Of disparate Red Wings-related note tonight:

First, WZZM 13 spoke with Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson about the surprising continuity of the Griffins’ leadership group going into tomorrow’s season opener in Cleveland, and the importance thereof…

The Athletic’s Max Bultman appeared on the Brad Galli Show to issue a Red Wings season preview…

And, after the jump, there’s a video short of David Pagnotta and Jeff Marek discussing Simon Edvinsson’s future as a Red Wing:

According to DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills, the Red Wings’ players and coach are “champing at the bit” to get the regular season started tomorrow when Detroit hosts the New York Rangers (6:30 PM EDT start on TNT/97.1 FM)…

“We’re super excited,” Alex DeBrincat said after Thursday morning’s practice. “Being one of the later games too —you’re watching the games on TV the past couple of nights, and you see the intensity, and it looks so fun out there. I think we’re definitely excited to get going and start off strong.”

Several Red Wings players and head coach Todd McLellan have shared they would rather have started their regular season a little earlier than Friday, but they know they can’t control how the 84-game slate is pieced together.

“We got to show up and be ready for the game,” DeBrincat said. “I think having a couple games on the nights before, we know the intensity is going to be there. It’ll be the Rangers’ third game and our first, so we got to be ready to play. They will have gotten some stuff out of their legs and made mistakes already, and we haven’t. We got to show up on time.”

But coach Todd McLellan is very aware of the fact that home openers can be a little rocky in terms of implementing a game plan, so he’s cautioning the Wings’ players to be ready for the unexpected…

“We’ll play the game,” McLellan said. “The games have been sloppy, in my opinion, watching again last night. So, if we can eliminate that, we’ll give ourselves a better chance of winning, and come Saturday morning, we’ll have a blueprint more to work off of.”

With coach McLellan emphasizing that getting off to a good start is essential for his charges:

Of Detroit’s 14 contests in October, only five are on the road — and seven of their first eight are at home.

“Early urgency,” McLellan said. “Another reason why we adopted that moniker, if you will. A chance to put our game together here at home. I don’t think fatigue should be a factor in these first eight or nine games. We’re not traveling all over the place, one back-to-back, so we should have good practice time. We should feel good about being in our building and being in front of our fans.”

Continued; McLellan’s right. Home openers are weird, and teams have to adapt in a hurry to the emotional ups and downs thereof.

Moreover, the New York Rangers come into tomorrow night’s game having played their home opener tonight, hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning this evening, so the Rangers are going to have their game legs under them going into their 3rd game of the season, and Detroit’s got to prepare for the probability of needing to work the kinks out without committing too many mistakes.

The Detroit Red Wings posted a press release online which details the special events, giveaways and happenings taking place over the Detroit Red Wings’ first four games at Little Caesars Arena, starting on Friday, October 2nd vs. the New York Rangers:

Detroit Red Wings Reveal Fan Details for 2026-27 Opening Week, including Opening Night on Friday, Oct. 2

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings will officially begin their 101st NHL campaign with 2026-27 Opening Night, presented by Coca-Cola and Meijer, on Friday, Oct. 2 against the Original Six-rival New York Rangers at Little Caesars Arena, with puck drop set for 6:30 p.m.

The Red Wings open the Hockeytown 101 campaign with four straight home games, including a Sergei Fedorov Bobblehead giveaway, presented by Little Caesars, and Kids Day on Sunday, Oct. 4, We Are Hockeytown: Hispanic Heritage Night on Tuesday, Oct. 6 and We Are Hockeytown: Pride Night on Friday, Oct. 9. More information on theme games and special ticket packages is available at DetroitRedWings.com/TicketOffers.

Friday, Oct. 2 vs. New York Rangers | Puck drop at 6:30 p.m.

