Month: February 2018

Khan, Kulfan post a pair of KH presser videos

Updated 2x at 12:24 PM: MLive’s Ansar Khan posted a pair of Ken Hollnad’s comment videos from this morning’s Mrazek presser, and the videos are quite telling:

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted a pair of videos of Holland’s remarks as well:

Continue reading Khan, Kulfan post a pair of KH presser videos

Red Wings-Predators morning skate Tweets: Green taking part in Wings’ skate

Updated 6x at 12:01 PM: Green is OUT tonight:

The Detroit Red Wings welcome the Nashville Predators to town (7:30 PM EST on FSD/FS Tennessee/97.1 FM) the morning after Nashville defeated the Ottawa Senators 5-2, and MLive’s Ansar Khan reported good news from the Wings’ morning skate:

Meanwhile, in Philly…

Continue reading Red Wings-Predators morning skate Tweets: Green taking part in Wings’ skate

Wallner on Jared Coreau’s ‘second chance’

From the Grand Rapids Press’s Peter J. Wallner comes an article discussing Jared Coreau’s “second chance” to make the Wings’ roster:

Coreau, who went unclaimed when waived by the Red Wings out of camp and returned to the Grand Rapids Griffins, has been on a tear in the AHL.

On Monday, he was named the league’s Player of the Week after consecutive shutouts on the road last week against Western Conference-leading Manitoba. He stopped 66 shots.

Since Dec. 22, the 6-foot-6 Coreau has gone 13-2-3 with a 1.92 goals against average and a 0.933 save percentage in 18 appearances. During that span the Griffins have gone from being five games under 0.500 (10-15-1-3) to 10 games over 0.500 (28-18-1-6).

“He’s going to be fine,” Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said of Coreau on Tuesday. “He’s got a lot of swagger, he’s got a lot of confidence. I don’t think it’s going to faze him.”

For the season, Coreau has a 2.47 GAA and .916 save percentage. His 20 wins are third in the league.

FYI:

 

Praise for Glendening from The Athletic’s Scott

From The Athletic’s Topher Scott:

There are a few Red Wings players who could benefit from learning the intangibles these guys bring to their team. And we’ll see over the next week if Glendening remains a Red Wing or if he gets dealt to a contender. I think any team would be lucky to have him for a Stanley Cup run, as he does all the little, gritty things that matter so much in the playoffs. Stay tuned.

Continued (paywall)

Ken Holland addresses the Mrazek trade as Petr skates in Philly

Several members of the media attended Ken Holland’s morning press conference addressing the Petr Mrazek trade, including NHL.com’s Nicholas J. Cotsonika…

Holland: “Obviously there’s not a lot of teams looking for goalies.”

Holland: “I’m trying to acquire more draft picks.” Mrazek trade was an opportunity to acquire futures.

Holland said he could have waited a few more days, but the Flyers needed a goalie now. Not a lot of other teams looking for goalies.

Holland: “In order to be where we want to be, I have to acquire draft picks, and we have to hit on those draft picks.”

Holland: “I don’t believe in massive rebuilds.” Got to slowly move in young players but keep veterans to teach and create internal competition.

Holland said his mindset isn’t so much about this season or next, but down the road.

Holland on returning to Cup contention: “There’s going to be some pain along the way.”

Holland said it’s not about between now and Monday, other than Green, his pending UFA. If nothing else makes sense for the long term, he can wait.

NHL.com’s Dave Hogg…

Holland: “Under the current CBA, this is a draft-pick league.” Would have liked to wait a few more days, but Flyers needed goalie immediately. #RedWings

“It’s probably going to take 90-plus points to make the playoffs, so we’re looking at acquiring assets for 2-3 years down the road.” – Holland #RedWings

“I don’t believe in massive rebuilds. You have to move young players onto the team, but you must have veterans to teach them and compete with them.” – Holland #RedWings

“He’s 26, which is relatively old, but it can also be relatively young.” – Holland. #RedWings

“My mindset isn’t about 17-18 or even 18-19. It is more about 19-20.” Says again he’s looking to build a couple years down the road. #RedWings

Ken Kal said, “Hello”…

Helene St. James weighed in…

Meanwhile, in Philadelphia:

Continue reading Ken Holland addresses the Mrazek trade as Petr skates in Philly

Red Wings officially recall Coreau

From the Red Wings:

Continue reading Red Wings officially recall Coreau

TSN’s Dreger on Glendening

From TSN:

TSN Senior Hockey Reporter Frank Seravalli wrote Monday the ‘belief is  the Toronto Maple Leafs offered a fifth-round pick for Luke Glendening, while the Detroit Red Wings countered by asking for a second-round pick.” Seravalli added that the two teams tabled talks at that point since the Leafs were not willing to meet the Red Wings’ price.

TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger said Tuesday morning Glendening is drawing interest on the trade market, but it’s unclear if the Leafs still have interest.

“The Toronto Maple Leafs’ interest in Glendening, it’s pretty obvious, is the connection from [head coach Mike] Babcock to Glendening,” Dreger told TSN Radio 1050 Toronto. “He’d be a depth centre, probably on the fourth line. The problem with him is – aside from anyone that wants to judge his hockey talent, if you’re critical of his hockey talent – he has three years remaining after this year at $1.8 million per year. So Detroit would have to eat money and the sense that I was getting up until yesterday was that, yeah, Toronto had some interest but they weren’t really in a position yet to make a legit offer, so it seemed dead.

“Now, over the course of the night, it sounds like Ken Holland and the Red Wings are now tracking a bit more interest in Glendening, but I don’t know yet whether or not Toronto is back in that mix.”

The 28-year-old has eight goals and 14 points in 46 games with the Red Wings this season. He has 32 goals and 74 points in 339 career NHL games, all with Detroit.

Red Wings-Predators quickie set-up: Wings ‘go for the sweep’ against a back-on-track Predators team

The Detroit Red Wings have actual games to play before the trade deadline–4 games over the course of only 6 nights.

The Wings host the Nashville Predators this evening (7:30 PM EST on FSD/FS Tennessee/97.1 FM) hoping to match their effort in Saturday night’s 3-1 victory over the Preds.

Detroit didn’t practice on Monday, taking a rest day after playing 3 games in 4 nights, but the 35-14-and-9 Predators were busy, defeating the Ottawa Senators 5-2.

NHL.com’s Robby Stanley chronicled the Predators’ win…

Continue reading Red Wings-Predators quickie set-up: Wings ‘go for the sweep’ against a back-on-track Predators team

Petr III: national takes and the local scoop on the Mrazek deal

Tuesday is going to be weird. Red Wings GM Ken Holland will be speaking to the media prior to Detroit’s morning skate at Little Caesars Arena, where it will be unknown whether Mike Green is “good to go” for Tuesday night’s game against Nashville…

Petr Mrazek is en route to Philadelphia for their morning skate ahead of their Tuesday night game against Montreal…

And I still wonder what it is exactly that Petr Mrazek did to piss off the Red Wings’ management. Mrazek has always been an arrogant kid, and Mrazek has never been a “good quote”–he’s come a long way since his 30-second interviews, but he’s still brief and briefer…

But I have no good answer as to why Mrazek was given the starter’s job, struggled, and was suddenly exposed in the expansion draft, and, we were told, wouldn’t be qualified as a restricted free agent, thus leaving the Wings after this season, one way or another.

The Wings’ media corps told us the truth–that the Red Wings were going to trade the first goalie they could trade, and stick with the goalie they could not. It’s easier to move a 26-year-old Petr Mrazek and retain $2 million of his expiring $4 million contract than it is to move a 33-year-old Jimmy Howard and a $5.29 million deal that has a year remaining, so it’s not surprising that Mrazek “went”…

But there’s something more here, there has been for the last two years. I don’t know if we’re ever going to learn what happened to sour the Red Wings on Mrazek to the point that they exposed him in the expansion draft, and to the point that they made a complicated deal with the Flyers to complete the separation process.

It’s just baffling, and it will probably remain baffling for a long time.

I never “picked a side” on the Mrazek-vs-Howard debate–they’re both good people and good goaltenders, and I just wanted “my” Wings to win.

I know that the Wings have oodles of prospects in the goaltending system, too–in Keith Petruzzelli, Kaden Fulcher, Filip Larsson, Joren van Pottelberghe, Chase Perry, Matej Machovsky, in the “older goaltender” category, Jared Coreau and Tom McCollum–but with the exceptions of Coreau and McCollum, they’re not ready by any stretch of the imagination.

What happens to the Wings’ goaltending system now? I think the Wings stick with Howard and Coreau and see how their prospects develop.

After what happened today, the Red Wings made the predicted, predictable and “easier” move…Who knows?

We may find more out when KH speaks with the media later this morning, but I doubt that we’ll ever know the underlying “why.”

The national media weighed in on the Mrazek deal, with NHL.com posting quotes from Flyers GM Ron Hextall…

Continue reading Petr III: national takes and the local scoop on the Mrazek deal