The Detroit News’s Connor Eargood posted a story about Red Wings prospect and Michigan State University goaltender Trey Augustine. Eargood suggests that Augustine has become the rock upon which MSU rebuilt its hockey program:

Augustine’s commitment [to Michigan State] was, frankly, program-defining for Michigan State. If [Spartans coach Adam] Nightingale is the architect of the Spartans’ ascent from the Big Ten basement to college hockey’s penthouse, then Augustine is the foundation. He’s the basis for everything this program has built since, whether that be the stops he makes on the ice or the easy sell of a recruiting pitch when asked to play in front of one of the world’s top goaltending prospects.

“It just kind of comes down to the culture part of it and what you want to be a part of,” Augustine said. “Obviously this place in the years before I was here wasn’t the best. Obviously, Coach Nightingale and the whole staff did a great job kind of getting back going the right direction the year before I came in. But I really thought I could be a part of change and make this place what it once was — a hockey powerhouse.”

Last season, Augustine backstopped the program’s first ever Big Ten regular-season title. He played a heavy hand in an overtime Big Ten Championship game win over the Michigan team he once committed to. He won Michigan State’s first NCAA Tournament game since 2008. This season, Augustine is a top candidate to win the Mike Richter Award as college hockey’s top netminder, a 14-4-3 record, .926 save percentage and 2.12 goals-against average all top 10 among goalies who have played 20 or more games. He hasn’t allowed more than three goals in a game all season.

“Sometimes young hockey players, they just follow the crowd, right?” Nightingale said. “And he saw what this place could be.”

Continued (paywall)

Red Wings forwards Jonatan Berggren and J.T. Compher spoke to the media after Thursday’s practice, as did coach Todd McLellan:

MLive’s Ansar Khan compares the statistical highlights of the Red Wings’ first 7-game winning streak under coach Todd McLellan to their current winning streak, and while the numbers are worth reading, I’m going to stick with the quotes Khan offers in his article:

The Red Wings (28-21-5, 61 points) are 15-4-1 since Todd McLellan took over as coach on Dec. 26 and coming off their first 4-0 trip since 1996.

“To go home with eight points in the bank, I’m not sure we thought we would get that when we left but we chipped away and chipped away, we won every game in a different form,” McLellan told FanDuel Sports Network.

The Red Wings have shown they can win with offense, defense, goaltending or special teams on any given night.

“We’ve been gutting out a lot of wins lately and it’s nice to see we can win in a lot of different ways,” goaltender Cam Talbot told media during the trip. “That obviously gives us a lot of confidence. We can win 2-1 games, 1-0 games, 5-2 games. We’re winning a whole different bunch of ways and that’s what good teams do this time of year.”

The variety of ways they’ve won has been evident during their streaks. They did it mainly with offense and the power play the first time around. They’re doing it mostly with strong goaltending from Talbot and Alex Lyon and solid defense during this latest run.

Continue reading for the statistical comparison…

NHL.com/de’s Stefan Herget asked several German NHL stars what they think about the possibility of playing in the 2026 Olympics in Milan, Italy, and how the German national team might perform in the Olympic ice hockey tournament. Moritz Seider gave a substantial answer:

Moritz Seider, Defender, Detroit Red Wings:

“This is a childhood dream that can come true for all the guys who will be there for the first time. I only know the stories of the other guys, and my girlfriend, who was lucky enough to have been to the Olympics three times. This is what they tell you about this: that is open to everyone and that is why they want to be part of the story. The biggest thing there is for an athlete is to win for his home country at the Olympics, and to be able to compete against the best in the world. You absolutely want to be there, and I will give everything for that. The league and the Players’ Association are on the right track to make this a great event. We still have to wait and see that everything comes together contractually. Then we will hopefully be there and have a great time.”

“Honestly, expectations in Germany have to be reduced somewhat. But the group stage can quickly go in one direction or another. Perhaps we can pester one or another opponent early. This always depends on what ice surface is played, whether the players from North America come up with ‘jet lag,’ and European food. Perhaps a team can take advantage of this. In the knockout phase, it’s a game in which a lot can always happen. You can keep your expectations open, but you can’t expect us to be a title candidate. But why not just look at what works, have a great tournament, and represent the country in the best possible way.”

Daily Faceoff’s Scott Maxwell posted a list of 6 players who he believes might be “dumped” by teams that will “buy” at the NHL’s March 7th trade deadline, and I’d like to know how the Wings could possibly move these two players:

Erik Gustafsson/Justin Holl, Detroit Red Wings

$2 million AAV w/ one year remaining | $3.4 million AAV w/ one year remaining

It doesn’t take an expert to recognize that the Detroit Red Wings have an issue with their defense. This season, they have the 10th-worst 5v5 expected goals against per 60 minutes on the year with 2.62. That hasn’t exactly improved under Todd McLellan either, as that number has increased to 2.79, the 7th-worst in the league, since he took over. But, that isn’t all on the coach, as the Red Wings blueline isn’t built to be a playoff contender’s.

The biggest issue with the Red Wings D-corps is how many bodies they have to work around. Beyond their younger options in Moritz Seider, Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson, they also have Ben Chiarot, Justin Holl Jeff Petry, Erik Gustafsson and William Lagesson, and that’s after already moving on from Shayne Gostisbehere, Jake Walman and Olli Maatta in the last calendar year. If the Red Wings were to make a much-needed addition to their blueline, at least one body will have to go the other way for roster space alone, never mind the fact that Detroit is working with less than $2 million in cap space right now.

Continued; if the Wings could upgrade their blueline with Gustafsson or Holl moving the other way as a compensatory warm body, they’d jump at it, but I find it hard to believe that two players with another year remaining on their contracts can be moved so easily.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen isn’t buying the persistent rumors that the Red Wings can and/or will swing a deal for Buffalo Sabres forward Dylan Cozens:

Detroit doesn’t have the cap space, and we are hearing that the Sabres are looking to make a hockey trade and are not interested in any of the high-salaried veterans Detroit would have to move to fit Cozens into their cap situation.

The Sabres supposedly aren’t looking to gain prospects or draft picks in a deal. If they move Cozens, and they may not, they want a player, or players, back who help them now. The Red Wings are not a good fit in that regard.

Plus, given their 15-4-1 record over the last 20 games, the Red Wings might be hesitant to make a trade that disrupts the chemistry.

Continued; I don’t see a deal happening, either, especially if the Sabres want roster players of the non-significant-salaried variety.

The Buffalo News’s Mike Harrington wasn’t kidding when he suggested that, should the Sabres not get a Raymond or Seider in return, they probably wouldn’t pull the trigger on a Cozens deal.

From the Red Wings:

How 'bout them #RedWings? pic.twitter.com/vDBa7mVz5L

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 6, 2025

Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis lists 10 players who might wind up winning the NHL’s Calder Trophy as the league’s best rookie, and while Marco Kasper isn’t going to win the award, it’s nice to see him get some national recognition:

8. Marco Kasper, LW (Detroit Red Wings)

After starting the season in the AHL, Kasper registered an assist in his first game up with Detroit on Oct. 19. He then went without a point for over a month and entered December with just five points in 19 games. But then January rolled around and everything changed. Kasper finished just one point behind Hutson for the most points among rookies last month with 12, and had the most goals with seven. All but one of the points came at 5-on-5, too. His ice time improved to 14:35, and now he’s skating on Detroit’s top line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. Kasper looks so comfortable right now, and his two-way game hasn’t wavered even after moving to the wing.

Continued; there was no “everything changed.” Kasper worked his way up the lineup over the course of October, November and December, and now, under coach McLellan, he’s doing a great job of playing as a “digger” and forechecker for Larkin and Raymond.

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills spoke with Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson regarding his experiences at the 2025 AHL All-Star Game this past weekend in Coachella Valley, California:

Manning the bench for the Central Division at the 2025 American Hockey League All-Star Classic was one of many cool moments this past weekend for Grand Rapids Griffins head coach Dan Watson, whose wife and three children also took in what he summed up as a very special experience at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif.

“It’s always nice to represent your organization at any stage, any event you can,” Watson told DetroitRedWings.com on Wednesday morning. “It was nice to meet the other coaches that were there and share some talks with them, see how they do things. Met the players, too. It was a great, well-organized event.”

Watson is the first Griffins head coach to achieve the honor since Todd Nelson in 2017 and the fourth bench boss in franchise history to coach in an All-Star Game. The 45-year-old also coached in three ECHL All-Star Classics (2017, 2019 and 2022) with the Toledo Walleye.

“A great experience for myself, obviously I had my family there to share with them,” Watson said. “You never know when you get to do these things. I was fortunate enough to have a couple in the ECHL, but [the AHL] is tough. [The Griffins] did a really good job in the first half to get me there.”

But Watson wasn’t the only one who represented Grand Rapids in Coachella Valley, as goalie Sebastian Cossa and forward Austin Watson also made their first career AHL All-Star appearances.

Continued

From the NHL:

“2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series Preview Show” to Premiere February 6

Half-Hour Special to Provide Fans with Inside Look at March 1 Columbus Blue Jackets-Detroit Red Wings Outdoor Game

NEW YORK (Feb. 6, 2025) – To build on the excitement for the upcoming 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series game at Ohio Stadium featuring the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Detroit Red Wings, NHL Productions will premiere a new half-hour special that will take fans inside the March 1 outdoor game. Produced by NHL Productions, the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series Preview Show will air on FanDuel Sports Network Ohio on Thursday, February 6, at 10 p.m. ET and on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit on February 7, at 11 p.m. ET. NHL Network will deliver the show to fans across the U.S. on Feb. 8, at 5 p.m.

Hosted by Alexa Landestoy, Brian Boyle and Tony Luftman, the special will offer fans exclusive access to the preparations for the Blue Jackets’ first-ever hockey game at the iconic football stadium on The Ohio State University campus, a preview of the musical performances by Ohio’s own Twenty One Pilots and O.A.R. and a look back on the history of NHL outdoor games.

Special guests include Commissioner Gary Bettman and former Blue Jackets player Jody Shelley joining the show to give their perspectives on NHL outdoor games. In addition, the show gives the backstory behind outdoor game traditions, including the coordinated outfits that players wear when arriving to the stadium, the specially-designed jerseys each team will wear for the game, and how each stadium’s transformation for outdoor hockey draws inspiration from the host city.

The show will re-air on each network throughout the month, leading up to the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series game on Saturday, March 1. The general public can purchase tickets to the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Ticketmaster.com. Ticketmaster is the only official marketplace of the NHL®, providing fans with the peace of mind in knowing the seats they buy on Ticketmaster.com and the Ticketmaster app are the seats they’ll get.