Author: George Malik

My name is George Malik, and I'm the Malik Report's editor/blogger/poster. I have been blogging about the Red Wings since 2006, and have worked with MLive and Kukla's Korner. Thank you for reading!

Red Wings’ Larkin, Raymond to battle at the Four Nations Face-Off on Monday

Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin and winger Lucas Raymond will face off tomorrow night at the Four Nations Face-Off as Team USA plays Sweden (8 PM EST start on TNT/Max/TruTV/Sportsnet), and the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan noted that Raymond’s expecting a slightly strange encounter:

“It’s a little weird, and we’ve (talked) about it a little bit,” Raymond said last week before the tournament’s start. “We’re very good friends off the ice, so first time playing against each other will be a little special. We’ve joked around a little bit, but it will be fun seeing him there. You go from hanging out every day, playing with each other, to all of a sudden playing against each other on a big stage like that, where it’s a lot of emotions involved, a high-compete level.

“I don’t know what I’ll do if I see him in the corner next to me, but it’ll be a good time.”

For Sweden to advance to the championship game, it needs to defeat USA in regulation time and hope the Canada and Finland game goes into overtime before deciding a winner.

Also:

NHL.com profiles Lucas Raymond

NHL.com’s Tracey Myers posted a profile of Red Wings forward and Team Sweden winger Lucas Raymond:

International competition is no stranger to Raymond, who had 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in 19 IIHF World Junior Championship games. He has 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 18 World Championship games.

He won gold with Sweden at the World U-18 Championship in 2019 (13 points in 11 games), and bronze at the 2020 World Juniors (four points in seven games) and 2024 World Championship (nine points in 10 games).

“This is the third tournament I’m coaching Lucas Raymond. He was great the first one, he was even better the second one and now he looks even better in the third one, said Swedish coach Sam Hallam, who had Raymond on the 2023 and 2024 World Championship teams. “He’s just taken a step to become an elite player in this league and he plays with that confidence.”

So, where has Raymond taken those steps?

“If you go back, I think he’s been one of the best players in the world at his age for a long, long time, so he’s always been a great player,” Hallam said. “I think when you see him on the ice, you forget how young he is. But just as that skill has been there the whole time, the work ethic has been there the whole time.

“Now it’s just the full confidence in himself, just trusting himself, making the right plays, meaning if he needs to chip the puck, he chips the puck. If he gets some room, he makes the play. So, just decision-making, maturity and confidence are the parts of just seeing him grow over the last two years.”

Not surprisingly, Raymond is looking forward to playing with the Red Wings after the Four Nations break:

“I mean, it’ll be exciting for sure,” he said. “We’re striving toward our goal to getting back to what Detroit has been, and I feel like we’ve taken steps every year and continue to get better as a team. I think everyone’s excited to get going after the break.”

Continued

Disagreeing about adding a depth defenseman

Bleacher Report’s Lyle Richardson offers a trade deadline target for every NHL team this morning, and I’m going to have to politely disagree with Richardson regarding his suggested deadline pick-up:

Detroit Red Wings: David Savard

The Detroit Red Wings could attempt to bolster their blue-line depth by the trade deadline. Veteran defenseman Jeff Petry has been sidelined since Jan. 2 and underwent surgery on Feb. 2, putting him on the shelf for six to eight weeks.

Because the Wings have been winning with Petry on the sidelines, they don’t have to rush into finding a suitable replacement. Nevertheless, adding a shutdown blueliner would ensure sufficient defensive depth as they attempt to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

David Savard could be a worthwhile option if the Montreal Canadiens become trade-deadline sellers. The 33-year-old is a reliable right-shot shutdown rearguard who won a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2021. His $3.5 million cap hit would fit easily within the Wings’ projected $12.6 million cap space.

Continued; given the emergence of Albert Johansson as a stalwart on the Simon Edvinsson pairing, I just don’t see the point of adding an older defenseman who’d most likely serve as a rental.

If the Wings can improve their blueline over the long haul, I’m fine with the team making a pick-up, but if we’re talking about expending assets on rentals alone, I’m just not interested, especially given that the Wings are basically at a 50-50 chance of actually making the playoffs.

Eying Lucas Raymond as a fantasy hockey pick-up

NHL.com’s fantasy hockey team gives Lucas Raymond a shout-out this morning, suggesting that poolies should pick up #23 ahead of tomorrow’s game between Sweden and the United States:

Player to watch for point and/or shots on goal: Lucas Raymond, F, SWE

The Sweden wing, who plays for the Detroit Red Wings, is tied for the second-most shots on goal (five) among players still without a goal in the 4 Nations Face-Off behind Finland’s Artturi Lehkonen (six). But Raymond is still among the tournament leaders in assists (three; tied for second behind United States defenseman Zach Werenski’s four) and points (three; tied for third behind Werenski, U.S. forward Jake Guentzel’s four each). Raymond is playing on an underrated line with wing Jesper Bratt and center Joel Eriksson Ek and also the first power play with William Nylander, who’s due for his first goal of the tournament with Sweden facing elimination. Per NHL EDGE stats, Raymond leads 4 Nations Face-Off participants in midrange goals (13) this season. — Pete Jensen

Hot (Red) Wings

The Hockey News’s Carol Schram posted a list of “hot” teams and “not” (hot) teams, digging out the fancy stats to explain her reasoning, and she suggests that the Red Wings’ power play is the reason that they’ve been so “hot” of late:

Hot: Detroit Red Wings

Talk about a new coach bump. Todd McLellan was hired to replace Derek Lalonde on Dec. 28, and the Red Wings are 13-4-1 in 2025. Their .750 points percentage trails only the Winnipeg Jets (.765) and Washington Capitals (.778) this year, and they went into the 4 Nations Face-Off break sitting in a wild-card spot in the tight Eastern Conference race, whether that’s determined by points (61) or points percentage (.555).

According to Natural Stat Trick, Detroit’s expected goals share at 5-on-5 is 47.49 percent since Jan. 1, which is nothing special. The same goes for the team shooting percentage of 7.78 percent, and the Red Wings’ penalty kill has a sub-par 70 percent success rate. The team’s impressive record has been driven in large part by its power play, which has connected 19 times in 18 games in 2025. That’s four more man-advantage goals than any other club.

Continued; the Wings are well aware of the fact that they’ve got to improve their 5-on-5 scoring, but I wouldn’t bag on it too much.

Roughly translated, via DHN’s Duff: Henrik Zetterberg discusses his post-hockey life

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff posted an article regarding an interview that Henrik Zetterberg gave to Expressen’s Vendela Ogren on February 11th, and here’s a rough translation thereof:

Henrik Zetterberg on life outside the spotlight

Henrik Zetterberg has kept a low profile after his elite career.

Today he lives in Skane (southern Sweden) and is involved in a number of projects–far away from the hockey world.

“It gets the days going,” the 44-year-old says.

It will soon be seven years since Henrik Zetterberg finished his successful hockey career. Back problems put an end to continuing.

Back on the ice for a charity match in the new Globe Arena, Zetterberg remembers how it all started.

“This is where it really started, an international breakthrough at the Sweden hockey games,” he said.

Continue reading Roughly translated, via DHN’s Duff: Henrik Zetterberg discusses his post-hockey life

Three Dylan Larkin things

Of Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin-related note this morning:

  1. The New York Post’s Ethan Sears wrote a story about the Red Wings’ captain, Dylan Larkin, after Larkin’s 1-goal, 1-assist performance helped lead Team USA to a 3-1 victory over Canada on Saturday night:

Until this tournament, the biggest games he’s played since were late last season, when the Red Wings were fighting for a playoff berth, ultimately falling short on the final day of the season.

So it’s no surprise that Larkin was beaming after this one, calling it “one of the best experiences of my life,” and repeating how much it meant to him.

It wasn’t just the biggest game of his career, as it was for just about everybody on both rosters. It was the biggest game of his career — by a long shot.

“Just a great moment for USA Hockey and tonight, I was thinking about kids watching that game,” he said. “What kind of message the work ethic, the compete, guys blocking shots. I hope kids are watching that like I was as a kid, wanting so badly to put that jersey on in the next generation.”

2. And The Athletic’s Michael Russo wrote an in-depth story about Larkin and Team USA’s top players as well:

“He’s a special player,” former Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said via text on Saturday night. “He doesn’t get enough credit for the player he is. He’s a true star. A huge competitor.”

Monday’s game against Sweden is essentially meaningless for the U.S. but means everything for Canada. If the United States beats Sweden and Canada beats Finland, Canada will get the rematch it so wants against the United States in Thursday’s final. But Matthew Tkachuk sat out the last 12 1/2 minutes of Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury, so perhaps the Americans hold him out to allow time to heal for Thursday’s championship game.

Saturday’s win will mean nothing if they don’t win Thursday. Remember, in 2010, nobody remembers the Americans’ win against Canada in the prelims. They just remember Crosby’s golden goal in overtime in the gold-medal game.

So Larkin and the Americans know they have to finish this thing off.

“Tonight, I was thinking about kids watching that game, and what kind of message that was, like the work ethic, the compete, you know, guys blocking shots,” Larkin said. “I hope kids are watching that like I was as a kid and wanting so badly to put that jersey on in the next generation.

“I knew this one would be special, and then to score the game winner and see the way we played and just the game itself, it was just a great, great atmosphere, great hockey game. But we’re still building. That was the message after. The Sweden game’s an important game. Like every team here, they’re dangerous. And we need to just continue to build and build for the championship.”

3. The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton wrote an article about Larkin’s performance and the Four Nations Tournament as a whole, too…

Jake Guentzel tied the game some five minutes after McDavid’s opener, before Larkin put Team USA out front in the second.  From that point on, the Americans refused their hosts any semblance of quality offense, playing a hard and clean defensive game to see out the emphatic victory.

