I don’t enjoy being sick, contrary to some folks’ opinions…It isn’t fun being sniffly and sweaty and hot and cold and tired all the G-D time, all the symptoms of a flu bug I probably picked up from the visiting nurse or the visiting OT or PT specialists we’ve entertained while Aunt Annie recovers from a double hospitalization and one hell of a UTI.
“Outside bugs” got in, and after busting my ass during training camp, I’m sorry, but I got dinged.
I’m still sniffly and sweaty tonight, but I am also not going to be absent of the blog for more than three days, so let’s dig into a Red Wings catch-up post which at least summarizes some of the stuff we’ve both missed over the last day.
The preseason moves fast, so there are tons of articles out today, and I don’t want to get us bogged down, so:
We’ll look back briefly ahead of the second half of the exhibition season (I did watch both streamed games, so there’s that), in which the Red Wings will host the banged-up Buffalo Sabres on Thursday (7 PM EDT on Detroit SportsNet/WWJ 950) and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday (7 PM EDT on Detroit SportsNet/WWJ 950).
Detroit will be looking to improve upon its 1-0-and-1 exhibition record, with the Wings having lost a 1-0 decision to Columbus on Monday, and they took a 7-4 win the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.
Today’s news:
DetroitRedWings.com: Josh Berenter posted a very lengthy article which summarizes the new food, drink, merchandise and “theme nights”/bobbleheads/giveaways that the team will offer fans this upcoming season.
You can take a gander at this and maybe bookmark it if you’re genuinely interested in the fare.
You can also take note of the fact that the Wings are part of an art contest sponsored by Rehmann, whose grand prize is $5,000…
Jonathan Mills also wrote a recap of last night’s 7-4 exhibition win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Coach McLellan was, of course, marginally satisfied with his team’s effort:
“The offensive part of the game was satisfying,” Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan said. “We haven’t scored a lot, even in Training Camp, so the way we scored some of them – they weren’t pretty. They were kind of grimy-type goals. Obviously, face-off wins, feeder shots to the net, tips, deflections – it’s the way our team is going to have to score if we’re going to have success. I don’t see us being a cute team that’s going to buzz around. We’re going to have to play grinding hockey, and we played that way for the most part tonight.”
John Gibson made 22 saves through two periods before Trey Augustine played the third and finished with six for the Red Wings. In the Penguins’ crease, Artūrs Šilovs stopped 16 of 23 shots.
“We talked a lot about getting pucks on net,” said Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, who scored two goals. “As you saw today, we did. You see Anton (Johansson), he was just throwing it at the net and got four apples because of it. That was our focus and working on some new stuff with our system.”
MLive: Ansar Khan wrote a recap of Tuesday’s win, and Edward Pevos happened to get the cushy assignment of checking out all the Wings’ new food and beverage offerings.
On Wednesday, as you know by now(?), Ansar Khan and others reported that Dylan Larkin (upper-body injury) took part in practice, though he didn’t skate on a line. Khan reported the following regarding Larkin from coach McLellan:
Coach Todd McLellan said Larkin won’t be available for Thursday’s preseason game against Buffalo at Little Caesars Arena but said there’s a chance he could be ready for the finale Saturday at home vs. Columbus.
“We’ve got to be smart with it, but there’s a chance,” McLellan said. “I don’t know what the odds are, but there is a chance.”
Larkin did not skate on a regular line but took part in battle drills.
“He’s been able to progress enough off the ice and in the weight room, trainers feel good to let him go,” McLellan said. “He stayed out for the whole practice. I thought it was just going to be a portion of it.”
Khan also reports that Carter Bear is “day-to-day” with an injury, and Khan noted that the Red Wings are making aggressive cuts (although they haven’t been announced per se) in terms of waiving players ahead of the Grand Rapids Griffins’ back-to-back games against the Cleveland Monsters this Saturday and Sunday in Toledo, Ohio:
Forwards Cameron Butler, Sheldon Dries, John Leonard and Dominik Shine, and defensemen Bryson and William Lagesson cleared waivers Wednesday. They can be assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins. Forward Wilmer Skoog and defenseman Ronnie Attard were waived Wednesday and have until 2 p.m. Thursday to clear.
