DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji spoke with Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill on Thursday, discussing the Red Wings’ mediocre power play:
Having [Mike] Green back could help the power play, which is 22nd in the league at 18.5 percent.
“I think he just has that element of the big shot,” Blashill said. “He can shoot it in the net. The more weapons you have on the power play the better chance you’re going to score on a more consistent basis.”
The power play only had two opportunities Wednesday night in St. Louis and failed to convert on either. Obviously that could have made the difference in a 2-1 game.
“Our first, we had entries where we actually structurally we were fine, but we didn’t execute,” Blashill said. “We got in, we were OK and then we turned it over. The second power play, we actually did have some chances, some play around the net, and then (Gustav) Nyquist had the real chance where he hit the goalie in the head. If that goes in we’re not talking about it. And then we pulled the goalie late and I actually thought we had an opportunity to have the looks, but we didn’t execute. So we gotta execute better.”
During Thursday’s practice, Frans Nielsen took Henrik Zetterberg’s spot on the unit with Martin Frk, Nyquist, Justin Abdelkader and Niklas Kronwall as Zetterberg took a maintenance day. Blashill said Zetterberg is expected to play Friday against the Jets.
Frk has been accustomed to setting up in the left circle to deliver his stinging one-timer but has been shifted out of that spot for now.
“I’ve moved Frky a little bit at different times,” Blashill said. “It’s nice to have a righty in that bumper spot in the middle of the ice. The one disadvantage we have is having tons of lefties. When you bring it down to the goal line, you can’t really pop it for that one timer like (Boston’s Patrice) Bergeron does for those one-timer goals. These guys (Winnipeg) have that. They have a lot of righties but they have the net front guy who’s a lefty and he can pop it up to the middle as well. Sometimes it takes a little bit to get adjusted to that spot and we’ll see if Frky can do it, or if he’s better off hitting the one-timer.”
The other unit was comprised of Andreas Athanasiou, Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, Tyler Bertuzzi and Green.
This is really strange. Green was too injured to be traded on Monday and he is going to play 5 days later? Maybe someone should explain that to the fans. Oh wait, we’re not allowed to ask such questions. And Blashill says he is just glad to have him back, competing for a playoff spot. I don’t get it.
“One team requested his medical reports,” Holland said. “Another team was very interested over the last four or five days, but Mike hasn’t been able to play. The injury is something that could resurface again.
“He’s getting better, there’s a chance he could be in our lineup this weekend. Hopefully he continues to practice and doesn’t have any flare-ups, but ultimately, it’s hard for a team to add a player they weren’t 100 percent sure was going to come back, and if he did come back that maybe the injury would flare-up again. That had everything to do with Mike Green remaining a Red Wing.”
http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2018/02/red_wings_mike_greens_injury_p.html
When will 3 years of pitiful special teams play affect coaching staff employment?
I am wondering if green sabotaged his own trade. Ie “lingering” injury until deadline passed, and a two team trade list. Is holland complicit? Now just trying to make the optics look better?
The injury is just a smokescreen. My opinion…Kenny knew that Tampa and Washington were both really interested. Green was cool with either option. So he never worked on a Plan C or D or E. Then both deals fell apart on the final day. If there wasn’t an NTC you quickly phone Vegas or NYI or San Jose or whoever and say your demands have changed from a 1st to a 3rd, with $3M salary retained. That deal can happen in 5 minutes. But Kenny didn’t plan it well. So then comes stories about the injury. McDonough was injured recently. Didn’t scare anyone.
Or maybe Green said Tampa or Washington or I’m staying, he held all the cards. Green seems to like it in Detroit. It’s tough to make a deal when you only have 2 options. Yes, I know the NTC was stupid. KH could have called every plan c, d, e, f, g and made deals but if Green said “no” that’s where it ends. We just don’t know.
Steve, what we do know is that Green commented at the all-star game that Kenny has never approached him about a trade. So maybe if that happened months earlier, and Kenny knew that Green only had two options, then you cut a deal much sooner. Why wait until the deadline and risk injury…there would be no bidding war…since in your scenario he only would accept 2 teams. So regardless, this was very poorly handled.
How long would you have sat Green out in order to protect him for injury?
It’s not about making him a healthy scratch for 4 months to prevent injury, it’s about having a logical plan.
I would have spoken with him last summer and explained that we’re looking to trade you if we’re not in a playoff spot. What do you think Mike?
If he says he’s open to going to virtually anywhere, then that leaves me with lots of options. I probably play him just like we did and risk injury.
But if he says he wants to stay in the East, and to avoid Canada, and his wife hates this place, and I hate this coach, and so Kenny I only have 2 teams on my list.
Hmm, now there is very little incentive for me to hold him until the deadline. There will be no bidding war. Ergo, there will be no 1st round pick or pair of 2nd round picks. I cut my losses. I start asking for a 3rd rounder, maybe with some conditions around playoff success or having him re-sign. And so I phone Tampa and Washington every single day until a deal is done. Green went to the all-star game. He looked good. That should have been the end of it. You can’t tell me that Washington wouldn’t have given up a 3rd round pick for a $3M Green and instead preferred to give that up for Michal Kempny. Sorry. A deal was there to make…but Kenny probably was asking too much. When Hedman got hurt, are you saying Tampa doesn’t give up a 3rd for a $3M Green?
So it’s not about how long would I scratch him to make sure he doesn’t get injured…it’s effectively communicating with the player, understanding the market, and making a move at an appropriate time. The longer we waited, the more likely Tampa and Washington moved on to other options. Which is exactly what happened.
Go figure, you won’t answer the question. Another wall o’ text saying the same thing you did the day before.
If he got only a 3rd for green when he could have gotten two seconds, you would have railed him probably even worse. Guess that other commentor is right you live in a fantasy land.
Fatiguing to see this go on. If green was traded for whats considered an underwhelming return then holland gets chewed out for trading too soon and not getting value and GMing scared.
If Green gets traded for a 3rd at the all-star game…AND…we learn that he would only accept a trade to 2 teams…then I would not be railing against Holland. Maybe others would. But…IF…his hands were tied (no evidence of that by the way)…then you take what you can get. A 3rd is better than nothing.
But thanks for assuming how I would feel about a hypothetical situation and accusing me of living in fantasy land. I’m not calling you names. Please show me the same respect. Thanks.
Please come back to reality and show some respect to Holland for a situation mostly out his control. Thanks.
Respect is earned.
Stop playing the “My way or the Highway” game and tone down your elitist ways.
Until you do, you’ll continue to be viewed as very boring, as well as ‘exhausting.’ [The latter from George 0211 over on KK before being banned]