“That was one of the best experiences of my life,” Larkin told reporters. “Just an unbelievable hockey game. I hope you guys feel the same way. The start, the guys, the Tkachuk brothers and ‘Millsy,’ what a start, and credit to those guys for answering the bell. You know, the crowd, just a great night for our sport and a great night for this rivalry. Can’t wait to get back to Boston and get on home soil.”

The work for Team USA won’t be done until they capture a trophy, but with two wins in Montreal under their belts, the Americans are heading back home having made a blaring statement.

HSJ in the morning: Detroit’s difficult schedule will test the team’s mettle

The Free Press’s Helene St. James discusses the Red Wings’ challenging schedule over the remainder of the regular season this morning:

[Coach Todd] McLellan and assistant Trent Yawney — McLellan joked this month they go out to dinner so much, “people probably think we’re married” — seem to have figured out how to reshape the team in record fashion. But the four days of practices leading up to their next game, Feb. 22 versus the Minnesota Wild will be so valuable, because it’s first quality practice time, and comes with players rested after heading to the likes of Mexico and Florida. (Except for two of the team’s most valuable players, Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, who represented the U.S. and Sweden, respectively, at 4-Nations).

The Wings, with 27 games to play, come out of the break and immediately face a back-to-back. They have the league’s toughest remaining strength of schedule at .587 combined points percentage for their opponents, per Tankathon.com. They have two games against the Washington Capitals and three against the Carolina Hurricanes, which are in first and third place, respectively, in the East.

There are a pair of games each against the Vegas Golden Knights and Wild, both top-five teams in the West. The Ottawa Senators, directly ahead of the Wings in the standings, are on the slate twice, as are the Columbus Blue Jackets (including outdoors at Ohio Stadium on March 1). They are right behind the Wings.

And then there’s the final 10 days of the season, which has the Wings on the road five of six games, including a swing to Montreal to play the Canadiens and a Sunshine State visit to the Florida Panthers and the Lightning. Those two games are back-to-back. And there’s another such setup awaiting the Wings at the end of the regular season, when they face the Devils in New Jersey on April 16 and the Maple Leafs in Toronto on April 17.

Continued; the Red Wings definitely have a vicious schedule during the stretch run, and we’ll see how much the Toddfather’s team can really push themselves over the course of the remainder of February, and then March and April.

Dylan Larkin makes an entrance on the Four Nations Face-Off stage

Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin scored the game-winning goal in Team USA’s 3-1 win over Canada at the Four Nations Face-Off on Saturday night, ensuring that the Americans have a berth in the tournament final next Thursday…

Given the way that the hockey world focused on the “hat trick’s” worth of fights that opened the game, the booing of the American national anthem, and the performances (or the lack thereof) from the host Canadians, you might have been forgiven if you forgot that this happened:

Larkin registered a goal and an assist, playing on the Americans’ third line, but the post-game talking points came from 2-goal-scorer Jake Guentzel and the brothers Tkachuk, so it was a pleasant surprise to see #71…I mean #21…mentioned by Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis as a standout player for the Americans…

#21 Dylan Larkin, C (Detroit Red Wings): Originally, this was going to say “What would it take for USA to use Larkin more?” But then, he scored to make it 2-1, and USA started to listen. His speed has been on full display over the two games, but the puck, more often than not, has been in the opponent’s end when he’s on the ice. Larkin brings so much energy to every shift and he’s one of the few bottom-six players that you can continuously count on getting to the middle and trying to generate something no matter the defensive opponent.

And The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa mentioned Larkin’s play as a point of emphasis, too…

Dylan Larkin started the tournament as America’s No. 4 right wing. He will not be back there anytime soon.

Larkin, promoted to third-line center against Canada, was electric in the second period. He nearly executed an inside-out move in front of Jordan Binnington, but rang his shot off the left post.

Larkin made up for his miss later in the second.

The Americans made a stout play in the defensive zone. Matt Boldy picked off a Sidney Crosby pass to initiate a two-on-one rush for Larkin and Miller. Meanwhile, Thomas Harley had gone off the ice for a change after getting the puck into the offensive zone.

With only Travis Sanheim back for Canada, Larkin pushed the pace and whistled a shot on net, never even looking at Miller as an option. Larkin’s shot sizzled through Jordan Binnington, giving the Americans a 2-1 lead.

But NHL.com’s Dan Rosen got into the Americans’ locker room after the game, and he offered a few quotes from the original article–and they’re what you would expect from a very proud American:

Continue reading Dylan Larkin makes an entrance on the Four Nations Face-Off stage

Dylan Larkin scores, registers assist in Team USA’s 3-1 win over Canada

Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin scored the 2-1 goal for Team USA in the Americans’ 3-1 victory over Canada…

And captain Larkin assisted on Jake Guentzel’s empty-netter to make it 3-1, which was the final score of the game.

Larkin played 16:13, finishing with 1 goal, 1 assist, a +2 and 1 shot, 4 attempts, a giveaway and a 2-and-5 (29%) faceoff record.

Here’s Larkin post-game on Sportsnet: