Author: George Malik

The Detroit Red Wings concluded their preseason with a 3-3-and-2 record thanks to a 3-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ “A Team” on Saturday night. The undermanned “B Team” gave the Leafs a good effort, especially thanks to two goals from the Copp line (one from Fischer and one from Copp himself), and Ville Husso was excellent in stopping 30 of 33 shots…

But the Wings could not withstand the Maple Leafs’ All-Star power play, which went 2-for-4, or All-Star lineup, which plain old out-lasted a Red Wings team that looked physically and mentally tired as it wrapped up a bafflingly tight schedule of 8 games played in 11 nights–including 6 games this week alone (split-squad games against Pittsburgh and Buffalo on Tuesday included).

I never understand why the Red Wings choose to play 8 exhibition games–I think that 6 games in 2 weeks is a real maximum for the team to realistically contribute–and it’s a small miracle that Shai Buium and Tim Gettinger end the exhibition season on the IR, with Ondrej Becher already injured before the Prospect Games began.

The game’s narrative will be told in sparing fashion as the vast majority of the Red Wings’ press corps did not fly to Toronto to take in the game, which wasn’t aired on Metro Detroit TV stations, either.

The Free Press’s Helene St. James relates the game’s details quite well…

The Detroit Red Wings concluded their 8-games-in-11-nights preseason schedule by traveling to Toronto with their “B Team” to play the Maple Leafs’ “A Team” on Saturday night.

To some extent, the “how’s” of the Red Wings players’ performances would matter much more than the result of the game, because the Leafs’ constellation of stars tends to overwhelm visiting teams’ best lineups; going into the game, the Red Wings possessed a 3-3-and-1 record over the course of 7 exhibition games played, so mastering the details of the game and systems play–and getting Ville Husso some “reps”–were what counted on Saturday night.

Still, Toronto’s “B Team” took a 2-0 decision from the Red Wings on Thursday night, and these teams are always rivals, so the Red Wings wouldn’t mind taking a chunk out of the Leafs on Saturday evening.

Ultimately, the Maple Leafs out-lasted the Red Wings, and out-shot the shit out of them, with Toronto taking a 33-20 shot advantage–and a 15-1 shot advantage in the 2nd period–en route to a 3-2 win over the Red Wings.

Christian Fischer tipped a shot from Andrew Copp past Joseph Woll only 3:33 into the 1st, and after Stephen Lorentz tied the game, Copp scored a goal of his own from William Wallinder and Joe Snively on the PP at 16:58…

But from there on out, it was all Toronto, and Ville Husso is the reason that the score didn’t get out of hand…

Well, Husso, and players like Copp, Fischer, Rasmussen, Veleno, Berggren, Mazur, Johansson, Wallinder and the rest of a very young Wings team, which received tons of ice time and lots of good lessons learned against an All-Star Maple Leafs team.

Detroit wraps up its preseason going 3-3-and-2 while playing 8 times in 11 nights; the players have tomorrow off from practice, but the team will have to make its cut-down from 41 to 23 players by Monday at 5 PM.

Most likely, the Wings will make their cuts on Sunday, deciding the fates of 18 players, including Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, who may stay in North America after all.

In terms of the game’s narrative…

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen wonders aloud whether the Red Wings are considering retaining Marco Kasper on the team’s initial 23-man roster, or whether Justin Holl might be waived in order to keep Kasper around:

Detroit Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde says he has never undestood the drama surrounding who makes the roster coming out of training camp.

“Grand Rapids is two hours away,” Lalonde said. “We’ll have played 33 players by Christmas… Maybe it’s a little old school, maybe that’s where it was 20, 25 years ago. You made the team on Day 1. I think in reality, we’re probably going to have 15 forwards, 10 D that are going to play for us and make our team. So it’ll be very interesting how it plays out in the next couple days.”

It’s hard to know who needs that message more. The media? Fan base? Or is it, Marco Kasper?  The Austrian center seems like he has made a serious bid to make the opening day roster.  He plays hard, brings considerable energy and his two-goal game Friday showed his scoring may be coming around.

The argument for finding room for him is that he could put a youthful charge into the team. The Detroit Tigers have used that strategy effectively. With Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson also joining Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond, adding Kasper would make it seem like we are turning the corner on the rebuild. Nate Danielson and Carter Mazur aren’t far behind Kasper.

Allen continues…

Per the Detroit Red Wings:

RED WINGS REDUCE PRESEASON ROSTER TO 41

  … Detroit Concludes Preseason Schedule with Road Game Against Toronto Maple Leafs at 7:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Arena; Game to be Streamed on DetroitRedWings.com  …

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today released forward Isaac Ratcliffe from his professional tryout, assigned forwards Alexandre Doucet, Amadeus Lombardi and Jakub Rychlovský to the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins, and assigned goaltender Gage Alexander to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. Additionally, the Red Wings have designated forward Tim Gettinger and defenseman Shai Buium as injured non-roster, while forward Ondřej Becher will continue his rehab in Grand Rapids.

The Red Wings have released forwards Hunter Johannes and Dominik Shine, and defenseman Josiah Didier from their professional tryouts, returning them to Grand Rapids. The Griffins have also assigned forwards Carson Bantle and Gabriel Seger, defenseman Chaz Reddekopp, and goaltender Jan Bednar to Toledo.

The Red Wings currently have 41 players on their training camp roster: 21 forwards, 14 defensemen and six goaltenders. Currently at 3-2-2 through seven preseason games, Detroit concludes its preseason schedule with a road game against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight (Saturday, Oct. 5) at 7:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Arena. The game will be streamed on DetroitRedWings.com.

Red Wings executive VP of Hockey Operations Nicklas Lidstrom was in Prague to take in the “NHL Global Series” between the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils, and he spoke with NHL.com/sv’s Peter Ekholm about the experience. What follows is roughly translated from Swedish:

Why are you here in Prague?

“The NHL is back in Europe, and it’s also with two teams that are in our Eastern Conference. I’m excited to have NHL hockey back in Europe again, really.”

The team that’s not here that you know well is your Detroit Red Wings. Lucas Raymond has just signed a new long-term contract. What do you think that the future looks like for the team, and what do you think about the current situation, and what he can contribute?

“I think that we have a very bright future. We are pleased that we’ve signed both Raymond and Moritz Seider to long-term contracts. Lucas had a very good second half of last season. And when we had injuries to our forwards, Lucas stepped up for us. We expect him to bring that into this season.”

What do you think of the Swedish players who are here? Jacob Markstrom in particular, what do you think that he can bring to the Devils? And Rasmus Dahlin, who is in his first season as [Buffalo’s] captain?

“Markstrom had a great first game yesterday [Friday night]. He was really standing on his head. They got a goal on him late in the 3rd, but I think that he played very well for the Devils. Jesper Bratt is another player who I’m impressed with. He works hard, he’s smart and he plays on both sides of the puck. A really stable player. Dahlin, it will be interesting to see him this season now that he is the captain. He will feel more pressure on his shoulders. But I think that he’s ready for that next step. He’s gotten better and better every year he’s been in the league, and I’m looking forward to seeing him play.”

There’s the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, a tournament in which Sweden, Finland, the U.S.A. and Canada will all participate. How do you think that the tournament will go?

“It will be an exciting tournament. Seeing the best players in the world have a chance to play against each other. Playing on the smaller rinks, like in the NHL. I’m sure that it’s going to be a fun tournament to watch.”

As the Hockey News’s Connor Eargood notes, Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde made an interesting point during today’s media availability–he suggested that media and Red Wings fans alike need not despair if their favorite role player or prospect does not make the Wings’ roster out of training camp:

“Everyone makes such a big deal of making the team on day one, and I’ve never understood it,” Lalonde said. “Because Grand Rapids is two hours away. We’ll have played 33 players by Christmas. … Maybe it’s a little old school, maybe that’s where it was 20-25 years ago — you made the team on day one. I think in reality, we’re probably going to have 15 forwards, 10 D that are going to play for us and make our team. So it will be very interesting to see how it all plays out in the next couple days.”

