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Allen talks ‘roster battles’

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen makes three sets of roster projections this morning, including whether Marco Kasper or Nate Danielson will make the roster, whether Isaac Ratcliffe or Austin Watson might be signed based upon their pro try-out performances, and how the goaltending situation will shake out:

If [Ville] Husso, 29, shows in the preseason that he’s the best choice for the Red Wings, he will be given the opportunity to play. As [GM Steve] Yzerman says, no decision has to be made today. The Red Wings also don’t have to make a decision by opening day. They can carry three goalies, like they did last season, to make sure they get the goalie decision right.

But if the Red Wings are to get rid of a goalie, Husso is the likely choice. This is his last season on a contract paying him $4.75 million. With Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine as the team’s goalies of the future,  the Red Wings are not likely to re-sign him. That could change if Husso wins the job, but Husso’s save percentage has been below .900 in three of the four seasons he’s been in the NHL.

If [Cam] Talbot wins the Detroit job, the likely scenarios for Husso are to be put on waivers or to be traded with the Red Wings retaining salary.

Continued (paywall); I think that, should coach Derek Lalonde’s “it’s really wide open” projection for the goaltending competition play out, either Husso or Lyon may be waived. I’m honestly expecting the Wings to carry 3 goalies for the first 10-15 regular season games.

Tweets of note: Red vs. White Game stream link, lineups, Tweets of note

FYI:

Update: Here’s the stream link:

https://www.nhl.com/redwings/video/detroit-red-wings-live-stream-6336964314112

Continue reading Tweets of note: Red vs. White Game stream link, lineups, Tweets of note

Prospect round-up: Forslund held off the scoresheet in Mora IK win; Bicker doubles ice time in Frankfurt loss

Of Red Wings prospect-related note:

In the Swedish J20 league, Charlie Forslund didn’t register a point in Mora IK’s 4-1 win over Lulea. Forslund played on Mora’s second line…

And in the DEL, Kevin Bicker finished with 2 shots on goal in 10:32 played as the Lowen Frankfurt lost 3-2 to EHC Red Bull Munchen. Bicker’s still on the 4th line in Frankfurt, but he’s doubled his ice time from last season.

Tweets of note from Day 4 of training camp

Of Red Wings-related note on Twitter/X from the Red vs. White Game day:

First, from Bally Sports Detroit…

And then the Red Wings…

Also:

Continue reading Tweets of note from Day 4 of training camp

Detroit’s ‘third line’ appears to be set in checking stone

The Hockey News’s Connor Eargood wrote an article about the Red Wings’ third line of Michael Rasmussen, Andrew Copp and Christian Fischer, which is preparing for its second year as Detroit’s “shut-down line”:

“I don’t know if it’s so much chemistry,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde told reporters Saturday. “(It’s) more of acceptance and want from those guys. A couple of those games last year we gave them some really tough checking assignments they really embraced and did a really good job for us.”

In reality, this unit did the best job among all Detroit’s units at limiting opponents. The trio allowed just 2.14 expected goals against per 60 according to Moneypuck, which significantly led the second-best unit’s 2.30. And this success exists within the broader context of facing some of the toughest matchups of each game. Make no mistake, the Red Wings really have something with that line.

So, entering training camp with a different cast of players working on a clean slate, Lalonde is going back to the third line as an option. They skated together in all of the line drills, as did most of the combinations. And even if they don’t play together in Sunday’s Red and White scrimmage, Lalonde explained that he plans to put every line through the blender during it to gather the most information on his roster. Expect the third line to reunite when the real games start.

“I think those three really embraced that role down the stretch last year,” Lalonde said of the unit’s shutdown prowess. “Led us to some nice wins down the stretch and they were a big part in driving that.”

Continued

HSJ in the morning: on Kasper and Husso

The Free Press’s Helene St. James filed two articles this morning, with the first discussing Marco Kasper’s maturation into a player who believes that he can earn a spot on the Red Wings’ roster…

“I want to play with confidence, make my plays that I know I’m capable of and work as hard as I can,” Kasper said Saturday. “I think last year I was not maybe as ready as I am this year. This year I worked really hard in the summer — I did last year as well, but it was just different. It was coming here and not really knowing what was going to happen. This year I feel more comfortable. I know the guys, the coaching staff, the systems.”

Kasper, 20, appeared in one game for the Wings in April 2023, after his season in the Swedish Hockey League had ended. An injury waylaid plans to play him more, and Kasper’s performance at last year’s camp made it clear he needed at least a season in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Kasper posted 35 points in 71 games, and then turned heads with four goals and three assists in nine playoff games.

“He doesn’t even look like the same athlete as last year at this time in camp,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “He built some confidence from his growth in GR last year, and I think that playoff run was very valuable for him. He’s got some attitude into camp this year, which is certainly a positive.”

Kasper spent most of the summer in his native Austria, where his on-ice work included Olympic qualification games. Off the ice, he did what he could to turbocharge his physical development.

“Just trying to become a man, if you want to say it like that,” he said.

And St. James’ second article discusses Ville Husso’s health as the Red Wings’ goaltender attempts to earn one of three goaltending spots on the roster:

“It’s always tough not playing, especially last year — that second injury, you just want to get out there, and then you’re not ready to go,” Husso said Saturday. “At least I got some extra time this summer. I’ve been training and I feel good now and I’m excited to play some preseason games.”

Husso, 29, was limited to 19 games in 2023-24, felled first in mid-December by a lower-body injury and then again when he attempted a comeback in mid-February. Now he’s competing with Alex Lyon, last season’s hero, and Cam Talbot, a newcomer, for minutes.

“The No. 1 thing is to be healthy,” Husso said. “No injuries any more. Then just battle. We have a good competition between all of us and I think it’s a good situation for all of us — competing, pushing each other to be better every day.”

Husso and Lyon are both entering the last years of their contracts; Talbot is starting the first of a two-year deal. Lyon rose from third-stringer to starter last season, but asked about the goaltending depth chart, coach Derek Lalonde called it, “a true clean slate.”

“Over the last two years, all three of those goalies — Ville, Cam and Alex — have had really nice stretches, proved they can win in this league,” Lalonde said. “We’ll look for one to step up.”

Emphasis on exhibition games

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen explains why the Red Wings feel that all 8 preseason games are important in terms of establishing a roster hierarchy:

These preseason games are important to the Red Wings because [coach Derek] Lalonde has significant decisions to make about line combinations, goalie usage and which rookies will make the team. Everything matters when you are trying to land one of 16 playoff spots in a 32-team league.

“So it’s going to be a little bit of all of that,” Lalonde said. “We probably want to see some lines together, especially talking about how fluid it might be. We want to see some special teams together, but at the same time we want to give a really good look and we want to see those young players. So there’s going to be all of that going on. It gets a little complicated…And obviously we want to play our young guys a lot.”

That approach starts at noon today when the Red Wings host the annual Red and White Intrasquad game at noon today. These are important opportunities for players like Marco Kasper or Nate Danielson to make their case to earn a spot on the roster.

Continued; the Red Wings obviously need to determine who’s starting in goal as well.

Prospect round-up: Buchelnikov 1A, Sandin Pellikka 1G, Baker 1G on a busy Saturday for Red Wings prospects

Of Red Wings prospect-related note on Saturday:

In the KHL, Dmitri Buchelnikov had an assist, finishing even with 2 shots in 15:24 played as Vityaz Moscow Region won 4-1 over Barys Astana:

In the SHL, Noah Dower Nilsson finished with a penalty taken and only 4:33 played on the 4th line as Frolunda HC won 5-1 over Leksands IF. Anton Johansson finished even with a shot on goal in 10:54 played for Leksand;

Axel Sandin Pellikka scored a goal on 2 shots, but he also took a costly penalty in 19:29 played as Skelleftea AIK lost 4-1 to the Malmo Redhawks:

In the Swedish J20 league, Charlie Forslund scored a goal on 3 shots, finishing even as Mora IK lost 4-3 in a shootout to Skelleftea AIK;

And in the USHL, Rudy Guimond served as the back-up in the Cedar Rapids Roughriders’ 3-1 win over the Lincoln Stars;

And Austin Baker scored a goal on one shot, finishing at +2 as the Sioux Falls Stampede won 6-3 over the U.S. NTDP:

Getting ready for the Red vs. White Game

The Red Wings will play their annual Red vs. White Game at 12 PM EDT on Sunday (to be streamed on DetroitRedWings.com), and the Traverse City Record-Eagle’s Brendan Quealy asked coach Derek Lalonde about what he expects to see over the course of the game:

“Structure,” Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said when asked what he wants to see out of Sunday’s action. “We’ll probably be fluid with the lines and look pretty similar to last year.”

Instead of just a regular three periods of scrimmage hockey, the Red Wings will use the Red & White Game to implement strategies and work on the nuts and bolts of what their approach will be this coming season.

“We’ll play some 5-on-5 hockey. It’ll be a lot of our concepts and structure,” Lalonde said. “We’ll get a period of special teams, and then we’ll also address our 4-on-4 and our 3-on-3, which is important. It helps us along in our process to introduce everything.”

Despite the recent changes to the Red & White Game, Lalonde said the goal of training camp remains the same.

“It’s just implementing your process and trying to get everything in properly while getting them to understand it,” he said. “I really have liked the three days of camp so far, from our structure to our special teams.”

Coming back after a successful 2023-24 campaign that showed great growth and ended with a high-stakes race for a spot in the playoffs, Lalonde feels the Red Wings are in a better spot now than last year’s training camp.

“Just a little continuity with the same coaching staff and a lot of the core coming back. It maybe looks a little cleaner and certainly feels like a lot less teaching so far, which is always a positive,” he said. “We’re trying to take some steps from where we were last year. Guys understanding their roles, understanding their identity is successful to any team trying to win a hockey game. It’ll be a work in progress in the preseason, but we’re all excited to see it.”

Continued with comments from Tyler Motte about joining his hometown team…

NHL.com: Stadium series hype is already beginning

From NHL.com’s Craig Merz:

The NHL will go all-in on the bitter rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan when the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series is held at Ohio Stadium on March 1.

Dean Matsuzaki, executive vice president for NHL events, learned quickly how the matchup of the Columbus Blue Jackets, in their first outdoor game, and the Detroit Red Wings, in their fifth, will evoke emotions usually associated between the two neighboring schools.

He and his staff arrived two days prior to the football game between Ohio State and Marshall on Saturday to go over planning and coordination at the 102-year-old stadium.

“We’ve learned the passion here, and we’ve learned how much people want to beat a team from up in Michigan as well. There’s been a lot of that there,” Matsuzaki said. “We’ve heard about the crossing out the M’s on campus and things like that and somebody mentioned to me about crossing out D’s for our game. So that was pretty interesting.”

It’s a tradition the week before the annual Michigan football game to cross out all the M’s on campus signs and buildings. And, if you’re a true Buckeye, you never say “Michigan.” It’s always “That Team Up North.”

Matsuzaki can envision that type of environment for the Blue Jackets and Red Wings game considering it’s about a three-hour drive from Detroit.

The capacity has not been set, he said, but the fact that Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor had 105,491 for the Winter Classic between the Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 1, 2014, will be a motivation to fill Ohio Stadium.

Continued;

Update: The Columbus Dispatch’s Brian Hedger and Bill Rabinowitz also spoke with the NHL:

After sending league representatives for site visits during the Buckeyes’ football season last year and again in the spring, not long after officially announcing the game against the Detroit Red Wings, the NHL was back in Columbus this week. Dean Matsuzaki, the league’s executive vice president of events, arrived Thursday for another visit that culminated with Ohio State’s game Saturday against Marshall.

Matsuzaki helped plot things such as rink placement and where the NHL’s “ice plant” will be set up nearly two weeks prior to the game, and he walked through the stadium with representatives from ESPN ― the primary U.S. television rightsholder for the game ― to assess camera angles and seating areas that may need to be blocked off for broadcast purposes.

He also soaked up the full atmosphere of a game day at OSU, from the band’s skull session to the dotting of the ‘i’ in script Ohio to other in-game traditions the NHL may mix into the Blue Jackets’ matchup against the Red Wings. 

“It’s our third day here now, so we’ve had a lot of planning and operational things the past couple days,” Matsuzaki said prior to the Buckeyes’ game. “Today is now all about game day, front of house, operations in-stadium, traffic, parking and then all the pomp and circumstance, the game presentation … all of that. We’re going to try to lean into all of what Ohio State does and then use it for our game as well and create the ties.”