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Filip Zadina Will Be Out Long Term

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While the exact injury isn’t yet known, things don’t sound good for Red Wings winger Filip Zadina.  Speaking with reporters including Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link) postgame following their overtime victory over the Rangers today, head coach Derek Lalonde indicated the youngster has something broken and that he’ll be out a matter of months, not weeks.  The injury occurred back on Saturday after he blocked a shot from Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock.

That’s hardly good news for the 22-year-old who has been trying to establish his role under their new coaching staff.  Zadina has struggled out of the gate this season and has been held off the scoresheet through his first nine games while averaging just under 14 minutes a night.  He’s in the first season of a three-year, $5.475MM bridge contract.

Detroit has been hit hard when it comes to their wingers this season.  Zadina joins Tyler Bertuzzi and Robby Fabbri as wingers that are currently injured while Jakub Vrana is out indefinitely while he’s in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.  The Red Wings currently have an open roster spot after placing Zadina on injured reserve late yesterday.  Austin Czarnik and Matt Luff have been recent recalls and someone else from AHL Grand Rapids will be getting the call in the near future.

Filip Zadina Suffers Lower-Body Injury: "Doesn't Look Good"

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After a major offseason overhaul rivaled only by the Ottawa Senators, expectations have been big for the Detroit Red Wings this season, however the team has gotten itself off to an up-and-down start. Sitting at 5-3-2 coming into today, the team would be faced with one of its tougher tasks of the young season this afternoon: a showdown with the New York Islanders, who were on a five-game winning streak. Detroit answered the call, shutting out the Islanders 3-0. That win appears to have come at a price, however. Forward Filip Zadina went down late in the third period after appearing to block a Ryan Pulock shot.

After the game, Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde, provided an update to the media, including Michigan Live’s Ansar Kahn. According to Lalonde, Zadina’s injury “doesn’t look good” and Detroit may not see the winger for a while, adding that the team would know more tomorrow. Soon to be 23-years-old, Zadina has yet to become the player Detroit hoped he would be when he was drafted sixth-overall in 2018, and has zero points through his first nine games this year, including today. But, with Detroit missing more than its fair share of forwards, including Tyler Bertuzzi, Jakub Vrana, Oskar Sundqvist, and Robby Fabbri, losing Zadina for any period of time will surely be felt.

  • New York Rangers center Filip Chytil expects to play in the team’s game tomorrow afternoon against the Red Wings. While Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant did not confirm that Chytil would be in the lineup, the forward did tell USA Today Sports’ Vince Mercogliano that he feels 100%. Still, Gallant is hopeful he can play Sunday. Chytil, who hasn’t played since October 23rd, was believed to be dealing with a concussion, said Larry Brooks of the New York Post. The 23-year-old had three points in six games prior to the injury.

Red Wings Recall Austin Czarnik

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It appears as if Detroit native Austin Czarnik will get an opportunity to suit up for his hometown team as the Red Wings announced that they have recalled the winger from Grand Rapids of the AHL.

The 29-year-old signed with Detroit last summer after splitting last season between the Islanders and Kraken, inking a two-year deal worth the NHL minimum while guaranteeing him $450K in salary each year.  This season, he has played exclusively in the minors so far and leads the Griffins in goals (five) while being tied for the lead in points (ten) through his first eight contests.

While Czarnik has bounced back and forth between the NHL and the AHL throughout his career, he has seen action at the top level in each of his first six full professional seasons with a good chance of making it seven now that he’s up with the Red Wings.  Overall, he has 15 goals and 30 assists across 142 NHL contests.

Detroit had an open roster spot to work with even after converting winger Matt Luff’s promotion to a regular recall earlier this week so no corresponding move needed to be made to bring Czarnik up.

Detroit Red Wings Re-Assign Givani Smith

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Nov 1: Smith has been returned to the AHL now that Rasmussen’s suspension has been served. In two games, he failed to record a shot on goal.

Oct 29: The Detroit Red Wings announced that they’ve recalled right wing Givani Smith from the Grand Rapids Griffins, their AHL affiliate. No corresponding move has been made, but the team did find out yesterday that forward Michael Rasmussen was suspended for two games for high-sticking Boston Bruins forward David Krejci.

Smith, who has spent his entire career in the Red Wings organization, is playing his sixth professional season since the team drafted him in the second-round back in 2016. The forward has spent parts of three seasons at the NHL level, debuting in 2019-20. Through 83 NHL games to date, Smith has seven goals and seven assists. His production isn’t much better at the AHL level, however he does bring an energetic, gritty presence to whatever lineup he’s in, tallying a career-high 108 penalty minutes in just 46 games last season with Detroit.

While it’s unclear just how long the 24-year-old will be up with the NHL squad, he’ll be joining a strong group that is looking to take the next step after a lengthy rebuild. Detroit is 3-2-2 to start the season, making them one of five teams in the Atlantic Division to have 8 points

Michael Rasmussen Suspended Two Games

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3:45 PM: The NHL’s Department of Player Safety has now announced that Rasmussen will be suspended for two games for high-sticking Krejci. This means that he will be first eligible to return to the ice on November 3rd, when the Red Wings take on the Washington Capitals.

8:48 AM: The Detroit Red Wings might be missing one of their big forwards for a little while, as Michael Rasmussen will have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety today. The meeting stems from a collision between the Red Wings forward and Boston Bruins forward David Krejci, where Rasmussen’s stick came down on the side of Krejci’s head.

He received a two-minute minor for high-sticking, while Krejci left the game in considerable pain. It seemed as though the injury was caused by the hit (and potentially a butt-end delivered on contact), not by the follow-through, but the league may take it into account anyway. Krejci did not return to the game.

