Red Wings News & Rumours: Danielson’s First Goal, Pettersson Trade Buzz & Quarter-Season Grades

Red Wings News & Rumours: Danielson’s First Goal, Pettersson Trade Buzz & Quarter-Season Grades

Hello everybody and welcome into another Red Wings news and rumors here at the Hockey Raiders. I am your host Matthew Zetour and as always joined by Jordan Orth here. Uh Jordan, how’s it going? Good. Good. Getting ready for Thanksgiving here in the States. So getting that nice little break, a little long weekend. So looking forward to it for sure. Yeah, there’s a bit of a break in the NHL schedule. It’s not crazy. It’s one day. Um there there’s no games on Thanksgiving, which uh I they don’t want to compete with football. I I get it. No, they’re not going to want to do that. There’s no one going to be watching hockey, I don’t think. Um, so yeah, they got day break without any games, although it’s a crazy amount as a reporting tomorrow. And also, I guess today as you’re watching this, and then on Friday, there’s a ton of games as well. So, they just push them to the side. And, uh, lots of games. And there’s also nothing as we’re recording. There’s only one game uh on today. So, we’ll do some uh talk about the Red Wings. Let’s let’s start talking. I mean, we talked about Nate Danielson on the last video and they had his first NHL game. He scored his first NHL goal not that long ago. I So, the question is, is he starting to find his stride in the NHL now? I mean, he’s I mean, that’s always good to get your first one out of the way really soon. Um, what do you think of his game in his uh first few now that he’s got his goal under his belt? I I I think he is starting to hit that stride. I mean, in that game, he scored his first one. He should have had a second one, got called back for a offsides. That was in my mind too long of a review. But yeah, I think I think you’re starting to see him again. Not like his game was bad before he started. He got the couple points in that game, but the confidence again, it just keeps building and you can see it the way he plays in the offensive zone. He just seems a lot more comfortable and more at ease after getting it’s almost like the the monkeyy’s off off his back. He finally got the first one. I think it’s going to again like we talked about the last time he’s not going to be a guy who likes to scoreboard up or anything, but to be on that in that middle six, bottom six right now that they definitely need some help there and I think he’s gonna help bring that with how he’s playing right now. for sure. You always know he’s going to bring the good defensive play and uh I mean you always going to have that and the scoring is going to be something like it’s going to be interesting. I keep comparing him to Jonathan Taves. That might be the crazy ceiling. Not might it is a crazy ceiling for him. Um but I mean I really see that type of thing like be a Bo Horvette maybe a lesser a little bit. I mean Horvette’s doing really well right now for the Islanders. Even if you get a guy like that that’s pretty good. Um, so yeah, I think he’s right around that realm and he yeah, looking very good early on in his career here. Uh, we’ll see how much more he can do, but uh, yeah, first NHL goal. So, congrats on that. And, uh, we’ll see how many more he can score this season in his, uh, callup. And if he does get sent back down to Grand Rapids, uh, we’ll see. All right. Uh, well, the quarter season, we talked about takeaways after the 20-ish game mark. uh you put out your player grades uh not that long ago and uh I mean we’re not going to go through the whole article in this video. That’s uh pretty crazy. But we’ll give you a sneak peek and we’ll we’ll go top three forwards based on player grade. Um probably an obvious one. We’ve talked about the ones guys that got the awards on our last one, but give us your top three grades for the forward group. I think you look at you look at that top line. I mean, they keep shuffling it around, but there’s two constants with Raymond and Larkin. You got those two at the top. I’ve got them at a A+, whatever way you want to look at it. And I think you can put Debrink right in that category just because he’s starting, he’s picked up the goal scoring after that slow start. I think those three, they obviously are leading the way. So, they get the high grades. But, I mean, you look look at those guys. I mean, Larkin again, he’s kind of out to prove, okay, it’s it’s it’s one it’s the season. this is we don’t want to be missing the playoffs or centennial season. I’m tired of not making the playoffs. You know, once in his career he’s been in the playoffs. So that and then you get someone like Raymond who just it seems like he just can I don’t want to say he continues getting better, but it he keeps showing different aspects of his game or just going to that next level at different times in the game when it’s needed. So, he’s uh I don’t want to say becoming a superstar, but he’s I mean, he’s getting to that point where it’s like, okay, is he going to be one of these next this next guy that the next 10 or so years you’re like, okay, he can put up 80 85 maybe 90 points a season with the way he plays. So, yeah, I mean, they’re they’re definitely the three that deserve the a the A’s in this quarter season. Um yeah, they they’ve led the way and we talked about the topheavy offense. They’re the ones that are doing it all. Um, so yeah, without them, I don’t know where this team would