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Julian Gaudio
JulianGaudio@THNew
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Julian Gaudio is a reporter for the Vegas Golden Knights, Seattle Kraken and Winnipeg Jets team sites with The Hockey News. You can follow him on Twitter @JulianGaudio89.
Joined at May 13, 2024Activity
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Red Wings Austin Watson Mercifully Sent Down
It’s a big game of musical chairs…on ice.
AHL promotions and demotions happen all year long.
The Detroit Red Wings are demoting Austin Watson, a bruising forward. This demotion is good for two different reasons.
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For starters, it means that Elmer Soderblom is all but confirmed to play Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes. Secondly, it means that Watson can play somewhere where he will actually play.
It’s not that the Red Wings haven’t gotten what they need from him. Unfortunately, head coach Todd McLellan doesn’t seem keen on utilizing him all that much. But, at this point in the season, every win is crucial, and McLellan needs to ice the best team every single night.
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In eight games, he only averaged 6:10 of time on ice per game. Here are the ice times for all eight games he’s played with the Red Wings this season: 4:54, 9:06, 8:53, 6:07, 9:34, 3:34, 3:06, and 4:03.
Yeah, I’d say it’s a good thing he was sent down.
Watson has had a solid AHL season in 2024-25. He has 16 goals and 37 points in 56 games. Although he was never truly given a chance at the NHL level, he still managed to score two goals.
Additionally, he’s been able to bring more physicality to the Grand Rapids Griffins than the Red Wings. Watson has partaken in 11 fights this season, 10 of which have been in the AHL.
Soderblom brings more skill to the Red Wings and will give the squad a big boost to continue pursuing an Eastern Conference Wild Card position.
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Red Wings Axel Sandin Pellikka Is Breaking Playoff Records
There is no substitute for talent.
However, one of the tricky things with talented prospects, is seeing if that talent can transfer over to the NHL.
The Detroit Red Wings have many talented prospects, including a few goaltenders with great potential to be their next starting netminder. They also have a few forwards that could turn into impressive hidden gems.
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One prospect, who has been an absolute treat to watch this season, is Axel Sandin Pellikka. From his performance at the World Juniors to an incredible regular season in the SHL, he just can’t stop doing spectacular things.
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The latest feat has arrived during the SHL playoffs. Earlier on Friday, Sandin Pellikka scored his 12th point of the playoffs. That set a record for the most points ever scored by a defender who is 20 or younger in the SHL playoffs.
Let’s not forget that he could come to North America once his SHL playoff run is complete.
This should be a sight for sore eyes as far as Red Wings fans are concerned. The season has definitely been a roller coaster ride as far as the NHL team is concerned.
However, Sandin-Pellikka coming over to North America after the season he has had should put a pep in the step of the most cynical Red Wings fan.
He has incredible offensive talent for a defender. Additionally, he is already signed to his entry-level contract, so there is no harm in seeing what he can do on North American ice at this point in time.
Saddle up, Red Wings fans.
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Who Is The Red Wings Goalie Of The Future?
Who is the goalie of the future?
The goaltending position is the most important one on the ice. So the more arrows an organization has in its quiver, the better.
The Detroit Red Wings have many goaltending prospects, signed and unsigned. Today, we will ask which of these goalies is the goaltender of the future for the Red Wings?
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Some of these goalie prospects are untouchable, but at least one Red Wings prospect has the potential to surprise. So here is the list of goaltender prospects, ranked from least likely to most likely (and organized by tiers).
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Least Likely To Be Red Wings Goalie Of The Future
6. Gage Alexander
Gage Alexander has a long way to go to get a sniff of NHL action. The 6-foot-6 22-year old goalie hasn’t had a lot of opportunity this season.
Alexander has only played five games for the Reading Royals of the ECHL. He’s been great in the opportunities he’s been given, posting a 4-1 record, a 2.81 goals against average (GAA), and a .913 save percentage (SV%).
He’s going to need a lot more at-bats to make it to the AHL, let alone the NHL.
