Author: George Malik

From the NHLPA:

NHLPA GOALS & DREAMS CELEBRATES BOB GOODENOW’S LEGACY THROUGH $50,000 EQUIPMENT CONTRIBUTION AND AN ADDITIONAL FIVE-YEAR COMMITMENT TO CLARK PARK COALITION

…Community hockey event brought together youth players, NHL alumni, Goodenow family and local partners in Detroit

TORONTO (September 16, 2026) – The National Hockey League Players’ Association’s charitable arm, NHLPA Goals & Dreams, and Clark Park Coalition hosted a special community hockey event to celebrate the legacy of former longtime NHLPA Executive Director Bob Goodenow.

On Tuesday, NHLPA Goals & Dreams formally announced a two-season $50,000 equipment donation of 35 full sets of equipment in each of the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons to Clark Park Coalition’s youth hockey program. Additionally, NHLPA Goals & Dreams announced at the event a five-year commitment to continue supporting Clark Park Coalition’s youth hockey program through new hockey equipment, helping future generations experience the game in seasons to come.

“Hockey is a game that inspires people and brings them together,” said NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh. “We’re proud to celebrate Bob Goodenow’s legacy by giving back to the game he loved with the NHLPA Goals & Dreams’ equipment donation to Clark Park Coalition’s youth hockey program, helping support the next generation of hockey players in Detroit.”

EliteProspects/DLLS Stars/Shap Shots’ multi-talented Sean Shapiro weighs in on Shawn Horcoff’s naming as the Detroit Red Wings’ interim GM by examining Horcoff’s “old job” as one of the players who counseled Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn toward the end of Horcoff’s NHL career:

The Stars viewed Horcoff, the former Edmonton Oilers captain, as one of the new sounding boards for Benn, someone that would immediately step into that room as a louder, bolder lieutenant to Benn.

It worked to an extent, and while Horcoff’s on-ice play had diminished, there are people in the Stars organization, including Nill who have told me he left a positive lasting impact on Benn and the team in general.

Benn, rather famously, doesn’t open up about much, but I can tell you a few seasons back, the Stars captain told me that Horcoff, Rich Peverley, and Vernon Fiddler were amongst some of his better influences on him as a captain.

In many ways, that’s the situation Horcoff is now stepping into in his management career. He’s a guiding light of sorts, maybe not the final light, but perhaps the one that’s needed right now for an organization that is basically rolling back the same staff and plan from the past decade outside of Steve Yzerman.

There are parts of the new era already in place, Dylan Larkin may still be here, but his leadership authority, especially publicly, has been torched and it feels like a foregone conclusion that Moritz Seider will eventually be named captain. But outside of that, Horcoff is tasked with polishing things as best he can, trying to figure out a deal with Simon Edvinsson and Alex DeBrincat, while also balancing trying to compete, somehow, in a loaded Eastern Conference.

Continued at some length (paywall)

Updated 3x at 3:59 PM: As you know from the “Tweets of note” post, Red Wings interim GM Shawn Horcoff announced that Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin will not be participating in the start of training camp due to an upper-body injury suffered over the course of off-ice training this past week. Larkin was seen by team doctors and will be re-evaluated as necessary.

So, the news media understandably pounced upon this conveniently-timed news, starting with TSN:

Larkin, 30, was at the centre of a tumultuous offseason for the team, coming off a 10th straight spring without playoff hockey. The team’s captain, Larkin issued a trade request in early June, offering the team a preferred list of destinations. No trade could be found and the team announced last week that Larkin would be at camp, but had been stripped of the captaincy.

On Tuesday, Red Wings owner Chris Ilitch said Larkin spending the entire season with the team is a possibility. He has five years left on an eight-year, $69.6 million deal signed ahead of the 2023-2024 season. He is contracted through the summer of 2031.

In the weeks after the Larkin bombshell, general manager Steve Yzerman abruptly stepped down with the appointment of Horcoff on an interim basis coming on Tuesday. The former Edmonton Oilers forward remains a candidate for the permanent position.

A native of Waterford, MI, Larkin has 643 points in 808 career games across 11 NHL seasons, all with the Red Wings.

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan confirmed…

Good afternoon.

I want to thank everyone who donated to both the server fundraiser and our GoFundme over the past couple of weeks.

The blog’s still up and running, which means that we raised the funds necessary to keep the TMR experiment going due to your generosity, and we were able to raise enough funds to pay our property taxes this year due to your generosity as well.