be, they’d be they wouldn’t be where they are for sure. All right. Well, the other side of it, of course, the guys that still need to do they’re failing right now, I guess, in that realm. Uh, who are your bottom three uh that need to really up their game in the next bit here? You I’ve got you look at Michael Rasmusson who I mean, he we talked about it before. It’s almost like he just needs a reset somewhere else. Maybe he just hasn’t been able to. He just he can’t he can’t find his foot in the offensive zone. He He shows that he’s a physical player, but he was I mean, he’s a first round pick. You don’t You’re not drafting a guy just to be a physical presence. Mhm. He had the one goal last week, the nice nice goal he had. I can’t remember who he was against, but other than that, he really hasn’t done much. So you look at him and we talked about it before with Casper. His production’s not there. So that’s kind of why I’ve got him kind of in that C minus area just because of the the production. You expect a little more out of him. Again, that middle bottom six isn’t doing much. And then who else did I have? You look at someone like a lot of people say, “Well, Bergen hasn’t gotten the chances that he probably should at certain times, but he’s another one. he just hasn’t been able to find his footing yet. So, again, another one of those guys. A couple years ago, he’s thrown flashes, but it’s few and far between where he’s taken advantage of the chances he does get. Yeah. So, again, it’s really it’s really just reality. You put bottom three forwards, you guys turning into bottom six forwards need to stop. Plain and simple. Like you said, the top line just they’re the workh horses right now and you need a little bit of little bit of help from them bottom six. So, yeah, for sure. I mean, we compared with Joe Valeno. I mean, of course, not a Redwing anymore. I don’t know how if that’s going to end up happening with Bergrren. He’s obviously a lot younger, but I think there’s a guy that he might need a change. I don’t know. I mean, at there was one point everyone thought top line guy, top six for sure. Um, but he’s looking like more of a bottom six guy now. And I mean, he’s got the talent. It’s just can he do it with the Red Wings? I don’t know. It may he may not he might need another team. Um and we’ll see if that ends up happening. Rasm it might be the same boat. I mean he might need to be on another team and we’ll see either of those guys get moved. We’ll see. But yeah, they definitely need to step it up for sure. All right, moving to the defense. Uh, of course I was going to say we could have gone through all the defense, but we’ll go top two and then bottom two. So at your top two defenseman, this is kind of hard with the def obviously you got Cider, he’s the he’s the top one. I mean, he he just he’s a model of consistency back there, whether it’s this defensive play, he’s starting to get more involved defensively a little bit this year, which is a much welcome sign obviously, but I mean, you look at him, you look at I mean, Edmonson hasn’t been bad. I mean, you look at what they’ve kind of got in the lineup. You can’t really say like someone like Hamick’s had a great year or Bernard Docker, they’ve both been in and out of the lineup so much. You could you could say Sherat’s had a good year, which he has. He hasn’t looked bad compared to his first year and a half in the on the team, but I think Edmonson’s right there right behind Cider just because I mean he’s they’ve made a solid pairing out of the two of them. I mean, everybody wanted to see it when he got called up. Let’s put him together. Let’s put him together. Let’s slow the roll. Let’s let him get a cut get used to the league first. Get get his feet wet. But now that he’s gotten what he’s got under his belt, I think those two are going to solidify that top pairing hopefully. So, yeah, I’ve got those two right at the top for now. Yeah, I mean, both deserve it. I mean, the thing is Edmonson, I mean, he’s dayto-day. He’s not It’s an illness. It’s not that I don’t think there’s panic. like, “Oh, no, he’s going to be out for a long time.” Um, yeah, but he’s had a great season for sure. So, yeah, he definitely deserves to be in there. Um, what about your bottom uh two defenseman this year or I mean quarter season mark? I think I think it’s it’s you look at Hamik and you look at Bernard Docker. Obviously with Hamik, he was everybody knows he was a vet that they just brought in and yeah, he made their roster. He has he has he he’s struggled quite a bit, especially the last few games. He hasn’t hasn’t looked the greatest. I’m wondering if that’s kind of why they brought up Gustiffson. Maybe spark something in that in the defensive lineup. Uh maybe, but you look at him and you can say the same for Bernard Docker. He’s a younger player, one-year deal really. I mean, he’s we look at it, he’s probably a guy who’s trying to prove himself for an ext long-term contract, whether it’s Detroit, somewhere else, kind of like Goss Despair did when he was in Detroit. But neither of them have been able to entrench themselves in the lineup long enough to make that impact on that third pair with Johansson at this point. So, those two, one of them’s got to step up one or the other. You’re you’re going to probably see Gustoson and both guys sitting out or one of them sent, who knows? Mhm. Yeah. I mean, Hamik has struggled even. I I really didn’t understand why they signed him in the first place, but yeah, I mean, I guess it was a veteran I presence and I mean, he’s a good good penalty killer and stuff like that, but I mean, I have experience with him in Vancouver as well. I wasn’t really impressed when he was here either. So, I I don’t know. I mean, obviously some coaches like him, GMs like him. Um, so I mean, he does bring some stuff. It’s just I don’t think it’s consistent enough of what he brings and that’s I think that’s the issue with him. All right, goalenders and we’ll go with both guys. I I mean they’ve kind of split. Cam Talbett’s been the better for numbers and John Gibson maybe a bit disappointing so far, but what grades did you give both of those guys? I gave Talbet I think I gave him an A minus or B+. Like you said, he’s been the more consistent and reliable one of the two. Yeah, there’s been times where there’s been a couple goals like, okay, well, that definitely probably should have been saved, but I mean, you look at it without the way he’s playing on top of the top line there, you don’t know. I mean, they’re not going to be where they’re at in the standings, I don’t think, for sure. And then you look at Gibson, like he he’s just there’s it’s a roller coaster. It’s it’s crazy. I just I don’t know if it’s something’s going on or you nobody will ever really know because they’re not going to get the story on it, I’m sure. But I think I had him kind of at like a C. I mean, he hasn’t played awful all season, but he hasn’t been that guy that he was in Anaheim. Yeah. So, I mean, even if you if he can find that happy ground just to be average. Yeah. consistently that that that would go a long ways to not putting the burden I don’t want to say burden I guess the workload on Talbot all season. I mean, he’s what the second oldest goalie in the league behind pitch. So, I mean, something that you don’t want to Yeah, you don’t want to be given too much. I mean, obvious towards the end of the season is probably you’re going to see it um fatigue-wise for him, but I Gibson it is interesting. I mean, I don’t want to throw I maybe I’m going to throw it out there, but hopefully it’s not another Billy Huso type thing because, you know, came in, everyone was was kind of hyped up. he’s going to be the guy because he was really good in St. Louis comes over and he was okay. I mean, and like he never really found his stride. Um hopefully that’s not the case with Gibson because I think he’s a much more talented uh goalender than uso, but I mean he’s got to start show a bit more of what he was in Anaheim. He is staying healthy, which is a good thing. I mean that was always the thing in Anaheim is is health. Um, yeah. I think maybe it’s too soon to jump to that conclusion, but I I kind of see it, right? So, we’ll see. We’ll see. Hopefully, he kind of he starts pushing himself more into that starting role and you’re playing him a lot more than Talbot because you’d hope that Talbot is the guy not playing a ton, right? Yeah, that was the whole whole purpose of bringing Gibson in. wanted it to be probably like 75 25 65 35 but yeah but that’s not the case right now. Talbot’s getting most of the win most of the wins too and so I mean we’ll see how that kind of goes the rest of the season. All right I want to I want to tell just because of course the Canucks are involved. There are I there has been some speculation about them potentially targeting I want to say a defenseman because that’s what I’ve kind of been seeing. uh around being talked about. Do you see I saw it was Person Marcus Person being the guy that they people were kind of talking about recently extended by the Canucks last season. Um do you see that maybe Patterson maybe you know a veteran defenseman because that I mean the Canucks are apparently uh listening on veterans right now. I mean, you look at it, I mean, it it it makes sense to a certain degree, but again, you bring up someone like Gustoson. Yeah, you’re you’re not getting rid of anything that you you have right now. If you just bring him up, making a move for Person, you’re giving up whatever and you’re taking a little more salary on. But I think I mean, you never know with Eisman, you could wake up tomorrow, he makes a trade that nobody nobody knows from comes from left field, nobody knows what’s going on. But I mean, you it would make sense. I mean, he’s a smart defenseman. He’s he’s more of that defensive defenseman. He can add some offense in. But honestly, I think you give Gustoson a shot, see what he see if he’s on track. I mean, go from there. And if he if he fits in well, then you got something to figure out with Bernard Docker and Hamick. You don’t want to keep rotating guys in all season. I mean, you got to build some continuity. Grant, you got it’s a third third pairing, but you want that third pairing being able to go out there and play as much as possible, too. So, Person would make sense in my mind. That’s looking at their defensive player. I mean, their defenseman, that’s about the only one that in my mind would make sense. Tyler Myers, just a big body kind of guy. So, I mean, not necessarily someone you necessarily need in the lineup. You just more need you need more of that solid Dman mentality. Mhm. So, I think like I said, give Gustin a shot if that’s the purpose of bringing him up and go from there. Yeah, I agree. I don’t think I mean, what are you going to trade and now? I mean, you going to trade to get Person as well? I mean, it’s also are the Conucks looking to trade a guy like that? They just, like I say, just extended him. Uh, and he has a lot of history with Rutherford and Alvine. Uh, I don’t know if they’d be willing to trade him at this point. Um but yeah, he would make sense for sure as someone that the Red Wings kind of he would fill a need maybe that they need in that defense core. So yeah, I I do agree. I think he’d be the guy that the Red Wings would be targeting from the defense and of course uh Swedish as well. So I mean that kind of adds to that they like the Swedes, right? So Yep. All right. Uh let’s finish the video because you say Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Um, what should the writers be thankful for? I mean, there’s a lot that they have. They are first in the Yes, they are. No, they’re not. They are second in the Atlantic right now. A point behind Tampa Bay Lightning. Um, but one more win, they could jump back into first. So, very good position right now. So, that’s probably one thing. U, but what should they be thankful for going into Thanksgiving here? I’m I’m going steal one from Dylan Dylan’s article he come out with. Uh, I’m going to go with Larkin just because of the way again he’s leading the way. Yeah, that’s what you want from your captain. You gota be thankful for that kind of stuff. Top line, same kind of thing. I mean, you look at the injury bug hasn’t been too bad to him this year. So, I mean, be thankful for that because again, you start losing guys. You don’t necessarily know who’s going to fill those roles because you don’t have guys that are producing at the NHL level. You don’t necessarily want to have to pull up kids from Grand Rapids that are producing well down there like a Nyiggard or a Maser who’s actually hurt, so that won’t make any sense. But, I mean, you got guys like that down there. You don’t want to bring them up to play bottom six minutes if someone gets hurt and you’re shuffling the lineup around. So you keep the injuries at bay. You got to be thankful for that at least through 20 plus games of the season. And then I mean you can look at you look at even just the the kids that are in the lineup. You look at a Danielson, uh a Finny, Axel, Sandy, and Pelica. They’re all they’re all starting to gel into the lineup. So you thankful for, you know, the the Iser plan starting to take form and start showing its results a little bit more. Mhm. Yeah, that’s a big thing. We’ve talked about it so far. Probably almost every video we’ve talked about the, you know, the young guys being, you know, coming into the lineup, but not just being there. They’re being key factors and key impact players as well. And that’s why I mean, obviously the top end offense is a big part of it, but and they’re also part of it. So, it is something to definitely be thankful for that it’s starting to shift. Everyone’s kind of getting impatient a bit there. What’s happening? The Eiser plan doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, but it’s looking like it is now and that’s that’s a good sign for the future. So, I yeah, definitely two a lot of things to be thankful for right now for the Red Wings. I firmly in a playoff spot at American Thanksgiving, which uh the benchmark and so they have a real good chance of being in the playoffs this season. A lot obviously a lot can change. It’s not a perfect science as being this this American Thanksgiving theory that but it seems to go for the most part. That’s why it’s there. So, uh we’ll see how the Red Wings do for the rest of the season and our next midseason when we do the player grades again. Um but thanks Jordan for coming on and talking Red Wings as always as the season continues and um hopefully a lot more wins are to come but let’s hope. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it’s they’re on the right track. It’s there’s a lot going right. Uh but there is some stuff that still needs to be fixed. Like we talked about uh in the takeaways. There needs to be more offense from the bottom six. That’s something that definitely needs to happen in the new uh well December and the new year for sure. Um but yeah, there’s a lot going right which uh I don’t think was the case when we were talking about this on grind line. Uh I can’t even remember how long was Grind Line’s been off. Were we were we in Garmin last year? I don’t know. Last time it was still last season. Um but at this point last season, we were not talking uh this much success. So it’s already a good good thing. But make sure to check out everything on talkers.com. We got lots of articles going on and uh and all the Substack newsletter. Uh make sure to subscribe to that and all of our other videos on the YouTube channel. But until our next one, we will see you next

In this Detroit Red Wings News & Rumors update, Matthew Zator and Jordan Orth discuss Nate Danielson’s first NHL goal and dive into Jordan’s quarter-season player grades article, highlighting the top and bottom forwards and defensemen and the goaltending duo of Cam Talbot and John Gibson. They also talk about Marcus Pettersson as a potential trade target from the Vancouver Canucks, and what the Red Wings should be thankful for heading into Thanksgiving.

Check out the quarter-season player grades in written form – https://thehockeywriters.com/red-wings-player-grades-through-first-quarter-of-2025-26-season/

Check out Jordan’s writing – https://thehockeywriters.com/author/jorth/

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