Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis lists 10 players who might wind up winning the NHL’s Calder Trophy as the league’s best rookie, and while Marco Kasper isn’t going to win the award, it’s nice to see him get some national recognition:

8. Marco Kasper, LW (Detroit Red Wings)

After starting the season in the AHL, Kasper registered an assist in his first game up with Detroit on Oct. 19. He then went without a point for over a month and entered December with just five points in 19 games. But then January rolled around and everything changed. Kasper finished just one point behind Hutson for the most points among rookies last month with 12, and had the most goals with seven. All but one of the points came at 5-on-5, too. His ice time improved to 14:35, and now he’s skating on Detroit’s top line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. Kasper looks so comfortable right now, and his two-way game hasn’t wavered even after moving to the wing.

Continued; there was no “everything changed.” Kasper worked his way up the lineup over the course of October, November and December, and now, under coach McLellan, he’s doing a great job of playing as a “digger” and forechecker for Larkin and Raymond.

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills spoke with Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson regarding his experiences at the 2025 AHL All-Star Game this past weekend in Coachella Valley, California:

Manning the bench for the Central Division at the 2025 American Hockey League All-Star Classic was one of many cool moments this past weekend for Grand Rapids Griffins head coach Dan Watson, whose wife and three children also took in what he summed up as a very special experience at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif.

“It’s always nice to represent your organization at any stage, any event you can,” Watson told DetroitRedWings.com on Wednesday morning. “It was nice to meet the other coaches that were there and share some talks with them, see how they do things. Met the players, too. It was a great, well-organized event.”

Watson is the first Griffins head coach to achieve the honor since Todd Nelson in 2017 and the fourth bench boss in franchise history to coach in an All-Star Game. The 45-year-old also coached in three ECHL All-Star Classics (2017, 2019 and 2022) with the Toledo Walleye.

“A great experience for myself, obviously I had my family there to share with them,” Watson said. “You never know when you get to do these things. I was fortunate enough to have a couple in the ECHL, but [the AHL] is tough. [The Griffins] did a really good job in the first half to get me there.”

But Watson wasn’t the only one who represented Grand Rapids in Coachella Valley, as goalie Sebastian Cossa and forward Austin Watson also made their first career AHL All-Star appearances.

Continued

From the NHL:

“2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series Preview Show” to Premiere February 6

Half-Hour Special to Provide Fans with Inside Look at March 1 Columbus Blue Jackets-Detroit Red Wings Outdoor Game

NEW YORK (Feb. 6, 2025) – To build on the excitement for the upcoming 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series game at Ohio Stadium featuring the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Detroit Red Wings, NHL Productions will premiere a new half-hour special that will take fans inside the March 1 outdoor game. Produced by NHL Productions, the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series Preview Show will air on FanDuel Sports Network Ohio on Thursday, February 6, at 10 p.m. ET and on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit on February 7, at 11 p.m. ET. NHL Network will deliver the show to fans across the U.S. on Feb. 8, at 5 p.m.

Hosted by Alexa Landestoy, Brian Boyle and Tony Luftman, the special will offer fans exclusive access to the preparations for the Blue Jackets’ first-ever hockey game at the iconic football stadium on The Ohio State University campus, a preview of the musical performances by Ohio’s own Twenty One Pilots and O.A.R. and a look back on the history of NHL outdoor games.

Special guests include Commissioner Gary Bettman and former Blue Jackets player Jody Shelley joining the show to give their perspectives on NHL outdoor games. In addition, the show gives the backstory behind outdoor game traditions, including the coordinated outfits that players wear when arriving to the stadium, the specially-designed jerseys each team will wear for the game, and how each stadium’s transformation for outdoor hockey draws inspiration from the host city.

The show will re-air on each network throughout the month, leading up to the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series game on Saturday, March 1. The general public can purchase tickets to the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Ticketmaster.com. Ticketmaster is the only official marketplace of the NHL®, providing fans with the peace of mind in knowing the seats they buy on Ticketmaster.com and the Ticketmaster app are the seats they’ll get.

The Athletic’s Max Bultman discusses the rapid increases set for the NHL’s salary cap over the next three seasons–from $88 millions to $95.5 million next season, $104 million in 2026-2027 and $113.5 million in 2027-2028–and how it will impact the Red Wings over the short and long term.

