The Malik Report

The Detroit News’s John Niyo posted a meaty Monday night column, discussing his top 20 Detroit sports trades of the past 30 years, across all Detroit’s four major sports franchises.

The Red Wings’ best trades–and Niyo lists 7 of them–have involved both taking advantage of other teams’ disgruntled players, and they’ve involved some calculus as to which players would end up providing the most value for their investment over the long haul:

3. Oct. 9, 1996: Red Wings trade Paul Coffey, Keith Primeau and 1997 first-round pick to Hartford for Brendan Shanahan and Brian Glynn

Shanahan wanted out of a hopeless situation in Hartford, and Primeau wasn’t happy with his role in Detroit. But the big winner in this trade was Scotty Bowman, who got the power forward he needed to help the Red Wings end their championship drought. Shanahan was a huge part of the Wings’ three Stanley Cups (1997-98, 2002), while Primeau had a solid career that ended a decade later due to post-concussion syndrome. Coffey, whose attempts to derail the trade enraged Bowman, ended up getting dealt again to Philadelphia, where the offensive-minded defenseman was on the losing end of the ’97 Cup finals. That first-round pick was Nikos Tselios, who played in just two NHL games.

In the case of Shanahan, the Red Wings were able to take advantage of another team’s disgruntled performer in landing the best player in the trade. While the Whalers/Hurricanes got a hell of a second-half career out of Keith Primeau, Coffey flamed out in Hartford and bounced around, finishing his playing days in Chicago.

5. July 1, 2001: Red Wings trade Vyacheslav Kozlov and 2002 first-round pick to Buffalo for Dominik Hasek

Adding the “Dominator” was a stunner, no doubt. Hasek was the top goalie in the world and had just won his sixth Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best netminder. But with the Sabres in the midst of a roster teardown, Red Wings GM Ken Holland pounced on the opportunity to add another Hall of Famer to a stacked roster that was a few years removed from back-to-back Cup wins. Hasek replaced Chris Osgood in net and backstopped another title run, posting a 1.86 goals-against average with six shutouts in the playoffs. He briefly retired after that, then returned twice more to the Wings, winning another Cup in Detroit as Osgood’s backup in the 2008 playoffs. Kozlov, who’d been part of the Russian Five in Detroit, only spent one year in Buffalo before finishing his NHL career in Atlanta.

Again, Dom wanted “out” of Buffalo, and he essentially picked his own destination, so the Red Wings were able to offload the playoff-savvy Kozlov to Buffalo as a return. Kozlov actually had a fairly good tenure with the Thrashers, but they struggled to get over the playoff hump.

Continue reading Niyo discusses seven pivotal Red Wings trades made over the past three decades

WDIV Local 4 posted a 13:30-long video in which Dr. Murray Howe spoke with Local 4’s Nick Monacelli about the imminent (and delayed) opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge:

MLive’s Ansar Khan wonders aloud whether the Red Wings’ next general manager and/or president of hockey operations (whatever we’re calling “who comes next,” anyway) might be able to salvage the team’s relationship with disgruntled captain Dylan Larkin.

Khan argues that it’s obvious that the Red Wings can’t obtain the “equal value” they’re seeking for Larkin from the Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights or Minnesota Wild (who are, admittedly, offering “futures”-based returns).

To stave off delaying the Red Wings’ rebuild even further, Khan believes that the next GM/president and owner Christopher Ilitch must engage in a full-court press to mend fences with Larkin:

Continue reading Khan makes his argument for the Red Wings mending fences with Dylan Larkin

Per NHL.com:

Eddie Joyal, an undrafted forward who played nine seasons in the NHL for the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers, died Monday at the age of 86.

“The Jet” was mentored by Gordie Howe and had 262 points (105 goals, 134 assists) in 465 regular-season games and 19 points (11 goals, eight assists) in 50 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He debuted with the Red Wings on Jan. 24, 1963, and helped them to the 1964 Stanley Cup Final, where he scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 5 and a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 series.

The Maple Leafs rallied to win Games 6 and 7 and the Stanley Cup.

“We beat Toronto 2-1 in Toronto and that was a pretty big deal for me, but we didn’t win the series,” Joyal told the St. Albert Gazette on March 19, 2016. “We should’ve won that series, but we blew it.”

Joyal was traded to the Maple Leafs by the Red Wings on May 20, 1965, and taken by the Kings in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft, where he had NHL career highs of 57 points in 1967-68 and 33 goals in 1968-69. He played 26 games with the Flyers in 1971-72 before joining Alberta in the World Hockey Association, which would become the Edmonton Oilers. 

