from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

Derek Lalonde emphatically put Monday afternoon's roster finalization in its place.

"Everyone makes such a big deal on this day of who made the team," the first-year head coach of the Detroit Red Wings said. "I don’t understand, I’ve never understood, the black-and-white 'making the team.' "

It is a big deal for the bean counters across the NHL, because teams have to be down to just 23 players on their roster while salary-cap compliant ahead of the deadline. But otherwise Lalonde is right: Being on the roster Monday doesn't mean being on it Friday, when the Wings open the season.

"There’s still a little evaluation going on," Lalonde said. "We're a new staff."

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