Author: George Malik

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills posted an article which discusses the Red Wings’ enthusiasm about the Detroit Tigers‘ playoff run:

[Red Wings coach Derek] Lalonde said having both the Tigers and Red Wings under Ilitch ownership is special because the teams share “internal growth, beliefs and approach on some things.”

“What a resource to be owned by the same group under the same umbrella and able to lean on those guys,” Lalonde said.

Andrew Copp, an Ann Arbor, Mich., native, said he’s been a die-hard Tigers fan the last couple of weeks.

“Back when I played baseball, I probably played attention a little bit more,” Copp admitted. “I did go to the first playoff game at Comerica Park against the Yankees though, that was cool. I think everyone, not just the local guys, is pulling pretty hard for [the Tigers] in the locker room.”

Ben Chiarot said it’s cool seeing Detroit sports fans show so much love and support toward their teams.

“I think you saw that last year with the Lions and our run toward a playoff spot,” Chiarot said. “It’s a great sports city, especially when a team is having some success. It’s a fun place to be as an athlete.”

Continued

The Hockey News’s Connor Eargood asks “what should Sebastian Cossa learn from this preseason,” and here’s what Eargood surmises:

Even if Cossa can’t boast a wealth of NHL experience, he can point to success in his limited reps. In those four combined appearances, he let in three goals on a combined 44 shots. The caveats are that he has played mostly short bursts that allow him to stay fresh, and the skill present in a preseason game pales in comparison to an actual NHL matchup. So naturally, the next step is to get Cossa acclimated against tougher competition, hence what [Red Wings coach Derek] Lalonde said about experience.

So far this preseason, Cossa has already played a full period — a 10-save shutout in Chicago to open the preseason. He was scheduled to play the third period of Saturday’s game against Pittsburgh. However, it is unclear how the game’s rescheduling will affect him given that Detroit is splitting its roster between the Penguins game and a road game in Buffalo at the same time. It’s likely that Cossa will play a period in at least one of the games; it’s just a question of which one.

All of these appearances are building up to an opportunity for Cossa to get to the NHL, a future that could be rather near. Detroit has three goaltenders at the NHL level right now — Cam Talbot, Alex Lyon and Ville Husso — but only Talbot is signed through next season. There’s a spot open for Cossa as soon as next season. Getting used to NHL work now, combined with an increased workload in Grand Rapids, could prepare Cossa to claim the backup spot a year from now.

Continued; most of the Wings’ goaltenders are not going to play entire games over the course of the next six games, so they all need to make the most of the time they receive in Detroit’s crowded crease.

Updated repeatedly at 11:10 AM: The Detroit Red Wings play two games in two different locations tonight as the team will host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Little Caesars Arena (7 PM EDT on DetroitRedWings.com/PittsburghPenguins.com), and a “split squad” of players will head to Buffalo to battle the Sabres (7 PM EDT on DetroitRedWings.com).

Things are going to be a little confusing tonight as both games will air on the Red Wings’ website:

Double the games, double the fun!

📍 @ Buffalo | 7 PM
📍 Vs. Pittsburgh | 7 PM
🎟️: https://t.co/ZTtCRKFpbQ

*Both games will be available to stream on the #RedWings app & https://t.co/jLX5LxapNh! pic.twitter.com/dmKnRy8w79

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 30, 2024

Split squad action tonight as the Red Wings face off against the Sabres in Buffalo 7pm, and Pittsburgh @LCA at 7pm. Busy week. Red Wings play 6 games in 6 days.

— Ken Kal (@KenKalDRW) September 30, 2024

FYI:

The Athletic’s Max Bultman discusses three items of note this morning, noting Marco Kasper’s stock rising due to his preseason performances, the reinforcement of the importance of the Rasmussen-Copp-Fischer line, and the lingering mess in the Red Wings’ goal crease:

Stock up: Marco Kasper

Kasper has been a standout since early in training camp and he’s carried it into the preseason. He had an assist in his exhibition debut, but really the story of that game for him had more to do with how assertive and confident he looked, especially on the penalty kill.

That’s not an easy role for a young player to thrive in, but Kasper was very impressive in the preseason opener, even creating a couple of scoring chances — one that he started by winning a battle at the defensive blue line, and one off a high-skill play below the offensive goal line.

Those are eye-catching plays from a prospective rookie.

It’s still early, of course. But seeing Kasper translate that impressive camp into game action was the first big step. In particular, seeing that offense come out has been important. Even in practices, he’s displayed some nice touch on his shot, too.

Now it’ll be a matter of seeing if he can keep up his strong play, or even build on it.

Detroit’s roster looks like it’s going to be tough to crack, barring injury. But if Kasper can play like this all preseason, he will give himself a chance — and he already looks like a strong candidate for NHL time at some point this season.

Continued (paywall); Kasper definitely looks like he possesses the versatility necessary to excel at any role which the Red Wings deem necessary for him; for better or worse, the Rasmussen-Copp-Fischer line is the Wings’ “identity line,” and I think that it’s just too early to make any conclusions regarding the Red Wings’ crease.

I’m of the opinion that we’re going to watch the Wings’ goaltending sort itself out over the first 10-15 games of the regular season.

Eight preseason games isn’t quite enough to sort out not only where Cam Talbot, Alex Lyon and Ville Husso fit, but also where Sebastian Cossa, Jack Campbell, Carter Gylander, Gage Alexander and Griffins-contracted Jan Bednar stack up.

At this point, the Wings may not be able to give more than one goaltender a full game’s worth of play later this week, and in terms of the minor league situation, it’s probably going to consist of Cossa, Campbell and Gylander in Grand Rapids, and Alexander and Bednar in Toledo.

Of Red Wings-related note this morning:

1. As the Free Press’s Helene St. James notes, this week is a particularly busy one for the Red Wings, in which the team will play six games over the course of six nights–including tonight’s pair of “split squad” games against Pittsburgh at home and at Buffalo, respectively:

Even before doubling up Monday, the Wings also had on their slate games Tuesday at Pittsburgh, Thursday at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Friday at home against the Ottawa Senators, and Saturday at Toronto.

Playing six times in six days will make it harder for coach Derek Lalonde to follow through on what he expressed at the start of camp, when he said he didn’t want to play veterans in back-to-back games. And Wednesday — the only non-game day this week — might see an adjusted practice schedule in order to keep players fresh.

At least there are plenty of youngsters — including Marco Kasper, Nate Danielson, Carter Mazur, Elmer Söderblom, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård and Cross Hanas — among the 57 players who emerged from the Traverse City part of camp. And there are veterans on tryouts, too — such as Alex Chiasson and Austin Watson — who could use as many looks as possible to make their cases for contracts.

The Wings don’t lack for goalies, either: In addition to the four who split the first two games — Alex Lyon, Ville Husso, Cam Talbot and Sebastian Cossa — there’s also Jack Campbell, Jan Bednar, Carter Gylander and Gage Alexander.

There are plenty of coaches, too: Lalonde and his staff, as well as Grand Rapids head coach Dan Watson and his staff, too, to handle Monday’s double duty.

The Wings will be playing a Sabres team that’s split into squads, too — trans-Atlantic squads, no less: One group of Sabres, which includes Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson, are in Europe for the Global Series, while another squad stayed behind in Buffalo.

2. Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff suggests that the Red Wings will have to sort out their three-headed goaltending monster this upcoming week:

It’s uncertain as to whether any of Nate Danielson, Marco Kasper or Carter Mazur will earn a spot on the Red Wings’ roster. Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen discusses Danielson’s uphill climb this evening, noting that every player on Detroit’s roster faces increased pressure this season:

“Coming into this camp you can tell it’s a different feeling around the room,” Danielson said. “Expectations are a lot higher this year. I think everyone from Newsie … Newsie’s starting it out for us, everyone, all the staff, it’s just been higher expectations. The intensity is a lot higher this year. It just a different feel to it.”

Also, sometimes players come in their first year and play on instincts and confidence. They don’t know what they don’t know. In the second year, they know what they need to do to improve and sometimes they second guess themselves.

Finally, Danielson went deep into the WHL playoffs last season, meaning he didn’t get as many AHL games as the Red Wings would have liked for him to have. He played two playoff games. Kasper has played a full AHL season and that experience could also benefit Danielson’s growth.

“Still understanding some things in the game,” Lalonde said of Danielson. “He seems to have a little more puck play issues in camp this year than he did last year. I just think that’s part of the natural development. But obviously there’s a lot of upside. Seems to be a gamer.”

Continued (paywall)

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted a profile of Alex Lyon this evening, discussing Lyon’s attempts to earn the #1 goaltender’s spot on the Red Wings team:

“I put in a lot of work this summer and just excited and optimistic to get going,” Lyon said. “My whole career I’ve had to kind of work for every inch that I’ve gotten, so my approach remains the same. Coming off last year I feel a bit more comfortable playing in the NHL and just trying to build on that confidence.”

Lyon, 31, signed a two-year contract with the Wings in July 2023, so simply being in the same town, the same organization for two consecutive season is a nice change of pace. The Wings are his fourth NHL organization.

“I’ve been on one-year deals for a long time, and so just being back in a place and to have a little bit of comfortability is something that I haven’t really experienced for a while,” Lyon said. “It feels good and I’m happy to be here and really looking forward to the season. I’m trying to kind of vindicate what happened last year.”

…

For the Wings, that’s doubly good news in that elite goaltending can lift a team. And given what happened late last season, that’s another important ingredient that could push the Wings into a playoff berth.

“Everybody in the locker room feels like we’re on a mission,” Lyon said.

Continued (paywall)

Of Red Wings prospect-related note today:

In the Swedish Allsvenskan, Liam Dower Nilsson scored a goal, finishing with 3 shots and a +1 in 14:50 played as IF Bjorkloven won 5-1 over AIK;

And in the DEL, Kevin Bicker finished at +2 with 2 shots and 9 penalty minutes–so he fought–in 16:44 played as the Frankfurt Lowen won 4-3 over the Grizzlys Wolfsburg.

MLive’s Ansar Khan posted an article which discusses the state of one Patrick Kane, who was finally able to train “normally” this summer after spending several seasons dealing with his chronic hip issue.

According to Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde, Kane is in excellent shape, though he’s found this particular camp challenging…

“He’s had a great energy,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “We’ve had two very productive camps the last two years, hence our really good starts, but this one was designed to be a little bit harder, asking the group for a little more than last year. Probably a little concerned about some of our older guys, and he’s pushed it. It’s a credit to having a full summer where his conditioning is.”

Kane, 35, didn’t take part in a training camp last year following offseason hip resurfacing surgery. He signed with the Red Wings on Nov. 28 and was an integral part of a playoff push that fell just short. He re-signed for one year on June 30 and is eager to play a full season after producing 20 goals and 47 points in 50 games.

“He just told me this has been the hardest camp he’s ever been in, and he said he feels great,” Lalonde said. “A little earlier to the rink, a little later leaving the rink. Some warmup and some cooldown but I’m taken aback by where his conditioning is at. Good on him and a good sign.”

And Kane himself told Khan that he’s finally feeling like himself again:

“The few summers before, you were doing a lot of rehab or just trying to look for any type of relief in the hip area, just to feel as good as you can,” Kane said. “This year was more about, actually similar to the summer before. more resistance, more weight behind the exercises. More full-body stuff, not just necessarily focused on the hip. It was nice to be able to just kind of go into the gym feeling good and get ready for the workout and be able to train as hard as you can, like an athlete.”

Kane cited his comfort level and familiarity with the organization for re-signing a team-friendly cap hit of $4 million, with an additional $2.5 million attainable through bonuses, which would be applied to next season’s cap.

“Being familiar with the coaching staff, the way we want to play, the guys on the team, chemistry on and off the ice,” Kane said. “When you’re thinking about, making a decision and if you want to go to a new team or potentially stay in Detroit, I was looking back on it and I was really happy with the way last year went.”

Continued (paywall)

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen notes that the Red Wings will try to be in two places at the same time on Monday evening, and as such, the Wings are going to play 6 exhibition games over the course of 6 nights this upcoming week:

It’s fortunate the Detroit Red Wings still have eight goaltenders on their training camp roster. They made need every one them.

The Red Wings are about to play six NHL preseason games in six days.

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ had mechanical problems with their plane, preventing them from coming to Detroit for Saturday’s scheduled game at Little Caesars Arena. The Red Wings have agreed to play that game Monday. If you are telling yourself, “Wait, the Red Wings already have a road game against Buffalo that night,” you are not suffering from a faulty memory.

The Red Wings will split their squad and play two NHL preseason games on Monday, when every Detroit sports fan will be paying attention to the Lions playing the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football.

1. I’m not certain whether an NHL team has tried to play games in 2 places at the same time as of yet. Somebody smarter than me in the world of hockey statistics will figure that one out.
2. I must be a terrible Detroit sports fan, because I could give a flibbertigibbet as to whether the Lions are playing on Monday. I want the Lions to win like any Detroit-born sports fan–they’ve been great, and I want fans to experience good things–but I’m far more interested in trying to watch the Wings play. I guess I just don’t bleed Honolulu Blue. I’m glad if you do, and I wish you and the Lions lots of luck, but I’ve never spoken football.

They also have another game with the Penguins on Tuesday in Pittsburgh. They are off Wednesday and then play preseason games on Thursday (vs. Toronto), Friday (vs. Ottawa) and Saturday (at Toronto).

All we know for sure about lineups is that Husso is going to play two periods of one of those games. We won’t find out today about lineups because this is a scheduled day off for the Red Wings. There is no scheduled media availability.

Continued; the Red Wings and Grand Rapids Griffins are still camping together, so it’s not going to be that difficult to split up the coaching staffs for Monday’s games, but I’m very curious as to how the team’s going to split their equipment crews, medical workers and other support staff for Monday night’s game. I’d imagine that the team will split its scouts to watch both games as well.

As for the wear and tear on the players, I am a little concerned because one of those split squads will play on Monday in Buffalo, and then on Tuesday in Pittsburgh. That’s wear-and-tear that you don’t want your “split squad” to undergo if at all possible.