The Malik Report

There are 3 games of Red Wings prospect-related note at the World Junior Championship in Ottawa today: Axel Sandin Pellikka and Sweden will battle Slovakia at 12 PM; Trey Augustine, Max Plante and Team USA will battle Germany at 2:30 PM, and Jesse Kiiskinen and Finland will tangle with Canada at 7:30 PM.

All three games will air on the NHL Network in the U.S., and TSN in Canada.

As Augustine is going to play a large role in Team USA’s push to win a gold medal, the Hockey News’s Sam Stockton discusses the importance of Augustine dominating in goal:

The biggest reason for confidence in Team USA is the man who will occupy the crease: 2023 Detroit Red Wings second round draft pick Trey Augustine.  This will be Augustine’s third crack at the WJC, and, without question, he is the Americans’ most important returner.

At last year’s event, Augustine was dominant: a 1.75 goals against average and .936 save percentage.  Thus far this season at Michigan State, he’s upholding that standard with an 11–2–1 record, 1.98 goals against average, and .930 save percentage.

Augustine is also a serial winner.  For Team USA, he has already won gold at the World Junior and U-18 Worlds.  At MSU, he arrived as a freshman to a team that had never advanced a single round in the Big Ten Tournament in program history and proceeded to win the conference’s regular season and tournament crowns.  Put it all together and you have a well-earned confidence at the most important position in any knockout tournament.

When asked at Team USA’s pre-tournament selection camp last week about the value of his WJC experience, Augustine quipped, “I just feel old now. I felt young at the start. I was a little above my level, but now I just feel comfortable, feel like I’m one of the old guys on the team.”

Continued; Augustine and Team USA face a middling “round robin” schedule, playing against Germany and Latvia before battling Finland and then Canada, so there’s no reason to think that they’ll be playing in the quarterfinals next week.

The Athletic’s Corey Pronman asks five “Big Questions” regarding the World Junior Championship’s participating teams this morning, and one of his questions involves Red Wings prospect Axel Sandin Pellikka:

Will Sweden’s blue line carry them to a big win?

The strength of Sweden’s team will come from their defense. Theo Lindstein (St. Louis) and Axel Sandin Pellikka (Detroit) were among the best defensemen in last year’s tournament. ASP and Tom Willander (Vancouver) were arguably the two top defensemen at their U18 World Championships as well. Sweden has a path to beating the U.S. As they did 18 months ago, they could match Lindstein/Willander up against USA’s top line to try to neutralize them as much as possible. Their forward group is very good, but not outstanding, so whether they can roll lines with Canada is to be determined. If ASP can provide a lot of offense as he has versus men in the SHL, he could be a variable that puts Sweden over the top.

Continued (paywall); ASP will serve as the Swedish team’s captain this upcoming season, and there’s a ton of pressure on him to perform at the kind of point-per-game basis that he has at the SHL level.

MLive’s Ansar Khan looks at the performances of the players that the Red Wings have yet to truly replace this season, offering the following assessments of the following Red Wings alumni:

Shayne Gostisbehere, Carolina: A power-play specialist who drives offense from the back end, he’s the player the Red Wings miss the most after signing for three years at a modest $3.2 million average annual value with the Hurricanes. He has six goals, and his 27 points rank seventh among NHL defensemen. Gostisbehere’s 29 power-play points last season were the most by a Detroit defenseman since Nicklas Lidstrom in 2010-11 (39).

David Perron, Ottawa: The Red Wings wanted to re-sign this 36-year-old right wing for his production and leadership, but the Senators made a better offer (two years at an AAV of $4 million). It’s been a difficult season on and off the ice. He had taken an extended leave of absence earlier due to a medical scare involving his newborn daughter. He hasn’t played since Nov. 23. He has no points in nine games after tallying 17 goals and 30 assists last season.

…

Jake Walman, San Jose: Trading Walman has backfired on multiple levels. He is tied for 12th among NHL defensemen with 25 points and reached 20 assists faster than any other D-man at the start of his tenure with the Sharks. To shed the final two years of his contract ($3.4 million AAV), the Red Wings needed to acquire a second-round pick from Nashville and include it in the deal. That cost them defense prospect Andrew Gibson. Instead of having Walman fill Gostisbehere’s void as the left-shooting power-play point man they wanted, the Red Wings signed Gustafsson for two years at a $2 million AAV and he has no goals and five assists, has been a defensive liability and an occasional healthy scratch.

Gostisbehere left Detroit for less money than the Wings were offering, while Perron got a second year’s worth of contract length from Ottawa.

I think that we’re all still scratching our heads about the Walman trade, as well as the failed experiment that was signing Gustafsson, but there’s very little that the Red Wings’ management group can do with it other than admit that it was a move that didn’t work out, and then supplant Gustafsson with a more effective offensive defenseman via the trade route.

The one part of the trade(s) I don’t have a problem with is sending Gibson to Nashville for Jesse Kiiskinen. Gibson is a big, tough defenseman, but Kiiskinen has become a strong scorer and scrappy player for HPK Hameenlinna in the Finnish Liiga.

