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!

Tweet of note: Seravalli reports that the Red Wings will waive Zach Aston-Reese for assignment to Grand Rapids

FYI regarding Red Wings two-way signing Zach Aston-Reese:

It’s a good deal for the 29-year-old, who will give the Griffins scoring “pop”:

Press release: Red Wings sign Zach Aston-Reese to 1-year, 2-way contract

Per the Detroit Red Wings:

Red Wings sign Zach Aston-Reese to one-year contract

Forward has recorded 80 points in 307 NHL games with Pittsburgh Penguins, Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs since 2017-18

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today signed center Zach Aston-Reese to a one-year, two-way contract.

Aston-Reese, 29, spent the entire 2022-23 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, recording 14 points (10-4-14) and 25 penalty minutes in 77 regular-season games. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound forward also tallied one goal in six Stanley Cup playoff contests, helping the Maple Leafs clinch their first postseason series win since 2004. Aston-Reese split the 2021-22 campaign between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks, logging 15 points (5-10-15), a plus-nine rating and 28 penalty minutes in 69 games. Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by Pittsburgh on March 14, 2017, Aston-Reese has compiled 80 points (42-38-80), a plus-33 rating and 124 penalty minutes in 307 games with the Penguins, Ducks and Maple Leafs since 2017-18. Additionally, Aston-Reese registered 46 points (18-28-46), a plus-26 rating and 74 penalty minutes in 62 appearances with the American Hockey League’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins from 2016-19.

Prior to turning professional, Aston-Reese played four seasons at Northeastern University from 2013-17, racking up 148 points (66-82-148), a plus-48 rating and 182 penalty minutes in 145 games. As a senior, he was selected to the NCAA First All-American Team and named Hockey East Player of the Year after leading the NCAA in goals (31) and points (63) in just 38 games during the 2016-17 season. Aston-Reese also guided the Huskies to a Hockey East Tournament championship as a junior in 2015-16. The Staten Island, N.Y., native added 50 points (16-34-50), a plus-12 rating and 188 penalty minutes in 140 games with the Des Moines Buccaneers and Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League from 2010-13.

Zachary Aston-Reese, Center

Born Aug 10 1994 — Staten Island, NY

Height 6.01 — Weight 205 — Shoots L

Discussing an offseason grade and the ‘chemistry set’

Bleacher Report’s Joe Yerdon posted a set of grades for the NHL’s 32 teams’ respective offseason moves, and here’s what he has to say about the Red Wings’ renovations:

Detroit Red Wings

What Went Right: GM Steve Yzerman was one of the busiest executives in the league once again and made it even more apparent that getting the Red Wings back to the playoffs is the goal. He acquired forward Alex DeBrincat from Ottawa and signed him to a four-year, $31.5 million extension. Taking him from a division foe is a crucial move, particularly because they’ll be right there with the Senators in playoff competition.

They also added forwards Klim Kostin from Edmonton and signed free agents J.T. Compher (Colorado), Daniel Sprong (Seattle) and Christian Fischer (Arizona). He also deepened the blue line, adding veterans Shayne Gostisbehere (Carolina) and Justin Holl (Toronto), and acquired Jeff Petry from the Canadiens. James Reimer also signed on to be Ville Husso’s backup.

What Went Wrong: While the Wings were busier than most teams, the big question for a lot of the additions is whether most of these guys will address their needs. Yes, Detroit is much deeper with veteran talent, and they all seem to address very specific needs, but that kind of turnover sometimes requires time for chemistry to build, if it even builds at all. This puts a load of pressure on coach Derek Lalonde to get everyone on the same page ASAP because the Eastern Conference is going to be a battlefield.

Grade: B

Continued; again, the preseason doesn’t count for much, but the Red Wings did look like they were integrating the vast majority of their free agent and trade additions into the lineup quite well. Even though DeBrincat was snake-bitten in front of the net, he was skating and making plays and even bumping and grinding opponents, so he’s engaged, and players like Jeff Petry and J.T. Compher looked like they’d always played here.

The Wings have a rough start to their regular season in games at New Jersey and at home vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning, so they’ll be in tough, but their first two games are a good set of tests to see whether the 8-games-in-12-nights preseason helped the Wings get a running start.

Toledo Blade’s Monroe has a ‘Sunday conversation’ with former Walleye, Griffins goaltender Pat Nagle

Former Toledo Walleye and Grand Rapids Griffins goaltender Pat Nagle retired this week at 36 years of age last week. The Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe engaged in a Q and A with Nagle, who may very well be inducted into the ECHL Hall of Fame sometime soon:

The Blade: How much has your phone blown up since you announced you were retiring? How gratifying is it to hear from so many people?

Nagle: It has been truly humbling. People that I may not have crossed paths with in years, to recent teammates. It really shows how lucky I have been to be a part of so many great organizations.

The Blade: Why did you decide to retire now?

Nagle: I don’t think it is ever an easy decision to walk away from something you have enjoyed for decades. However, I am not getting any younger and, eventually, the clock is no longer on your side.

The Blade: What were some of your highlights playing for the Walleye?

