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Detroit Red Wings Place Matt Luff On Waivers

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2/19: TSN’s Chris Johnston is reporting that Luff has successfully cleared waivers, and is now finally able to start his season with the Griffins.

2/18: The Detroit Red Wings have placed forward Matt Luff on waivers for the purpose of reassignment to their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Signing a one-year, $775K contract with the Red Wings this past offseason, Luff has yet to play in any games for the organization this season, suffering an injury back in training camp.

Considering the injury history for much of the regular season, it is more than likely that Luff will pass through waivers unscathed, and make his way to Grand Rapids in short order. Although he managed nearly 20 games for Detroit last season, it will be much more difficult for Luff to crack this version of the Red Wings roster.

In those 19 games last season, Luff was a depth player for Detroit, averaging just under 10 minutes of ice time per game, scoring two goals and four points overall. In the AHL, Luff did manage 28 games for the Griffins last year, tying for sixth on the team in scoring with eight goals and 25 points.

Having one of their better seasons over the last several years, Grand Rapids is in the midst of a hotly contested playoff race in the Central Division. Sitting 24th in the league in goals for, Luff’s offensive capabilities in the AHL should help the Griffins improve in one area of weakness for the club.

Red Wings To Face Columbus In 2025 Stadium Series

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  • The Columbus Blue Jackets will be hosting the Detroit Red Wings as a part of the 2025 Stadium Series. The two teams will meet at Ohio Stadium on March 1st, hashing out the Michigan-Ohio rivalry at the home of Ohio State football. This will be Detroit’s fourth outdoor game, and Columbus’ first. The University of Michigan, where the star centerman of both Detroit (Dylan Larkin) and Columbus (Adam Fantilli) spent one season, has won their last three football games against Ohio State – which could be reason for faith for the visiting Red Wings.

Robby Fabbri Returns Tonight

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  • Red Wings winger Robby Fabbri will return to the lineup today against Calgary, relays Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News (Twitter link). The 28-year-old missed Thursday’s contest due to the birth of his daughter.  When healthy, Fabbri has been a capable secondary scorer for Detroit this season, collecting 13 goals and eight assists in 39 games so far, surpassing the half-point-per-game mark for the fifth straight year.

Red Wings Loan Jared McIsaac To NL’s HC Ambrì-Piotta

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The Red Wings have loaned defense prospect Jared McIsaac to HC Ambrì-Piotta of the Swiss National League, a release from their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, reads. McIsaac, 23, was a second-round pick of Detroit in 2018 and is a pending RFA with arbitration rights.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, McIsaac was one of Detroit’s most highly-touted prospects. The 6-foot-1 left-shot defenseman put up over a point-per-game with the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads in 2018-19 and won a gold medal with Canada at the 2020 World Juniors, notching a goal and three assists in seven games.

With the NHL and AHL on pause at the beginning of the 2020-21 season, the Red Wings loaned McIsaac out to HPK in the Finnish Liiga for his first taste of pro hockey in the fall of 2020. He sustained a shoulder injury on his first shift overseas, however, costing him over six months of development time.

That injury put a significant dent in his development, as the high-end transition threat in junior hockey has failed to translate his game to the pros in Grand Rapids. His games played total has steadily decreased from his career-high 70 appearances in 2021-22, and he has been a frequent healthy scratch for the Griffins this season, only playing in 15 games and just two since Christmas.

After nine goals, 52 points, and a -29 rating in 156 outings with Grand Rapids, the Red Wings are giving him a shot at some more minutes overseas down the stretch to see if he can thrive in a professional environment. McIsaac signed a one-year, two-way deal worth $787.5K in the NHL and $70K in the minors last July, although if he doesn’t make an impact during his time in Switzerland, it’s unlikely he’ll receive a qualifying offer.

Ambrì-Piotta hasn’t advanced past the National League playoff qualifiers in five years and looks primed to miss the postseason again, as they currently occupy the second qualifier role as the 10th seed in the league with a 15-19-7-3 record. McIsaac is the only NHL-affiliated player on their active roster, although longtime Coyotes depth forward Laurent Dauphin is among their leading scorers with 28 points in 36 games.

Robby Fabbri Out Tuesday For Personal Reasons

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  • Red Wings left winger Robby Fabbri won’t play Tuesday against the Oilers due to personal reasons, according to head coach Derek Lalonde (via Ansar Khan of MLive.com). He is expected to rejoin the team on their road trip before their game in Vancouver on Thursday. The 28-year-old missed significant time early in the season with a lower-body injury but has rebounded to be an important bottom-six contributor for Detroit, posting 13 goals and 21 points in 39 games while logging 13:27 per game. Depth forward Klim Kostin will draw back into the lineup against his former team tomorrow after he was scratched for Saturday’s overtime win over the Canucks.

Red Wings Place Nolan Stevens On Unconditional Waivers

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Feb. 12: Stevens has cleared unconditional waivers and will have his contract terminated, per Johnston.

Feb. 11: The Red Wings have placed minor-league forward Nolan Stevens on unconditional waivers Sunday with the intent to terminate his contract, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports.

