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Two DHN things: on Rakell and Rust’s likely prices; Bednar says goodbye for now

Of Red Wings-related note from Detroit Hockey Now this morning:

  1. The Pittsburgh Penguins are reportedly shopping wingers Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust this summer, with GM Kyle Dubas assessing the market value for his two productive forwards. Today, Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen defers to his National Hockey Now colleague, Pittsburgh Hockey Now’s Dan Kingerski, to determine what it would take to pry Rackell or Rust away from the Penguins:

Kingerski’s take on the Rakell value in the marketplace: “A good B+ level prospect or young player, a draft pick in the 25th to 48th range (first half of the second round), and based on the value (or lack thereof) of the first two assets, perhaps a depth NHL player, such as a bottom-six forward, backup goalie, or third-pair defenseman type, whom Dubas could flip for another asset.”

Kingerski believes the “sky-high” price for Rust would be “a guaranteed first-round pick and a young player who projects to be able to fill Rust’s role within a season or two.”

“Rust is difficult to pin down because, like its value, there are intangibles,” Kingerski wrote. “On paper, Rust and Rakell should not be much different, but they very much are. There’s as much emotion involved in the acquisition as there is value. Rust would be an extraordinary addition to a team that wants to learn how to win. Hello, Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, Anaheim Ducks, or even the Ottawa Senators.”

Kingerski added: “Could he turn Detroit, Buffalo, or even the Anaheim Ducks into a playoff team? Well, yes. Not only does that step in success mean team growth, it also means fan growth and millions in playoff revenues. So, every GM who calls can argue what Rust is worth on paper, but Dubas has been wise to hold on because those intangible values can also help the Penguins get from here to there in their transition.”

Continued; while Rust is a grittier forward at 33 years of age, I honestly prefer the 32-year-old Rackell because he’s got more foot speed and is a little more dynamic in terms of his playmaking, but Rust is more of a net-front guy, so it’s “po-tay-to, po-tah-to” when it comes to the interests of teams who weren’t able to add an impact forward during free agency.

At this point, the trade marketplace IS that “sky high” in terms of these two players’ respective values, which is pretty much where Kingerski’s pegged them.

2. Shifting gears, the Red Wings lost a player “in the system” when Grand Rapids Griffins-contracted goaltender Jan Bednar left the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye for Assat Pori of the Finnish Liiga this summer, chasing a bigger paycheck.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff reports that Bednar holds no grudges toward the Wings organization, and as he’s still quite young at 22, Bednar will give the NHL another try in a couple of seasons:

Continue reading Two DHN things: on Rakell and Rust’s likely prices; Bednar says goodbye for now

Talking about Simon Edvinsson’s RFA status next summer

Bleacher Report’s Lyle Richardson looks ahead to the 2026 offseason this morning, discussing a top 10 list’s worth of players who will be restricted free agents next summer. Richardson begins his list by discussing Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson’s status as he will graduate from his entry-level contract (PuckPedia has Edvinsson earning $894,167 this season) next spring:

10. Simon Edvinsson, Detroit Red Wings

The 2024-25 season was a disappointment for the Detroit Red Wings. Expected to finally emerge as a playoff team following several years of rebuilding, they fell short down the stretch for the second straight year, finishing five points out of a wild-card berth.

One bright spot was the play of Simon Edvinsson. Appearing in his first full NHL campaign, the 22-year-old left-shot defenseman earned a full-time position on their second blue-line pairing, finishing with 31 points and sitting third among their skaters with 21:01 of ice time per game.

Edvisson’s size and skills also earned the 6’6”, 209-pound blueliner some playing time on the top pairing alongside Moritz Seider. The duo provided a tantalizing preview of what could become the Wings’ top defense line for years.

Should Edvisson continue his development as expected, he’ll put himself in line for a big raise coming out of his entry-level contract. Wings management will want to keep his annual cap hit below Seider’s $8.55 million. Depending on his play, he could get an AAV of around $6.5 million.

Continued; unless Edvinsson’s offensive production rises like a rocket over the course of 2025-2026, I think that Richardson’s estimation of a $6.5-million-ish salary is spot-on.

Right now, somewhere between $6 and $7.5 million is the market value for a 30-point-producing, promising young defenseman (Edvinsson turns 23 next February, and he posted 7 goals and 24 assists for a total of 31 points in 78 games played this past season).

With the salary cap rapidly escalating over the course of the next three seasons, I’m sure that the Red Wings will be aggressive in attempting to sign Edvinsson to a new contract before next summer. If they can land under $7.5 million, he’ll be a bargain in two or three years.

Allen’s top 10 Red Wings prospects (and their estimated times of arrival)

Mid-summer is usually a time for list-making in the hockey world, and Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen has compiled a list of his top 10 Detroit Red Wings prospects, including their estimated time of arrival on the Wings’ NHL roster. It’s a subscriber-only story, however, so here’s a peek behind the paywall:

1. Defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka (17th, 2023)

The hope that Sandin Pellikka could come to Red Wings training camp, win a job and become a puck-moving defenseman like Quinn Hughes has been washed away by a more realistic appraisal. He’s still an elite prospect, certainly one of the best defensemen Sweden has produced. He could still make the Detroit roster.

But the more likely scenario is that ASP will spend some time figuring out the North American game in Grand Rapids.  After about 20 games, we will have a better handle of whether he’s ready for this jump.

“I think it was great that Axel came over at the end of his season to play some games in Grand Rapids to get a feel mostly for playing more games at the pro level on the North American ice surface,” GM Steve 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, which is even faster that it’s a different game than in Europe. And he’s got some work to do. And if he works, and we’re expecting him to, and I believe he is, really has a good summer, gets a little bit stronger, a little bit quicker and that’ll help him prepare himself for a good training camp and preseason. But he’s really going to have to just force his way into the lineup. “

Continued (paywall); there’s an honorable mention as well…

Tweet of note: Milestones within reach for Patrick Kane this upcoming season

Red Wings forward Patrick Kane can pass Mike Modano for first in U.S.-born scoring this upcoming season…

Kane also has 492 goals at present, so he’s going to hit the 500-goal mark soon.

Ben Chiarot and family hope to pass $1 million raised as ‘Scotland’s Yard’ street hockey tournament continues this Saturday

Per Cambridge Today, Red Wings defenseman Ben Chiarot champions a street hockey tournament which raises funds for pediatric care in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. The “Scotland’s Yard” tournament hopes to hit the $1 million mark in terms of its charitable proceeds raised over the course of the event:

Since its inaugural year in 2022, the tournament has netted $865,000 to support kids’ care – and this year, the goal is to hit the $1 million mark. WRHN @ Midtown is home to one of the largest Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario POGO clinics in the province, serving children and families for more than 25 years. Many children are initially diagnosed out of region and return home for local care – but they still face frequent travel for scans and specialized treatments. The Scotland’s Yard campaign aims to change that.

“I’ve seen firsthand the burden on families who need to travel for care. Our goal with Scotland’s Yard is that no family has to leave their community to receive world-class healthcare during the unimaginable,” says Jacqueline Chiarot, honorary co-chair of the tournament. Jacqueline and her husband, Detroit Red Wings defenceman Ben Chiarot, partnered with the hospital foundation to help launch the tournament after their friends’ daughter, Scotland (Scottie), was diagnosed with cancer.

Now a healthy five-year-old, Scottie was diagnosed at three months old and had to travel outside the region for treatment. She continues to receive some follow-up care in Hamilton. As in previous tournaments, this year’s Scotland’s Yard event brings in several professional players and NHL alumni to coach teams, including: Chiarot, Gregory Campbell, Mike Hoffman, Loren Gable, Nick Spaling, Adam Graves, Laura Fortino and more.

Ninety-six teams registered this year – 32 more than in 2024 – a record for the tournament. Community members are encouraged to donate to registered teams to help them reach their fundraising goals, and to attend the tournament to watch the competition, meet the hockey pros, and help augment children’s care in our community. Donors can also make an impact by bidding on silent auction items, including a signed William Nylander Toronto Maple Leafs jersey, until Sunday (July 20. View the complete silent auction collection here.

“We’ve seen how our community has supported Scotland’s Yard Road Hockey Classic in the past, and we want people to know the difference they’re making,” says Ashley Howat, VP of Strategic Initiatives, WRHN Foundation. “Whether you’re playing in the tournament, donating to support a team, or bidding on a silent auction prize, you are fuelling innovation, promoting connection and impacting the way WRHN can deliver kids’ care in massive ways.”

Expecting the power play to perform

According to Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen, the Red Wings’ power play should be a strength for the team to lean upon this upcoming season:

One of the key performers in Detroit’s organization may be assistant coach Alex Tanguay. Presuming the younger players will continue to improve, Detroit’s offense could be modestly improved this season. But Detroit’s playoff hopes are still dependent upon having power play effectiveness similar to last season. Tanguay is in charge of the power play. Detroit was tied with the Vegas Golden Knights for the NHL’s best power-play percentage (30.2 percent) from the time of their coaching change (hired Todd McLellan on Dec. 26) through the end of the 2024-25 season.

Continued; the Wings’ PP isn’t going to keep running at 30%, but having a potent power play is absolutely essential to ensure that the Red Wings have their own “enforcer” when opponents take bad penalties.

2025 draft pick Eddie Genborg is a ‘PITA’ in the best sense of the term

The Red Wings drafted 6’2,” 205-pound forward Eddie Genborg with the 44th overall pick in this past June’s 2025 NHL Draft, and Genborg is, for lack of a better term, a pain in the ass to play against.

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted a profile of Genborg today:

Genborg made no secret of what kind of player the Wings were getting. He enjoys the physical aspect of the game and making life difficult for opponents.

“I’m a very physical player,” Genborg said. “Pretty good skater and love to compete on the ice. Maybe around two years ago I found out that I have a pretty big body and if I’m being good at being physical, it can take me very long (way). So, I started from there.”

Genborg had 34 points (19 goals, 15 assists) in 28 games for Linkoping’s junior team last season, while adding two goals in two games with their Swedish Hockey League team. He also had three assists in seven games for Sweden’s world junior team.

Genborg, 18, is returning to Sweden this season, and there’s no timetable to beginning his North American pro career. But Genborg is already looking forward to getting to play in the smaller rinks here, where his style of play could be a seamless fit.

“I’ve played on the small rink, and I really like to play on it,” he said. “It fits me good. It’ll be a good, big key for me. I’m a physical player and I like to play a physical (game) and compete on the ice.”

Continued with comments from Kris Draper and Steve Yzerman…And it should be noted that Genborg is heading to Henrik Zetterberg’s former team, Timra IK, to play in the SHL this upcoming season.

Red Wings to take part in ‘Canadian Thanksgiving’ doubleheader

Of Red Wings Twitter-related note:

Update: Also of note:

Bultman discusses the youth movement in his mailbag 2.0

The Athletic’s Max Bultman filed a mailbag feature a couple of days ago, and, this morning, Bultman offers a second mailbag story:

After the Red Wings sent Marco Kasper to Grand Rapids to start the season last year, in favor of keeping back-of-the-roster veterans, is there any hope for prospects who have not made their Red Wings debut yet to make the opening-day roster without injuries in front of them? — Peter N.

Kasper was outstanding last preseason and, in my view, deserved a spot on the opening-night roster. That he didn’t start there does seem to indicate how hard it will be for any young player to win a spot outright.

I do think Kasper’s case is also instructive in another, more encouraging way: He still played 77 games last season. Opening night holds some special symbolic meaning, but Kasper only ended up missing five games total. He still made a full-season impact for the Red Wings. It’s a good reminder that the October roster is just a snapshot of a moment in time, and isn’t an end-all, be-all.

Beyond that, the Red Wings’ hole at top-line left wing right now does at least open the door to a youngster in a way that hasn’t always been the case. Remember that Lucas Raymond was once ticketed to start his age-19 season in Grand Rapids, if not for the fact that Jakub Vrana got hurt, creating room high in the lineup.

Now, I don’t know if Nate Danielson, Carter Mazur, Amadeus Lombardi or Michael Brandsegg-Nygård is going to have as dazzling a camp as Raymond did. That’s a high bar. However, if one does, the fact that there’s an upper-lineup spot seemingly available is an interesting factor. Detroit has tended to prefer its young players earn a prominent role in order to make the big club, and there might actually be one up for grabs this year.

Today, I wouldn’t predict any of them to make the cut opening night, but it wouldn’t surprise me if one or more of Danielson, Mazur or maybe even Lombardi play a significant number of games in Detroit next year.

Continued (paywall); the Red Wings are running pretty lean in terms of their AHL depth right now, but it would not surprise me if they stack the Grand Rapids Griffins with some AHL veterans who may supplant the Wings’ youngsters on the depth chart.

The bottom line for most young players is pretty simple: they have to take a veteran’s job in order to make an organization’s NHL roster on a full-time basis.

There are definitely times when a rookie or young player will slot into the lineup due to an injury suffered during training camp or the exhibition season, but a situation like Kasper’s isn’t particularly common. Players like Danielson, Mazur, Lombardi or Brandsegg-Nygard will have uphill battles in terms of winning roster spots this upcoming season.