The Malik Report

The Athletic’s Sean McIndoe writes a weekly column in which he discusses 5 teams that are “On the road to the Cup” and 5 teams that are “headed toward the best lottery odds,” and this week, he makes special mention of the Red Wings as a middling franchise amidst a rebuild:

Not ranked: Detroit Red Wings – The Wings are the last team in the league that we’ve never included in either the top or bottom five or a “not ranked” section. Let’s fix that today.

Why the lack of attention? It’s largely because in the big picture, this story is kind of boring. I don’t mean that as an insult. It’s just that in a weird season where lots of teams are spinning off in unexpected directions, Steve Yzerman has his Red Wings chugging along on the path back to contention. They’re a rebuilding team that was supposed to be better this year, but probably not good enough to actually make a run at the playoffs. That’s what they’ve been. Plenty of fans in places like Buffalo or Ottawa would love to be enjoying a rebuild that’s right on schedule.

That said, just because the results have been boring doesn’t mean the team has been. They’ve got two of the best rookies in the league in 19-year-old Lucas Raymond and 20-year-old Moritz Seider, plus Alex Nedeljkovic who still technically qualifies even though he was a Calder finalist last year. I’m not completely sure, but I feel like having three Calder frontrunners on the same rebuilding team might be good. Wings fans can also get excited about Dylan Larkin on his way to a career year, Tyler Bertuzzi being effective when he can play, and the possibility of a Jakub Vrana return at some point. Mix in lots of a cap room and some deadline-friendly trade pieces, and this is a fun team to root for as long as you’re OK looking ahead to the future. And I’m guessing most Wings fans are.

It’s not all great news. Even with Nedeljkovic playing well, they’re in the bottom 10 in goals against. The penalty kill has been rough, and the underlying numbers suggest they’re getting better results than they deserve. There’s also the question of how you find a path to the playoffs in the Atlantic, but that’s next year’s worry. For now, Wings fans can just enjoy the young talent, a few more wins than expected, and the knowledge that there’s a plan in place and it seems to be working.

Continued (paywall)

Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill addressed the Wings’ need to step up their physical play as the second half of the season approaches during today’s media availability, and the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed a notebook article regarding Blashill’s remarks:

“The physicality, it’s just the decision we’re going to match physicality and finish checks and make the opponent pay a price when they have the puck,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “There’s been times we’ve passed on checks, not all, but some. Throughout the lineup, we have to make sure we’re making the opponent pay a harder price.”

The Bruins appeared to thrive on that part of the game Sunday and used it to their advantage.

The leadership of veteran forwards Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand paced the Bruins, who rallied for a win Saturday in Boston against Buffalo. Twenty-four hours later at Little Caesars Arena, the Bruins set the tone for how they wanted the game to go against the Wings.

“Maybe it’s because they played the day before, but the start of that game, they were more ready to compete at that high level you must compete at,” Blashill said. “Certainly a lot of it was driven by the Bergeron line, and there were moments we competed hard back. But we have to make sure we recognize how hard you have to compete. We want it to be a separator for us, so that’s every game, not a lot of games.”

Continued (paywall)

I’m scheduled to see my friend Shaun for the first time in two years later this afternoon, and while I’ll bring the laptop upstairs, my focus is going to be seeing my friend later this afternoon and evening. I’ve known Shaun since I was 14, and he lives in Japan right now, so getting to see him in person is very rare.

Sometimes the blog doesn’t come first. Friends and family do.

Updated at 1:06 PM: The Red Wings returned to practice after Sunday’s 5-1 loss to Boston at Little Caesars Arena’s Belfor Training Center on Monday morning, and MLive’s Ansar Khan was the only beat writer to report that Nick Leddy joined the fray after clearing COVID protocols, but Pius Suter was absent due to unspecified reasons.

Khan also Tweeted that Filip Zadina was taken off the power play.

So, after practice, the Red Wings Tweeted that Suter took a “maintenance day”…

Pius Suter didn’t practice today, but coach Blashill said it was for maintenance and is expected to be available for tomorrow.— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 3, 2022

And you may take this for what you will:

#RedWings Blashill said Suter took maintenance day, should be available tomorrow. Leddy available but won’t necessarily play. Hasn’t decided if Veleno in on power play and Zadina out.— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) January 3, 2022

Coach Blashill spoke with the media for 11 minutes today:

Update: Joe Veleno spoke with the media after the coach:

A good reminder from Grand Rapids Magazine’s Danielle Nelson:

The Grand Rapids Griffins again are partnering with Versiti Blood Center of Michigan to host a blood drive.

The event will be from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 8, at Van Andel Arena, 130 W. Fulton St. in Grand Rapids.

