Tonight, the Detroit Red Wings kick off their 8-games-in-12-nights exhibition season against the Chicago Blackhawks (8 PM start on DetroitRedWings.com):
IT'S A #REDWINGS GAME DAY!
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 25, 2024
🏒: 8:00pm
📱: https://t.co/pJ2o9m0MhF
đź’»: https://t.co/jLX5LxaXCP pic.twitter.com/obQEqGPnu9
Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen took note of the fact that Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde won’t necessarily be loading up the roster in order to smack down opponents. On the contrary, the Red Wings’ coaching staff will be experimenting with different lines, different lineups and prospects over the course of the next 12 nights:
Detroit opens the preseason tonight on the road against the Chicago Blackhawks. Coach Derek Lalonde said he will use a mixed lineup of youngsters and veterans. “I think the exhibition game matrix is complicated; We end up with five games in six days and three in three,” Lalonde said. “Certainly is not ideal, especially with some of the objectives we want to accomplish in camp.”
The Red Wings want youngsters like Marco Kasper, Nate Danielson, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, etc. to see plenty of game time.
“I think you’re going to see a lot of mixed lineups,” Lalonde said. “Maybe a couple of NHL-experienced lines and with a couple of new guys. That’s what we’ll see tomorrow night.”
Also of Red Wings-related note this morning: The Free Press’s Helene St. James wrote a subscriber-only column which discusses Moritz Seider’s remarks made during yesterday’s press conference…
“I want to get better every year and there’s definitely a lot more that hopefully I can show in the future,” Seider said Tuesday. “It’s just about making the next step, being more consistent, trying to eliminate off nights as much as possible. And then trying to contribute on both ends even more; hopefully offense can come a little more, too.”
Coach Derek Lalonde elaborated on areas where Seider can improve.
“His defensive game can continue to grow,” Lalonde said. “Even with him, he’s had some lapses in some of his play. I think he can improve his skating, which is very exciting. I think he’s still very raw. I think there’s a lot of room for growth in him.”
And St. James noted that the Red Wings’ coaches will experiment with a Simon Edvinsson-Seider defensive pairing this exhibition season:
“It’s something we’ll look at in camp as a potential within our top four,” Lalonde said. “They’re both long. They both can be very tough to play against defensively because of that length. They both have some instincts. Sometimes it’s a feel with partners, and for me a lot of that feel is just puck support. Some guys just have a better feel and instincts with it. So that’s one pair we want to see through camp.”
They could be a formidable pair, combining size and skill.
“I think a really good opportunity for both of us,” Seider said. “He’s been taking big steps in his game. I think he’s finally slowly grown into his body and it’s fun to see him around. It’s a good thing if we can be out there – it’s either him or me on the ice, and I think that would be a big plus for us. He’s covering a lot of ice.”
