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.
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Ville Husso clears waivers, so Red Wings can assign him to minors, opening up roster spot to make Austin Watson re-call official ahead of tonight's game at NY Rangers.
“You get done with pre-season, and you know there’s certain things that may be out of your control,” he said yesterday. “We’re trying to manage the cap as best we can, so that was explained to me, and I understand that from a management perspective, but it’s difficult for the player for sure. I just want to be a part of this group, and I know that I’m an NHL player, so that hurts. But at the same time, all you can do is be focused and stay ready and try to play as well as you can when you get the call.” “When you’re looking at it, you kinda understand that ‘okay, we got a couple guys that are waiver-eligible.’…You kinda read the tea leaves a little bit, like this is possible, but it’s still a little bit shocking,” Holl added.
For Holl, coming to terms with the reality of the business of hockey has happened slowly over the course of his career. “Throughout the years where maybe somebody else is a cap casualty, and you’re like ‘oh wow, so that’s what’s going on,'” he explained. “You kinda understand that there’s different things behind the scenes that need to be done, so I’m always learning, and, like I said, when you experience that and you see it happen, that’s when you can read the tea leaves…and see this is possible.”
“All I can do is just try to play as well as I can, and the rest is out of my control,” he said, showing equanimity in a trying situation. “As hard as that is, that’s just how you’ve gotta approach it.”
The morning skates are over for both teams, and the coaches and players have spoken with the media ahead of tonight’s game, and we call the first Tweet a “tease”:
It’s hard to believe it’s been this long, but Grand Rapids Griffins play-by-play announcer Bob Kaser and color commentator Larry Figurski have been together for 25 years:
The Detroit Red Wings open a home-and-home series with the New York Rangers this evening (7 PM EDT start on Bally Sports Detroit/MSG Network/NHL Network/97.1 FM), and the Rangers’ morning skate indicated that the Rangers will start Igor Shesterkin in goal, and that scrapper Matt Rempe will not play vs. Detroit.
-Special teams were a major distinguishing factor in last year’s regular seasons series. The Red Wing power play went 2/14 across the three games (14.3%, down from the year long average of 23.1%), while the Ranger man advantage converted on three of its eight chances (37.5%, up from an already daunting season average of 26.4%). Throughout their recent push toward the top of the Eastern Conference (whether during Gerard Gallant’s tenure or in their present, Peter Laviolette-coached iteration), New York has never been a dominant five-on-five team. Instead, they rely heavily on special teams (and an elite power play in particular) to achieve results.
As Stockton notes, the Red Wings are likely to recall a veteran forward from Grand Rapids once Ville Husso clears waivers. It will most likely be a short-term recall as Christian Fischer (upper-body) is not going to be placed on the injured reserve list.
This is a home-and-home series against the Rangers. Detroit and New York will meet again Thursday at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday
Red Wings Notes: Jeff Petry is officially day-to-day with an upper body injury, but he is expected to play. Christian Fischer is also day-to-day and won’t play. The Red Wings will call up someone this, probably a veteran, from Grand Rapids today. The Red Wings placed goalie Ville Husso on waivers Sunday to clear up some cap space for the call-up. Husso’s cap hit is $4.75 million. It’s unlikely he would be claimed.
Rangers Note: Coach Peter Laviolette has not yet named his starting goalie. Igor Shesterkin, who reportedly recently turned down a contract offer of $88 million over eight years, gave up six goals in his last outing. He shut out Pittsburgh 6-0 in New York’s opener. He has an .895 save percentage for his two outings. Jonathan Quick is his backup. Artemi Panarin is the team’s leading scorer with two goals, two assists, four points.
Anyway, the Red Wings hit the ice at Madison Square Garden at 11:30 AM:
Friedman says that he was very surprised to see Husso’s name pop up on the waiver wire, comparing it to the Kings placing Mike Richards or Sharks placing Evander Kane on waivers. Friedman says that there’s a cap reason for it because the Wings need to recall a player to replace Christian Fischer, and the Wings have Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon, the “bailout king” of goaltenders, but he feels that this sends a thunderbolt through the dressing room because, whether it’s for roster reasons or not, it makes everyone stand up and take notice.
As such, Friedman believes that Steve Yzerman wanted to let the team know that there are “no sacred cows” on the team, and he feels that Husso’s performance was not that bad against Pittsburgh, but Yzerman sent a message nonetheless, and while Husso won’t get claimed, and coach Lalonde has said the team will go through a three-goaltender system, this sends a message to the team and fans that Yzerman is not joking around this season.
Friedman says that while Yzerman has been quoted as saying that the team is not a playoff team yet, and he wonders whether that took the foot off the gas, and maybe this is a message that Yzerman wants better performances than he saw on opening night, and that Yzerman does things for a reason.
Henry Ford Health Named Official Team Physicians of Detroit Red Wings
October 14, 2024
DETROIT – Henry Ford Health has achieved a significant milestone by becoming the official team physicians for the National Hockey League’s Detroit Red Wings.
The announcement makes Henry Ford Health the medical services providers for all four major professional sports teams in Detroit — the Lions, Pistons, Tigers and Red Wings.
This partnership further establishes Henry Ford Health as a leader in sports medicine, offering comprehensive care and advanced medical support to some of the best athletes in the world.
“With this partnership with the Red Wings, we are setting a new standard in sports medicine,” said Jonathan Braman, M.D., Chair of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine at Henry Ford Health. “Our dedicated team at Henry Ford Health is committed to leveraging cutting-edge medical practices and research to enhance the health and performance of Detroit’s top athletes. It’s a privilege to play such a pivotal role in their professional and personal well-being.”
The Detroit Red Wings face the New York Rangers this evening (7 PM EDT on Bally Sports Detroit/MSG Network/NHL Network/97.1 FM), opening up a home-and-home series which will conclude on Thursday in Detroit.
Good Morning Red Wings fans from the Big 🍎! Tonight’s rosters. There will be scratches. Goes good with a NY style 🥯 bagel with cream cheese and a hot cup of coffee. NY cheesecake later. Catch the game 6:45pm @971theticketxyt pic.twitter.com/NoOFB2mb4N
This game is an NHL Network exclusive, so it will not air on streaming services tonight, and Thursday’s game is an ESPN+/Hulu exclusive, so that will be difficult to watch as well.
Scott: Mike Gould may not be doing the power rankings this year, but his spirit lives on with me! Someone has to be extremely pessimistic about the Red Wings and I’m happy to take that mantle. It’s only two games, but they find themselves below 40% in expected goal share despite a 1-1 record, so I’m not going to let them off easy after what they did last season. The bill always comes due, Stevie!
Hunter: One thing I’ll give those more optimistic about the club is Cam Talbot looked like the All-Star he was last season with the Kings (Remember that?? The guy was an All-Star at 36 years old – that’s R.A. Dickey stuff right there!). Will he keep that up through the season? Not likely. But wouldn’t it be way more fun if he did?