Detroit Free Press: Helene St. James posted a recap of the Wings-Penguins game, she reported that Larkin practiced with the Wings on Wednesday, and offered an update and video update from coach McLellan:
“Larkin is effective when his legs are going and he’s able to use them at full pace, so he’s going to have to get up to his standard pretty quick,” McLellan said. “But you can only do that when you’re healthy.”
Detroit News: Ted Kulfan posted a recap of Tuesday night’s win over Pittsburgh, and noted Larkin’s presence at practice. Amongst Kulfan’s off-day notes is this:
Defensemen Anton Johansson (four assists) and Axel Sandin-Pellikka (goal) were impactful in Tuesday’s 7-4 preseason victory in Pittsburgh. With defenseman Jacob Bryson being waived earlier in the week, the Wings have created two possible spots of a trio of Johansson, Sandin-Pellikka (both of whom can be sent to Grand Rapids without waivers) and William Wallinder (who would have to go to through waivers).
“We feel good about the blue line depth in the organization,” McLellan said. “Will we carry seven or eight (players), that’s a question internally we have to continue to discuss But there are players who’ve elevated their stock and Anton would be one. He had a hell of a game.”
Detroit Hockey Now: Max Smith wrote the recap of the Wings-Penguins game, Kevin Allen posted an analysis thereof, Bob Duff discussed Michael Brandsegg-Nygard’s 2-goal performance, Smith praised Marco Kasper’s instigating performance against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins, and Duff noted this remark about Larkin from one Lucas Raymond:
Wednesday, his teammates welcomed Larkin back with open arms.
“It’s fun,” longtime Larkin linemate Lucas Raymond said. “Obviously he’s been dealing with a little bit of an injury this start to camp. So, it’s fun to see him out there, skating with us.”
The Hockey News: Michael Whitaker wrote an article about the Wings-Penguins game, he took note of John Leonard’s presence on waivers Tuesday (Leonard cleared), Jake Tye got the food-and-drink article duty, and Whitaker offered this from Wednesday’s practice:
Head coach Todd McLellan confirmed that Larkin would not play in Detroit’s home preseason opener on Thursday evening against the Buffalo Sabres, but that there was “a chance” that he could play on Saturday in their preseason finale.
“There’s a chance, we’ve got to be smart with it, but there’s a chance,” McLellan said. “I don’t know what the odds are, but there is a chance.”
Sports Illustrated: The new “Red Wings on SI” blog’s Laura Lambert offered an update about Larkin’s presence on the ice Wednesday;
The Athletic: Amongst The Athletic’s Max Bultman’s observations from the first two preseason games:
One battle to watch: Fourth-line vets
Michael Rasmussen and Mason Appleton look like they might be competing with each other for a lineup spot. If Brandsegg-Nygård, Danielson and Carter Mazur continue skating together on the third line, that would likely leave one spot next to J.T. Compher and free-agent signing Keegan Kolesar on the fourth, with the other starting as an extra.
So it should be no surprise that Rasmussen and Appleton have shown some jump through camp and in their first exhibition games. Appleton scored Tuesday, putting home a rebound. Rasmussen had a couple of good looks Monday, including a two-on-one, in what McLellan called “a really good Ras game” — using his size down low and along the boards, in the faceoff circle and leading the penalty kill.
Rasmussen has seemed to have the inside track based on how the Red Wings have lined up through camp, looking much closer to the player Detroit needs him to be than last season. Appleton has played with some fire too. It might not be the splashiest battle, but it’s an interesting one.
A secondary question: Is there a chance it’s not just a battle for a lineup spot but a roster spot? If Johansson or Sandin-Pellikka makes the starting lineup, there’s a chance the Red Wings could keep eight defensemen on the roster — with Bernard-Docker and William Wallinder (who is no longer waiver-exempt) as the extras. If that’s the case, the Red Wings would have only 13 available forward spots, which would become a problem as soon as Dylan Larkin is healthy.
Danielson hasn’t exactly wowed in his spot on the third line, so he could be vulnerable as well (especially since he’s still waiver-exempt). He had an assist Tuesday, and his defensive acumen is real. For a player with his tools, though, he has a tendency to leave you wanting more. He’ll have lots to play for in the final games, and since he’s not a veteran (thus not limited to two games), he’ll have more chances. If he makes it, the Red Wings might be left with a tough decision elsewhere.
Multimedia: Alex Wood posted a highlight clip from Tuesday night’s win vs. Pittsburgh:
The Red Wings posted a clip of Lucas Raymond and coach McLellan speaking with the media…
And the Red Wings’ players shot promos for the scoreboard and Detroit SportsNet during “media day” on the ice at Little Caesars Arena today:
ELSEWHERE:
NHLPA.com: The NHLPA’s Scott Burnside wrote a lovely article about the late Bob Goodenow’s family, which has chosen to honor the long-time NHLPA executive director by putting both major money and a 5-year commitment to Clark Park and its hockey program;
SportsBusiness Journal: Former Red Wing Mathieu Schneider, a long-time NHLPA executive, has joined 3G Sports as their head of the men’s hockey branch of the agency;
FloHockey.tv: FloHockey’s Allen Catour did a nice job of summarizing how the Red Wings, Grand Rapids Griffins and Toledo Walleye coexist as the Red Wings’ NHL, AHL and ECHL affiliates;
Duluth News-Tribune: Speaking of Red Wings prospects, Max Plante wants to “come back for more,” says the Duluth News-Tribune’s Matt Wellens, who reports that the Minnesota-Duluth bulldogs will probably get a Victor Plante-Zam Plante-Max Plante line iced on opening night to get it out of the way:
“Winning the Hobey Baker is pretty special. It means you’re a pretty good player, but … I’m still only a 20-year-old kid,” Max Plante said. “I still haven’t won either a conference championship or a national championship, which is really the goal playing hockey. Knowing that we had other guys on our team turn down NHL contracts helped me with my decision.”
The Bulldogs had seven NHL draft picks on last year’s team, plus a number of undrafted free agents who have been courted by NHL teams. Goaltender Adam Gajan, a 2023 second-round pick by the Chicago Blackhawks, was the only Bulldog underclassman who signed a pro deal in the spring. One entered the transfer portal.
Asked about his goals, Max Plante said some are personal, others are “kind of obvious.”
“With the group we have coming back, we have a real shot — I feel like — to win some games,” Max Plante said. “Hopefully a good start in non-conference will help us going into the conference schedule. There’s three trophies that we have the opportunity to win. There’s a lot to do before that, but those are definitely some things that not only myself, but the rest of our team is looking at.”
Associated Press: The Associated Press posted a set of NHL team previews on Tuesday and Wednesday, and they are not optimistic about the Red Wings’ chances of making the playoffs;
ESPN: Greg Wyshynski’s “bold prediction” about the Red Wings is this:
Dylan Larkin stays in Detroit
The Red Wings’ now former captain wasn’t exactly forthcoming in his first meeting with reporters since his trade request became public. In particular, Larkin didn’t explain whether his ill feelings toward the organization stemmed from his dealings with general manager Steve Yzerman and whether Yzerman’s departure from that role this summer might have mended any of those fences with the organization.
He also wouldn’t go into details about his list of preferred destinations, and therein lies the rub for the Red Wings and Larkin: Unless either his list gets larger or their expected return for him grows smaller, he’s going to be skating for Detroit. (Sorry, Minnesota Wild.)
So the prediction here is that both sides grit their teeth, honor his contract and have Larkin play the full season in Detroit. There will be boos from fans and uncomfortable questions from reporters, at least at the start. But as the games go on, one thing remains clear: The Red Wings are a better team with Larkin in the middle than without him, and they know that.
