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Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen profiles Red Wings prospect and 24-year-old goaltender Michal Postava this morning, discussing the Grand Rapids Griffins’ presumptive starter as a player who very well may–and probably should–see NHL time this season:

Last Season

In 25 regular season outings and eight postgame games, Postava only gave up more than three goals once. His 1.71 goals-against average included six games giving up no goals, four one-goal games, nine two-goal games and six three-goal contests. He owned a .937 save percentage.

When it came time for the playoffs, Postava was the obvious choice to start.

“I can’t score on him in practice as much as I try… he’s a competitor,” said former Griffins player Eduards Tralmaks who played with Postava last season. “Even if there’s an empty net, he’s gonna basically jump at the puck. He’s just very good with his angles.”

Three Reasons Why Postava Will Play in the NHL

1. His blend of poise, hockey IQ and athleticism is what you see in NHL goalies. He anticipates what is about to occur and has the quickness to move to where he needs to be.
2. Postava offers a curious mixture of confidence and humility. Asked about what he learned in winning the Czechia championship, he said: “I want to think it’s good to know how it was to win it, but I would say it’s a different league I am in now.”
3. He has a history of making spectacular saves at critical moments. That’s how he backstopped Brno Kometa to a Czech league title in 2025

Continued; at 24, Postava’s in a pitched battle with Trey Augustine to become the Red Wings’ “goalie of the future,” but he replaced Sebastian Cossa as the Griffins’ starter for a reason–he’s a really good goaltender. At the very least, he’ll provide goaltending depth, poise and mentorship for Augustine for the next couple of seasons.

Back on August 6th, I reported that Marco Kasper gave an interview to Krone.at’s Martin Quendler which regrettably remained behind a paywall.

This morning, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff provides a quick peek behind the paywall, framing Kasper’s attempts to rebound from a difficult sophomore season with quotes from Quendler’s article:

“I’m as passionate about ice hockey as if I were 16 years old,” Kasper told the Austrian website Kronen Zeitung.

Following up on a 19-goal, 37-point rookie campaign, Kasper took a pratfall in offensive output. He scored only nine goals and counted 19 points. In separate stretches, he endured 36 games without a goal and 30 straight games without an assist. Kasper’s plus-minus plummeted from a solid plus-one to a dismal minus-20.

To Kasper’s credit, through all the frustration, he kept battling. His 186 hits led the team. He was third on the Red Wings in faceoff win percentage (51.5%), and fourth among Detroit forwards with 51 blocked shots.

Continue reading A peek behind the paywall via DHN: a bit about Marco Kasper’s development

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen has posted a 6-item to-do list for the Red Wings’ next hockey executive, be they a GM or a GM and a president of hockey operations. This is a behind-the-paywall article, so let’s examine two pressing issues:

4. Re-Establish as a Destination City for NHLers

No one wants to play in Detroit anymore. The playoff drought plays a major role in that truth. But when Dylan Larkin says he wants to leave and Patrick Kane decides not to say, it adds to that thinking.

More than one prospect has left Grand Rapids saying they didn’t feel the Red Wings didn’t give them a true chance to make the team.

Other NHL players have watched what’s happening in Detroit and want no part of that. One of the Yzerman’s replacement’s top priorities has to be to restore Detroit’s reputation as Hockeytown.

This is an Original Six city. Gordie Howe. Iconic jerseys. First-class arena. Passionate fan base. A more competitive team and better relationships with players would go a long way to fix this problem.

Allen’s right in that the Wings don’t have much roster permeability–or haven’t had much roster permeability–under Steve Yzerman, with a glass ceiling separating Detroit’s prospects and Grand Rapids, and no, Detroit is not a free agent destination. The latter point will have to be built slowly, but it can be rebuilt.

His next point is a practical one, but it needs to be said:

Continue reading A to-do list for the Red Wings’ next hockey executive(s)

Per Shap Shots’ multi-talented Sean Shapiro:

A quick update since I posted earlier today on the Detroit Red Wings general manager search.

According to multiple sources, who reached out this afternoon, the Red Wings are using turnkeyzrg for their job search to replace Steve Yzerman.

Turnkeyzrg specializes in executive placement for sports and entertainment, the client list includes at least a handful of NHL teams, including the Vegas Golden Knights who used turnkeyzrg to hire their team president Kerry Bubolz.

Continued

Of Red Wings managerial-related note this afternoon:

1. MLive’s Ansar Khan summarizes the storylines regarding the Red Wings‘ managerial search:

The Red Wings appear inclined toward implementing a different front office structure and strategy after missing the playoffs the past 10 years. They might hire a director of hockey operations who oversees, among others, a general manager who handles the day-to-day tasks. The Tigers, the Ilitches’ other team, have a similar format with Scott Harris serving as president of baseball operations and Jeff Greenberg as GM, though Harris does trades and signings.

This much is certain: The new leadership will be data and analytics driven.

The Red Wings, in their July 15 press release announcing a change in hockey operations leadership, said Yzerman will continue serving the organization as a senior advisor. He is not involved in the search process, however, while being paid the final three years and $15 million of his contract.

