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!

Cam Talbot’s hoping to hit home with Red Wings

New Red Wings goaltender Cam Talbot has played for eight NHL teams, but the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan reports that the Wings’ new goalie hopes to have found a home in Detroit:

“I seem to be a part of it every summer,” Talbot said of the free agent frenzy during a Zoom call with media on Tuesday. “You never really get used to it, especially with kids and family now. There’s a lot more to think about — situations, term, length, all of that stuff. But Detroit checked a lot of boxes for me.”

Talbot, 36, is joining his fourth team in four years (the Wings are his eighth team overall) so the security of a second year was huge. Secondly, his wife grew up in the Detroit area until her teen years, so having family in the area was nice.

“We’ve never had that with any of the teams I’ve been part of,” Talbot said. “And my family is a four-hour drive away (in Caledonia, Ontario), so all these things kind of factored in. It all seemed to work out and we couldn’t be happier.”

Talbot played in 54 games with the Kings this past season, going 27-20-6 with a 2.50 goals-against average and .913 save percentage. He struggled in three playoff appearances, though, going 1-2 with a 5.30 GAA and .861 SVS as the Kings were eliminated in five games in the first round by Edmonton.

“I thought I played pretty well,” Talbot said of his season. “It was kind of healthy competition (with goaltender David Rittich) to start the season. I started the season strong, got the All-Star nod in January and a little dip like the rest of the team there getting into February, but I finished strong again. I just wanted to go in there and wanted to prove after a down year in Ottawa that I could still be the guy and I was able to do that.”

Continued (with comments from Erik Gustafsson as well)

Datsyuk’s here for a good time, not a long time

Updated at 7:26 PM: Red Wings legend Pavel Datsyuk has joined the Red Wings prospects on the ice for Detroit’s Summer Development Camp, but MLive’s Ansar Khan reports that we shouldn’t hold our breath about the newly-minted Hockey Hall of Fame member joining Detroit’s developmental arm any time soon:

He said he’s here to get a feel of what it’s like in player development, a job he is assuming in Russia three years after retiring as a player from the KHL.

“I hope I help the kids to love hockey,” Datsyuk said. “I can give (much) advice. It’s your favorite job, you choose this job, you need to fall in love with this job. Be good, come every day and enjoy.”

He added, “Hard work and trust yourself and be professional — how you sleep, how you eat, how you prepare.”

Coaching isn’t in his future, however.

“I want to stay with my family, spend more time at home,” Datsyuk said. “I know how hard it is to be coach or development coach. Need lots of patience.”

Continued; it’s my understanding that Datsyuk will be working with his hometown team, Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, to help youth hockey in Russia.

If you missed it, the Red Wings posted a video of Datsyuk speaking with the media this afternoon:

Continue reading Datsyuk’s here for a good time, not a long time

Photos: Detroit News posts 155 images from the Summer Development Camp

The Detroit News’s David Guralnick took over 100 photos at the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp on Tuesday, and the Detroit News posted a massive, massive gallery thereof.

Talking about the fantasy hockey impacts of Kane, Talbot and Walman, too

ESPN’s Sean Allen and Victoria Matiash discuss the fantasy hockey impact of free agency signings, including some of the Red Wings’ moves…

Patrick Kane, W, Detroit Red Wings: Sticking with the Wings and coming into a season in full health, Kane has a proper offseason to get into a rhythm with Alex DeBrincat again, perhaps boosting the prognosis for both of them. Either way, this is a good spot for Kane to potentially extend his fantasy career in solid fashion. The performance bonuses don’t hurt the hopes. -S.A.

Cam Talbot, G, Detroit Red Wings: The veteran goalie earned a .913 SV% and 2.48 GAA behind a staunch team defense in Los Angeles last year. The Red Wings don’t perform to that same stingy degree. Just ask Alex Lyon and Ville Husso, who remain signed in Detroit. Oh, and the Wings signed Oilers’ castoff Jack Campbell too. -V.M.

A subtraction included:

Jake Walman, D, San Jose Sharks: This move could have some wide-reaching fantasy impact — not because Walman has upside as a No. 3 or 4 fantasy defender (though he does), but because he was the perfect defense partner for Moritz Seider. Since they were paired up partway through 2022-23, Seider played to his potential following a weak start to his sophomore campaign. His Corsi percentage drops by about five percent going from Walman to Ben Chiarot, which might be the plan. Maybe Simon Edvinsson is ready for the top pairing? -S.A.

Continued

To the Wings’ prospects, Pavel Datsyuk’s still the ‘magic man’

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff reports that Pavel Datsyuk’s presence has been well-received at the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp:

“I was pretty shocked,” Danielson said. “He’s a guy that I watched growing up. To me, he’s kind of a person that is in the same category as Sidney Crosby. He’s someone that you looked up to. It’s kind of like a ‘Holy crap’ moment. ‘That’s Pavel Datsyuk.’ Then I got to meet him and say ‘hi,’ which was pretty cool.”

Better yet, they also are getting to learn from the master.

“We did a couple of things with puck protection,” Danielson, Detroit’s top 2023 draft pick explained. “That was kind of his bread and butter, puck protection and stickhanding. He gave us a couple of little tips on things when you’re protecting the puck down low. How to create time and space for yourself.”

Continued

Video: Pavel Datsyuk speaks at the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp

Here’s Red Wings legend Pavel Datsyuk discussing his role at the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp:

‘Two sentences’ on the Red Wings’ signings of Talbot, Gustafsson and Campbell

Sportsnet’s Justin Bourne posted two-sentence commentaries on “every notable [free agent] signing” from yesterday’s opening of the unrestricted free agent marketplace. Here are his takes on three of the Red Wings’ signings:

Cam Talbot: Detroit, 2 x $2.5M: Pretty low risk deal for Detroit, but how it pans out depends on how their D plays. If anything, Talbot’s stint in Ottawa in 2022-23 showed that he can’t do it without stability in front of him, and I think Detroit’s still got some work to do there.

Erik Gustafsson: Detroit, 2 x $2M: Gustafsson is a high-event guy, but also one of the league’s more raw-talented ones. He can make some of the hardest plays, but also makes some easy ones look hard in the process.

Jack Campbell: Detroit, 1 x $775K: He’s got the pedigree, is a great personality, and most of that can be buried in the minors. On the other hand, maybe he finds himself with a fresh start, and you luck into a legitimate league-average NHL goalie.

Continued at astonishing length…