Nagle: I remember my first game in goal. I couldn’t believe how nice it was to be on the home team versus the away team. The Huntington Center is an incredible facility and the fans bring out your best. I also really enjoyed our playoff runs. We had some special groups during my time in Toledo.

Continued

Meet the Buium brothers

Red Wings prospect defenseman Shai Buium is playing in his junior season at the University of Denver, where his brother, Zeev (a top prospect for the 2024 NHL Draft) is playing on the Pioneers’ blueline as well. The Denver Post’s Kyle Newman spoke with both players regarding the fact that the brothers are on the same team (even though they’re not playing alongside one another):

“Shai’s primed and ready to go to take a huge step for us,” DU captain McKade Webster said. “He’s going to be one of our best defensemen, a huge penalty-kill guy. He’s obviously a power-play guy. He’s going to have to take steps into playing 25 minutes a night at every single position (on defense) and taking pride in shutting down teams’ first lines and also scoring goals and making assists.

“And you can tell Zeev, even as just a freshman, he’s in the same mold — an unbelievable skater, tough, and very intelligent with the puck.”

In 38 games as a sophomore last year, Shai underscored his reputation as an offensive defenseman with four goals and 17 assists, including three power-play goals and one game-winner. Selected by the Red Wings in the second round of the 2021 NHL draft, Shai said he’s embracing the “good pressure” that comes with being a centerpiece on a team with national title-or-bust expectations.

“Players come here because of the rich tradition and to vie for a national championship, and what’s why Zeev and I are both here,” Shai said. “We want to be the only one up there atop (the all-time title list). That’s our focus as brothers and as a team.”

While Shai is established, Zeev will have to earn his keep among 10 freshmen on the roster — DU’s largest incoming class in five years. The fresh-faced Pioneers are tied with Harvard for the second-youngest team in the country with an average age of 20.9.

Will Zeev, coming off a two-year stint in the United States National Team Development Program that culminated with a gold medal at the 2023 U18 World Championship, be ready to live up to the expectations attached to his last name?

Continued

Duff discusses Big Simon Edvinsson

As Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff notes, Red Wings prospect Simon Edvinsson was quite good during the Red Wings’ preseason slate of games. Even though Edvinsson’s going to head to Grand Rapids today or tomorrow, the 6’6,” 216-pound defenseman is only 20, and as he begins his second North American professional season, the Red Wings’ players, coaches and management know that he’ll only get better by playing lots of hockey:

“He’s been good, he’s been solid,” Detroit defenseman Jake Walman said of Edvinsson. “He’s a big body and he’s got all the tools. We’re really excited. I tell him all the time, ‘I wish I had your size.’ He uses it pretty well. He’ll be good for us.”

The sixth player chosen in the 2021 NHL entry draft, Edvinsson was displaying plenty of upside during a nine-game stint with the Red Wings late last season. He’s a rare speicmen, a 6-foot-6, [216]-pound blueliner who can skate like the wind and manage the puck like a magician.

“Simon, there’s not a lot of guys walking around with his package,” Red Wings rearguard Ben Chiarot said. “He’s 6-6, can skate, handle the puck. I think he has the potential to be very, very good.”

That being said, Edvinsson is only 20 years old. His learning curve is evolving every day he’s on the ice. He’s still adjusting his style to the faster pace of the North American game, a common adjustment all European players must learn when they come to play on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.

“That’s probably part of development,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “He’s a big, lanky guy.”

Continued; as Duff points out, coach Lalonde was impressed by Edvinsson’s desire to learn through watching video with defensive coach Bob Boughner, and this year, Edvinsson insists that he’s bringing a new attitude toward his learning process, which is great.

He just needs to play, not sit as the #7/8 defenseman.

All about Jake Walman

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills posted a profile of Red Wings defenseman Jake Walman this morning:

Jake Walman is entering this season with heightened confidence, derived from building on what he has already accomplished and what he believes is on the horizon.

The Detroit Red Wings defenseman has emerged as a key part of Detroit’s defensive corps since being acquired via trade from the St. Louis Blues at the 2022 trade deadline. After playing 19 games with Detroit in 2021-22, he set career-highs in goals (nine), assists (nine), points (18) and games played (63) last season.

“His skill set and what he showed at times last year was very exciting for all of us,” Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said about Walman on Sept. 22. “Really happy for him as an individual and what he’s done to help our group.”

For Walman, who was rewarded with a three-year contract extension on Feb. 28, the desire to keep proving himself remains.

“I’ve drilled into my mind to never be content and complacent,” Walman said on Sept. 23. “I can say the cliché thing of it was a hard-working summer. Once you’re here, you never want to lose it. Every day, you got to compete for your job like it’s your life. That’s what I do every practice and game. I’ll never forget that.”

Continued

Morning ramble: ‘one word’ spawns thoughts about the Yzerplan

Bleacher Report’s Sara Civian offers “one word” and a paragraph about every one of the NHL’s 32 teams, and here’s what she has to say about the Red Wings ahead of the 2023-2024 regular season:

Detroit Red Wings: Momentous

The Red Wings took the next step in the Yzerplan with a big (or perhaps, medium?) swing on scrappy hometown goal-scorer Alex DeBrincat. What an excellent deal for a 40-goal scorer looking to prove himself on a team ready to do the same. God, I love it. I won’t be as mad at the Red Wings as I will be at the Sabres if they don’t make the playoffs this season, but I need to see better out of Moritz Seider and a playoff-fringe performance to keep trusting in the Yzerplan.

Continued; I’m not worried about DeBrincat’s preseason struggles–he’s adjusting to a new team, and that’s what preseason hockey is for–mostly because I’ve been surprisingly impressed with his skating and his ability to generate offense by making plays as well as shooting pucks;

As for Mo Seider, he’s only 21 and he’s still growing. He makes mistakes from time to time, and I’m not terrified by the fact that he hasn’t turned into Cale Makar quite yet. Seider is and will continue to be special, but defensemen take years to truly develop into super-elite players;

And I’m just tired of this whole concept that the general manager’s plan is somehow inferior to other Atlantic Division teams, so on and so on. The Red Wings are a team in the process of rebuilding from the ground up, and while I respect the pants off the fact that Red Wings fans are now long-suffering, I don’t think the rebuilding process is over just yet.

Steve Yzerman had to tear down the remains of Ken Holland’s team before he started rebuilding. I think that yes, the team is one or two seasons behind the timeline we all thought it would take, but I believe that the Red Wings are on the right track in terms of developing prospects and establishing depth.

It’s just going to take time and maybe a free agent signing, trade, and/or draft luck to finally fill the team out in terms of offensive stars, and because the Wings have had no lottery luck, I have a sinking feeling that the Wings’ next DeBrincat-style acquisition will be an import as opposed to a home-grown talent.

With the cap going up this summer, Detroit will be well-situated to compete for better players, and that’s going to be the long-term goal–to continue to compete to the point that the Red Wings are bidding for more playoff difference-makers.

That’s what the “Yzerplan” is about. It’s a long-term outlook that’s in the rebuilding business for the long haul, regardless of what outside voices have to say, and that’s where the Red Wings’ management (both in terms of drafting/developing players and managing the current Red Wings players) have to focus–on themselves, not media slings and arrows.

It may take a couple more years before the Red Wings are competing for a playoff spot on an annual basis, but that’s okay. And I’m smart enough to know that Mr. Yzerman doesn’t give a rat’s butt about what I or anyone else have to say regarding his managerial performance.

Duff lets Daniel Sprong’s teammates do the talking

Red Wings free agent signing Daniel Sprong has impressed over the course of his preseason play with his new team, scoring 4 goals in 4 preseason games. As Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff notes, Sprong’s teammates aren’t surprised that he’s sniping away already:

“I played with him in a 3-on-3 league this summer (in Montreal) and at any moment he can shoot from the corner, shoot from the blueline, shoot from the dots,” Red Wings forward David Perron said. “I think he’s in range all the time to score. He’s got a really quick release, sneaky shot.”

Robby Fabbri is another Detroit player with a long-standing relationship with Sprong.

“His shot is an obvious one,” Fabbri said, listing Sprong’s offensive talents. “But the way he sees the ice offensively and finds the soft areas, it’s easy to play with him. I’ve been watching him play since we were really young. It’s pretty funny to be on a line now, too.”

Fabbri and Sprong first teamed up in a summer league when they were nine years old. Even then, Sprong could snap a puck into the twine with authority.

“He always had a good shot,” Fabbri said. “He’s always had that crazy curve.”

Continued; preseason play always needs to be taken with a grain of salt, but Sprong’s strong start is still great to see from a “building momentum for the 2023-2024 regular season” standpoint.

HSJ in the morning: offering preseason observations

The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs last night by a 4-3 score to close out their preseason at 5-2-and-1.

This morning, the Free Press’s Helene St. James posted a set of observations about the Red Wings’ preseason play, and here are two of them:

Back end looks stronger: Lalonde said Friday that none of the seven NHL defensemen — Moritz Seider, Jake Walman, Ben Chiarot, Jeff Petry, Shayne Gostisbehere, Justin Holl and Olli Määttä — the Wings came into camp with separated themselves in a negative way. Seider and Walman were the one constant pairing throughout preseason, but the second pair projects to feature Chiarot and Petry. Lalonde has said Shayne Gostisbehere is the one defenseman they’re comfortable with playing on his off hand, so he could be on the third pairing with either Määttä or Holl.

…

Nate Danielson looks like a top prospect: The team’s top pick (at No. 9) from this summer’s draft played his way into five preseason games, producing two goals, two assists and a plus-one rating; he performed so well he got looks centering NHL wingers. This has been a terrific learning experience for the 18-year-old, giving him insight to what it is like to play against men. The Wings can come away pleased with the early showings for Danielson, who was drafted for his 200-foot game. Sure, it would have been amazing had the Wings had even the good fortune to pick third and get their hands on ex-Wolverine Adam Fantilli, but Danielson looks like Yzerman made a really good choice.

St. James continues; what are your observations about the Red Wings’ preseason?