The Malik Report

MLive’s Ansar Khan discusses Luke Glendening’s 2018-19 season possibilities this morning:

2018-19 outlook: Glendening has always been one of those role players that coaches covet – from Red Berenson at Michigan to Mike Babcock and Jeff Blashill in Detroit. His work ethic on and off the ice sets an example for others to follow.

Once again, expect Glendening to do the gritty things teams need from a grinder – block shots, lead the penalty kill, be abrasive, agitate opponents, be hard to play against. He’s developed into the team’s best faceoff man. He can play center or wing on the fourth line. It took him 52 games to score his first NHL goal; he’s scored 34 since in 310 games, a decent pace for a fourth-liner.

Babcock tried to acquire Glendening leading up to the 2018 trade deadline, but the Maple Leafs former general manager, Lou Lamoriello, wasn’t as interested, and the Red Wings weren’t inclined to part with him for a low draft pick.

Continued

DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji examines the 2017-18 season stats of a “dark horse” prospect in Grand Rapids Griffins forward Matt Puempel. Pumpel’s a bit older at 25, but he displayed a scorer’s form after being traded to Detroit from the Rangers.

Here’s what Wings assistant GM and Griffins GM Ryan Martin had to say to Wakiji about Puempel:

Quotable: “He’s a guy that we kind of watched from afar. He’s had a couple of stints in the NHL but hasn’t been able to stick as a full-time player so when we made the trade for Ryan Sproul for him, I think it was a win-win. It was a situation where the Rangers needed a depth defenseman and we had too many defense(men) in Grand Rapids and the chance to get a guy like Matt into the organization where he’s not in his entry-level contract, he’s not in the first couple of years pro, he’s sort of what we like to call a middle-tier prospect where he’s 25 years old and maybe a new organization and change of scenery gives him the opportunity to show what he can do and then try to sort of establish himself as a more consistent NHL player.”

Continued

The Athletic’s Max Bultman posted a list of the Red Wings’ top 25 prospects–“plus 8 more to know”–this afternoon. We’ll start at the top:

1. Filip Zadina, RW, Grand Rapids (AHL)/Detroit

The jewel of the farm system right now, Zadina should add serious skill and swagger to the Red Wings as soon as he takes the ice. The question is: when exactly will that be? It may depend in part on factors outside his control — such as Henrik Zetterberg’s health — but a strong training camp would go a long way in proving he’s ready to make the leap. It could take him some time to adjust, but Zadina has already shown a remarkable ability to score, and his attitude alone should bring a new element to Detroit’s on-ice demeanor. His creativity will be an asset as soon as he joins the team. He’s a crucial piece of the organization’s future, and a near no-brainer at No. 1 on this list.

Continued (paywall)

MLive’s Ansar Khan wrote an article regarding defenseman Jonathan Ericsson’s 2018-19 season outlook:

2018-19 outlook: Ericsson, for the second year in a row, played well at the start of the season. After Danny DeKeyser was injured in the fourth game, Ericsson joined Trevor Daley to form the team’s top defense pairing. Daley’s mobility complemented Ericsson, and they were a good match the first half.

But Ericsson didn’t maintain that consistency, which has been an issue. The message from coaches has been to hold onto the puck a little longer, utilize his big frame to protect the puck and move his feet while passing. Otherwise, he’s prone to turnovers and getting caught flat-footed and out of position.

Quotable: “You’re never going to be perfect with a partner but we’re always talking about situations on the ice. He’s more offensive-minded than I am. We’re just trying to complement each other’s weaknesses and strengths. He’s a really good skater, smooth skater than can handle the puck well. He’s got the offensive abilities and I’m pretty much the stay-at-home guy.” – Ericsson, on pairing with Daley.

Continued

 

Of Red Wings-related note this evening:

1. This past Saturday, NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger posted an article in which Niklas Kronwall addressed the fact that this season may be his last, and the article’s gotten a lot of traction in both North America and Sweden.

Today, the Free Press’s Kirkland Crawford and The Hockey News’s Jared Clinton weighed in on Kronwall’s remarks, and for reasons beyond my unerstanding, Aftonbladet’s Linus Norberg wondered aloud whether Kronwall would turn down a spot playing for his hometown team, Djurgardens IF, after this season (see: the state of his arthritic knees);

2. Hockeybuzz’s Bob Duff examined Jimmy Howard’s comments to the Red and White Authority podcast as they pertain to his desire to remain a Red Wing:

Continue reading Monday night round-up: On Niklas Kronwall, Jimmy Howard, 3-on-3 mediocrity and charitable reminders

From the Detroit Red Wings:

Single-game tickets for 2018-19 Red Wings season go on sale Friday

The Detroit Red Wings today announced that single-game tickets for all 2018-19 regular season home games at Little Caesars Arena go on sale Friday, Aug. 24 at 10 a.m.

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today announced that single-game tickets for all 2018-19 regular season home games at Little Caesars Arena go on sale Friday, Aug. 24 at 10 a.m.

MLive’s Ansar Khan discusses Henrik Zetterberg’s status over the course of a mailbag feature this morning:

Khan continues…

DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji examines Justin Abdelkader’s 2017-18 season “numbers” this morning:

174 — Abdelkader was also the team leader with 174 hits, which was tied for 33rd in the league. Glendening was second on the team with 137 hits. Jonathan Ericsson was third with 133 and Helm was fourth with 131.

3 — For the first time in his career, Abdelkader had three straight multi-point games from Nov. 17-19. He had two assists in a 3-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 17, a goal and an assist in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Nov. 19 and two assists in a 6-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 22.

35 — Abdelkader had 35 points, which was fifth on the team. Dylan Larkin led the team with 63 points, captain Henrik Zetterberg was second with 56, Anthony Mantha was third with 48 and Nyquist was fourth with 40.

Continued

 

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan has examined the Red Wings personnel at the goaltending and defensive positions, and today, he discusses the Wings’ forward corps, speaking with Dylan Larkin regarding the Wings’ younger roster up front:

“We were the kids, but now there’s even younger kids coming in,” said [Dylan] Larkin, noting, in particular, Rasmussen and Zadina, the last two first-round draft picks. “So myself, Double-A, Mo, Tyler, it’s going to be competitive from within. But we do need to grasp that bigger role of being a leader, doing the right things, setting the example of hard work right from day one in training camp.”

Having missed the playoffs the last two seasons – after a 25-year consecutive stretch of qualifying – Larkin wants to bring back the “winning culture.”

“We need to win games, we need to have that winning culture the veterans have taught us and win games here,” Larkin said. “The fans want it, we want it. The young kids, they want to come in and make an impact right away.”

Larkin recently signed a five-year contract worth $30.5 million, a sign of the faith by the organization in Larkin’s ability and potential going forward after taking a big step in his career last season.

Larkin wants to further grow as a player this season. He had 47 assists and 63 points – both team-highs.

“I need to build on last year and improve,” Larkin said. “For myself and for the team, and be a big-time player where if the game has a minute left, we’re up by a goal or we’re down by a goal, (I’m) taking a big face-off to win it back and score the big goal or score the empty-netter, something just to win games.”

Continued

 

The Hockey News’s Sam McCaig ranks the NHL’s 31 starting goaltenders this morning, and Jimmy Howard earns bottom-of-the-pack status due to his team’s struggles:

28. Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings: It’s not his fault that Detroit is in disarray.

I’d rank Howard as a middle-of-the-pack goaltender, but given the Wings’ results last season, I suppose the ranking is fair.