Postava Joins Red Wings on Vancouver Trip as Larkin's Trade List Grows

Augustine keeps the Griffins rolling

Trey Augustine's second professional win was the quiet story of the last 24 hours, and it deserves more attention than it's getting. The former Michigan State netminder got the start in back-to-back games for Grand Rapids, and he did it while the Griffins were short a goalie who had just been summoned to Detroit. That's a lot of responsibility for a goalie with four starts on the season.

Augustine's line sits at 2-1-1 with a 3.21 GAA and a .886 save percentage. Those numbers won't jump off the page, and four games is a tiny sample. Still, the way he won last night matters. An own-goal from Justice Christensen in the first period bounced past him after he'd already made the initial save, and he didn't let that rattle him. Pro goalies who stay composed after a deflating break tend to be the ones who stick around, and that's the trait the Red Wings' development staff will be watching.

He was pleased with the result, saying, "Feels pretty special to do that in front of the best fans in the league." Those back-to-back starts are his first at the pro level, which makes the sequence worth tracking as a development signal rather than a one-off.

Postava arrives with the road trip underway

Michal Postava was called up from Grand Rapids last night, and he'll join the Red Wings as they face the Vancouver Canucks tonight. This is the second stop on a four-game trip that opened with Tuesday's loss to the Seattle Kraken. Detroit's next stops are Calgary and Edmonton, so the team will be spending the bulk of this swing in western Canada.

Vancouver is 2-8-1, which is exactly the kind of matchup where a team trying to find its game can afford to be aggressive with its lineup. Here's the thing: a young netminder joining a club on the road in a building where the home side has nothing to lose can be a useful test. It's not always a comfortable one, but it tells the coaching staff a lot about a player's composure in an unfamiliar environment.

Larkin's trade list expands, and the picture is still murky

Dylan Larkin's list of preferred trade destinations has grown from three teams to ten, and it's a clear sign he's ready to move on from Detroit. The former captain isn't going to be placed in a Canadian market on this trip, since no Canadian clubs are reportedly on the list, which means the Red Wings won't face him during this western swing.

Former general manager and senior vice president Jim Devellano says the organization is working to repair the relationship. That's a reasonable thing to say publicly, but a bigger list doesn't automatically produce a deal. Several teams would need to be interested, the price would need to match, and Detroit's front office would still have to agree to move him. Those are three separate hurdles, and only the first is clearly moving in the right direction.

In the meantime, Larkin is still in the lineup and the Red Wings will have to play him. That's an awkward dynamic for everyone involved, and it's the reality the team has to manage through the rest of this trip and beyond.

Roster housekeeping and the wider hockey week

Defenseman Simon Edvinsson remains unsigned, which keeps another item on Detroit's to-do list as the team makes its way back home. Any contract resolution will come from the club, so until then it's a watch item rather than a settled roster piece.

Elsewhere around the league, Cole Knuble's recent call-up is being credited with helping the Philadelphia Flyers find their footing again. Florida plans to debut rookie goaltender Cooper Black tonight against Pittsburgh, a milestone that will get plenty of attention from Panthers fans. In San Jose, Marc-Edouard Vlasic has decided to retire, closing out a long career on the blue line for the Sharks.

Also in the news, the Red Wings apologized to Henrik Zetterberg after disruptions during his Timra jersey retirement ceremony in Sweden, and Igor Larionov has been let go as head coach of SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL.

The Red Wings' next few days will tell us a lot. Augustine's performance is a reminder that depth goalies can change the conversation quickly, Postava gets his first look in the NHL this week, and the Larkin situation will keep shaping the season one update at a time. Watch how Detroit's staff handles the net and the trade noise over the next four games, because both will say something about where this team is headed.