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!

Monarrez praises coach McLellan for criticizing captain Larkin

The Free Press’s Carlos Monarrez praises Red Wings coach Todd McLellan for calling out Dylan Larkin after Thursday’s 5-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, as only Monarrez can:

Larkin is a very good — sometimes excellent — player. He’s also the captain, which is a heavy burden on a team that has had very little success during his tenure. I would hope Larkin’s skin is thick enough and his mental fortitude is strong enough to take this kind of public criticism from his coach. If it isn’t, I can think of 69.6 million reasons why it should be.

If the Wings are going to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016, and then do something when they get there, they’re going to need Larkin to be at his best.

But this really isn’t about Larkin. This is about the guiding light the Wings have been waiting for. It’s about a coach who’s more interested in doing his job than keeping his job. The kind of tough love we’re seeing from McLellan — who also wasn’t shy about sharing his reasons for benching defenseman Justin Holl in January — is exactly what this team has needed.

And let me assure you it’s becoming increasingly rare for coaches to publicly criticize any player. The last time I remember a coach in Detroit castigating a high-profile player was when Jim Caldwell benched Matthew Stafford during a game in 2015. Caldwell paid the price when he was fired following the 2017 season, when Stafford refused to support him.

Stafford essentially won a power struggle with Caldwell because he understood he was playing on a Ford Family Scholarship and, thanks in part to his carefully curated image, had more organizational equity than Caldwell.

That’s the question we’re facing now with McLellan and Larkin: Who has more organizational equity?

Is it the franchise player who hasn’t gotten his team to the playoffs since his rookie season? Or is it the guy who’s the hottest coach in the NHL and has led the Wings to 17 wins and 36 points since Dec. 27? No team entered Thursday with more points or wins in that time.

Monarrez continues, and it’s not paywalled…

Two things: talking trade deadline turkey

The NHL’s trade deadline hits on Friday, March 7th at 3 PM EST.

This morning:

  1. Ahead of the deadline, Bleacher Report’s Sara Civian offers “6 mistakes [that] NHL teams should avoid” at the deadline, including some advice for the Red Wings…

DETROIT RED WINGS: The Athletic published a player agent poll earlier this week that confirmed at least two big shots in the hockey world hold the same opinion as a multitude of social media accounts: There are some doubts about the Yzerplan.

“They’re really unstable,” one said. “There’s no plan, although they may say there’s one.”

Take these things with a grain of salt. If anyone is going to have an agenda, it’s an agent. But you have to admit that the Yzerplan has been confusing and shrouded in mystery when it comes to direction.

Regardless, the hiring of Todd McLellan turned everything around to such an extent that whatever the Yzerplan was supposed to be has a real chance to end in success now. 

The biggest problems ailing Detroit before the coaching change were brutal lack of sustained zone time, a weak penalty kill, and some general lack of cohesion. Goaltending wasn’t—and still isn’t—perfect, but it’s not the gravest concern.

The Red Wings could help their present and future with a few skaters built to move the puck and to bridge the gap between their youth movement and veterans. Especially with center Andrew Copp out for the season, it’s time to target all-around players who are effective in entering the zone and protecting the net.

GM Steve Yzerman has a great opportunity here to clarify and strengthen his plan. Will he take it?

2. The Athletic also makes one “bold prediction” for each NHL team at the deadline:

Detroit Red Wings

Prediction: They will add a defenseman.

The attention in Detroit has been on the center position, especially after Andrew Copp was ruled out for the season after undergoing surgery on his left pectoral tendon. And they could look to do something there. But the Red Wings have more internal options available at center than they do on the blue line, which is already thinned out after Jeff Petry’s injury. We’ll see if the Red Wings do anything major at the deadline (in a similar position last year, they stood pat), but if they do, defense seems like the better bet. — Max Bultman

Having William Lagesson as the team’s 7th defenseman is not ideal, but I remain fairly sure that Yzerman isn’t adding anybody unless they’re part of the long-term future…

Though the most probable position to add a rental is definitely on the blueline.

Anxiety and depression remain vicious foes

I’m sorry that I was unable to cover tonight’s Red Wings-Blue Jackets game.

I have been dealing with a bad attack of anxiety and depression, and it incapacitated me.

I’m still feeling unwell, and I know that the timing is inconvenient, but mental illness is a vicious foe, and I will get back to work as soon as my stupid brain chemistry lets me out of this painful moment.

Thank you for your readership and your time.

Charitable Tweet of note: Detroit Red Wings Foundation holding a charity auction

The Detroit Red Wings are holding a charitable auction to raise funds for the Detroit Red Wings Foundation:

Tweet of note: Red Wings to wear Stadium Series jerseys on March 4th and March 12th

Per WXYZ’s Brad Galli:

The Wings host the Carolina Hurricanes on March 4th, and the Buffalo Sabres on March 12th.

Also:

Video: Ben Chiarot, Alex DeBrincat and coach Todd McLellan speak after the Red Wings-Blue Jackets morning skate

The Detroit Red Wings held their morning skate ahead of tonight’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets (7 PM EST start on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/FanDuel SportsNet Columbus/97.1 FM), and Cam Talbot will start this evening, opposite Daniil Tarasov.

Michael Rasmussen’s earliest return date might be Saturday’s Stadium Series game, per coach Todd McLellan.

After the morning skate, defenseman Ben Chiarot, forward Alex DeBrincat and coach Todd McLellan spoke with the media:

Tweet of note: Nicklas Lidstrom’s stats in the 00’s

Per the NHL:

Tweet of note: WXYZ’s Galli interviews Simon Edvinsson after his two-goal game

Per WXYZ’s Brad Galli comes a 1:30 interview with Simon Edvinsson, who discusses his two-goal game vs. Minnesota:

Post-morning skate Tweets: Rasmussen day-to-day, progressing

The Detroit Red Wings held a morning skate ahead of tonight’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets (7 PM EST start on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/FanDuel SportsNet Columbus/97.1 FM).

Michael Rasmussen was a limited participant, and it appears that Cam Talbot will start this evening.

The post-morning skate media availabilties involved some Stadium Series teasers…

And NHL.com’s “On Tap” article’s hyping tonight’s game as well:

Columbus Blue Jackets at Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, FDSNDET)

Before the Blue Jackets and Red Wings take it outside Saturday in the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series at Ohio Stadium, they serve up a preview at Little Caesars Arena, starting a two-game series with massive playoff implications. The Red Wings (30-22-6) hold the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Blue Jackets (28-22-8), who hold the second wild card. Center Adam Fantilli has four points (two goals, two assists) in a three-game point streak for Columbus. Forward Alex DeBrincat will look to extend his point streak to eight games (11 points; five goals, six assists) for Detroit, which has at least one point in 11 of its past 12 games (9-1-2).

Anyway, Rasmussen remains “day-to-day”…

Continue reading Post-morning skate Tweets: Rasmussen day-to-day, progressing

Emmitt Finnie’s back, and blazing for Kamloops

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen updates the statuses of Red Wings prospects Emmitt Finnie, Dmitri Buchelnikov and Carter Mazur. At the present moment, it’s assumed that Finnie, who is the captain of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, will turn pro after this season:

Finnie’s return from injury [last night, posting 2 goals and 1 assist] is critical to the Blazers’ hopes of qualifying for the WHL playoffs. With 11 games remaining in the WHL schedule, the Blazers trail the Seattle Thunderbird by three points for the final WHL playoff spot.

Dating to before he was injured, Finnie boasts eight goals in his past seven games.

They’re 10th in the WHL Western Conference and trail the Seattle Thunderbirds for the eighth and final playoff spot by three points.

If Kamloops doesn’t make the playoffs, the presumption is Finnie would report to the Grand Rapids Griffins.  The WHL season ends March 23, almost a full month before the AHL season ends.

The Griffins have had trouble scoring goals recently and Finnie shows 31 goals and 70 points in 45 WHL games this season. Finnie has the potential to be a major success story for the Detroit scouting staff. He was drafted in the seventh-round, 201st overall, in the 2023 draft.  He has developed beyond what a team would expect for a seventh round pick.

Continued; at 6’1″ and 195 pounds, Finnie isn’t overly big, but he’s stocky, and he’s incredibly fast.