The Red Wings will play 2 games in 2 nights this weekend, and then 5 games over the course of 7 nights next week, completing a total of 8 exhibition games played over the course of 12 nights. I tend to think that it’s “too much hockey” and too many opportunities for players to suffer injuries, but Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde told the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan that he feels that the Wings’ exhibition schedule works well:
The Wings host Chicago and Pittsburgh in exhibition games Friday and Saturday. It’s unclear how many NHL players from those two teams will dress, but the Wings will be ready.
“People are at different points of their situation,” Lalonde said. “Who knows where people are in their process. I foresee us fielding some pretty deep teams throughout the camp. (But) you pull guy out of (a lineup), and it’s unbelievable how it trickles down through the whole thing. There’s a lot that goes into it.”
The Wings have eight exhibition games, something Lalonde wasn’t used to when he arrived in Detroit but has grown to appreciate.
“I’ve found it to be extremely beneficial with the young guys in our system,” Lalonde said.
FYI:
Lalonde liked what he saw in the Wings’ victory Wednesday in Chicago.
“It’s our first of eight exhibition games and we’re here diving and blocking shots to win a game; I appreciated that of the group,” Lalonde said. “There were a lot of positives but certainly a work in progress.”
Continued (paywall)
