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Jeff Petry Out With Undisclosed Injury

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As mentioned yesterday, the Detroit Red Wings’ concerns regarding the availability of veteran defenseman Jeff Petry have unfortunately been realized. According to team broadcast reporter Daniella Bruce, the Red Wings won’t have Petry in the lineup tonight due to an undisclosed injury suffered in the team’s recent game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

There is a valid argument that either option may prove to be an improvement over Petry. He’s experiencing one of the worst offensive seasons of his career, reminiscent of the 2013-14 season when he had only seven goals and 17 points in 80 games with the third-to-last-place Edmonton Oilers. While Petry has performed slightly better defensively this year with the Red Wings, he has not approached the level of the consistent 40-point defenseman he once was.

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Detroit Red Wings Recall William Lagesson

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Defenseman William Lagesson will join the Detroit Red Wings for their game tomorrow night as an insurance option. The organization announced they’ve recalled Lagesson from their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Lagesson’s recall is likely in response to Jeff Petry’s status tomorrow night. Petry sustained an undisclosed injury in the team’s recent win against the Columbus Blue Jackets last night limiting him to 17:17 of ice time despite averaging nearly 20 minutes for much of the season.

Even if Petry’s injury keeps him out of the lineup tomorrow night, his minutes will likely go to Albert Johansson, who hasn’t factored into Todd McLellan’s scheme since taking over behind the bench on December 26th. Johansson has largely skated in a depth role for Detroit this season, tallying one assist in 17 contests.

That’s more than Lagesson can say. This roster move marks Largesson’s fourth recall to the Red Wings’ active roster this season but he’s only appeared in two games. He skated on a third-pairing role in those contests averaging 15:57 of ice time without finding the scoresheet.

His real value has come in AHL Grand Rapids where Lagesson continues to be a defensive boon. He’s only scored three goals and nine points in 23 games for the Griffins this year but leads the team with an impressive +13 rating.

If Detroit is sure that Petry can suit up against the Jets by tomorrow morning, there’s a real chance that Lagesson could head back to Grand Rapids as early as tomorrow. The Griffins line up against the Milwaukee Admirals tomorrow night but won’t have another game until January 10th meaning Lagesson may not participate in a game for a week.

Red Wings Sign Ondrej Becher To Entry-Level Deal

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According to a team announcement, the Detroit Red Wings have signed one of their third-round picks from last year’s draft. The organization announced that forward Ondřej Becher has signed a three-year, entry-level contract and will be assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Detroit selected Becher with the 80th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. He skated for the WHL’s Prince George Cougars in his draft year, scoring 32 goals and 96 points in 58 games.

Becher also stole the show on the international stage, particularly in the 2023-24 World Junior Championships. He scored three goals and 10 points in seven games for Team Czechia, helping the country to its second straight top-three finish.

His scoring has dropped this year in his brief stint with the AHL Griffins but it’s nothing the Red Wings’ brass appears concerned with. He’s scored one goal and three points in 16 games for Grand Rapids this season managing a -4 rating.

The sudden lack of scoring is likely due to the competitiveness of the Griffins’ roster this season. The team is running away with the AHL’s Central Division and leaning on veteran players like Austin Watson and Joe Snively rather than the newer prospects in Detroit’s system.

Red Wings Activate Simon Edvinsson From Injured Reserve

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Dec. 27: The Red Wings announced that they’ve activated Edvinsson from injured reserve, indicating he’ll make his return to the lineup tonight against the Maple Leafs after missing three games with an upper-body injury. Wallinder and Lagesson were returned to Grand Rapids over the holiday break in corresponding transactions. Chiarot should also be cleared to play after missing their game against the Blues on Monday, newly-installed head coach Todd McLellan said (per the team’s Daniella Bruce).

Dec. 23: Prior to tonight’s game, the Red Wings placed defenseman Simon Edvinsson on injured reserve due to an upper-body issue. William Wallinder was called up from AHL Grand Rapids to take Edvinsson’s roster spot, the team announced.

It seemed likely that Edvinsson would be optioned to IR for roster flexibility after head coach Derek Lalonde said this morning that he and defensive counterpart Ben Chiarot would be unavailable against the Blues. Edvinsson has already missed two games with the injury, which he sustained on Dec. 18 against the Flyers. He’ll be eligible to come off IR for Friday’s game against the Maple Leafs if he’s medically cleared, a strong possibility since Detroit hasn’t issued a return timeline beyond day-to-day.

The IR placement hits pause on what’s been a breakout season for Edvinsson on the Red Wings’ thin blue-line. Selected sixth overall in the 2021 draft, he spent most of the prior two seasons in Grand Rapids but has taken a full-time role and run with it this season after a strong showing defensively in a late-season call-up last year. The offense wasn’t there for Edvinsson early on, posting three goals and an assist for four points through his first 25 NHL appearances in 2022-23 and 2023-24. That’s changed this year, with Edvinsson ranking eighth on the team in scoring with 13 points (3 G, 10 A) in 30 games, all at even strength.

Edvinsson is averaging 20:44 per game and is second among Detroit defenders with a 48.6% shot attempt share at even strength. Still just 21, it seems he’s officially on track to reach his top-pairing ceiling.

With William Lagesson also on hand as a more veteran option, it seems likely that Wallinder will sit in the press box tonight and serve as a healthy scratch and last-minute injury protection. The left-shot defender is in his second full season in North America, where he has eight points and a -5 rating in 19 games with Grand Rapids. The 6’4″, 190-lb defender will likely be returned to the minors tomorrow over the holiday break and will only be summoned back to the roster if Chiarot and Edvinsson remain unavailable by the end of the week. Wallinder, 22, was the 32nd overall pick of the 2020 draft.

Red Wings Fire Derek Lalonde, Hire Todd McLellan

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The Red Wings have made a long-awaited change behind the bench. The team announced Thursday that former Kings head coach Todd McLellan has been signed to a multi-year deal to become the 29th bench boss in Detroit franchise history. Head coach Derek Lalonde and associate coach Bob Boughner have been relieved of their duties.

Three straight losses heading into the holiday break were the final nail in the coffin for Lalonde, who had been on the hot seat for over a month. Darren Dreger of TSN reported in late November that a three-game homestand, during which they ended up going 1-1-1, was likely Lalonde’s last chance to finish out the season. While he got some grace to continue in his role beyond that, general manager Steve Yzerman’s patience has now run out.

The Wings both expected and needed to take a step forward in 2024-25. They finished with a 41-32-9 record last season, just narrowly missing out on their first playoff berth since 2016 and also marking their first season above .500 since that year. But a horrid campaign offensively so far for the Red Wings, who rank 29th in the league at 2.56 goals per game, has them with a 13-17-4 record at Christmas and eight points back of the Senators for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Yzerman hired both Lalonde and Boughner in the 2022 offseason after the Wings cleared out their previous coaching staff, led by Jeff Blashill. It was Lalonde’s first crack at being an NHL head coach after winning two Stanley Cups as an assistant on Jon Cooper’s staff with the Lightning. Earlier in the decade, Lalonde had served as a head coach with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers, the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye and the AHL’s Iowa Wild.

The 52-year-old Lalonde’s tenure behind the Detroit bench ends with an 89-86-23 record (.508 points percentage) in 198 games. Since the beginning of the 2022-23 season, the Red Wings’ record ranks 26th in the league, their 3.03 goals per game ranks 19th, and their 3.33 goals against per game ranks 27th.

Unlike last season, keeping the puck out of their net hasn’t been the Wings’ biggest problem. Thanks to veteran Cam Talbot putting up All-Star numbers in his 17 starts, things are likely better than they would otherwise be under a Lalonde system that’s posted below-average numbers at both ends of the ice. Detroit isn’t close to controlling the majority of shot attempts (46.8%), scoring chances (46.7%), or high-danger chances (45.5%) at 5-on-5, nor were they last year or the year before.

It’s also not surprising to see Boughner leave. His responsibilities included overseeing the team’s penalty kill, which clicked at a near-league-worst 68.8% rate this season. The 53-year-old previously served as the head coach of the Panthers (2017-19) and Sharks (2019-22), where he accumulated a 147-147-45 record for an even .500 record and failed to make the playoffs in any of his five seasons behind the bench.

In comes McLellan and assistant Trent Yawney, who have worked together in McLellan’s previous head coaching stops in San Jose, Edmonton and Los Angeles. It’s also a return of sorts for the veteran McLellan, who served as an assistant on Mike Babcock’s staff in Detroit from 2005 to 2008 and won a Stanley Cup.

Detroit is the 57-year-old McLellan’s fourth stop as an NHL head coach, and today’s news ensures he’ll suit up behind an NHL bench for the 20th straight season in some capacity. His last job with the Kings started in the 2019 offseason and ended last February, replaced midseason by Jim Hiller. In 1,144 regular-season games as a head coach, McLellan has a 598-412-134 record (.581) and has made the playoffs nine times. In those nine postseason appearances, he’s fared worse with a 42-46 record and never advancing to a Stanley Cup Final.

McLellan and Yawney will now be tasked with cleaning up the Wings’ possession game and penalty kill, the former of which should ideally lead to an influx of offense as the season progresses. Unfortunately, it may be too little too late for a playoff berth this season. Detroit has less than a one percent chance of ending their postseason drought at the time of writing, according to Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Red Wings Assign William Lagesson And William Wallinder To AHL

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As we’ve seen several teams do already, the Red Wings have sent a pair of players down now that we’re at the holiday break.  Late last night, the team announced (Twitter link) that they re-assigned defensemen William Lagesson and William Wallinder to AHL Grand Rapids.

Lagesson has been shuffled back and forth in recent days but did get into two games with Detroit this week.  He was held off the scoresheet while averaging just shy of 16 minutes a night.  In his first season with the Red Wings, he has spent most of the year with the Griffins, picking up eight points in 20 games.  With Simon Edvinsson recently landing on IR, there’s a good chance that Lagesson will be recalled after the break but for a few days at least, they’ll pause his waiver exemption clock.

As for Wallinder, he was the corresponding recall on Monday when Edvinsson was moved to injured reserve but he didn’t suit up against St. Louis.  The 22-year-old is in the second year of his entry-level deal and is off to a solid start with the Griffins this season.  Wallinder has eight points in 19 games in 2024-25 after putting up 19 in 65 contests in his rookie year last season.  Waivers aren’t a consideration for him but the move will allow Detroit to bank a bit more cap space for a few days before deciding about bringing him back up or not.

With these assignments, the Red Wings now have two open spots on their active roster.

Red Wings Recall William Lagesson, Simon Edvinsson Out

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The Detroit Red Wings have recalled defenseman William Lagesson from the AHL. Lagesson will serve as a fill-in for top defense prospect Simon Edvinsson, who is expected to be out this weekend with an upper-body injury, per Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Both players are inactive for Detroit’s Friday night game against Montreal.

This is already Lagesson’s third call up of the season. Despite that, he’s yet to actually step into the Red Wings lineup – with the entirety of his ice time instead coming in the minor leagues. Lagesson has recorded eight points in 20 games with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins – second-most among the team’s defenders. He spent nearly all of the 2023-24 season on NHL rosters, starting the year with the Toronto Maple Leafs and ending it with the Anaheim Ducks, courtesy of a March waiver claim. Lagesson played in 40 NHL games in the year – split 30 and 10 between Toronto and Anaheim, though four assists in Toronto would stand as his only scoring.

Lagesson played in 60 NHL games prior to last season, split between the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens. He only added seven assists in those appearances, dragging the quest for his first NHL goal through parts of five seasons. He’s been much more reliable as a minor-leaguer, tallying 23 goals and 80 points across 193 games and six seasons in the AHL.

Lagesson will back up the injured Edvinsson, who’s been a top pair option for Detroit when healthy. Playing through his first full year in the NHL, Edvinsson has scored three goals and 13 points in 30 games. He led the Grand Rapids Griffins in scoring last season, with 30 points in 54 games. Edvinsson will look to slot back in on Monday. If he can’t, he’ll have to wait until after the holiday break – when Detroit takes on Toronto on December 27th.

Red Wings Assign Ville Husso To AHL

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Last season, the Red Wings primarily had three goaltenders on their roster, unwilling to run the risk of losing one through waivers.  They haven’t been willing to do so this year, however.  That continued today as the team announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Ville Husso has been sent down to AHL Grand Rapids.

Husso cleared waivers early in the season and has primarily played with the Griffins.  However, with injuries lately to both Alex Lyon and Cam Talbot, the 29-year-old was seeing regular action with the big club, including six appearances this month.  Lyon was activated off injured reserve on Wednesday while Talbot was expected to return this weekend; this move indicates that Talbot will indeed be good to at least serve as the backup on Friday against Montreal.

Husso has played in eight NHL games overall this season, posting a 3.47 GAA with a .877 SV%.  However, he has fared much better in limited AHL action, compiling a 1.58 GAA with a .944 SV% in five outings with the Griffins.  A pending unrestricted free agent, Husso is heading for a significant drop on his current $4.75MM price tag but a good showing in the minors could help him land at least a one-way deal from someone this coming summer.  That said, playing time for him will likely be limited with Sebastian Cossa and Jack Campbell both in the fold.

With this move, the Red Wings now have one open roster spot.  Even with the roster freeze about to come into effect, that spot could still be filled by someone in the next few days.

Lyon Activated Off IR, Talbot Could Return This Weekend, Edvinsson Injured Versus Flyers

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Prior to tonight’s game against Philadelphia, the Red Wings announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Alex Lyon was activated off injured reserve.  He had missed nearly three weeks due to a lower-body injury.  The 32-year-old had played in nine games this season going into tonight’s action, posting a 2.74 GAA with a .911 SV%.  Lyon has been strong value on the two-year deal he signed last summer worth $900K per season; he’s well-positioned to command considerably more on the open market in July.

  • Still with the Red Wings, the team announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Simon Edvinsson suffered an upper-body injury against Philadelphia and did not return. In his first full NHL season, the 21-year-old has certainly made an impact, collecting 13 points in 29 games while averaging 21:16 per game, good for second on the team behind only Moritz Seider.  Speaking with reporters after the game including MLive’s Ansar Khan (Twitter link), head coach Derek Lalonde indicated that there was no immediate update on Edvinsson’s prognosis.

Afternoon Notes: Red Wings, Ostapchuk, Flames

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The Detroit Red Wings received a handful of reassuring injury updates at Monday’s practice, all documented by Ansar Khan of Michigan Live. Most notably, backup goaltender Alex Lyon returned to practice in full and is expected to return for Wednesday’s game against Philadelphia. Lyon has been out of the lineup since suffering an undisclosed injury at practice on November 27th.  He’s missed eight games. Cam Talbot is also making his way back to full health but isn’t expected to return until Friday. Talbot has missed five of Detroit’s last six games.

The Red Wings could have their top two netminders back to full health by this weekend, finally relieving them of their crisis in net. Ville Husso stepped up as the team’s starter in the absence of Talbot and Lyon, but did little with the role – posting a 1-2-2 record and .894 save percentage. His poor performances paved the way for top goalie prospect Sebastian Cossa to make his NHL debut – relieving Husso on December 9th after he allowed three goals on the first seven shots. Cossa allowed two more goals but banded together with Detroit’s scorers to win in a shootout. It was a promising performance for the 22-year-old Cossa, though it’s clear Detroit prefers him as the AHL starter. That role will be easier to ensure with Talbot and Lyon finally returning to full health.

Khan also shared that forward Marco Kasper is dealing with an illness and will be questionable for the team’s Wednesday game. Kasper has seven points and 12 penalty minutes in 25 games this season.

Other quick notes from Tuesday practice:

  • The Ottawa Senators have sent forward Zack Ostapchuk to the minor leagues. The move appears to be a paper transaction to help accrue daily cap hit during off-days. Ostapchuk will likely be recalled ahead of Ottawa’s Tuesday game against Seattle, giving him a chance to continue searching for his first NHL goal. He has recorded two assists and one fighting major in 16 games this season – his only scoring or penalties through 23 career games. Ostapchuk has also recorded eight points and 10 penalty minutes in nine AHL games this year.
  • Both Jakob Pelletier and Walker Duehr have been returned to the NHL roster, after being assigned to the AHL for Calgary’s off-day. Both players could step back into the lineup when Calgary hosts Boston on Tuesday, after winger Andrei Kuzmenko left the team’s Tuesday practice early, per Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960. Kuzmenko is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, and missed Saturday’s game. Pelletier and Duehr are both on a quest to earn full-time roles in the NHL, serving as two of Calgary’s top prospects and minor-league standouts for the last few seasons. Pelletier has scored two points in five NHL games this year, while Duehr has one point in 16 games.
  • Flames goaltender Daniel Vladar returned to the team’s practice on Monday, shares Steinberg. Vladar missed Calgary’s Saturday game due to a lower-body injury, and has since been designated as day-to-day. He’s platooned starts with Dustin Wolf, narrowly beating out the rookie in games played with 16 to Wolf’s 15. Vladar has posted a 6-6-4 record and .885 save percentage in his performances, while Wolf has managed a 9-5-1 record and .915. That imbalance could soon push Wolf into the starter’s role, and return Vladar to the Flames’ backup spot where he spent the last three seasons.

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