Looking Ahead At Early Training Camp Battles
The 2024 offseason is nearly at its end and many teams are looking ahead toward training camp. A few teams have unfinished business to attend to but most heavy lifting is completed across the league. Training camp and preseason contests give the team a first glance at new talent and also bring along the strenuous process of trimming the team down to a 23-man roster before opening night in October. This will not be an exhaustive list by any stretch of the imagination but a few notable training camp battles have already developed after a lengthy summer.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes have sustained one of the most successful stretches outside a Stanley Cup title in organizational history. The team has made the playoffs for six straight seasons and has regularly boasted one of the deeper lineups in the league over that stretch. Unfortunately, the team lost valuable talent in Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen, Brett Pesce, and Brady Skjei this summer, leading many to believe this team has taken a noticeable step backward this offseason. The team filled in their blue line adequately with Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere on low-cost deals but there is still a glaring hole on the team’s second line.
Martin Necas could slot into a center or right-wing role on the second line. The possession-heavy Hurricane offense makes him a better option on the wing due to poor faceoff percentage throughout his career. That leaves Carolina to choose from Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Jack Drury, Jack Roslovic, or Jordan Staal to middle the team’s second-line with another question mark at left wing. This battle will mainly come down to prospects Bradly Nadeau and Jackson Blake as many of the other wingers on the team are better-positioned in bottom-six roles. Neither have the upper hand at the outset as both showed off promising talent in the NCAA last season at the University of Maine and the University of North Dakota, respectively, and it will be an interesting battle to see play out in a few weeks.
Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings are headed into year six of the ‘Yzerplan’ and have yet to return to the Stanley Cup playoffs. The organization came close last year as they tied with the Washington Capitals in points for the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference only to miss out due to the first tiebreaker. Poised to make headlines this summer in the hopes of icing a playoff-caliber roster in a tough Atlantic Division — the Red Wings fell flat. Their biggest moves of the summer were retaining forward Patrick Kane on a one-year deal, signing Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year pact, and signing goaltender Cam Talbot to complete their goaltending trio.
Detroit seemingly already has a full roster heading into training camp in a few weeks. Simon Edvinsson, Albert Johansson, Carter Mazur, and Nate Danielson are poised to challenge for a full-time spot in the lineup which could lead the Red Wings to some difficult choices in October. The team will eventually have to begin graduating their glut of prospects to the NHL level but most of them are blocked by the numerous acquisitions general manager Steve Yzerman has made over the last few years. Don’t be surprised if Detroit becomes an active trade candidate before the season opens to make room for some of their prospects.
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are set to open the 2024-25 NHL season with two-and-a-half goalies on the roster to the surprise of many. After the team extended uber-popular goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to a one-year deal in mid-April the going notion was that the Wild would pursue a trade of Filip Gustavsson over the summer to open up a spot for top prospect Jesper Wallstedt. It shouldn’t be a make-or-break season for Wallstedt if the Wild keep him down in the minors for another year but he has little left to prove at the AHL level.
Gustavsson could still be a viable trade candidate throughout the season with a manageable $3.75MM cap hit for the next two years. It’s still difficult to view Minnesota not capitalizing on an active goaltending trade market this summer as anything other than a misstep. Wallstedt is a naturally good goaltending prospect already and the Wild have a unique opportunity to have him learn under one of the game’s all-time best in Fleury. It would be a surprise to see Minnesota move on from Gustavsson at this point in the offseason. Wallstedt could certainly play himself into a third-string position for Minnesota this season which could create quite the rotation between the pipes.
Montreal Canadiens
As the Canadiens look to rebound from a multi-year retooling effort the team has created quite a glut of potential on the blue line. Defensemen Mike Matheson and Kaiden Guhle already strike as long-term options on the back end but the team will need to piece together a defensive core with seven different options. It would be wise for Montreal to enter training camp with a very open mind for the defensive core outside of Matheson and Guhle.
