The Malik Report

Well, I was just about to write a lovely, flowery bit of praise for the fundraising efforts we made on Friday, because, out of the $1,200.00 that it’s going to take to get me up to Traverse City, we’ve raised $650.80, but…

Life has a funny way of keeping things complicated. I just got a call from my mechanic, and he says that it’s going to cost $350.00 to fix my Pacifica’s wiring so that I have working headlights on the trip up to Traverse City.

There are apparently rotten wires involved, so that bumps up the cost significantly as Norm’s Total Auto–the most honest mechanic’s shop that I have ever dealt with over the 16 years that I have lived in South Lyon–has all the wires untangled and in the process of repair.

And there’s absolutely nothing I can do about it. I’m sorry, but I’ve got to ask for help here because I just don’t have a back-up plan, and that means we’re back at $300 of the $1,200 necessary to get me up to TC instead of $650. It effing sucks, but I had a bad feeling that there was going to be a surprise from the mechanic’s.

So, with $900 to raise over the next five days…

If you’re are willing to lend an assist, you can use PayPal at https://paypal.me/TheMalikReport, Venmo at https://venmo.com/george-malik-2, Giftly by using my email, rtxg@yahoo.com, at https://www.giftly.com. And you can contact me via email if you want to send me a paper check.

Edit/update: I think I’m gonna go curse and cry or follow some combination of the two. I’m going to be able to use my State of Michigan paycheck to help defray the cost for now, but that means I can’t pay my bills at the end of the month, so one way or another, I need to raise $600 to get up to Traverse City, and now, instead of $1,200 to get home, $1,650 to get home.

Oof.

Via Red Wings Prospects on Twitter, the Swedish Under-20 leagues have begun their regular season play ahead of next Saturday’s SHL opener, and here’s how two Red Wings prospects fared:

2022 draft pick Anton Johansson finished at -1 with 3 shots and a minor penalty taken in Leksands IF’s 7-2 loss to Brynas.

It’s still entirely possible that Johansson will crack the roster of the Leksands men’s team, but for now, he’s earning some Under-20 league time;

And the “oh yeah, the other Swede the Wings drafted in 2022” guy, Maximilian Kilpinen, finished even in Orebro HK’s 4-1 win over the Vaxjo Lakers.

Kilpinen is highly likely to stay with Orebro’s J20 team.

At this point, we just don’t know whether Simon Edvinsson will manage to earn a spot on the Red Wings’ blueline at all, but Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin still names the big Swedish defenseman an “honorable mention” among a crowded field of 2022-2023 Calder Trophy candidates:

Simon Edvinsson, Detroit Red Wings: Taken sixth overall in 2021, Edvinsson is a giant 6-foot-6 Swedish defenseman – who, along with Seider, is the future of the Red Wings blueline. After a great season in the SHL with Frolunda, registering 19 points in 44 games, Edvinsson seems poised to make the jump to the NHL. Edvinsson does a lot of things right, like using his large frame to his advantage to knock players off the puck, whether with a poke check or sheer physicality. His supreme defensive knowledge is also a focal point of his game. It appears Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman has hit yet another home run. Projection: 3.5 goals and 29.8 assists for 33.3 points.

Continued; Calder nod or no Calder nod, it would be wonderful if Edvinsson both made the Wings’ roster and posted 33 points over the course of his regular season. That’s an ideal scenario.

The Hockey News’s Jason Chen posted a set of fantasy hockey predictions for the Red Wings and their constituent players over the course of the 2022-2023 season. Here’s Chen’s bottom line:

Outlook: The Wings bought themselves a whole line with [Andrew] Copp, [David] Perron and Dominik Kubalik, and shored up their defense and goaltending. On paper, they look vastly improved, and new coach Derek Lalonde brings a lot of winning experience having served as the assistant on the Lightning since 2018. Jeff Blashill was not a bad coach; he just didn’t have a lot to work with, and a new voice in the room might coax out better seasons from their underperformers, including Filip Hronek and former top prospect Filip Zadina. In years past, Larkin was the only player worth rostering in fantasy, but as the Wings improve, the number of options has also increased. [Dylan] Larkin,[Lucas] Raymond, ]Moritz] Seider, [Tyler] Bertuzzi, Perron and [Jakub] Vrana are all projected to score at least 50 points, according to THN’s Pool Guide. 

Continued

Here are the streams for Saturday’s Champions Hockey League games:

Continue reading Live streams for Saturday’s Champions Hockey League games (Rogle BK, Frolunda HC and TPS Turku)

The Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe spoke with Toledo Walleye coach Dan Watson regarding the state of the Red Wings’ ECHL affiliate, and coach Watson stated that his team is essentially built, despite the fact that not every roster player has been named yet…

The organization has officially announced the signing of 12 players, but Watson said his recruiting is essentially finished.

“We will have a very competitive group night in and night out,” Watson said. “We went and got pieces we feel can help us get to the playoffs again, but that is a long way away. We are pretty much set in what we have moving forward. We can’t wait to start training camp in October.”

…

The team is expected to make a series of signing announcements as the season draws closer. Most ECHL organizations space out the signings throughout the offseason to maintain interest in the team.

“The fans should be excited about every Walleye player announcement,” Watson said. “As a staff, we do our homework, and every player will fit a role and contribute to our team’s success.”

The Red Wings have chosen to make their affiliation with Toledo a little more static over the past couple of seasons, only assigning one player (a goaltender) to Toledo, and Monroe confirms that the tradition will continue:

Toledo’s American Hockey League affiliate in Grand Rapids is expected to assign one goaltender to the Walleye. The Walleye also have signed a goalie. Last year’s No. 1 netminder, Billy Christopoulos, has left pro hockey to continue his military career in the Air Force.

Continued; my best guess at this point is that Michigan State University graduate Jonathan Lethemon will be the goaltender assigned to Toledo, but if Sebastian Cossa turns pro, he might head to Toledo, too.

The Hockey News’s Ryan Kennedy posted a list of 10 young prospects to watch at the various rookie tournaments throughout the U.S. and Canada over the next week-and-a-half, and his choice for the Red Wings is an obvious one:

Simon Edvinsson, D, Detroit Red Wings: Reviews for Edvinsson’s performance at the world juniors were mixed, but I thought he played very well and showed off that great combination of skating and size that make him such an intriguing prospect on the back end. Now Edvinsson gets to prove himself in front of a Red Wings-friendly crowd in Traverse City, the latest in a string of hot prospects to play there before cracking the big club.

Continued; Edvinsson should lead a loaded Wings prospect tournament blueline.

Via the Red Wings on Twitter, Sam Cosentino spoke with the NHL Tonight’s Jamie Hersch and Mike Rupp regarding Simon Edvinsson’s potential:

Mo Seider last year.
Simon Edvinsson this year.

The @DetroitRedWings have a pair of pillars on defense as their blue line seems to be in great shape for years to come. @JamieHersch | @Rupper17 | #NHLTonight pic.twitter.com/2XXJ0VMJ93— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) September 9, 2022

Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman:

Some weekend podcast listening, plus Moritz Seider and Jakub Vrana. Enjoy! Links to your preferred platform here: https://t.co/2JZVyj8zBY— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) September 9, 2022

The webpage link is here: https://podcast.sportsnet.ca/32-thoughts/

Red Wings defenseman Jordan Oesterle appears in the latest episode of “Summer Wings”: