This season, the Detroit Red Wings might just be giving the fanbase something they’ve been longing to witness.

A playoff berth?

Well, that, too.

However, in this instance we’re talking about a defensive pairing of Moritz Seider with Simon Edvinsson. Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde is hinting that it could very well be happening at some point during the 2024-25 NHL campaign.

“I still think our top four, even some of our D pairs, will be fluid,” Lalonde said. “Probably like to see Simon and Mo together a little bit.”

Edvinsson #LGRW pic.twitter.com/Jm9hbV9h0H

— Red Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) September 22, 2024

Seider, the sixth player chosen in the 2019 NHL entry draft and Edvinson, chosen sixth overall in 2021, are going to be the cornerstones of the Detroit defense going forward. And Lalonde appears ready to cement that status sooner rather than later.

As Edvinsson prepares for his first full season in Detroit, the coach is opening up the opportunity for him to be one of the players driving the bus for the Red Wings.

“I see him in a top four (role) and we’ll kind of let it play out from there,” Lalonde said of Edvinsson. “Hopefully, he can even eat minutes. If he’s got it going one night we might be a little fluid with our top four.

“If he earns more minutes, he’ll get more minutes. We’re going to play to win and if he is the guy that earns those minutes to help us out down the stretch, he’ll get those minutes.”

Pairings Likely to Start Out The Same

To start out with, it’s likely that Detroit’s top two defensive pairings will look the same as what finished out last season. Seider will be with Ben Chiarot and Edvinsson with Jeff Petry. However, that, much like the TV listings, will be subject to change,

“Benny and Petry have had some experience together,” Lalonde said. Chiarot and Patry were a tandem during Montreal’s drive to the 2021 Stanley Cup final.

“I think that top four will be fluid, and if anyone else can play their way into that conversation, we’d be happy to see that, too,” Lalonde said.

Seider Back For Red Wings On Tuesday

The first order of business will be getting Seider back up to speed. Fresh from signing a seven-year pact that will pay him $8.55 million per season, he’ll be arriving from Germany and back on the ice with the Red Wings in time for Tuesday’s first practice in Detroit.

Even missing four days of work in Traverse City is enough to set Seider back in comparison to the rest of the group.

IT’S MO-TOWN, BABY

The #RedWings have signed Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract with an AAV of $8,550,000. pic.twitter.com/WuZRSGRC3z

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 19, 2024

“You can see obviously 100% you saw the intensity of our first three days,” Lalonde said. “There’s value to that. Probably even some science to that.

“You know, you kind of get your workloads elevated a little bit that you’re probably going to work off throughout the year, so he’ll have some catch up to do. But I’m sure we’ve got a couple eager assistant coaches that would love that assignment.”

The post Simon With Mo? Red Wings May Make It Happen appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

NHL.com rates Nate Danielson ahead of Marco Kasper in its ranking of the Detroit Red Wings’ prospects heading into the 2024-25 season.

Danielson was ranked No. 2 behind defenseman Simon Edvinsson on Nick Cotsonika’s list. Detroit Hockey Now didn’t rank Edvinsson on our prospect list because he was playing regularly in Detroit at the end of last season. He projects as a starter for 2024-25.

Cotsonika lists Kasper at No. 3 behind Edvinsson and Danielson. He has 2024 first-round draft pick Michael Brandsegg-Nygard at No. 4, followed by former collegiate standout Carter Mazur at No. 5

That differs significantly from the DHN list of Kasper at No. 1, defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka at No. 2, followed by Norwegian Brandsegg-Nygard at No. 3, Danielson at No. 4 and Mazur at No. 5.

Yzerman Won’t Rush Kasper or Danielson

The difference in the list speaks to the reality that Detroit has a collection of high-end prospects. It’s splitting hairs to rank them. We selected Kasper No. 1 based on how impressed the Red Wings were with how solidly he performed in the second half of last season and AHL playoffs. By the end of the season, he was playing like an impact player.

At the same time, Danielson has the offensive potential to earn the No. 2 center spot ahead of Kasper. Scouts also tell us that Brandsegg-Nygard has top six potential. We have Sandin Pellikka rated highly because he enjoyed one of the best seasons ever in the Swedish Hockey League by a teenage defenseman. Defensemen with slick puck-moving skills are hard to find.

Another interesting aspect of Cotsonika’s story is he has Kasper, Danielson and Mazur coming to Detroit in 2025-26. That fits into the Steve Yzerman’s plan that youngsters should not be promoted before they are completely ready. However, it is also plausible that Kasper, and maybe Danielson and Mazur could earn a promotion this season. That could happen if they play well in Grand Rapids and Detroit is beset by injuries.

The post NHL.com Rates Nate Danielson as Red Wings Top Young Forward appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

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The post Five Storylines To Watch in Red Wings Training Camp (+) appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

The Detroit Red Wings gave up five or more goals 18 times last season and surrendered four goals in 19 other games. That means they needed a minimum of five goals to win 47.5% of their games. That’s an unreasonable expectation in the NHL.

Their Atlantic Division rival Florida Panthers, meanwhile, gave up five or more goals in eight of their 82 games. They gave up two or fewer goals 41 times.

The Panthers won the Stanley Cup and the Red Wings missed the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season.

Red Wings General Manager Steve Yzerman said he was looking to upgrade all positions. However, he was clear that the team’s top priority is cutting down on their goals-against next season. He said everyone needed to embrace the mission, including the coaching staff

“We need to be better in all aspects of keeping the puck out of our net. Not just our goalies. But with our D corps. Our forwards as well,” Yzerman said.

Reducing the Red Wings GAA

While Yzerman appreciated how hard the Red Wings worked down the stretch to stay in the playoff race with come-from-behind and dramatic wins, he also understood the team was undermined by lack of consistency in defensive coverage.

The Red Wings ranked 24th in goals-against average, and the bottom 10 teams in that category all missed the playoffs.

Yzerman wants his team’s defensive coverage to be more predictable, more dependable, more simplistic, maybe even boring. Teams that follow that script usually have a better chance of making the playoffs.

“It’s incumbent upon our coaching staff to instill or improve, continue to work on, whether it’s a different system or getting better in how we play and improving our players in the system,” Yzerman said. “It’s practice, practice, practice for me and get it over with.”

This certainly isn’t a new approach. Also teams are probably talking more about blocking shots and denying shots more in recent years.

“Goals against is a challenge around the league,” Yzerman said. “It’s more of an offensive league. You’re seeing it in the scoring totals of the top players around the league. Goals-against averages for goaltenders is (up). It’s a difficult league to defend in right now. For whatever reason it’s become more offensive, and that’s entertaining and exciting, but the best teams in the league are probably somewhere in the top in goals against and defensive play, whether it’s the traditional stats or the underlying numbers. So collectively as a team we have to get better, that’s the No. 1 thing, ”

Edvinsson Era Begins

The blue line group will be different. Six-foot-six Simon Edvinsson should play regularly, maybe in the top four. He is working on bulking up this summer in anticipation of an NHL promotion.

One surprise for fans may be that Justin Holl is still with the team and could play an expanded role this season as one of just three right-shot defensemen on the team. The Red Wings could have bought him out, but Yzerman knows Holl can play a shutdown roll. He could help.

The Red Wings couldn’t re-sign Shayne Gostisbehere, and that will undoubtedly hurt the team’s power play. Yzerman brought in Erik Gustafsson to take some of Gostisbehere’s point-man minutes. But Gostisbehere’s absence could help the Red Wings reduce their goals-against. Gostisbehere is a risk-taker and he isn’t as focused on the defensive side puck as he is when he has the puck.

Also look for rookie Albert Johansson to receive a chance to play this season. The read on Johansson is that he can be a steady performer, a player who understands that his primary mission is to prevent the other team from scoring. If he can avoid too many rookie mistakes, he could be the kind of young defenseman coach Derek Lalonde wants to see arrive at his doorstep. First, Johansson will have to beat out William Lagesson for the No. 8 spot.

To qualify the playoffs, the Red Wings, who gave up 273 goals, may have trim that total to 250. Moritz Seider’s continual improvement will be a key part of that hope.  Obviously, a big season from one of their four NHL-experienced goalies (Ville Husso, Cam Talbot, Alex Lyon and Jack Campbell) could make that mission easier.

“Maybe we’ll win some some games with lower scoring and not have these wild comebacks and we also might not have some of these wild losses where we were leading.” Yzerman said. ” I think it’s going to be different ultimately.”

The post State of the Red Wings: Putting ‘D’ Back in Detroit appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

For Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson, the summer is about tipping the Toledos and taking his offensive game to the next level.

Back home in Kungsbacka, Sweden, Edvinsson, 21, is going full bore in his preparations for the 2024-25 season, which will be his first full campaign in the NHL.

Simon Edvinsson. That's it. That's the Tweet. pic.twitter.com/sqGJsMkn6v

— x – Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) April 19, 2024

The sixth player chosen in the 2021 NHL entry draft believes that his 16-game stint with the Red Wings, mostly coming at the end of the 2023-24 season, was putting on display the fact that he’s fully made the transition into being an effective player on the smaller North American ice surface.

”I like the small ice and I’m starting to get a grip on things,” Edvinsson explained to writer Christian Johansson of Swedish media outlet Norra Halland. “I feel great because I know what I need to work on to grow my game.”

Red Wings Edvinsson Winning Mental Game

Edvinsson felt much different in the NHL last season than he did the previous season. That was during a nine-game stint in Detroit.

”I was more ready,” he said. “I knew what I was getting into. When I got called up I had a confidence I didn’t have the first season.”

He’s of the opinion that a big step in that direction was in learning how to deal with and overcome the mental blocks that often hinder young players making the adjustment to the NHL.

”About 80-85% is the mental side,” Edvinsson said. “Being in the present. With the right frame of mind playing becomes easy.”

Asked Erik Gustafsson about the potential of being paired with Moritz Seider or Simon Edvinsson and what he can teach them. Love how casually he refers to Simon as "the big Swede" #LGRW pic.twitter.com/d8SNCawuBE

— Daniella Bruce (@daniellabruce_) July 2, 2024

He expects to be carrying 220 pounds on his 6-foot-6 frame by the fall. And Edvinsson also believes he’s got much more to give in terms of making offensive contributions to the team. That could prove vital, considering the Red Wings lost 22 goals from the defense. Edvinsson could pick up the slack for the departures of Jake Walman (12 goals) and Shayne Gostisbehere (10).

All together , Edvinsson’s approach is paralleling what the Red Wings are anticipating that he’ll be bringing to the ice next season.

“We’re expecting Simon to play a bigger role,” Detroit GM Steve Yzerman said.

The post Red Wings Edvinsson Planning to Bulk up For First Full NHL Season appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

The Detroit Red Wings’ preseason will have more intrigue this fall because multiple youngsters are vying for roster jobs. But the schedule will look much the same as it did last season.

The Red Wings will play eight preseason games, with home and away games against Chicago, Pittsburgh and Toronto. The difference this season is the Red Wings are not playing the Washington Capitals, and will play single games against divisional rivals Ottawa and Buffalo.

The 2024-25 Preseason Schedule

Wednesday, Sept. 25: At Chicago Blackhawks.

Friday, Sept. 27:  Home vs. the Blackhawks.

Saturday, Sept. 28: Home vs. Pittsburgh Penguins.

Monday, Sept. 30: At Buffalo Sabres.

Tuesday, Oct. 1: At Pittsburgh.

