Author: George Malik

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.

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)

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted an article in which he issues praise for surprises, doubt for disappointments, and both points of good and concerning emphasis for the Red Wings going forward.

I try to be optimistic, so we’ll focus on those points:

Three reasons to be optimistic

▶ Mediocre Eastern Conference: There are few, if any, powerhouse teams in the NHL this season. The East, in particular, has a list of teams — all of whom have flaws and don’t have the look of being powerhouses. If the Wings are able to climb into the playoffs, and given the overall mediocrity, they could — they might be as dangerous as any other team.

▶ Road success: The recent four-game sweep in Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Seattle boosted the Wings into a playoff spot and shows this team is capable of success away from Little Caesars Arena. The Wings are 13-10-3 on the road, and if they can keep that sort of percentage on the road during the rest of the schedule, it could get them into a playoff spot (given similar success at LCA).

▶ Vibe: There are no numbers, statistics or rankings attached to this. You just feel it and see it. And in the Wings’ locker room, there is a starkly different feeling than in the first three months of the season. This is a much more confident team, and the recent winning has only strengthened their outlook.

Kulfan continues at length…

Sportsnet’s Mike Amato praises Lucas Raymond in his “Friday Four”:

Lucas Raymond, Sweden

One of the main reasons Sweden was able to push Canada to the limit in the opening game of the 4 Nations Face-Off was the play of Lucas Raymond. 

The Detroit Red Wings forward sparked the Swedish offence with a pair of assists, including one on the game-tying goal in the third period that sent the game to overtime. His helpers weren’t exactly highlight-reel passes, but both showcased Raymond’s effort and compete level. Each goal was created from a puck battle Raymond won. On the first goal by Jonas Brodin, Raymond outmuscles Drew Doughty behind the net and creates a turnover to start the play.

Then on the second from Joel Eriksson Ek, Raymond gets the party started off the faceoff where he helps out with a winger win. It was a scrambled draw where Raymond came away with the puck as multiple players were fighting for it.

When a player with Raymond’s talents and skillset is making those type of effort plays, they’re almost impossible to stop. I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised by Raymond’s abilities considering he had a breakout season in 2023-24 and he’s been one of the hottest players in the NHL over the past couple of months. Since Todd McLellan took over behind the Red Wings bench, Raymond has tallied 26 points in his past 21 games, as he and Dylan Larkin have developed into one of the more dynamic duos in hockey. 

Not only has Raymond been filling up the scoresheet of late, but he’s been the catalyst for the Wings winning seven of their past eight games and propelling themselves back into a playoff spot in the crowded Eastern Conference. Raymond is now on pace for close to 90 points and gives Detroit and Sweden a dynamic scoring threat that makes everyone else around him better. 

In just about every major international tournament there ends up being a player that really announces themselves to the hockey world. Someone who perhaps doesn’t get as much attention as they deserve or maybe aren’t appreciated enough for what they bring to the table. Raymond is making an early case at the 4 Nations Face-Off to be that player. 

Continued; it’s just one game for Raymond at the Four Nations Face-Off, but no Red Wings fan is surprised by his strong performance…

TSN’s webpage offers the following graphic this morning, with an accompanying set of stories from MLive’s Ansar Khan (the Dylan Cozens article) and The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell…

So here’s the deal:

1. A couple of days ago, The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell suggested that the Oilers pick up Patrick Kane at the deadline, though he admits that Kane’s no-trade clause and the Wings’ attempt to make the playoffs complicate the situation:

Red Wings alumnus Henrik Zetterberg spoke with Sportbibeln’s Anders Sorensen regarding the performances of Lucas Raymond and Team Sweden’s performance in their 4-3 overtime loss to Canada at the Four Nations Face-Off:

Henrik Zetterberg pays tribute to Tre Kronor star Lucas Raymond

The Tre Kronor started the Four Nations games by losing to Canada 4-3 in overtime. The Swede who registered the most points in the game was young Detroit star Lucas Raymond.

“The step he has taken this year is huge, I think,” icon Henrik Zetterberg told Sportbibeln.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff argues that Red Wings forward Patrick Kane should have been included on Team USA’s Four Nations Face-Off roster:

Throughout his career, Kane, 36, has answered the USA Hockey call. He’s played for his country in U17, U18 and U20 tournaments. Kane also suited up in three IIHF World Championships, two Olympic Games and a World Cup of Hockey. During the 2018 world tourney, Kane was accumulating 8-12-20 totals in just 10 games. Overall, he’s pulled on the USA jersey 59 times.

Every young American player looks up to him as the benchmark for US NHLers.

“He was basically our idol growing up,” Detroit forward Christian Fischer said.

Kane’s 1,315 points lead all active American players. It’s nearly double that of Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson (709), the second player on the list.

It’s fair to say that Kane’s 2024-25 NHL season was not off to a stellar start. However, of late, he’s resembling the Kane of old. He’s averaging a point a game over the past 21 games.

…

“It would be an honor to represent your country, especially in those big tournaments like the 4 Nations and Olympics where you’re playing best on best,” Kane said.

Continued; for better or worse, Team USA tends to emphasize youth over veterans, and they made several difficult decisions in terms of veteran players who may have deserved to play in the Four Nations Face-Off for the sake of giving young players chances to play.

We don’t have to like it, but that’s how it goes.

Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin’s team had a very successful night on Thursday, with Team USA winning 6-1 over Finland, but Larkin had to embrace a lesser role.

Larkin finished even in 11:14 played, including 1:29 of PK time, finishing with a missed shot and 3 hits.

This is pretty much the highlight clip of Larkin’s game:

Update: Sportsnet’s Emily Sadler offers a middling grade for Larkin:

Dylan Larkin: 7/10
It’s hard to stand out when you’re playing on the fourth line of a star-studded club, but Larkin’s role on this squad is well-defined, and he played it accordingly. Larkin, who played just 11:14 Thursday night, was held off the scoresheet but still made an impact with some solid PK play and a trio of hits in what was a physical game. 

NHL.com’s Tracey Myers surveyed the Swedish locker room regarding Saturday’s battle between Sweden and Finland at the Four Nations Face-Off, and Lucas Raymond weighed in:

Beyond the players each country looks up to, Sweden and Finland kids play each other in hockey constantly. [coach Sam] Hallam said by the time Swedish hockey players turn 20, they’ve probably played the top Finnish players 20-25 times.

“I mean, the Finns are always bringing really good teams. They have really good players and it’s no different this tournament,” Sweden forward Lucas Raymond said. “When you’re that close to another country, (and) you play each other as much as you do growing up in the tournaments, it tends to build up to that rivalry. It’s good. It brings out the best in you and they’re fun games.”

Continued

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