Continued

Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis examines the Detroit Red Wings’ prospect pool this morning, assessing its strengths, weaknesses, and issuing a Top 10 prospects list. Here are Ellis’ “top 3”:

1. Trey Augustine, G, 21 (Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 41st overall, second round in 2023

Augustine is one of the top goaltending prospects in the world. The 21-year-old is coming off a strong three-year run with Michigan State, and while he failed to win a national title, he did rack up a career record of 66-25-7 with nine shutouts and a .922 save percentage in 99 games. He was a proven winner at the junior level and is easily one of the most technically sound goalies around, which helped build up the hype. Augustine tends to play better when he’s busier, and he has the lightning-quick reflexes teams absolutely crave – and never seems to slow down during a game. Augustine will have the opportunity to learn behind Postava this year to help ease him into pro hockey duty after a short two-game stint to close out the 2025-26 AHL regular season.

2. Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, RW, 20 (Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 15th overall, first round in 2024

The strong, two-way forward is easily one of the best players to come out of Norway in recent memory, so it was nice to see him have a strong performance at the World Championship. Brandsegg-Nygård helped Norway win bronze, building on an excellent first year with the Griffins in the AHL. He proved he could dominate shifts with his two-way game and his excellent release, and his off-puck game is already so established for a player his age. The 6-foot-1, 207-pound winger is as competitive as they come, and he showed that during his 14-game run with the big club this past year. Brandsegg-Nygård will definitely be in the running to crack the Red Wings’ bottom six this year. But if he misses out, he’ll be one of Grand Rapids’ top players yet again.

3. Carter Bear, LW, 19 (Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 13th overall, first round in 2025

Bear is coming off a productive three years with the Silvertips – and he probably would have had 90 points had he played the full 2025-26 season. I love his competitive nature, great shot and his net-front presence. He was one of Everett’s top players when the games started to really matter this past year, showing that he craves big minutes. I still wish we had seen more of him with Canada’s World Junior team – he had the skill and hockey sense the team really needed. Bear is set for his first year of pro hockey, and I fully expect him to spend some time with Detroit – maybe even out of training camp. Consider me a big fan.

Continued; it’s at least pleasant to read someone who’s bullish on the Wings’ top prospects after this past week’s headlines…

I almost threw my phone while reading yet another inflammatory clickbait headline suggesting that “the Red Wings hit another new low” on Sunday.

As in, “The phone was in my hand and I was ready to throw it because I could not stand reading the latest piece of bullshit so that my readers don’t have to click on that stupid clickbait headline.” I nearly did throw the damn thing at a wall.

This has been a tumultuous summer for the organization, and, just as importantly, importantly, the fan base. Mostly because Dylan Larkin is not going to reveal his motivations for requesting a trade to the media, nor will Steve Yzerman explain the how’s or why’s or when’s of his decision (and it was probably his decision) to step down as GM…

We’ve got about a hundred clickbait websites taking a single Tweet or a single written line from an article and insisting that THIS NEW NEWS WILL EXPLAIN EVERYTHING AND NOW EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED (click me, click me, click me!).

I cannot emphasize enough that 99.9999999999% of this bullshit is just that–bullshit.

Continue reading Uncertainty yields clickbait, and, in the Steve Yzerman and Dylan Larkin situations, uncertainty reigns.

The Hockey News’s Carol Schram wrote a very good profile of Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson, and the profile emphasizes that #77’s present NHL employer ought to re-sign the 23-year-old restricted free agent as soon as possible:

With each passing year, the young core GM Steve Yzerman has been assembling since his return to Hockeytown in 2019 has been putting down roots as the nucleus of the Red Wings’ roster. Lucas Raymond, a 2020 first-rounder, is establishing himself as a clutch scorer. Meanwhile, [Moritz] Seider and Edvinsson have quickly become one of the NHL’s elite defense pairs.

Seider, who’s big and strong on both sides of the puck and has razor-sharp hockey sense, has bulldozed his way into a crowded Norris Trophy field after collecting the Calder in 2022. Edvinsson, who’s four inches taller and a dozen pounds heavier at 222, profiles as the shutdown presence on the left side.

The pair gelled immediately.

“Even last year, we built that connection when it comes to playing together,” Edvinsson said. “For me to come in and find my game next to him, it’s been pretty easy. It’s been good for my growth – to watch him play and, honestly, learn from him as well.”

Look a little deeper, and Edvinsson’s offensive game also teases upside. Despite almost no PP time, he potted nine goals last season, including two game-winners. Over the past two years, his 53 even-strength points are just one shy of Seider’s 54 – in 14 fewer games.

As July approached, Edvinsson and the Wings continued to negotiate a new contract coming off his entry-level deal. It’s clear, however, the team views him as a key member of the future core. There were reports that Detroit balked when Vancouver insisted on Edvinsson as part of the return in a trade for Quinn Hughes last winter.

Will Edvinsson reach Lidstrom’s rarefied heights as his game matures? That’s a tough ask. But the Red Wings have something special if he can just keep being Simon Edvinsson.

