Today, the Malik Report is changing course. After working for Paul for eight years, I've decided to step away from Kukla's Korner and to start my own blog--a crowd-funded one--at http://themalikreport.com. It's been an incredibly difficult decision-making process in choosing to begin this new adventure, but I believe that it's simply time to try running my own blog without any outside assistance or sponsorship, and I'm ready to give 'er a go. I'm incredibly and profoundly grateful to Paul for his support and guidance over the past eight years. He's been a tremendous role model and friend, and I will miss working with him...And I'm incredibly grateful to you, dear readers, for having supported my work and having created a TMR community that's thrived over the past 8 years. Thank you so much for your readership. I'm ready to get started on a new chapter of my blogging career, and today, the journey begins anew.

DetroitRedWings.com's Dana Wakiji spoke with Red Wings defenseman and All-Star participant Mike Green after Saturday night's Skills Competition, in which Green was stopped twice by Marc-Andre Fleury during the "Save Streak" relay. After discussing Fleury's chirpy demeanor, Green was asked to weigh in on the skills competition as a whole, and look forward to Sunday's All-Star Game: "It was good, it was great," Green said. "It was obviously a lot different with some of the events, which was good for the guys. You couldn't really prepare. It made it interesting." Although he didn't necessarily want to try it, there was one event that intrigued Green the most. "I liked one of the first ones where you had to sauce them into the nets and go through the center ice," Green said of the passing challenge. "I liked that one." Now Green will get ready for Sunday's game, which is in the 3-on-3 format and pits the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division against the Metropolitan Division and the Western Conference's Central Division against the Pacific Division in the first two games. The final game will be the Eastern Conference champion versus the Western Conference champion. "Obviously a lot of skill so it'll be tough to play sound defense but it'll be exciting for sure," Green said. Wakiji continues...

Of prospect-related note: In the AHL, Matt Puempel, Brian Lashoff, Evgeni Svechnikov and Matthew Ford scored goals, Ben Street and Eric Tangradi had 2 assists and Jared Coreau stopped 16 of 17 shots as the Grand Rapids Griffins won 4-1 over the Rockford IceHogs. The Griffins' website posted a recap:

Of prospect-related note over the past 5 days (sorry, the flu is a merciless prospect news-stifling machine): In the ECHL, on Wednesday, the Toledo Walleye rallied from a 3-0 deficit on goals from Davis Vandane, Austen Brassard (who also had 2 assists) and Mike Borkowski, but the Walleye ultimatley lost 4-3 to the Reading Royals in a shootout. Simon Denis also had 2 assists and Pat Nagle stopped 29 of 32 shots and 2 of 3 shootout shooters. The Walleye's website posted a recap; On Friday, Kevin Tansey and Ryan Obuchowski scored, Dylan Sadowy had 2 assists and Matej Machovsky stopped 31 of 32 shots as the Walleye defeated the Brampton Beast 2-1 in overtime. The Walleye's website posted a recap, and the Toledo Blade's Mark Monroe wrote about the Walleye's road-and-home game odyssey that ends with Saturday and Sunday's home games against Brampton and Cincinnati, respectively.

Red Wings defenseman Mike Green will represent the team at the All-Star Game in Tampa Bay, Florida this weekend. Green plans on soaking up the experience with his wife and young son, as he told the Detroit News's Ted Kulfan... “I’m just going down there and enjoy myself with my family,” Green said. “Just take it all in. The whole experience will be fun. (It’s fun) getting to see some familiar faces and getting know guys personally. Obviously, we see each other pretty frequently during the season, it’ll be good to put some personalities to the faces.” For Green, 32, this will be his second All-Star game. He made it in 2011 as a member of the Washington Capitals. This will be the first All-Star game, though, Green brings along his 2-year-old son, Axel. “He’s starting to get it,” said Green, of Axel’s realization dad is a pro hockey player. “He enjoys being around the rink now. We’ll bring him down and have some fun.” Green is likely to be moved at or before the trade deadline--despite Green's no-trade clause--but Kulfan points out that Green has nothing but good things to say about an organization that he may return to this summer, when he becomes an unrestricted free agent: “I do love it here,” Green said. “This organization is great, and they’ve been very good to me. Like I said, I haven’t read too much into it (trade speculation) and I haven’t thought too much about it until it presents itself.”

Among the Grand Rapids Press's Peter J. Wallner's Griffins notes: [Tom] McCollum, in his eighth season with the Griffins and ninth overall as a pro, is one win away from becoming the Griffins' all-time leader in wins, surpassing Joey MacDonald's mark of 109. McCollum played two seasons with McDonald early on. McCollum already is the Griffins' all-time leader in goalie games played, minutes and saves. This season, he has played in 17 games with a 3.23 GAA and .897 save percentage, though he allowed two goals each of his past three games and is 3-1 his past four. Also: The Griffins 2018 Great Skate at Rosa Parks looks to have been one of the most successful. Griffins officials expect the final donation total to be in the range of $37,000 to $40,000. That would make it second or third all-time. The ninth-annual 34-hour skate-a-thon, featuring appearances from the players benefits the Griffins Youth Foundation.

From the Red Wings: BOOTH RETURNS TO DETROIT, TURGEON ASSIGNED TO GRAND RAPIDS … Booth Has Tallied Five Points in 19 Games with Red Wings … DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today recalled left wing David Booth from the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins and assigned center Dominic Turgeon to the Griffins. Booth, 33, has five points (4-1-5), six penalty minutes and 27 shots on goal in 19 games with the Red Wings. The 11th-year pro returned to the NHL this season after attending Detroit’s training camp on a professional tryout and earning a contract with the club. Booth has logged 521 NHL games with Florida, Vancouver, Toronto and Detroit since 2006-07 and has registered 236 points (124-112-236) and 212 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-1, 212-pound forward spent the last two seasons in Russia playing for Admiral Vladivostok and Avangard Omsk in the Kontinental Hockey League. He picked up 25 points (10-15-25) and 46 penalty minutes in 42 KHL games from 2015-17.

The Hockey News's Jared Clinton weighs in on the, "Trade Jimmy Howard versus trade Petr Mrazek" debate, and Clinton notes that, should a Howard trade backfire, the Red Wings don't really have a "Plan B": So, the obvious answer then is to ship out Howard, right? Well, it’s not that simple. Teams will be calling on Howard — doesn’t he seem a perfect fit for the New York Islanders, who need someone, anyone, to help keep pucks out of the net? — but moving him along doesn’t exactly come with any guarantee that Mrazek is going to continue to play as well as he has in recent weeks. If he fails to find his form and his overall play across his past 66 games, which is to say his .902 SP and 3.04 GAA, is any indication of where things are headed, Mrazek leaves the Red Wings without a hope in goal. That could leave the organization scrambling for several years, including some seasons they could have used the average goaltending Howard was providing, while they search for the next-in-line for the No. 1 job. Ask the Carolina Hurricanes how easy it is to find capable goaltending even when your team looks prepared to take the next step. At the very least, Howard has shown he can provide some stability. Clinton continues...

Of brief note from the post-game availabilities after the Red Wings' 5-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks: Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg: "Really bad start from us. Too many guys who were not ready to go when the puck drops. That's unacceptable and that's on me. I have to get the guys ready when the puck drops." — Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) January 26, 2018 both blashill and Z. concerned: SOME GUYS NOT READY TO GO. blashill: some guys have to learn it is an everyday league. particular conerns about two guys. tyler bertuzzi, one.#CHIvsDET — gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) January 26, 2018

Devils Forward Brian Boyle Added to 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Game Roster NHL Public Relations  January 25, 2018 NEW YORK (Jan. 25, 2018) – New Jersey Devils forward Brian Boyle has been added to the roster for the 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Game in Tampa, the National Hockey League announced today. Boyle replaces injured teammate Taylor Hall on the Metropolitan Division roster. The Lightning, who are celebrating their 25th season, and the city of Tampa will host the 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend. The League’s midseason showcase will take place at AMALIE Arena and will include the 2018 NHL All-Star Skills Competition on Saturday, Jan. 27 (7 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS) and 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Game on Sunday, Jan. 28 (3:30 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, SN, TVAS).

The Detroit Red Wings hoped to pounce upon a winless-in-four (0-3-and-1) Chicago Blackhawks team on Thursday night, with the Red Wings hoping to end their pre-All-Star Break schedule with a big win. Instead, the Red Wings gave Farmington Hills' Alex DeBrincat a canvas with which to paint a masterful game. DeBrincat scored 3 goals as the Blackhawks won 5-1 over the Red Wings. Detroit was an awful -26, with Tyler Bertuzzi, Mike Green and Niklas Kronwall finishing at -4 and Dylan Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou finishing at -3. Detroit was out-scored 4-0, 3-0 in the 1st period and 4-0 by the halfway mark of the game. For whatever reason, the Wings were flat from the start, and they never seemed to get their footing. So we go into the All-Star Break wondering whose names will be called before the trade deadline, and how this team is going to try to build for the following season.

Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill spoke with the media for four-and-a-half minutes prior to tonight's Wings-Hawks game, discussing the legacy of Jim Johannson, the reason why he recalled Dominic Turgeon up with the varsity club, whether Justin Abdelkader, Darren Helm and/or Trevor Daley will be available after the All-Star Break, and he reflects upon the Wings-Hawks rivalry as well: #RedWings Coach Jeff Blashill talks: Jim Johannson, Dominic Turgeon, #CHIvsDET, and gives an injury update on Abdelkader, Helm, and Daley prior to puck drop. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/5JFEKkA0IB — Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 25, 2018

Of prospect-related note: In the AHL, the Grand Rapids Griffins rallied from a 1-0 deficit and withstood a 2-2 tie as the Griffins ultimately out-gunned the Rockford IceHogs, winning 4-3. Eric Tangradi, Matt Puempel, Dominik Shine and Robbie Russo scored goals, Axel Holmstrom had 2 assists and Jared Coreau stopped 34 of 37 shots in the win. The Griffins' website posted a recap, and if you don't already know, the Griffins are currently participating in the Great Skate at the Rosa Parks Circle in Grand Rapids:

The Detroit Red Wings lost an incredibly frustrating 3-1 decision to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night, kicking off a 4-games-in-6-nights stretch with a flat, uninspired effort against a Canes team coming off its Bye Week. The Wings' penalty-kill continued to struggle, giving up 2 power play goals to Elias Linholm, but the fact that Jimmy Howard wasn't impenetrable on Saturday night couldn't be tagged on the goaltender nor his penalty-killers alone. The fact of the matter is that the Wings got out-skated, out-worked, especially in terms of detailed, and were out-classed in terms of energy and intensity. The Hurricanes played like they wanted to win the game...And the Red Wings played like a team that had a contractual obligation to fulfill. As I said in the "Quick Take," regardless of where you want the Wings to finish this season, a flat, disinterested effort isn't setting a good example for the team's younger players, and whatever the hell the Red Wings delivered on Saturday at Little Caesars Arena was unacceptable from a "process" standpoint as much as anything else. The Hurricanes were quite happy with earning a rope-a-dope win in Detroit, as they told CarolinaHurricanes.com's Mike Smith:

The Red Wings opened up a series of 4 games to be played over the course of 6 nights against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday evening, and as the Wings sat 5 points behind the Hurricanes in the NHL's Wild Card standings, the Wings needed to pick up their game. The Red Wings didn't pick up their game--at all--losing 3-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes despite a superb performance from Jimmy Howard. Detroit looked flat at the times that it needed the most energy, it deferred shots when it generated its best scoring chances, and--forget the playoffs--from a pride standpoint, the Wings' effort, intensity, attention to detail and discipline were all completely unacceptably "off" on what should have been a game in which they pounced upon a rusty opponent. Detroit was victimized by its mistakes by a passive-aggressive opponent instead, and whether you're rooting for a miraculous recovery or an out-and-out tank, playing this sloppily is not good for "the kids." This isn't the game you want to teach them.

The Free Press's Helene St. James engaged in a Q and A with Red Wings ambassador Chris Chelios: What are your duties at the Olympics? CC: “I’m assistant coach on the bench in charge of the penalty killing and defense. I’ve been assistant coach at World Juniors with Ron Wilson and he let me have free reign, and Tony has basically done the same thing. I think I put in enough time with Blash the last two years, whether it’s video or being on the ice during practices, that I am more than capable of handling it. “The biggest challenge will be the matchups. In the NHL, you use your top four D against the other team’s top two lines. At the Olympics, the problem is not knowing your opponent and that’s something I’m going to have to know quick. We are going to watch video like crazy. But I’m comfortable with the top six guys we have and I think they can play against anybody. So that’s one good thing, as opposed to the NHL where your fifth and sixth D usually can’t match up against the other team’s top two lines.” St. James continues...

The Detroit Red Wings will attempt to make up ground against the Carolina Hurricanes tonight (7:00 PM on FSD/FS Carolinas/97.1 FM), with the Wings sitting 5 points in arrears of Carolina in the Wild Card standings. Neither team's morning skate was particularly eventful: the Red Wings will swap out Nick Jensen for Xavier Ouellet, but that's the Wings' only personnel change going into tonight's game; The Red Wings have posted Twitter videos of comments made by Tomas Tatar and Mike Green...

There are a pair of non-Wings charitable events that are worth your time should you choose to forego the Wings-Canes game this evening: 1. The Grand Rapids Griffins are holding their annual Great Skate after tonight's game vs. Rockford, with the details thereof available here: We're back at the Van tonight to take on the @goicehogs at 7pm. Can't join us live? Catch the call on @WOODRADIO, @AHLLive or follow along live on your #Griffins app. #GoGRG #RFDvsGR pic.twitter.com/uRQMvtcGVW — GrandRapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) January 20, 2018 2. And, as noted by Michigan Hockey, the U.S. NTDP are holding their Star Wars Night at Plymouth's USA Hockey Arena this evening:

The Detroit Red Wings face a team that lies in the way of the Wings' late-season push for a playoff spot in the Carolina Hurricanes this evening (7:00 PM on FSD/FS Carolinas/97.1 FM). Detroit sits 5 points behind the Hurricanes in the Wild Card standings, and as the Wings wrap up their pre-All-Star Break schedule with 4 games to be played over the course of the next 6 nights, the Wings hope to make up ground on teams like Carolina by getting on a winning streak. If you're interested in some light reading as the teams' respective morning skates progress, the Hurricanes' PR website posted 44 pages' worth of game notes, including a capsule preview of tonight's affair:

Of prospect-related note: In the AHL, the Grand Rapids Griffins got 2 goals from Eric Tangradi, a goal and an assist from Matthew Ford, two assists from Robbie Russo and 29 saves from Tom McCollum en route to a 5-2 victory over the Milwaukee Admirals. The Griffins' website posted a recap: