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!

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:

Talking about the Wings’ salary cap situation heading into the trade deadline

Pro Hockey Rumors’ Brian La Rose does a “deep dive” regarding the Red Wings’ salary cap situation going into the trade deadline, and he reports that between bonuses due to Patrick Kane and Simon Edvinsson, the Red Wings will have to decide whether they want to add at the deadline and defer said bonuses to the 2025-2026 season, or whether they’ll stand pat and eat the bonuses this year:

Detroit will hit the trade deadline with around $2MM in cap room (equivalent to over $9MM in room on deadline day), at least on paper.  Knowing that [Patrick] Kane has hit $1.5MM of his bonuses already with a shot at a bit more and [Simon] Edvinsson being within striking distance of his $850K as well, that money is pretty much already accounted for unless they’re willing to take the overage penalty next season.  How these next few weeks go will ultimately determine whether it’s worth adding and taking what’s likely to be a $2MM-plus penalty or if they should sell and finish the year with enough room to absorb those bonuses.

The Red Wings should have some flexibility moving forward though.  They have around $25MM in room on next year’s cap with only seven or eight spots to fill and only one pricier player (Kane) to re-sign or replace.  The following year, several of their pricier mid-tier contracts come off the books.  Better days should be on the horizon from a cap perspective as a result.

Continued at length. Great analysis here…

Raymond registers 3rd assist as Sweden loses 4-3 to Finland in OT

Sweden lost a 4-3 overtime decision to Finland, but Lucas Raymond played strongly, registering his 3rd assist in 2 games.

Raymond finished with 1 assist, a +1 and 2 shots, 4 attempts, a hit and a giveaway in 23 shifts totaling 18:30 of ice time. Raymond played alongside Joel Eriksson Ek and Jesper Bratt on Sweden’s 3rd line, but he also played left point/flank on the power play.

Raymond facilitated Rasmus Dahlin’s goal by sending a point shot on Kevin Lankinen; Joel Erikkson Ek lateralled the puck to Rasmus Dahlin, who stuffed the puck in the empty net at 5:06 of the 2nd period.

Dominik Shine discusses his NHL debut on a conference call with Northern Michigan University

The Marquette Mining Journal’s Caden Sierra spoke with Grand Rapids Griffins forward Dominik Shine about Shine making his NHL debut at 31 years of age:

“I thought I was done completely,” Shine said. “You play eight seasons in the AHL, and you come to a point where as an American Hockey League player you need think about your next step, you know your next job, your next career.

“I kind of felt like I was never going to get a chance to play to play in the NHL, even for just the game, but to get that call that day, they meant the world to myself, you know, my wife, my kid, obviously, and my parents, too, because they supported me the whole way and believed in me.”

That all changed on that fateful day in late January when the Red Wings signed him to a two-year, two-way deal. Just days later, he picked up his first NHL point, assisting on a Dylan Larkin goal against the Calgary Flames.

“It was pretty nice,” Shine said. “It was a really nice pass by (Christian) Fisher. So just got a little unfortunate and caused a little havoc. And, you know, he knows how to bury the puck. So that was pretty cool.”

…

Shine joins a long list of [Northern Michigan University] hockey alumni who have reached the NHL, and he looks forward to seeing his name among them at the Berry Events Center.

“It means a lot,” he said. “I remember being there, seeing those guys who have played in the NHL. Even guys who only played a handful of games, it’s still extremely hard to do. That was something I always strived for … to be able to accomplish that feels really good, when I get back up there and see that, I think it’ll be … pretty special.”

Continued

3 things: Quotes from Dylan Larkin regarding the Four Nations Face-Off and Saturday’s USA-Canada game

Of Four Nations Face-Off-related note from one Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin:

  1. Larkin spoke with Sportsnet’s Eric Engels about the unique opportunity to play “best-on-best hockey” that the Four Nations Face-Off provides…

Dylan Larkin thought this opportunity would arise many times since suiting up for that U23 NA squad in 2016. But with the NHL skipping the 2018 and ’22 Winter Olympics, the wait has felt interminable.

“I think Team North America was a cool experience, and we were all young and in the same part of our lives and whatnot,” the 28-year-old said. “But you look at it, there’s a lot of guys on that team — most of us that made that team probably — that would’ve been able to make Team USA and represent our country, and that means a lot, and it would’ve been a great experience. Luckily, we’re back here and playing 4 Nations…”

Fortunately for hockey fans, [Saturday’s USA-Canada game] could be the best game we’ve ever seen, precipitating several of the best ones ever thanks to the agreement between the NHL and NHLPA to continue sending players to the Olympics and revive the World Cup. It makes Saturday’s game the first page in a new and most exhilarating chapter in the rich history between Canada and USA.

2. Larkin also addressed the hype of the U.S.-Canada rivalry with ESPN’s Kristen Shilton…

The storied USA-Canada hockey rivalry will be reintroduced — and reignited — when the two countries take center stage at the 4 Nations Face-Off on Saturday night.

It can’t be defined as an ordinary game — not for players who have waited a lifetime to be part of best-on-best hockey against their nation’s greatest on-ice foe.

“This one’s a big one, the biggest of my career,” USA forward Dylan Larkin said. “Just watching [international games] as a kid with my family, it’s like a holiday, it’s like the Super Bowl for us. To be able to be a part of it, on a Saturday night in Montreal, it’s perfect. It’s just great.”

3. And Larkin offered this to NHL.com’s Bill Price about the Americans’ role as the “villain” team in Montreal on Saturday night:

Besides [Auston] Matthews and [Charlie] McAvoy, who are not only Americans but play for rivals of the Montreal Canadiens, the two biggest villains for the U.S. team are brothers Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk. They’re pretty much viewed that way around the entire NHL for their abrasive style of play, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Those guys have a tendency to drag others into the fight,” U.S. forward Dylan Larkin said. “If they say something, they play a certain way, they’re going to drag us all into that, and that’s great. That’s great for our group.”

Update: One more from NHL.com’s Dan Rosen:

Dylan Larkin was talking about what makes the Canada-United States hockey rivalry so special.

He mentioned the history of it, games he watched as a kid such as the 2010 Olympic gold-medal game and New Year’s Eve battles at the World Juniors. He brought up getting together as a family as if it were a holiday, every time treating a U.S.-Canada game as their Super Bowl.

Then, in that moment as he was speaking Friday, it was almost as if Larkin, the U.S. forward from Waterford, Michigan, realized where he was, and where he will soon be.

“To be able to be a part of it Saturday night in Montreal,” Larkin said, “it’s perfect.”

Breaking down the Wings’ youth movement

The Hockey News’s Tony Ferrari gives praise to the Red Wings’ “youth movement” under coach Todd McLellan’s stewardship:

Detroit is the hottest team in the NHL since [McLellan’s, “Play effing hockey!] wake-up call, going 15-4-1. The .775 points percentage is a bit unrealistic to maintain for another two months, but key moves set them up to remain competitive.

That includes elevating 20-year-old rookie Marco Kasper to the top line.

Although Kasper’s plan in the long term is to play center, giving him the chance to play against opposing top players has been great for his development. He is seeing tougher defensive matchups and has been an excellent complement to Larkin and Raymond offensively as well.

Kasper is a fairly simple, north-south player who may lack a bit of dynamism, but he is a reliable and feisty forechecker. He isn’t shy about doing the dirty work that allows his dynamic linemates the opportunities to play with the puck and make the kind of magic that has driven this line’s success.

McLellan also separated the top defense pair of Seider and Edvinsson. They faced the toughest competition of any pair in the NHL because Detroit was being caved in whenever they weren’t on the ice.

McLellan now leans on both to run the show on separate pairs.

Ferrari’s analysis continues, and it’s a good read…

Duff on the resurgent Jonatan Berggren

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff took note of the upward ascent of Jonatan Berggren’s game under coach Todd McLellan:

“I feel like maybe I was thinking a little bit too much about don’t make mistakes in the beginning,” Berggren said.

[Coach Derek] Lalonde’s emphasis – some might say overemphasis – on Berggren’s play without the puck certainly was stifling his creative instincts.

“It was a lot of focus on my defensive game and I feel like in that aspect that I’ve grown a lot this season,” Berggren acknowledged. “But then maybe you think a little bit too much that like ‘oh, I don’t want to kind of mess this up,’ but mistakes will happen. That’s what you grow and learn from. The most important thing is you play your game and have trust in you and have confidence that I can be an offensive player.”

From the day McLellan took up residence in the Detroit coach’s office, it was apparent that there was going to be a seismic shift in the way Berggren was both deployed and appreciated.

“Yeah, we had a meeting that he told me like let it loose, kind of like he wanted me to play offense,” Berggren said. “He knows that I had my skills is in offensive game. So it was nice confidence boost for me to have the coach trust to maybe do a mistake. Then of course it’s not like toe drags on the blue but like be an offensive player and have the confidence to do it, too.”

Continued; as Duff notes, Berggren’s posted 5 goals and 5 assists for 10 points in the 21 games under coach McLellan, and he looks like a player who belongs at the NHL level in a supporting/secondary scoring role, which is good to see.

Khan weighs in on the Tarasenko rumors

MLive’s Ansar Khan weighs in on the pluses of the Red Wings moving Vladimir Tarasenko:

The Red Wings are 15-5-1 since the coaching change and might be reluctant to tinker with team chemistry, but moving Tarasenko would hardly send shockwaves through the room since he has not been a good fit from the start.

Tarasenko has been moved prior to each of the past two trade deadlines (the Blues sent him to the Rangers in 2023) but was playing much better on those occasions.

As much as the Red Wings might want to part with Tarasenko, it’s unlikely general manager Steve Yzerman will relinquish a high draft pick or decent prospect to get it done.

If the Red Wings can’t unload him by the March 7 trade deadline, he would be a prime buyout candidate in June. It would cost the club $1.583 million against the cap for each of the next two seasons. It would be worth it because it would create a spot in the top nine for a younger player or a more productive free agent.

In any event, it’s difficult to imagine the Red Wings expecting different results by keeping Tarasenko on their roster next season at $4.75 million.

Continued (paywall)