NOTEBOOK: Defensive depth paying dividends early this season  

DETROIT – Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde has navigated the first three games of the 2023-24 season knowing he has seven experienced NHL defensemen who can all be slotted into the lineup at any time.

But such blue-line depth is already making lineup decisions tough for the Red Wings’ second-year mentor.

After Olli Maatta was a healthy scratch in Detroit’s season opener at the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 12, the Red Wings dressed all seven defensemen against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 14. Most recently, Jeff Petry was scratched for Monday’s game at the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Despite Detroit’s defensive logjam, Lalonde said he views the depth as advantageous.

“I hope we have this problem for a long time,” Lalonde said after Tuesday’s practice at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center. “That means that all seven (defensemen) stay healthy. No one has separated themselves in a negative way. We still have that spot to maybe hold someone accountable on poor performance or not having the right approach every day. We’re not opposed to, at any time, go seven (defensemen) and 11 (forwards).”

Lalonde said the Red Wings aren’t quite set when it comes to their lineup for Wednesday’s game against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins. Robby Fabbri (undisclosed injury) will miss a second consecutive game.

“The forward group will be the same (as Monday),” Lalonde said. “Fabs not quite there yet. Tested it out early before practice today, so again, will just take it game-by-game. Hope to have him for the weekend, especially with a couple days off until Saturday. Then we’ll decide on the D. We haven’t made that decision yet, but I know we’d like to get Jeff Petry back in the lineup on Wednesday.”

Moritz Seider and Shayne Gostisbehere lead Detroit defensemen with three points apiece through three games, while Jake Walman has chipped in with two points and Maatta has one.

AHL’s Griffins sweep opening weekend against Eagles

As season-opening weekends go, the Grand Rapids Griffins couldn’t have asked for a better start to the 2023-24 campaign.

The Griffins completed a two-game sweep of the Colorado Eagles at Van Andel Arena last weekend, first securing a 3-2 win on Opening Night (Oct. 13) before cruising to a 5-2 victory the following day.

Forward prospect Taro Hirose leads the Griffins with four points through two games, while forwards Austin Czarnik and Jonatan Berggren each have three points apiece.

Grand Rapids’ impressive start marks the first time since 2016-17 that it opened a season with a 2-0-0-0 overall record.

First-year head coach Dan Watson said continuous improvement will be a top priority for the Griffins this season.

“Just getting guys better,” Watson said on Oct. 13. “Every game and every day. Just getting them to learn how to play in this league, what it takes to be a pro and compete every single night. Just the consistency, that’s going to be the battle early on here is finding consistency from shift to shift, period to period and game to game. We’re really going to harp on that here.”

Re-establishing a winning culture in Grand Rapids is one of Watson’s long-term goals. He said that process begins by fostering a team-oriented, cohesive environment.

“It’s just getting the guys together,” Watson said. “That’s step number one, is making sure they’re building relationships, trusting and respecting each other. It’s making sure they understand, as a staff, we care and respect them. We have their best interests at heart. When you start doing that, now you start building a team.

“A team that wants to come to the rink and have fun. That’s part of building the culture and what we’ve been working on here ever since Detroit’s camp, is making sure we talk to guys and find out what their personal life is like, not just their hockey life. We try to get to know them as best we can.”