I find his longer-term discussion of Detroit’s cap situation to be more interesting, but you’re probably going to want to read his take on the Wings’ short-term future, which probably includes a significant youth movement on the team’s blueline:

By the 2026 offseason, they could have significant flexibility on the blue line, with Seider the only defenseman currently under contract for that year — at what is expected to be just 8.2 percent of the cap — and Edvinsson and Johansson still under team control. There will also presumably be more blue-line prospects ready for the NHL by then, headlined by Axel Sandin Pellikka and potential third-pair options Shai Buium and William Wallinder.

I suspect Detroit will still want at least one outside veteran in that mix by then, though, which is why there would be some logic in pursuing that type of player either this offseason or next. Among the names currently slated to hit free agency, New Jersey’s Johnathan Kovacevic stands out as a big body with outstanding underlying numbers this season, though his prior track record in Montreal wasn’t as sterling. Los Angeles’ Vladislav Gavrikov could be a more proven option, albeit pricier and a left-hand shot.

The big intrigue this summer will be at forward, though. If Kane stays, Detroit could opt to effectively run it back with this current roster — it’s certainly working well so far under McLellan — and count on continued progress from young players such as Edvinsson, Johansson and Marco Kasper, plus potential call-ups Carter Mazur and Nate Danielson. There’s a path to improvement primarily through internal growth.

But if Detroit and Kane part ways, they’ll need to replace his impact. And if that happens, the good news is the forward position is shaping up to be the strength of this free agent class.

Landing a big fish such as Mikko Rantanen or Mitch Marner would of course make the biggest impact, bringing in an elite producer and power-play weapon. But while those options are long shots, there are notable names even a tier down from those stars, such as Florida’s Sam Bennett, Winnipeg’s Nikolaj Ehlers, Vancouver’s Brock Boeser and the Islanders’ Brock Nelson. There are also trade possibilities such as Buffalo’s Dylan Cozens.

Continued (paywall); I’m not expecting Kane to leave, frankly, but I do believe that the Red Wings will attempt to import a top-six forward who will score goals over the next couple of years.

Of Red Wings renaissance-related note this morning:

1. MLive’s Ansar Khan suggests that any comparisons made between the Red Wings’ turnaround and those of the 2019 St. Louis Blues or 2024 Detroit Tigers are premature…But the important part of his article is about the “how’s” and “why’s” of the Red Wings’ turnaround, as explained by the Red Wings’ players and coach:

“I’m not sure any of us really thought we’d be in this position, but what a spot we’re in,” Patrick Kane told media in Seattle Tuesday after scoring his NHL-record 53rd shootout goal in a 5-4 victory over the Kraken. “Obviously, it’s fun when you’re playing for something every night. We’re in a good spot, we put ourselves there. You got to give Todd a lot of credit, he’s done a great job of coming in and kind of settling things down and making sure we’re playing aggressive even when we get back on our heels a little bit and things aren’t going our way to keep pushing forward and try to turn the game in our favor.”

The Red Wings will get in a couple of practices before hosting Tampa Bay Saturday in their last game before a 13-day break for the 4 Nations Face-Off (1 p.m., ABC).

They’ll be seeking their first eight-game winning streak since 2008 (Jan. 17-Feb. 5).

“The spirit, the belief has gone up,” [Red Wings coach Todd] McLellan told media at Tuesday’s game. “They’re playing to the structure that we put in. It’s easy when you’re winning, you can get people to believe in things, simpler than if you’re losing. They’ve been attentive, they work hard in practice, they want to win. They’re a hungry group.”

Continued;

2. And the Free Press’s Helene St. James discusses the Red Wings’ resurgence as well:

Continue reading Khan, HSJ on the Red Wings’ resurgence

The Detroit Red Wings are 54 games into their 82-game regular season schedule, having gone 13–17–4 under coach Derek Lalonde, and 15-4-and-1 under coach Todd McLellan.

The Wings have one game remaining before the Four Nations Face-Off break–on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning–and so they’ll play games 56 to 82 after a nearly two-week-long break due to the NHL’s tournament between teams representing Finland, Sweden, Canada and the United States.

As far as I’m concerned, given that the Wings had a very rough 34 games under coach Lalonde, and then a 20-game surge under coach McLellan, now is a very good time to give the team a mental and physical break before the “stretch run” begins. In my book, the Wings are still playing energetic, enthusiastic hockey…

But it’s also February, and they look like they’re a bit mentally and emotionally “gassed,” so I figure that now’s a good a time as any to recharge the team’s batteries.

In writing their “Super 16,” the NHL.com version of Power Rankings, NHL.com’s writers suggest that 1. the Red Wings belong in the “Super 16” for the first time in months and 2. that it’s a very bad time for the Wings to take a break from a winning streak:

Continue reading Will the Four Nations break help or hurt the Red Wings?