This reasonably leaves five other spots available which will be filled out by prospects Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux, and David Reinbacher with David Savard, Arber Xhekaj, Jayden Struble, and Justin Barron left to pick from. All the options individually offer their unique skill set to the Canadiens’ blue line but they are another potentially active trade candidate heading into the season.
Pittsburgh Penguins
On the opposite side of the coin compared to the Canadiens; the Penguins will need to thin out their group of forwards heading into the regular season. Pittsburgh’s roster breakdown shows 14 forwards on the active roster with Emil Bemstrom and Jesse Puljujarvi in the minors according to PuckPedia. Rutger McGroarty and Drew O’Connor should be the main camp battle to who plays on the wing next to Sidney Crosby but the team’s bottom-six appears too saturated.
It should be a multi-tiered training camp battle as each player to pick from plays a different style of hockey. Depending on whether the Penguins want more scoring in the bottom-six or a more defensive-minded approach it will ultimately chart the trajectory of several players. Bemstrom, Puljujarvi, Lars Eller, Noel Acciari, Anthony Beauvillier, and Valtteri Puustinen all represent the notable talent who will compete for these spots once training camp begins in a few weeks.
St. Louis Blues
The Blues were originally thought to be a team looking to thin out their defensive core this offseason. The team instead brought in Ryan Suter, Philip Broberg, and Pierre-Olivier Joseph while only moving on from Marco Scandella. The team may be without defenseman Torey Krug for the entire regular season which opens up a spot on the left side of the defense but the team will ultimately have to cut the roster.
The choice will become less complicated if the team is without Krug for the regular season as the only battle of training camp will come down to Suter and Joseph as the team’s seventh defenseman. A roster spot hangs on the availability of Krug for the 2024-25 NHL season which makes for an interesting camp battle between several members of the Blues’ defensive core.
Summer Synopsis: Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings missed the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs by the thinnest of margins after tying with the Washington Capitals in points, but falling five games shy of Washington’s regulation wins. It was splitting hairs, and while Washington went on to be unceremoniously swept by the New York Rangers, it was nonetheless encouraging to see Detroit mixed up with playoff hopefuls. The Red Wings are currently riding an eight-year playoff drought – set on trusting that the long-term outlook of general manager Steve Yzerman (creatively dubbed the ‘Yzerplan’) will return them to their previous glory. But one summer of high-turnover removed from their first 90-point season in nine years, Detroit still doesn’t jump off the page as a playoff favorite.
Draft
1-15: F Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Mora IK, Sweden
2-47: F Max Plante, USA U18, NTDP
3-80: F Ondrej Becher, Prince George, WHL
4-126: G Landon Miller, Soo, OHL
5-144: D John Whipple, USA U18, NTDP
6-176: X Charlie Forslund, Falu IF, Sweden
7-203: F Austin Baker, USA U18, NTDP
7-208: X Fisher Scott, Dubuque, USHL
Yzerman kicked off the summer in typical Red Wings style: opting to take an under-discussed European with their first-round pick. This year’s selection of Brandsegg-Nygård is a bit less egregious than most, largely thanks to his already-established role in the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier pro league. Brandsegg-Nygård managed 18 points across 41 games with Mora IK this season, while also supporting Norway internationally at the World Juniors and World Championship. He scored five points in both tournaments, playing five games in the former and seven in the latter. All the while, Brandsegg-Nygård looked as reliable as they come with his two-way play, excelling at forcing turnovers and playing through contact. His upside isn’t as high as those drafted around him, but Brandsegg-Nygård seems to have all of the fixings of an eventual lock in the NHL lineup.
Detroit will have to hope that’s the case, if for no other reason than to elevate a draft class that’s otherwise a bit lackluster. The Red Wings made a pair of interesting picks in the second and third rounds, first taking the undersized but highly intelligent Max Plante, balanced out by hefty role specialist Ondrej Becher. The pair matches up nicely – both showing the ability to support their teammates from anywhere in the offensive end, but also lacking a layer of explosivity or assured decision-making.
That missing piece will make Plante and Becher’s climb to the pros tough, but they’re still both more projectable than Detroit’s string of late-round picks defined by players with clear standout traits and glaring pitfalls. Charlie Forslund and Austin Baker are perhaps the most interesting – bot high-energy power-forwards unafraid of playing into the dirty areas of the ice. Where Baker earns his role with gritty play behind the net and in the corners, Forslund has found good use of his heavy shot. But the latter is also extremely unproven, getting drafted directly out of Sweden’s U18 league.
Joining the pair of power-forwards are high-upside picks Landon Miller – an athletic goaltender with a six-foot-five frame, but poor track record; Fisher Scott – a diligent defenseman on his own side of the red line; and John Whipple – once a top defense prospect in his age group who’s sacrificed offensive upside for added physicality. All three players have pieces to add after last season, but should find more upside as they settle into stronger roles next season.
UFA Signings
F Jakub Rychlovsky (two-year, $1.9MM)*
F Patrick Kane (extended one-year, $4MM)
F Christian Fischer (one-year, $1.1MM)
F Vladimir Tarasenko (two-years, $9.5MM)
F Tyler Motte (one-year, $800K)
F Joe Snively (one-year, $775K)*
F Sheldon Dries (two-years, $1.6MM)*
D Erik Gustafsson (two-years, $4MM)
D Tory Dello (one-year, $775K)*
G Cam Talbot (two-years, $5MM)
G Jack Campbell (one-year, $775K)*
* denotes two-way contract
The Red Wings were facing looming turnover this summer and chose to embrace it with open arms, finding multiple long-term NHL veterans to fill the holes
in their lineup. That started with re-signing Patrick Kane to a true, one-year contract – after he joined the team midway through last season. Kane managed an impressive 47 points in 50 games, but continued to let up opportunity off of the puck. Those concerns could be mitigated by Vladimir Tarasenko, likely Kane’s new wing pairing. Tarasenko recorded 55 points in 77 games last season, split between the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers, and seemed to be on an upswing in a career plagued by fluctuating defensive performances.
Tarasenko and Kane each bring 100 games worth of playoff experience and Stanley Cup precedent – invaluable experience for a Red Wings team needing a push. But they’ll likely be the only ones to impact the top ranks of Detroit’s lineup. Their free agent signings otherwise fill the menial and gritty roles down the depth chart, with Christian Fischer and Tyler Motte bound for a fourth-line battle, while Erik Gustafsson carries his depth offense to yet another new blue-line.
But then there’s Cam Talbot, who joins a goalie room that was seemingly already filled by Ville Husso and Alex Lyon. Talbot started for the Los Angeles Kings last season, posting a commendable .913 through 54 appearances. That was better than either Husso or Lyon managed in Detroit, and Talbot now carries the added distinction of being the only Red Wings signed through the 2025-26 season. But it seems premature to assume he’ll be the first choice for the starting role in a room with $4.75MM-man Husso, and emerging minor-league veteran Lyon. The trio will be entrenched in a deep position battle when training camp opens up – one that may not have much impact on Detroit’s long-term outlook.
It’s also worth taking a moment to point out the signing of undrafted free agent Jakub Rychlovsky – a 23-year-old winger who scored 26 goals and 46 points in 51 Czechia Extraliga games last season. He’s a well-built, shoot-first winger who could claw his way into strong opportunity on an open Red Wings’ bottom-six.
Trade Acquisitions
G Gage Alexander (acquired from Anaheim)
Detroit acquired Gage Alexander in return for Robby Fabbri and a fourth-round pick in their only trade action of the summer. It was a deal that seemed more designed to trim lineup fat than anything else, undercut by Alexander’s struggles as a pro. He’s managed an .884 save percentage through 22 ECHL games, and a .887 in 16 AHL games, over the last two seasons, losing ground to a the many other goalies fighting for ice time in Anaheim’s minor leagues. Alexander is a sharp and athletic skater but has major holes to patch before he’s ready for the top flight. He’ll look to hone those abilities and earn a spot on the Grand Rapids Griffins this season.
RFA Re-Signings
F Joe Veleno (two-years, $4.6MM)
Begrudginly, the Red Wings’ only RFA action has come through Joe Veleno’s bridge contract. The deal itself is good value. Veleno showed he can hold strong Detroit’s third-line center role last season, managing a stout 12 goals and 28 points in 80 games. He’ll now get a chance to really plant his feet in the lineup and earn a pay raise before his prime.
But Detroit is still working on new deals for franchise pieces Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider. Unlike the ongoing negotiations of Jeremy Swayman or Seth Jarvis (the latter recently resolved), there’s been little update on where Detroit sits with their two lineup pillars. The Red Wings have just enough cap space to give both players as much as $8.75MM a year on new deals – which should be enough to secure both long-term – but may opt for bridge contracts amid a growing salary cap. The duo joins Jonatan Berggren, who scored 56 points in 53 AHL games last season, as Detroit’s only remaining RFAs.
Departures
F Theodor Niederbach (unsigned draft pick, unrestricted free agent)
F Daniel Sprong (Vancouver, one-year, $975K)
F David Perron (Ottawa, two-years, $8MM)
F Matt Luff(unrestricted free agent)
F Taro Hirose (unrestricted free agent)
F Zach-Aston Reese (Vegas, one-year, $775K)*
F Robby Fabbri (traded to Anaheim)
D Jake Walman (traded to San Jose)
D Tnias Mathurin (unsigned draft pick, unrestricted free agent)
D Radim Simek (unrestricted free agent)
D Shayne Gostisbehere (Carolina, three-years, $9.6MM)
G John Lethemon (signed with Liberec, Czechia Extraliga)
G James Reimer (Buffalo, one-year, $1MM)
G Michael Hutchinson (unrestricted free agent)
* denotes two-way contract
Detroit’s heft of free agent signings was necessitated by a long list of departures, kicked off by the pre-draft and surprising trade of Jake Walman to San Jose. Yzerman revealed that the move was a needed cap-dump, but that doesn’t make losing the prolific partner of star defender Seider any easier. Walman scored 12 goals last season, the most of any Red Wings defender since Mike Green in 2016-17. Third on the list is Gostisbehere’s 10 goals last season. But now both defenders are headed for new opportunities, to be replaced by Gustafsson and Detroit’s top defense prospects, like Simon Edvinsson. That’s encouraging turnover for a team amid a rebuild, but the Red Wings are suddenly in the mix of playoff hopes – and could be prone to losing a step with such a shift on the back end.
The loss of pivotal middle-six wingers Perron and Sprong also opens glaring holes, though Detroit did better at matching the missing shooting talent with the signing of Tarasenko. He should make up for one of the veterans, leaving one open spot for a scoring winger on Detroit’s third line. That could prove a good opportunity for prospects like Berggren or Brandsegg-Nygård, though it’ll be a role ultimately filled in training camp.
Interestingly, Detroit also let numerous draft picks walk to free agency this summer – but replaced them with signings of undrafted free agents like Rychlovsky, Snively, and Dries. There will be plenty of openings in Grand Rapids this season, giving the new faces a chance to form into the sub-in support Detroit’s offense needs.
Salary Cap Outlook
The Red Wings enter September with $17.65MM in cap space, per PuckPedia. Their RFAs will zap that up quickly once they’re signed, which could make it difficult for the Wings to maintain enough cap space to be comfortable during the regular season. Detroit isn’t out of the weeds of cap troubles just yet. The extent of their troubles will become clear when Raymond and Seider land on a price.
Key Questions
Is Cam Talbot The Starter? Cam Talbot has taken on the role of traveling nurse in his later career, bouncing around goalie-needy teams and always finding
strong results. He’s posted a .911 save percentage in 198 games over the last five seasons, as part of four different clubs. It’s not much of a secret that the tandem of Ville Husso and Alex Lyon wasn’t going to get Detroit to the playoffs, but to see them bid for Talbot’s traveling support is a certain surprise. That’s emphasized by the red-hot emergence of Sebastian Cossa in the minor-leagues. One of the two star goalie prospects in Detroit’s system, Cossa managed a .913 save percentage in 40 AHL games last year – and could challenge the NHL roster sooner rather than later. That’s a lot of competition for one spot, and all four options carry their own right to ice time. Who wins out the Red Wings’ crease – and the extent of role give to Ville Husso and his $4.75MM cap hit – could go a long way towards determining whether this season will be the year that Detroit breaks their playoff drought.
Which Prospects Will Emerge? The Red Wings are entering September down a winger and a defender, and aren’t in much of a position to buy any more free agents. That should spell a great opportunity for top prospects like Nate Danielson, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Simon Edvinsson, and Shai Buium. All four are expected to attend Detroit’s training camp and each boast the talent to warrant NHL games, though there’s no guessing how comfortable they look once they’re in the lineup. If not with one of their prospects, Detroit will need to fill their fringe with the lackluster-but-consistent impacts of vets like Tyler Motte and Erik Gustafsson. The quartet of top prospects would be much, much more exciting options – but they’ll first need to win a spot out of camp.
Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Red Wings Have Shown Interest In Max Pacioretty
Earlier this week, it was reported that Toronto was one of the teams showing interest in unrestricted free agent winger Max Pacioretty. Evidently, they’re not the only Atlantic Division squad that has some interest in the veteran as Arthur Staple of The Athletic adds (subscription link) that the Red Wings are believed to be interested in adding the veteran as well.
The 35-year-old spent last season with Washington after inking a one-year, $2MM contract which also carried another $2MM in performance bonuses which were reached once he played in 20 games. While Pacioretty was able to play in that many games, last season was still an injury-riddled campaign as he worked his way back from his second torn Achilles tendon sustained in the 2022-23 season while playing for Carolina.
As a result, Pacioretty was limited to just 47 games last season. A six-time 30-goal scorer, he struggled considerably in that department, scoring just four times although he was able to add 19 assists to stay near the half-point-per-game rate. Nevertheless, that wasn’t the type of performance that gave him some bargaining power heading into free agency.
The Red Wings have already been active up front with their free agent moves this summer. They re-signed wingers Patrick Kane and Christian Fischer, added wingers Vladimir Tarasenko and Tyler Motte, and also inked Austin Watson to a PTO agreement. Considering they still have to re-sign wingers Lucas Raymond and Jonatan Berggren (plus defenseman Moritz Seider), it’s hard to see a viable fit for Pacioretty.
While the veteran is believed to have interest from multiple teams, that shouldn’t be enough leverage to land much more than the league minimum of $775K at this point of free agency so this could be a case of Detroit viewing Pacioretty as a low-cost depth option over someone worthy of a full-time lineup spot. In that scenario, adding him could make some sense. But until they finalize contracts with their three remaining RFAs to get a better sense of what they have to work with financially, it would be a little surprising to see the Red Wings commit any sort of guaranteed contract to Pacioretty or any other free agent.
Red Wings And Raymond Not Close On New Deal, Short-Term Deal For Berggren Likely By Camp
The Red Wings still have three restricted free agents to re-sign, defenseman Moritz Seider along with wingers Lucas Raymond and Jonatan Berggren. In a recent appearance on the NHL Network (video link), David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period relayed that while there’s no concern on either side yet, talks don’t appear to be progressing between Detroit and Raymond’s camp. The 22-year-old is coming off his entry-level deal and had a breakout showing last season, recording 31 points and 41 assists in 82 games, leading some to suggest that a long-term agreement between the two sides is likely to push past the $7MM mark per season.
Berggren, meanwhile, was largely a regular for the Red Wings in 2022-23 but spent most of last season with AHL Grand Rapids, tallying 24 goals and 32 assists in 53 games. The 24-year-old also collected six points in 13 games with Detroit. Pagnotta reports that a deal between the two sides is expected before training camp and it’s likely to be a short-term agreement. With a little over $17MM in cap space per PuckPedia, it’s possible that the eventual contracts with Seider and Raymond could dictate how short of a deal Berggren ultimately receives.
Checking In On Notable Remaining Restricted Free Agents
We are now three weeks away from training camp opening up in the NHL with preseason games coming quickly after. We recently checked in on several free-agent players looking for new homes shortly before preseason action and we’ll now pivot to notable restricted free agents still looking to re-up with their current clubs.
Goalies
One of the most oft-mentioned restricted free agents over the summer has been Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins. Recent reporting indicates that Swayman is not looking for the rumored $10MM a year salary but is looking more in the $8.5MM range. This would be a welcome sign for most teams but not for the Bruins as they are seeking a contract closer to $6MM a year and that gap is not close to getting bridged. They may come together soon and agree to a short-term pact that could lead Swayman to unrestricted free agency and give the Bruins more time to figure out their salary cap structure; this has all the makings of a contract negotiation that could leak into the regular season.
A reasonable price for Swayman may land between both asking prices with honest arguments. Swayman has earned a 79-33-15 record in 125 starts over his career in Boston with a .919 SV% and 2.34 GAA. There is a legitimate argument that Swayman has benefited greatly from the team playing in front of him and sharing the net for several years with now-Ottawa Senator, Linus Ullmark. Swayman’s side will likely argue that $8.5MM is a reasonable salary for an undisputed starter on a playoff-caliber team. He earned the majority of starts last season (43) and finished sixth in the league in goals saved above average with 16.4 with approximately 10 fewer games played than other goaltenders above him.
Defensemen
It’s been a quiet summer for the 2021-22 Calder Memorial Trophy winner Moritz Seider. He saw his entry-level contract expire on July 1st and very little has been reported on regarding current negotiations between himself and the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings currently own around $17.65MM in cap space so money won’t be an issue in retaining either Seider or his teammate Lucas Raymond (more on that later).
The young German defenseman has not missed a game since making his NHL debut on October 14th, 2021, and has been Detroit’s best defenseman since then. He’s been solid offensively with 21 goals and 134 points in 246 games over his entry-level deal but his defensive metrics are much more difficult to interpret. Seider is regularly put into bad situations when he hits the ice as the Red Wings’ most serviceable option on the back end. He’s finished towards the bottom of the roster in on-ice save percentage over his three-year career but he also finishes towards the top of the team in defensive zone starts.
The other notable restricted free-agent defenseman is nearly 1,200 miles away in Dallas, Texas. Thomas Harley is coming off an electric season with the Dallas Stars scoring 15 goals and 47 points in 79 games. He quickly became an offensive option behind Miro Heiskanen and gave the Stars more of a complete powerplay. The most recent reporting came on August 9th with general manager Jim Hill maintaining confidence that Harley will sign soon.
Forwards
Circling back to Detroit; Raymond joins Seider as another restricted free agent yet to re-sign with the Red Wings. He’s a more complicated situation to interpret as Raymond exploded offensively with 31 goals and 72 points last year. The young Swedish forward averaged 53 points a season before that so Detroit may have more desire for a short-term pact before they commit to Raymond as a first-line talent. Coupled with a shooting percentage 6.4% higher than his career average last year; the Red Wings may believe a certain amount of regression is in order next year.
Seth Jarvis of the Carolina Hurricanes arguably represents the most talented option left on the board. A report yesterday from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period indicates a long-term deal may be on the horizon. It’s no surprise why both sides are targeting a long-term contract as he already showed his importance last year for Carolina before the organization lost a few key forwards this summer. He finished second on the team in scoring last season with 33 goals and 67 points in 82 games while chipping in another five goals and nine points in 11 postseason contests. The contract should eat into much of Carolina’s remaining salary cap space of $6.44MM according to PuckPedia.
The last notable restricted free agent forward we’ll touch on is Dawson Mercer of the New Jersey Devils. The two sides have reportedly exchanged proposals which lends to the idea a deal will be done soon. He’s not as high-profile as some of the other forwards on New Jersey’s roster but Mercer has been a consistent and available scorer since entering the league three years ago. He hasn’t missed a game since the start of the 2021-22 season which has become invaluable to a Devils’ roster that has been rocked by injuries the last few years. Given his reliability and offensive abilities his AAV should land between Ondrej Palat ($6MM AAV) and Erik Haula ($3.15MM AAV) on the Devils’ salary cap table.
