Out-of-town praise for Anton Johansson

Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis steps onto the Anton Johansson hype train this morning, offering a “blurb” regarding the Red Wings’ impressive rookie as Ellis surveys the most impressive first-year players around the NHL:

Anton Johansson, RHD (Detroit Red Wings)

Johansson has always been a bit of a late bloomer, given he was drafted in the fourth round by the Red Wings in 2022. He had a four-assist night on Tuesday, which is about as good of an outing as you could ask for when you’re trying to force your way into an NHL role. He’s a 6-foot-4 defenseman who moves the puck well and likes to join in on the rush. He proved that last year with his six points in eight games with Grand Rapids to close out the AHL season.

Johansson is expected to spend the full year with the Griffins, but he has impressed evaluators enough during the preseason to suggest giving him a shot out of training camp. Axel Sandin-Pellika did the same thing last year, when he played so well during the preseason that they let him stick around for the bulk of the season. Johansson could probably still use a bit more time getting comfortable in North America in the AHL, but it’s been good to see him coming over and looking so proficient already.

Continued; Ellis is probably right that Johansson will start the season in Grand Rapids, but he’s going to play significant minutes there, and he’ll be recalled for a “cup of coffee” as an injury replacement soon, and will steal a job to become an NHL regular a little bit down the line.

Friedman reports that the salary cap’s going to jump substantially in 28-29

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting a non-Red Wings-related bit of news that should be noted for Detroit fans, because Friedman’s comments regarding a soaring salary cap going forward = legitimate questions as to whether Chris Ilitch’s Red Wings will be allowed to spend to the upper limit thereof:

The NHL gave its first estimate for the 2028-29 salary cap at this week’s Board of Governors meeting, and according to multiple sources, it’s a whopper — $127.5 million. (All figures in U.S. dollars.)

The league and NHLPA are in the second of a three-season agreement that sent to the ceiling to record levels. This year’s number is $104 million and next year’s is $113.5 million. 

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said revenue projections for this coming season are approximately $8.1 billion in mixed currency, obviously a key factor in the rising total. If the 2028-29 guesstimate holds, it would also be the largest season-to-season jump of the cap era, at $14 million.

Even now, the Red Wings have a PuckPedia-estimated $19.51 million dollars in cap space, with Simon Edvinsson likely to sign in the $8-10 million range.

That extra money could have been used to sign a free agent forward to bridge the gap left by Patrick Kane’s departure, but it was not used for any purpose…

And if the cap blows up toward $130 million, more teams will be “haves” and “have-nots” depending on how and whether their respective ownership(s) choose to “spend to the cap.”

Audio link: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Dylan Larkin has expanded his trade list to 8 teams, including Colorado, Washington, Dallas and Tampa Bay

In today’s episode of the “32 Thoughts” podcast, Elliotte Friedman discusses the Dylan Larkin situation with Kyle Bukauskas, and, according to Friedman, the Red Wings’ disaffected and disgruntled captain has expanded his trade list.

At the 29:54 mark of the podcast, Friedman says that Larkin has more teams that he’s willing to go to than have been reported, and that Vegas, Minnesota and Florida have been expanded to Colorado, Washington, Dallas and Tampa Bay, guessing that there’s somewhere around 8 teams that Larkin is willing to be traded to. All U.S.-based teams, but they’re obviously teams where Larkin hears he can win.

Regarding Simon Edvinsson, Friedman says that the Red Wings’ preference is a shorter-term, “bridge contract” as the restricted free agent needs to be re-signed before next Friday to play in the home opener.

It’s a morning of Red Wings gloom and doom

This morning’s a haven for Red Wings-related gloom and doom.

The Red Wings have already earned an “F” for their offseason moves (or the lack thereof) over the course of the summer of 2026 from Bleacher Report’s Adam Gretz.

Now The Athletic’s Sean McIndoe paints a very, very bleak picture of Detroit’s 2026-2027 season outlook as part of the NHL’s “Bottom Feeder Division” in McIndoe’s NHL prediction/preview column:

Detroit Red Wings

Last season: 41-31-10, -15 goals differential, missed playoffs.

Their offseason in six words: Captain quits. GM fired. Replacement … eventually.

