yet.

Continued; patience is necessary here in Detroit, and we’re pretty much out of it, but the Yzerplan remains an in-progress rebuild, so there’s not much else to do, other than whine and complain because the Red Wings’ GM is working at his own pace.

Thankfully for the organization, he doesn’t care what you or I, or the rest of the media, think about him.

I’m apologizing in advance here because I have to head to the doctor’s office for my 6-month physical this morning at 10:50 AM.

I’m not certain how long the appointment will take, and but it’s going to conflict with the Red Wings’ practice this morning, and I’ll have to catch up when I get back home.

My apologies for any inconvenience caused by the couple hours’ worth of prime-time hockey news missed. Some days, you’ve gotta take care of your body (and mind; I’ve got a 5 PM therapy appointment, too).

The Free Press’s Ryan Ford posted an article which discusses “Everything to know about Alex DeBrincat, 40 goal-scorers and the Detroit Red Wings,” but “everything to know about Alex DeBrincat” only constitutes a quarter of his article:

In Steve Yzerman’s fourth season as Detroit Red Wings general manager, playoff hopes are as high as they’ve ever been. This is due, in large part, to Yzerman’s effort to address the team’s scoring woes over the offseason.

After the Wings finished 24th out of 32 teams in goals scored, Yzerman traded for forward Klim Kostin at the NHL draft, added forwards J.T. Compher, Christian Fischer and Daniel Sprong and defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere and Justin Holl via free agency, then nabbed forward Alex DeBrincat via a July trade and defenseman Jeff Petry in an August deal. In all, Yzerman added players who combined for 109 goals last season.

The biggest offensive talent of that bunch is DeBrincat, the Farmington Hills product who had 27 goals and 39 assists with Ottawa last season in what was a down year for him. That’s because DeBrincat is a two-time 40-goal scorer, hitting the milestone with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Continued; that’s not everything about DeBrincat, but Ford’s “blurb” sets up a column which really discusses the phenomenon of high-scoring forwards in the NHL these days, the Red Wings’ 40+ goal-scorers, and the history of American 40-goal scorers.

Bleacher Report’s Sara Civian posted “The People’s Guide to the 2023-2024 NHL Season” this morning, and she called a spade a spade regarding Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman’s managerial style:

Detroit Red Wings

If you’re a fan of history, dynasties and “slow and steady wins the race,” the Red Wings are the bubble team for you. Detroit had one of the most prolific runs in NHL history, and now their former star, Steve Yzerman, is GM and has been carefully constructing what is referred to as the “Yzerplan.”

This is a plan that has required patience and a little bit of tanking, but they looked almost ready this season, the cap space has opened up, and young stars they acquired during the rebuild phase like Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond are gearing up to take their next steps. They’re starting to trade away the excess and are taking steps to actually improve like dealing for two-time 40-plus goal scorer DeBrincat.

Continued; Steve Yzerman is a deliberate general manager, and he’s not concerned about outside opinions regarding his managerial style. Yes, the Red Wings needed to tear down before they began their rebuild in earnest, and this season, it’s about depth, depth, depth and challenging for a playoff spot.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff spoke with Olli Maatta, David Perron and coach Derek Lalonde regarding the Red Wings’ desire to play better and challenge for a playoff spot this upcoming season:

Based upon the fact that the team was 12 points in arrears of the final Eastern Conference postseason berth, simple math suggests the Red Wings will need to win at least six more games this season in order to be in the playoff discussion. That’s going to be easier said than done.

“There’s really nowhere to go in the division,” Lalonde said of the rugged Atlantic, where most prognostications are placing the Red Wings finishing seventh overall.

Why will this season be any different? The players point to the new faces as cause for believing the outcome can be positive.

“I think we’re going to defend better,” Maatta said. “We have lots of skill. I think playing with the puck, playing in the offensive zone. I think we can take control of games better.”

Will it be enough to get over the hump and into the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2016? There’s the rub. While there’s no doubt that the Red Wings are a better, deeper squad, the rough rapids they must navigate could pull them under yet again.

“Of course (the playoffs) it’s a goal,” Lalonde said. “It’s been a goal of hockey for the last 100 years. But playing the right way, and establishing an identity, creating a little bit of a process will give us a chance to talk about that. Exactly where we were last year through three-quarters of the season. We were right there because we were playing the right way. Now we have to get there again.”

Continued; 99% of the media folks are picking the Wings to fail and the “Yzerplan” to fail as well. Detroit has to prove them wrong, one way or another.

Thankfully, starting tonight, the talk will cease and the action begins.

The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted her morning article today, discussing the Red Wings’ probable lines vs. New Jersey on Thursday, Jonatan Berggren’s assignment in Grand Rapids, and coach Derek Lalonde’s assessment of Nate Danielson’s preseason play.

We’ll focus on coach Lalonde’s prescription for Berggren this morning:

Berggren, who had 28 points in 67 games last season, was sent to the minors Sunday, with a message: “Just keep doing things to make you an every-day type NHL guy,” Lalonde said. “I think for him, unfortunately, right, wrong or indifferent, he’s still raw in his development, and it makes no sense for him to be sitting here as 13th, not playing. It’s valuable for him to play meaningful minutes in Grand Rapids, rather than sit here with us.

“He just needs to play. He’s barely been in this league. His first year was last year. He’s still growing. He needs a more complete game, play away from the puck, him managing his game and puck play, eliminating costly turnovers.”

It didn’t help Berggren, 23, that Fischer came in and looked like such a good addition to the fourth line; they play different types of game, but it’s where Berggren would have fit otherwise.

Continued; Berggren isn’t “young” by NHL standards any more at 23, but player development just isn’t always linear.

He is going to be an NHL player–hopefully with the Red Wings–and at least for the beginning of this season, I’m comfortable with the Wings’ decision regarding Berggren playing at the AHL level (Simon Edvinsson, too) instead of sitting at the NHL level.

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed his 2023-2024 NHL Preview article, as a subscriber-only article, on the night before the new NHL season begins. Kulfan offers previews for each and every one of the NHL’s 32 teams, and here’s what he has to say about the home team:

Detroit Red Wings 

►Coach: Derek Lalonde 

►2022-23 record: 35-37-10 (80 points, 7th, Atlantic) 

►2022-23 leaders: G — Dylan Larkin, 32; A — Larkin, 47; W —Ville Husso, 26. 

►Pressure is on: RW Alex DeBrincat — The Farmington Hills native returns home, and he’s counted on to be the elite goal scorer this lineup has needed.  

►Rising star: D Simon Edvinsson — Edvinsson showed in a brief glimpse last season he possesses the size, skill and mobility that could make him elite.

►The skinny: GM Steve Yzerman overhauled the roster and it looks deeper and more talented. But is it enough to move up in the division standings?   

Continued (paywall)

The Score posted its “Top 100 NHL Players” rankings over the last couple of days, leading up to their top 10. The Red Wings have two representatives on The Score’s list, and two of them are forwards.

One ranks 90th…

90. Alex DeBrincat: The last time DeBrincat’s shooting percentage dipped below 15%, he followed it up by scoring at a 50-goal pace. Things didn’t work as well as hoped in Ottawa, but a move back home to Michigan with the Red Wings should rejuvenate the two-time 40-goal scorer.

And one ranks at the very rear of the Top 50:

50. Dylan Larkin: Larkin’s quietly put together back-to-back 30-goal, near-point-per-game campaigns. Now locked in at an $8.7-million cap hit for the next eight years, the 27-year-old remains the face of the Red Wings for the foreseeable future as the team looks to get back into the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

I don’t know where Moritz Seider is on their list, and I would not think that there are 100 players better than #53, but I am not objective here, and never have been.