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A final bit of praise for Patrick Kane from Red Wings forward/former teammate Alex DeBrincat

The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus posted one more column based upon player comments made during the NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour in Las Vegas this past week, this time with a focus on Lazerus’ beat covering the Chicago Blackhawks. Lazerus noted the following from Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat regarding his former teammate, Patrick Kane:

DeBrincat thinks Kane has plenty left in the tank at age 37.

“He’s got a lot more than people give him credit for,” DeBrincat said at the NHL/NHLPA player media tour in Las Vegas. “Everyone thinks he was a great player, and I think he still is a great player. He’s still almost a point per game, the way he still controls the play and makes passes and slows it down. He’s obviously still a power-play guy, can really run your power play. And even his battle intensity — it’s not like he’s lost any of that. He’s still so competitive and wants to be the best and wants to win.”

…

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson, who decided to cut ties with the team’s championship era in 2023 by trading Kane and not re-signing Toews, is now counting on Kane to help Chicago get back into the playoff conversation for the first time since his heyday.

“I think Chicago’s lucky to have him,” DeBrincat said. “Obviously, we wish he was still in Detroit, but I guess if he’s going anywhere, it’s probably good he’s going back there. All the fans will treat him well there.”

Continued (paywall) with more Blackhawks news; I’m going to miss Kane’s presence as an on-ice and off-ice “rink rat” the most. Kane was constantly developing and redeveloping his skill set in Detroit, putting in extra work after every practice, and he set a fine example for the Red Wings’ younger players to emulate.

I hope that they continue to attempt to hone their respective skill sets and try to get better without Kane here to set an example as to how hard one must work to remain a great NHL player.

Bultman suggests that the Red Wings’ GM search has involved a failure to communicate

The Athletic’s Max Bultman weighs in regarding the “murky situation” that the Red Wings find themselves in as the team operates without a general manager, discussing the next GM’s to-do list…

Even if the Red Wings do announce a new general manager before the team’s first official practice on Thursday, the window for a smooth transition has passed. A new head of hockey operations will be stepping onto a moving treadmill with little time to plan.

Granted, there is really only one “must” before the season when it comes to the roster: a new deal for Simon Edvinsson, who is set to do the Red Wings a huge favor by reporting to camp without a contract. He’ll still need a signed deal to play when the season begins, so an agreement remains urgent business. But knowing their top-pair defenseman won’t miss crucial practice time buys the Red Wings more runway.

With the rest of the roster in place and coach Todd McLellan providing continuity behind the bench, the Red Wings’ players can go about their business preparing for the season. That’s the good news. But whether it’s handling [Dylan] Larkin, the future of leading scorer Alex DeBrincat — whose contract expires at the end of this season — or any other organizational changes that a new GM might normally make upon arrival, the time to address those matters in the quiet of summer has passed.

Bultman suggests that the uncertainty around finding the team’s next hockey executive cast a shadow upon the start of the Red Wings’ prospect tournament, and while Bultman argues that the Red Wings’ head managerial job does hold a certain elite appeal…

He suggests that the Wings have bumbled the search in terms of communicating its progress with the media and public. He’s 100% right there:

Continue reading Bultman suggests that the Red Wings’ GM search has involved a failure to communicate

HSJ in the morning: Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine’s prepared to embrace the challenges of turning pro

The Detroit Red Wings’ prospects defeated the Dallas Stars‘ prospects 4-3 in a shootout on Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center.

Prospect goaltender Trey Augustine gave up 3 goals, but also stopped 26 shots and 8 shootout shooters en route to the victory, so the Free Press’s Helene St. James profiles the first-year pro this morning:

The 21-year-old from South Lyon is entering his first full season of pro hockey, and this tournament is a good warm-up for the opening of the Wings’ main training camp, which runs Sept. 17-20.

“There’s nothing like playing games definitely for younger guys including myself coming in here,” Augustine said. “It’s really exciting. It’s a new chapter of my life now and I’m just really excited to be a professional hockey player. I’m really excited to be part of this organization.”

Augustine told St. James that he’s ready to prepare to play in Grand Rapids this upcoming season, knowing at least something about the city and team after spending a chunk of last spring with the Griffins:

Continue reading HSJ in the morning: Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine’s prepared to embrace the challenges of turning pro

Red Wings-Stars prospect tournament wrap-up: Detroit rallies for a 4-3 shootout victory over Dallas

The Detroit Red Wings’ prospects kicked off the 2026 prospect tournament with a 4-3 shootout victory over the Dallas Stars’ prospects, rallying from a 3-1 deficit to force overtime and an 8-round shootout in which Kienan Draper was the only scorer.

Jesse Kiiskinen, Noah Dower Nilsson and Theo Rochette scored the regulation time goals for Detroit, and Trey Augustine stopped 26 shots and 8 shootout shooters en route to the win.

MLive’s Ansar Khan spoke to Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson about the game.

Watson’s running the prospects’ bench for Detroit, which will play games against Pittsburgh on Sunday (7 PM EDT) and Columbus on Tuesday (2 PM EDT; both streamed on DetroitRedWings.com).

Watson told Khan that Draper, who’s signed to an AHL contract with the Griffins, stepped up in a big way:

“It was fun to see the guys go and great for Kienan,” Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson said. “He called his shot. He told us, ‘I’ve got the next one, guys. And he delivered. So good for him.”

Goals by Noah Dower Nilsson (5:27 remaining) and Theo Rochette (1:14 to play) in the final six minutes of regulation enabled the Red Wings to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Augustine stopped all eight Stars shooters in the shootout after making 26-of-29 saves in regulation and overtime. The former Michigan State standout and Red Wings top goaltending prospect will start his pro career in earnest this season with the Griffins.

Continue reading Red Wings-Stars prospect tournament wrap-up: Detroit rallies for a 4-3 shootout victory over Dallas

Red Wings-Stars prospect tournament Tweetcap: Detroit’s prospects win a 4-3 shootout decision over the Stars’ prospects

The Detroit Red Wings’ prospects battled the Dallas Stars’ prospects at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center on Saturday night, kicking of Detroit’s 2026 prospect tournament.

Detroit would surrender a 3-1 deficit to Dallas (Jesse Kiiskinen scored Detroit’s only goal), but rallying markers from Noah Dower-Nilsson and Theo Rochette forced OT. Overtime solved nothing, and Kienan Draper scored the only goal of an 8-round shootout to afford Detroit a 4-3 shootout victory.

Detroit will play Pittsburgh tomorrow at 7 PM EDT (streamed on DetroitRedWings.com)

PREGAME:

Continue reading Red Wings-Stars prospect tournament Tweetcap: Detroit’s prospects win a 4-3 shootout decision over the Stars’ prospects

Tweet of note: A look inside the Red Wings prospects’ morning skate

The Detroit Red Wings’ prospects will battle the Dallas Stars’ prospects tonight at 6:30 PM EDT (on DetroitRedWings.com in Michigan and Northwest Ohio), and the Wings posted a “morning skate” Tweet/X post spotlighting Trey Augustine’s workload:

Tweet of note: Red Wings’ prospect tournament opener to be streamed on DetroitRedWings.com (in Michigan and Toledo)

The Detroit Red Wings’ prospect tournament begins today, and the Detroit Red Wings’ game against the Dallas Stars’ prospects will air on DetroitRedWings.com in Michigan and northwest Ohio:

Update: Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen hypes up Trey Augustine:

Continue reading Tweet of note: Red Wings’ prospect tournament opener to be streamed on DetroitRedWings.com (in Michigan and Toledo)

Duff on Charlie Forslund, ‘music man’

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff discusses a Swedish story that slid under my radar this morning. As it turns out, Red Wings prospect and Brynas IF forward Charlie Forslund is a bit of a music man:

The 20-year-old Forslund is a master mixer. He has a mixing console set up in his apartment.

Through Charlie Forslund Music on YouTube, TikTok, and Amazon Music, he’s already produced 11 songs.

“I don’t know where it comes from,” Forslund told Swedish Hockey News. “It’s probably because I’ve always had an interest in it and felt like I wanted to start making my own music rather than just listening to other people’s music.”

The 6-foot-3, 212-pound Forslund won’t be mixing it up in the SHL, at least not to start the season. He’s been loaned out to Almtuna in Sweden’s second division, HockeyAllsvenskan. He’s played in Sweden’s second tier since the Red Wings made Forslund the 176th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

Continued

Talking about Red Wings prospect defenseman Nikita Tyurin

Detroit Hockey Now concludes its survey of the Red Wings’ top prospects with one Russian defenseman Nikita Tyurin this morning. Tyurin is only 19, and the 6’1,” 190-pound defenseman is currently playing for Khimik Voskresensk in the VHL, the Russian equivalent to the AHL.

As Bob Duff notes, Tyurin has a tremendous skill set, but playing in Russia’s version of the AHL is not ideal for him in terms of professional evolution:

Three Reasons Why Tyurin Will Play in the NHL

  1. He’s an outstanding puck mover. NHL teams are seeking mobile defenders, and Tyurin certainly fits that bill.
  2. His first pass is extremely accurate. That’s another asset for a defenseman, perhaps the least talked-about in terms of importance.
  3. Tyurin’s hockey sense is off the charts. He reads the game well, and reacts quickly to close gaps.

What May Hold Him Back

Tyurin doesn’t get a lot of love in the Russian media. When the top teenage players in the country are profiled, it’s rare that he gets any notice.

This season, Tyurin is playing for Khimik in the VHL, the Russian second division. While it’s true he’s still only 19, the fact that Tyurin still hasn’t cracked Spartak’s KHL roster is a bit worrisome. Top Russian prospects now in the NHL like Ivan Demidov and Matvei Michkov were KHL regulars by the time they turned 18.

Continued; everybody loves Tyurin’s skill set. They just wonder whether it translates to an NHL pedigree.

Monarrez weighs in on the Red Wings’ decision to relieve Dylan Larkin of the captaincy

The Free Press’s Carlos Monarrez weighs in on the Red Wings’ decision to strip the captaincy from one Dylan Larkin:

It’s one thing for Larkin to ask for a trade – I can’t blame him for that, if it was based on a difficult relationship with Yzerman and a lack of faith in the team’s direction. But it’s quite another thing to now start acting as though there’s still some kind of “band of brothers” vibe.

So the Wings were right to strip Larkin of his “C.” They posted Friday that the season will start without a captain being named: “Any further discussions or decisions regarding this topic will be made once new hockey operations leadership is in place.”

But the Wings didn’t go far enough. They should have jumped right to naming defenseman Moritz Seider as captain – which is pretty much a no-brainer for whoever the new GM is. As I noted, though, the Wings are in leadership limbo, which makes it hard to make big organizational decisions.

Continue reading Monarrez weighs in on the Red Wings’ decision to relieve Dylan Larkin of the captaincy