The Daily: Red Wings Could Be Lottery Team; Talbot Ready?

The scariest aspect of the Detroit Red Wings’ season is that they are almost as close to the bottom of the NHL standings as they are to a playoff spot.

Before tonight’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Detroit squad (11-13-4, 26 points) sits 26th in the 32-team NHL, four points short of being tied for an Eastern Conference wildcard position. Meanwhile, they are only six points ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators who are tied for last in the NHL.

What that all means is that the Red Wings are still flirting with picking in the top five of the 2025 NHL draft. According to tankathon.com, Detroit today has a 6.5% chance of picking No. 1 and 6.7% chance of picking No. 2.

Sportsnet recently laid out the top available players, and a handful are impact performers, including American center James Hagens who will play for USA in the upcoming World Junior Championships. He’s projected to land at the No. 1. The slick Boston College center has five goals and 15 assists for 20 points in his first 16 college games.

Erie Otters puck-moving defenseman Matthew Schaefer (22 points in 17 games) is No. 2, followed by Saginaw Spirit winger Michael Misa (27 goals and 55 points in 27 games), 6-foot-3 Brampton Steelheads center Porter Martone and Swedish center Anton Frondell.

Michael Misa has hit the 40-point mark this season … in 20 games.

So much of his production comes from counter-attacking — often by his own doing. From there, he's a high-end finisher who can seamlessly blend his tools—release is ridiculous. Brilliant processor.#2025NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/N8AVaxxU3o

— Daniel Gee (@DanielGScouting) November 16, 2024

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

GM Steve Yzerman sent Sebastian Cossa back to the Grand Rapids Griffins. That should mean that Cam Talbot is ready to play against the Philadelphia Flyers Thursday

The Grand Rapids Griffins are still in first place in the Central Division with four important road games over the next week.

Bob Duff writes that coach Derek Lalonde seems reluctant to trust young players. He uses defenseman Albert Johansson as an example.

Red Wings Extra

The Red Wings don’t have good history when it comes to playing in Philadelphia. They meet tonight in the City of Brotherly Love (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network). They have one regulation win over the past 27 years. The Flyers are 17-1-1 against Detroit in Philadelphia over that period. This season, the Flyers (13-12-4) are four points better than the Red Wings (11-13-4), but neither team currently holds a playoff spot.

Hockey Now Network

Colorado: Coach Jared Bednar said the Colorado lengthy list of injured players are “still a long ways away.” Colorado Avalanche.

Pittsburgh Penguins: The Penguins passed on right-shot defenseman Alec Regula. The Bruins put him on waivers and he was claimed by the Oilers. The Penguins were ahead of the Oilers on the claim list. That means they passed on him. Pittsburgh Penguins.