Red Wings Sign Austin Watson To PTO
The Detroit Red Wings have reportedly signed forward Austin Watson to a professional tryout (as per Watson’s agency WD Sports & Entertainment). This will be the second fall in a row that Watson has to enter training camp on a PTO after the 32-year-old turned last year’s PTO into a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning worth $776,665.
Watson dressed in 33 regular season games with Tampa Bay last year, registering 85 hits and 93 PIM to go along with two goals and two assists. Despite hanging onto an NHL job, Watson averaged a career-low 7:16 of ice time per game and didn’t see any action during the playoffs.
The long-time enforcer has managed to hang onto an NHL career despite his lack of offense and poor possession numbers but might be on his last opportunity in this tryout with the Red Wings. If Watson can secure an NHL role this year, it will likely be similar to last season where he was scratched more often than not and didn’t play much when he was in the lineup.
Should the 2010 first-round pick (18th overall) sign with Detroit, it will be his fourth NHL stop after playing 515 career NHL games with the Nashville Predators, Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay. Watson has 60 goals and 58 assists over 10 NHL seasons, with his best season coming in 2017-18 with the Predators when he posted 14 goals and five assists in 76 games.
East Notes: Slafkovsky, Cernak, Mazur, Savard
For 12 countries on the fringes of the IIHF World Ranking, their performance in a round-robin tournament at the end of this month will decide whether or not they punch a ticket to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Slovakia is one of these countries, and after releasing their official roster today, it was confirmed that top Canadiens youngster Juraj Slafkovsky and Lightning stalwart defenseman Erik Černák won’t be in tow as they try to lock down a spot. That’s because Montreal and Tampa Bay opted not to release them to the Slovak national team when asked, reports Tomáš Prokop of Dennik Sport. They’ll still have the services of a few NHLers, namely Devils Simon Nemec and Tomáš Tatar, Capitals defenseman Martin Fehérváry, Ducks winger Pavol Regenda, and potentially Flames forward Martin Pospisil.
Other items from around the Eastern Conference this morning:
- Of the Red Wings’ long list of potential impact prospects, look for a dark horse to log significant NHL minutes this season, opines The Athletic’s Max Bultman. That’s 22-year-old left winger Carter Mazur, who Detroit selected in the third round of the 2021 draft. Mazur, who won an NCAA championship as a freshman at the University of Denver in 2022, is entering his second professional season. He had a strong rookie campaign with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins last year, totaling 17 goals and 20 assists for 37 points in 60 games, finishing second on the team in scoring behind Jonatan Berggren. Bultman argues that Mazur has a more straightforward path to a roster spot early on in the season because of his projectability in a bottom-six role,
- When the Maple Leafs gave new head coach Craig Berube some runway to reshape the rest of the coaching staff, he poached Marc Savard from the Flames as an assistant to run the team’s power play with consistency from Toronto’s immense star power in mind. “He’s an offensive guy, right? He scored a lot of points in the league. Great power-play guy when he played,” Berube told reporters (including David Alter of The Hockey News). “Just the familiarity I have with him and his personality works well with those types of players.” Savard served under Berube while the two were with the Blues in the 2019-20 campaign.
Red Wings’ Goaltending Future Seems Clear
The Detroit Red Wings did little to solidify their goaltending room this summer, after a confusing 2023-24 campaign in net. Starter Ville Husso was besieged by injury and cold streaks last season. He was replaced by 31-year-old Alex Lyon, who performed admirably in what was the first full NHL season of his career. But both goalies are set for free agency in 2025 and, rather than committing to either party, the Red Wings instead signed 37-year-old Cam Talbot to a two-year, $5MM deal this summer. Detroit now carries a trio of fringe-starting-caliber goaltenders, all set to expire by 2026, making it clear that the team isn’t much worried about their current status in net – they’re already looking towards the future.
It’s hard to blame the Wings, who carry two of the world’s top goalie prospects in Trey Augustine and Sebastian Cossa. Both players have been revered prospects for years, with Cossa even earning rare first-round acclaim in 2021, while Augustine was taken in 2023’s second round.
Cossa quickly vindicated his early selection, supporting the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings to a league title in 2022 with a .913 save percentage in 46 games. He turned pro in the following year, though he’d join a Grand Rapids Griffins team that utilized eight different goalies in the 2022-23 season. That crowd relegated Cossa to a starting role in the ECHL where he perfectly matched his stat line with the Oil Kings. A strong start to the pros and proud showing at 2023’s training camp earned Cossa the starting role in Grand Rapids in this past season. The position awarded Cossa 40 games and he – call it a trend – once again posted a .913 as part of a winning year.
Meanwhile, Augustine kicked off his college career in style, serving as the freshman starter for a Michigan State team that won a conference championship and the Frozen Four quarterfinals. Augustine tallied a .915 in 35 games along the way – enough to earn him a nomination for Big Ten Goalie of the Year, though the award ultimately went to Wisconsin senior Kyle MacLellan. Perhaps motivated by that snubbing, Augustine proceeded to work his way onto Team USA’s World Championship roster, becoming the youngest goalie ever to represent the States at the event. When Red Wings teammate Alex Lyon went down with injury, Augustine then went one step further and actually played games – setting an impressive .929 save percentage in four games. The gravity of Augustine’s appearance at Worlds can’t be understated. Only a handful of U21 goalies have played multiple games at the event, placing Augustine among company like John Gibson, Arturs Silovs, Ilya Sorokin, Jesper Wallstedt, and Jacob Markstrom.
Cossa ceded 34 games to Grand Rapids’ backups last season, and will now look to maintain his .913 save percentages in a larger share of starts, amid competition like Carter Gylander, Gage Alexander, and Jack Campbell. Augustine will be in a similar position in collegiate hockey – confidently set for a starting role but looking to maintain strong play behind a Spartans defense that replaced Artyom Levshunov, Viktor Hurtig, and Nash Nienhuis with Vladislav Lukashevich and Owen West. That setting certainly presents a challenge, but it’s hard to imagine Augustine crumbling under pressure after such an electric freshman year.
Continued strong play could put both goalies on the fast track to the NHL as Detroit’s current crease heads to free agency. The inevitable question seems to be which top prospect is headed for the lion’s share of games when they finally break into the Red Wings lineup. Cossa carries the upper-hand in early projections, thanks to his 6’6” frame and proud pro experience up to this point. But Augustine’s athleticism and agility seem second-to-none – and his ability to perform with the spotlight on was made clear at the World Championship. The duo have an exciting position battle ahead of them, set to form a tandem that could be hard to forget. With one goalie relying on frame and positioning, and one on athleticism and skill, the Red Wings will hope they’re headed for a tandem akin to Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark, or perhaps more accurately the emerging tandem of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi.
Sandin Pellikka Won't Attend Red Wings Training Camp
- Despite recent speculation to the contrary, Red Wings prospect Axel Sandin Pellikka will not attend training camp with Detroit next month, relays Norran’s Robin Lindgren. The 19-year-old was the 17th pick in the 2023 draft and is coming off a solid showing with SHL Skelleftea, notching ten goals and eight assists in 39 games, impressive numbers for a young blueliner. Sandin-Pellikka noted that while he was invited to camp with Detroit, the decision has already been made that he’ll remain in Sweden for the season. Accordingly, he has decided that it makes more sense for him to stay with Skelleftea instead of missing the first few games of the SHL season to participate in some exhibition games in North America.
Kasper To Play For Austria At OQT
- Austria’s roster for the upcoming Olympic Qualifying Tournament was announced There are no active NHL players on it with Marco Rossi taking a pass to focus on preparing for training camp next month. However, a pair of top NHL prospects are on the roster, Canadiens blueliner David Reinbacher (fifth overall in 2023) and Red Wings forward Marco Kasper (eighth overall in 2022).