Red Wings Weekly #7 – Nate the Great

I’ve been talking up Nate Danielson for roughly three years now so it feels good to see him finally in the NHL and playing as good as I thought he could. This was a good game for Detroit all around but Danielson was the story of the game, with a goal, a primary assist, and a second goal that was called back because he embarrassed Adam Larsson too badly. Oh wait, I’m hearing it was because of an offside review. Regardless, he had an excellent game and gave a good glimpse of the offensive potential that he has always possessed. 

Game Recap

Goaltending Woe vs. Goaltending Woah!

Thursday, Nov. 20 vs. New York Islanders – 5-0 Loss

The Islanders might just be Detroit’s kryptonite this season. In the two games these teams have played so far this year Detroit has won the “deserve-to-win-o-meter”, but has been outscored by a ridiculous 12-2 margin. In those games Detroit has outshot the Isles 63-56, outchanced them 69-56 (55% SCF%), and generated just under 7.5 expected goals (xG) to New York’s 6.33 xG (stats via. Natural Stat Trick). 

The biggest difference maker has been goaltending, with Detroit’s goaltenders combining to allow 5.67 goals above expected while the Islanders’ tandem saved 5.47 goals above expected. Detroit’s goaltending has been shaky in the early running this year, but these two games were some of the clearest examples of what strong goaltending can do for a team, even when they’re being outplayed. 

Another Happy Landing

Saturday, Nov. 22 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets – 4-3 Overtime Win

Despite playing from behind for roughly 40 minutes and never holding a lead until Alex DeBrincat’s overtime winner, Detroit was in this game the whole way. It was nice to see Emmitt Finnie buzzing early back on the top line with Larkin and Raymond, and he created some real chances all game. One thing of note is how many breakaways Detroit gave up, though Cam Talbot was up to the task and turned away several key chances to give Detroit a fighting chance.

Game Recap

3 Takeaways From the Week

This Nate Danielson Guy is Pretty Good

In very limited ice time (just over 80 minutes in seven games), Nate Danielson has been really solid for Detroit. In his first few games, he was safe and quiet, two things that can’t be said for most of Detroit’s bottom-six forwards. However, those aren’t exactly the adjectives you want to use to describe a top-10 pick. In his past few games, Danielson has shown many more glimpses of the offense he can provide, and has scored three points in three games this week. 

He has a Corsi For Percentage north of 57%, is outshooting competition 43-32, and an expected goals for percentage approaching 62%. Danielson’s playmaking and budding chemistry with Finnie has helped Detroit’s second power play unit become a much more imposing group as well. Many people have worried over the years that Danielson is a high-floor, low-ceiling type who won’t score much in the NHL, but he’s already looking really strong in his first handful of NHL games.

Could Sebastian Cossa Earn a Start or Two?

Detroit currently holds the 25th ranked save percentage in the NHL, with John Gibson having more games under .820 SV% than he has over .900 SV%. Talbot’s average save percentage is approaching .900 at this point, but it’s bad when that feels like a breath of fresh air. If only there was someone waiting in the wings (pun intended) who could drop in for a home game or two here or there . . . 

Meanwhile, Sebastian Cossa has been phenomenal for the Grand Rapids Griffins through his first six starts, never posting a save percentage below .913 SV% so far. Cossa’s .940 SV% so far is the second highest mark in the AHL among goalies to play at least six games, and his five wins is good enough for a tie for 13th in the league despite playing fewer games than everyone above him on that list. Detroit has the luxury of their AHL affiliate being so close, and they need to take advantage of that to get Cossa a few soft starts this year to help keep their goalies fresh and give him some more experience before likely making him the backup next season.

No Depth Offense 

Pop quiz. How many Red Wings goals do you think were scored by bottom-six forwards this week? 

If you guessed more than one, you’d be wrong, with Danielson’s first career goal against Seattle standing as the lone goal from the bottom six in the past three games. How about the past two weeks? Then you can add Michael Rasmussen’s goal against the Anaheim Ducks. All of November? Add one more from J.T. Compher against the New York Rangers. 

That’s right, Detroit’s bottom-six is averaging a single goal a week so far in November, an absolutely abysmal rate. We knew coming into this year that Detroit would be a top-heavy team, but with Raymond, Larkin, and DeBrincat all scoring at 90+ point paces, the bottom-six isn’t going to need to do all that much for the team to be competitive. So far, they haven’t even been able to clear the ultra-low bar that the team’s stars have provided. They absolutely need more offense from guys like Mason Appleton, Compher, and Jonatan Berggren if they want to hold onto a playoff spot into the Spring.

Quinn Hughes Watch – First Look

Not getting ahead of myself here, but Rick Dhaliwal, a very well connected insider in Vancouver, said on the Canucks Talk podcast that he believes “that they internally do think that it’s better to move him this year if – capital letters if – he doesn’t wanna commit to the franchise long term.” That means that if the Vancouver Canucks continue to struggle this year, they will likely check in with Quinn Hughes around the Olympic break and prepare themselves to move him if he is willing to share that he doesn’t plan on signing long term following the end of his contract in 18 months. 

Okay, that’s a lot of “if”s so I want to acknowledge the long-shot nature of all of this. From all that Hughes has said in the media, I’m not expecting him to force his way to New Jersey to join his brothers on his current contract, though they would surely be the favorite to land him in a trade or when he hits free agency.

However, Hughes did spend two years playing for the United States National Team Development Program in Plymouth, Michigan and two more years playing for the University of Michigan. The Hughes brothers all spend the majority of their offseason in Michigan each Summer to be close with family. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Detroit would be a decent landing spot for one of the very best defenders in the NHL. We’ll check back in if a trade begins to look more likely (shouldn’t take long the way the Canucks are looking these days).

3 Stars of the Week

1. Lucas Raymond – 2G, 1A, 72% xGF%

1. Nate Danielson – 1G, 2A

1. Cam Talbot – 2 Wins, .909 SV%

Prospect to Watch

Max Plante, C/LW, University of Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA)

Max Plante is off to a wicked start in the NCAA, leading college hockey in points and nearly surpassing his point total from last season in significantly fewer games. Plante scored a hat trick Friday night to help drag the University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD) Bulldogs to a win over Colorado College, reaching a total of 13 goals on the year.

Plante is going to be a major factor for Team USA in the coming World Junior Championship in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, likely as a top-six winger who will earn significant power play time. I didn’t expect this coming into the year, but Plante is now looking like a lock to be offered a pro contract by the Red Wings once his Sophomore season ends, and I’m excited to see how he looks in the AHL.

Upcoming Games

Monday, Nov. 24 vs. New Jersey Devils @ 7pm ET

Wednesday, Nov. 26 vs. Nashville Predators @ 7pm ET

Friday, Nov. 28 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning @ 12pm ET

Saturday, Nov. 29 vs. Boston Bruins @ 7pm ET

In Other News

Jordan Orth:
Red Wings Player Grades Through First Quarter of 2025-26 Season