Welcome back to Red Wings Weekly! In this weekly column, we like to take a look at the Red Wings’ most recent week of play, identify players and/or trends that stand out, and then look ahead and find out what the next week has in store for the team from Hockeytown. As always, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
Related: Dear Santa – Red Wings’ 2025 Wish List
This week’s Games
Through the skin of their teeth
Tuesday December 2 vs. Boston Bruins – 5-4 win
Finally back in the win column. Detroit almost let this one slip by in the end, with Boston scoring twice in the final five minutes to get within one, but luckily they had built a sizable lead early in the third and were able to weather the storm. This was John Gibson’s first win in over a month, with his previous victory coming against the St. Louis Blues on October 28. He was a terrible 0-4-2 in November, so starting December with a win is a small step in the right direction.
Goaltending Optional
Thursday December 4 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets – 6-5 Shootout loss
The second period of this game featured five power play goals, with the two teams combining for just eight power play opportunities in the entire game. Not a great night for either penalty kill. It wasn’t a great night for the goalkeepers either, with a total of 10 goals on 65 shots, good for a save percentage of 0.846%. Detroit is certainly happy to at least earn a point in this game, but losing in a shootout after holding the lead in the final two minutes of regulation always stings.
Summary of the game
Is this a new John Gibson?
Saturday December 6 vs. Seattle Kraken – 4-3 win
Detroit scored four goals and won this game despite zero points from their two best players, Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. When’s the last time they won with those two combined for zero points, you ask? October 25 against the Blues. That’s right, those guys have been involved in at least one goal in each of the team’s nine wins since then. After going winless in November, Gibson now has two wins to start the month of December, more on that below.
Summary of the game
3 takeaways of the week
1. The Atlantic Playoff picture is still super weird
The top six teams in the Atlantic Division are separated by just five points in the standings, between the Tampa Bay Lightning at 34 and the Toronto Maple Leafs at 29 points. Detroit was in fourth place in the division on Saturday afternoon, but now trails the Lightning by just one point after a win over Seattle. Something else worth noting is that the two-time reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers, are currently seventh in the division with 26 points.
Is it a good thing for Detroit that they are still very much in the running for a division seed? Certainly. Is it also scary that another bad week could see them slip out of this very tight playoff picture? Absolute.
2. Quinn Hughes trade talks
Okay, so Quinn Hughes has been a big talking point among Red Wings fans, and for good reason. However, I would like to set some realistic expectations here for a theoretical transaction. If you call Axel Sandin Pellikka (ASP) a non-negotiable asset for Quinn Hughes, turn off your phone and enjoy some quiet time with your family this holiday season. I think the dream scenario for ASP’s development is for him to become 75% of what Hughes is now.
Related: 3 potential trades involving Canucks star Quinn Hughes
Okay, so what would the Canucks want in a theoretical trade? Vancouver is in desperate need of centers and would likely start negotiations around one of Marco Kasper or Nate Danielson before adding some big-name NHL talent and some of the picks they would likely have. ultimately turn around knowing their management group. In the modern NHL, free agency is dead and the only way to acquire star talent is through the draft or a trade. If Detroit wants to land someone of Hughes’ caliber, they will have to put together a substantial trade package. If Detroit trades for him, there will likely be some serious sticker shock.
3. John Gibson from month to month
John Gibson is off to a rough start with the Red Wings, but let’s take a look at his performance month-by-month.
October: 4-3-0 record, 0.875 SV%, 3.32 GAA
November: 0-4-2 record, 0.853 sv%, 3.91 GAA
December: 2-0-0 record, 0.892 sv%, 3.5 GAA
You can see how tough November was for Gibson, with no wins and an atrocious save percentage of .853. However, December is an example of how much better the team can be if they get anything close to average goaltending. His save percentage in December would still be just 42nd in the NHL (among goaltenders who have played at least eight games), but Detroit’s offense has proven it can score enough goals to be competitive when they allow more than three goals.
If Gibson can maintain this performance, or even continue to stabilize and improve, then Detroit will have a much better chance of holding onto a playoff spot. Cam Talbot has been up and down this season, but has been the team’s steadiest goaltender. He will likely slow down even further as the season progresses, so Detroit would benefit greatly from some improved play from Gibson.
3 stars of the week
- Moritz Seider – 1G, 5A, 59.7% CF%
- Patrick Kane – 2G, 3A, 65% SF%
- James van Riemsdyk – 3G, 58% CF%, 71.5 xGF%
Outlook to watch
Sebastian Cossa, G, Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL)
Much has been made of Sebastian Cossa’s development, from his disappointing D+1 season in the WHL to his unorthodox season in the ECHL. Despite all this, he still stands out as a high-end goaltending prospect in the NHL. Cossa has had an incredible start in the AHL this year, leading the league in save percentage (.943%) and goals against average (1.56). It’s fair to say he’s been the very best goaltender in the league this year, and it feels like just a matter of time before he earns a few starts in Detroit.
While it may be tempting to rush Cossa into a full-time NHL role given the success of young goaltenders like Jesper Wallstedt and Yaroslav Askarov this year, Detroit’s measured approach seems to be working with Cossa and I wouldn’t be inclined to rush that. Cossa recently turned 23, which isn’t an unusual age for goaltenders to break into the league, and his 10-1-0 record tells me he’s doing about as well as can be expected in the AHL.
Upcoming games
Monday December 8 vs. Vancouver Canucks at 10pm ET
Wednesday December 10 vs. Calgary Flames at 8:30 PM ET
Thursday, December 11 vs. Edmonton Oilers at 9pm ET
Saturday December 13 vs. Chicago Blackhawks at 8pm ET
In other news
Devin little:
Dear Santa: Red Wings’ 2025 wish list
Matthew Zator:
3 potential trades involving Canucks star Quinn Hughes
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