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!

Kulfan’s notebook: on Wings-Tigers connections and the exhibition grind

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed an interesting-to-read evening notebook article (of the subscriber-only variety), sharing some of coach Derek Lalonde’s remarks on the fact that the Detroit Tigers and Red Wings are “sister organizations” as the Tigers make their playoff run…

The Ilitch family owns both the Red Wings and Tigers, and there is a level of camaraderie and cooperation between the organizations. Both have undertaken patient rebuilds, relying on draft picks and young talent, to fuel the rebuild.

“Analytics is a big part of it,” Lalonde said. “We’re a fluid sport and it’s different, but of course, what a resource to be owned by the same group, same umbrella, and to be able to lean on those guys. We share the same ownership and even some internal growth beliefs and approach on some things. It’s been pretty cool what they’ve done.”

Kulfan asked coach Lalonde what the lineup might look like tomorrow when the Red Wings travel to the Windy City to pla. Chicago (8 PM EDT start on DetroitRedWings.com), a game in which the Blackhawks plan on icing a very NHL-heavy lineup…

Continue reading Kulfan’s notebook: on Wings-Tigers connections and the exhibition grind

Engaging in a little thought experiment on the alumni front

Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Trudeau engages in a thought experiment this evening, wondering what might happen if the Eastern Conference’s teams could bring back one retired veteran who’s a “fan favorite” or “All-Star” who would benefit his team the most:

Detroit Red Wings: Niklas Kronwall, D (2003-19)

The second Original Six team to jump back in time has several options to fix its uninspiring blueline. Vladimir Konstantinov might have ended up in the Hall if not for the limousine accident that cut him down in his prime. Reed Larson was a lock for 20 goals a season and is one of the most underrated offensive D-men ever. Both are right-handed, though, as is Mo Seider, the foundational piece of the Red Wings’ defense. Kronwall made his living with a devastating hip check on Nick Lidstrom’s left, and, later, as top dog himself. He and Seider would provide the modern Wings with a true top pair to build around.

Continued; the Red Wings’ blueline is what it is until the team addresses the need for a physical, shut-down player via the trade market…Or until someone like Simon Edvinsson or Albert Johansson steps up and fills a hole on their own.

For now, the Wings have what they have. I happen to believe that, by the trade deadline, they’ll be adding someone to fill the void to help spell Seider of some of those hard match-up minutes. We’ll see what happens over the course of the next six months.

In the interim, I sure miss “Kronner” every day.

Raymond, Seider are ready to bear the weight of 8 million expectations

Updated at 6:37 PM: As new members of the Red Wings’ $8 million dollar-salary club, Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond and defenseman Moritz Seider realize that there will be significant pressure upon them to perform at higher levels than they’ve already achieved in their NHL careers (thus far).

Over the course of a subscriber-only article, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff discusses the fact that Raymond and Seider face the kinds of expectations to deliver on a Dylan Larkin-like level–as the Red Wings’ coach and captain already know:

“It’s a reality of it,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “People are aware of it. Knowing the person and whether it weighs on them or not, it’s just the reality of it and just like any other individual it’s just being aware of it.”

Larkin found this out when he was agreeing to terms on an eight-year pact with an AAV of $8.7 million toward the end of the 2022-23 season. He was choosing to embrace the additional expectations, to use the pressure to be driving himself and the team forward. And he’s still seeking to accomplish more.

“Still pushing myself to see if . . . I know I have a next level and I would like to see what I can do,” Larkin explained. “I’d like to be a dominant player like I have been when I’m healthy. And that’s a big thing for me, is staying healthy this year and trying to dominate and not do too much. Just play my game and be a good playmaker, someone that makes everyone around me better.”

Without revealing the text of the entire article, Raymond and Seider have told Duff that they’re embracing the pressure from without as well as the pressure that comes from within. For Seider, it’s about expecting more of himself…

“I think the expectations change,” Seider acknowledged. “For a lot of other people expectations are different. I don’t think I feel more pressure. I want to be good every single night. That shouldn’t be a matter of how much you make.”

And for Raymond, it’s about accentuating the positive:

“There’s obvious areas I want to keep growing in, keep developing, taking bigger strides, taking more responsibility and getting higher expectations on myself,” Raymond said. “So for sure that’s the goal. I’m still 22, so hopefully I have a lot of, development to still do.”

Continued (paywall); and the Hockey News’s Connor Eargood noted that Seider’s taking a more defiant tone (on the day that The Athletic declared that Larkin has peaked, Raymond is a complementary player, and that Seider’s not doing enough to embrace the challenges thrown at him):

Continue reading Raymond, Seider are ready to bear the weight of 8 million expectations

Seider on his new deal (per Khan): ‘there are other guys thinking this contract is not right, so I’m ready to prove them wrong again’

I’ve tried to leave the Moritz Seider press conference-related articles in a single post, but I guess this is rule-breaking day, because this quip from Seider, noted by MLive’s Ansar Khan, deserves its own post:

Seider’s first contract after his entry-level deal makes him the team’s second-highest player, slightly below Dylan Larkin’s $8.7 million AAV. But it won’t add any more pressure on him.

“I want to be good every single night,” Seider said. “That shouldn’t be a matter of how much you make.”

He added, “I think there are a lot of people who thought I was a reach (when drafted sixth overall in 2019), and I had a chance proving them wrong, and there are other guys thinking this contract is not right, so I’m ready to prove them wrong again.”

Seider celebrated by taking his parents and his agent and agent’s family to dinner in Germany before hopping a flight to Detroit. He and his buddy Lucas Raymond, who signed an eight-year pact with an $8.075 million AAV a few days before, are sure to spring for a team dinner during an early season road trip.

“It’s great to give back now,” Seider said. “The team helped us a lot to get there at this point and obviously we’re excited to get on the road, play at home, play in front of the fans again and I think we’ll have a good time. I’m just really happy to wear that jersey for a very long time now.”

Continued; given that The Athletic’s Luszczyszyn, Gentille and Goldman ranked Seider in a very middling tier of players this morning, because, and I quote…

For Seider to reach Tier 3 and beyond, he needs to prove he can handle the heat — as hot as it is — much better than he currently has.

Maybe it’s a good thing that Seider’s still got a huge chip on his shoulder.

Tweets of note: Axel Sandin Pellikka with an ‘ankle-breaking’ deke and goal

Three Red Wings prospects are taking part in games being played in Sweden right now–Noah Dower Nilsson is playing for Frolunda HC as they’re tied with Rogle BK 3-3 in the 3rd period, Anton Johansson’s Leksands IF is getting blown out 5-1 by Lulea Hockey late in the 3rd, and Axel Sandin Pellikka’s Skelleftea AIK is leading HV71 Jonkoping 2-1 late in the 3rd period…

But I’m going to break my protocol of waiting to share highlights until all the games are done, because Sandin Pellikka scored a highlight goal of highlight goals. As always, many thanks to IceHockeyGifs and Red Wings Prospects for sharing this:

Final stats: I was writing this up, Skelleftea AIK held their lead and won 2-1 over HV71. Sandin Pellikka had a goal on 2 shots, finishing at +1 with a penalty taken in 20:29 of ice time;

Anton Johansson finished at -1 in only 4:35 of ice time as Leksands IF lost 5-1 to Lulea with Johansson playing on the 4th D pairing (not great news there);

And Rogle BK won 4-3 lead over Frolunda HC, and that game started late because Frolunda’s bus got stuck in traffic. Right now, Noah Dower Nilsson has an assist and a +1 with 1 shot in 11:30 of ice time on the 3rd line.

Tweet of note: Take them out to the ballgame

The Red Wings are watching the Detroit Tigers game today:

Update: The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton offers this from Derek Lalonde:

A few hours earlier, coach Derek Lalonde—himself a western New Yorker by birth—expressed his enthusiasm for the sports synergy he’s found in his adopted home town of Detroit.  

“I sound like a broken record when it comes to the [Detroit] sports,” Lalonde said after today’s two practices concluded.  “Very excited today because my Buffalo Bills looked really good [last night], so I had a little more jump in my step in the locker room.  Bills are in a good spot because Patrick Kane [from Buffalo] was half on board.  I asked him to be more invested this year, so no surprise we’re 3-0.  Of course, I watched the Lions.  They’ve made me fans [sic].  Obviously, Detroit is personal.  We share the same ownership [with the Tigers].  Even some internal growth and beliefs in approaching some things.  It’s been pretty cool what they’ve done.  I like the Tigers.  I lost my baseball team, the Expos, back in the day, so I’ve kinda been a free agent, and that logo D is tough not to like.  It’s been fun to watch.”

A ‘plateauing’ rebuild?

CBS Sports’ Austin Nivision offers a set of the “most interesting teams” to watch over the course of the 2024-2025 season, and he includes the Detroit Red Wings on his list:

Detroit Red Wings

Steve Yzerman is a franchise legend, and he has enough hockey knowledge to fill a few bookshelves. That said, it’s probably time for “The Yzerplan” to start coming together in Detroit. The Red Wings haven’t reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2016, and I’m doubtful they will end that drought this season.

Detroit nearly ended its lengthy playoff absence last season, losing a tiebreaker to the Washington Capitals for the second wild card spot. Despite that, this team seems like a negative regression candidate in 2024-25. Last year, the Wings wildly outperformed some troubling underlying metrics, and they didn’t get much better in the offseason. Don’t get me wrong, Detroit has some exciting young players in Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, and Simon Edvinsson, but I’m not sure Yzerman has built a strong enough supporting cast around them. Can the Red Wings exceed expectations again, or will the rebuild plateau?

Continued;

“The Yzerplan” will continue regardless of whether the Red Wings make the playoffs, but after the Wings’ free agent losses, it’s going to take them really performing particularly well in order to assuage the media’s doubts about the “flop Wings.”

Post-‘second group’ Tweets/video: coach Derek Lalonde speaks with the media

The Red Wings practiced in two groups at the BELFOR Training Center on Tuesday. The first group is probably going to play against the Chicago Blackhawks tomorrow night in Chicago (8 PM EDT on DetroitRedWings.com); the youthful second group will become more important as the Wings play 3 exhibition games over the course of 4 nights between Wednesday and Sunday.

Most of the media’s attention was focused on Moritz Seider’s remarks as he’s arrived in Detroit after signing his 7-year contract, but Wings coach Derek Lalonde spoke with the media as well…

And here’s coach Lalonde’s 12:31 off-day press conference:

It’s also media day at LCA, which is a fancy way of saying that the players are shooting the images and mini-videos that appear on Bally Sports Detroit and other broadcasts (including the in-house video board) when they score goals, are introduced to the crowd, etc. Not surprisingly, Champagne Athletic’s on Twitter shared this one from Ken Daniels’ Instagram account:

Articles regarding Moritz Seider’s press conference remarks

Updated at 3:15 PM: The recently re-signed Moritz Seider made his post-contract-signing debut at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center today, and he spoke with the media after practicing with the Wings for the first time this season.

The Free Press’s Helene St. James kicked off the coverage of Seider’s comments:

“It was weird seeing the guys up there [in Traverse City], but overall I’m really excited and ready to get going,” Seider said Tuesday after practice at Little Caesars Arena. “It’s a different situation than the last couple years, but overall I’m just happy right now. It’s in the past and now we can be excited for preseason and then get going into the regular season.”

Seider, 23, returned to the Wings a rich man, having signed a seven-year, $59.85 million deal Sept. 19, the opening day of camp.

Seider described the experience as, “New. Interesting. Those are two words. It’s a really cool situation to be in, having a long-term contract. I think that I’m really proud of that organization, that I can do it with them. I’m really happy that we’re done and being back with the boys, there was a lot of smiling today.”

Seider was in his native Germany when the contract was signed, and managed to sneak in a celebration before departing Sept. 21 for Detroit.

“We had a nice little dinner with my parents, my agent and his family,” he said.

He called picking up the check, “the easiest thing to do.”

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed a notebook article about Seider as well…

Continue reading Articles regarding Moritz Seider’s press conference remarks