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!

Red Wings-Utah HC post-morning skate Tweets: Mazur-mania

The Detroit Red Wings host Utah HC for the first time this evening (7 PM EST start on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/Utah16/97.1 FM), and Detroit held an optional morning skate today, with Alex Lyon occupying the starter’s net.

After the morning skate, the Red Wings’ players and coach spoke with the media, and it was a throng this morning:

Continue reading Red Wings-Utah HC post-morning skate Tweets: Mazur-mania

Press release: Grand Rapids Griffins to host Red & White Game next fall

Per the Grand Rapids Griffins:

‘RED & WHITE GAME’ RETURNS TO GRAND RAPIDS

Red Wings to Conclude 2025 Training Camp With Sept. 21 Event at Van Andel Arena

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins’ 30th anniversary season will kick off in style on Sunday, Sept. 21 at 3 p.m., when they’ll host the Detroit Red Wings’ annual Red & White Game at Van Andel Arena.

The event will conclude the Red Wings’ 2025 training camp and serve as a showcase for West Michigan fans to cheer both the stars of Hockeytown and the prospects who will play in Grand Rapids next season. All healthy players on Detroit’s training camp roster are expected to play in the game, which bridges the team’s camp in Traverse City and the start of its preseason schedule.

This marks the fifth time that the Griffins will host a Red & White Game, following events in 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2011. Detroit also visited Van Andel Arena for a “Wings for Lunch” midday event with local fans in 2007.

“We are very excited to welcome the Red Wings back to Grand Rapids this fall, and I know our fans’ anticipation to witness this game again will be off the charts,” said Griffins president Tim Gortsema. “Outside of our Calder Cup championship in 2017, I don’t think that the arena has ever been louder than when Steve Yzerman was introduced to a packed house before our first Red & White Game 25 years ago. Our fans’ passion for the Red Wings still runs as deep, and this game will be a fitting ‘thank you’ to them as our affiliation with Detroit enters its 24th season.”

The format of the game is still to be determined, but per tradition it could be composed of scheduled segments of 5-on-5 and 4-on-4 play, power play/penalty kill, and a shootout competition.

Fans can secure their Red & White Game seats now exclusively through a Griffins’ full or partial season ticket membership for the 2025–26 season. To order, call the Griffins’ office at (616) 774-4585 ext. 2 or visit griffinshockey.com/tickets. Information about group tickets, premium hospitality options, and single-game tickets will be announced this summer, along with news about charitable tie-ins and exclusive experiential opportunities for fans.

Tweet of note: Don’t be surprised if the Wings demote Carter Mazur tomorrow as a ‘paper transaction’

FYI, per the AHL’s PR department:

As such, the Red Wings may demote Carter Mazur as a “paper transaction” to ensure that he can continue to play for Grand Rapids for the balance of the AHL’s regular season. The Wings may demote several other players as well–again, on paper.

Red Wings-Utah HC morning skate Tweets: Wings ‘take an optional’ with Lyon starting, Mazur present

The Detroit Red Wings host Utah HC this evening at Little Caesars Arena (7 PM EST start on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/Utah16/97.1 FM), with the Red Wings looking to snap a 3-game losing streak against a team that hasn’t played since Sunday.

The Red Wings hit the ice at Little Caesars Arena’s main ice rink just before 10:30 AM, per MLive’s Ansar Khan:

Mazur hype machine? Engines on…

Continue reading Red Wings-Utah HC morning skate Tweets: Wings ‘take an optional’ with Lyon starting, Mazur present

Sportsnet discusses the Red Wings’ possible trade deadline outlook

Sportsnet’s Rory Boylen posted an article discussing every team’s trade deadline plans, and here’s what he sees the Red Wings doing (or not doing) by tomorrow at 3 PM EST:

Detroit Red Wings

Status: Fringe buyer with plenty of cap space but unclear aggressiveness

Deadline Day Cap Space: $13.024 million

Team Needs: Defencemen, centre, depth toughness

Potentially Available: Vladimir Tarasenko, Marco Kasper

From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “I think (GM Steve Yzerman) has been looking for a defenceman. I think he was looking at (Ryan) Lindgren, and I think he also had some interest in other guys who’ve been out there, like Will Borgen kind of guys. So I think it’s safe to say that’s been on his mind. He definitely looked at Cozens earlier this year, that didn’t happen.”

“They lost (Andrew) Copp, he’s out for the year. They lost (Michael) Rasmussen in that game where (Trevor) Zegras got suspended, he’s a big loss for them, so I think people are wondering, does Yzerman go out and get someone who can fill those kinds of roles?”

Outlook: Detroit took a bigger step than most of the East’s rebuilders last season, missing the playoffs only by the regulation-wins tiebreaker. The Wings are back in the thick of it this season though, in a much more crowded field.

Not much leaks out of Yzerman’s front office, which is why past big trades involving Filip Hronek and Anthony Mantha were so shocking. That kind of surprise is always on the table and the Wings have been attached to Cozens rumours earlier this season, which tells you they’re sniffing around on big moves. The recent injury losses, especially to Copp, are big setbacks. Will that spur the front office into action, or have it thinking about being more reserved?

Continued; again, I’m not certain that the Red Wings will do anything, but one never knows with the Wings’ managerial brain trust.

Red Wings-Utah HC quickie game preview

Updated at 10:20 AM: The 30-25-and-6 Detroit Red Wings hope to snap a 3-game losing streak as they host the 27-25-and-9 Utah Hockey Club this evening at Little Caesars Arena (7 PM EST on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/Utah16/97.1 FM).

Utah has been off since Sunday, when they dropped a 3-1 decision to the New Jersey Devils, which snapped a 3-game winning streak. Utah has won 4 of their past 6 games and 6 of their past 9.

Utah’s been busy re-signing players over the past couple of days–from Olli Maatta to Karel Vejmelka to Alex Kerfoot and Ian Cole–and while neither team’s website has posted a game preview as of yet, I wanted to get Field Level Media’s preview out there, as well as tonight’s game notes. I’ll update this post as necessary later this morning:

The Utah Hockey Club has been playing solid defense recently. They have allowed only six goals in the last four games. Utah had a three-game winning streak snapped by New Jersey on Saturday.

The Devils scored twice in the third period to collect a 3-1 victory. Mikhail Sergachev scored Utah’s only goal.

“Obviously, they’re a great team,” Sergachev said. “They’re pretty fast, too. So it was like two fast teams out there. They just scored more than we did.”

Clayton Keller had his six-game points streak snapped in that contest. Keller had recorded four goals and eight assists during the streak.

Olli Maatta will see his former teammates for the first time since Detroit traded him early in the season for a third-round draft pick. The veteran defenseman signed a three-year extension with Utah on Monday.

“It means a lot to me,” he said. “It shows they have confidence and trust in you. At the same time, it does put pressure on you to perform and I think that’s a good thing. I think it’s a privilege to be in this situation. Now you’ve got to perform.”

Here are tonight’s game notes, in PDF form. It looks like tonight’s referees and linesmen are very “green”:

Continue reading Red Wings-Utah HC quickie game preview

Skating uphill

With the Red Wings mired in a 3-game slump, Detroit no longer sits in a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference standings.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff notes that the Wings’ competitors aren’t exactly playing like world-beaters, either, with one exception:

The Red Wings are 2-4-1 over the last seven games. They’ve lost three in a row. And yet, it wasn’t until Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes that the club was finally slipping out of one of the coveted playoff slots.

As they ready to play the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday at Little Caesars Arena, the Red Wings are now situated 10th overall in the East. Still, they are a scant point out of the playoffs.

It was the New York Rangers who moved past Detroit into a the eighth seed in the East on Tuesday. And they did so without even playing. Detroit’s loss dropped the club behind the Rangers via a tiebreaker. Both had 66 points at the time. It marked the first time since Feb. 1 that the Wings weren’t occupying a postseason position.

Wednesday, both the Rangers and Ottawa Senators were in action. Taking a 4-3 overtime verdict over the Chicago Blackhawks, Ottawa jumped past both Detroit and the Rangers into eighth spot with 67 points. New York squandered a 2-1 lead and lost 3-2 in OT to the Washington Capitals. The Rangers fell into ninth with 67 points, percentage points behind the Senators.

Over the past 10 games, Ottawa is 4-5-1. The Rangers are 6-3-1, which actually makes them the hottest team in this race.

Detroit is 5-4-1, as are the Columbus Blue Jackets. Recent winners of back-to-back games over the Wings, Columbus is seventh in the East with 68 points.

At 65 points, the Montreal Canadiens have won five in a row. Even at that, the Habs are only 6-4 through the past 10 games.

As such, and as you might expect, The Athletic asked Dom Luszczyszyn to offer “Three Reasons Why the Red Wings Are Unlikely to Make the Playoffs,” which is pretty easy for Luszczyszyn, whose beloved standings-predicting model like the Red Wings very much.

We’ll go with the obvious reason why the Wings’ road to the playoffs is a skate uphill, and leave reading about the rest to you:

Continue reading Skating uphill

HSJ in the morning: As the Wings’ management gathers for trade deadline discussions, the team’s players are betting upon themselves

The Free Press’s Helene St. James reports that the Red Wings’ management team has assembled ahead of Friday’s trade deadline at 3 PM EST, and as such, the team is bracing for the possibility of making acquisitions–or not making any additions:

Nicklas Lidstrom took the elevator up to the press box Tuesday and made his way to the management suite, eager to catch the Detroit Red Wings live as a crucial week nears the end point.

Lidstrom is one of a handful of advisors who have joined general manager Steve Yzerman in meetings this week to discuss what changes to make, if any, ahead of Friday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline. The Wings expect to have Michael Rasmussen available Thursday when they host the Utah Hockey Club, helping the depth down the middle. But the Wings could still use some help at center, in addition to addressing the lack of depth on defense.

…

It’s on Yzerman, Lidstrom, assistant general managers Kris Draper and Shawn Horcoff, plus pro scouts including Kirk Maltby, to parse whether there’s a bigger move that makes sense, that can be made at a reasonable cost to the rebuild.

Continue reading HSJ in the morning: As the Wings’ management gathers for trade deadline discussions, the team’s players are betting upon themselves

Tweet of note: WXYZ’s Galli tells the story of Hutson, a Make-a-Wish kid whose dream came true

From WXYZ’s Brad Galli: