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Toronto’s AHL-heavy lineup will play the Wings at full speed tonight

The Toronto Maple Leafs are bringing an AHL-heavy lineup to Little Caesars Arena for tonight’s game vs. the hometown Red Wings (7 PM EDT on Bally Sports Detroit/Sportsnet One):

Here’s the Red Wings’ lineup, too:

If you’re interested in hearing the Leafs’ side of things, the Maple Leafs’ website posted video interviews with coach Craig Berube, Max Domi, Steven Lorentz, Max Pacioretty and Calle Jarnkrok all spoke with the media, and both Pacioretty and Jarnkrok told the Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby that now is not the time to hit cruise control simply because it’s preseason hockey:

Continue reading Toronto’s AHL-heavy lineup will play the Wings at full speed tonight

Lineup notes from Stockton

The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton filed a short notebook article regarding tonight’s game between Detroit and Toronto (7 PM EDT on Bally Sports Detroit/Sportsnet One). Among items of note:

At morning skate, Detroit’s alignment offered a strong preview of what’s to come when the pre-season concludes, topped with a familiar trio of Lucas Raymond, Dylan Larkin, and Alex DeBrincat, who have remained together through the bulk of camp and the pre-season.  The second line affords young Marco Kasper the chance to skate on a line with Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane.  That’s a responsibility he’s earned with a strong pre-season, though it is also likely a placeholder with J.T. Compher (the Red Wings’ presumptive second-line center) out of action.  Lalonde indicated that Compher (who practiced yesterday) is taking a maintenance day and will play in one of Detroit’s final two pre-season games on Friday and Saturday.

Elsewhere in the forward group, the Michael Rasmussen–Andrew Copp–Christian Fischer takes its accustomed place in the third line slot.  Finally, Tyler Motte, Joe Veleno, and Jonatan Berggren comprise the fourth line.  Those former two are likely candidates for those roles come the regular season, but this will be an important data point for Berggren (to the extent that important data points can come from the pre-season) in proving his fitness for a bottom six role.

On the back end, the headline is that Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson joined forces on the Red Wings’ top pair.  That’s a possibility that Detroit fans have been drooling over coming together for the first time.  Lalonde stressed after morning skate that the Red Wings view Edvinsson as a top four D, regardless of who his partner is, downplaying the significance of an Edvinsson-Seider pairing while adding that if the two run with the opportunity together, that would be great.

Continued; as Stockton notes, the Wings plan on giving Cam Talbot a full 60 minutes’ worth of action tonight.

Experimenting with an Edvinsson-Seider pairing

MLive’s Ansar Khan spoke with Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde, one Moritz Seider and fellow defenseman Jeff Petry regarding the potential of a Simon Edvinsson-Seider defensive pairing, which will be employed during the Red Wings’ game vs. Toronto this evening (7 PM EDT on Bally Sports Detroit/Sportsnet One):

“If they run with it and they have some chemistry and they’re really good, we might see more of it,” Lalonde said. “But it’s a really hard ask of a young D to play top-two minutes with the type of matchups they’re going to face. But we’d love to hopefully see if (Edvinsson) can handle it. Mo wasn’t too far from this a few years ago, too, and obviously he flourished in it.”

Seider is excited about the opportunity.

“I think we had some good chemistry out there,” Seider said. “I think tonight will be a good challenge for us. Long and big bodies, and I think we can cover a lot of ice and hopefully make it work.”

…

“I think (Edvinsson) is a top-four talent,” Lalonde said. “You’re still getting a feel for partners. We want to be long; we want to be hard to play against. A lot of times that partner relationship, a lot of it is just puck support, chemistry. I think our top four is going to be fluid. We have the luxury of what we feel is eight NHL D-men.”

Seider has noticed a difference in Edvinsson, who bulked up a little in the offseason.

“I think he’s gotten a lot stronger in the gym,” Seider said. “I think he’s slowly growing into his body, still young. I think he can be a big force for us when he’s ready to take those big minutes, which I think he’s ready for.