Why they’re here: Because the offseason was a mess, from Dylan Larkin’s trade request to Steve Yzerman’s late exit to whatever it is they think they’re doing now. It was the league’s weirdest offseason, and almost certainly its worst.

Is that making some of us forget that this was a 92-point team last year, with room to move up just based on young players improving? That’s the danger, and if any team could play the “nobody believes in us” card, it might be this one, with even their own fans largely turning on them. It just feels like it’s going to get worse before it gets better, and maybe by a lot.

Continued (paywall); again, I’m as pissed off about the Red Wings’ lack of offseason “oomph” as anyone here.

My take (it’s long): I honestly got really angry when we found out that the team didn’t sign Anthony Mantha to a 1-year contract because Shawn Horcoff wasn’t allowed to make trades or sign free agents. Mantha isn’t a superstar, but he could have helped the Wings, as could have several free agents who signed later in the summer (hello, New York Rangers forward Eeli Tolvanen).

Continue reading It’s a morning of Red Wings gloom and doom

On ‘player empowerment’ and Alex DeBrincat’s comments regarding Dylan Larkin’s trade demands

The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus discusses the recent trend of “player empowerment” over the course of the past summer, including the trade demands of several members of Team USA’s Olympic gold medal-winning hockey team.

We’ve covered Alex DeBrincat’s diplomatic remarks about Dylan Larkin’s trade request before, but DeBrincat’s comments from the NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour are worth revisiting:

“It sucks,” DeBrincat said of Larkin’s trade request. “But it doesn’t really change what we think of him.”

DeBrincat understands better than just about anyone. He was blindsided when the Chicago Blackhawks traded him to Ottawa at the 2022 draft, and he and his wife never really felt comfortable there. He scored 27 goals and played in all 82 games in the 2022-23 season but made it known to then-GM Pierre Dorion that he had no desire to re-sign with Ottawa as a restricted free agent. So, Dorion traded DeBrincat’s rights to his hometown Red Wings, who promptly signed him to a four-year contract.

Continue reading On ‘player empowerment’ and Alex DeBrincat’s comments regarding Dylan Larkin’s trade demands

Bleacher Report’s Gretz issues an “F” grade for the Red Wings’ offseason

Bleacher Report’s Adam Gretz offers “final grades” for every NHL team’s offseason moves (or the lack thereof), and I cannot disagree with his reasoning for giving Detroit an “F” grade (except for the fact that the team does have an interim general manager in Shawn Horcoff):

Detroit Red Wings

Offseason grade: F

Dysfunctional. That’s how this whole operation comes across right now.

Dylan Larkin requested a trade at the start of the offseason, Steve Yzerman was removed/stepped aside as general manager, and now with the season just days away they still do not have a new general manager to run the team.

That has resulted in Larkin not being traded, while nobody actually knows if he still wants a trade, and the organization stripping him of his captaincy.

Restricted free agent defenseman Simon Edvinsson (who also happens to be one of their best and most important young players) also remains unsigned because they haven’t had a general manager to get a new deal done with him.

Continue reading Bleacher Report’s Gretz issues an “F” grade for the Red Wings’ offseason

Red Wings prospect Anton Johansson’s blazing a trail toward a spot on Detroit’s blueline

Updated at 8:27 AM: Red Wings prospect defenseman Anton Johansson has the Red Wings in something of a pickle. Anton doesn’t need waivers to be sent down to Grand Rapids, so, in an ideal world, he’d be moved down for the start of the regular season over, say, William Wallinder or Jacob Bernard-Docker, who might be picked up on the waiver wire.

There’s a small problem with the equation, however, and it’s the fact that 22-year-old Anton has played fantastic hockey over the course of three exhibition games, posting 5 assists and looking more and more NHL-ready as he works the kinks out of his defensive game and displays surprisingly strong offensive chops.