That’s not taken for granted.

This blog is always going to be a smaller-market blog, but its readers are tremendously loyal and dedicated to keeping both the blog going, and helping Aunt Annie and me when you can, and that’s incredible.

This month, we’re facing a different set of challenges.

The Detroit Red Wings introduced Shawn Horcoff as their interim GM today:

And here are some interesting Tweets from the presser:

The presser will begin soon and is being streamed on the official @DetroitRedWings website. pic.twitter.com/LKKtFFpwG0

— Michael Whitaker (@mwhitaker_89) September 16, 2026

Red Wings interim GM Shawn Horcoff will speak with the Wings’ media corps today at 3 PM EDT. Here is a video link to the stream:

Last night, I mentioned that the NHL Network’s Mike Rupp weighed in on the Dylan Larkin situation and the naming of Shawn Horcoff as an interim GM via a non-embeddable video. Today, the NHL Network posted the 3:01 clip on YouTube:

The Grand Rapids Griffins posted a 6:40 YouTube clip containing interviews with Griffins forward Kienan Draper, defenseman Justice Christensen and coach Dan Watson, taken after the last day of the Red Wings’ 2026 prospect tournament:

The Hockey News’s Michael Whitaker spoke with Red Wings prospect Nate Danielson regarding Danielson’s aspirations of making Detroit’s roster out of training camp and the exhibition season:

Danielson, who appeared in 28 NHL games last season, recorded two goals and five assists before being returned to the AHL. However, he suffered a stress fracture in mid-February that sidelined him for the remainder of the Griffins’ season. This time around, Danielson has his sights set on earning a spot on the Red Wings’ roster out of Training Camp. 

“For sure,” he said of his goal to make the Red Wings’ roster. “I mean, I want to come into Camp and definitely earn a spot. I mean, ultimately my goal is to be an impact player in the League this year and be someone who contributes. That’s kind of my goal for the year.”

Danielson got his first taste of NHL action with the Red Wings last season, and while he viewed the experience positively overall, he believes he can improve his ability to capitalize on scoring opportunities.

“I feel like there’s a lot of different things you can work on,” he said. “I think finishing is definitely something I kind of need to bear down on. I felt like last year, I lacked that at times.” 

Griffins head coach Dan Watson, who coached Detroit during the Prospects Tournament, believes Danielson is almost overly focused on his defensive responsibilities to the point where it hinders his offensive abilities. 

“His vision, the way he thinks the game, he’s very responsible, maybe sometimes too responsible,” Watson said of Danielson’s attributes. “And that sometimes can hurt you, but I just think his willingness to go to the net, his willingness to create some more offense around the net; that’s what he was asked to do last year, and he started to do that with us before he got injured. So, hopefully he’s been able to rehab himself, to feel stronger, get stronger, and have the ability to do that.”

Continued

MLive’s Ansar Khan asks some of the many “roster questions” facing the Detroit Red Wings heading into training camp tomorrow morning at Little Caesars Arena:

Who will fill the top two lines?

It could be as simple as keeping intact the top line for most of last season – Larkin centering Lucas Raymond and Emmitt Finnie – and having Viktor Arvidsson replace Patrick Kane, who signed with the Blackhawks, on the second line with Andrew Copp and DeBrincat. Or maybe Marco Kasper can earn the second-line center spot or a top-six wing position.

Which player has the most to prove?

Kasper needs to be the player he was the second half of his rookie season in 2024-25 (17 goals, 30 points in 42 games) instead of the one who struggled his second year (nine goals, 19 points in 81 games). Effort isn’t the issue – he skates hard and goes to the high-contact areas around the net and in the corners. It’s about executing and finishing.

Who will emerge on the third defense pairing?

The top two pairs are set with Moritz Seider-Edvinsson and Ben Chiarot-Justin Faulk. Albert Johansson has a secure hold as the left D on the third pairing. Jacob Bernard-Docker, signed to a two-year extension on March 25, has the inside track on the right side. Veteran Jacob Bryson, signed in the offseason, and prospect William Wallinder, who’s no longer waiver-exempt, will be competing for the spot. Former first-round pick Axel Sandin-Pellikka, after playing 68 games as a rookie, likely needs development time with the Grand Rapids Griffins to improve defensively.

Khan continues at length (paywall)