Stevens’ pending contract termination is likely mutual and not for off-ice reasons. The 27-year-old has no NHL experience and has been disappointing with AHL Grand Rapids this season, scoring three goals and 11 points in 31 games.

A fifth-round pick of the Blues in 2016, Stevens was an offensive force in collegiate play with Northeastern University but hasn’t been able to translate his scoring to the pro level with much consistency. He developed into a decent top-nine AHL contributor after turning pro with the Blues’ AHL affiliate in 2018, but after failing to make much progress up the depth chart, he was dealt to the Wild in a minor-league prospect swap in Dec. 2021.

Stevens then posted only seven points in 33 games to close out the 2021-22 campaign with AHL Iowa, becoming a Group VI UFA that summer with the Wild opting not to re-sign him. He received no other NHL offers and signed a minor-league deal with the Devils’ AHL affiliate in Utica for 2022-23.

It proved to be the right choice for Stevens, who looked to get his confidence back with a career-high 15 goals and 33 points in only 48 games. That performance got him another NHL contract with Detroit last summer, who signed him to a one-year, two-way deal worth $775K in the NHL and $150K in the NHL.

With his production and ice time continuing to trail off, however, both sides would like a fresh start. If Stevens clears waivers, he will become an unrestricted free agent on Monday and can sign with any other NHL club.

Afternoon Notes: Perron, Harvey-Pinard, Athanasiou

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The Edmonton Oilers could be interested in trading for Detroit Red Wings winger David Perron, per team reporter Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. Matheson shares that Oiler general manager Ken Holland has long been a fan of Perron, though the Red Wings would need to retain half of Perron’s $4.75MM cap hit if any deal were to go through. The Oilers have proven their interest in veteran wingers already, signing free agent Corey Perry to a one-year, $1MM contract. Perry managed his first point as an Oiler on Friday, recording an assist on Evander Kane’s second-period goal.

Perron, 35, has been in the NHL since 2007 – jumping straight into the league after getting selected 26th overall in the 2007 NHL Draft. His 27 points in 62 games as a rookie is the lowest that Perron has scored in his career when he appeared in 50 or more games in a season. He’s proven incredibly productive, even into his glory years – tallying 58, 57, and 56 points respectively across the last three seasons. He has 10 goals and 23 points in 44 games this year, currently on his lowest scoring pace since the 2015-16 season when he managed just 16 points in 43 games.

Perry and Perron aren’t just 1000-game veterans of the NHL, they’re both Stanley Cup champions – with Perry winning with the 2007 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and Perron winning with the 2019 St. Louis Blues. The pair has nearly 300 playoff games under their belt – with Perron making up 104 of those games – bringing a much-needed playoff poise to an Oilers team that has made the Conference Finals just once since 2006.

The Red Wings would have the upper hand in any trade negotiations for Perron, especially since they’ll need to retain salary. The Oilers own their first-round selection in each of the next three drafts, as well as their second-round pick this year. They may need to be ready to part with some of those picks if they want to bring in a 17-year veteran in Perron.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Montreal Canadiens forward Rafaël Harvey-Pinard exited the team’s Saturday afternoon game against the Dallas Stars with a lower-body injury suffered on a collision with teammate Joel Armia. Harvy-Pinard previously missed seven weeks of the season with a lower-body injury, limiting the 25-year-old to just 23 games on the season. He’s scored one goal and seven points in those outings, adding six penalty minutes.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks saw Andreas Athanasiou return to practice on Saturday, marking his first skate since suffering a groin injury in early November. Athanasiou, 29, has played in just 11 games this season, recording four assists but still searching for his first goal of the year. His return will be a breath of fresh air for a Blackhawks offense that’s scored just 10 goals over their last eight games, going 1-6-1 in the matchups. Athanasiou scored 20 goals and 40 points last season, his highest productivity since scoring 30 goals and 54 points in the 2018-19 season.

Detroit Red Wings Activate Patrick Kane Off Injured Reserve

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  • After missing the team’s last seven contests, Patrick Kane will return to the lineup tonight for the Detroit Red Wings as the team announced they have activated the veteran forward off of injured reserve. Although producing a solid 4-2-1 record in his absence, the Red Wings have only averaged three goals per game over that stretch, nearly a half-goal drop from their average over the entire regular season. With this recent injury being the only health concern for Kane since his return to the NHL, he has scored seven goals and 16 points in 19 games for Detroit since recovering from offseason hip resurfacing surgery.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Trade Deadline Primer: Detroit Red Wings

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With the All-Star break in the rearview, the trade deadline looms large and is now just a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Detroit Red Wings.

The Detroit Red Wings season has gone as well as they could have hoped for. The team hasn’t had overwhelming success, but they are in the heat of the Eastern Conference Wild Card race and are averaging their highest goals-per-game total since the 2008-09 season. Detroit has 12 different skaters with over 20 points through their first 50 games and has finally found a goaltender to lead them forward thanks to Alex Lyon’s breakout year. Things are coming together for the Motor City and, with a fruitful trade deadline, the team could be poised for their first playoff trip in eight years.

