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: Griffins sign Malcolm Subban to pro try-out

Per the Grand Rapids Griffins:

MALCOLM SUBBAN SIGNS PTO WITH GRIFFINS

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins on Monday signed goaltender Malcolm Subban to a professional tryout.

The former 24th overall pick in 2012 appeared in 35 AHL games last season between Springfield and Cleveland, showing a combined 11-17-4 record with a 3.12 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. Throughout his AHL career, Subban has an 89-78-29 ledger to go along with a 2.65 GAA and a .911 save percentage in 206 outings. The 30-year-old has also spent nine campaigns in the NHL, producing a 36-34-9 mark with a 3.10 GAA and a .898 save percentage in 87 appearances.  

The Griffins will begin practices in Grand Rapids today at 2:30 p.m. at Griff’s IceHouse at Belknap Park in preparation for Friday’s season opener against the Milwaukee Admirals at 7 p.m. at Van Andel Arena.

Fans can secure their full-season, select-season or group ticket packages by calling (616) 774-4585 ext. 2 or visit griffinshockey.com for more information. Single-game tickets for the Griffins’ 2024-25 season can be purchased through griffinshockey.com/tickets.

Lalonde’s coaching for his contract this upcoming season

Sports Illustrated’s Jon Alfano suggests that the Red Wings’ head coach is on a short leash this season, which he is:

After coming that close [to making the playoffs] last season, the expectation is to finish the job this time. If not, then there will be serious questions about the team’s leadership.

Maybe that’s an understatement, though, as there are already some questions out there. The Athletic’s NHL staff recently made predictions for the upcoming season, including who will be the first head coach fired. Detroit’s Derek Lalonde received 21.4 percent of the vote, tied with Pittsburgh Penguins bench boss Mike Sullivan for the most votes.

Lalonde, 52, came to Detroit after four years as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning. In two seasons, he has a 76-69-19 record behind the Red Wings’ bench.

The Brasher Falls, New York native is in the final season of his three-year contract, so if he starts the season poorly, he could be on his way out soon.

Detroit fans are among the most-passionate in the league, but as previously mentioned, they haven’t had much to celebrate over the past several years. They’ve remained patient over general manager Steve Yzerman’s first few years in charge, but that patience is now waning. Another season without a playoff appearance could very well cause some heads to roll in Motor City.

For the sake of Lalonde, and potentially others, a playoff berth is almost a necessity.

Continued; we all know that the last sentence is accurate. It’s a lot easier to change the coaching staff than it is to change the roster, and as much as I respect coach Lalonde, he is on an expiring contract this season, which means that he’s “playing for his contract” like any player this year.

‘Bold Predictions’ from Bultman

The Athletic’s Max Bultman makes “bold predictions” regarding the Red Wings this morning, and we’ll start at the beginning, and end at the end:

1. Dylan Larkin scores 40 goals

Boldness level: 3 out of 5
Confidence level: 60 percent

OK, I’m using this one for the second year in a row. It fell short for me last year, but I stand by the spirit of it! Larkin had 33 goals in 68 games, which over an 82-game season totals out to a 39.7-goal pace.

Still, the franchise’s 40-goal drought is now at 15 seasons, not reached since Marian Hossa in 2008-09. But I think Larkin is the guy to break it. He’s found a whole new level as a scorer over the past three seasons, and last year Detroit finally surrounded him with the kind of talent needed to threaten 40. On most nights, Larkin will be playing with two of Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane. His results last season proved what that looks like on the scoresheet.

The question now is just health, as he hasn’t played a full 82 games since 2018. He hit 80 just two seasons ago, though, and if he can do that again, I think it’ll be enough to make this prediction come true.

…

10. The Red Wings miss the playoffs for the ninth straight year

Boldness level: 2 out of 5
Confidence level: 55 percent

I was torn here. On one hand, I do think the Red Wings are going to see some legit internal improvement from players like Larkin, Raymond, Edvinsson and Kasper. You can see that in these predictions.

But the makeup of the team is very similar to last season, and while that team came up just a tiebreaker short of the playoffs, that run came with some unfavorable underlying numbers and an unusually low cutoff for the playoffs (91 points). With an Eastern Conference field that saw several hopefuls improve (namely Ottawa, Washington and New Jersey), I think Detroit will be on the outside looking in once more.

My prediction is 89 points, two fewer than last season, representing the first time the team has taken a (small) step back under Steve Yzerman.

Continued (paywall); again, nobody’s going to believe that the Red Wings can make the playoffs but the Red Wings themselves.