Donors can make an appointment or just go to the B, C and D banquet rooms at the arena. Versiti is looking to collect 54 pints of blood.

Individuals who register and attempt to donate blood will receive a Griffins swag bag and an entry into the Drive to Save Lives Sweepstakes to win a new car. Participants must be 18 years or older.

More information is here.

Updated 2x at 11:37 AM: MLive’s Ansar Khan reports from the Red Wings’ Monday practice, a day after the Wings lost 5-1 to the Boston Bruins:

#RedWings practicing before facing San Jose tomorrow at ⁦@LCArena_Detroit⁩ Leddy is out of COVID protocol and skating. Suter only player not practicing. pic.twitter.com/B10bPSLa4G— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) January 3, 2022

The Red Wings will host the 17-15-and-1 San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, and then the Wings head out West to play Anaheim on Thursday, Los Angeles on Saturday, and the Sharks in San Jose next Tuesday, January 11th.

Update:

#RedWings practice lines:
Bertuzzi-Larkin-Raymond
Fabbri-Rasmussen-Zadina
Erne-Veleno-Namestnikov
Smith-Rowney-Gagner
DeKeyser-Seider
Staal-Hronek
Leddy-Lindstrom
Oesterle pic.twitter.com/4fedy8feDa— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) January 3, 2022

Update #2:

#RedWings power play units:
1. Bertuzzi (net front), Raymond (bumper), Larkin-Fabbri (flanks), Seider (point).
2. Erne (net front), Gagner (bumper), Veleno-Namestnikov (flanks), Hronek (point).
Leddy rotating in with Gagner. Zadina not practicing on power play. pic.twitter.com/iCzZBes7yv— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) January 3, 2022

Good news for Nick Leddy:

UPDATE: Nick Leddy has been removed from the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol.— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 3, 2022

The Score posted a set of power rankings this morning, and their “New Year’s Resolution” is for the Red Wings’ fans to be patient, which is both an incredibly wise recommendation, and one that’s hard to follow:

24. Detroit Red Wings (15-15-3)

Previous rank: 22nd

Be patient. There’s no way Steve Yzerman would entertain any other method when it comes to building his team, but Red Wings fans need not jump the gun either. The building blocks for Detroit’s roster are mostly in place, so let 2022 be a precursor of what’s to come.

Continued

The Red Wings reassigned several players to Grand Rapids from the taxi squad for this past weekend’s pair of Grand Rapids Griffins games, but CapFriendly Tweeted out some transactions which suggest that the players will head back to the Wings’ taxi squad today:

Continue reading Tweets of note: With weekend’s Griffins games over, Wings will reassign players to taxi squad

The Athletic’s Max Bultman makes 8 Red Wings-related hockey predictions this morning, attempting to discern the Red Wings’ future personnel moves and overall team performance:

Nick Leddy is traded: The trade deadline is still nearly three months away, but already, it’s becoming clear who the Red Wings’ No. 1 trade chip will be. Leddy has given the Red Wings some much-needed mobility from the back end, but his actual on-ice results have been mixed, making him easy enough for Detroit to part with when teams inevitably start looking for playoff reinforcements. There are other pending UFA left-shot ‘D’ who will get more attention — including 2019 Norris Trophy winner Mark Giordano and Canadiens playoff horse Ben Chiarot — but Leddy has the blend of offensive upside and playoff experience to make him a commodity this spring.

Could Detroit get back the second-round pick they shelled out for him this summer? Leddy’s eight points in 31 games have been a bit underwhelming, but it’s at least plausible because of his track record — especially if Detroit helps the acquiring team by retaining some salary. The Islanders were also facing cap pressure when they moved Leddy this summer, which the Red Wings assuredly are not. They don’t have to move him at all, particularly if they keep hanging around the postseason picture, but the guess here is someone will step up and make a reasonable offer that Yzerman accepts.

Dylan Larkin finishes 2021-22 with a career-high 33 goals and signs a contract extension this offseason: While the instant impact of Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider has been the dominant story of the Red Wings 2021-22 season, not far behind has been a career year from Larkin. His 15 goals through 29 games have him on pace for just about 40 this season, and while his 18 percent shooting percentage (nearly double his career average) suggests that pace will slow, he still stands a chance of topping his career high of 32 — especially if Detroit coach Jeff Blashill keeps him slotted between Raymond and Tyler Bertuzzi.

This kind of bounce-back has been exactly what the Red Wings needed from their captain after a quieter season last year. Larkin once again looks like a legit No. 1 center, and with Detroit suddenly appearing much closer to postseason contention than before this season, his up-tempo, full-ice game is only going to become more important for the Red Wings. And soon, it’s going to be time to extend him.

Continued