Thursday, Oct. 3: Home vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Friday, Oct. 4: At Ottawa Senators

Saturday, Oct. 5: At Toronto.

Ticket information for both the preseason and regular-season will be announced at a later date.

Detroit’s preseason could provide an opportunity for at least three younger players — and maybe up to five — to make the parent club roster.

Based on how well he played last the 2023-24 season, defenseman Simon Edvinsson should make the team. Forward Jonatan Berggren and defenseman Albert Johansson are no longer waiver exempt, meaning they cannot be sent to the AHL without clearing waivers.

The Red Wings continue to be high on Marco Kasper, meaning he could make the team with a strong preseason.  Other younger players perhaps in the mix: Carter Mazur and Elmer Soderblom.

The preseason will also be the first time Detroit fans will get to lay eyes on Czech scoring champ Jakub Rychlovsky who signed this summer as a free agent. A speedy winger, Rychlovsky scored 26 goals last season. The likely scenario would be for Rychlovsky to start the season in Grand Rapids. But fans will at least have an opportunity to what kind of player Rychlovsky is going to be.

The post Why Red Wings Preseason Schedule Matters More in 2024-25 appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Simon Edvinsson will be casting his future with the Detroit Red Wings. The top hockey minds in the American Hockey League are convinced that future will be a bright one.

The Red Wings 2021 first-round draft pick is among the players earning selection to the AHL Top Prospects Team. Edvinsson was the only Detroit player among the six earning spots on this select squad. Are all projecting to be future NHL stars.

Determination of who makes the squad is through assessing by the league’s hockey operations department. They do this in conjunction with AHL general managers. Together they select three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender projecting to be the best future NHL players.

Edvinsson is the first Grand Rapids Griffins player to earn selection to an AHL Top Prospects Team. This select squad was first chosen following the 2022-23 campaign.

To qualify for the AHL Top Prospects Team, skaters must have been 22 years old or younger on the first day of the regular season. They must have played at least 36 regular-season games in the AHL and no more than 30 regular-season games in the National Hockey League during the 2023-24 season. Goaltenders must have been 23 or younger on opening night. They need to have played at least 25 AHL games and no more than 20 NHL games during the regular season.

Others named to this select squad were Milwaukee Admirals goalie Yaroslav Askarov, Ontario Reign defenseman Brandt Clarke, Rochester Americans forward Jiri Kulich, Texas Stars forward Logan Stankoven and Coachella Valley Firebirds forward Shane Wright.

Edvinsson Ready For Red Wings

Edvinsson earned his first selection to the AHL All-Star Classic. He paced the team’s blueliners in points (30) and goals (eight). Edvinsson wound up tying for fourth among the league’s defensemen with three game winners.

He would earn a late-season recall to help with Detroit’s drive for an NHL playoff spot. That performance was leaving assurances that Edvinsson’s future is definitely going to be in the show. He was skating top-four minutes on the club’s rearguard during the NHL regular-season stretch drive.

“Simon Edvinsson was phenomenal down the stretch,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said.

Edvinsson was making a similar positive impression upon the veterans in the Detroit lineup.

“I was very impressed again when he came in,” Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said. “His approach was really good to see.
“He was very mature in how he prepared, how he analyzed his game, how he feels like he still wants to get better.

The post Potential of Red Wings Edvinsson Earning AHL Recognition appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Bob Duff’s latest article explains there are multiple reasons why the Detroit Red Wings could regress next season. The expected infusion of prospects is chief among those reasons.

Detroit draft picks Simon Edvinsson, Albert Johansson and Jonatan Berggren are likely going to be on the team. Marco Kasper could be on the roster. Elmer Soderblom is also in the mix to be on the parent club.

Younger players make more mistakes, and the margin of error for Detroit to qualify for the post season is small. While Detroit’s team is improving, the rosters in Montreal, Ottawa and Buffalo are also improving.