Three things: Two Red Wings season previews and a tiered ranking of the Wings’ top two centers

Of Red Wings-related note this morning:

  1. ESPN’s Ryan S. Clark and Kristen Shilton offer a massive NHL season preview article this morning, and they combine power rankings with their previews of the NHL’s 32 teams:

16. Detroit Red Wings

Last season: 41-32-9, 91 points. Missed the playoffs.
Stanley Cup odds: +4000
Key players added: F Vladimir Tarasenko, G Jack Campbell, G Cam Talbot
Key players lost: F David Perron, D Jake Walman, G James Reimer

Most fascinating player: Simon Edvinsson. The Red Wings’ rookie turned a successful 14-game NHL stint last season into heightened expectations for what he can add to the team’s blueline this coming year. Edvinsson skated alongside veteran Jeff Petry to form a solid second pairing for Detroit in the waning weeks of the 2023-24 season. It’s not that Edvinsson had a significant impact on the box score (he netted just one goal and one assist); it’s more that Edvinsson made good decisions in his own end, was hard on the cycle and generally exhibited a poise beyond his 21 years. It will be intriguing to see what Edvinsson can do now that the curtain’s been pulled back on his NHL game.

Best case: Detroit ends the franchise’s longest-ever playoff drought with a return to the postseason field. Losing a tiebreaker to the Washington Capitals kept the Red Wings from playoff competition a year ago but this time around there’s no waiting until the final minute to know they’re in the mix. The Red Wings capitalize on top-tier performances from their best skaters — particularly Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat and Moritz Seider — while Cam Talbot and Ville Husso are the high-caliber tandem Detroit’s been missing in recent seasons. A full-team buy-in to the defensive details finally curbs the Red Wings’ leaky habits of the past and they are primed to excel in the club’s first playoff berth in eight years.

Worst case: The Red Wings have been their own worst enemy before by not prioritizing defensive play. Detroit does that again — to its own peril. Another strong start to the season is derailed by inconsistencies from the blueline on out. The power play — which ranked among the league’s top-10 a year ago — fails to launch and without that boost Detroit can’t keep pace offensively in the Atlantic. Their veteran additions — including Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane — are a non-factor and Talbot proves to no longer be a No. 1 option. Detroit slowly slides down the standings and lands with another disappointing thud outside the playoff picture.

X factor: Derek Lalonde. The Red Wings finished ninth offensively last season — and 24th defensively. There’s been a clear disconnect for Detroit on how to play a strong two-way team game, and it’s on Lalonde now to pull it out of this group. GM Steve Yzerman believed in Lalonde’s ability when he made the former Tampa Bay assistant a first-time NHL head coach in 2022. Now three seasons into his tenure, it’s time for Lalonde to help the Red Wings turn a corner by adhering to a defense-focused structure. Detroit has shown enough offensive potential that if Lalonde can fix the defensive deficiencies then this could be a significant season for the Red Wings.

Fantasy outlook: Dylan Larkin brings stability, making Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond solid bets for value. On defense, Moritz Seider stands out as a star, Simon Edvinsson has significant fantasy potential and Erik Gustafsson could be a power-play specialist.

Bold prediction: Red Wings hit reverse in Motor City, miss playoffs.

Continued; more like characteristic of the media’s spiel this year as opposed to a “bold prediction.” No one is going to believe in the Red Wings except the Red Wings themselves, and that’s just the way things are right now;

2. ESPN’s Sean Allen and Victoria Matiash also present fantasy hockey season previews this morning, and here’s what they have to say about the Red Wings…

Continue reading Three things: Two Red Wings season previews and a tiered ranking of the Wings’ top two centers

At the beginning of the regular season, it’s all about starting strongly

The Detroit Red Wings play 10 times over the course of October, and they begin with a gauntlet of three games in 5 nights against the Penguins, Predators and Rangers, followed by the back half of home-and-home series against Nashville and New York. Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff discusses the necessity of the Red Wings starting strongly this morning:

“It’s real,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said of the challenging first month his team is facing. “Sometimes you get a stretch of games when you’re just playing some really good competition. And we just happen to have Pittsburgh, the Rangers twice and Nashville twice for our first five games.”

If the Wings were to launch the season say 3-6-1, they’d be giving themselves a rugged climb to get back into the race. It’s not impossible to do, but it does make reaching the objective that much harder.

They’re going to have to hit the ice on top of their game from the get-go. Lalonde, for one, believes he’s got a team that will be proving capable of meeting that challenge.

“No matter what our competition is, I still think it’s about us and getting our game in order to play the right way,” Lalonde said. “And obviously we’ll certainly need it with the caliber of competition we’re going to start to season with.”

For any team, if they want to be a success and ultimately be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, they’ll need to face up to and overcome challenging tasks such as this one. In Larkin’s mind, it all comes down to embracing the opportunity to excel.

“We’re excited to get back to Little Caesars Arena and play in front of our fans,” Larkin said. “I can’t tell you how many times I thought about that. Our last home game against Montreal, I’d watch the video of Lucas (Raymond) scoring with the goalie pulled and that atmosphere was the best it’s been since the building opened and I played a game there. So I’ve talked to a lot of our fans. They’re excited for us to be back. So I expect our fans, I’m hoping our fans can, can like they were last year, be there for us and be excited as we are.”

Continued; as Duff says, it’s essential to not struggle coming out of the gate if the Wings are to make a playoff push.