Rasmussen, 23, is off to a very nice start for the Red Wings, recording five points in seven games. The 6’6″ forward has started to figure out how best to use his size at the NHL level and is delivering far more checks than he did as a youngster. While he is important, he also only plays around 14 minutes a game and can be replaced if given a short suspension.

Detroit Red Wings Recall Matt Luff

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The Detroit Red Wings have brought an extra forward to join them on the road today in Boston, recalling Matt Luff from the AHL. The team is without Oskar Sundqvist for the moment as he deals with an upper-body injury.

Luff, 25, is off to a great start with the Grand Rapids Griffins, scoring seven points in his first five games this season. The undrafted forward has always been an excellent player at the minor league level and even had six points in 23 games with the Nashville Predators last year. In total, he has played 87 NHL games in his career, scoring 13 goals and 23 points.

It’s not clear if he will go into the lineup or not, but the Red Wings were using Jordan Oesterle as a forward in yesterday’s practice beside Pius Suter and Filip Zadina, according to Ansar Khan of MLive. That could be the spot for Luff to go into, adding some size and skill to the third line as Detroit tries to get back on track.

Now 3-1-2 on the year, that sole regulation loss came at the hands of the New Jersey Devils a couple of days ago. The team was thoroughly outplayed in that one, and will be trying to show why they should be considered a playoff contender in tonight’s matchup with an Atlantic Division rival.

Larkin (Upper Body) To Be Reevaluated Today

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  • Red Wings center Dylan Larkin left Friday’s game against Chicago briefly with an injury and while he returned, head coach Derek Lalonde told reporters including Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press postgame that Larkin was dealing with some upper-body pain postgame. He’s scheduled to be reevaluated today.  The captain is off to a strong start to his contract year with five points in four games this season.

East Notes: Cossa, Poirier, Drozg

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The Detroit Red Wings are currently enjoying a great start to Ville Husso’s tenure as the team’s starting goalie, as the team’s summer acquisition already has a shutout to his name and is boasting a .923 save percentage through two games. But despite that solid start, the long-term future for the Red Wings in net may not lie in Husso’s hands. The team selected Sebastian Cossa 15th overall at the 2021 draft, and he is among the top goalie prospects in hockey. He could be their future, but it may take some time to reach that point.

Today, the Red Wings made their plans for Cossa’s development a bit clearer. After he made his professional debut in a victory over the Milwaukee Admirals, the team reassigned Cossa to their ECHL affiliate, the Toledo Walleye. While some might view an ECHL demotion as a major step back in a prospect’s development, this move should be seen positively in Cossa’s case. Beginning his career in the third-tier ECHL will afford Cossa a longer runway to grow his game, and allow him to take on more of his team’s starts than he would have in Grand Rapids, where the battle for time in the crease is more competitive. Getting consistent game action is crucially important for goalie development, so this move will allow Cossa to play more consistently and in a lower-pressure environment.

Now, for some other notes regarding Eastern Conference teams:

  • The Montreal Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, announced today that they have reached a mutual agreement with Emile Poirier to terminate the forward’s contract. A 2013 first-round pick, Poirier signed an AHL deal with Laval in the summer and was set to make his return to North American pro hockey after spending last season in both the KHL and SHL. But after not being included in Laval’s opening-night lineup, Poirier and the team have decided that pursuing other opportunities would be the best path forward for both parties.
  • Jan Drozg, a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2017 draft class and former QMJHL star, has found a place to play for the 2022-23 season. Per the KHL’s official website, Drozg has signed a one-year contract with Amur Khabarovsk. The 23-year-old Slovenian winger spent time with both the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins and Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL last season and will look to improve the offensive attack of one of the lowest-scoring clubs in the KHL.

Jakub Vrana Placed In NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program

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As announced today by the NHL, Detroit Red Wings forward Jakub Vrana has been placed in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Vrana will be unavailable for an indefinite period of time while he receives care as prescribed and overseen by the program.

Vrana will return to game action for Detroit when he is cleared for on-ice competition by the program’s administrators, according to the release.

26 years old, Vrana is entering his second full season with the Red Wings. The Prague-born forward had a goal and an assist in his first two games with Detroit this year after he missed 56 games last season with a shoulder injury.

PHR sends its best wishes to Vrana while he gets the help he needs.

Matt Kiersted, Seth Barton Activated From Season-Opening Injured Reserve

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A pair of defensemen have been activated from season-opening injured reserve (SOIR) and are headed to their respective teams’ AHL affiliates. The Florida Panthers have assigned Matt Kiersted to the Charlotte Checkers, per CapFriendly, and the Detroit Red Wings have assigned Seth Barton to the Grand Rapids Griffins, per the team.

Season-opening injured reserve is generally used for players who did not make the team out of training camp, but can’t be involved in any NHL to AHL transactions due to their injured status.

Kiersted, 24, is a candidate to find himself back in the NHL sooner rather than later given the organization’s weak defensive depth. An undrafted free agent signing out of the University of North Dakota in 2021, Kiersted’s appeared in 17 NHL games over the past two seasons, registering a goal and an assist and averaging 14:31 per night. He had 20 points in 63 games with the Checkers last season in his first professional campaign, and he’s destined to play a top-four role again there when not on the NHL roster.

Barton was a third-round selection by the Red Wings in 2018. He’s entering his second full professional campaign after spending three seasons at UMass-Lowell from 2018 to 2021 and recorded six points in 20 AHL games during his rookie campaign with the Griffins in 2021-22. It’ll be a struggle for playing time in Grand Rapids, which now boasts some of the team’s top defense prospects such as Simon Edvinsson, Albert Johansson, and Eemil Viro. A return to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye, where Barton played five games last season, could be in the cards.

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