Just how tough is the Atlantic Division? Just ask the Pittsburgh Penguins, who blew a three-goal lead in the third period to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night. This should be an eye-opener for the Detroit Red Wings, as it shows teams like the Leafs are finding their groove after a slow start.
Toronto has since climbed back into early-season relevance, as has the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have won five straight. Once again, it's showing that there isn't a single bad team in the Atlantic Division, and it makes even early-season road matchups in Vegas so important for the Wings.
What's more? The Vegas Golden Knights have their own issues to deal with in the Pacific Division, where the Anaheim Ducks and Seattle Kraken have come out of nowhere to challenge the Evil Empire. Throw in the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings, who are right there with the Knights, and Tuesday's matchup in Vegas is a big one, regardless of how early it still is.
Detroit Red Wings could be playing 'playoff hockey' early and often
In November, most NHL teams are still looking to find their respective rhythms, but neither the Wings nor the Knights has that luxury. They might be among the better teams in hockey at the moment, but with so much competition brewing in the Atlantic and Pacific divisions, that sense of urgency you often see in March needs to start right now.
Ideally, you will see a few teams in the Atlantic fall back to Earth. But until that happens, every single matchup the Red Wings suit up for is going to count a little more.
John Leonard is lighting up the AHL, Watson going back to Grand Rapids
Who would have thought John Leonard of all people would be pacing the AHL in goals? Leonard, 27, is nothing more than a backmarker in the NHL, but that doesn't mean he won't enjoy success in the lower leagues.
In 2024-25, he posted 36 goals for the Charlotte Checkers and this season for the Grand Rapids Griffins, he has nine of them in seven games. Whether he keeps this up or not remains to be seen, but if he does, Leonard will finish the year with 91 goals and 111 points. He may be organizational depth, but talk about having valuable insurance.
In other AHL news, the Wings also reassigned Austin Watson back to Grand Rapids, and Brennan McClain of Pro Hockey Rumors clarified the main reason the Wings recalled Watson in the first place, writing, "The main benefit for Watson during this recall was financial: he will receive a prorated bump in pay, as he has a $775K NHL salary and a $375K AHL salary. That will make it more likely he will be able to exceed his $400K guarantee by the end of the season, should he be recalled again down the line. He also gains pension credits for those three games for which he was on the NHL roster."
Overall, it has been a rather entertaining first few weeks of hockey both in Detroit and in Grand Rapids. We'll see if that 'playoff-like' intensity manifests for the Wings, while seeing if John Leonard and Company keep up what has been a very high-octane game for the Griffins. It should be fun to watch.