Wings’ demotions stack the Griffins as their training camp begins on Monday

FloHockey’s Chris Peters discusses the state of the Grand Rapids Griffins’ roster after the Detroit Red Wings reassigned Marco Kasper, Nate Danielson, Sebastian Cossa and other players to the Griffins on Sunday:

With the return of Kasper and Cossa, and the arrival of Danielson for his rookie pro season, the Griffins will be among the more interesting teams in the AHL under second-year head coach Dan Watson.

Cossa took a big step last season, playing his first full year in the AHL. The 6-foot-6 netminder appeared in 40 regular-season games, posting a 22-9-9 record with a .913 save percentage. He also had a decent showing in the postseason. His return to the AHL was expected, given the longer timeline goalies need to develop. Cossa has been steadily heading in the right direction.

Seeing Danielson get sent back is another one that isn’t much of a surprise to see. He just turned 20 years old and only has two AHL playoff games under his belt in terms of professional experience. Danielson had a strong final season in the WHL in 2023-24, posting 67 points in 54 games during the regular season, and another 24 in 18 playoff games. Danielson was also part of Canada’s World Junior team last year. Now he’ll get a chance to get his pro legs under him.

Kasper was the one that really seemed to surprise people. He played well in camp and made a case to play a role down Detroit’s lineup. That said, the pressure is on for the Red Wings to make a postseason push this year and that often requires leaning more heavily on veteran players in depth roles. We’ll see how long Kasper ultimately stays in the AHL, but more time may not be the worst thing for him.

In his first North American pro season, Kasper recorded 35 points in 71 games. He didn’t exactly light the league on fire. There was improvement in the playoffs, however, as he had four goals and seven points in nine Calder Cup Playoffs contests.

The expectation should be that if the Red Wings need a player in a pinch, Kasper could be their first call. Even so, he’ll get more reps higher in the lineup with the Griffins, playing as more of a go-to player than he would in the NHL. He’s still just 20 years old and has time to grow into the role he will ultimately play as a long-term Red Wing.

In addition to the four first-rounders Detroit reassigned today, prospects Cross Hanas, Carter Mazur, Elmer Söderblom, Tory Dello, Antti Tuomisto, Eemil Viro, William Wallinder and Carter Gylander were all sent to Grand Rapids.

As Peters notes, the Griffins begin their training camp on Monday ahead of Friday’s season-opening home game against Milwaukee.

Eargood wonders whether the Wings stashed Kasper in Grand Rapids to clear cap space

The Hockey News’s Connor Eargood has a theory as to how Marco Kasper could have actually won a roster spot over Austin Watson, but found himself assigned to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins due to Detroit’s salary cap issues:

Right now, Detroit has 28 players on its preseason roster, five of whom are being sent down to the AHL once they clear waivers. Among the other 23, the Red Wings have scrappy forward Austin Watson still on his professional tryout, with an NHL contract likely to follow. 

There’s just one problem: Detroit doesn’t have the cap space to sign Watson — at least not yet. 

To clear cap space, the Red Wings have to wait for the players it put on waivers to clear, including Justin Holl. The 32-year-old blueliner makes $3.4 million average annual value, but he was placed on waivers for the purposes of a Grand Rapids assignment Sunday afternoon. The Red Wings still have to pay Holl his contract, but not all of it will count against the cap hit. Detroit can deduct $1.15 million from Holl’s cap hit. That turns Detroit’s $198,194 in potential cap space into $1,348,194.

That $1.3 million should be more than enough room to sign Watson to a contract. That is the next step in Detroit’s preseason roster moves.

But once Watson signs, things could get interesting. The Red Wings can’t send Watson down to Grand Rapids while he is on a PTO, but they can do that once he signs a real contract. In the realm of speculation, Detroit could send Watson down in order to call up Kasper.

Continued; I’m not certain what to say here. I believe that Kasper was sent down to Grand Rapids for now because Watson will be utilized as the Wings’ 13th forward, but PuckPedia did post this Tweet on Sunday night:

I think that it is in the “realm of speculation” to suggest that this is all cap chicanery, but I also think that, by the end of the season, we’re going to see all of Kasper, Carter Mazur and Nate Danielson on the Red Wings’ roster as injury replacements and/or call-ups.

Prospect round-up: Miller relieves injured Soo starter; Finnie held off the board in Kamloops win

Of Red Wings prospect-related note in North America on Sunday night:

In the OHL, Landon Miller stopped 7 of 8 shots in a relief performance, spelling the injured Charlie Schenkel in the Soo Greyhounds’ 2-1 loss to the Sarnia Sting;

And in the WHL, Emmitt Finnie finished even with 4 shots, going 16-for-25 on faceoff as his Kamloops Blazers won 2-1 in OT over the Wenatchee Wild.

Tweets of note: Wings’ cuts mean that Grand Rapids, Walleye can open their respective training camps

With the Red Wings’ roster cuts and waiver wire decisions made, the Red Wings have essentially “broken camp” with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, who open their regular season this upcoming Friday vs. Milwaukee, and the Toledo Walleye, who hold exhibition games vs. the Kalamazoo K-Wings this upcoming Friday and Saturday.