Duff also points out the Detroit power play may not be as strong if Patrick Kane and Shayne Gostisbehere are lost to free agency. The team’s place among the top 10 NHL power play is a primary reason why Detroit challenge for the playoffs in 2023-24. Check out Duff’s insightful article.

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

Bob Duff offers five reasons why the Red Wings could regress next season. One reason is the Red Wings plan to use some younger players such as Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson on defense.

The Grand Rapids Griffins signed college free agent Gabriel Seger, a Swedish player from Cornell.

The Red Wings have swung and missed on some draft picks in the first and second rounds in recent years. Tim Robinson looks at some of the players they should have drafted including Alex DeBrincat. 

JONATAN BERGGREN DOES IT AGAIN IN OVERTIME@griffinshockey | #GRvsRFD | #CalderCup pic.twitter.com/IvxI7FwG6B

— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) May 4, 2024

Red Wings Offseason

Former Detroit Red Wings’ first round pick Tom McCollum, 34, is transferring from Eisbaren Regensburg of the German second division to the Belfast Giants. The Red Wings drafted him 30th overall in 2008. In Sweden, former Detroit player Mathias Brome is leaving Orebo and moving to Lulea

Hockey Now Network

Buffalo: Jason Moser offers three free agents the Sabres should avoid at all costs. Buffalo Sabres.

Chicago: Nate Brown explains why drafting Michigan State defenseman defenseman Artyom Levshunov would make some sense for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Florida: Sasha Barkov “feels good” after Draisaitl blow to the heard. Florida Panthers.

Montreal: Marc Dumont explains why the Habs could move Carey Price’s contact in July. What would the Tampa Bay Lightning to use Price’s LTIR to help their salary cap outlook? Montreal Canadiens.

The post The Daily: Red Wings Rookies May Stumble; ‘Hawks Eye MSU D Man appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

One more point and the Detroit Red Wings would’ve been a participant in the NHL playoffs this season. It was that close.

Will it be that close a call again next season?

Perhaps not.

Every season is different and change figures to be a major player in Detroit’s offseason plans. Some new players are guaranteed to be inserted into the lineup, while there’s also a strong chance that some key performers from last season won’t be wearing the winged wheel during the 2024-25 NHL season.

Here’s five reasons why next season could see regression by the Red Wings in the NHL standings

Red Wings Rookies Not Ready For Prime Time

It’s known that three players who spent the majority of the past season toiling for the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins are virtually guaranteed spots with the big club next season. Defenseman Simon Edvinsson likely was earning his place in Detroit via his steller play during a late-season recall.

JONATAN BERGGREN DOES IT AGAIN IN OVERTIME@griffinshockey | #GRvsRFD | #CalderCup pic.twitter.com/IvxI7FwG6B

— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) May 4, 2024

On the other hand, forward Jonatan Berggren and defenseman Albert Johansson are out of options and would need to clear NHL waivers go back down to the Griffins. That isn’t going to happen, so they’ll almost certainly be staying in Detroit.

If any or all of the three of them show growing pains, or struggle with the transition to the show, things could go badly for the Red Wings.

Power Play Power Outage

One of the key elements in Detroit’s uptick in the standings was that the team was icing a much more efficient and effective power-play unit. Clicking at 23.1% with the man advantage, the Red Wings would rank ninth in the league. Just five teams potted more power-play goals than the 63 netted by the Wings.

Detroit goal!

Scored by Lucas Raymond with 01:17 remaining in the 3rd period.

Assisted by David Perron and Shayne Gostisbehere.

Detroit: 4
Montreal: 4#MTLvsDET #LGRW #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/n6I6280jQ6

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 16, 2024

Two key elements in this improvement were defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and forward Patrick Kane. Gostisbehere would account for a team-leading 29 power-play points. Meanwhile, following his late-November arrival, Kane’s inate ability to gain the zone really got the power play rolling. He was good for 15 power-play points.

