Author: George Malik

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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Per Michigan State University:

East Lansing, Mich. — Michigan State sophomore netminder Trey Augustine (South Lyon, Mich.) has been announced as one of 10 semifinalists for two major national awards on Thursday, Feb. 13.  Augustine is among the semifinalists for the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) James E. Sullivan Award, which annually honors the top amateur athlete in the United States, as well as the Mike Richter Award, given annually to the top netminder in college hockey.    

The AAU Sullivan Award honors the most outstanding collegiate, Olympic or similar level athlete in the United States. It has been presented annually by the AAU since 1930 as a salute to founder and past president of the Amateur Athletic Union, and pioneer in amateur sports, James E. Sullivan. Based on the qualities of leadership, character, sportsmanship, and the ideals of amateurism, the AAU Sullivan Award goes far beyond athletic accomplishments and honors those who have shown strong moral character.

Daily Faceoff’s Scott Maxwell examines teams which have replaced their head coaches over the course of the 2024-2025 season thus far, and here’s what he has to say about the Red Wings:

Detroit Red Wings (Out: Derek Lalonde; In: Todd McLellan)

Record: 13-17-4 (28th) | 15-5-1 (3rd)
5v5 GF%: 45.08% (26th) | 46.18% (24th)
5v5 xGF%: 44.39% (30th) | 47.72% (24th)
5v5 PDO: 1.005 (12th) | 0.984 (25th)

There’s always talk about the bump in a team’s performance after a coaching change, but that hasn’t been the case in our first three examples. All three teams saw minimal improvement in their records under their new head coaches in, and while they maybe got a few wins off the hop, we’ve since seen them cool down. The Detroit Red Wings are a significantly different example.

While the Red Wings’ issues are also due to the construction of their roster, Derek Lalonde wasn’t getting anything out of the team, and that’s been proven even more since Todd McLellan took over. Not only have the Red Wings seen slight improvements under the hood (which, like [Jim] Montgomery’s Blues, still aren’t amazing numbers, but it feels like the most he can extract from the roster), the change has given new life to Detroit’s season, and their 15-5-1 record since McLellan was hired has put them in a playoff spot up this point.

That said, McLellan is the most recent hire, so we could see the Red Wings cool off and eventually have a record similar to the other three coaches. At the same time, McLellan already has only one win behind Montgomery with the Blues and four behind Sacco with the Bruins, and that comes with significantly fewer losses (McLellan has only six while the other two have 18 each). There are still plenty of issues with this Wings team, but it does feel like they at least have a coach who can get the most out of their roster when they get there.

Continued; ah yes, digs on the Red Wings (fair or unfair) and Daily Faceoff. It’s a marriage of sorts.