The Malik Report

The Athletic’s Max Bultman provides answers to reader questions this morning, including a question as to the formation that Detroit’s future front office will take:

Discuss the separate responsibilities and/or functions of a GM vs. a president of hockey operations, and why you might want your analytics guy in one role and your “hockey” guy in the other, and which guy in which role. — Matt S.

There’s no one specific way to divvy up the roles and responsibilities in that kind of structure — it’s up to each organization how to define the roles.

Some recent examples of that front office structure have featured a former player as president with an analytics-minded GM — such as the Toronto Maple Leafs with Brendan Shanahan as the president of hockey operations and Kyle Dubas as general manager, or the Colorado Avalanche with Joe Sakic as president and MacFarland as general manager. In both of those cases, the GM was still the key hockey decision-maker, with the president providing guidance and input as needed and serving as a bridge between the front office and ownership.

Continue reading Bultman discusses the shape of the Red Wings’ front office to come

Of Red Wings prospect-related note from Red Wings Prospects on Twitter:

Michal Orsulak(3rd round’26) makes the final roster for an upcoming tournament in Finland at the end of the month #LGRW https://t.co/9KJLBCUNm7

— Red Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) August 12, 2026

According to the Czech Ice Hockey Association, Orsulak and the Czech National Team will be playing in a 5-nation tournament in Espoo, Finland from August 26th to August 29th.

Daily Faceoff’s Scott Maxwell lists 5 prominent restricted free agent players this afternoon, and Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson finishes 3rd on his list:

3. Simon Edvinsson, D (Detroit Red Wings)

2025-26 season: 72 games, 9 goals, 16 assists, 25 points

While [Alexander} Nikishin might be the sexier name among defensemen on the RFA market, Edvinsson is the more proven commodity right now. Remember how Moritz Seider had his best season this year, proving himself as a top-10 defenseman in the league. That’s partially because Edvinsson took major strides as a top-four defenseman, giving the Red Wings someone who they could play in shutdown minutes without forcing Seider into the toughest minutes in hockey. The dispersed workload resulted in better hockey for Detroit, even if it still wasn’t good enough to make the playoffs.

Some consider Edvinsson the most-likely candidate for an offer sheet among the remaining RFAs. With unproven defensemen like Pavel Mintyukov and Simon Nemec getting $7+ million cap hits on the RFA market, Edvinsson can probably command more. Detroit has more than enough cap space to re-sign him with $19,572,084 available, but that won’t stop them from playing a bit of hardball. The Red Wings have operated under the “no one makes more money than our best player” rule in the past, so it’s possible that they don’t want Edvinsson’s number to go over Seider’s. But according to reports, the Red Wings will match any offer sheet, so all that will do is speed up the process of this negotiation. Hopefully they don’t have to pay the same price as the Ducks for being so confident.

Continued; I don’t believe that Edvinsson will be “offer sheeted”; if he is, Detroit has more than enough cap space to match any offer. I do expect him to be re-signed by training camp in the $8 million-per-year range.

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