Month: February 2018

On Anthony Mantha, knees bent, and Tweets of note

Of Red Wings-related note this afternoon:

1. The Free Press’s Helene St. James penned an off-day notebook discussing Anthony Mantha’s scoring potential:

Anthony Mantha’s bid for 20 goals as a rookie was cut short by a fight.

He’s closing in on the benchmark now in his second season with the Detroit Red Wings, with two months of games still remaining. Mantha picked up three goals during the trip to New York and Washington, giving him 19 goals in 52 games. He’s the Wings’ leading goal scorer, ranks third on the team with 33 points, and has their third-best points-per-game average at 0.63.

He’s showing the growth the Wings hoped to see when the season began.

“What I’m seeing is work ethic,” coach Jeff Blashill said after Sunday’s 5-4 overtime victory at Washington. “He’s been excellent. His second effort has been good. His skating has been really good. To me, it’s just the simplicity of bending his knees – when he bends his knees and skates, he’s excellent. That’s the fire-starter for him. What’s the one thing that makes the big difference? It’s when he bends his knees and skates as opposed to being straight-legged. He’s been working on that for a long time and I think his work ethic has been great here the last 10 games.”

St. James continues…

2. And of Twitter-based note:

Continue reading On Anthony Mantha, knees bent, and Tweets of note

The Athletic’s Scott: Abdelkader’s fight stirred up the Islanders on Friday

The Athletic’s Topher Scott looked back at the Red Wings’ 7-6 OT loss against the New York Islanders, examining the reasons why the Red Wings collapsed in the third period. According to Scott, Tyler Bertuzzi’s should’ve-been-a-minor-penalty on Cal Clutterbuck wasn’t the main reason why the Islanders rallied, though the major penalty certainly helped:

Most people would look at Tyler Bertuzzi’s major slash as the penalty that swung the game. But to me it was Justin Abdelkader’s second-period fight with Johnny Boychuk that shifted the entire momentum of the contest.

With only a few minutes left in the second period, the Islanders had nothing going. They had only 11 shots on net, including a measly three in the second period, and Detroit had the game firmly in its grasp. The Red Wings were playing a solid road contest – frustrating the Islanders with simple, boring, defensive hockey.

But as the road team, you never want to poke the bear.

And with just over one minute left in the second period, Abdelkader prompted a fight by slew-footing Boychuk in front of the net, getting the crowd and the Islanders’ bench engaged into the game.

Scott continues (paywall), and here’s the Abdelkader-Boychuk fight:

 

 

NHL.com’s Gulitti speaks with Mike Green

NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti spoke with Red Wings defenseman Mike Green about #25’s uncertain future with the team:

“I haven’t thought about it, to be honest,” Green said. “If I have to make a decision, then I’ll think about it.”

But the reality is the Red Wings (22-23-9) will probably approach Green at some point in the next two weeks to talk to him about waiving the no-trade clause in his contract. Barring a dramatic rally in their final 28 games, the Red Wings will miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight season following a remarkable run of qualifying in 25 consecutive seasons.

Even after their win Sunday, they sit eight points behind the Carolina Hurricanes for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. So, they’ll have to soon look to the future and see what assets they can get by trading Green.

“We’ll see what happens,” Green said. “Obviously, it’s coming close. There might have to be some decisions made, but right now I’m not too worried about it.”

The no-trade clause in Green’s contract gives him some control over his situation, which he acknowledged makes it easier for him.

“It definitely helps,” Green said.

Gulitti continues, wondering if Green is a fit for the Washington Capitals…

On Jim Paek’s Olympic journey

From the Associated Press comes a superb story about Korean Olympic hockey coach and former Grand Rapids Griffins assistant coach Jim Paek:

Playing parts of six NHL seasons and winning the Stanley Cup twice, Jim Paek had seen hockey at its highest level.

When he returned to his native South Korea to take over its men’s national team, he saw hockey at an almost unacceptable level. Paek inherited a program that lacked the basic necessities of the sport, let alone the talent to compete internationally.

“We didn’t have a skate sharpener,” Paek said. “That’s how small our country is for hockey.”

South Korean hockey has come an unimaginable distance in in the past three-plus years with Paek and fellow former NHL player Richard Park in charge of bringing everything from the equipment and the locker room to the quality of play up to speed in time to take part in the Olympics as the tournament host.

“Jim and Richard, without them I think it wouldn’t be what it is,” goaltender Matt Dalton said. “They’ve added so much professionalism and all that — respectability. … Their accolades or whatever they’ve done, in Korean hockey no one’s ever come close to that. When they talk, people listen, and rightfully so. They should.”

Continued

Garrioch reports that Green is ‘on the market’; DeKeyser may be in play as well

UPDATE: Garrioch says that DeKeyser isn’t “on the market.” So take note!

The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch penned his trade rumor column on Sunday night, and my eyes nearly popped out of my head when I read the following:

Two league executives told this newspaper Sunday the Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, Florida Panthers, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks have all joined the Senators on the list of teams looking to unload.

The Rangers have been very public about their desire to sell off assets and there are several contenders trying to get forward Rick Nash.

The Sabres are looking to move winger Evander Kane while the Canucks are offering up blueliner Ben Hutton. The Wings have defencemen Mike Green on the market and teams have called about Danny DeKeyser while Montreal GM Marc Bergevin has been aggressive in his pursuit of a Max Pacioretty trade.

Garrioch continues, and…

Teams want Danny DeKeyser? Are you kidding me? I can’t imagine the Wings moving DeKeyser without having to eat a substantial portion of that 5-year, $30 million contract…But that’s good news.

Prospect round-up: Walleye beat Wichita 1-0; Fulcher back-stops Bulldogs to win over Sault; Cholowski posts 2 assists

In the ECHL, the Toledo Walleye defeated the Wichita Thunder 1-0 thanks to a late-3rd-period goal from Dylan Sadowy and a 28-save performance from Pat Nagle. The Walleye’s website posted a recap:

Continue reading Prospect round-up: Walleye beat Wichita 1-0; Fulcher back-stops Bulldogs to win over Sault; Cholowski posts 2 assists

Seidel: Chelios says Team USA’s no underdog at 2018 Olympics

The Free Press’s Jeff Seidel spoke with Team USA assistant coach and Red Wings ambassador Chris Chelios regarding his Olympic charges, and Chelios suggests that the American Olympic hockey team will be underestimated at its opponents’ peril:

“I think we have a great group of guys,” he said. “We just need to win that game that counts and keep going. I wish there were more spots. The hardest part is telling a guy they are one play short of making it. Or one injury from making it. That’s the nature of the beast, the downside of all sports. There’s not enough seats.”

How will this group of unproven players do?

Chelios has no doubt.

“I always go into tournaments, I go into every playoff, I go into every game thinking we could win,” he said. “That’s my mentality and that has to be the mentality of this team, if we are going to have any success. The U.S., 20 years ago, realistically was an underdog. Now, everybody is going to be in the same boat. All of the NHL players are not going to be there. This is something where no one knows what to expect. You can predict stuff. You can call favorites, but that’s why there are upsets. I wouldn’t say we are an underdog. I’d say we are flying under the radar, us and Canada especially because of the advantage the Europeans have. A lot of them are over there playing and a lot of teams are playing together. I think anything is possible.”

Continued

Red Wings-Capitals wrap-up: sometimes product overrules “process”

The Red Wings took a 5-4 OT decision from the Washington Capitals on Sunday, but Detroit blew a 3-1 3rd period lead en route to said victory, and that was of great concern–at least to Wings fans. The Red Wings themselves worried a little less about “process” than “product,” and Tomas Tatar’s OT winner afforded the Wings that luxury:

 

Our friends from Washington were frustrated with their 2nd period collapse, as they told WashingtonCapitals.com’s Mike Vogel:

Continue reading Red Wings-Capitals wrap-up: sometimes product overrules “process”

Red Wings-Capitals quick take: Oy vey, OT win, but another 3rd period collapse

The Detroit Red Wings attempted to take out an Eastern Conference powerhouse in the Washington Capitals on Sunday afternoon.

The Red Wings blew a 4-1 third period lead but ended up winning 5-4 in OT thanks to Tomas Tatar’s second goal of the game. The Wings were great for 40 minutes, terrible in the 3rd period, and clutch in OT. It was still a frustrating game to watch.

Continue reading Red Wings-Capitals quick take: Oy vey, OT win, but another 3rd period collapse

Keith Gave’s Russian Five book to precede premier of film

From author and former Wings scribe Keith Gave: