In a subscriber-only article, Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen offers a “top 15” list of the Red Wings’ best prospects. Here’s his top 3:

1. Center Marco Kasper (Drafted eighth overall in 2020): It’s plausible Marco Kasper could make the Red Wings squad out of training camp. The Red Wings loved how he played this season in Grand Rapids. He plays a feisty, strong all-around game. Kasper is not a No. 1 center, but he might be a No. 2 center. At the very least, he will be an effective NHL player.

2. Defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka (Drafted 19th overall in 2023): He is a nifty puck-moving defenseman with a strong shot and quality moves. He could be playing for Grand Rapids after his Swedish Hockey League season.  Two years up the road, he may be running Detroit’s power play. He’s a smallish defenseman, but his defensive game is better than you think.

3. Left wing Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (Drafted 15th overall in 2024): He’s got an NHL body, and his offensive skill level is high enough to believe he will end up a top six forward. He played for Norway against NHL talent at the World Championships and scored three goals. He is coming to Detroit’s training camp this season and the Red Wings have talked to him about playing some games in Grand Rapids.,

Continued (paywall); most of the outside-of-Detroit media is bagging Kasper’s top-six potential right now, suggesting that he will become, at best, a 3rd line center. I’m not certain whether offense will come for Kasper at the NHL or even AHL levels, but his skill set and work ethic are exemplary…

And people keep forgetting that he’s the son of a pro hockey player. Those genes don’t always transfer, but in terms of his approach to being a professional athlete, the Rogle BK product will probably make the NHL on his own merits.

The Hockey News has launched a website which projects lineups for every NHL team, run by Tim Hiebert of @NHL_Rosters fame on Twitter, so the Hockey News’s Connor Eargood offered an analysis of his own Wings’ projected starting lineup for the 2024-2025 season…

And I thought that Eargood’s take on restricted free agent forward Jonatan Berggren’s status on the team was worth noting:

As a note, I do believe a roster spot could open up depending on how Berggren performs next season. He was limited to just 12 games last season, spending some of those glued to the bench due to his defensive lapses. Next season will be key for Berggren to prove his long term future with Detroit. He’s going to have to prove he can perform outside of a cushy top six spot, including that he can play sound defense. If he can’t give the Red Wings what they need, it would not be surprising to see him hit the trade rumor mill once again like he did last season. Depending on the action or inaction on any such rumors, this could create a roster spot for one of the Mazur-Kasper-Danielson trio.

Continued;

I can’t disagree here. Berggren does face a make-or-break season with the Red Wings ahead, and he’s probably going to be penciled in on the 4th line with Joe Veleno and Christian Fischer to start this upcoming season, barring injuries or preseason performances.

At this point, I would argue that if Berggren is either pushed out, traded or waived, Carter Mazur has the best chance of making the team out out of camp/the exhibition season as he doesn’t need to play in the Red Wings’ “top six” to be a productive player.

Yesterday, I posted a blog entry noting that Red Wings legend Gordie Howe’s sons, Mark and Marty, and his grandson Murray were all present when the Gordie Howe International Bridge “topped out” its roadway, officially becoming an international border crossing.

This afternoon, the CBC Windsor posted a 90-second video in which Murray and Marty answer questions from the press about their father’s legacy and the impact of the new border crossing upon their family. Murray says that he wants to hike, bike and drive across it, which will be possible as the bridge will have a pedestrian corridor!

Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin posted a 300-player list of fantasy hockey performers, and here are where the Red Wings’ players finished on his list:

64. Dylan Larkin, C, Red Wings: Point-per-game production and a nice shot total await, but he has missed double-digit games in three of his past four seasons. Time to officially slap the injury-prone label on him. He’s an 80-point player who gets you 70 because of time missed.

75. Lucas Raymond, RW, Red Wings: Kudos if you believed in the talent like I did. We deserved the breakout last year. It came with a shooting percentage of 19.0 and merely ordinary contributions in multi-cat fantasy formats. Raymond is great, but he’s a bit more valuable in real life than fantasy.

87. Moritz Seider, D, Red Wings: Argh. I thought he would be a multi-category fantasy king by now. But Detroit holds his ceiling back by (a) giving him incredibly tough minutes and (b) keeping him off PP1. So we have to settle for “only” 40 points, 200 hits, 200 blocks and 150 shots.

91. Alex DeBrincat, LW, Red Wings: He’s as durable as can be, which makes his 25-goal, 65-point floor bankable. But where did the goal-scoring ceiling go? DeBrincat’s finishing has evaporated the past couple years. I’m hoping he gets back to 40 goals, but he hasn’t even scored 30 since 2021-22.

103. Patrick Kane, RW, Red Wings: Showed last season that he wasn’t finished. Far from it, as he flirted with a point per game. I’m keeping his ranking conservative because the injury risk hasn’t gone anywhere. He’ll carry it for the remainder of his Hall of Fame career.

141. Cam Talbot, G, Red Wings: He’ll get every chance to start for a Wings team hellbent on making the playoffs. On the other hand, Detroit is a vastly inferior defensive club to L.A., meaning Talbot’s rate stats could slip even if his volume stats don’t.

183. Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, Red Wings: The upside is gone, but he’s a safe bet to play more than the 15:44 he averaged with Florida. His game-breaking ability is dwindling at 32, but the increased minutes could help him deliver another season in the 55-60-point range.

259. Erik Gustafsson, D, Red Wings: Has always been an efficient scorer, and it appears he’ll get a look running Detroit’s PP1 ahead of Seider. A solid late-round sleeper if you prefer to wait on defensemen.

274. J.T. Compher, C, Red Wings: He’ll be good for at least half a point per game and not much else. Empty calories.

Continued; discuss at your leisure.

Per “Da Beauty League,” a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based summer league for pro players, Red Wings defenseman Justin Holl made his debut yesterday night:

Anders Lee and Justin Holl will be making their 2024 Da Beauty League debut tonight 👀 pic.twitter.com/I6VJSgpvco

— Da Beauty League (@DaBeautyLeague) July 24, 2024

The games are streamed for free on YouTube.

The World Junior Summer Showcase takes place in Plymouth, Michigan at USA Hockey Arena from July 26th to August 4th. The ticketed event will place two Canadian teams vs. USA Blue, USA White, Finland and Sweden.

Red Wings prospects Jesse Kiiskinen (Finland), Trey Augustine, John Whipple and Max Plante (Team USA) will all be taking part in the Showcase, and yesterday, Team USA posted a Q and A with GM John Vanbiesbrouck about the purpose of the event.

As the Hockey News’s Sam Stockton explains, given the fact that so many NCAA-playing prospects come into the event for Team USA, and players for Finland and Sweden will be playing games for their club and pro teams come mid-September, this is a necessary “first tune-up” for the World Junior Championship:

The WJSS is an annual summer tune-up for the December/January World Junior (this year’s will be held in Ottawa). The pandemic shook up the event’s timing and format for several years, but, by now, the event is back in its usual rhythm, and Hockey Canada has decided to rejoin the proceedings for the first time since the onset of COVID. Canada will join two U.S. teams (designated as “Blue” and “White”), Sweden, and Finland. Since the WJC is an under 20 tournament, this event is mostly composed of players from the 2023 and 2024 draft classes, but there are a few prominent 2025 draft eligibles, most notably prospective number one overall pick James Hagens (a slick but diminutive forward from Long Island, slated to begin his NCAA career at Boston College in the fall). The event allows the teams and coaching staffs to gather as one before they reconvene (in reduced numbers) in December. The event is at once educational and evaluative: inform players of the desired style of play and assess which will be the right ones to bring to the real deal.

Continued; Stockton notes that while Axel Sandin Pellikka isn’t in Plymouth this and next week, he’s going to be participating at the WJC for Sweden.

According to Pet Age, well…

Whisker, a Michigan-based, international leader in connected pet care and maker of the Litter-Robot, recently announced its first sports partnerships today with the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Lions. Whisker is now an official partner of the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Lions and the first official litter box of any professional sports team. Litter-Robot makes cat ownership even more enjoyable by eliminating the need to scoop and litter box odors.

Founded and headquartered in Michigan, Whisker’s Litter-Robot is the leading automatic, self-cleaning litter box in the United States. Since 1999, Whisker has remained committed to innovation and economic development in the State, making its products in Wisconsin for more than 20 years.

“We are proud of Whisker’s deep roots in Detroit, so naturally we wanted to partner with our hometown teams to celebrate and promote the spirit of our city,” said Jacob Zuppke, President and CEO of Whisker. “A partnership with two big cat teams, and the Red Wings, just makes sense given what we do here at Whisker. The Whisker Team is incredibly excited for this partnership, and we look forward to many great seasons ahead!”

Continued; you can’t make this stuff up.

The Hockey News’s Carol Schram suggests that Red Wings forward Patrick Kane should return to point-per-game form via a “bounce-back season” in 2024-2025:

Patrick Kane, Detroit Red Wings

Last season, most NHL teams balked at trusting Kane to come back at his old level after undergoing a serious hip-resurfacing procedure. But ‘Showtime’ was in full effect once Kane got his feet under him in Detroit. 

He put up 47 points in 50 games and came within a hair’s breadth of pushing the Red Wings back into the post-season while serving up some of the most exciting on-ice moments that Hockeytown has seen since Little Caesars Arena opened in 2017.

After a full summer of training rather than rehab, and on a 35-plus one-year ‘prove it’ deal with a base salary of $4 million plus another $2.5 million in achievable performance bonuses, look for Kane to take his game up another notch this fall. 

As a longtime stalwart of USA Hockey, he’ll also be aiming to prove that he shouldn’t be overlooked when it’s time to assemble the final rosters for the 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Olympics.

Continued; the Red Wings are probably hoping for about 60 points out of Kane this season, but he may produce more. He is 35, and he’s got a resurfaced hip, but he’s still Patrick Kane.

I get tired of this kind of mid-summer stuff, but here we are with me having the responsibility of bringing it to you, so:

1. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler “redid” his 2021 NHL Draft, and he argues that Simon Edvinsson should actually have been drafted 9th overall instead of 7th overall. In Wheeler’s re-draft, he has the Wings drafting Los Angeles Kings prospect Brandt Clarke instead:

Arizona Coyotes: LHD Simon Edvinsson

Actual draft pick: No. 6 (change: -3) to Detroit
My final ranking: No. 11 (change: +2)

As with [Matty] Beniers, despite the fact that I finished lower on Edvinsson than where he got picked I was actually early onto him in the range that he eventually went, slotting him No. 2 on my preseason list after he blew me away on tape. I expect him to play a full-time top-six role for the Red Wings next year and while I don’t think he’s going to have as much offense as I thought he might at one point in time (I initially fell in love with his ability to handle the puck at 6-foot-6), his defensive ceiling is high and I think I landed in more or less the right spot on him in the end that year.

Continued (paywall); [sarcasm] yup, that Edvinsson, “selling” even the best draft experts on his talent because he skates so damn well, even though he may not develop into a Norris Trophy-winning, 70-points-a-season player… [/sarcasm]

2. And you will be equally shocked to find that The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn says that the Red Wings’ “contract efficiency” isn’t very good:

The Athletic’s Max Bultman offered answers to mailbag questions yesterday morning, and today, he offers more points of discussion in another mailbag feature. I have to roll my eyes at this question:

We don’t get high draft picks anymore, we haven’t made splashy trades for elite players, and we don’t seem to want to pay top-of-market in free agency. How do we get out of purgatory? — Jeff Z.

The toughest factor is that there aren’t many truly “elite” players that come available in the NHL. The Red Wings did make a splashy trade last summer for Alex DeBrincat, and as discussed above, I think it’s entirely possible they make more moves like that chasing higher-impact players if they come available via trade or free agency.

But the “purgatory” question is a real one. Right now, Detroit doesn’t look like a slam-dunk playoff team, but for as good as its farm system is, they also don’t have any bona fide superstars yet. It’s still possible that players like Raymond or Moritz Seider can become that, and I think players like Danielson and Edvinsson will be very valuable pieces when they mature, but the path from where they are now to being a legit Stanley Cup contender is going to take some real player development and scouting wins, and some luck. In some ways, that’s true of all teams, but it’s not a comfortable position to be in this deep into a rebuild.

I wouldn’t completely rule out getting any more high draft picks (though I guess it depends on what you define as high), but the Red Wings certainly have their work cut out for them.

Continued;

The truth of the matter for most NHL teams in a rebuild is this: they don’t get draft lottery luck, so they have to draft as many good-to-great prospects as they possibly can with the assets they possess–and then develop those prospects into NHL players;

They don’t get the elite free agents to sign with their teams (with few exceptions, like Patrick Kane);

And they don’t begin their rebuilds with the greatest NHL rosters, so the fans of these teams have to deal with a lot of roster turnover before “their team” starts to stabilize after some successes and some failures in the team-building department.

The “mushy middle” theory is real for sure, but well-run teams who make some good picks and develop their young players eventually turn the ship around, even though it tends to take longer than both fans and management want (as Steve Yzerman himself has said).

There’s nothing to really panic about in terms of the Red Wings’ status as battling their way up the NHL standings while skating uphill. It’s really how most rebuilding teams rebuild, and there will be bumps in the road in terms of signing free agents that miss (see: Andrew Copp) and drafting prospects who don’t become NHL players…

But most teams have to endure this kind of rebuild. The smartest teams have management groups who play the “long game” in terms of player personnel, player development and coaching decisions.

We can only hope that Yzerman and his compatriots in the Wings’ front office earn a little luck and build the kind of team that eventually emerges from the “mushy middle” because it’s been properly built.