- Red Wings forward J.T. Compher is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury and won’t play tonight against the Sharks, head coach Derek Lalonde said. Compher has lived up to his billing so far in Hockeytown after signing a five-year, $25.5MM pact when free agency opened last July that was criticized by some at the time. Through 24 games, Compher is tied for fourth on the team in points with 19 and has held down the second-line center position well, averaging 18:52 per game behind Dylan Larkin. His possession numbers have seen a significant dip, however, posting a career-low Corsi share of 44.3% at even strength. He was expected to center a line between Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane in the latter’s Red Wings debut tonight, but that role will instead go to 23-year-old Joe Veleno, who has six goals and three assists in 24 games.
Red Wings Rumors
Snapshots: Kane, Dahlin, Durzi
The Detroit Red Wings have announced that legendary winger Patrick Kane will make his debut with the club in their Thursday night matchup against the San Jose Sharks. The game will also mark Kane’s return from the hip resurfacing surgery that he underwent on June 1st.
Kane will look to become the third NHL player to return from a hip resurfacing surgery, with top centerman Nicklas Backstrom representing the second to ever return. Backstrom made it back for the second half of the 2022-23 season, and eight games this season, but is currently on a leave of absence from the Washington Capitals due to complications with his injury.
Thursday night will mark only the 20th regular-season game that Kane has played outside of the Chicago Blackhawks organization. He joined the New York Rangers at last season’s trade deadline, appearing in 19 games and scoring 12 points with the club. These performances brought his career totals to 1180 games, 451 goals, and 1237 points. Kane was originally the first-overall selection in the 2007 NHL Draft.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Buffalo Sabres have announced that Rasmus Dahlin is dealing with a lower-body injury and is questionable for the team’s Thursday game against the Boston Bruins. The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski shared that the team is still evaluating his status and what next steps may need to be taken. Dahlin has 21 points in 26 games this season, ranking seventh among all NHL defenders. Lysowski’s colleague, Mike Harrington, shared that Dahlin will travel to Boston with the team, but Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is dealing with illness and will not.
- Arizona Coyotes defenseman Sean Durzi is day-to-day and doubtful for the team’s upcoming Thursday game. However, Coyotes insider Craig Morgan shared that Durzi is expected to join the team on their upcoming three-game road trip.
Jake Walman Avoids Suspension, Earns Fine
- The NHL Department of Player Safety fined Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jake Walman $2,500 for high-sticking Buffalo Sabres forward Jeff Skinner in last night’s game. The play in question appears to be more of a cross-check than a natural high-sticking, though the cross-check did appear to be unleashed on Skinner’s head. Seeing as Walman made contact with Skinner’s head, the Red Wings are likely relieved that Walman did not receive any suspension from a Department of Player Safety that often has a very low tolerance for checks to the head. Walman has emerged as a top-pairing defenseman in Detroit, so losing him for even a game would represent a significant loss.
Detroit Red Wings Reassign Jonatan Berggren
12/01/23: The Red Wings have reassigned Berggren to AHL Grand Rapids.
11/28/23: The Detroit Red Wings have recalled forward Jonatan Berggren from their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Berggren, 23, has been recalled fresh off of a three-game goal-scoring streak. The Swedish forward was the 33rd overall pick at the 2018 draft and has developed steadily for the Red Wings.
After a stellar first season in North America where he scored 64 points in 70 AHL games, Berggren made it to the NHL full-time in 2022-23. He scored 15 goals and 28 points, showcasing the potential to potentially become a top-six winger down the line.
As Detroit made aggressive moves this offseason to upgrade its team in the pursuit of a playoff berth, Berggren was pushed out of the regular lineup by arrivals such as Daniel Sprong. As a result, Berggren has played all of this season, save for two games, at the AHL level. He’s continued his success there, scoring 11 points in 11 games.
With Dylan Larkin out for tomorrow’s game against the New York Rangers, its possible Berggren replaces him in the lineup, albeit not in Larkin’s first-line center spot. With Patrick Kane set to arrive, though it’s likely Berggren’s stay on the NHL roster will be brief.
