As I am writing this, the Red Wings have won all but two games in the month of December. In the same month last season, the Wings had lost five games to this point. That’s what we call progress, right?
Detroit finally shook off the “Islanders demon” last night with a 3-2 win on home ice. Hooray! No season sweep! A lot of the focus is on Alex DeBrincat, and for good reason. He’s scored 20 goals so far this season, becoming the first Red Wing to reach 20 goals this quickly since Henrik Zetterberg some years ago. Axel Sandin-Pellikka gets some credit, too. It sure seems like this guy is starting to find is confidence, and when he registers a point, the Red Wings are usually winning the game. ASP’s goal last night was a great display of his confidence. It was exactly the type of goal you see a defenseman like Cale Makar score. Just think of how much better he will get.. He’s only 20 years old!
Lucas Raymond registered an assist on each of the three goals Detroit scored last night. He now has 12 points in his last 10 games. Case in point, the Wings are getting great hockey from their best players.
I’ll admit that when New York tied the game up somewhere around the midway point of the 3rd period, I was expecting the Red Wings to play for the point. Thanks to a late power play and the Cat’s wicked shot, we got two! Now it’s onto the Utah Mammoth tonight at Little Caesars Arena. This will be a national broadcast. Prepare accordingly.
Onto other business, by now we all know the story with Quinn Hughes. Detroit didn’t get him, despite being one of the frontrunners to acquire him. We don’t know for sure, it’s all just babble from the insiders, but the sticking point was Simon Edvinsson. Steve Yzerman didn’t want to let go of Ed in a package to acquire the former Michigan Wolverine. Hughes ended up going to Minnesota in exchange for Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren, and a first-round pick in 2026.
This topic was hot enough that some sports radio shows were leading with it on Tuesday. I can see both sides here. On one hand, Quinn Hughes is the kind of player you can and should be comfortable mortgaging assets on. On the other hand, Edvinsson is four years younger, has the size that this team really needs, and still has a lot of room to grow. At the end of the day, I’m not mad about it. Perhaps I would feel differently if the team were underachieving. Sounds like GMSY tried to get him, and that’s all you can do most times. We’ll never know the true story on how the trade transpired, so I’m not going to spend much time sulking about it.
I still think Detroit should be in the market for another defenseman. Maybe even a center. Especially if they’re going to be in the race for a playoff spot.
Speaking of defenseman, if you weren’t aware already, Moritz Seider is pretty good at hockey.
The Red Wings said farewell to Jonatan Berggren yesterday. The 33rd pick in the 2018 NHL Draft was claimed off of waivers by the St. Louis Blues, and will get a much-needed change of scenery. It just didn’t work here. He never could live up to what was expected of him, but at the same time he wasn’t given a ton of chances to prove himself as a top-six player, which is what he was projected to be some years ago. Sucks to lose a nice piece of depth without getting anything back, but it is what it is. We wish him the best.
I don’t have much else for you. The Red Wings are first place in the Atlantic, so go out there and enjoy the day!
