Month: February 2018

Red Wings-Predators morning skate Tweets and articles: Context galore; Mrazek vs. Saros?

Update: Mike Green is out tonight with an upper-body injury.

The Detroit Red Wings will open a home-and-sort-of-home series against the Nashville Predators this evening (8 PM EST on FSD/FS Tennessee/97.1 FM). These teams will play again at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday, but the Wings will battle Toronto tomorrow night, so this isn’t a classic home-and-home series.

Nashville comes into tonight’s game with a 7-1-and-2 February record, and the Central Division-leading Predators are back-stopped by Pekka Rinne, who’s 10-1-and-1 over his past 12 starts.

Prior to the Predators’ morning skate, Brooks Bratten penned a game-day preview for NashvillePredators.com:

Continue reading Red Wings-Predators morning skate Tweets and articles: Context galore; Mrazek vs. Saros?

Duff weighs in on Glendening rumors

Hockeybuzz’s Bob Duff chose to discuss the rumor that Luke Glendening may be headed to Toronto:

TSN reported that both the Leafs and Dallas Stars have talked to the Wings about what it would take to pry Glendening away from Detroit. And the answer they got from the Wings was quite a bit.

The Wings are looking to cut salary and add assets, mainly draft picks, and the Leafs have extra picks in the second and seventh rounds of the 2018 NHL entry draft.

The Wings signed Glendening as an undrafted free agent in 2013 and he was sent down to AHL Grand Rapids and recalled seven times during the 2013-14 season before making the NHL for good via a New Year’s Eve 2013 call up. He played the next day for Babcock’s Wings against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium, the school where Glendening played college hockey.

Saturday, the Wings are in Nashville, but Sunday, they play host to the Babcock-coached Leafs and perhaps Glendening’s future home.

Certainly, if Babcock has any pull the Leafs will made a concerted effort to land Glendening. Toronto has been seeking a reliable fourth-line center almost for as long as the Leafs have been seeking their next Stanley Cup win. OK, it hasn’t been that long, but if you were to ask a Leafs fan, it sure seems like it has.

….

Glendening is versatile and can also play the wing, as he has frequently this season on Detroit’s matchup forward unit with Frans Nielsen and Darren Helm. He’s posted 8-6-14 numbers in 44 games, and leads the Wings at the faceoff dot, winning 57.8 percent of his faceoffs. Glendening ranks fifth in the NHL among players who’ve taken at least 400 draws.

Glendening’s current contract runs through the 2020-21 season and has a cap hit of $1.8 million per season.

Duff continues…

USA Today’s Allen talks about Pavel Datsyuk’s possible last hurrah

USA Today’s Kevin Allen spoke with CBC/TSN/NBCSN announcer Ray Ferraro, agent Igor Larionov and some of Pavel Datsyuk’s peers to discuss the importance of winning an Olympic gold for #13:

He turns 40 in five months, and it’s anticipated that he will retire after the Kontinental Hockey League playoffs. He has played two seasons in his native Russia since leaving the NHL after the 2015-16 season.

“His head, hands, and the DNA of his work ethic, are still there,” Ferraro said. “He doesn’t have the same foot speed he used to have, but at 39 who does?”

The Russians are considered the favorite to win the gold medal in men’s hockey.

“The last chance for a gold medal is motivation for him,” said Russian great Igor Larionov, Datsyuk’s teammate with the Detroit Red Wings. “He has a Stanley Cup, but he doesn’t have a gold.”

Datsyuk looked highly motivated, playing surprisingly physical, in his team’s 4-0 win against the Americans. He has two points in three games.

“Pavel is a fantastic player,” said Russian forward Nikolai Prokhorkin, a Los Angeles Kings prospect. “We all know how much he has achieved during his career. He helps us in every way he can. Above all, with his game and experience.”

Continued

HSJ’s mailbag: Talking trades

Among the Free Press’s Helene St. James’ mailbag questions and answers:

It seems to be widely accepted that the Wings will trade Green. Do you think they also should trade a goalie? Who is the next most likely skater to be traded? #Heleneonhockey

— J. Tiberius Smirk (@twittahlessJ) February 16, 2018

Teams have inquired about Mike Green, as the offensive defenseman is the type of player teams eyeing a Stanley Cup like to add this time of year. Tampa Bay has interest, but since the Lightning will be picking late in rounds, the Wings want a pick and a prospect who is ready to play next season. There is also interest in goaltender Jimmy Howard. Petr Mrazek is not drawing interest – he was offered to Philadelphia after the Flyers lost Brian Elliott last week (he’s out five-to-six weeks) for an asking price of a third-round pick and the Flyers declined. The Wings are trying to move defenseman Xavier Ouellet, who doesn’t fit into their plans any more. Forward Gustav Nyquist is drawing interest, though he has a year left on his contract.

