Red Wings/Griffins/Walleye catch-up post of doom

Of Red Wings, Griffins and Walleye-related note over the past couple of days:

DetroitRedWings.com: The Red Wings released their Prospect Games roster and schedule on Tuesday;

Jonathan Mills wrote a profile of Ondrej Becher;

Detroit Hockey Now: In a subscriber-only article, Kevin Allen discussed the Wings’ salary cap situation for the summer of 2025;

Allen briefly discussed Michael Brandsegg-Nygard’s situation heading into the Prospect Games and training camp, while Bob Duff discussed the online buzz about Brandsegg-Nygard’s game;

As Duff notes, former Wing Marc Staal has retired…

And Dmitri Buchelnikov scored a goal and had an assist in HC Vityaz Moscow Region’s 3-2 loss to Admiral Vladivostok, playing 17:09 and finishing at +2:

Duff also peeked behind the paywall as Expressen’s Gunnar Nordstrom discussed the Raymond situation:

“Today there is no proposal that is equal,” Peter Werner, Raymond’s agent, told writer Gunnar Nordstrom of Swedish website Expressen.

Nordstrom also spoke with Red Wings vice-president of hockey operations Nicklas Lidstrom about Raymond’s status. Lidstrom’s response was to acknowledge that the two sides were talking about “big money” in their contract discussions.

Projections are that Raymond could be seeking a new deal ranging in the $7.5 million per season range.

“The hopes are high that we will find a solution,” Werner said. “Lucas wants nothing more than to play hockey.”

Duff reported that Red Wings prospect Axel Sandin Pellikka is returning from an injury, too, ahead of today’s Champions Hockey League game between Skelleftea AIK and Red Bull Salzburg;

Duff reports that former Red Wing Larry Trader passed away at 61 years of age:

Allen also reports that Hockeytown Rundown on Twitter has seen the new Fanatics Red Wings jersey, and there’s either silver or reflective material on the numbers:

The Hockey News: Sam Stockton reports that former Wings/Griffins goaltender Michael Hutchinson has signed a pro try-out with the New Jersey Devils;

Connor Eargood reports that the recently-retired Marc Staal will join the New York Rangers in a player development role;

Eargood discussed three potential breakout candidates for the Red Wings in Erik Gustafsson, Alex DeBrincat and Justin Holl;

The Hockey Writers: Tony Wolak wrote a very good discussion of what the new Red Wings players’ roles and expectations should be for this upcoming season;

Octopus Thrower: Kaitlyn Glaza wrote a strong preview of the Red Wings’ Prospect Showcase team;

DetroitHockey.net: As you might expect, Clark Rasmussen has the numerical scoop on the Prospect Showcase team;

TSN: Former Red Wing Dominik Kubalik signed with HC Ambri-Piotta of the Swiss NLA. He has an “out clause” if he earns an NHL contract before December 15th;

Bleacher Report: Sara Civian suggested one “Wish List” item for each and every one of the NHL’s 32 teams:

Detroit Red Wings: League Average Goaltending

The Red Wings were on the playoff bubble a few times last season in the crowded Eastern Conference.

Whenever they appeared to gain serious momentum, though, a combination of subpar goaltending and unseasoned defense brought them back down to earth.

With Patrick Kane re-signed and Vladimir Tarasenko in the mix, the offense has a chance to stay relatively solid, although some middle six-ish losses and the departure of Jake Walman raise an eyebrow.

Can Detroit improve on its .897 team save percentage this season? Between Cam Talbot, Alex Lyon and Ville Husso, you’d think some combination of the three could stay above .900 if they are properly utilized.

You could point to several things the Red Wings might wish for at this stage of the Yzerplan, but a foundation of solid goaltending tends to have a positive ripple effect.

IceHockeyGifs: Of note regarding Axel Sandin Pellikka:

On Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider: The pair are training in Mannheim, Germany under the watchful eye of skills and skating coach Andreas Larsson, who also represents Seider-endorsed sports apparel company Aycane. The Hockey News’s Connor Eargood also took note of this development:

Champions Hockey League: The CHL gets underway today as Skelleftea will battle the Red Bull Salzburg:

Red Wings Prospects: “Red Wings Prospects” on Twitter highlights the new 32 Thoughts podcast:

Russian Machine Never Breaks: RMNB’s Ian Odland reports that former Washington Capitals forward and Herndon, VA native Joe Snively is wearing Red Wings colors at the Capitals’ “Captain’s Skates,” and Snively’s new duds look odd to Caps fans;

Upper Deck: Speaking of the Capitals, Red Wings prospect Nate Danielson represented the Wings at the NHLPA’s Rookie Showcase at the Caps’ practice facility:

Sportsnet: Not shockingly, Sportsnet’s Josh Beneteau reports that the Red Wings’ late Ken Holland regime drafting was not very good, with the Wings ranking 24th out of 32 teams in draft success;

Red Wings Alumni Association: In case you forgot, Upper Michigan’s Source reports that the Red Wings’ Alumni Association are going to battle the “Yoopers United” on September 13th in Marquette;

Grand Rapids Griffins: The Griffins released their 2024-2025 promotional schedule;

Toledo Walleye: The Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe reports that former Griffins forward Tyler Spezia has signed a contract with the Walleye;

And finally, I’ve got a really good interview that Jakub Rychlovsky gave to Sport.cz’s Hynek Preisler, but you may have to run it through Google Translate yourself as it’s a very busy time for me.

Published by

George Malik

My name is George Malik, and I'm the Malik Report's editor/blogger/poster. I have been blogging about the Red Wings since 2006, and have worked with MLive and Kukla's Korner. Thank you for reading!