NOTEBOOK: Red Wings hold light practice, dealing with 'a lot of bruises'

DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings have a few days to catch their breath before a stretch of five games in eight days, beginning Saturday afternoon against the defending Stanley Cup-champion Colorado Avalanche at Little Caesars Arena.

And with rest time limited during the final stretch of the season, the Red Wings went through a lighter practice on Thursday afternoon at BELFOR Training Center inside Little Caesars Arena.
"We had a bunch of guys out," Lalonde said. "Maintenance day. A lot of bruises, understandable at this time of year. I think there's some value to (a lighter practice). Tomorrow, there will be a little more detail and maybe some structure. We had the one structure drill today, surrounded by some skill with a game, but it's always important. We've talked about erring on the importance of practice over games and where we are as a team and organization.
Ben Chiarot was one of the Detroit skaters who did not practice on Thursday, and according to Lalonde, the defenseman is "dealing with something upper-body."

"I do not expect him Saturday," Lalonde said. "He might even be in that week-to-week range. We'll see him before the season is out, but he's been dealing with something for a little bit now."
Through 67 games this season, Chiarot has 18 points on five goals and 13 assists. The 31-year-old has brought a physical presence to the Red Wings' blue line, which Lalonde acknowledged will be missed.
"We don't have a lot of that," Lalonde said. "We're not built like that. We wanna be as heavy as possible. A lot of times when you see heavy in our game - a heavy hit or separation of a puck in the D-zone - Benny's that guy on a lot of stuff. You miss that body. A couple of moments with him this season of him standing up for his teammates in Minnesota and things like that, he has the respect around the league."

Lalonde also provided an update on Robby Fabbri, who has been sidelined with a lower-body injury since Detroit's 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on March 9.
"He actually went out for a skate today," Lalonde said about Fabbri. "Closer. But again, the immediate reaction was we would be really conservative and cautious with it. We'll keep that approach."
Fabbri has seven goals and nine assists in 28 games this season. The 27-year-old forward made his season debut on Jan. 4 after recovering from his third career ACL tear.

Kasper named 2022 Austrian Player of the Year

On Monday, Red Wings prospect Marco Kasper was voted the 2022 Austrian Player of the Year by PowerPlay Magazine, becoming the youngest player to ever win the award.
"I am very grateful for this award,"
Kasper recently told EisHockey.at
. "It's incredibly cool to win this award. Being Player of the Year at such a young age means a lot to me. I will continue to work hard to inspire young players and commend myself for this award in the years to come."

The 18-year-old forward tallied seven goals and four assists in 46 regular-season games during the 2021-22 season with Rogle BK of the Swedish Hockey League. This season, Kasper recorded eight goals and 15 assists in 23 regular-season games.

Lalonde talks March Madness

With the 2023 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament tipping off in earnest Thursday, Lalonde jokingly revealed his bracketology strategy, or lack thereof.
"I am awful at basketball," Lalonde said. "We have a family, no money-type pool that we've had forever. I just hit a bunch of buttons. I usually just go top seed."
Lalonde said winning his family's bracket pool guarantees "big-time" pride.
"My daughter goes jerseys and colors," Lalonde said. "And always finishes well ahead of me."
A native of Brasher Falls, N.Y., Lalonde added that he often leans on his fandom when predicting a champion.
"I always do Syracuse," Lalonde said. "Growing up, I was in New York, so Syracuse used to always kill me because I was Syracuse right to the finals. That hasn't been the case, so they bailed me out this year."