Morning Notes: Kane, Hartman, Meier
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun shared on the latest episode of Insider Trading that Patrick Kane could be moved at the trade deadline if Detroit doesn’t hang on to their playoff contention. LeBrun continued by saying that Kane’s agent, Pat Brisson, and Wings general manager, Steve Yzerman, discussed all possibilities prior to the future Hall of Famer signing in Motor City, including the chance of Kane needing to find a new home to ensure another playoff berth.
Kane is signed to a one-year contract and clearly hoping to make it an efficient year. The 35-year-old winger has already had 11 Stanley Cup Playoff appearances through his 16-year, winning the Cup three times with the Chicago Blackhawks. But he’s missed much of the postseason over the last six years, only seeing the playoffs in 2019-20, with the Blackhawks, and in 2022-23, with the New York Rangers.
If Detroit isn’t able to maintain their playoff spot, the Insider Trading panel mentioned the Buffalo Sabres as a potential alternative for Kane. The panel shared that Buffalo doesn’t lack any interest in the star winger, enjoying the strong veteran presence that he would bring to a locker room. The Sabres and Red Wings are bound to be close in the playoff race come the end of the year, with the teams currently separated by five points in the standings.
Other notes from around the league:
- Ryan Hartman is set to return after receiving a two-game suspension for dangerously tripping Detroit’s Alex DeBrincat. Hartman has appeared in 18 games with Minnesota this season, scoring seven goals and 11 points. The Wild were able to end a seven-game losing streak while Hartman was out, winning both games by multiple goals. They’ll look to keep the momentum going with Hartman back in the lineup.
- Timo Meier has been named a “possibility” for the New Jersey Devils’ Friday matchup against the San Jose Sharks, according to head coach Lindy Ruff. Meier has been out of action since November 14th with an undisclosed injury. He has scored 11 points in 14 games with the Devils this season.
Patrick Kane To Make Red Wings Debut On Tuesday
Yesterday, in a rare high-profile signing in the month of November, the Patrick Kane free agency saga finally came to its conclusion as the former MVP decided to sign with the Detroit Red Wings on a one-year, $2.75MM prorated contract for the remainder of the season. After recovering from off-season hip surgery, Kane took to the ice for the first time today with his new team, in hopes of being ready for game action in the near future.
Commenting on exactly that, Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press reports that Kane will more than likely make his Red Wings debut next Tuesday, as the team takes on his hometown Buffalo Sabres. With three games in between, Detroit will conveniently match up against both of Kane’s former teams, playing the New York Rangers tonight, and the Chicago Blackhawks tomorrow.
Detroit Red Wings Sign Patrick Kane
11/29/23: The Red Wings have now made their signing of Kane official.
11/28/23: According to The Athletic’s Chris Johnston, free agent forward and future Hall of Famer Patrick Kane is signing with the Detroit Red Wings.
Should this report end up accurate, Kane would be landing with a historic rival of his longtime club, the Chicago Blackhawks.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Kane’s deal is a one-year, $2.75MM pact.
It would also mean Kane will have played for half of the league’s original six teams, after spending part of last season with the New York Rangers.
According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, Kane “was very impressed” with Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde, and more specifically his “hockey acumen” and “vision for Detroit.”
By signing in Detroit, Kane has re-united himself with one of his favorite former teammates: Alex DeBrincat. DeBrincat, who the Red Wings acquired in the offseason, has had the best seasons of his career on a line with Kane and is currently off to a hot start with 12 goals and 20 points in 20 games.
While DeBrincat has slowed down a bit recently, the arrival of Kane will likely give him a major boost, assuming Kane comes back and plays up to his career standard. That’s far from a guarantee after offseason hip surgery, especially if one considers the impact hip resurfacing surgery had on Nicklas Backstrom.
At the moment, the Red Wings have almost $7MM in cap space to work with according to CapFriendly. As a result, they should be able to comfortably fit the cost of Kane’s contract, assuming the cap hit isn’t excessively expensive.
As for where Kane fits in Detroit’s lineup, one has to assume Lalonde would begin by placing Kane with DeBrincat on the team’s second line, a unit currently centered by J.T. Compher. Doing so would displace Michael Rasmussen, but the 2017 ninth-overall pick’s six points in 20 games is hardly a convincing argument to retain his top-six job over a player like Kane.
Of course, Lalonde could also choose to not immediately go with the DeBrincat/Kane partnership, and instead play Kane on the first line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, replacing Joe Veleno.
In any case, the Red Wings could be getting a significant offensive boost with this signing. Assuming Kane can return to something close to what he was in Chicago and at times on Broadway, Detroit is getting the type of mid-season reinforcement that usually costs teams quality prospects and/or draft picks.
Although Kane’s play in the defensive end has led to questions regarding how much overall value he actually provides, there’s a reason most contending teams would eagerly accept adding Kane to their top-six. He’s one of the defining offensive talents of this most recent era of NHL hockey, and is nearly point-per-game in the postseason across a sample size of nearly 150 games.
The Red Wings are eager to emerge out of their rebuild and return to the playoffs, perhaps making a serious run at the Stanley Cup as well. Adding Kane almost undoubtedly helps them in that pursuit.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Injury Notes: Walman, Theodore, Martinez, Mahura
Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde shared an update on defenseman Jake Walman’s injury, calling him day-to-day and questionable for the team’s Saturday night game. If Walman doesn’t play on Saturday, he’s likely to return when the team plays on Wednesday.
Walman has continued to perform well with the Detroit Red Wings, scoring eight points in 18 games this season – his second full year with the club. Walman has become the go-to partner for top defenseman Moritz Seider, with Walman spending 87 percent of his even-strength ice time next to the former Calder Trophy winner. They’ve accounted for an admirable 49.59 xGF% (expected goals-for percentage) and 49.8 CF% (Corsi-for percentage) when they’re on the ice togehter, speaking to their ability to control possession and scoring chances. Seider takes a small hit to both of those statistics when he plays with any other partner. Getting Walman back into the lineup helps a Red Wings lineup that hasn’t been too impacted by injuries get back to normal.
Other injury updates from around the league:
- The Vegas Golden Knights will be without both Shea Theodore and Alec Martinez on Friday night. Theodore is battling an upper-body injury, while Martinez has a lower-body injury. Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy added that he’s unsure how long Martinez will be out of action, dubbing him day-to-day.
- The Florida Panthers are planning on keeping defenseman Josh Mahura on injured reserve for at least another week. The team placed Mahura on IR on November 17th, after he left a matchup against the Los Angeles Kings with a lower-body injury. Mahura has appeared in 16 games this season, scoring five assists and recording a -2.
Jake Walman Will Not Miss Time With Injury
- In the Detroit Red Wings loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs in their second game of the Global Series in Sweden, defenseman Jake Walman would leave the game with an injury, and his status was unknown up until now. Sean Shapiro of EP Rinkside reports that Detroit plans on using seven defensemen tomorrow night against the New Jersey Devils, meaning Walman will not miss any time due to the injury.
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Red Wings Place Austin Czarnik On Waivers
11/19: Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Czarnik has cleared waivers, and can safely be assigned to Grand Rapids.
11/18: With Detroit’s trip to Sweden now over, they’ve opted to make a roster move. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that the Red Wings have placed forward Austin Czarnik on waivers.
The 30-year-old cleared waivers in training camp but has spent most of the season with Detroit so far. Czarnik played in two games with the Griffins where he had two goals and an assist before being recalled in mid-October. He was sent back down at the end of the month but one day later, he was brought up on an emergency basis and was converted to a regular recall soon after.
Czarnik has played in 11 games so far for the Red Wings on their fourth line but has been limited to just a single assist while averaging 8:35 per night. Last season, he had a bit more success at the top level, collecting two goals and three helpers in 29 games, the most NHL games he played in since the 2018-19 campaign.
Since Czarnik has been in more than ten games since last clearing waivers, he now must once again pass through unclaimed to make it back to the Griffins. He’s in the second and final year of a two-year, minimum salary contract which carries a $762.5K AAV. Teams will have until 1 PM CT on Sunday to place a claim on Czarnik if they so desire.