The Canadian Press is already looking forward to the Red Wings’ match-up with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday (7 PM EST on FanDuel Sportsnet Detroit/Sportsnet Ontario/TVA Sports/97.1 FM), offering a brief preview of the two teams’ respective steads:

BOTTOM LINE: The Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Detroit Red Wings after John Tavares’ two-goal game against the Winnipeg Jets in the Maple Leafs’ 5-2 loss.

Detroit is 3-6-1 against the Atlantic Division and 13-17-4 overall. The Red Wings have a 3-6-2 record in games they serve more penalty minutes than their opponents.

Toronto has gone 21-12-2 overall with a 7-4-1 record in Atlantic Division games. The Maple Leafs have conceded 98 goals while scoring 108 for a +10 scoring differential.

Friday’s game is the third time these teams square off this season. The Red Wings won the previous matchup 4-2. Jeff Petry scored two goals in the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Dylan Larkin has 12 goals and 14 assists for the Red Wings. Lucas Raymond has six goals and two assists over the past 10 games.

Mitchell Marner has 10 goals and 36 assists for the Maple Leafs. William Nylander has scored seven goals with six assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Red Wings: 3-6-1, averaging 2.4 goals, 3.7 assists, 3.1 penalties and 6.2 penalty minutes while giving up 3.2 goals per game.

Maple Leafs: 5-5-0, averaging 3.1 goals, 5.4 assists, 3.1 penalties and 6.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.9 goals per game.

The Free Press’s Helene St. James asked Patrick Kane, Joe Veleno, Ville Husso, Marco Kasper, Simon Edvinsson and Ben Chiarot about their Christmas traditions and “Holiday Break” plans:

In his native Austria, Marco Kasper relished the backdrop of the Alps all the more during yuletide.

“For me it’s when we get together and play pond hockey,” he said. “That’s something I always enjoyed as a young kid. We celebrate on the 24th and get everyone together and have a good time.”

Further north, in Sweden, Simon Edvinsson has an indoor tradition he cherishes.

“In my family on Christmas eve we always had this show we watched, Kalle Anke,” Edvinsson said. “My whole family would sit by the TV and watch that.”

Kalle Anke is the Swedish version of Disney’s Donald Duck. Across the Atlantic Ocean, Canadian Ben Chiarot and his wife have their own entertainment they enjoy with their young children.

“The night before Christmas, we like everyone being together and watching a movie,” Chiarot said. “We’ve started the Polar Express, so we watch that with our kids.” 

St. James also posted a video of the aforementioned Wings players discussing their Christmas traditions:

In Red Wings prospect-related news, I missed sharing Vityaz Moscow Region’s 2-0 win over Dynamo Moscow yesterday in the KHL, and that was a bad idea.

Dmitri Buchelnikov scored a goal on 2 shots on goal in 17:49 played, as Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff notes:

It was a Detroit Red Wings prospect filling the role of Santa Claus in KHL action on Christmas Day. Dmitri Buchelnikov’s goal with just 1:21 left in regulation time was snapping a scoreless tie and propeling Vityaz to a 2-0 victory over Moscow Dynamo in KHL action on December 25.

Perhaps the goal will help snap Buchelnikov out of his recent scoring slump. At one stage about a month ago, he was sitting just a solitary point out of the KHL scoring lead.

Since then, the player chosen 52nd overall by Detroit in the 2022 NHL entry draft has accounted for a mere two assists over the next six games prior to his goal on Tuesday. That’s seen him slipping to 13th overall in the KHL scoring race. Buchelnikov is showing 9-22-31 totals through 35 games. The 21-year-old right-shot winger is leading Vityaz in scoring.

With 36 points from 37 games, Vityaz sits ninth in the KHL’s Western Conference. They are one place out of a playoff position.

Here’s Buchelnikov’s goal:

Absolute laser and game-winner by Dmitry Buchelnikov with 81 seconds left! pic.twitter.com/C9m09QThxc

— KHL (@khl_eng) December 25, 2024

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan and Mark Falkner interviewed former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin as part of Sundin’s release of his memoir, “”Mats Sundin: Home and Away,” and Sundin has revealed that Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom tried to recruit the long-time Leafs forward for the Red Wings’ 2008 Cup run:

They combined for one of the greatest goals in Swedish hockey history, and they almost wound up doing the same thing with the Detroit Red Wings. 

In Mats Sundin’s book, “Mats Sundin: Home and Away,” the former Toronto Maple Leafs captain revealed for the first time that Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom recruited him with a phone call in February of 2008.

Teammates with the Swedish national team at the 2006 Olympic Games, where Lidstrom scored the winning goal on a drop pass from Sundin for a 3-2 victory in the final against Finland in Turin, Italy, Lidstrom asked Sundin if he would waive his no-trade clause and consider joining the Red Wings at the trade deadline.

Sundin was 36 at the time and at the end of his 18-year NHL career, but the 6-foot-5, 225-pound center still produced a 76-point season in 2008, which would’ve put him third with the Red Wings behind Pavel Datsyuk (97 points) and Henrik Zetterberg (92).

“I was very honored to have Nicklas call me,” Sundin said on The Detroit News/Detroit Red Wings podcast, OctoPulse. “He knew me so well, what kind of player I was and he knew if I was going to join Detroit, he understood what value I would bring to the table. I felt very comfortable with that.

“But for me and remembering my feelings at the time, I spent so much time in Toronto and the fans hadn’t won a Cup since 1967, that was the purpose that drove me getting ready for a new season. Even though we were in a rebuild mode, I wanted to win a championship with the Toronto Maple Leafs.”

Continued; here’s the podcast…

And if you recall, there was a rumored trade for Sergei Fedorov from the Washington Capitals in the works at the trade deadline, too, but it was quashed by the front office.

Good morning. I’m a bit tired and grumpy this Christmas day morning, so I’m going to post this morning’s Red Wings-related articles in digest form:

1. MLive’s Ansar Khan posted a critique of the Red Wings last night, concluding that a coaching change would not help the Wings turn around their season as much as an influx of talent might change Detroit’s equation:

Aside from Dylan Larkin, Michael Rasmussen, Jonatan Berggren and Joe Veleno, this team consists almost entirely of players drafted under Yzerman or acquired by him through free agency or trade.

They have fared well at the top of the draft with Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond and Simon Edvinsson, while Marco Kasper and prospects Sebastian Cossa, Nate Danielson, Axel Sandin Pellikka and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard offer hope.

They have yet to land an impactful player after the first round, however.

Yzerman’s trades have been a mixed bag. Picks acquired for Anthony Mantha, Filip Hronek and Tyler Bertuzzi eventually landed them Cossa, Sandin Pellikka and Alex DeBrincat, who might not return to his 40-goal form but has provided some much-needed offense.

Sending Jake Walman to San Jose to clear cap space – and needing to attach a second-round pick – has backfired. Walman has a career-high 25 points (five goals, 20 assists), tied for 12th among NHL defensemen.

The Red Wings haven’t gotten enough production from many of Yzerman’s free-agent signings – including Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher and especially Vladimir Tarasenko and Erik Gustafsson.

Whether Yzerman changes coaches midseason or after the season won’t matter until the talent level is upgraded.

The Red Wings do have mid-round picks in the prospect pool now, but few of them are NHL-ready.

2. Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff posted an article about an article that I honestly chose to ignore:

Continue reading Morning mishmash: Criticizing the Wings’ talent base, bashing Lidstrom and World Junior Championship previews

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, a Joyous Kwanzaa, a belated Prosperous Festivus, Happy Saturnalia…

Whatever you might celebrate, have a lovely day, from me to you.

EliteProspects’ staff writes posted a set of previews of this year’s World Junior Championship teams, offering profiles of every player on the respective participating countries’ rosters.

Here are their takes on the Red Wings’ 2025 WJC participants.

Mitch Brown discusses Team USA…

Max Plante, LW, Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA)

Detroit Red Wings, 2024 NHL Draft, second round, 47th overall

Healthy just in time, Max Plante could be an x-factor for this team. A defensively responsible playmaking winger, he’s has the skills to thrive in this setting. He never stops battling, creates chances from the areas of the rink, and then sprints back into the play to prevent chances the other way. On a team with plenty of play-drivers, he’ll likely find success in a complementary role. 

…

Trey Augustine, G, Michigan State (NCAA)

Detroit Red Wings, 2023 NHL Draft, second round, 41st overall

The starting goalie for Team USA for the third straight World Junior, Trey Augustine is making his final appearance in this tournament and has been one of the best goalies in college hockey at Michigan State the past two seasons. Augustine will play the big games, and it’s more of a question of who will dress as his back-up. 

Lassi Alanen offers an assessment of the Finnish Lions…

Jesse Kiiskinen, RW, HPK (Liiga)

Detroit Red Wings (via trade), 2023 NHL Draft, third round, 68th overall

Jesse Kiiskinen‘s move to a smaller Liiga team last summer has proven to be the right call. Having the highest points-per-game mark among all U20 skaters in the league, he thrives in creating rush chances from counter-attacks and brings a lot of energy and pace to the lineup. Playmaking isn’t his strongest suit, but improvements are made little by little. Another gifted finisher, he’ll be competing with Hemming for a spot on the left flank of the second power play unit. 

And Jimmy Hamrin offers an assessment of the Tre Kronor, a.k.a. the Swedish “Three Crowns“:

Axel Sandin-Pellikka – D, Skellefteå (SHL)

Detroit Red Wings, 2023 Draft, first round, 17th overall

Axel Sandin-Pellikka is one of the biggest stars going into the tournament and undoubtedly the best player on this team. He has dominated at the SHL level and his offensive skills are elite. His fantastic four-way mobility, puck handling and shot will be a dominant factor for Sweden’s offense. It will be interesting to see how he handles forechecking pressure on smaller ice as that might be a key on how fast he can step in at the NHL once he moves to North America. He can be prone to make mistakes there at the SHL level. His all-around defensive game is solid though and he plays with aggression and timing. I would be surprised if he isn’t an All-Star team selected defenseman at the end of the tournament.