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!

‘Patrick Kane Day’ was a success in Chicago, but we’d like him back (for now)

Friday, August 8th (8/8) shall henceforth be known as “Patrick Kane Day” in Chicago, and the Red Wings forward and Chicago Blackhawks legend is now hosting a sold-out dinner in the Windy City.

Earlier in the day, the Chicago Tribune’s Kalen Lumpkins offered a chronicle of Kane’s big day:

Patrick Kane’s back — for a day, anyway. And now his name is part of Chicago lore forever. Aug. 8 was always a day of celebration of the career of Kane for Blackhawks fans — after all, he donned the No. 88 sweater for 16 seasons with the franchise. The official recognition came Friday from Ald. Brian Hopkins, 2nd, who officially proclaimed the date as Patrick Kane Day in Chicago, honoring the winger for the accolades he racked up with the organization — including three Stanley Cups.

“Fun to be back in Chicago, and I’m excited for the day.” Kane said. “It’s very special and I’m very thankful for the honor.”

Kane busy day started at Johnny’s Ice House West with a community youth hockey clinic. Young players wearing Blackhawks sweaters practiced drills led by the future Hall of Famer, who later signed various Bauer equipment for the kids. Kane’s son was on the ice, too, even getting into a playful scuffle.

Continue reading ‘Patrick Kane Day’ was a success in Chicago, but we’d like him back (for now)

Raymond, Seider, Lagesson took part in the ‘Fiala’s Friends’ charity hockey game in Zurich on Friday

Red Wings players Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider and William Lagesson took part in a charity hockey game today in Zurich, Switzerland called (Kevin) “Fiala’s Friends,” raising money for several local charities via an exhibition game between a team of mostly Swiss All-Stars and the ZSC Lions of the Swiss league.

According to Blick.ch’s Stephan Roth, all went well:

Fiala’s Friends with heart and a summer gala

Kevin Fiala has done something that has never been seen before. He called, and NHL stars came to Zurich to play against the ZSC Lions.

It’s one of the beautiful sides of North American sports, where the professionals are socially committed, and committed to those who are doing less well. Charity projects are part of the good tone.

So national team star Kevin Fiala proved his heart and that he’s committed. Fiala (29) was nominated by his team, the Los Angeles Kings, for the King Clancy Award this spring, which goes to an NHL player who displays both on-ice and off-rink leadership and social engagement. This year, Florida’s Aleksander Barkov won the award.

Now Fiala has done something that’s never been seen before in Switzerland: A charity game with NHL stars against the ZSC LIons, whose proceeds went to the Children’s Hospital St. Gallen, and junior cash checks for his ex-team Uzwil and the ZSC/GCK Lions charities. Children are important to Fiala, whose wife gave birth to daughter Masyah in 2024, and lost an unborn baby this spring.

Fans are happy about Ambuhl and Cech

So the Eastern Swiss called, and all the Swiss NHL players came, from Roman Josi, who’s still recovering from health problems, to foreign greats such as Lucas Raymond (Sweden), Moritz Seider (Germany, both from Detroit), Tim Stuetzle (Germany, Ottawa), and the 10,119 fans especially enjoyed two other players at Fiala’s friends: Andreas Ambuhl, 41, retired man of records, and soccer goaltender Petr Czech, 43.

The former goalie of London’s football giants Chelsea and Arsenal showed that he cuts a fine figure even in the smaller goal and on ice. He was defeated once before he made way to Akira Schmid at the middle of the game.

Of course, after Bastian Baker gave the national anthem to the stage, the game went on the stage in an All-Star manner. Physical contact was not used.

But the NHL stars won vs. the Swiss League Champions and Champions Hockey League winners comfortably, winning 10-3.

Timo Meier, Raymond, Stützle (2), Marco Rossi, William Lagesson, Ambühl, Fiala, J.J. Moser and Philipp Kurashev provide the All-Stars’ goals, while Yannick Weber, Joel Henry and Jesper Frödén met the Zurich residents.

Sport.ch, SRF.ch and the ZSC Lions’ website also posted recaps, with the ZSC Lions’ recap including some great photos from the game. The Lions’ Facebook page has some good behind-the-scenes pictures as well.

Allen offers an astute suggestion for the Wings’ shopping list regarding defensive depth

While there’s been a significant amount of virtual ink spilled about the Red Wings’ potential interest in Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson…

As I said earlier this afternoon, however, surrendering significant assets for a 35-year-old defenseman who sometimes doesn’t play all that much defense, especially at a $11.5 million cap hit for two more seasons (none of which, the well-connected say, that the Penguins wish to absorb), well, all of that leaves me jittery and less than enthusiastic by an unappealing equation.

If the Red Wings don’t make any further changes to their blueline, however, EliteProspects’ depth chart sums up the fact that the Wings would have to lean heavily on William Lagesson, Griffins signee Ian Mitchell, and, most likely, 23-year-old prospect William Wallinder if the Wings suffer injuries on defense.

Even presuming that Axel Sandin Pellikka is nearly good to go at the NHL level, or that Antti Tuomisto or Shai Buium could be called up safely, the Wings’ blueline is definitely a little thin at this point.

Given that situation, Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen believes that the Red Wings may very well need to sign another depth defenseman or two, and he offers a very specific suggestion this evening in 6’7,” 235-pound defenseman Jani Hakanpaa:

Continue reading Allen offers an astute suggestion for the Wings’ shopping list regarding defensive depth

Afternoon meander: Khan on Axel Sandin Pellikka’s career path

MLive’s Ansar Khan wonders what path Axel Sandin Pellikka might take in terms of his almost inevitable journey to the NHL today:

General manager Steve Yzerman, as you’d expect, didn’t shut the door on the possibility of Sandin Pellikka, the skilled, right-shooting D-man drafted 17th overall in 2023, surprising at training camp.

“I’m not going to rule out any player coming in and being so good in camp that we’re going to keep him and see how he does in the NHL,” Yzerman said last month. “The preseason games are tricky in that like a lot of the veterans are playing (the games) because they know they need to play them, but it’s not the intensity and the pace of a regular-season game. And sometimes depending on who’s in the lineup, you’re not necessarily playing against NHL players. So, it can be misleading, both good and bad. I can answer that question better at the end of training camp.”

Sandin Pellikka (5-11, 185) joined the Griffins late last season after his Swedish club, Skelleftea AIK, was eliminated from the playoffs. He played two regular season games (one assist) and three playoff games (no points).

“It was great that Axel got a feel mostly for playing more games at the pro level on the North American ice surface,” Yzerman said. “I think it was enlightening for him, maybe eye-opening a little bit. It’s a little smaller ice, faster game, albeit it’s only the American League, not the NHL. And he’s got some work to do.

“If he works, and we’re expecting him to, has a good summer, gets a little bit stronger, a little bit quicker, that’ll help him prepare for a good training camp and preseason. But he’s really going to have to just force his way into the lineup. Do I rule it out? No. So we’ll wait and answer that in September. But generally, all the kids come with the mentality that ‘I’m going to show these guys, I’m going to make it hard on them to send me back to junior, to send me to GR, to release me from the ATO or PTO.’ Just the mindset of the athlete.”

Continued with comments from Wings director of player development Dan Cleary…

As Khan suggests, ASP would have to supplant one of the Red Wings’ seven regular defensemen–and probably a “top four guy”–to make the roster out of training camp and the exhibition season, and given his 5’11,” 185-pound size and stature and relative unfamiliarity with North American-sized 85-foot-wide ice rinks, those things suggest that he’s going to have to take some time to adjust in Grand Rapids, especially in terms of his tendency to loop back like a soccer player on those 100-foot-wide international rinks…

But ASP is truly extremely talented offensively, and there are times that talent and moxie make up for relative inexperience.

An Erik Karlsson trade with the Penguins is extremely unlikely, but ‘never say never’

Yardbarker’s Natalie Vaitas discusses the “best fits for fringe NHL Teams to complete their roster(s)” today, and I disagree with her, but I think that we need to read what she has to say:

Detroit Red Wings (39-35-8, sixth in Atlantic Division)

Missing piece: Top-four defenseman | Best fit: Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh Penguins

The Red Wings, who missed the playoffs last season, have been quiet this offseason. GM Steve Yzerman’s biggest deals were the additions of goalie John Gibson and depth winger James Van Riemsdyk.

Unfortunately for Yzerman, many players he may have targeted were quickly off the market.

That leaves Detroit with few options to fill its top four on defense. With young stars Mo Seider and Simon Edvinsson playing heavy minutes, the addition of a puck-moving defenseman to take the load off them would greatly improve Detroit’s playoff chances.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are in the sellers’ market and would likely love to move on from Karlsson’s $10M cap hit. Luckily for Detroit, the rebuilding Penguins will want prospects and draft picks, something the Red Wings have aplenty.

If Pittsburgh is willing to pay some of Karlsson’s salary, and Detroit is willing to part with some of its future assets, this may be a perfect match.

Continued; I’m still not a fan of a slowing-down Karlsson at 35 years of age, especially given that he sometimes forgets how to play defense, but his puck-movement would certainly be an upgrade on Jeff Petry, for example, and his offensive wizardry is still there.

He’s got 2 years left on that $11.5 million cap hit contract (per PuckPedia), and that’s not ideal, even with the salary cap increasing, and the “rumors” and “insiders” alike have suggested that the Pens have no desire to eat any of that salary…

But if the Pens were willing to eat some of it, I cannot deny that Karlsson would be a tempting target, especially if the price were right in terms of compensation. The biggest problem is that he has a No-Move Clause, so he’d have to approve any trade to any team, and the Red Wings might not be the most attractive destination right now.

I think that the realities of his cap hit not being partially eaten by the Pens (if they can get away with it) and the NMC make things too difficult for a 35-year-old Karlsson to come to a rebuilding Red Wings team. But you can’t ever say “never” in the league I’ve been watching for 35 years now.

Tweet of note: It’s Archie vs. ‘Trick’

Via CBS Detroit’s Rachel Hopmayer:

For context, per Ms. Ruch:

Meanwhile, in Chicago…It’s officially ‘Patrick Kane Day’

Updated at 2:47 PM: 8/8, a.k.a. August 8th, is now officially “Patrick Kane Day”:

Per WGN’s Charlie Roumeliotis:

Continue reading Meanwhile, in Chicago…It’s officially ‘Patrick Kane Day’

Tweet of note: Red Wings add ‘Hockeytown’ to centennial center ice logo at LCA

From the Detroit Red Wings:

Per the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan and DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills:

“The center ice fan vote, launched in partnership with Meijer, was a great way to get fans involved in Red Wings Centennial right from the start,” said Asia Gholston, senior vice president of brand marketing for Ilitch Sports + Entertainment, in a statement. “Through an incredible response to this vote, fans have made it clear they’re fired up for what’s to come in celebrating 100 years of Hockeytown, which is only possible due to their unwavering support for the Winged Wheel.”

The design of the “Hey Hey Hockeytown” center ice logo pays homage to a century of hockey tradition in Detroit, while also representing the team’s present and future.

The logo merges a redrawn version of the 1934 Winged Wheel with a modernized “100” design. The ‘1’ and ‘0’ also echo the curves of the original markm rendered in the club’s red and vintage white color scheme. Combined with the classic Hockeytown wordmark, introduced in 1996, the special logo creatively honors the city and culture of one of the NHL’s most iconic franchises.

“We saw over 20,000 votes in the first 72 hours alone after opening the poll to fans,” Gholston said. “That response is proof of how passionate and engaged they are, and know this is a meaningful step in their eyes towards honoring our legacy.”

DobberProspects’ ’32 in 32′ series examines the Red Wings’ crop of prospects

DobberProspects’ Emmanuel Alforque examines the Red Wings’ prospect pool today, discussing the Red Wings’ draft class of 2025, some of the Wings’ top prospects, those on the rise, and those who have fallen in terms of their overall value. He offers a top 20 list of prospects as well, and there are glimmers of NHL team moves and an NHL team prediction, too.

Here’s one of his three in-the-system prospect profiles…

Dmitri Buchelnikov, RW (52nd overall in 2022) 

Buchelnikov put up 54 points (15 goals, 39 assists) in 65 games on a very bad Vityaz team in the KHL. Despite that, he finished top-20 in points in the league. This season, he’ll get the opportunity to play on a prestigious CSKA team in Russia so it’ll be interesting to track his progress. 

He seems to fly under the radar when it comes to Red Wings prospects because he plays in Russia but he is a heck of a player. I see a lot of Mathew Barzal when I look at his skating, his maneuverability and his playmaking. Being 5-10, he’s smaller than him but he still plays that smart, heads-up hockey. What Buchelnikov lacks in size, he makes up for in speed. He explodes off the rush and has the escapability to find himself 1-on-1 against a goalie. He also won the fastest skater challenge during the KHL All-Star Competition, skating a 13.7 seconds lap. For reference, Larkin owns the NHL record at 13.1 seconds. Not only is he fast, but his brain keeps up with his feet. He sees the ice extremely well and has killer offensive instincts. Buchelnikov has the unique ability to skate his way out of trouble and serve the puck on a platter to his linemates. If given the right opportunity, I could see him excelling at the NHL level in a top-six role. 

And he gives a thumbs-up to the Red Wings’ 2025 first-round pick, too:

Round 1, 13th Overall: Carter Bear, LW 

The biggest concern heading into the draft for Bear was the injury he suffered this year in early March where he partially tore his achilles from a skate laceration. Despite that, he resumed skating ahead of schedule which quickly silenced any doubts surrounding his health on draft day. Since then, he’s signed his entry level contract with the Wings but is expected to return to the WHL for his D+1 season. 

Finishing with 82 points (40 goals, 42 assists) in 56 games, Bear exploded offensively last season for the Everett Silvertips. There’s a lot to like about his game but his compete level is what stands out the most. In his own end, he’s positionally sound and rarely gets caught out of coverage. He transitions up the ice with speed and intent to create scoring chances off the rush. He has great vision to find teammates and has a knack to score goals around the net. Bear dominates in all three zones and there is a reason why he led his team in every offensive category. He is impressive along the boards, winning the majority of his battles. Bear gets involved physically using his body during puck pursuit and uses his motor to overwhelm opponents. Trusted in all situations, Bear has top-six forward written all over him. I have no doubt he’ll have a long NHL career. 

Continued; this is a very good prospect-centric read.

Duff wonders whether Brandsegg-Nygard can crack the Red Wings’ roster this fall

Red Wings prospect Michael Brandsegg-Nygard turns 20 on October 5th, just before the Wings’ home opener, and MBN will probably begin his North American sojourn in Grand Rapids of the AHL.

That being said, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff posted a subscriber-only article in which he questions whether Brandsegg-Nygard could use strong training camp and exhibition performances to propel Brandsegg-Nygard on to the Red Wings’ roster:

He decided to summer in North America, partially at the urging of Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman.

“He said it will be an important summer and that anything can happen,” Brandsegg-Nygard told Norwegian website Nitten.no. “If I continue, train hard, and do what I have to do, it is not impossible (he could make the NHL roster). I will do everything I can. Of course it’s the dream. This is what I’ve worked for my whole life. It would be incredibly cool.”

At 6-foot-1, 202 pounds, the right-shot right-winger is built for the NHL. Or is it the NHL style that was built to suit him?

“It’s a game I like to play,” Brandsegg-Nygard said. “Tight hockey and physical hockey with a lot of power. So, I mean, that’s a game I want to play.”

He’s also the big body, physical presence that the Red Wings are desperately seeking to add more of to their equation.

Certainly, Brandsegg-Nygard wants to crack the Red Wings roster out of training camp in the fall, so he allows himself to engage in that vision quest.

“Of course,” Brandsegg-Nygard admitted. “I mean, that’s my dream and my goal, to make the team. So we see what happens. But I mean, I’m happy with GR, too. So I’m just seeing what happens. I’m just gonna do my best to hopefully make the team one day.”

Continued (paywall); anything can happen over the course of training camp and the exhibition season, but it’s going to take an exceptional performance and the supplanting of a top-nine forward for Brandsegg-Nygard to make the Wings’ roster.

He and Axel Sandin Pellikka will be given every opportunity to impress, but they’re headed to Grand Rapids unless they are truly extraordinary come late September.