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!

Press release: Grand Rapids Griffins sign goaltender Jonathan Lemieux to a 1-year contract

Per the Grand Rapids Griffins:

GRIFFINS INK JONATHAN LEMIEUX TO ONE-YEAR CONTRACT

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins signed goaltender Jonathan Lemieux to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2026-27 season.

Lemieux competed in 26 games last season with the ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings, totaling an 11-9-4 record with a 2.95 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. In addition, the 25-year-old made his AHL debut with the Abbotsford Canucks in 2025-26 and logged a 0-0-1 ledger with a 2.82 GAA and a .902 save percentage in two outings. The fourth-year pro has appeared in 105 ECHL outings with Kalamazoo since 2023-24 and has produced a 42-44-11 record with four shutouts, a 2.96 GAA and a .907 save percentage.

Prior to turning pro, Lemieux was named the 2022-23 USports OUA East Goaltender and Rookie of the Year when he notched a 16-4-0 record, three shutouts, a 1.98 GAA and a .933 save percentage in 21 games with Concordia University. The 6-foot-1 netminder also competed in six seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Val-d’Or Foreurs (2017-21), Saint John Sea Dogs (2021-22) and Moncton Wildcats (2021-22). Throughout 184-career QMJHL games, Lemieux possessed a 78-75-18 mark with three shutouts, a 3.69 GAA and an. 895 save percentage. He had his best QMJHL season in 2020-21 when he was named to the Second All-Star Team with a 20-2-2 record to go along with a 1.96 GAA and a .920 save percentage in 24 games with Val-d’Or. Also in 2020-21, Lemieux led Val-d’Or to the QMJHL Finals with an 11-4 postseason record, a 1.95 GAA and a .910 save percentage in 15 games.

Duff: Detroit’s logo and jersey are the ‘most distinctive’ in the NHL

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff reports that a sports branding company called “Distinctive Bat” conducted a survey which concluded that the Detroit Red Wings’ logo and jersey are the most recognizable logo and jersey in the NHL:

The Red Wings come out top in both the logo and jersey distinctiveness stakes. Among other NHL teams, the Anaheim Ducks, Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers also consistently featured in the top five.

“Across both logos and jerseys, a clear pattern emerges – some NHL brands are almost instantly retrieved in memory,” Freddie Bell, Research Director at Distinctive BAT, said in a statement. “Others require greater mental processing before they can be correctly attributed.”

That isn’t necessary when the Red Wings are the subject.

“Detroit’s iconic red winged-wheel logo is a near-literal visual expression of the team name,” Bell said. “The asset and the brand name occupy much the same mental territory. Fans don’t need to perform any interpretation to connect one with another.”

Similarly, the San Jose Sharks, Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs all benefit from the synergy between what the team is called and what consumers see.

“Taken together, these results point to a broader principle,” Bell said. “Brands become easier to identify when their visual and verbal assets reinforce the same memory structure, rather than requiring people to create new ones.”

Continued; a Red Wing is a Red Wing is a Red Wing. James Norris, Detroit’s first owner, imported the logo if his Montreal “Winged Wheelers” hockey club, flipping it from a vertical logo to a horizontal wing, and the rest is history.

Should the Red Wings utilize their ‘centennial jersey’ as their 3rd/alternate jersey?

The Athletic asked its NHL beat writers to revive retired jerseys from every NHL team, and Max Bultman believes that the Red Wings’ 100th anniversary jersey should remain in rotation:

Detroit Red Wings

2025-26 centennial jersey

Realistically, the centennial jersey had a purpose, and that purpose has already been served. But would it make any sense for Detroit to keep it as an alternate? It was gorgeous and adds some sizzle while remaining faithful to the iconic winged wheel design and paying homage to the franchise’s history. That would make it a worthy candidate to stay in the rotation, even if it’s unlikely. — Max Bultman

Continued (paywall)

It’s ‘ice premiere’ time in Europe, and here’s Anton Johansson taking part in Leksands IF’s ‘ispremiar’

I’m not much of one for “proof of life” photos, but SHL teams are already making their first appearances on the ice to practice in front of fans, and Falu-Kuriren’s Viggo Ekbejar posted a photo of Red Wings prospect Anton Johansson and Winnipeg Jets forward Isak Rosen taking part in Hockeyallsvenskan team Leksands IF’s “Ispremiar”:

Twitter video: Profiling JP Hurlbert

Via the Red Wings’ Twitter/”X” account comes a CHL.ca 1:45 profile of Red Wings prospect and incoming University of Michigan freshman J.P. Hurlbert, who spent this past season with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers. Hurlbert posted in 68 regular season games for Kamloops, posting 42 goals, 55 assists and 97 points:

Banking on ‘D’

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen argues that the Red Wings must rely on their team defense to improve if the team is to enter the 2026-2027 season without having added a goal-scoring forward (or two):

Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson are still young enough that they are improving significantly each season. The Red Wings will benefit for the entire season from Justin Faulk’s two-way game. Albert Johansson is as competitive as anyone on the team. And what if 6-foot-4 rookie defenseman William Wallinder is as steady and effective as scouts believe he can be? This defense could be very good.

