Month: October 2024

Red Wings-Rangers morning skate Tweets: Copp, Larkin skip morning skate; Talbot starts vs. NYR

The Detroit Red Wings will attempt to avenge Monday night’s 4-1 loss to the New York Rangers when the teams battle again this evening at Little Caesars Arena (7:30 PM EDT on ESPN+/Hulu/97.1 FM).

The Red Wings hit the ice at LCA just before 10:30 AM for their morning skate:

Press release: Red Wings reassign Gage Alexander to Grand Rapids

From the Grand Rapids Griffins:

GAGE ALEXANDER REASSIGNED TO GRAND RAPIDS

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Detroit Red Wings on Thursday reassigned goaltender Gage Alexander from the Toledo Walleye (ECHL) to the Grand Rapids Griffins.  

Last season, Alexander appeared in 19 outings with the Tulsa Oilers (ECHL) and showed a 5-8-1 record with one shutout to go along with a 3.76 goals-against average and a .887 save percentage. Alexander competed in 16 AHL games with the San Diego Gulls during the 2022-23 campaign and logged a 5-7-3 ledger with a 3.59 GAA and a .887 save percentage. Throughout his three-year pro career, the Okotoks, Alberta, native has a 11-19-4 mark with two shutouts to go along with a 3.67 GAA. Prior to turning pro, Alexander spent four seasons in the WHL from 2019-23 and totaled a 33-16-6 record with a 2.81 GAA and a .902 save percentage. Alexander was selected with the 148th overall pick by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.

Prospect round-up: Finnie 1G+1A in Kamloops loss

Of Red Wings prospect-related note in North America on Tuesday night:

In the WHL, Emmitt Finnie had a goal and an assist, finishing at -1 with 6 shots and a 9-for-15 faceoff record as his Kamloops Blazers lost 5-2 to the Prince Albert Raiders.

Finnie has 3 goals and 4 assists for 7 points in 6 games this season, but Kamloops is in 11th and final place in the WHL’s Western Conference.

Tweet of note: Jesse Compher, ‘mic’ed up’

The Red Wings mic’ed up Jesse Compher, brother of J.T. and Professional Women’s Hockey League player, during a recent visit to Detroit to watch J.T. play for the Red Wings:

On defensive worries (and a bit of a ramble)

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed an afternoon notebook which discusses a number of topics, including the Red Wings’ mediocre defensive play over the first four games of the regular season:

▶ Defense a concern: Maybe the correct way to phrase it is still a concern.

The Wings came into this season focused on improving team defense. It cost them a playoff berth last season, and any hopes of ending an eight-year playoff drought was going to be pinned on improved defense.

These three games, collectively, haven’t lessened any concerns.

Saturday’s victory raised hopes. The Wings played with a sense of urgency defensively, won more individual battles, and played more like planned — although allowing 42 shots and having to play so much defense wasn’t ideal.

It’s only three games. Not even an entire week into the regular season. But allowing 10 goals in three games isn’t an inspiring start.

Continued (paywall); the Red Wings’ defense, offense and goaltending have all been “up and down,” and I won’t deny that I have the same worries and doubts that you and I both have expressed over the course of the summer, training camp and the exhibition season…

But it really is three games, three very middling games, and three games against quality opponents. I didn’t expect the Red Wings to come out of the starting gates like racehorses, especially given that they lost some integral on and off-ice pieces in David Perron and Shayne Gostisbehere, and given that the team’s goaltending isn’t sorted out yet.

I’m not suggesting that the Red Wings deserve some sort of grace period, but they deserve some acknowledgment of the fact that this team is still a set of disparate parts, having turned over somewhere around a quarter to a third of the roster, and the reality of the situation is that the team’s probably going to be better later than it is earlier.

There are kinks to be ironed out and disparate players to be integrated into the roster, from the goal out, and it’s just going to take time to “get their reps” in and gel as a team, especially with a rough October schedule.

Ideally, the Wings get back to work tomorrow, they split the series with the Rangers on Thursday, they get at least a point in Nashville, and they roll from there. There are going to be hiccups and there are going to be bumps and bruises, and how the team–coaches and players alike–reacts to those problems will tell the tale.

The bar is rightfully set high for the Red Wings. They haven’t met their expectations yet. It’s up for them to get ‘er done, even if it comes in fits and spurts until the team hits its stride.

Prospect round-up: ASP 1A, MBN 19:56 played in Champions Hockey League win

Of Red Wings prospect-related note:

In the Champions Hockey League, Skelleftea AIK won a 3-2 overtime decision over the Pinguins Bremerhaven. Skelleftea has already clinched a playoff spot, and they’ll play in the “round of 16” on November 12th or 13th.

Axel Sandin Pellikka played on the 3rd defensive pairing, but he posted an assist, 4 penalty minutes, 2 shots on goal and 2 blocked shots in 16:29 played, finishing even;

And Michael Brandsegg-Nygard played on the 1st line, finishing even with 2 shots and a blocked shot in 19:56 played.

The Swedish media is really pissed off about this set of penalties called to Sandin Pellikka when he got into it with Anders Gronlund.

There’s also a lengthy interview with Brandsegg-Nygard in Expressen, but it’s stuck behind a paywall (all of it).

Later this evening, Emmitt Finnie and the Kamloops Blazers will host the Prince Albert Raiders in the WHL.

Update: Here are the highlights from Skelleftea’s win:

Kane’s hip to feeling healthy this season

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills spoke with Red Wings forward Patrick Kane, who finally feels 100% healthy a year after undergoing hip resurfacing surgery:

“Throughout camp, the hard days, they’re hard on the body but they’re not hard on the injury anymore,” Kane said after Monday’s morning skate at Madison Square Garden. “That’s the fun part obviously, no dealing with pain. That’s a huge part of where I’m at, and obviously my summer as well. Not having to rehab the whole summer and instead train, and train like an athlete. That was probably the biggest thing going into this offseason that was exciting for me.”

The last time Kane said he felt this healthy was the 2019-20 season. According to Kane, he started experiencing hip problems during the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when he was with the Chicago Blackhawks in the bubble in Edmonton. After battling lingering hip pain for the next three seasons (2020-23), Kane decided to undergo hip resurfacing surgery on June 1, 2023.

Following his post-procedure rehab process, Kane inked a one-year contract with Detroit on Nov. 28, 2023, and finished last season with 47 points (20 goals, 27 assists) in 50 games. Motivated to help the Red Wings build on what they accomplished in 2023-24, Kane re-signed a one-year deal on July 1.

“Going to another Original Six franchise in Detroit, jumping in midseason and being in the playoff hunt all the way to the end, with some exciting times for the team and for me personally as well, it was a fun year,” Kane said. “When you’re making your decision about where you want to play, all that stuff comes into your mind and what you want to do. I was excited to come back.”

Head coach Derek Lalonde said starting this season with a fully healthy Kane is a huge positive for Detroit. Kane has become a key part of the Red Wings’ top-six forward group, first power-play unit and veteran voice in the dressing room.

“I think he can drive us with just his ability and approach, so him being healthy helps,” Lalonde said about the 35-year-old forward. “It’s just his own mindset, too…I kind of liked our lineup coming into this year — little more true top-six, bottom-six. I feel we can check a bit better, especially in games like this where you have tough matchups throughout. Him playing at that level would be important for us.”

Continued