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!

Duff: Raymond’s wowing the Wings despite his age

Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond managed to battle his way into a roster spot with Detroit in no small part due to Jakub Vrana’s shoulder injury which required surgery during training camp, but since then, he’s been absolutely dominant, as Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff notes:

Detroit Red Wings rookie left-winger Lucas Raymond keeps on putting his name up there in exclusive company among NHL first-year players.

The teenage sensation is doing so again. With 28 points through his first 31 NHL games, Raymond, 19, has accumulated the fourth-most points by a first-year teen-aged winger in NHL history.

Only Hartford Whalers left-winger Sylvain Turgeon (29 points in 1983-84), Chicago Blackhawks right-winger Patrick Kane (31 points in 2007-08), and Toronto Maple Leafs left-winger Gaye Stewart (37 points in 1942-43) were producing at a pace better than Raymond through their first 31 NHL games.

The Red Wings brass was quite confident that defenseman Moritz Seider, the club’s 2019 top draft pick, would be able to step right into a significant role as an NHL rookie this season. They readily admit that they didn’t forsee that also happening with 2020 top draftee Raymond.

“Moritz was playing 20 minutes a night in Rogle last season, so our thought was that he would be ready to play in the NHL at the start of the season,” Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman explained. “With Lucas, (it was) a little bit different because he didn’t play a big role in Frolunda, and he got injured and missed a lot of time at the end of the season.

“Going into the year, we weren’t really sure what to expect from Lucas. We didn’t want to rule him out from playing but truthfully, we kinda thought he was probably going to take some time in the American Hockey League, just based on what we saw last year.”

Continued

I took a nap, and the Red Wings have been shut down through Christmas

Well, this was not a shock:

RED WINGS SHUT DOWN THROUGH THE HOLIDAY BREAK

NEW YORK (Dec. 19, 2021) – The National Hockey League announced today that due to concern with the number of positive cases within the last several days, as well continued COVID spread, the Detroit Red Wings’ games will be postponed at least through the scheduled completion of the League’s Holiday Break in the schedule on Dec. 26. The decision was made by the NHL’s, the NHLPA’s and the Club medical groups.

A decision on when the Red Wings’ training facilities will re-open will be made by the League and the NHLPA in the coming days. The League is in the process of reviewing and revising the Red Wings’ regular season schedule. Red Wings’ postponed games include, tomorrow vs. Colorado (previously postponed) plus Thursday’s game at Minnesota.

The Red Wings have followed, and will continue to follow, all recommended guidelines aimed at protecting the health and safety of their Players, staff and community at large as set by the NHL, local, state and federal agencies.

May the team get healthy again.

Sportsnet’s Brazeau: Hanas discusses his Zegras-like pass from last night

If you missed it, Red Wings prospect Cross Hanas jabbed a Trevor Zegras-like pass over and in front of the net last night in the Portland Winterhawks’ 4-1 win over Spokane, with teammate James Stefan jabbing home a hell of a goal:

And, via Sportsnet’s Jonathan Brazeau, Hanas spoke with the WHL regarding his feat:

Hanas, who is a Detroit Red Wings prospect, seems to have a flair for creativity by having already scored the “Michigan” goal and now has added another to his repertoire.

The 19-year-old Hanas pulled a Zegras during the third period against the Spokane Chiefs on Saturday night. James Stefan was the lucky recipient of the alley-oop pass and connected with the puck mid-air to extend the Winterhawks’ lead to 4-1.

Hanas earned his team-leading 19th assist on the play.

“It’s something that’s come about here in recent weeks with Zegras doing it and stuff,” Hanas said in an interview posted to the team’s Twitter account. “Obviously, as a hockey player, every hockey player sees that stuff and is like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s unreal.’

“I was just behind the net and the D weren’t really pressuring me. … Me and Stef talked about it in intermission because we had another chance in the second. We didn’t pull it but we talked about it. Then I had another chance in the third to do it and that’s all about hockey. You kind of take risks, see what happens and I picked it up and took the risk.

“Stef, thankfully, batted it out, or else I would have looked a little stupid but it was awesome that he got that in. We got that goal together, it was pretty awesome.”

Tweet of note: Seider shows us Mo moves at the offensive zone blueline

Of Twitter-related Red Wings note this morning: IceHockeyGifs spotlights Moritz Seider’s offensive contribution to last night’s 5-2 Detroit win over the New Jersey Devils:

This play really encapsulates Moritz Seider; the defensive anticipation, the patience and poise to avoid the offside, and the skill to make the play under pressure. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/L65WCmprZn— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) December 19, 2021

HSJ in the morning: a little more about Larkin’s hat trick

The Free Press’s Helene St. James joins the chorus of scribes who are praising Dylan Larkin for scoring a hat trick in last night’s 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils:

Dylan Larkin celebrated with his Detroit Red Wings teammates and thought of his grandmothers as he savored his first hat trick. 

Fans at Little Caesars Arena Saturday tossed dozens of hats onto the ice when Larkin’s third goal went in, late in the second period of the 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils. Larkin rushed up ice on a breakaway, put the puck on his forehand and slipped the puck over Akira Schmid’s right pad. Larkin has had two-goal nights, but it took until midway through his seventh season to get the third one.

“It did feel good,” Larkin said. “I had never had one, and I think about my nana, she’d always give me $5 every goal. Like most proud nanas do, they’re always like, will you score a hat trick — just do it. I’m always like, ‘Nana, it’s kind of hard.’ This one is definitely for my nana, and my grandma.”

Continued with quite a bit of COVID talk…

Three goalies ‘chirping’

TSN’s Mark Masters sat down for a round-table discussion with Sebastian Cossa, Dylan Garand and Brett Brochu, the three goaltenders vying to be Team Canada’s #1 netminder at the World Junior Championship. Things got “chirpy” quick:

TSN: You guys often get asked to describe yourself as a goalie so I’ll do it a little different this time. Brett, what stands out about Sebastian? 

Brochu: “He plays really well to his strengths. He’s got good size [6-foot-7] and really good movement for a big guy. So, it’s impressive to watch. You don’t see many guys like him that have that good of crease control. It’s pretty impressive.” 

TSN: Sebastian, what’s the scouting report on Dylan? 

Cossa: “He’s smiling. I got to compliment this guy now, eh? He’s going to love this. He’s 6-foot-1 and he moves very well. Tracks the puck very well. Really good hands. He’s got a good glove. He skates well and places himself at the top of his crease and isn’t leaky, doesn’t let anything through him, really.”

TSN: Dylan, your thoughts on Brett? 

Garand: “He works hard in there and competes hard and doesn’t give up on a puck. He’s got good skating ability and ability to move and stuff like that. He doesn’t give a bunch of rebounds out. Pretty solid, all-around game and pretty fun to watch him in practice and games.”

TSN: Anyone want to add anything? 

Garand: “No, I’m just glad I didn’t have to do Cossa (smile).”

Continued

Bultman discusses Larkin’s hat trick, scored amidst COVID uncertainty

The Athletic’s Max Bultman posted a 2 AM story, which means that your friendly neighborhood Malik Report was up trying to calm down after the Red Wings’ 5-2 win over New Jersey, so you get a tease as to Bultman’s fine article’s discussion of Dylan Larkin’s first career hat trick:

“It did feel good,” Larkin said. “I had obviously never had one, and I think about my Nana — she would always give me $5 every goal, and she would always — like most proud Nanas do — they’re always like, ‘Will you score a hat trick? Will you just do it?’ And I (would say), ‘Nana, it’s kind of hard.’”

It is, indeed, quite hard, and Larkin’s long wait to pull it off in the NHL certainly underscores that. But when he finally did it — dedicating the feat to his Nana and his other grandma in the process — it propelled the Red Wings to victory on a night that could have easily gone any direction.

Now, Larkin sits at 15 goals this season, and after tacking on an assist to Tyler Bertuzzi’s late insurance goal, he’s up to 29 points in 27 games. He’s scoring goals and points at a career-best rate, currently on pace for a 40-goal season.

For all the deserved attention that’s gone toward Detroit’s dazzling trio of rookies — Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider and Alex Nedeljkovic — nights like Saturday are a reminder that Larkin is still the engine that drives the Red Wings in so many ways.

Continued (paywall) with some really astute discussion of the COVID conundrum the NHL finds itself navigating:

Prospect round-up: Walleye win in OT again; Plandowski scores in Q; Hanas 1A in WHL

Of Red Wings prospect-related note in North America on Saturday:

In the ECHL, Billy Christopoulos stopped 32 of 34 shots and T.J. Hensick scored the OT goal as the Toledo Walleye won 3-2 over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits;

In the QMJHL, Oscar Plandowski scored a goal, finishing at -1 with 3 shots in the Charlottetown Islanders’ 7-4 win over Cape Breton;

The Jan Bednar-less Acadie-Bathurst Titan won 4-3 over Saint John;

In the WHL, Sebastian Cossa’s Edmonton Oil Kings won 3-2 in overtime over Swift Current;

Cross Hanas had an assist, finishing at +2 with 5 shots in the Portland Winterhawks’ 4-1 win over Spokane:

?️ HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT ?️

It’s a thing now, and we are here for it.@pdxwinterhawks | #WHLHoN pic.twitter.com/IgOEtogfXD— The WHL (@TheWHL) December 19, 2021

Alex Cotton finished even with 2 shots in the Vancouver Giants’ 3-1 win over Prince George;

Kienan Draper did not register a point in the Chilliwack Chiefs’ 4-2 loss to Alberni Valley;

In NCAA Hockey, Ryan O’Reilly finished at -1 with 2 shots in the Arizona State University Sun Devils’ 4-2 loss to Colorado College.