Continue reading Red Wings managerial search updates and tidbits

Today, the Hockey News’s Jake Tye frames the Red Wings’ abundance of goaltending prospects in Grand Rapids, in the form of Michal Postava and Trey Augustine, as both a competition for the Griffins’ starting job and a battle for the future of the Red Wings’ crease.

One of the most highly discussed future prospects for the Detroit Red Wings, without a doubt, is Trey Augustine. 

The 2023 second-round pick has seen his stock climb so high that the organization felt confident moving a player in his way, former top-15 pick Sebastian Cossa, who broke franchise and league records this past season, just to clear runway for Augustine’s first full professional season.

But it may not play out that simply as another name has emerged in the competition. One that stole starts away from both Cossa and Augustine toward the end of the Griffins’ historic season and into the playoffs. That’s Michal Postava, a free agent addition out of Czechia who has quickly become one of the most intriguing prospects in all of Detroit‘s loaded pipeline.

Continued; a little hype-y, but a solid read here…

Sports Illustrated’s Jason Fink tells the tale of how the Detroit Red Wings attempted to draft Pavel Bure in the team’s remarkable 1989 draft, but were hoodwinked by the NHL, and, eventually, the Vancouver Canucks:

“With the 95th overall pick in the 1989 NHL Draft, the Detroit Red Wings select Pavel Bure.” That announcement never happened. But on June 17, 1989, it came remarkably close.

The Wings’ 1989 draft class became legendary anyway. But the Russian Rocket could have been a Red Wing if Detroit had pushed the matter and asked for forgiveness rather than permission.

Then-Red Wings general manager Jim Devellano had committed to building the Red Wings through the draft rather than sacrificing young players for veterans. Ironically, just two days before the draft, he made one of the worst deals in Red Wings history when he dealt center Adam Oates and winger Paul MacLean to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for aging star center Bernie Federko and winger Tony McKegney.

Oates would go on to amass over 1,200 points after he left Detroit and became one of the premier setup men in NHL history. Just ask Brett Hull and Cam Neely.

Continue reading SI tells the Red Wings’ fish story about the Bure that got away

As part of NHL.com’s 32 in 32 series, which covers the Detroit Red Wings today, the NHL’s YouTube channel posted a 43-minute clip of Detroit’s 2025-2026 regular season goals:

Today, NHL.com places the Red Wings under the microscope, attempting to discern the team’s situation despite the uncertainties surrounding Dylan Larkin’s trade request and the search for Steve Yzerman’s replacement.

Nicholas J. Cotsonika kicks NHL.com’s series of articles off with a team overview…

The Detroit Red Wings are at a crossroads. They have missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for 10 straight seasons, the longest drought in their 100-year history and the longest active drought in the NHL. General manager Steve Yzerman is leaving his role. Captain and No. 1 center Dylan Larkin has requested a trade.

Until Yzerman’s successor is named and Larkin’s situation is resolved, the direction will be unclear.

But the Red Wings addressed a couple of their most pressing needs this offseason by adding forwards Viktor Arvidsson and Keegan Kolesar, and the next GM will inherit an organization with building blocks.

“I think they’re going in a great direction,” Kolesar said. “They have a lot of young studs who I have felt that have been good for a number of years and are tough to play against. I just want to bring whatever I can to (build) more of an identity for the team.”

Cotsonika also looks forward, asking 3 questions about the Red Wings for this upcoming season, and he doesn’t just talk about Larkin’s situation or Yzerman’s successor…

Continue reading NHL.com’s ’32 in 32′ series examines the Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings have signed their share of NHL and AHL veterans to load up the Grand Rapids Griffins this past summer, but the Hockey News’s Jake Tye notes that, one way or another, a wave of rookies–be they rookie pro players or North American rookies with European professional experience–should help power the Griffins going forward:

Earlier Sunday, we detailed how one of Detroit‘s lesser-known prospects, Finnish winger Jesse Kiiskinen, could emerge as a surprise scoring leader for Grand Rapids this season on the strength of his heavy shot. The 20-year-old won’t be alone in getting real opportunity. 

A wave of youth is expected to push into the Griffins lineup, headlined by high-profile names like Trey Augustine and Carter Bear, who figure to dominate the storylines throughout the year. Alongside them, an intriguing group of recent draft picks and rising prospects, including Anton Johansson, Kienan Draper, Noah Dower-Nilsson, Justice Christensen and Dylan James, are also expected to make the roster.

That youth movement will still be anchored by a core of returning Griffins looking to keep pushing for opportunities with the big club in Detroit, including Shai Buium, Ondřej Becher, John Leonard, Carter Mazur and returning team captain Dominik Shine.

Perhaps the most compelling storyline of the season will play out between the pipes. Trey Augustine is ticketed for his first full professional season with Grand Rapids, while Michal Postava, who broke out a year ago, will also see significant starts, setting up what looks like a genuine competition for the crease.

Continued; a few notes:

Kienan Draper and Justice Christensen are signed to AHL deals, and both Carter Mazur and John Leonard are in the mix for jobs in Detroit–as are William Wallinder and Axel Sandin Pellikka…

But the Griffins will look different this year thanks to an influx of younger players, and that’s a healthy thing.