Tweet of note: Red Wings post ‘sights and sounds’ from development camp

I love so many things about going to the rink. The temperature, the smell of the ice, and the stuff I see and things I hear as I enjoy watching hockey for a living, if only during development and training camps and AHL games. Being at the rink is my happy place, and the Wings take us all to my happy place with this minute-and-40-second video:

TSN’s Shawn Simpson: Kasper coming over to play for the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s?

TSN 1200 Ottawa’s intrepid Shawn Simpson doesn’t bullshit, and he suggested this morning that Red Wings first-round draft pick (8th overall) Marco Kasper is going to leave Rogle BK of the SHL for the Ontario Hockey League’s Ottawa 67’s, who own his rights…

It sounds like Wings first round pick Marco Kasper will come and play for the 67’s. That would be a perfect fit for Tyler Boucher.— Shawn Simpson (@TSNSimmer) July 15, 2022

@YzermanSZN on Twitter pointed this out, and here’s my reply to Mr. Simpson:

This would be a big surprise to me, as noted by @YzermanSZN first. Kasper kept on talking about going back to Rogle, finishing high school in Sweden, and seeing out his time there. https://t.co/tE8d7nSYh5— George Malik (@georgemalik) July 15, 2022

Kasper is only 18–having just turned 18 in April. He played this past season with a cage because he was 17 for the vast majority of the season. He’s playing for one of the best hockey franchises in the SHL in the Abbott-brother-run Rogle BK, where he’d be playing alongside Theodor Niederbach and William Wallinder, and would have Niklas Kronwall and Nicklas Lidstrom watching over him as he slowly but surely establishes himself in a men’s league.

Now, if the Wings see Kasper as making the Red Wings’ roster sooner than later, or the Wings feel that Kasper needs to take part in the fall prospect tournament and then to dominate amongst his age group (the OHL is full of 16-to-21-year-old players), I could see that happening, but Kasper speaks Austrian, German and Swedish for a reason.

This isn’t a fit for me. [edit: But the Red Wings’ management can certainly make a change in terms of his developmental path now that they own his rights as a signed player, and Ottawa is a fine franchise. We’ll see how management and Kasper hammer things out. This is definitely a real possibility. /end edit]

Allen: Edvinsson’s status as a big, heavy defenseman helps his case to make the team

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen posted an early-morning article regarding Red Wings prospect Simon Edvinsson (who is 6’6″ and at least 207 pounds), noting that he fits into the “Yzerplan” going forward:

The Red Wings want to see [Edvinsson follow Lucas Raymond’s path] because their objective is to make the Red Wings harder to play against. That’s why they acquired 235-pound defenseman Ben Chiarot, feisty forward David Perron and defense-first 6-foot-2 defenseman Olli Maatta among others.

Yzerman sees the newcomers making a difference in Detroit’s top four.

“Kind of defense-first defenders, bigger bodies, get in the way kind of hard to play against,” Yzerman said. “I don’t know what (Coach Derek Lalonde) will ultimately decide but I would expect those two (new defensemen) to play with Moritz and Filip (Hronek) and be good complements for them. They’re big guys, they have good length, they defend pretty well, can block shots and are big bodies that are hard to play against.”

What is unsaid is that Edvinsson is expected to mature into a top-pairing defenseman, although it may take some time. Adding his 6-foot-6 frame to a defense led by 6-foot-4 Moritz Seider is exciting for the team. Chiarot is 6-foot-3. The Red Wings could have a much bigger defense this season.

“If (Edvinsson is) ready to play and play a regular role that would be great for us,” Yzerman said. “We’ll just kind of let the whole thing play itself out, but the World Juniors will be a great stepping stone coming into training camp to try to make an impression and earn a spot on the team.”

Continued

Griffins spotlight Kirill Tytutyayev’s short 2021-2022 season

The Grand Rapids Griffins recently re-signed Red Wings prospect Kirill Tyutyayev to a one-year AHL deal despite the fact that he only played in 9 regular season games before suffering a season-ending injury.

At 21 years of age, the 5’10,” 177-pound-listed center is incredibly offensively dynamic, with a wide, slightly bowlegged skating stride, and the Griffins were able to produce a 50-second highlight clip and set of season stats in review from those 9 games played:

Roughly translated: Comments from Dominik Kubalik about his decision to join the Red Wings

iSport.cz’s Pavel Barta spoke with new Red Wings forward and free agent signing Dominik Kubalik for an article which is half-hidden behind a paywall. That being said, a third of the article is available for the public to read.

While it’s in Czech that spits out garble in an online translator, a very rough translation of the article helps us understand who Kubalik is:

Kubalik about the end in Chicago and the new breeze behind the Red Wings: ‘They Will be like Tampa’

Three and out. They turned their backs on him in Chicago after three seasons, so Dominik Kubalik has already signed with the Detroit. “It’s a different breeze,” the 26-year-old told iSport after agreeing to a 2-year contract worth $2.5 million per season with the Red Wings. He believes a new chance is coming, and believes that it will reawaken his killer instinct. The team knows about him; it was the Red Wings who gave up the most goals in the NHL. “Maybe that’s why they took me,” he said, smiling, during an interview for Sport Daily and the iSport.cz website.

Filip Hronek, Jakub Vrana and Filip Zadina already play on the team. The arrival of another Czech player didn’t cause the same stir as the signings of Andrew Copp, David Perron, Olli Maatta or Ben Chiarot. The Red Wings, however, sent a message that they will once again be a force to be reckoned with.

“One day, they can be like Tampa,” said Kubalik. General manager Steve Yzerman’s vision appealed to him, as he already built a championship team in the Lightning.

Against Detroit, you scored the most goals of any of the NHL’s teams. Seven in twelve games. Listen, did they hire you to stop that, too?

“Well, it’s possible (smiling). We talked about that, too, so I think they knew about that, too. It’s good. I just have to find another team to play against, then…”

Were you nervous around the time that the free agent marketplace opened?

“I was. I found myself as a free agent for the first time, it was my first experience as an UFA. The last few days have been quite challenging. Once we heard from Chicago that they weren’t going to submit a qualifying offer, negotiations [with other teams] began, and it started to work itself out. There was someone on the phone at every moment, waiting to see what might happen, who would answer, looking at the lineups…On one hand, it was really cool, but, at the same time, it’s challenging because there’s so much happening over a short period of time. I’m glad that it’s over. And I hope that both sides will be satisfied. I hope this decision will be successful.”

When you said you got a lot of phone calls, did you have any other serious applicants?

“Some were, but from others, it was more about feeling out. I don’t know exactly who said what, although of course I was aware. But a few teams stood out from those calls. Detroit came out as the best of them, and I’m glad that it was completed and signed, and that I have a contract for two years.”

The paywall hits after that paragraph, but a little more context, even in garbled Czech, is always useful.

Was adding Ville Husso a middling crease move?

The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro posted an article this morning which ranks the moves of the teams which have made additions to their goaltending this offseason, and the Red Wings, who traded for Ville Husso during this past week’s draft, and he ranks the Wings 6th out of the 9 teams which either traded for goalies or added them via free agency:

6. Detroit Red Wings

In: Ville Husso

Out: Thomas Greiss

It’s interesting that a year after taking a chance on Nedeljkovic following one strong season, the Red Wings are repeating the same formula with Husso.

Last year was only Husso’s second in the NHL, and his first with a save percentage north of .900. His stats in the AHL prior to that were solid but not spectacular. There’s no questioning his performance last season – he finished ninth in the NHL in goals saved above expected (13.5) according to Money Puck – but it’s worth wondering if it’s sustainable long-term.

Nedeljkovic’s brilliant break-out season in Carolina was highlighted by his impressive 15.7 goals saved above average, but he crashed back to earth in Detroit with a minus-11 goals saved above average in 2021-22. Husso is of similar age and career arc to Nedeljkovic, and also only has a sample size of only a single season as a strong starting goalie.

In terms of a stylistic fit, I think Husso is actually a better match in Detroit than Nedeljkovic. Husso is calm in net with outstanding lateral movement and flexibility that helps him get across to make saves on backdoor plays more than most. Both qualities should serve him well behind a young, developing defense in Detroit.

Continued; I read the above as “keep your expectations low, because it is Detroit, you know…

‘Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen it’

The Free Press’s Shawn Windsor reflects upon Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman’s free agency moves this morning, suggesting that Yzerman’s additions have accelerated the timeline of the Red Wings’ rebuilding effort:

Even now, after the biggest spending spree in years, Steve Yzerman won’t commit to the goal of making the playoffs. Which isn’t to say it’s not his goal for the Detroit Red Wings team he manages.  

He just won’t say it publicly. He’d rather his team learn how to win first. His moves in free agency this week should help that. 

It’s not an accident five of the six players Yzerman signed this week have playoff experience. Three of them — Ben Chiarot, David Perron and Olli Määtä —have played in the Stanley Cup Finals. The other two, Andrew Copp and Dominik Kubalik, won a playoff series this spring; Copp played in the conference finals.  

Though the newcomers aren’t here as tutors. They can play, too, and give the Wings depth, savvy, offense and, most critically, defense.

“I think we improved the team,” Yzerman said Thursday. “I’m optimistic.” 

But? 

“The plan hasn’t changed,” he said. 

Continued

Duff’s morning notebook: Wouldn’t it be nice?

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff took note of a surprising coincidental meeting between two of the Red Wings’ newest recruits:

Two of the newest Detroit Red Wings, center Andrew Copp and Ben Chiarot, were previously teammates with the Winnipeg Jets. Last week, while attending the same wedding and with both heading into unrestricted free agency, they joked about forming a union of their own again.

“I saw Chiarot at a wedding about 10 days ago,” Copp recalled. “We were just kinda joking around. The full market hadn’t really kinda set out yet. Hadn’t had those deep of conversations yet but kinda joked about it. But otherwise had no idea how many guys he was going to add.”

Two of six UFAs signed by Detroit over a two-day span, Copp feels that effort is displaying just how close Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman feels his group is to being a competitive club.

“I felt like he would do a few more but to the extent he did, I think it kinda shows the belief that he has in the group and the guys that he’s adding,” Copp said. “It feels like the next step is ready to be taken.”

Continued

HSJ in the morning: on Simon Edvinsson and the GM’s take on big #3

The Free Press’s Helene St. James filed here customary 6 AM-posted column today, discussing Red Wings prospect Simon Edvinsson’s attempts to earn a roster spot on Detroit’s NHL team:

The first thing that struck Steve Yzerman was how big Simon Edvinsson looked.

Edvinsson is expected to compete for a roster spot with the Detroit Red Wings come fall, and he made a brief but favorable impression Thursday after travel issues delayed his arrival by several days. The 2021 No. 6 overall pick took part in a prospect-heavy three-on-three tournament at Little Caesars Arena. 

“Seeing him here in development camp, he’s very tall, he’s very thick,” Yzerman said. “It’s actually the first time I’ve gotten to meet him in person since drafting him. He’s thicker than I expected in a good way. He looked very strong, his skating is excellent. We’re optimistic. We’ll give him an opportunity, and if he’s ready to play and play a regular role, that would be great for us. We’ll let the whole thing play itself out.”

Edvinsson’s credentials are sound: He’s 6 feet 6 and 205 pounds, a strong skater and comes to the Wings having posted 19 points in 44 games with Frölunda HC, the same Swedish Hockey League team that begat Lucas Raymond. Edvinsson worked hard to improve all facets of his performance.

“At the start of the season, it was defense,” Edvinsson said. “I had a great mentor in Sweden, Christian Folin, who is a former NHL defenseman, who helped me a lot with the defensive work, how to think in all situations and also build muscle to be able to compete against those guys,” Edvinsson said. “Then the longer the season went, it was more offensive plays, I started to do new stuff and develop my game after that. Everything was just working itself out. It was good.”

Continued

Niyo weighs in on the Red Wings’ price paid for forward progression (hint: it’s only cap space)

The Detroit News’s astute John Niyo offers a late-evening-posted column which discusses Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman’s comments regarding his aggressiveness in unrestricted free agency, and hazards a guess as to whether the big-money signings will pay off in the short term:

After Yzerman spent more than two-thirds of his hefty salary-cap space this offseason – including the roughly $20 million for 2022-23 the GM doled out in the first 12 hours of free agency Wednesday – there’s finally a surplus of NHL-ready talent on the roster.

As a result, [coach Derek] Lalonde figures to have some decisions to make before the start of the regular season. And for a welcome change, those decisions won’t end once the puck drops for the Oct. 14 home opener against Montreal, either.

Because while this revamped roster – and a lineup that will feature at least a half-dozen new faces – promises to be more competitive with the rest of the league, it also promises more competition. Right from the start of training camp in Traverse City in September, in fact.

“A lot of guys have something prove here now,” Yzerman said Thursday, following a frenzied start to free agency that saw a handful of deals involving Detroit. “There’s competition for ice time. There’s competition for jobs on the team. So I’m hoping with the change in the coaching staff and the additions of the new players, that all of our guys are coming in ready to go. It’s important that they make a good first impression.

“They’re gonna want that, because the coach is gonna have to make decisions on opening night on who’s in the lineup and who’s playing in all different situations.”

Again, that’s what passes for progress in a program that’s now six full years removed from its last postseason appearance. It’s also a genuine sign of hope for a team that finished 26 points out of the final Eastern Conference playoff berth this past spring.

Continued