Kulfan’s notebook: Coach Lalonde ready to take the next step

As the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan notes, Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde is satisfied with the lessons he imparted to his charges over the course of training camp, and now he’s ready to get the exhibition season underway:

Monday’s practice at Centre Ice Arena concluded the training camp portion of the preseason. Although appreciating the hospitality and setup in Traverse City, the Wings were excited about returning to Detroit and beginning the eight-game exhibition season.

“It’s all part of it, anxious to get this (next) part going,” Lalonde said. “Now the game process. We had some good teaching from everything we covered (Sunday) and it’ll be good step into our game.”

Lalonde was pleased with the five-day, on-ice camp.

“Sometimes I’m focused on just being organized and everything goes smoothy,” Lalonde said. “Half of my thought process is that. The other half is how the guys look, individually how they look, and who is competing for spots.

“For the most part I’m happy with the way camp has gone.”

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Red Wings reassign Finnie, release Loukus, Sima

Per the Red Wings:

RED WINGS TRIM ROSTER BY THREE

  … Red Wings to Host Pittsburgh on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. at Little Caesars Arena; Game to Air on Bally Sports Detroit Extra and 950 AM … 

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today assigned forward Emmitt Finnie to the Western Hockey League’s Kamloops Blazers and released forwards Dean Loukus and Nic Sima from their amateur tryouts.

The Red Wings currently have 54 players on their training camp roster: 31 forwards, 16 defensemen and seven goaltenders. Detroit begins its eight-game preseason schedule with a home game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 7:00 p.m. at Little Caesars Arena. The game will air on Bally Sports Detroit Extra and 950 AM.

Can Moritz Seider hit 70 points this season?

DobberHockey’s Tom Collins is predicting a big season for Moritz Seider. Will he hit 70 points this year? Collins thinks that Seider is one of 10 candidates to do just that:

6. Moritz Seider: The signing of [Shayne] Gostisbehere in the offseason has to be a little unsettling for Seider owners and dampens the odds of Seider hitting 70 points. Gostisbehere is never signed for his defense; it’s all for his offensive capability. And Seider owners already experienced a player usurping the top power-play role last year when Seider lost that top power-play spot to Filip Hronek. There’s a very good chance that happens again this season. The team has beefed up its forward ranks, which will help in his pursuit of 70, but he needs to stick on the top man-advantage unit all season to have a shot.

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DHN+: Can Johnny Burgers give the Wings steady offense?

Detroit Hockey Now’s Tim Robinson posted a behind-the-paywall article which discusses whether the Red Wings might be able to get more point production out of “Johnny Burgers,” a.k.a. one Jonatan Berggren:

Jonatan Berggren had a respectable debut with the Detroit Red Wings last season.

He had 15 goals in  67 games last year, but for the 23-year-old native of Sweden, the expectations go beyond that.

“He was a great addition for us at times last year,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said last week at the start of training camp in Traverse City. “He was making plays. We went through some of those games where we were looking for some offense. He was one of the guys that could create some offense.’

A good start, to be sure. This season, the Red Wings are looking for more from their first of two second-round picks in the 2018 draft.

Continued (paywall)