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More than a pair of fists

The Hockey News’s Connor Eargood notes that Red Wings forward Austin Watson, who signed a 1-year, 2-way contract today, has a multi-faceted game which intrigues the Red Wings:

Watson also made life easier on himself by proving that he isn’t a one-dimensional enforcer. He fights, sure, but he also brings other skills to the table. And when liking Watson’s fight and signing him to a contract are two different things, it takes more than hard fists to get an NHL contract in today’s NHL. Throughout his PTO, Watson proved his ability to impact games in different ways.

If Detroit wanted to see skill, Watson showed it when he made a beautiful backdoor pass to linemate Tyler Motte in the Red Wings’ first preseason game. If Detroit wanted Watson’s physicality to transcend dropped gloves, he finished 12 hits in his preseason game in Pittsburgh, more than double the next nearest teammate. And if Detroit wanted to see that Watson could hold his own in games that didn’t get testy, Saturday’s final preseason tilt in Toronto saw Watson block a couple of shots and kill penalties against an NHL-heavy Toronto lineup. 

Watson showed everything he can do for Detroit in all facets of the game, earning him his big contract. This was the plan all along for Watson, and he used his niche role to turn a low-percentage tryout into an NHL roster spot.

It’s a role Watson carved out just to play in the NHL. He jokes that he got tired of riding in buses, that he likes playing in the NHL, so he figured out a way to stick around. As a former first round pick, Watson came into the league with plenty of skill, but that can only go so far.

“Can you can you get good at the intangible things?” Watson explained of his career decisions. “Can you get good at forechecking? Can you get good at playing in your own end? Can you get good at penalty killing? A lot of things like that. And sometimes guys don’t want to do that.”

Continued; Watson is going to fit in well as a 12th/13th forward.

Allen: Thursday’s home opener will conflict with a Tigers playoff game

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen notes that Red Wings fans should be planning ahead if they’re heading downtown for Thursday’s home opener:

The Red Wings open the 2024-25 season Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Little Caesars Arena (7 p.m.). Fans attending the game might want to arrive early if the MLB playoff series between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians is still ongoing. Game 4 is scheduled to be played that night at Comerica Park.

Same old stuff

I’m going to roll my eyes at Daily Faceoff’s Scott Maxwell and Hunter Crowther’s assessment of the Red Wings as a “fringe playoff team” in a set of power rankings which are tiered instead of numbered. He’s not wrong that the Red Wings got lucky last season in some instances, but I believe that you earn your luck:

Detroit Red Wings

Scott: Were the Red Wings playoff chances decided on the final day? Yes. But at the same time, they relied a lot on luck to make that happen, and they did not make any drastic changes to the roster this year outside of swapping David Perron for Vladimir Tarasenko. They might see some improvement if they don’t give Moritz Seider the worst usage in the league, but they currently have him paired with Ben Chiarot again, so my confidence isn’t all that high.

Hunter: I’m just going to come out and say it — the league is better when the Red Wings are better. So watching Steve Yzerman be satisfied with mediocre veterans on the blue ine (e.g. Erik Gustafsson) and a lack of bottom-six depth up front is frustrating. Is 37-year-old Cam Talbot taking you to the promised land? Or soon-to-be 36-year-old Patrick Kane? 

Continued; Yeah, there are some “old Wings” for sure, but the youth movement is imminent.

Tarasenko’s got more to give

The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton notes that Red Wings forward Vladimir Tarasenko still looks like he’s adjusting to the Red Wings’ systems, at least as evidenced by his up-and-down preseason play, per coach Derek Lalonde:

“I certainly hope so,” Derek Lalonde replied, when asked Saturday by The Hockey News whether the physical side of Tarasenko’s game is under-appreciated, before suggesting he was something less than entirely satisfied. “Vlad has two goals for us. I think last night he did his job in that he finished [to put the Red Wings] up 3-1. I would like to think a little more detailed, motivated group would’ve finished that off when it matters, but obviously that wasn’t the case last night, which is frustrating.”  In the last sentence, he was describing the Red Wings’ collective effort against Ottawa Thursday, but his subsequent remarks made clear the same applied to Tarasenko.

“You can see how we’re built,” continued Lalonde. “We’re very light with some of our skill throughout the lineup, and it shows up in puck battles, retrievals. There’s nights it can be not good enough. I think he’s just a little bit bigger, and we would like him to help out a little more. I’m glad he’s started to maybe try to get his game in order.”

In that sentiment, Lalonde suggests that the promise of Tarasenko lies in his ability to add both grit and skill at the same time to Detroit’s top six. In this regard, Tarasenko serves as a direct replacement to David Perron, albeit with perhaps slightly different toggling on the skill and grit sliders, whose spot in the top six Tarasenko fills after Perron signed in Ottawa. However, Lalonde’s comments also suggest that he hasn’t quite lived up to that billing to date.  

Continued; Tarasenko was more than a little stiff over the course of his preseason games, but I think that after 10-15 games of adjustment, he should fit right into the Wings’ systems of play.

Press release: Griffins sign Malcolm Subban to pro try-out

Per the Grand Rapids Griffins:

MALCOLM SUBBAN SIGNS PTO WITH GRIFFINS

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins on Monday signed goaltender Malcolm Subban to a professional tryout.

The former 24th overall pick in 2012 appeared in 35 AHL games last season between Springfield and Cleveland, showing a combined 11-17-4 record with a 3.12 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. Throughout his AHL career, Subban has an 89-78-29 ledger to go along with a 2.65 GAA and a .911 save percentage in 206 outings. The 30-year-old has also spent nine campaigns in the NHL, producing a 36-34-9 mark with a 3.10 GAA and a .898 save percentage in 87 appearances.  

The Griffins will begin practices in Grand Rapids today at 2:30 p.m. at Griff’s IceHouse at Belknap Park in preparation for Friday’s season opener against the Milwaukee Admirals at 7 p.m. at Van Andel Arena.

Fans can secure their full-season, select-season or group ticket packages by calling (616) 774-4585 ext. 2 or visit griffinshockey.com for more information. Single-game tickets for the Griffins’ 2024-25 season can be purchased through griffinshockey.com/tickets.

Lalonde’s coaching for his contract this upcoming season

Sports Illustrated’s Jon Alfano suggests that the Red Wings’ head coach is on a short leash this season, which he is:

After coming that close [to making the playoffs] last season, the expectation is to finish the job this time. If not, then there will be serious questions about the team’s leadership.

Maybe that’s an understatement, though, as there are already some questions out there. The Athletic’s NHL staff recently made predictions for the upcoming season, including who will be the first head coach fired. Detroit’s Derek Lalonde received 21.4 percent of the vote, tied with Pittsburgh Penguins bench boss Mike Sullivan for the most votes.

Lalonde, 52, came to Detroit after four years as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning. In two seasons, he has a 76-69-19 record behind the Red Wings’ bench.

The Brasher Falls, New York native is in the final season of his three-year contract, so if he starts the season poorly, he could be on his way out soon.

Detroit fans are among the most-passionate in the league, but as previously mentioned, they haven’t had much to celebrate over the past several years. They’ve remained patient over general manager Steve Yzerman’s first few years in charge, but that patience is now waning. Another season without a playoff appearance could very well cause some heads to roll in Motor City.

For the sake of Lalonde, and potentially others, a playoff berth is almost a necessity.

Continued; we all know that the last sentence is accurate. It’s a lot easier to change the coaching staff than it is to change the roster, and as much as I respect coach Lalonde, he is on an expiring contract this season, which means that he’s “playing for his contract” like any player this year.

‘Bold Predictions’ from Bultman

The Athletic’s Max Bultman makes “bold predictions” regarding the Red Wings this morning, and we’ll start at the beginning, and end at the end:

1. Dylan Larkin scores 40 goals

Boldness level: 3 out of 5
Confidence level: 60 percent

OK, I’m using this one for the second year in a row. It fell short for me last year, but I stand by the spirit of it! Larkin had 33 goals in 68 games, which over an 82-game season totals out to a 39.7-goal pace.

Still, the franchise’s 40-goal drought is now at 15 seasons, not reached since Marian Hossa in 2008-09. But I think Larkin is the guy to break it. He’s found a whole new level as a scorer over the past three seasons, and last year Detroit finally surrounded him with the kind of talent needed to threaten 40. On most nights, Larkin will be playing with two of Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane. His results last season proved what that looks like on the scoresheet.

The question now is just health, as he hasn’t played a full 82 games since 2018. He hit 80 just two seasons ago, though, and if he can do that again, I think it’ll be enough to make this prediction come true.

…

10. The Red Wings miss the playoffs for the ninth straight year

Boldness level: 2 out of 5
Confidence level: 55 percent

I was torn here. On one hand, I do think the Red Wings are going to see some legit internal improvement from players like Larkin, Raymond, Edvinsson and Kasper. You can see that in these predictions.

But the makeup of the team is very similar to last season, and while that team came up just a tiebreaker short of the playoffs, that run came with some unfavorable underlying numbers and an unusually low cutoff for the playoffs (91 points). With an Eastern Conference field that saw several hopefuls improve (namely Ottawa, Washington and New Jersey), I think Detroit will be on the outside looking in once more.

My prediction is 89 points, two fewer than last season, representing the first time the team has taken a (small) step back under Steve Yzerman.

Continued (paywall); again, nobody’s going to believe that the Red Wings can make the playoffs but the Red Wings themselves.

Three things: Two Red Wings season previews and a tiered ranking of the Wings’ top two centers

Of Red Wings-related note this morning:

  1. ESPN’s Ryan S. Clark and Kristen Shilton offer a massive NHL season preview article this morning, and they combine power rankings with their previews of the NHL’s 32 teams:

16. Detroit Red Wings

Last season: 41-32-9, 91 points. Missed the playoffs.
Stanley Cup odds: +4000
Key players added: F Vladimir Tarasenko, G Jack Campbell, G Cam Talbot
Key players lost: F David Perron, D Jake Walman, G James Reimer

Most fascinating player: Simon Edvinsson. The Red Wings’ rookie turned a successful 14-game NHL stint last season into heightened expectations for what he can add to the team’s blueline this coming year. Edvinsson skated alongside veteran Jeff Petry to form a solid second pairing for Detroit in the waning weeks of the 2023-24 season. It’s not that Edvinsson had a significant impact on the box score (he netted just one goal and one assist); it’s more that Edvinsson made good decisions in his own end, was hard on the cycle and generally exhibited a poise beyond his 21 years. It will be intriguing to see what Edvinsson can do now that the curtain’s been pulled back on his NHL game.

Best case: Detroit ends the franchise’s longest-ever playoff drought with a return to the postseason field. Losing a tiebreaker to the Washington Capitals kept the Red Wings from playoff competition a year ago but this time around there’s no waiting until the final minute to know they’re in the mix. The Red Wings capitalize on top-tier performances from their best skaters — particularly Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat and Moritz Seider — while Cam Talbot and Ville Husso are the high-caliber tandem Detroit’s been missing in recent seasons. A full-team buy-in to the defensive details finally curbs the Red Wings’ leaky habits of the past and they are primed to excel in the club’s first playoff berth in eight years.

Worst case: The Red Wings have been their own worst enemy before by not prioritizing defensive play. Detroit does that again — to its own peril. Another strong start to the season is derailed by inconsistencies from the blueline on out. The power play — which ranked among the league’s top-10 a year ago — fails to launch and without that boost Detroit can’t keep pace offensively in the Atlantic. Their veteran additions — including Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane — are a non-factor and Talbot proves to no longer be a No. 1 option. Detroit slowly slides down the standings and lands with another disappointing thud outside the playoff picture.

X factor: Derek Lalonde. The Red Wings finished ninth offensively last season — and 24th defensively. There’s been a clear disconnect for Detroit on how to play a strong two-way team game, and it’s on Lalonde now to pull it out of this group. GM Steve Yzerman believed in Lalonde’s ability when he made the former Tampa Bay assistant a first-time NHL head coach in 2022. Now three seasons into his tenure, it’s time for Lalonde to help the Red Wings turn a corner by adhering to a defense-focused structure. Detroit has shown enough offensive potential that if Lalonde can fix the defensive deficiencies then this could be a significant season for the Red Wings.

Fantasy outlook: Dylan Larkin brings stability, making Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond solid bets for value. On defense, Moritz Seider stands out as a star, Simon Edvinsson has significant fantasy potential and Erik Gustafsson could be a power-play specialist.

Bold prediction: Red Wings hit reverse in Motor City, miss playoffs.

Continued; more like characteristic of the media’s spiel this year as opposed to a “bold prediction.” No one is going to believe in the Red Wings except the Red Wings themselves, and that’s just the way things are right now;

2. ESPN’s Sean Allen and Victoria Matiash also present fantasy hockey season previews this morning, and here’s what they have to say about the Red Wings…

Continue reading Three things: Two Red Wings season previews and a tiered ranking of the Wings’ top two centers