Opening Night, presented by Coca-Cola and Meijer

Opening Night will begin with the annual fan-favorite Hockeytown Red Carpet Walk in the Chevrolet Plaza outside Little Caesars Arena, with fan arrival beginning at 2:30 p.m. The Hockeytown Red Carpet Walk is complimentary and is open to fans of all ages with or without game tickets, where attendees can interact with Red Wings players and coaches and get autographs on the red carpet.

Red Wings players and coaches will be escorted down the Red Carpet by youth participants from Detroit Red Wings Foundation partner organizations like Detroit PAL, Special Olympics Michigan, Clark Park Coalition, United Heroes League and more.

Little Caesars Arena doors open on Oct. 2 at 4:30 p.m., and before doors open, fans are welcome to visit the Little Caesars Arena restaurants. Once doors open, ticketed fans can enjoy photo opportunities and check out new Red Wings merchandise before puck drop at 6:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 6:15 p.m. to watch team introductions and this season’s pregame show.

According to Daily Faceoff’s Tyler Kuehl, the multi-talented Jeff Marek weighed in as to the Red Wings’ attempts to re-sign Simon Edvinsson during Thursday’s episode of DFO Live, saying this about the contract negotiations going sideways:

On Thursday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Jeff Marek joined Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton to explain why the Red Wings are screwing up the Edvinsson contract talks.

Jeff Marek: If you’re Simon Edvinsson, to me, to me the question is, ‘You you don’t want a bridge, right?’ So, you’re not looking at like a three-year deal, a four-year deal. You’re probably looking at, ‘I’m either going to take a two, which gets me to arbitration, or you’re going to take a seven, and a big number.’ We know what the comparables are now, starting with Zeev Buium. After Zeev Buium signed that ticket, I think we all looked around and said, ‘Oh man, what is that going to mean for Simon Edvinsson here, and the Detroit Red Wings?’

So, it feels like it’s one of the two. I understand Detroit’s position in the sense that they have an interim general manager, and they don’t want to get locked into long-term decisions made by someone who’s existing in an interim capacity or a caretaker’s capacity right now. But every time I hear that, I say, ‘Well, that’s the corner you’ve driven this car into, and somehow you have to get it out, right?’ There’s been a whole lot of like rake stepping that happened all summer long with the Detroit Red Wings, and it’s brought you to this. Now, this is only one piece of the puzzle, and you can make the argument that they’re all joined, but there’s Dylan Larkin, there’s Alex DeBrincat, etc., and there’s finding a full-time general manager.

Jeff Marek appears at the 18:36 mark of the podcast:

Three articles, one point: the Detroit Red Wings’ players and coaching staff are doing their best to navigate through the chaotic situation surrounding the team, from the messy GM search over the course of the summer to Dylan Larkin’s trade request, the bungled contract negotiations with Simon Edvinsson, and questions about the commitment from ownership to help the team win.

MLive’s Ansar Khan kicks us off with coach Todd McLellan’s take on how the Red Wings will try to change their trajectory from an also-ran or a draft lottery team to one that can compete for a playoff spot:

“We’re trying our darndest to change it,” Todd McLellan, entering his second full season as coach, said. “We’ve adjusted some things systematically. We want our guys to play harder and heavier and have brought a couple players in to do that. We’re going to have to spend less time in our zone. We’re going to have to spend more time in the O-zone. Will it be different than last year? I can’t read into the crystal ball, but we’re going to do everything we possibly can to make it better.”

Larkin won’t be in the lineup for Friday’s season-opener against the New York Rangers at Little Caesars Arena (6:30 p.m., TNT) due to an upper-body injury. His future with the organization is unclear. Edvinsson practiced with the team during training camp but there’s no telling when the restricted free agent will sign.

“We’re trying to keep everybody unified, everybody believing in the purpose and the goal,” McLellan said. “We’re not putting our heads in the sand and pretending some of these issues don’t exist. Once we deal with them internally, that will give us a chance and that can be our rallying point.”

Moritz Seider insists that the Red Wings can only focus upon themselves…and proving their critics wrong:

The Free Press’s Helene St. James gave an interview to WDET 101.9 FM’s Pat Bactcheller, and, over the course of the 6:47 interview, she addresses the Red Wings’ quiet summer, Simon Edvinsson’s situation, Dylan Larkin’s situation, and her bottom line speaks volumes:

Whether anyone wants Yzerman’s old job remains to be seen. St. James says the Larkin situation has tarnished the image of an Original Six team that won four Stanley Cups between 1997 and 2008.

“It’s just hard to understand how such a proud franchise could have gotten to this point.”

Continued; I try to play it straight, honestly, especially given how dire the atmosphere is around the Red Wings right now, but I’m as frustrated and dismayed as the rest of you are. I’m just trying to keep a stiff upper lip while the franchise flounders.

The Red Wings open the 2026-2027 season with 7 of their first 8 games held at Little Caesars Arena, and as such, the Wings feel that it’s imperative to get off to a strong start. Coach Todd McLellan and Alex DeBrincat spoke with the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan regarding the opportunities which lie before them:

McLellan coined the term “Early Urgency” before training camp, and the start of this season, with the home heavy schedule, plays into that.

“It’s a chance to put our game together at home,” McLellan said. “Fatigue shouldn’t be a factor. We’re not traveling all over the place. We should have good practice time. We should feel good about being in our home building, in front of our fans, and I’d like to see some real good positive results.”

Alex DeBrincat said it’s important for the Wings to play well on home ice.

“We have to be ready to defend home ice, that’s something we have to do well this season,” DeBrincat said. “It’s an important stretch for us. We want to start strong and get the confidence. It’s great to have all those home games.”

DeBrincat, who led the Wings with 41 goals last season, is skating on a line with Andrew Copp and Lucas Raymond, a line that is completely new given Larkin’s absence and the fact Patrick Kane has moved on to Chicago. Kane and DeBrincat were longtime linemates.

“I feel good with those two (Copp, Raymond),” DeBrincat said. “I feel we work hard and get pucks back and create off that. Both of those guys are so skilled. I feel good about us.”

Continued (paywall)

From the Grand Rapids Griffins:

DETROIT REASSIGNS GYLANDER TO TOLEDO

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Detroit Red Wings on Thursday reassigned goaltender Carter Gylander to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye from the Grand Rapids Griffins.

The Griffins will begin the AHL’s regular season tomorrow when they travel to Rocket Arena to face the Cleveland Monsters at 7 p.m.

Amongst MLive’s Ansar Khan’s practice notes are an update regarding Dylan Larkin’s status as out for at least the first two games due to an upper-body injury, a listing of the Red Wings’ likely lines for tomorrow night’s game, this about defenseman Andreas Englund…

Defenseman Andreas Englund, claimed off waivers from Calgary on Saturday, hasn’t skated the past two days due to immigration issues, which McLellan expects will be resolved soon.

“Swedes have to go to Canada to get their immigration done to come to the U.S. and Canada yesterday had a national holiday, so their offices were closed,” McLellan said. “He should have it in his hand today and be back late tonight if everything goes well.”

And this about tomorrow’s game-day festivities:

The Red Wings announced their annual Red Carpet Walk outside Little Caesars Arena before the home-opener. Fan arrival starts at 2:30 and it’s complimentary for anyone with or without game tickets.

Attendees can interact with Red Wings players and coaches and get autographs on the red carpet.

This is pretty cool. Red Wings prospect Max Plante is one of two University of Minnesota-Duluth players who will be spending his post-Christmas holiday playing against European and some North American pro hockey players in the Spengler Cup:

Ty Hanson and Max Plante Named to U.S. Collegiate Select 2026 Roster

More on Hanson and Plante: https://t.co/eZ2D2Nipae pic.twitter.com/yqzjsdzfaz

— UMD Men's Hockey (@UMDMensHockey) October 1, 2026

Per Minnesota-Duluth’s athletic website: