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!

Belated press release: Red Wings reassign/release 11 players

Right after the Red vs. White Game:

RED WINGS REDUCE TRAINING CAMP ROSTER BY 11 

  … Fifty-seven Players Remain with Detroit Ahead of First Preseason Game on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at Chicago … 

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today returned goaltender Landon Miller to the Ontario Hockey League’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Additionally, the Red Wings have released forwards Brayden Edwards, Chase Lefebvre, Charlie Paquette and Borya Valis, and defensemen Bauer Dumanski, Marcus Kearsey, Zackary Sandhu, Blake Smith, Josh Van Mulligen and Matthew Virgilio from their amateur tryouts.

The Red Wings currently have 57 players on their training camp roster: 33 forwards, 16 defensemen and eight goaltenders. Detroit will practice at the BELFOR Training Center inside Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday, Sept. 24 before opening its eight-game preseason schedule with a road game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 8:00 p.m. at United Center.

Expecting the Red Wings to be playoff-hungry even as the preseason begins

Sportsnet’s Rory Boylen offers “one thing to remember about each NHL team as the preseason begins,” and here’s what he has to say about the Red Wings:

Detroit Red Wings: They missed last season’s playoffs only by the tiebreaker

It’s been a long time coming for the “Yzerplan” as Steve Yzerman begins his sixth year as GM of the Red Wings. Point totals have been climbing, and the team finished with 91 last season — their most since the last time they made the playoffs in 2015-16.

But that point total and a good finish weren’t enough to claim the East’s second wild card spot. Detroit got points in each of its last four games, and won the last three, which was enough to tie the Capitals in points. However, they needed to leap over the Caps (who also won their last three games) since Washington finished with five more regulation wins (the first tiebreaker) than the Wings.

Two critical games down the stretch turned out to be the difference, with Washington beating Detroit 4-3 in OT on home ice in late March, and then 2-1 on the road in the second last game of the regular season. One bounce really could have got Detroit in.

But now everyone starts back at zero and the Atlantic Division itself is going to be a heck of a competition to outlast. Are the Red Wings the favourites to claim a wild card spot, or even leap over one of the Big Four out front? Ottawa, Buffalo and even Montreal will all have something to say about that.

Continued;

Allen talks ‘roster battles’

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen makes three sets of roster projections this morning, including whether Marco Kasper or Nate Danielson will make the roster, whether Isaac Ratcliffe or Austin Watson might be signed based upon their pro try-out performances, and how the goaltending situation will shake out:

If [Ville] Husso, 29, shows in the preseason that he’s the best choice for the Red Wings, he will be given the opportunity to play. As [GM Steve] Yzerman says, no decision has to be made today. The Red Wings also don’t have to make a decision by opening day. They can carry three goalies, like they did last season, to make sure they get the goalie decision right.

But if the Red Wings are to get rid of a goalie, Husso is the likely choice. This is his last season on a contract paying him $4.75 million. With Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine as the team’s goalies of the future,  the Red Wings are not likely to re-sign him. That could change if Husso wins the job, but Husso’s save percentage has been below .900 in three of the four seasons he’s been in the NHL.

If [Cam] Talbot wins the Detroit job, the likely scenarios for Husso are to be put on waivers or to be traded with the Red Wings retaining salary.

Continued (paywall); I think that, should coach Derek Lalonde’s “it’s really wide open” projection for the goaltending competition play out, either Husso or Lyon may be waived. I’m honestly expecting the Wings to carry 3 goalies for the first 10-15 regular season games.

Tweets of note: Red vs. White Game stream link, lineups, Tweets of note

FYI:

Update: Here’s the stream link:

https://www.nhl.com/redwings/video/detroit-red-wings-live-stream-6336964314112

Continue reading Tweets of note: Red vs. White Game stream link, lineups, Tweets of note

Prospect round-up: Forslund held off the scoresheet in Mora IK win; Bicker doubles ice time in Frankfurt loss

Of Red Wings prospect-related note:

In the Swedish J20 league, Charlie Forslund didn’t register a point in Mora IK’s 4-1 win over Lulea. Forslund played on Mora’s second line…

And in the DEL, Kevin Bicker finished with 2 shots on goal in 10:32 played as the Lowen Frankfurt lost 3-2 to EHC Red Bull Munchen. Bicker’s still on the 4th line in Frankfurt, but he’s doubled his ice time from last season.

Tweets of note from Day 4 of training camp

Of Red Wings-related note on Twitter/X from the Red vs. White Game day:

First, from Bally Sports Detroit…

And then the Red Wings…

Also:

Continue reading Tweets of note from Day 4 of training camp

Detroit’s ‘third line’ appears to be set in checking stone

The Hockey News’s Connor Eargood wrote an article about the Red Wings’ third line of Michael Rasmussen, Andrew Copp and Christian Fischer, which is preparing for its second year as Detroit’s “shut-down line”:

“I don’t know if it’s so much chemistry,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde told reporters Saturday. “(It’s) more of acceptance and want from those guys. A couple of those games last year we gave them some really tough checking assignments they really embraced and did a really good job for us.”

In reality, this unit did the best job among all Detroit’s units at limiting opponents. The trio allowed just 2.14 expected goals against per 60 according to Moneypuck, which significantly led the second-best unit’s 2.30. And this success exists within the broader context of facing some of the toughest matchups of each game. Make no mistake, the Red Wings really have something with that line.

So, entering training camp with a different cast of players working on a clean slate, Lalonde is going back to the third line as an option. They skated together in all of the line drills, as did most of the combinations. And even if they don’t play together in Sunday’s Red and White scrimmage, Lalonde explained that he plans to put every line through the blender during it to gather the most information on his roster. Expect the third line to reunite when the real games start.

“I think those three really embraced that role down the stretch last year,” Lalonde said of the unit’s shutdown prowess. “Led us to some nice wins down the stretch and they were a big part in driving that.”

Continued

HSJ in the morning: on Kasper and Husso

The Free Press’s Helene St. James filed two articles this morning, with the first discussing Marco Kasper’s maturation into a player who believes that he can earn a spot on the Red Wings’ roster…

“I want to play with confidence, make my plays that I know I’m capable of and work as hard as I can,” Kasper said Saturday. “I think last year I was not maybe as ready as I am this year. This year I worked really hard in the summer — I did last year as well, but it was just different. It was coming here and not really knowing what was going to happen. This year I feel more comfortable. I know the guys, the coaching staff, the systems.”

Kasper, 20, appeared in one game for the Wings in April 2023, after his season in the Swedish Hockey League had ended. An injury waylaid plans to play him more, and Kasper’s performance at last year’s camp made it clear he needed at least a season in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Kasper posted 35 points in 71 games, and then turned heads with four goals and three assists in nine playoff games.

“He doesn’t even look like the same athlete as last year at this time in camp,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “He built some confidence from his growth in GR last year, and I think that playoff run was very valuable for him. He’s got some attitude into camp this year, which is certainly a positive.”

Kasper spent most of the summer in his native Austria, where his on-ice work included Olympic qualification games. Off the ice, he did what he could to turbocharge his physical development.

“Just trying to become a man, if you want to say it like that,” he said.

And St. James’ second article discusses Ville Husso’s health as the Red Wings’ goaltender attempts to earn one of three goaltending spots on the roster:

“It’s always tough not playing, especially last year — that second injury, you just want to get out there, and then you’re not ready to go,” Husso said Saturday. “At least I got some extra time this summer. I’ve been training and I feel good now and I’m excited to play some preseason games.”

Husso, 29, was limited to 19 games in 2023-24, felled first in mid-December by a lower-body injury and then again when he attempted a comeback in mid-February. Now he’s competing with Alex Lyon, last season’s hero, and Cam Talbot, a newcomer, for minutes.

“The No. 1 thing is to be healthy,” Husso said. “No injuries any more. Then just battle. We have a good competition between all of us and I think it’s a good situation for all of us — competing, pushing each other to be better every day.”

Husso and Lyon are both entering the last years of their contracts; Talbot is starting the first of a two-year deal. Lyon rose from third-stringer to starter last season, but asked about the goaltending depth chart, coach Derek Lalonde called it, “a true clean slate.”

“Over the last two years, all three of those goalies — Ville, Cam and Alex — have had really nice stretches, proved they can win in this league,” Lalonde said. “We’ll look for one to step up.”

Emphasis on exhibition games

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen explains why the Red Wings feel that all 8 preseason games are important in terms of establishing a roster hierarchy:

These preseason games are important to the Red Wings because [coach Derek] Lalonde has significant decisions to make about line combinations, goalie usage and which rookies will make the team. Everything matters when you are trying to land one of 16 playoff spots in a 32-team league.

“So it’s going to be a little bit of all of that,” Lalonde said. “We probably want to see some lines together, especially talking about how fluid it might be. We want to see some special teams together, but at the same time we want to give a really good look and we want to see those young players. So there’s going to be all of that going on. It gets a little complicated…And obviously we want to play our young guys a lot.”

That approach starts at noon today when the Red Wings host the annual Red and White Intrasquad game at noon today. These are important opportunities for players like Marco Kasper or Nate Danielson to make their case to earn a spot on the roster.

Continued; the Red Wings obviously need to determine who’s starting in goal as well.