PREVIEW: Red Wings visit Blackhawks for 2024-25 preseason opener

CHICAGO -- Continuing to ramp up for the upcoming NHL regular season, the Detroit Red Wings will open their preseason schedule with a matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Wednesday night.

Puck drop between the Original Six clubs is set for 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT, with streaming available on DetroitRedWings.com and the Red Wings Mobile App.

“It’s going to be fun to play a game again,” Albert Johansson said. “It’s been a long time. It’s going to be fun to get out there and get the game started.”

The Red Wings’ exhibition slate features eight contests -- four at Little Caesars Arena and four on the road. According to head coach Derek Lalonde, this annual stretch is one of the more intense times of the season.

“You plan on it and around it, but it’s exciting too,” Lalonde said. “Obviously it’s rinse and repeat. “You’re running two teams, basically one at once, and these fly-in, fly-out road trips. It’s all part of it.”

Detroit reduced its Training Camp roster to 57 players on Sunday. That number will continue to be trimmed over the next couple weeks, as the Red Wings have until 5 p.m. ET on Oct. 7 to submit their maximum 23-man Opening Night roster.

“I think you’re going to see a lot of mixed lineups, maybe a couple of NHL-experienced lines with a couple of new guys,” Lalonde said. “That’s what we’ll see [Wednesday].”

Lalonde hopes a lot of what his players accomplished during their time in Traverse City, Mich., carries over into the preseason.

“I liked our intensity in Traverse City, so I’d like to keep that at a high,” Lalonde said. “Obviously your takeaways from that Red & White game – there was some growth in it, some teaching [Tuesday], which happens a lot. A lot of ill-advised turnovers that’ll get us in trouble, which is understandable. We want to keep growing our game in every area.”

Lalonde also spoke about the importance of using these exhibition games to give the organization’s prospects extended opportunity to play alongside and against NHL-caliber talent.

“We’d love to play those guys a ton, but you might be asking those guys to play some back-to-backs, some three [games] in four [days] down the stretch,” Lalonde said. “But yes, we want to give all those guys an opportunity. If you recall last year, we played Simon [Edvinsson] a ton and we thought that was extremely valuable for him and his growth. It will be similar for those young guys.”