If John Gibson plays as impressively well as he did last December, the Red Wings will have a chance be in the race even if they can’t score like the 1980s Edmonton Oilers.

Gibson was 25-15-3 with a 2.45 goals-against average and .912 save percentage in his last 44 games. Last season, the league-wide save percentage was .896.

Continue reading Banking on ‘D’

A trio of ‘list articles’ from SI

Of Red Wings-related note in “list form,” from Sports Illustrated’s new Red Wings blog:

  1. If you head over to PuckPedia and glance at its list of remaining free agents, the list is pretty bleak. Right now, the consensus pick for the Red Wings to sign, one Eeli Tolvanen, is looking bounce back from an “off” season with Seattle.

Sports Ilustrated’s Jayd Serdy suggests that the Red Wings look elsewhere to replace lost offense, including making a trade for Calgary Flames forward Morgan Frost…

Morgan Frost: This one would require the Red Wings to give up some assets, but in Morgan Frost of the Calgary Flames, the team could find a long-term solution at their 2C position, with Frost bringing the speed, the skating and the playmaking ability that makes those around him better.

While he started the season in Calgary slowly, Frost thrived after the trade deadline in a greater role, tallying nine goals and 14 points over the Flames’ final 21 games of the season. If the Red Wings targeted him as a pairing with DeBrincat, they could make a very dynamic second line.

To land Frost, the Red Wings would likely need to give up multiple draft picks, and a long-term extension likely needs to be in place to make it worth their while, but with the team looking to build sustained success in the coming years, the 27-year-old could be worth that risk.

Or signing UFA forward Patrik Laine:

Patrik Laine: Right now, Patrik Laine is seen as the ultimate low-risk, high-reward player, but very few teams in the National Hockey League are willing to take a chance on the former No. 2 overall pick.

Given the spot that the Red Wings are in, however, this could be a worthwhile swing, as Laine showed his promise again in 2024/25 when he tallied 20 goals and 33 points in 52 games with the Montreal Canadiens, but in 2025/26, he appeared in just five games, struggling to stay healthy and earn a place in their lineup.

At this point, the reason he’s unsigned likely has to do with his asking price, but if the Red Wings could convince the 28-year-old to sign a prove-it, one-year deal, the risk could be worth it. Of the three, this is the least likely to happen, as Detroit may look to prioritize young names like Michael Brandsegg-Nygård and Nate Danielson as options in their middle two lines, but right now they have very little to lose, and it could be worth the risk.

2. Serdy also posted a list of 5 2026-2027 season games which Red Wings fans “must watch“…

Continue reading A trio of ‘list articles’ from SI

Alexandre Doucet signs with Assat Pori of the Finnish Liiga

Former Red Wings free agent signing Alexandre Doucet has signed a contract with Assat Pori of the Finnish Liiga, ending Doucet’s time with the Grand Rapids Griffins:

Makin’ predictions about Edvinsson and Larkin…

The Hockey News’s Andre Leal makes offseason predictions today, including two regarding Red Wings restricted free agent defenseman Simon Edvinsson and disgruntled captain Dylan Larkin:

Detroit Red Wings: GM, Edvinsson, Larkin

There is a pile of significant issues that the Detroit Red Wings must address, and that starts at the top of the chain.

Before Detroit decides to dive deeper into Dylan Larkin’s trade request from earlier this off-season and RFA Simon Edvinsson’s new contract, the organization must hire a new GM.

The next GM must present their vision for the squad that’s missed the playoffs for 10 straight seasons.

Once that piece of business is taken care of, the organization can work toward signing Edvinsson to a new contract. And with the state of the Red Wings, they’ll need to retain the 23-year-old defenseman at all costs.

With Larkin, it remains to be seen whether his stance will change with a new GM coming in to replace Steve Yzerman, who’s transitioning to an advisory role.

If Larkin remains firm on wanting out of Detroit, there isn’t much else the Red Wings should do other than try to recoup the best assets they can for the 30-year-old center.

Prediction

After the Red Wings hire a new GM, Edvinsson will get re-signed to a big contract extension, similar to Moritz Seider’s current deal, which is $8.55 million per season through 2030-31.

As for Larkin, it’s hard to see him remaining with the Red Wings for this coming season. Even if his biggest issue was Yzerman’s lack of activity to improve the roster, that doesn’t change the fact that he’s entering his 30s with just one playoff campaign in 2015-16, and Detroit hasn’t notably improved on paper since his request.

Continued; my best guess is that Edvinsson’s contract will be equal to or slightly higher than Moritz Seider’s deal as well, and, regarding Larkin…

I just don’t see a reunification happening. He’s burned too many bridges with the organization as a whole, and ownership, and that prodigal son’s ship has sailed.