Continued with some discussion of Edvinsson’s troublesome right knee, which required two surgeries over the course of the 2025-2026 season (prior to puck drop and down the stretch).

It’s kind of scary to think about what Edvinsson can provide to the Wings’ top defensive pairing when he’s fully healthy.

Of note from Detroit Hockey Now this morning:

1. You might raise your eyebrow at this note from Max Smith regarding the Red Wings and Tigers owner’s decision-making process as the CEO of both franchises:

Both [Steve] Yzerman and former Tigers GM Al Avila were given seven years to turn their respective franchises around.

Both were “legacy” managers known from their time spent working closely with the elder Ilitch. And both also ultimately failed to achieve the goal of bringing their team out of a rebuild phase.

However, in that parallel there should also be a glimmer for hope. Some of Al Avila’s draft picks (not all, but a couple, mind you) are major contributors to what is now a contending team. Led by an exciting rookie season from breakout star Kevin McGonigle, the Tigers are looking to get back into the playoffs this year even with their struggles on the mound.

The key for the Tigers was turning the keys over to a young, outside mind in Scott Harris who modernized the Tigers front office and as President of Baseball Operations, got them back into the playoffs after a decade long drought. Sound familiar?

I’m just not as sold as some of you are on the concept that an analytically-oriented GM is all that the Red Wings need to turn the franchise around.

I’m of the mind that Steve Yzerman backed himself into a corner because his circle of advisors was too small, and became something of an echo chamber.

Whatever happened, be it the Larkin situation serving as a breaking point for GM or ownership (or both), or frustration about the team’s inability to get over the hump and return to playoff status, something snapped, and as far as I’m concerned, Yzerman was serving at the pleasure of the Ilitches, and that period of time came to an end last Wednesday.

2. Smith also discusses what needs to be done by the next managerial regime to “right” the Red Wings’ ship.

Smith argues that the failures of the Red Wings’ pro scouting department may have yielded the downfall of Yzerman’s plan to rebuild the Red Wings with both top draft picks and veteran players to insulate their younger players as they grew into NHL stars:

Continue reading Two DHN things: On Christopher Ilitch’s managerial tendencies, and rebuilding the rebuild

Per the Grand Rapids Griffins:

GRIFFINS SIGN REIGNING ECHL MVP MARCUS CRAWFORD

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins signed defenseman Marcus Crawford to a one-year contract for the 2026-27 season.   

Crawford was named the 2025-26 ECHL Defenseman of the Year and MVP when he led the league with 86 points (14-72—86) and 72 assists in 70 regular-season games with the Kansas City Mavericks to go along with 125 penalty minutes and a plus-49 rating. The 29-year-old then totaled 14 points (2-12—14) in 17 postseason games, leading the Mavericks to the 2026 Kelly Cup Finals. Crawford has spent six seasons in the ECHL split between the Toledo Walleye (2018-20), Orlando Solar Bears (2019-20) and Kansas City (2019-22; 24-26). During his time in the ECHL, the defenseman has 260 points (53-207—260), 459 penalty minutes and a plus-62 rating in 350 regular-season outings.

Crawford has competed in eight-career AHL games during the 2018-19 season with the Griffins and notched four penalty minutes and a minus-two rating during his rookie campaign.

From 2022-24, the ninth-year pro suited up for the Cardiff Devils in the EIHL and produced 112 points (13-99—112), 157 penalty minutes and a plus-72 rating in 108 career regular-season games. Crawford was named the EIHL Defenseman of the Year in both campaigns and led all defensemen in points in 2022-23 (9-48—57) and 2023-24 (4-51—55). In addition, Crawford led Cardiff to a third-place finish in the Continental Cup in both 2022-23 and 2023-24. Throughout his pro career, the Ajax, Ontario, native has 401 points (70-331—401), 652 penalty minutes and a plus-153 rating in 498 appearances between the AHL, ECHL and EIHL, adding 21 points (5-16—21), 55 penalty minutes and a plus-five rating in 40 playoff contests.

Prior to turning pro, Crawford spent four seasons in the OHL with the Saginaw Spirit from 2014-18, accumulating 149 points (23-126—149), 174 penalty minutes and a minus-39 rating in 252 regular-season games.  

Red Wings 2026 1st round pick JP Hurlbert has deep Michigan roots, but he was born and raised in Allen, Texas, and Hurlbert mostly matriculated through a minor hockey program established by the Dallas Stars.

Hurlbert spent this past season with the WHL’s Kamlooops Blazers, where he posted 42 goals and 97 points over the course of only 55 games, and he’s headed to the University of Michigan this fall…

But Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff notes that the goal-scoring forward is heading to the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario next week to take part in the World Junior Summer Showcase:

Continue reading JP Hurlbert’s spending his summer close to (his second) home