For what it’s worth, both Bleacher Report‘s Sara Civian and two of three of The Score’s NHL writers believe that Larkin will remain in Detroit, at least longer than Connor Hellebuyck remains in Winnipeg;
The Athletic: James Mirtle answered a question about Dylan Larkin in a mailbag feature:
Is there a good past comparable for the Dylan Larkin mess? If so, how did it get resolved? A team captain demanding a trade before the GM gets canned before that captain gets stripped of the “C” as no GM is in place for training camp feels like a doozy. — Kyle J.
I did some digging on this and couldn’t find many great examples for all of these things (or similar) lining up at the same time.
There have been some late GM firings, for sure. I remember driving up to Maple Leafs training camp in 2012-13 and learning in the parking lot that GM Brian Burke had been let go, 10 days before the shortened season was set to start. In that case, they immediately bumped up his assistant GM, Dave Nonis, so there wasn’t the issue of not having someone in charge, even if things went sideways on Toronto’s roster not long after.
In 2023, the Senators fired Pierre Dorion eight games into the season after Ottawa was fined a first-round pick for the mishandling of the Evgenii Dadonov trade. But again, the organization had new president of hockey ops Steve Staios on hand to take over, giving them a degree of stability.
Maybe the best comparable if we’re talking about the chaos factor is the 2006-07 New York Islanders, who fired GM Neil Smith after 40 days and then named backup goalie Garth Snow as the new GM. But even then the decision was made well before camp, and Alexei Yashin remained captain.
In terms of captains asking out, there was Jason Spezza in 2014 and Yashin in 1999, both from Ottawa. Spezza had one year left on his deal and the situation was resolved fairly amicably with a trade to Dallas for some futures. Yashin, meanwhile, was stripped of the captaincy, missed an entire season with a holdout, and then was forced to come back and play out the final year of his contract anyway before being sent to the Islanders. (Interestingly enough, Yashin was traded for Zdeno Chara and the pick that became Spezza.)
What adds another layer to all this is where the Red Wings are at. They’ve missed the playoffs 10 years in a row, one of the longest droughts in league history, and they’re in the toughest division in the league. They didn’t do all that much in the offseason, save for replacing Patrick Kane with Viktor Arvidsson, and defenseman Simon Edvinsson still needs a new contract.
The franchise hasn’t exactly been known for its mental toughness of late, either, with so many late-season implosions. There’s considerable talent on this roster, but now they’ll have to overcome all of this turmoil and distraction and find a way to prove people wrong by ending the playoff drought and finishing ahead of at least three other Atlantic Division contenders.
There’s opportunity here for interim GM Shawn Horcoff, if he can shepherd his team through this mess. But it could also easily go sideways. No pressure.
Daily Faceoff: Anthony DiMarco offered a rumored personnel move regarding Detroit’s front office which is worth mentioning:
On the heels of naming Shawn Horcoff interim general manager, it sounds like the Detroit Red Wings are gearing up for more internal changes.
According to a team source, the Red Wings are going to announce more changes to their front office “later on” this season. While some of the specifics are unclear, Daily Faceoff was told from a team source that Horcoff will no longer be running the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins; he previously served as the club’s GM in addition to his role as an AGM for the Red Wings.
The team source did not confirm who the replacement is for the 48-year-old Horcoff, who has spent his entire managerial career with the Red Wings. Speaking to several league sources it was indicated to DFO that there is a belief that Dan Cleary is now running the team in Grand Rapids. Cleary, 47, officially holds the title of assistant director of player development with the Red Wings.
It would make sense that Cleary should run the Griffins…But we’ll see what happens.
Multimedia: WDIV Local 4 and WXYZ Channel 7 posted clips showcasing the food, beverages, merchandise and giveaways the Red Wings are serving/selling/holding this upcoming season.
The WXYZ video can only be watched on its YouTube page. No embeds for WXYZ for some reason.