Both players, though, are unrestricted free agents. If both sign elsewhere, how will their absence impact the potency of the Detroit power play?

Erratic Red Wings Netminding

The fighting spirit of the Detroit goaltending crew last season was certainly to be admired. However, on too many nights they were also fighting the puck.

Alex Lyon and James Reimer were both tied for 28th in the NHL in save percentage at .904. Ville Husso (.892) wound up much further down the list.

Similar to Husso the season prior, Lyon was struggling down the stretch, perhaps to do with the fact that he was reaching a career high in games played.

Lack Of Commitment To Defense

One alarming factor that’s been a steady presence during the two seasons with Derek Lalonde as head coach of the Red Wings is an alarming number of goals keep ending up in their net. This is not a path toward long-term success.

Even as they battled for their playoff lives down the stretch, the Red Wings were giving up at least four goals in 15 of their final 22 regular-season games. And that can’t all be hung on the shoulders of the goaltenders.

The Red Wings need to become a more consistent defensive team in order to be taken seriously as a legitimate playoff contender.

Other Teams Will Be Getting Better

You know that the New Jersey Devils aren’t going to be as bad of a team next season. That will be especially true if they shore up their goaltending. Likewise, it’s only logical that Atlantic Division teams such as the Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens are going to be improving next season.

If the Red Wings fall off even a little bit, any or all of these teams might offer the potential to pass Detroit by.

The post Five Reasons Why Red Wings Could Regress Next Season appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Red Wings first round pick Simon Edvinsson is listed as day to day with an undisclosed issue and McKeen’s Hockey accented how important that is to the Grand Rapids Griffins in its recent ranking of NHL team prospect pools.

McKeen’s named the Red Wings the No. 1 prospect pool and Edvinsson as Detroit’s top prospect in that pool. Edvinsson is one of six prospects on the Detroit list that may be in the lineup tonight when the Griffins play the Milwaukee Admirals in Game 3 of their American Hockey League Central Division Final playoff series.

Nate Danielson, who made his professional debut in Game 2, is No 2 on McKeen’s list and Marco Kasper is No. 3. Goalie Sebastian Cossa has started all of the Griffins’ playoff games. He’s No. 5. Carter Mazur is No. 7 and William Wallinder is No. 8. Shai Buium is officially assigned to the Griffins, but he is not on their playoff roster.

Edvinsson Day to Day

Edvinsson didn’t play Game 2 and the Griffins fell 5-2 to the Admirals. Watson said after the game that Edvinsson was day to day, and said he wouldn’t know until today whether Edvinsson will be ready for Game 3.

The 6-foot-6 defenseman is the Griffins’ No. 1 defenseman. He plays on the top pairing with Albert Johansson. Both of those Swedish defenseman are expected to play in Detroit next season.

The Admirals are the Nashville Predators’ AHL affiliate. Their top prospect, Jaroslav Askarov, was in goal against Cossa in Game 2.  First round Nashville draft pick Zach L’Heureux has also played well in this postseason.

Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman has been pleased with his prvospects’ development this season, particularly the players in Grand Rapids. While players like Edvinsson, Kasper and Mazur receive most attention, players such as William Wallinder and Antti Tuomisto have made strides. Defenseman Shai Buium also is coming off a strong college season at Denver.

Tuomisto and Wallinder are expected to be in Grand Rapids’ lineup tonight against Milwaukee.

The Detroit Red Wings take the top spot with the #1 prospect pool in the NHL, led by prospect Simon Edvinsson!

Discover detailed scouting reports and exclusive hockey insights with the upcoming release of McKeen's 2024 NHL Prospect Report.#LGRW #McKeensHockey pic.twitter.com/mZdLdSa9L5

— McKeen's Hockey (@mckeenshockey) May 21, 2024

The post McKeen’s Ranks Red Wings’ Prospects No. 1; Edvinsson Hurting? appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.