Lalonde isn’t wrong. Unusually lucky on the injury front last season, Detroit still saw 28 different players skate in at least one game. Four goalies, eight defensemen, 16 forwards. Even if a player isn’t on the initial 23-man roster in October, there are 82 opportunities or more to get to the NHL.

For Kasper, Danielson and Mazur, even if they don’t make the roster this weekend, there are still plenty of opportunities for them to reach the NHL later in the year. That’s a product of the skills they flashed since training camp commenced, as well as the upside of their potential growth. But it’s also due to their ability to play a variety of roles, which might be most important.

Ultimately, the Red Wings are going to make decisions in terms of calling up players based upon what roles the players might fulfill when they’re recalled, and, as Eargood suggests, the fact that Marco Kasper, Nate Danielson and Carter Mazur can play in pretty much every situation bodes well for them:

“It’s a reality of development and growing guys in the league,” Lalonde said. “What I like about a lot of our prospects, and I’ve mentioned this a few times, is even though they’re 1A and are high picks or mid-first round picks, they’ve got some two-way DNA already in them. I mean, Marco, Danielson, Mazur — you can see these guys in camp winning battles, having energy, having a little grit to them. That’s what excites me about the development of some of these guys.”

Instead of a question of whether these prospects can deliver in an NHL lineup, their overall versatility changes the question to whether it’s good for them to play a certain role. Because they can defend and influence play at both ends of the rink, they don’t limit themselves to one type of opportunity with their play. They can impact the game from the second line down to the fourth.

At the same time, Lalonde suggested that the Wings won’t go with their younger players by default when it’s time to plug a hole in the lineup:

Role versatility doesn’t automatically mean that these prospects will top the list of call-up candidates. Consider a hypothetical pitched by Lalonde: “I think the tougher decision when we start getting into those call-ups is do you bring Player A knowing it’s a three game road trip and he plays in a lesser role? Or do you bring Player B who’s going to miss out on 20 minutes, both power play and PK down in Grand Rapids?”

Continued; there’s not a simple answer as to “who’s ready” when the Red Wings make call-ups, but we all know that, in due time, anyway, the Wings have three bright prospects in Kasper, Danielson and Mazur, and they’re all likely to make the NHL to stay at some point in the near future.

Of Red Wings prospect-related note in the SHL today:

Axel Sandin Pellikka finished at -1 with 4 shots in 23:24 played as Skelleftea AIK lost 4-1 to Linkopings HC;

Noah Dower Nilsson finished even with 3 shots and a minor penalty taken in 13:03 played as Frolunda HC won 2-1 in overtime over the Malmo Redhawks;

And Anton Johansson finished even with 2 shots taken in Leksands IF’s 2-1 loss to Orebro Hockey. Leksand is really struggling this season, so there’s already talk of big changes being made.

The Red Wings dropped a 4-3 OT decision to the Ottawa Senators last night, but the physical, mental and emotional rivalry with the Senators team carried over from last season in a big way, and that was fine with the Red Wings, who were happy that pro try-out Austin Watson got into it with Senators forward Jan Jenik–even though Watson ended up being ejected, and gave the Senators a 5-minute power play.

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan discusses the situation today:

“I actually liked it a lot,” Lalonde said. “It energized our guys.”

Watson was scheduled to be in the lineup Saturday in Toronto, the Wings’ final preseason game, and get one final opportunity to show what he can provide. Rosters must be set by Monday at 5 p.m. and Watson appears to be on the cusp of making the roster. The physicality Watson brings, the ability to make opponents think twice about taking advantage of the Wings, could be an important ingredient they might choose to keep.

“It’s amazing, just one guy with that mentality helps the group out a ton,” Lalonde said. “Up to that point, Austin was good in his game. He kills penalties, he had a beautiful Grade A chance on the back door, five-on-five. He’s done some good things with his play also.”

Watson is probably going to have at least a couple of tussles with Ryan Reaves, who the Leafs are dressing as Calle Jarnkrok’s nursing a minor injury…

Long after Watson was ejected, Ottawa’s Cole Reinhardt took exception to Simon Edvinsson delivering a clean, hard hit on a Senators teammate. Reinhardt skated toward Edvinsson and began to engage, but Edvinsson easily hauled Reinhardt to the ice before the scuffle was broken up, much to the delight of the Little Caesars Arena crowd.

The Wings did a good job of sticking up for each other last season. Friday’s responses were a sign they are determined to come to each other’s aid.

“It gets us to stick together,” defenseman Olli Maatta said. “We did that. That’s the toughness you need. It’s not necessarily fighting anymore but it’s a team spirit. Don’t back down and you support your teammates, your partner, your linemates. That’s the mindset we’ve had all three years I’ve been here and we’re going to keep doing that.”

Continued; I’m not as big a fan of the rough stuff in the preseason, but everybody needs to find a spark somehow.

Update: Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff also discussed Austin Watson’s play:

Ahead of tonight’s game against Toronto (7 PM EDT on DetroitRedWings.com/TSN4/ESPN+), DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills spoke with coach Derek Lalonde and coach Christian Fischer about the team’s mentality coming off their 4-3 OT loss to Ottawa, and looking forward:

“For whatever reason, Ottawa is a big rivalry,” Christian Fischer said. “Honestly, I don’t think too many guys mind it. Preseason, I think it’s good to get those emotions back. There’s going to be 82 games of that type of emotion. It’s nice to get a little feistiness in the game and show that fire.”

Fischer said he believes the value of the preseason differs for each player, but everyone benefits from experiencing game-like situations ahead of the regular season.

“The main thing is just getting going and getting up to speed,” Fischer said. “Obviously your habits and stuff get going, but just the emotion, competitiveness and energy that comes with Game 1. I still remember the feeling from our home opener last year, and how fun that was.”

And beyond preparing for the upcoming campaign, Detroit’s Training Camp has been an opportunity for players to set the compete level they want to have all season long.

“Every team wants to be competitive, and everybody is, but I think our identity as a team,” Fischer said about what he hopes the Red Wings carry from camp into this season. “We have very different types of players from every which way. When we’re all on our game, the word that comes to my mind is relentless. When we’re all nonstop and staying above guys, checking and forechecking, when every line is playing their role correctly, we’re a really good team.”

Continued; the Wings will indeed have to play relentless hockey to battle their way into a playoff spot this upcoming season.

The Red Wings have substantial cuts to make to their roster to get it down to 23-man compliance by Monday at 5 PM, and Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen notes that the cuts will begin tonight, and will probably be announced tomorrow:

The Detroit Red Wings finish their preseason schedule tonight with a road game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Decision-making about the team’s final roster could start minutes after that games is completed.

“We’ll probably start getting into even right after postgame tonight into tomorrow, a lot of moving parts, obviously so and some tough decision,” Lalonde said. “I think I’ve mentioned going into camp. I hope we sit here after the eight games with some very hard decisions and you guys have seen our young guys have done that to us. So something we’ll work through the next couple days. ”

Cuts will start tomorrow, and then NHL teams have until 5 p.m. to finalize their rosters. Among the decisions that GM Steve Yzerman has to make: Are the Red Wings still comfortable with keeping three goalies? Who is the winner of the preseason goalie competition? Also, is Yzerman willing to carve out a spot or spots for some younger players, particularly Marco Kasper?

As if the decisions weren’t tough enough, the Red Wings squandered a two-goal a third-period lead Friday in losing in overtime to Ottawa. Does this team need a push through a youth infusion?

“I really think our core has led in a good way,” Lalonde said. “But the push from some of those young guys has elevated the camp. “

Continued; pro try-out Austin Watson’s future hangs in the balance as well.