Continued

Press release: Red Wings announce details of ‘Hockeytown Opening Week’

From the Detroit Red Wings:

HOCKEYTOWN OPENING WEEK PRESENTED BY COKE ZERO SUGAR AND MEIJER 

RED WINGS OPENING NIGHT THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10 VS. PENGUINS

FAN-FAVORITE RED CARPET WALK ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12 VS. PREDATORS

  • Fans can celebrate beginning of Red Wings season with free-to-attend events in the Chevrolet Plaza on Thursday, Oct. 10; Saturday, Oct. 12; and Thursday, Oct. 17 
  • Home opener on Oct. 10 vs. Penguins highlighted by Fan Fest and alumni appearances for ticketed and non-ticketed fans
  • Hockeytown Red Carpet Walk scheduled prior to Saturday, Oct. 12 game vs. Predators 
  • Outdoor pregame party and Greyson Clothiers Pop-Up Shop in Little Caesars Arena Team Store on Thursday, Oct. 17 

DETROIT – Detroit Red Wings fans will have the opportunity to usher in the highly anticipated 2024-25 season with three days of celebrations for Hockeytown Opening Week, presented by Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and Meijer.

The Red Wings will host the Pittsburgh Penguins for the Home Opener on Thursday, Oct. 10, and the annual Hockeytown Red Carpet Walk will be held in the Chevrolet Plaza area outside Little Caesars Arena ahead of the Saturday, Oct. 12 contest against the Nashville Predators. Hockeytown Opening Week wraps up with a season kickoff party on Thursday, Oct. 17 prior to the Red Wings taking on the New York Rangers in the first Original Six matchup of the season.

The Oct. 10 and 12 games will start at 7 p.m., while puck drop against the Rangers on Oct. 17 is set for 7:30 p.m. for the national TV broadcast on ESPN+ and Hulu. Limited tickets for all three games remain available at DetroitRedWings.com/Tickets. 

All three pregame events in the Chevrolet Plaza on the exterior of Little Caesars Arena are free to attend, and open to fans of all ages. Ticketed fans will have access to exclusive giveaway items for all three games.

Continue reading Press release: Red Wings announce details of ‘Hockeytown Opening Week’

Red Wings-Maple Leafs post-‘game-day group,’ um, Tweet…Plus Leafs and Sens updates

The Detroit Red Wings are icing a near-NHL lineup against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight (7 PM EDT on Bally Sports Detroit/Sportsnet One), with Marco Kasper replacing J.T. Compher on the second line, and Simon Edvinsson skating alongside Moritz Seider. Toronto’s bringing a more AHL-and-prospect-friendly lineup to Detroit tonight, but you can expect that to change on Saturday night in Toronto.

After the Red Wings’ “game-day group” skated, they spoke with the media:

Well, okay, Moritz Seider spoke with the media…

Meanwhile, in Toronto, their “NHL group” practiced, and it’s stacked…

Continue reading Red Wings-Maple Leafs post-‘game-day group,’ um, Tweet…Plus Leafs and Sens updates

Red Wings-Maple Leafs morning skate Tweets and articles: Leafs bring ‘B Team’ to Detroit as Wings experiment with Kasper, Edvinsson

The 3-1-and-1 Detroit Red Wings begin a set of home-and-home games with the 2-1-and-1 Toronto Maple Leafs this evening (7 PM EDT on Bally Sports Detroit).

The Maple Leafs are bringing a mixed roster to Detroit…

And Toronto’s “game day group” the ice around 9:45 for their morning skate:

Continue reading Red Wings-Maple Leafs morning skate Tweets and articles: Leafs bring ‘B Team’ to Detroit as Wings experiment with Kasper, Edvinsson

Two things: An ‘offseason grade’ and some Cup-winning odds

Bleacher Report offers a pair of NHL articles with Red Wings-related note this morning.

First, Adam Gretz issues “final grades” for NHL teams‘ offseason moves…

Detroit Red Wings: The 2023-24 Red Wings were a very good offensive team that was simultaneously objectively bad on defense, where they needed help on the blue line and in goal.

The 2024-25 Red Wings are setting themselves up to look the exact same way.