Record

26-18-6, 5th in the Atlantic

Deadline Status

Conservative Buyers

Deadline Cap Space

$12.6 MM on deadline day, 1/3 retention slots used, 47/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2024: DET 1st*, DET 2nd, DET 3rd, DAL 4th, DET 5th, DET 6th, DET 7th
2025: DET 1st, DET 2nd, DET 3rd, BOS 4th, DET 5th, DET 6th, DET 7th, STL 7th

* Detroit has the option to send either Boston’s 2024 1st Round pick or their own to the Ottawa Senators as a part of the trade package to acquire Alex DeBrincat.

Trade Chips

The Red Wings are approaching the deadline with plenty of flexibility. They could serve in their usual role as a moderate seller, sending off depth pieces and extra contracts to teams looking to gear up for the Spring. But Detroit has spent nearly the last decade building out a robust prospect pool that now features top names like Nate Danielson, Marco Kasper, and Simon Edvinsson. They’re at a position where they can begin betting on the present, which could mean draft picks are the hottest commodity Detroit possesses. The team has held on to their top three picks in each of the next three drafts – and all three are

projected to be strong classes. A first round pick has been the focal piece of both the Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan trades, and is rumored to be the asking price for many other players currently on the open market. With Detroit boasting such a deep prospect pool, being willing to part with draft capital – and maybe even a prospect or two – could give them a major leg-up in any trade negotiations.

Of course, that’s if Detroit decides to buy. It seems just as likely they could prepare to sell off some more pieces – a luxury they’re afforded thanks to a forward group with an average age of just 26.5. The Wings are getting everything they could want from their young talents, and they could decide to lean into that this deadline. They certainly have the pieces to move – including veteran defenders like Olli Määttä and Justin Holl. Or they could try and bank on a hot goaltending market by moving one of their many NHL-quality backups, including Ville Husso, James Reimer, and Michael Hutchinson.

But if Detroit really does lean into the seller’s approach, it’s likely that Patrick Kane could find himself back on the move. Kane has scored 16 points in his 19 games with the Red Wings, proving the potency he can bring when healthy. The future Hall-of-Famer knew that trade rumors might surround him as the deadline approaches, with TSN’s Chris Johnston speaking to the likelihood back in December. Now, Kane has since faced an injury that’s held him out of the team’s last seven games – and the Red Wings’ 9-2-2 record since the start of January certainly has them focused on the present. Both of those facts could dissuade the Wings from selling any part of their lineup – though, if they do, Kane’s name will surely be at the top of the list.

Team Needs

1) Younger Defensemen: In a season of positives, one negative has dragged on in Detroit. It’s become very clear that Moritz Seider, as capable as he may be, is simply being relied on too much. The 22-year-old is averaging over 22 minutes a game, over two minutes more than anyone else on the roster. He’s in one of the top-10 hardest roles among NHL defensemen, according to Evolving Hockey’s Quality of Competition statistic (requires subscription) which argues that Seider’s role is comparable to top defenders like Noah Hanifin and Adam Pelech. Seider has taken it on with no hesitation, but the only teammate able to keep up with him has been Jake Walman. He’s otherwise receiving inconsistent help from the likes of Ben Chiarot or Jeff Petry. There’s a near three-year gap between the average age of Detroit’s forwards (26.5) and their defenders (29.7), and it’s beginning to create a rift between Detroit’s speedy youngsters and their slower old guard. If the Wings are eyeing a deep playoff push, they should also be eyeing younger defensemen that can better match the pace of their lineup. There’s no shortage of names on the market, with Hanifin recently topping Daily Faceoff’s Trade Board. Detroit could also go after Jakob Chychrun, who the team has previously expressed interest in but never landed. Both players would bring a significant boost to a Red Wings defense that’s been largely commanded by one 22-year-old German. Both players play on the left side and could provide a significant boost to Seider’s already-strong play.

2) Depth Scoring: Detroit is in a lucky position of not needing too much more depth. They have plenty of goaltending, healthy scratches like Klim Kostin and Justin Holl provide strong immediate relief, and minor leaguers like Zach Aston-Reese and Simon Edvinsson could realistically provide a spark if needed. But the Red Wings shouldn’t turn their nose up to the chance to add even more scoring to their lineup. There’s been speculation that Pavel Buchnevich could be made available by one of Detroit’s favorite trade partners in the St. Louis Blues. That could be a tremendous addition, with Buchnevich’s 182 points in 183 games with the Blues proving his capability to thrive in a confused lineup. Detroit could also target a player like Vladimir Tarasenko, who has 13 goals and 33 points in 45 games this season despite operating on Ottawa’s third line. Tarasenko would be significantly cheaper to acquire than Buchnevich, and is a pending free agent where Buchnevich has one more season left on his contract. Other options could include Anthony Mantha or Anthony Duclair, two more pending free agents with seemingly more to offer. It’ll be an exciting deadline for the Red Wings, who have the cap space, the assets, and the successful lineup to seemingly choose whatever path forward they would like.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Prospect Axel Sandin-Pellikka Returns To SHL From Injury

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