Red Wings coach Todd McLellan confirmed to the Wings’ media corps that defenseman Jeff Petry will miss 6-8 weeks after having surgery for an undisclosed injury, as initially reported by Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.

As such, Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen discusses the potential impact thereof:

Should the Red Wings lose another defenseman to injury over the next several weeks, William Lagesson would be the next man up. He has NHL experience (102 NHL games) and played impressively well for the Grand Rapids Griffins earlier in the season.

If the Red Wings have to dip into their prospect pool, the most experienced of the top prospects are William Wallinder and Antti Tuormisto, both of whom have made considerable progress since starting their AHL careers.

If the Red Wings should lose Erik Gustafsson to injury while Petry was injured, they might consider acquiring someone to replace Gustafsson as the No. 2 point man.

When healthy, Petry has been a power play point man.

Simon Edvinsson may be a point man at some point, but it doesn’t feel like coaches believe he’s ready yet for that job. The Red Wings like prospect Shai Buium on the Griffins power play, but he doesn’t even have enough AHL experience yet.

One intriguing young offensive defenseman who might be available in the trade market is Buffalo Sabres’ Bowen Byram (4th overall, 2019). The Red Wings should be willing to part with a 2025 first-rounder as part of a package to land him.

Continued; yeah, I’m not going with the Wings adding Byram just for depth’s sake. IF, and it’s a big IF, the Sabres are willing to move him to a division rival, they’re going to want a premium package, in the form of a defenseman in return, an NHL prospect and a 1st round pick.

IF he’s available, AND there’s a fit, AND the Sabres are willing to trade him, AND the teams can come to an amicable trade solution, sure, but that’s a lot of “If’s and but’s.”

Of Red Wings-related note this evening:

1. Sportsnet posted a Tweet of note regarding Patrick Kane’s status as the NHL’s all-time leader in shootout goals:

Patrick Kane stands alone atop the NHL's all-time shootout goals list 🎬 pic.twitter.com/wX4K8mgeTp

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 5, 2025

2. And Yardbarker’s Natalie Vaitas notes the point performances of three important Red Wings players over the course of Todd McLellan’s tenure as the Wings coach, all while discussing whether teams are “contenders or pretenders” for Wild Card spots:

Detroit Red Wings: Contenders

The Red Wings have been the best team in the league since Todd McLellan took over, going 15-4-1 with two separate seven game win streaks. They currently sit in the first wild-card spot and are just one point behind Ottawa for third place in the Atlantic. 

Detroit has also gotten some elite play from their stars during their recent run. Lucas Raymond (25 points in 20 games), Dylan Larkin (24 points in 20 games) and Moritz Seider (15 points in 20 games) have all been excellent. If they keep up their play, they should be in the postseason for the first time since 2016-17.

That’s a fantastic endorsement for the Red Wings’ leadership trio, and yes, that’s what they are now.

The Eastern Conference standings look like this today…

But you should not be surprised if the Wings “fall out of the playoff picture” before the Four Nations break, mostly because most NHL teams have several games during the balance of this week.

The Tampa Bay Lightning, for example, have 3 games, playing on Thursday vs. Ottawa, Saturday in Detroit, and Sunday in Montreal.

With the Boston Bruins also on the Wings’ trail, Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen discusses where the Wings stand as they accrue “games in hand” on other teams between Wednesday night and Saturday:

The Red Wings went 7-2-1 in their past 10 games and lost ground to the New York Islanders (8-2) in the Eastern Conference playoff race. They only gained one point on the Ottawa Senators (7-3).

How tight is the race in East? Six teams are within five points of each other fighting for third place in the Atlantic Division and two wildcard spots.

None of those teams had fewer than 10 points over the past 10 games.

Tonight, the Boston Bruins can move into a playoff spot if they earn one point against the New York Rangers. The idle Red Wings cannot fall out of the playoffs tonight.

Continued; Detroit’s going into the break with 54 games played; by Sunday, Tampa will have played 55, and most of the Eastern Conference’s other teams have at least 2 games remaining on their schedule.

So don’t despair if the Islanders or Blue Jackets gain ground on Detroit–the Wings will make up their games after the break.

Per the Detroit Red Wings:

UPDATE: The #RedWings have assigned Dominik Shine to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. pic.twitter.com/JGUt3MXfTj

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 5, 2025

Update: From the Red Wings:

Continue reading Tweet of note: Red Wings reassign Dominik Shine to Grand Rapids