This morning, the Free Press’s Helene St. James duly noted that Johansson earned significant praise from coach Todd McLellan and teammate Alex DeBrincat after last night’s 3-2 OT win over Buffalo:

Continue reading Red Wings prospect Anton Johansson’s blazing a trail toward a spot on Detroit’s blueline

Coach Todd McLellan makes no bones about Alex DeBrincat’s scrap in the Red Wings’ preseason victory over Buffalo

Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat finished last night’s overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres one assist short of a Gordie Howe Hat Trick, scoring the game-winning goal in a 3-2 decision and getting in a fight with Buffalo’s Trevor Kuntar…

After the game, DeBrincat told MLive’s Ansar Khan that he expected to get some blowback from coach Todd McLellan…

“It’s an intense game,” DeBrincat said. “(Kuntar) had done some stuff earlier in the game, too. And in the pile, he came in hard, I just saw red, I guess. Probably shouldn’t be fighting, but it is what it is. And it’s an intense game out there. So we got to play hard and do what we need to do.”

DeBrincat said coach Todd McLellan has never told him to avoid fighting. He has eight career fighting majors in the regular season, according to hockeyfights.com.

“He might say something now, but … I’m a competitor,” DeBrincat said. “I was getting (ticked) off, and it just happened. So, probably not exactly what I want to do, especially in preseason or anytime really.”

But coach McLellan told the Hockey News’s Michael Whitaker that he was in fact quite proud of DeBrincat:

Continue reading Coach Todd McLellan makes no bones about Alex DeBrincat’s scrap in the Red Wings’ preseason victory over Buffalo

Red Wings-Sabres preseason wrap-up: DeBrincat, Anton Johansson and the rest of Detroit’s roster embracing an edgier game

The Detroit Red Wings advanced their preseason record to 2-0-and-1 after defeating the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 in overtime on Thursday evening.

NHL.com’s recap will tell you the “just the facts” part of the narrative:

Alex DeBrincat won it for the Red Wings 33 seconds into overtime, finishing a one-timer from the left circle off a feed from Lucas Raymond during a power play.

Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Sheldon Dries also scored for the Red Wings (2-0-1). Daniil Tarasov made 17 saves.

Jiri Kulich and Trevor Kuntar scored for the Sabres (1-1-1). Ellis made 16 saves.

Kuntar gave Buffalo a 1-0 lead at 10:48 of the first period, roofing a shot after retrieving a failed clearing attempt by Tarasov.

Sandin-Pellikka tied it 1-1 at 16:11 with a power-play goal, a one-timer from the right circle off a feed from Anton Johansson.

Kulich scored 33 seconds into the second period to put Buffalo back ahead 2-1 after his shot on the rush trickled through Tarasov’s five-hole.

Dries tied it 2-2 at 7:13 of the third period, redirecting Jacob Bryson’s shot from the blue line in the left circle.

Even though this was an exhibition game, this game was particularly scrappy in the literal and figurative senses, with the Red Wings rallying from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to force overtime, and Alex DeBrincat of all people getting in a fight with Trevor Kuntar amidst a bunch of individual and collective scraps and scrapes.

The game didn’t go particularly well for Buffalo, which lost both Alex Lyon (upper-body injury) and Jiri Kulich (precautionary pull) to injuries, and Kuntar said this to BuffaloSabres.com’s Justin Alpert:

Continue reading Red Wings-Sabres preseason wrap-up: DeBrincat, Anton Johansson and the rest of Detroit’s roster embracing an edgier game

Red Wings-Sabres preseason Tweetcap: DeBrincat delivers an OT winner in a scrappy win over Buffalo

The Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres faced off at Little Caesars Arena in the 3rd of 4 Detroit exhibition games on Thursday night.

At Little Caesars Arena, the Wings rallied from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to tie the Buffalo Sabres 2-2, force overtime, and Alex DeBrincat, who had 8 shots, 11 shot attempts (and a fight), scored at 32 seconds of OT, on a 4-on-3 power play, to seal the deal:

Axel sandin Pellikka would score the 1-1 marker at 16:11 of the 1st (from Anton Johansson, who has 5 assists this preseason), and Sheldon Dries would tie the game 7:13 into the 3rd period on a tip-in of a point shot from Jacob Bryson.

Daniil Tarasov stopped 17 of 19 shots against, and was alert, responsive and sharp;

And the game was very scrappy, with Buffalo and Detroit both taking 7 penalties on the evening.

Enjoy the Tweetcap below!

PREGAME: Daniil Tarasov and Alex Lyon led their respective teams out onto the ice…

Continue reading Red Wings-Sabres preseason Tweetcap: DeBrincat delivers an OT winner in a scrappy win over Buffalo