Fans of the Detroit Red Wings are reading a horror story. Once again, they are in November, and once again, things look bleak. But help may be here to stay. On Sunday, the Wings recalled Nate Danielson, who skated for 15:16 and put up four shots in 19 shifts in that ugly 5-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Danielson, who missed the start of the season with the Red Wings, looked phenomenal in his four-game stint with the Grand Rapids Griffins, putting up five points and a goal. While the Wings already have rookies Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Emmitt Finnie with the big club, adding Danielson to the fray makes the team younger and more inexperienced, but one with even greater potential as yet another future star is skating around Hockeytown.
We'll see if Danielson sticks around with the big club, and if he does, expect some moderate production from the 20-year-old as he gets more acclimated to the NHL. If not, look for him to keep tearing up the AHL before he's ultimately back in the Winged Wheel. In short, the Wings aren't losing out here.
Detroit Red Wings prospect is taking over the NCAA
While all eyes are on Sebastian Cossa and Michal Postava, it's easy to lose Trey Augustine in the mix. But Augustine might have more potential than either Cossa or Postava. Once again, he's proving he's one of the best, if not the best, netminders in the college ranks, with three shutouts, a 0.944 save percentage, and a 1.41 GAA in seven games.
These are borderline legendary numbers and a sign of things to come for Wings fans when Augustine finally decides to turn pro. Still, Augustine's someone who notes the team effort as the real reason the Michigan State Spartans are playing so well defensively, and that it's not just him.
It's a given that Augustine will keep up his dominance in the college ranks this season, having burst onto the scene in 2023-24, putting up a 0.915 save percentage, a 2.96 GAA, and three shutouts. In 2024-25, Augustine enjoyed a breakout campaign, with a 0.924 save percentage, a 2.08 GAA, and another three shutouts. The only valid question remaining is, how many opponents will he blank this season?
Dylan Larkin preaches responsibility following latest loss
Nobody in this recent losing streak that has seen the Red Wings put up just two goals in the last three games is taking it harder than Dylan Larkin, especially regarding special teams.
Per Michael Whitaker of The Hockey News, Larkin said, “Starts with the face-off, which I take most of the time, and not winning them, and we’re going down 200 feet and that’s on me and got to win the first battle of the two minutes. Last year when we were good (with the man-advantage), this year even when we had it going good we were winning those draws and attacking and getting the kill on their heels.
“I have two back doors in two nights and zero goals to show for that, that’s on me. People look to me to score and look to the big guys to score, and I think I would point the finger at myself.”
That's an evolution from what we heard from Larkin following the 2024-25 season, when he lamented about the lack of reinforcements general manager Steve Yzerman sent the team's way. But Larkin also knows what the Red Wings are capable of here in 2025-26, having led them to a 9-4 record before things started to unravel.
Larkin knows he needs to step up, but let's see him doing that with action, not just words. He'll have a few days to think about it, as the Red Wings don't take the ice again until Nov. 13 when they face off with the Anaheim Ducks.