Of brief Red Wings-related note overnight:
- The Hockey News’s Michael Whitaker spoke with Red Wings defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka and Detroit coach Todd McLellan regarding the young defender’s progression over the course of last season’s stint with the Grand Rapids Griffins, this summer’s training, and training camp and the exhibition season:
“I’m excited; having that experience and being here that first year is going to help a lot,” he said. “Just experience-wise, knowing what’s going on all the time and how we play over here, it’s a lot easier to adapt. I feel like I’ve gotten stronger, and I’m excited.”
Not only did Sandin-Pellikka tally in Detroit’s win over the Penguins, but forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, who also made the Opening Night roster last season, scored twice.
According to head coach Todd McLellan, both Sandin-Pellikka and Brandsegg-Nygård are in a far better position than they were at this point last year, and they have every right to feel confident.
“He should be confident and feel good,” McLellan said. “We went through Axe’s progression and how he finished in Grand Rapids, and we said he and (Brandsegg-Nygård ) should come back confident – coming back and feeling good, way better than last year at this time.
“He handled the puck, made some really good plays, defended fairly well,” he continued. “So, he’s where he should be. Just have to keep pushing away and believing in himself, and it’ll take over.”
2. NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman examines how teams that missed the Eastern Conference’s playoff cut might find their way into the playoff mix this upcoming season. Kimelman includes the Red Wings in his set of assessments:
DETROIT RED WINGS
Last season: 41-31-10, seven points out of second wild card
How it ended: The Red Wings had the second wild card March 19, but they went 3-8-2 in their final 13 games. They were eliminated April 11, extending their playoff drought to 10 seasons, the longest in the League.
Biggest offseason change: There will be a new hockey operations leader at some point. The Red Wings announced July 15 that Steve Yzerman, who had been general manager and executive vice president since 2019, is moving into a senior advisor role for CEO Chris Ilitch. Among the top priorities for whoever takes over will be determining how close the Red Wings and their young core, led by defenseman Moritz Seider and forward Lucas Raymond, is to being contenders for a playoff spot or if a rebuild is needed, and how that could play into the future of captain Dylan Larkin, who requested a trade after last season ended.
Why they could get in: If the NHL season ended in March, the Red Wings’ playoff drought would have ended years ago. They have sat in a wild card each of the past three seasons on March 1. But each season they collapsed, including losing 15 of their final 22 games last season (7-11-4). There certainly is enough talent to stretch that first 60-plus games of quality play into a full 84-game run. Goalie John Gibson showed he’s more than capable of backstopping a playoff team at age 33, and he has a solid group of defensemen in front of him, led by Seider, Simon Edvinsson and Axel Sandin-Pellikka, who has the look of a future No. 1 power-play quarterback. Viktor Arvidsson, who signed a two-year contract July 1, should help at 5-on-5, where the Red Wings’ 142 goals were the third fewest in the NHL. The 33-year-old averaged 1.31 goals and 3.06 points per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time last season with the Boston Bruins, totals that were better than the Red Wings’ leader in those categories, Alex DeBrincat (0.89 goals per 60, 2.36 points per 60). With improved 5-on-5 play, plus development from a talented group of younger forwards like Emmitt Finnie, Nate Danielson and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard to support Larkin, DeBrincat and Raymond, the Red Wings should have a chance at a wild-card spot for more than three-quarters of a season.