While there is reason to expect some regression from their offense, which prompted the need to bring back Patrick Kane and sign Vladimir Tarasenko, they still didn’t do much of anything to address their goal-prevention problem.

Jake Walman was traded to San Jose in a salary dump trade, and the big hope on defense is going to be that top prospect Simon Edvinsson can step in and make an impact. He’d better, because this defense is paper thin once you get beyond him and Moritz Seider.

Getting core players Lucas Raymond and Seider signed long-term was a necessary bit of business, and the Red Wings did well getting each of them under $8.6 million per season.

Still, not doing more to address the defense or find a better goalie than Cam Talbot is a potentially huge problem.

Grade: C+

(yadda yadda yadda)

And Lyle Fitzsimmons offers the Stanley Cup-winning odds for each team:

17. (tie) Detroit Red Wings, +4000

It won’t yield a Cup and may not even end an eight-season playoff drought, but the Red Wings have gotten a look at the future with the impressions made by Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson, who combined for five points in their first five preseason games.

A bit of praise for Michael Brandsegg-Nygard’s preseason play

EP Rinkside’s David St-Louis and Hadi Kalakeche review the performances of star rookies during the NHL preseason, and here’s what they have to say about Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Nate Danielson and Marco Kasper. I can’t share the whole analysis as it’s quite long, so we’ll go with their takes on MBN:

Michael Brandsegg-Nygård

Michael Brandsegg-Nygård  looked like a different player in preseason, more creative and willing to try new plays. He still drove the net and backchecked hard, but he also dangled around defenders’ feet, bounced the puck over sticks to regain possession, and used more deception in his passing. His playmaking ability looked like a clear strength.

His short-draw wrist shot, straight-line speed, and defensive engagement — all on display in his games — give him a strong NHL foundation. If he has, in fact, added more playmaking and handling skills, his chances of reaching a top-six role would increase significantly.

His confidence is an encouraging sign.

Continued (paywall); he’s ready for the AHL, should he and/or the Wings wish to place him there.

Yet another set of tiered rankings from The Athletic

The Athletic’s Sean McIndoe ranks the NHL’s 32 teams by “tiers” (have we heard that before from The Athletic over the last couple of weeks? Regarding players? Prospects? Teams?) and predicts the NHL’s “order of finish”…sort of…and when it comes to the Red Wings, it sure feels like The Athletic has to take a mandatory shot at the Wings’ rebuild every time the team is mentioned:

The Middle-of-the-Pack Division

It’s not a bad place to be as long as you’re passing through. Get stuck here for more than a couple of years, though, and the future starts looking mighty bleak.

Detroit Red Wings

Last season: 41-32-9, +2, fifth in Atlantic, missed playoffs on tie-breaker.

Their offseason in six words: Tarasenko in, Perron out, kids extended.

Why they’re here: Because they’ve pretty much always been here, ever since Steve Yzerman arrived and started the world’s slowest rebuild. That’s not exactly a compliment, but it’s worth noting the Wings do keep shuffling forward, which is better than some other rebuilds we’ve seen over the years. Last year they came as close to the playoffs as you can without actually making it, so another few baby steps should get them in… assuming they don’t get leap-frogged by someone who’s moving quicker.

Continued (paywall); yes, there is real pressure for the Red Wings to not be “leap-frogged” by the Senators or Canadiens at this point, with the Sens and former Wing David Perron staring down the barrel of a budding rivalry’s gun against Detroit…

But none of us expected that Yzerman and the Wings’ management group would have to tear down so much of what Ken Holland had baked into the declining Wings before starting a rebuild from scratch.

Realistically speaking, if Detroit is to rebuild itself into a playoff contender, they’re somewhere around two thirds of the way there, with some key prospects, attractive free agents and trades left to draft/make/sign before this team both makes the playoffs and wins playoff rounds on a regular basis.

This year, the team wants to earn a playoff spot and see what happens. Throughout the season and seasons to come, internal improvement is essential from the Wings’ prospects and young stars, and continuing to draft, develop and sign players (and, again, possibly trade for them) will be big components of the rebuilding machine.