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!

Tweet of note: This Zetterday in history…

The Red Wings posted a “Blast From the Past” Tweet noting that Henrik Zetterberg scored his first NHL goal on this day in 2002, against the same Anaheim Ducks that would vex the Wings in the spring of 2003…

What gets me, though, is the lineup. Zetterberg centering Luc Robitaille and Brendan Shanahan, along with Chris Chelios and Dmitri Bykov on defense. Three Hockey Hall of Famers, one who should join them shortly, and a guy who played one great NHL season and went home.

Tweet of note: ‘Secret ancient man’

From the NHL’s PR Twitter account, this one slipped under the radar, but it’s still pretty cool to note:

Don’t give up on the youth movement just yet

Detroit Hockey Now’s Max Smith posted “Two Truths and a Lie” about Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman and the so-called “Yzerplan,” and I want to emphasize point #1:

Truth: This Red Wings roster should look different by the trade deadline

Marco Kasper put on a show in the Red Wings’ preseason. Many people in the media were wondering how Kasper didn’t make the opening night roster. In the preseason game against Ottawa, Kasper had two goals and nearly pulled off a hat trick in the first period. He was also solid defensively.

Albert Johansson is currently the seventh defenseman on the team. But GM Steve Yzerman has praised his capacity for adjustment and improvement in his time in the AHL. The Red Wings are keeping their top lines close to what they were last season, which leaves some room for Kasper in to appear sooner rather than later in the case of injury or if someone isn’t performing up to expectations.  

 Said Lalonde, “Grand Rapids is two hours away. We’ll have played 33 players by Christmas.” 

Kasper is just as likely to be getting someone on the forecheck as he is to be breaking away with the puck for a one timer and his skillset makes it so that those moments often happen together.

Carter Mazur and Nate Danielson made some plays in the preseason. If they can become more physical and play a little bigger in the AHL, there won’t be a reason to keep them down. If Yzerman thinks they’re playing better than the likes of Tyler Motte (on a one-year deal) and could be dealt away for the replacement is needed in the AHL if Danielson or Mazur is called up.  

Continued; the Red Wings are going to suffer more injuries, and I fully believe that some of their young players are going to “steal jobs” if they are afforded opportunities to impress over the second half of the regular season.

I wouldn’t be spotlighting Motte, a hard-working grinder, as the candidate to be traded or waived if the Wings bring up a youngster, but I do believe that a veteran or two might be moved in some fashion if Kasper, Danielson, Mazur or Johansson “steal a job.” That’s a very realistic expectation.

A bit of praise for Copp, Compher and the Wings’ ‘ground game’

The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton takes a look back at some important statistical and oral storylines from the Red Wings’ 3-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Saturday night:

Copp, Compher, Zone Time, and the Red Wings’ Ground Game: Between Motte’s performance, Dylan Larkin‘s empty-netter, and five-a-side goals from Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher, it was a big night for the Red Wings’ sizable contingent of University of Michigan alumni.

With Copp and Compher in particular, the goals were a supplement to strong performances that ran much deeper.  “They were both on, committed to playing the right game,” said Lalonde of the former Wolverine teammates.  “When they’re playing their game, it’s a lot of winning shifts…They both got us offense, but they were winning shifts with some really hard match-ups with that type of lineup.  I’m glad they both got rewarded with some offense.”

A key element of that success was Copp and Compher’s effectiveness in driving their lines to some sustained spells in the offensive zone on a night in which Nashville made that difficult.  Though the Preds accrued far more chances than mustered their hosts, both non-empty net Red Wing goals came from offensive zone play.  Detroit’s top line threatened throughout the night off the rush but could never quite connect.  Meanwhile, from Compher down, the Red Wings did manage to relieve pressure at least on occasion via the offensive zone cycle, and it was that style of offense that produced both Detroit goals.

“Everyone’s into underlying numbers now,” said Lalonde of that dynamic this afternoon. “They’re pretty good for us. We out-chanced them. In our underlying numbers, we out Grade A’d them 2-1, but there was a ton of volume [against] on shots. Obviously we had extended zone time, so there is that balance where you need stops, you want to lessen zone time. It’s a little bit on both ends. It’s one, on our defensive end, getting stops, but two, it’s spending some more time in the offensive zone with the puck. And we did have some possession, and it was kind of a point of emphasis. We rushed to the slot, which is sometimes positive, but it doesn’t help what we call a ‘ground game,’ the O zone time, so there’s a balance…Last night’s a perfect example. We’ll certainly take that game—the way we defended, the type of slot chances and Grade A’s we gave up—but that’s a hard volume game and a lot of zone time, lot of shots against.”

Continued; I know that Copp has been a massive disappointment in terms of his offensive contributions, but he and Compher are superb defensive players, and while they may both be #3 centers, they do a hell of a job in terms of pushing puck possession into the offensive zone.

I love the way that the Rasmussen-Copp-Fischer line serves as an “identity line” that can be tossed over the boards when the Wings are taking on water, so to speak, and Compher is a hard-working center who I believe has a little more offensive potential than we might think.

Summarizing the narratives regarding Ville Husso’s waiving so that Detroit may call up a ‘veteran guy’

Of Red Wings-related note from today’s optional practice at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center:

  1. Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde told the Wings’ media corps that Christian Fischer (upper-body) and Jeff Petry (upper-body) are both out for Monday’s game against the Rangers, and, as Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff notes, the Wings would waive a player. That turned out to be Ville Husso:

“We probably have to do some moving around,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said of the club’s 23-player roster. “Potentially send someone through waivers to get a body available.”

Husso was the most logical candidate to go on waivers.

Now that we know it’s Husso who is going, the next question is who’s arriving?

Don’t get your hopes up that it will be 2020 first-round draft pick Marco Kasper. Since it’s likely only to be a short-term need, veteran pros such as Austin Watson or Sheldon Dries are probably the more likely fit.

“Being a short term call up, might be a more veteran guy,” Lalonde admitted.

2. Why Husso? Because the Wings gain $1.15 million in cap space by assigning him to Grand Rapids, even temporarily, and as the Red Wings are only carrying 12 forwards, they need to clear some cap space to call up that “more veteran guy,” as the Hockey News’s Sam Stockton noted:

“We probably have to do some moving around, potentially send someone through waivers to potentially get a body available, because I think both [Fischer] and Petry…will not be IR candidates,” added Lalonde, as to the team’s short-term plans.  In other words, because neither Fischer nor Petry is expected to miss more than a week, Detroit can’t free up a roster spot by simply moving one or both to injured reserve.

As it stands, the Red Wings have 11 healthy forwards and seven healthy defensemen.  Lalonde noted that Detroit could potentially go with an 11-seven lineup tomorrow night, though it appears a roster move is likely coming nonetheless.

Justin Holl is the only Detroit defenseman who could be sent down without clearing waivers (because he did so earlier in the week, thus giving him a 30-day window in which he can pass freely), but without Petry, Lalonde values having Holl as an additional right-shot defenseman in the lineup.  Therefore, to get an extra spot to add a 12th forward to the roster, the Red Wings elected to waive goaltender Ville Husso this afternoon.

Husso’s season got off to a disappointing start Thursday night, and, because of his $4.75 million cap hit, he is unlikely to be claimed on waivers.  Clearing waivers would allow Detroit to send him to Grand Rapids to call up an extra forward.

Now I would encourage you to not write off Husso or the Red Wings’ concept of utilizing a 3-goaltender system just yet. Justin Holl spent all of a couple of days in Grand Rapids before being called up, and he’s back in the lineup, contributing positively; it’s entirely possible, if not probable, that Husso might do the same.

3. Who might that veteran forward be? MLive’s Ansar Khan considered a few more names, and two of them aren’t veterans…

Possibilities include veteran Austin Watson, signed last week to a one-year deal, or prospects Carter Mazur or Marco Kasper. Kasper, their top pick in 2022, had a terrific camp and preseason, but for a short-term recall, the Red Wings might look to bring up a veteran.

4. While the Free Press’s Helene St. James put the situation bluntly:

Husso landing on waivers isn’t a great look for the 29-year-old former No. 1 netminder, but he didn’t help his case when he allowed four goals on 14 shots in some 25 minutes in Thursday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Free-agent signee Cam Talbot, meanwhile, stymied the Nashville Predators on 42 shots in Saturday’s 3-0 victory.

Husso is also coming off an injury-plagued season which limited him to 19 games in 2023-24.

With the Red Wings being a “cap team” this year, I do not anticipate this being the last time that Husso or Holl find themselves on waivers and/or assigned to Grand Rapids.

That’s okay. It’s not bad general managerial skills by Steve Yzerman–it’s just the cost of survival in the NHL when your roster is at the salary cap’s upper limit.

Red Wings waive Ville Husso

Per Elliotte Friedman:

Husso will probably clear waivers and head to Grand Rapids for as long as the Wings need an extra forward…

Field Level Media scouts the Rangers

Field Level Media has already posted something of a “character sketch” of the Red Wings and New York Rangers ahead of this week’s “home-and-home” series between the two teams. Here’s what FML has to say about the Rangers:

The New York Rangers began their season with an impressive blowout and then followed up by making defensive miscues that prevented them from keeping pace in a high-scoring affair.

Coming off two different outcomes to start the season, the Rangers host the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night.

The Rangers opened up with Wednesday’s 6-0 rout at Pittsburgh when Igor Shesterkin made 31 saves. They followed it up with a 6-5 overtime loss to the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday in their home opener — a game they tied three times but never led.

Artemi Panarin scored New York’s first two tying goals, and K’Andre Miller, Braden Schneider and Will Cuylle also scored. Adam Fox added three assists but Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider were a combined minus-6 in a game when the Rangers allowed 26 shots on goal — five fewer than their season opener.

New York’s offense was not enough when it committed a defensive lapse that resulted in Clayton Keller scoring with 54.9 seconds left in overtime.

“We probably should have won the game,” Kreider said. “We come into the game tonight thinking that we’re going to win the game if we play the right way, have a chance to win a game. And there are stretches where we didn’t (play well). We’re lucky to get one (point).”

…

The Rangers swept last season’s season series, winning each of the three games by two goals or fewer. New York is 9-1-2 in the past 12 meetings since the start of the 2019-20 season.

Ugh.

Video: Justin Holl and Derek Lalonde address the media after Sunday’s optional practice

The Red Wings held an optional practice on Sunday, ahead of a home-and-home series with the New York Rangers on Monday and Thursday.

After practice, coach Lalonde told the media that Christian Fischer is out on Monday, and that the Wings may have to waive a veteran in order to bring up a forward to replace Fischer, presuming that the team doesn’t go with 11 forwards and 7 D on Monday. He also declined to name a starting goaltender for Monday night’s game.

Jeff Petry is also still out with his “upper-body injury.”

Here are coach Lalonde and Justin Holl speaking with the media, per the Red Wings:

Also:

Post-optional practice Tweets: Christian Fischer out Monday

The Detroit Red Wings held an optional practice ahead of tomorrow night’s game against the New York Rangers (7 PM EDT start on Bally Sports Detroit/MSG/NHL Network).

Detroit hopes to build upon their 3-0 victory over Nashville on Saturday as they open a two-game series against the Rangers this week; the 1-0-and-1 Rangers lost a very strange 6-5 OT decision to Utah last night, so they’re looking to bounce back at the Red Wings’ expense.

After practice, coach Derek Lalonde spoke with the Red Wings’ media corps, and he reported that Christian Fischer is out for tomorrow:

Update: For what it’s worth, the Predators posted a recap of last night’s game…26 minutes ago…

As noted in the Tweets-from-practice post, the New York Rangers held an optional skate today as well, and their record is 1-0-and-1 as they lost 6-5 in overtime to the Utah Hockey Club last night.

Update #2: FYI tomorrow night’s game is an NHL Network exclusive “out-of-market,” so the game won’t be streamed. It’s only Bally Sports Detroit in MI and MSG Network in NY.