5. Landon Miller
Landon Miller has more runway ahead of him, being Alexander’s junior by three years. Even though he has worse numbers than the aforementioned Alexander, he will be moving on from the OHL next season.
His performance took a step back for the 2024-25 season. In 37 games, he has a record of 13-17-1, a 4.07 GAA, an .877 SV%, and one shutout. The year before he boasted a record of 17-6-0, a 2.79 GAA, an .889 SV%, and two shutouts.
He is only ranked higher than Alexander because of his age, as the dip in production this year is cause for pause.
Dark Horse Candidates For Future Red Wings Starter
4. Rudy Guimond
Rudy Guimond probably isn’t on anyone’s radar for the Red Wings future starting goaltender. However, there are reasons to be optimistic about his (potential) future impact on the NHL team.
The 6-foot-3 goalie is only 19 and split his season between the USHL’s Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats. Cedar Rapids had a tumultuous start to their season and was granted an opportunity with the Wildcats.
Guimond joined the Wildcats on December 8th. Since then, he has a record of 16-0, a 1.73 GAA, a .940 SV%, and three shutouts. If he can get into the AHL before the next goalie on this list, he is definitely a goalie to keep an eye on.
3. Carter Gylander
Carter Gylander has a better chance than Guimond for a few reasons. For starters, he has four years of solid numbers at the NCAA in his rearview mirror.
This season, he has played 32 games in the ECHL. Gylander has had good success, with a 19-8-5 record, a 2.65 GAA, a .906 SV%, and two shutouts.
He’s also played three games for the Grand Rapids Griffins this year. He will need to secure regular playing time with the Griffins to be in contention for Red Wings starting goalie in a few years.
Most Likely To Be Red Wings Starting Goalie
2. Sebastian Cossa
Sebastian Cossa has been the subject of much discussion since the Red Wings drafted him in 2021. This season, he’s been a strong force in the AHL.
In 36 games, he has a record of 19-12-6, with a 2.42 GAA, .912 SV%, and one shutout. Cossa has even gotten a sniff of the NHL, coming in relief of Ville Husso and earning his first NHL win.
He may have size, athleticism, and a great AHL record going for him. However, the last goalie on this list has a couple of things that Cossa does not.
1. Trey Augustine
Trey Augustine is a remarkable goaltender having a remarkable season. The 20-year-old is only in his second year of NCAA and took a major step forward.
Last season, he boasted a record of 23-9-2, a 2.96 GAA, a .915 SV%, and three shutouts in 35 games. He has played a few fewer games this year, with better personal stats. In 30 games, he has a 2.08 GAA, a .924 SV%, and three shutouts. Augustine had a record of 19-7-4.
Augustine was also phenomenal at the World Juniors, where Team USA claimed gold for the second consecutive year. He was lights out, winning all four games he played in tournament play with a 1.75 GAA and a .936 SV%.
His penchant for performing at a high level during high-pressure games, his improving performance at the NCAA-level, and the fact that he’s only 20 years old, have him poised to take over the Red Wings starter role one day – and keep it.
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Red Wings Keep Dream Alive with Emphatic 5–3 Win over Carolina
DETROIT—Their month of March was an unmitigated disaster, control over their destiny has slipped through their hands, their remaining schedule is the league's most difficult, yet the Detroit Red Wings' playoff hopes remain alive, bolstered by a decisive 5–3 Friday night win over the visiting Carolina Hurricanes that suggested March's defensive woes are over and demonstrated their competence against the NHL's elite.
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Detroit Stays Tight on D
Detroit had to sweat this game out late, before Alex DeBrincat clinched the result with an empty net goal as time expired after building leads of 2–0 and 4–1. Even with Carolina's late surge, Friday's performance represented a third consecutive strong defensive effort, a welcome sign after an altogether disastrous month of March in the D zone.
The Red Wings went 4–10–0 in March, while conceding 3.29 goals against per game. Over their last three games, they've pulled it down to an average of an even two goals a game, earning five of a possible six points in the process.
In his post-game remarks, coach Todd McLellan suggested that Tuesday night's OT loss in St. Louis was actually a more complete performance. "We're starting to get points again, so maybe we're coming out of that funk if you want to call it that, but the runway that we have is getting tighter and tighter," McLellan said.
He then offered the caveat that Detroit still has work to do when it comes to making those winning behaviors full-time habits: "It has to happen over and over and over again. You can still see moments in the game tonight where we were apprehensive or retreating when we could be aggressive. We've got to get that through the players—keep pushing rather than retreating."
Despite those momentary lapses (which the Hurricanes deserve credit for helping to force with their intensity all over the ice), Friday was another step in the right defensive direction for the Red Wings, and that is probably the single biggest reason they appear to have fought their way out of the funk McLellan named.
"I think we wanted to keep the pressure on their defense tonight," noted Patrick Kane after the game. "We know how active they can get into the play. They get some zone time, they get some pressure on us, but for the most part, I think we held down the fort and kept the shots from the outside." Kane also credited teammates like Simon Edvinsson and Michael Rasmussen for their willingness to get in front of shots all night.
To both those points, Detroit limited the Canes to seven five-on-five high-danger chances, per Natural Stat Trick. That's not nothing, but it's a commendable number against a team that thrives on offensive volume. Meanwhile, the Red Wings also blocked 23 shots (with Edvinsson and Jeff Petry leading the way at five a piece) to help make life easier for Cam Talbot, who stopped 30 of the 33 shots he faced.
Red Wings Find Necessary Run Support Without PP
Five-on-five production hasn't been easy to come by for the Red Wings, even during some of their best stretches of the 2024-25 season, but Detroit got the run support it needed for Talbot to win Friday night, without needing to turn to its power play to supply the offense.
The Wings finished the night 0-for-2 on the man advantage, seeming to struggle with the short-handed pressure Carolina applied. However, thanks to two offensive flurries, Detroit seized momentum and built an insurmountable lead.
In the first period, Ben Chiarot buried the rebound off an Alex DeBrincat that struck the post to grab the game's opening goal at the 9:03 mark, and 26 seconds later, Marco Kasper cleaned up a broken play around the crease to make it 2–0 Red Wings.
In the second, after an early Jackson Blake for Carolina goal cut the score to 2–1, Detroit enjoyed another two-goal volley, this time needing only 21 seconds between a Patrick Kane breakaway goal and a smooth Rasmussen finish that made it 4–1.
"You think about our goals tonight: Scoring first favors us, getting two favors us, getting one after the penalty kill and then the bang-bang Ras scoring right after was huge," said McLellan after the game. "Each of the four goals that we scored were momentum gainers for us and maybe pushed them back for two or three minutes."
The Red Wings managed just 21 shots on goal, and they didn't really sustain offensive pressure for any extended passages of play. To varying degrees, each of the four goals had a 'something out of nothing' feel to it, as opposed to being built through a steady spell of control and zone time, but the cumulative effect of Detroit's opportunism was huge in establishing a lead and momentum against a team that's vexed it in recent history.
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Proof of Concept: Slaying an NHL Dragon
Heading into the night's action, the Red Wings had lost six straight games against Carolina, their last win coming in March of 2023. Meanwhile, Detroit has known by virtue of its schedule for the stretch run that qualifying for the playoffs would require taking down high quality competition like the Canes. It's worth noting that Carolina was missing two key pieces Friday in Jordan Staal and Andrei Svechnikov, but the Red Wings nonetheless demonstrated their ability to come out on the right side of a result against a Cup contending opponent.
That's a formula they'll need to replicate a few more times to sneak into the postseason. As Kane put it after the game, "You look at our schedule the rest of the way, it doesn't really get any easier, [but] we can play against these top teams in the league, and I think we proved that tonight."
As for the evening's game, McLellan pointed out that by taking an early lead and holding it, his team (in contrast to its previous two meetings with the Hurricanes) found comfort in playing with a lead. "In the other games where we played them, we were chasing the whole night, and you can see what they can do when they get rolling around and hem you in, it's a difficult team to play against, so to have the three-goal cushion was real important," he observed.
As for the playoff chase, McLellan said, "I challenged our group after the 4 Nations break: Who are we?...Are we the early team [that struggled prior to the coaching change] or are we the team that kind of got it going, and we've proven to be more the early team than the team that got it going over the last little bit, but we talked about [how] the story's not done yet. We can still write another chapter or two, so lets' get playing the way we can, and again, I keep saying it, look up at the scoreboard at the end of the night. Don't worry about standings or scores or anything like that."
At the end of the night Friday, the scoreboard looked good for Detroit. While the Red Wings don't control their playoff destiny, if they can ensure that is the case seven more times to close out the season, they'll make a compelling case for the final playoff bid.
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Patrick Kane Hits New Milestones in Win over Hurricanes
Patrick Kane may not have hit the most notable benchmark around the NHL Friday night (that distinction of course belongs to Alex Ovechkin, who equaled Wayne Gretzky's 894 career goals), but in the Red Wings ' 5–3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, Kane hit a handful of new milestones.
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With his goal in Friday night's win, Kane hit 20 goals for the season for the 17th time in his career, passing Mike Modano for the most 20-goal campaigns by a U.S. born skater in NHL history. He also tied Sidney Crosby for the second most 20-goal seasons among active players (trailing only Ovechkin). It also gave Kane his 100th point as a Detroit Red Wing.
After the game, Detroit coach Todd McLellan joked that the team's PR staff didn't have time to fill him in on all of Kane's accolades in the time it took to walk from the dressing room to the press room, before adding, "It's an honor to be around him and watch him play and perform, and he's still like a young kid. It's fun."
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Kane himself recalled his boyhood affinity for Modano growing up in Buffalo. "He was one of my favorite players," Kane said. "The way he skated up and down the ice, his jersey flapping behind him, one of the best American players of all time, so a lot of respect for him and what he's done in this league. Obviously he broke my heart in '99 when they beat the Sabres in the Cup Finals, but I definitely remember watching him growing up and how fun he was, so explosive and scored so many highlight reel goals."
It's not 'most goals ever,' but the latest bevy of milestones offers one more reminder of Kane's excellence and his endurance.
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Injury Update: Elmer Soderblom Possible vs. Carolina, Mrazek Remains Out
After an off-day Wednesday, the Detroit Red Wings held practice Thursday heading into Friday's home game against the Carolina Hurricanes, allowing coach Todd McLellan a chance to provide an update on the health of the two injured Red Wings: goaltender Petr Mrazek and forward Elmer Soderblom.
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"Both skated, both participated as you saw, full participation, so I'm assuming they're good, but I haven't spent any time with the [training] staff," McLellan told reporters Thursday. "Elmer's probably closer to playing I would think, in the coach's mind anyhow, than Petr is. He just needs a couple more days as a goaltender, but we have our fingers crossed that [Elmer] could potentially return tomorrow."
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Mrazek has been out since the Red Wings' win in Utah on Mar. 24, a game in which he was injured in under two minutes. Meanwhile, Soderblom hasn't played since that same night (having also missed the game prior), but now it sounds as though the towering forward is on the brink of returning to action, with Mrazek not far behind him in the queue to return to health.
Detroit faces a critical weekend for its already perilous playoff hopes, with the Hurricanes in town Friday night and then the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers visit Little Caesars Arena Sunday.
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Red Wings-Hurricanes Game Day Preview & Where to Watch
DETROIT—Friday night at Little Caesars Arena, the Detroit Red Wings host the Carolina Hurricanes. They Red Wings have eight games left in their season with which to overturn a six-point gap between themselves and the Montreal Canadiens (who have played an extra game) for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
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Detroit hasn't beaten the Hurricanes since Mar. 30, 2023, but it can turn to two recent match-ups from last March to inform Friday night's game.
"When we do a pre-scout, we watch their current games and see if there's any changes in tendencies and changes in lines...but we've played them enough recently to use our own information, use our own video and clips about structure things and tendencies they might have, especially if it matches up to the cent play," said coach Todd McLellan after Friday morning's optional skate. "So that makes the pre-scout easier, but it doesn't make the task of playing them easier. They are collectively a tough team to play against [because of] the way they attack."
Added DeBrincat, "It's nice to have played them [recently]. I think you kinda know what works, what doesn't work, and know what kinda game it's gonna be...I would say they're a fast team with long sticks and big bodies, so we gotta come ready to play and play hard."
Soderblom Returns, Shine Sent Down
Expect to see a similar Detroit lineup to the one that lost in overtime in St. Louis on Tuesday night. However, forward Elmer Soderblom will fold back into the lineup after missing four of the last five for the Red Wings. Cam Talbot will remain the starting goaltender. With Soderblom returning to full health, the Red Wings sent forward Dominik Shine back down to Grand Rapids, though he did take part in Friday morning's skate.
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Where to Watch
Tonight's game (a 7 PM) puck drop will air on its usual broadcast homes: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit for in-market fans and ESPN+ for out-of-towners. 97.1 The Ticket will carry the radio broadcast
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"Sometimes It's Easier to Be the Hunter than the Hunted": Detroit Looks to Keep Hunting vs. Panthers
DETROIT—Sunday night at Little Caesars Arena, the Detroit Red Wings host the Florida Panthers, looking to build on the success of Friday night's win over Carolina and keep pace in the desperate chase for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Canadiens beat the Philadelphia Flyers last night in Montreal, setting the current playoff cutline at 83 points with 76 games played. The Red Wings have played 75 and earned 77 points. Two points Sunday evening would do wonders for Detroit's playoff chances, heading into Tuesday night's matchup in Montreal.
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"You play all year to get near the finish line, and when you're close, you're really excited about hunting somebody down," said coach Todd McLellan after Saturday afternoon's practice. "Sometimes it's easier to be the hunter than the hunted. We'd like to change that though, as years go on, but right now we're the hunter, and
"Three weeks ago, we talked about running a marathon, and we're nearing the finish line, and we don't have to catch the individual that's going to end up first," he continued, mixing metaphors. "We just have to catch the runner in front of us."
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In beating the Hurricanes Friday, the Red Wings took advantage of a Carolina lineup without two key contributors: Andrei Svechnikov and Jordan Staal. The Panthers arrive in Detroit as the defending Stanley Cup champions, but they two are without two central figures from that Cup-winning team with both Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov unavailable due to injury. Florida also skates into the evening's game as the second half of a back-to-back, having lost 3–0 Saturday night in Ottawa.
Teams like the Hurricanes and Panthers—already secure in their playoff berths—aren't living in the same world as the desperate Red Wings. As McLellan pointed out Saturday, "Take the team we played last night. If they were in our situation and they were desperate, I don't know if Staal or Svechnikov would've played or not. I don't know their teams, but the ones that are in, that have the little x by their name, they have the luxury of deciding how to manage their lineup, so they're getting ready. We don't have that luxury. You're banged up, you're hurt, you're sore, you play. That's just the way it is, and there's nothing wrong with that, because if you can get in, you're already playing that type of hockey going into game one."
Against Florida, McLellan will be asking Cam Talbot to make his fifth straight start. As to Talbot's workload down the stretch, the coach said, "It'll be awfully hard for one goaltender to play all that way, but we're only worrying about tomorrow."
Talbot himself pointed out that Carolina and Florida share more than just playoff safety, they also share some traits when it comes to their style of creating offense.
"They throw a lot of pucks on net, they've got good net-front presence, they've got a lot of shooters in the lineup, and they get a lot of pucks to the net from the point, so we're gonna have to do a good job like we did last night boxing out, let me have sight lines, and obviously coming up with some big blocks when we need to," Talbot said of the Panthers.
Detroit will look keep hunting Sunday night at 5:30 in a nationally televised game on TNT.
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Report: Swiss Club Interested In Tomas Tatar, Dominik Kubalik
thehockeynews.comReport: Swiss Club Interested In Tomas Tatar, Dominik KubalikUnhappy with the way his team’s season finished, EV Zug GM Reto
Kläy recently spoke to the Swiss media about how he’d like to go
about strengthening his team for next season.
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