Continued

Prospect round-up: Rasmussen posts 2 assists; Pope scores again; Sambrook’s Greyhounds rout Hamilton

In the Finnish Liiga, Libor Sulak finished even with 4 shots in 20:39 played during the Lahti Pelicans’ 1-0 loss to HPK;

Julius Vahatalo won 62% of his faceoffs in 16:23 played as Jukurit lost 3-0 to KalPa;

In the Swedish Allsvenskan, Malte Setkov played as the seventh defenseman in IK Pantern’s 3-1 loss to Leksands IF;

Mattias Elfstrom played wing on the fourth line during Vasterviks IK’s 4-1 loss to Tingsryds IF;

Continue reading Prospect round-up: Rasmussen posts 2 assists; Pope scores again; Sambrook’s Greyhounds rout Hamilton

Red Wings-Predators set-up: Wings begin a sort-of-home-and-home vs. streaking Preds

The Detroit Red Wings will step into the hornet’s nest as they prepare to battle the Central Division-leading 34-13-and-9 Nashville Predators tonight (8 PM EST start on FSD/FS Tennessee/97.1 FM).

Nashville comes into tonight’s game off their only February loss, a 4-3 setback at the hands of the Calgary Flames on Thursday; Nashville’s February record sits at 7-1-and-2, and Pekka Rinne’s record sits at 10-1-and-1 of late.

As neither team practiced on Friday (the Wings are in the middle of a 10-games-in-18-nights stretch, and are opening a 2-in-2 weekend), and we’ll look to STATS’ game preview to set some context for tonight’s affair:

Continue reading Red Wings-Predators set-up: Wings begin a sort-of-home-and-home vs. streaking Preds

Kulfan talks trade candidates in a Friday mailbag feature

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan answered mailbag questions from readers this evening. Among Kulfan’s comments:

Q. It seems rare to have a team that has so few players any other team would want. On their entire roster they have two players worth keeping, (Dylan) Larkin and (Anthony) Mantha. Richard Lewis (via email)

A. Richard, there are some. There will be a decent demand for Green, although he might considered a luxury for many contenders (expect the return to be similar to what Brendan Smith fetched the Red Wings, a pair of second-rounders, or a second- and third-round haul).

Nyquist and Tatar have had rebound seasons, but the interest in either has been so tepid in the past, it would be a bit surprising of they’ll be moved by the deadline (maybe, closer to June’s Entry Draft?).

Keep an eye on Luke Glendening, who is another player who’s had a rebound season, has a manageable contract, and could help a contender on the penalty kill and as a defensive forward. There are players other teams can use.

Kulfan continues…

Wakiji speaks with top prospect Andrei Svechnikov

DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji is taking in the Under-18 Five Nations tournament in Plymouth this week.*

Wakiji spoke with Andrei Svechnikov, a probable top-five pick, about his game and the possibility that the Barrie Colts and Team Russia forward might be drafted by the Wings:

There’s one player that would like nothing more than to have the Detroit Red Wings call his name in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.

His name will be familiar and not just because he is among the top three players in all the rankings.

That’s because he is Andrei Svechnikov, younger brother of Evgeny Svechnikov, whom the Wings took in the first round, 19th overall, in the 2015 draft.

“It would be like a dream because we could win a Stanley Cup together,” said Svechnikov after helping lead Team Russia to a 9-2 victory over Team Czech Republic in the Under-18 Five Nations Tournament at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich. Thursday night.

Svechnikov is ranked first by NHL Central Scouting for North American skaters, second by Hockeyprospect.com, ISS Hockey and Future Considerations and third by McKeen’s Hockey.

Continued

*George’s household is a 1-car household, and our vehicle has been in the shop all week. Terrible, terrible timing.

Glendening on the market? TSN’s Seravalli says teams have inquired about #41

Via KK:

Griffins dedicate ‘Bring Your Dog to the Game’ game to passed staffer

From the Grand Rapids Griffins’ Twitter account: