Author: George Malik

MLive’s Ansar Khan spoke with the Oilers Now With Bob Stauffer podcast last Thursday, and the interview is being widely quoted by the popular NHL Rumour Report Twitter/X account.

Khan spoke with Oilers Now producer Ayden Ganam regarding Dylan Larkin’s situation, the re-signing of Simon Edvinsson, the extension due to Alex DeBrincat,the Wings’ GM search, Detroit’s modest offseason additions and Detroit’s struggles to make the playoffs thanks to their stretch drive stumbles, among other topics.

There are commercials in the middle of the interview, but it’s interesting nonetheless. Scroll down a bit to listen and/or download:

Ansar Khan: Re Red Wings: Dylan Larkin has not rescinded his trade request, but…I think there is at least a little bit more optimism that maybe the new GM…is able to maybe patch up the differences; really his main issue was Steve Yzerman – Oilers Now (8/27)

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) August 29, 2026

Ansar Khan: Re Simon Edvinsson/Red Wings negotiations: I would expect that deal to get done fairly soon after a new GM is hired; it's apparent…nobody's going to make him an offer sheet; from everything I've been told…the Wings would match it – Oilers Now (8/27)
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NHLRR:…

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) August 30, 2026

Ansar Khan: Florida and Vegas showed only lukewarm interest in Dylan Larkin, they don't need him; Minnesota could really use him – Oilers Now (8/27)

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) August 30, 2026

Ansar Khan: Re Alex DeBrincat future/Red Wings: It's a place that he likes, his family is here; my guess is they will get something done with him well before the trade deadline – Oilers Now (8/27)
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NHLRR: Despite some early summer concerns, most reports suggest DeBrincat…

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) August 31, 2026

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff penned a bit of an editorial article this morning in discussing both Dylan Larkin and Connor Hellebuyck’s trade requests. As far as Duff is concerned, both Detroit’s Larkin and Winnipeg’s Hellebuyck deserve some blame for what they’re doing:

We get it. Pro sports is a business. And business is business. Larkin and Hellebuyck have the right to do what they think is best for them.

That said, their teams have every right to be angry, perhaps even offended, by these players’ actions. And certainly, so does each team’s fanbase.

Their teams stepped up for these players. They made long-term commitments. Larkin will earn $8.7 million a year over the next five years. Hellebuyck will pull down $8.5 million each of the next five NHL seasons.

When they signed these deals, those prices were at the high end of NHL contracts. That’s no longer the case. This summer, with significant upward movement in the NHL salary cap, top players are signing for $18-$20 million per season. Whoever ultimately gets Larkin or Hellebuyck will basically be getting a bargain.

That commitment from their teams isn’t being honored. And again, no one is saying that Larkin or Hellebuyck don’t have the right to ask to be moved. But both players must remember that business is a two-way street.Their teams aren’t going to just give away key assets. They will wait for a deal that works for them, which is their right.

As for the fans, they don’t want to hear about business. They’re all about passion. Their loyalty is to the jersey that Larkin and Hellebuyck no longer want to wear.

Continued; Duff also discusses the numbers that will be worn by Detroit’s new players this upcoming season, which DetroitHockey.net’s Clark Rasmussen covered last Thursday…

And I get that Larkin and Hellebuyck are empowering themselves in an era where players are “finally” taking control of the directions which their careers take…

But, at the same time, I agree with Duff. A long-term, big-money contract is like a marriage deal with a team, and far too many players are choosing to divorce their teams for greener pastures these days.

As Duff ultimately suggests, fans will have every right to boo Larkin and Hellebuyck if one or both players start the 2026-2027 season in Detroit or Winnipeg, respectively.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Tim Benz posted part of a podcast interview with former Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins (among other teams) defenseman Larry Murphy this morning. Murphy discusses his famous flip pass into the offensive zone, which Penguins announcer Mike Lange deemed the “Murphy Dump”:

Few who played the game were more consistent at keeping the puck in the attacking zone — especially on the man-advantage. It’s part of the reason why Murphy can boast 547 power play points, sixth-most among defensemen in the history of the league. The other was the fabled “Murphy Dump.”

“Keeping the puck in, a lot of that is hand-eye coordination and evaluating the situation,” Murphy told me on a recent “Breakfast With Benz” podcast. “I wasn’t a guy that played with a lot of speed or had the hardest shot, but I really prided myself on being in the right position at the right time and making the right decisions. When the puck was on my stick, the chances were that I was going to get it to somebody and put him in a good position.”

The “Murphy Dump” was a basic aspect of the game that Murphy did with such regularity that the act eventually became branded with his name. Murphy claims that the moniker came from his former teammate Bob Errey, and was eventually mainstreamed by legendary Penguins broadcaster Mike Lange.

Red Wings prospect Carter Mazur is 24 now, and the 6,’ 196-pound winger would have to clear waivers to be sent down to Grand Rapids, so this is the year that might “make or break” his hockey career.

That’s easier said than done given the numerous injuries that Mazur has sustained over the past couple of seasons in the NHL and AHL. Mazur suffered a broken elbow during his NHL debut, and he spent most of this past season on the IR in Grand Rapids. The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan notes as much in profiling the physical forward from Jackson, MI:

Mazur plays a gritty, abrasive style that fits well into a fourth-line role, but he also the ability to supply offense. Mazur has shown the ability to score goals, getting to the net and knocking in pucks, and the Wings have been desperate for increased goals from anywhere in the lineup.

Though not getting on the scoresheet in his [10-game] NHL appearance in April, Mazur felt it was crucial experience.

“It’s been night and day,” Mazur said when the season ended. “Learned a lot, a lot more comfortable. Invaluable for development. Every game I kind of felt a lot more comfortable and started to get back to my game.”

Getting a late start this morning due to caregiving stuff…

With a day-and-a-half remaining before the final server bill comes due, there’s some good news and some bad news.

The good news is that our GoFundMe for Aunt Annie’s property tax bill is fully funded. We’re going to be able to pay the $1,500 bill, which is amazing.

The not-so-great news is that we’re still $200 short in terms of fundraising for my bill from “Jetpack,” and if I may be completely honest, I’m down an extra $100 due to having to buy more medical supplies for my bed-bound aunt, as well as having to drop $50 for a medication not covered by her insurance.

I need to raise $200 over the next day-and-a-half to afford the final blog subscription service that’s due on September 1st; it would be great if we could raise $300 so that our very modest budget for early September doesn’t take a body blow.

At this point, I don’t know whether we’re going to hit the goal. I understand that late August is not the best time to raise funds for the blog, and I get that times are tough, but I’ve got nowhere else to turn right now, so:

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen profiles another candidate for the Red Wings’ general manager and/or president of hockey operations job in San Jose Sharks assistant GM Jeff Kealty.

He started in Nashville as a scout in 2001, started running their draft in 2008 and became an assistant GM in 2018. He was in that role until this summer when he left to become assistant general manager for the San Jose Sharks.

When you ask around the NHL about Kealty, they quickly point out that his abilities as a talent evaluator are beyond question.

Through the years, NHL have come to grips with the truth that the NHL draft, especially beyond the first round, is a low probability way to restock your team. The Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers found success by deciding that perhaps a better use of draft picks is to trade them for proven players.

But with Kealty in command of the draft, the Predators have traditionally found success outside the first round. Roman Josi was a second-round pick in his first year in charge. Goaltender Juuse Saros was a fourth-round pick in 2013 and current Red Wings forward Viktor Arvidsson was a fourth rounder in 2014. Kealty’s scouting staff claimed Alex Carrier in 2014.

With a quarter century working under David Poile and then Barry Trotz, Kealty boasts a true understanding of how a general manager is supposed to perform and carry himself. Hockey insider Elliotte Friedman reports Kealty interviews well, which means he offers a clear and concise plan of what he intends to do to improve this team. He’s also a likeable guy.

Continued; Allen discussed Florida Panthers assistant GM Brett Peterson yesterday.

Per Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff, former Red Wings head scout and assistant GM Neil Smith, who went on to win the Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers, has weighed on the state of the Red Wings at present while speaking on his NHL Wraparound Podcast alongside host Vic Morren:

Again, per Duff:

Things you don’t expect to read in late summer: a story from the Medicine Hat News’s James Tubb, titled, “Osgood enjoying time in Medicine Hat, first Tigers camp.”

Max Osgood, a 5’9,” 141-pound forward, is all of 15 years old, and he’s attending the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers’ training camp, even though the Little Caesars Hockey graduate is too young to play in the WHL right now, and Tubb reports that all is well for the son of Red Wings color commentator Christopher John Osgood:

After a 34-year hiatus, an Osgood is back on the ice with the Medicine Hat Tigers. Max Osgood, son of former Tiger and Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Chris Osgood, is taking in his first WHL training camp after being selected 21st overall by Medicine Hat in May’s WHL Prospects Draft.

It’s a familiar home away from home for Max, Chris’s mom Joy still lives in the city and after a week of captain’s skates and the start of training camp, he’s already enjoying Medicine Hat.

“I love it so, so much,” Max said. “The city is awesome, the rink is awesome, the fans are awesome, everyone’s awesome.”

The 5-foot-9 15-year-old Osgood had 15 goals and 43 points in 20 games this season with the U14AAA Little Caesars. He’s enjoyed the first couple scrimmages of training camp, embracing the pace and, even more, the competitiveness. He got caught up in a scrum in his first game, a moment he says “fires him up” more.

“The compete level is next level, the pace, the boys are awesome. I just love it,” Osgood said. “I love it, it was funny when I was in the chokehold, I was laughing. It was awesome.”

Continued; according to Tubb, Max will play for the “South Alberta Hockey Academy” this upcoming season, and after this season, he plans on trying to earn a spot on Medicine Hat’s roster as a 16 (or 17) year-old.

Rakapuckar.com’s Henrik Leman reports that Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond, prospect Noah Dower Nilsson and Grand Rapids Griffins defenseman William Lagesson all took part in Frolunda HC’s practice on Friday:

Mycket Detroit på Frölundas fredgasträning:
Lucas Raymond
William Lagesson
Noah Dower Nilsson
Dubbelt DN, äldre bror Liam är med och kör som en del av ryggrehab.

— Henrik Leman (@henrikleman) August 28, 2026

In his blog, Leman posted a picture of the trio taking part in Friday’s skate at the Frolundaborg Arena in Gothenburg.

In this past week’s episode of “32 Thoughts,” Elliotte Friedman discussed several potential candidates for the Red Wings’ GM and/or president of hockey operations job, and the Hockey News’s Julian Gaudio took note of Florida assistant GM Brett Peterson’s name being mentioned…

Brett Peterson’s name has once again circulated among NHL GM vacancies, as trusted insider Elliotte Friedman revealed on his podcast, 32 Thoughts, that the Detroit Red Wings have potentially engaged in discussions with the Florida Panthers’ assistant GM. 

Peterson was in the running for several job openings this summer, highlighted by the Toronto Maple Leafs job, which was eventually taken by John Chayka, and the Nashville Predators job, which Chris MacFarland took.

Peterson has worked with the Panthers since the 2020-21 season as their assistant GM. During this time, Peterson has served as a GM for Team USA at the World Championship twice. 

…

Alongside Peterson, Friedman mentioned Jeff Keatly, a San Jose Sharks assistant GM, as an option for the Panthers GM job. Keatly has worked in the NHL since the 2001-02 season, holding multiple roles with the Predators, including amateur scout, director of amateur scouting, director of scouting, and assistant GM. 

While Keatly has superior NHL experience to Peterson, Peterson has had plenty of success in his short time in the NHL. 

As did Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen, who noted that Peterson has a small tie to the Red Wings organization: