Author: George Malik

The Athletic’s Pittsburgh Penguins correspondent, Josh Yohe, is ranking the NHL’s 31 non-Pittsburgh travel destinations by their desirability, and he ranks Detroit 22nd overall, but not for the reasons you’d expect:

22. Detroit Red Wings

Positives

• Little Caesars Arena is the NHL’s best building.
• Easy drive, though the weather can get nasty in the winter.
• Detroit is on the upswing and a very underrated town.
• The Penguins play here on a Saturday afternoon, which makes for great convenience.

Negatives

• The rivalry isn’t what it once was.
• This isn’t a tropical trip.
• The Penguins are missing the annual car convention in Detroit by a week, which is bad timing.

The Wings host Pittsburgh in the back half of a home-and-home series on Saturday, January 3rd at 12 PM, so…

Red Wings prospect defenseman Antti Tuomisto may stand at 6’5″ and 205 pounds, but the big defenseman is also already 24 years of age, so the Grand Rapids Griffins veteran doesn’t have a whole lot of developmental runway left.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen also notes that Tuomisto’s no longer waiver-exempt due to the combination of his age and the number of AHL games that he’s played…

One thing to keep in mind in assessing how the Detroit-Grand Rapids Carousel might operate: Antti Tuomisto is no longer waiver-exempt. Would another team claim him? Maybe. He’s got size, a shot, competes hard. The question about him is his skating.

I’m not going to worry about Tuomisto getting plucked off the waiver wire. Given the fact that he hasn’t played any NHL games yet, and given that his skating is still an issue, there are going to be more appealing defenders available on the waiver wire come the end of the exhibition season.

Unless Tuomisto takes several steps forward and almost makes the Wings’ roster, he’ll continue to be a “project prospect,” and that’s generally not the kind of player who finds himself plucked off waivers.

The next “goose chase” is on. Whether it’s wild or not depends upon your point of view.

The Hockey News’s Michael Whitaker reports that EliteProspects director of film scouting Cam Robinson, who is not one to manufacture trade rumors because it’s August or any other month, offered this on the latest “Sekeres and Price” show:

Appearing on The Sekeres & Price Show, League Insider Cam Robinson – Content Director and Director of Film Scouting for Elite Prospects – revealed that he’s been told the Oilers have reached out to Detroit about potentially acquiring [Sebastian] Cossa to present to their fans as their goaltender of the future.

“I’ve heard that they’re looking a little more long term, and their field of vision is a little wider here,” Robinson said of the Oilers. “I’ve been told they’ve contacted Detroit, I believe the first person they asked about was Trey Augustine and think it was just a non-starter. Steve Yzerman and company really love that kid, and they should.”

“But they have a 6’6″, 6’7″ former first rounder in Sebastian Cossa sitting there, who is slowly been progressing up the way, played a full season in the East Coast League,” Robinson continued. “They’re not soured on him by any means, but I think they’re hoping that he’d be quicker along the path, and the fact that they have Augustine there in the Red Wings system potentially allows him to be an expendable chip. 

Whitaker is skeptical of the trade scenario:

Of Red Wings related note this early afternoon:

1. I know that the Wings posted the installation of their “Hockeytown/100th Anniversary Wings logo” at center ice on LCA’s ice surface as a Tweet…but the better resolution of this YouTube short is worth 40-something seconds of your time…

2. NHL.com’s Twitter account posted a fine question regarding the entire NHL’s player corps over the past 20 years (2005-2025), and this one’s getting a lot of play on Twitter, so I’d love to hear your opinions as to the most underrated Red Wing of the last 20 years:

WE WANT TO HEAR IT 🗣️

Who is the most underrated player from the last 20 years?

— NHL (@NHL) August 11, 2025

3. NHL.com also offered this little ditty…

A single player can completely change a franchise's fortunes for the better. This series takes a look at some of the most impactful offseason signings in NHL history. #NHLStats

Signed and Delivered: Brett Hull to the @DetroitRedWings. pic.twitter.com/yuXlephvwo

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) August 11, 2025

4. And finally, the Grand Rapids Griffins remind us that the “Red vs. White” game will be taking place at Van Andel Arena on Sunday, September 21st:

Who are you most excited to see inside @VanAndelArena in the @DetroitRedWings Red & White Game on September 21st 🤔⬇️ pic.twitter.com/nBBaojyz11

— Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) August 11, 2025

Sportsnet’s Ryan Dixon issues an early-August set of power rankings today, basing his rankings upon the offseason performances of teams’ general managers:

21. Detroit Red Wings – While you can certainly still talk yourself into some existing Wings players like Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond and Simon Edvinsson moving the team forward, it just feels like Detroit needs an acquisition to give this thing a meaningful push.

Continued; at this point, I’d argue that the Red Wings would be wise to make an offseason move or two to address their top-six scoring and top-four defensive shut-down abilities, but I’m afraid that, given the relative quiet of the summer thus far…

We’re going to end up seeing “our team” try to battle through the first half of the 2025-2026 season banking on improvement from within, with any trade(s) happening closer to the 2026 trade deadline.

The Hockey News’s Jake Tye offers the following regarding Red Wings prospect Sebastian Cossa’s development, per Griffins coach Dan Watson:

The Hockey News spoke with Grand Rapids Griffins head coach Dan Watson and he explained to us that the uncertainty of if Cossa will be returning to the Griffins is at an all-time high. 

“He’s committed, dedicated, he wants to get better, he wants to be the guy, whether it’s in Grand Rapids, I know he’s gonna be challenging mentally for a spot in Detroit,” Watson explained “We’re looking for him to take that next step and be a good starting goaltender for us in Grand Rapids, If not, he’s going to be in Detroit.”  

Watson emphasized that another season with the Griffins would be valuable for Cossa as he would have the opportunity to handle the majority of the starts, just as he did early last season when his strong performance earned him a spot at the AHL all-star game. Veteran goaltenders like Jack Campbell and Husso would go on to limit his workload later on in the season. If he returns to Grand Rapids next season, Watson expects him to take on the bulk workload for the team.

“This year, I’d love to see him take the reins and then if he’s in Grand Rapids, be the guy, get those as many starts as you possibly can where we obviously have to manage his workload and everything, but he can get a lot of starts and get to feel the puck and then see it well, like he did this our last year,” Watson said “I think that’s going to elevate him to that next step is being the guy in Grand Rapids.” 

…

“We have a great relationship, being with each other now for the last three seasons. I want to make sure there’s invested interest with him, and I want to make sure that we do everything we can and provide the resources necessary for him to have success,” Watson stated.

Continued; this is a pivotal year for Cossa as he’s going to be pushed by Michal Postava in Grand Rapids, but I don’t know whether he can unseat Cam Talbot quite yet.

Okay, my least favorite part of blogging repeats itself this month. We’ve raised approximately $217 of that $617 server/stupid personal bill, which is wonderful, but that leaves us $400 to go.

I’ve tried to not spam you with daily fundraising posts, but the last $400 is going to be difficult to achieve, and so I have to ask that, if you dig the content and especially the opinions and analysis on the blog, that you donate a little bit to help the cause.

The small donations pave the road just as much as the big ones do, and any help is greatly appreciated.

You know how this goes:

TSN’s Travis Yost ranks the NHL’s 32 teams’ defensive corps into tiers today, and he suggests that the Red Wings’ defense ranks 4th in terms of a 1-to-5 tier system:

Detroit Red Wings (T4) — Consider me eager to see what 22-year old Simon Edvinsson brings to the table in his second full season. Detroit’s been looking for defensive quality beyond Moritz Seider ever since Filip Hronek was traded to Vancouver, and Edvinsson impressed in his rookie campaign with 31 points in 78 games. Only four defenders of a similar age produced better than that rate, and it’s an encouraging group: Montreal’s Lane Hutson, New Jersey’s Luke Hughes, Buffalo’s Owen Power, and Los Angeles’ Brandt Clarke.

