Red Wings Weekly #2 – Across the Atlantic – Hockey Writer – Detroit Red Wings
Welcome back to Red Wing Weekly! In this weekly column, we want to take a look at the Red Wings’ recent week of play, identify any standout players and/or trends, and then look ahead to find out what might happen next week for the team from Hockey City. As always, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.
What a difference a week makes. After being eliminated in the season opener at home, the Detroit Red Wings have been performing well against tough Atlantic Division foes. Detroit has an 11-13-2 record against its own division in 2024-25, making it difficult for them to secure a spot against direct rivals like the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators for a wild-card playoff spot. Detroit is already 4-1-0 against division opponents early in the season, which puts them in a better position (from a natural hat trick) when the margins are razor-thin in the spring.
So how did they get here? Let’s take a look at their games this week and some takeaways from a great week of Red Wings hockey.
Mason Appleton, first class?
October 13 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, 2-1 victory
Red Wings fans don’t hear this often, so enjoy this one. Detroit just beat the Toronto Maple Leafs.
On the other hand, it’s only when you’re getting beat that you really need your goalie to stand on his head like Cam Talbot did in this game. Detroit isn’t a better team, but winning games when you’re getting beat and your best tight end goes down with an upper-body injury is a sign of a level of resilience and fight that this team hasn’t shown over the past decade.
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Lucas Redmond’s injury is not serious and the team is treating it as day-to-day practice before returning him to the lineup Sunday against the Edmonton Oilers. After he went down in this game, Detroit promoted Mason Appleton to the top line, which was a little surprising initially, but his performance there made it clear he can take on more responsibility in a short amount of time. In fact, Appleton scored the game-winner, breaking the tie in the final minute of the third period and giving Toronto two points.
Photo by Cam Talbot for Vezina
Oct. 15 vs. Florida Panthers, 4-1 win
In his first full game as a member of Detroit’s first team, Appleton looked strong, scoring two goals and showing off his fighting spirit and solid positioning. The game was closer than the score suggested, with Detroit closing it out on two empty-net goals. Regardless, Detroit remains in touch with the two-time defending champions despite serious injuries on both sides.
It was another phenomenal game for Talbot, who seemed to establish himself as the 1A tandem starter early, saving a ridiculous 3.4 goals compared to expected (via Natural Stat Trick ). Simon Edwinson also had a solid performance, making him increasingly likely to be the Red Wings’ highest-paid player at the start of the 2026-27 season. Last but not least, Detroit’s penalty kill looked good in the early going and knocked back a huge penalty in the third period while still leading by one.
streaking
October 17 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, won 2-1 in overtime
Winning streak reaches four games! Detroit took control of the game early and controlled the tempo of the game through the first 40 minutes. The Chargers turned up the pressure in the final frame, leaving John Gibson struggling for his first win with the Red Wings, but he got the job done, making a couple of big stops late in the third quarter to give Detroit a chance to win in overtime.
Not surprisingly, Dylan Larkin was the man for the job, scoring the overtime winner against Andrei Vasilevskiy. Axel Sandin Pellikka had a phenomenal night, scoring his first career NHL goal and even getting a shutout at the start of overtime. Emmitt Finney also had his best game of the season so far, killing penalties with authority and giving Tampa Bay trouble downfield. Detroit’s penalty kill was outstanding again, holding off the Chargers without a shot on three power play opportunities.
3 Takeaways from the Week – Overreaction Edition
Mason Appleton – First-line forward?
Appleton has scored three goals and added an assist in two and a half games since being promoted to Detroit’s first team. If the team feels Finney needs a different path to develop, either in the AHL or as a center in the lineup, would he be a good fit on the left wing for Detroit’s first team? He’s shooting over 40 percent so far this year, so that percentage will definitely drop, but if it can reach over 10 percent in the future, he can still be an efficient first-line player.
Patrick Kane will be named to Team USA
It’s show time in Milan.
Patrick Kane looked his best since wearing a Red Wings uniform, winning games on Detroit’s second line, creating plays and scoring at a high rate. He currently has two goals and five points in as many games, which could open the door to some conversations with USA Hockey.
First, Kane will be a key leader for Team USA, given his Olympic experience in 2010 and 2014, as well as his combined NHL experience of more than 1,300 games and nearly double the career points of the second-highest scoring active American player in the NHL. Secondly, Kane is still an efficient playmaker, especially in the power attack. He is no longer the focus of the team’s offense. I think he’ll slot into Team USA’s third line as a depth scorer, or he could become their 13th/14th forward and provide his leadership in more of an off-court capacity.
Todd McClellan was an early Jack Adams contender
It’s been established in the past that a coach who can lead a team to a dramatic turnaround will usually get some votes for the Jack Adams Award as the league’s most influential head coach. It’s also not uncommon for the coach of a team that makes the playoffs despite low expectations to win a large number of votes. If these are some of the typical qualifications for this award, Todd McClellan has to be a (very) early favorite. Detroit hit a slump after just one game and the coach got mad at them (in record time!), and since then they’ve won four games, all against teams that made the playoffs last year.
3 stars this week
- Dylan Larkin – 2G, 3A in 3GP
- Cam Talbot – 3 GA and 61 saves – .950 sv% 2 wins
- Mason Appleton – 1G of 3G, 3GP
Prospects to watch
Jesse Kiiskinen, RW, HPK (Liiga)
Jesse Kiskinen is off to a hot start this year after scoring 14 goals in 46 La Liga games last season. After scoring a hat-trick this week, he has five goals in 14 games, taking his tally to 21 all season, without a break from the World Youth Championship (as he is no longer eligible).
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Kiskinen once again looks to be one of Liga’s best young players, leading all U21 players in goals and ranking second in the league in U21 points. He will definitely stay on my radar this season and should be a candidate to join the Grand Rapids Griffins next spring now that he’s under contract with Detroit.
Upcoming competitions
Sunday, October 19 – vs. Edmonton Oilers at 3 p.m. ET
Wednesday, October 22nd – 7:30pm ET @ Buffalo Sabers
Thursday, October 23rd – 7pm ET @ New York Islanders
Saturday, October 25 – vs. St. Louis Blues at 7 p.m. ET
contract comparison
Ryan Hutson signed a contract extension with the Montreal Canadiens last week, which will set up another similar contract for both parties when talks to renew Simon Edwinson resume. Hutson’s new deal will pay him $8.85 million per season over eight years, slightly less than the recent extensions of Luke Hughes and Jackson Lacombe (who each made $9 million per season over the eight years following their extensions).
Edvinson was the most impactful defensive player in the group, but his offensive numbers were the least impressive and he had the fewest power play minutes, which was further hurt by ASP taking over the second power play unit. While Edvinson and Hutson are vastly different physically or stylistically, this new contract is just another data point with a number of U23 guards signing massive extensions recently, and Edvinson will eventually surpass Larkin ($8.7 million per year) as Detroit’s highest-paid player next season.
Other news
Devin Little:
Simon Edwinson’s development key to Detroit Red Wings’ success
Nicholas Giornone:
Cam Talbot replaces John Gibson as Red Wings starter
Evan Sabourin:
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman’s free agent signings
Tony Wallack:
The top five Swedes in Red Wings history