Continued; I would politely disagree regarding the Red Wings’ defensive corps’ relative flimsiness–there’s more than Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson and “everyone else”–but I would suggest that trading Filip Hronek was taking a step back to take a step forward in terms of Axel Sandin Pellikka’s sky-high potential.

The Athletic’s Max Bultman attempts to discern the “timelines” of the Red Wings’ top prospects this morning. Bultman discusses the probable dates at which time the Wings’ prospects might make their NHL debuts, and then at some point, become regular NHL players:

In the “coming soon” department are Carter Mazur, Nate Danielson and Sebastian Cossa:

Carter Mazur

Long-term projection: Bottom-six forward

Estimated arrival: 2025-26

Mazur made his debut already, and for that reason, he’s probably the slight favorite for the next young player to get the call. His debut was short-lived, of course. He sustained a season-ending injury just over a minute into his first game, but the work Mazur put in to earn that call-up last spring didn’t just vanish when he got hurt.

When healthy,  the 23-year-old Mazur has lived up to his reputation as a gritty forward with a nose for the net, willing to dig out pucks for second chances and boasting an impressive shot. That could give him a nice path to a bottom-six role soon, adding the kind of hard offense Detroit needs more of.

He’ll need to deliver a strong preseason — and stay healthy — but I could see him jumping into the bottom six more regularly this season, and possibly early.

Nate Danielson

Long-term projection: Second-line center

Estimated arrival: 2025-26

Danielson has all the tools to be a legit second-line center in the NHL as a smart, responsible, 6-foot-2 center who skates well and can make plays with the puck.

The main question on whether he will reach that level is the production — which, in fairness, was virtually identical to what Kasper did in the same league at the same point in his development. But the two are different players, and it remains to be seen if Danielson can find the same hard-area offense Kasper has. So if you wanted to say “middle-six center” as the projection, I could understand that too. Especially with Kasper looking like Detroit’s long-term 2C.

But whatever the long-term role, I think Danielson makes his way to Detroit at some point this coming season. He’d need a big camp to make the team for opening night, with the Red Wings typically preferring their top prospects play a major role in Grand Rapids, but it’s easy to imagine him getting a look at some point this season and earning his keep when he does.

Danielson has a lot of tools to work with and a lot of ways to contribute in a top nine very soon.

Bultman continues (paywall)

RG.com’s Sergey Demidov spoke with former Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk ahead of a charity game in his hometown of Yekaterinburg, Russia on August 30th. Datsyuk addresses an array of topics, including the state of the Red Wings:

In the summer of 2024, Datsyuk returned to the Detroit Red Wings, the club he starred for from 2001 to 2016, attending their development camp.

“It was an interesting experience for me – and I hope for them too,” he says.

Detroit, once the NHL’s model franchise with 25 straight playoff appearances and Stanley Cups in 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2008, remains in a drawn-out rebuild. They missed the postseason again in 2024–25 – their ninth straight absence – despite late-season wins over playoff teams like New Jersey. Young stars Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider give hope, but the climb back is steep.

“The Red Wings were at the top for a long time, winning many titles, so it’s understandable that their rebuild is taking more time than usual,” Datsyuk explains. “They say a rebuild takes about seven years, but since Detroit was so high up, the road back to the top takes even longer. Now Detroit has a great arena, which is already a big plus. Perhaps what the team lacks is standout leaders – but that’s true not only for Detroit, it applies to hockey in general. Players are maturing more slowly these days, and some never mature at all, staying teenagers forever.”

That being said, Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin receives Datsyuk’s stamp of approval…

Captain Dylan Larkin is now the face of the team. Datsyuk played alongside him in Larkin’s rookie year.

“It’s hard to give advice when I haven’t seen him in 10 years,” he says. “I played with him when he was still very young. A lot of time has passed. He stands out now, already an experienced and mature player. He understands everything. As a team, they probably just lack confidence.”

And you can take this for what you will:

Looking ahead to 2026, Datsyuk offers a bold forecast: “Here’s my prediction – Detroit will reach the conference final. As for Florida, which has won two Stanley Cups, it will be hard to win a third in a row. I think it will be very difficult for them – partly because of the short summer, and also because motivation won’t be quite the same.”