Afternoon mishmash: on the draft, ‘GOAT’ voting, a contest, goaltending and the NTDP

Of Red Wings-related note (mostly) this afternoon:

  1. TSN’s Bob McKenzie released his final draft rankings and USA Today’s Kevin Allen posted a mock draft earlier this afternoon, picking the player that I believe the Wings will select at #6 overall:

6. Detroit Red Wings: Defenseman Evan Bouchard, London (OHL): The Red Wings desperately want a blue-chip defensive prospect, and Bouchard can be that guy. He’s 6-foot-2 and can do it all. A gifted passer who can also be an effective defensive player. He’s also a right-handed shooter. Everyone is looking for those.

Noah Dobson may have more long-term potential and Quinn Hughes is a better skater, but Bouchard, a “late birthday” player, is arguably NHL-ready…

2. In the interactive vein, the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted a gallery of the 10 best Red Wings draft picks, and the Free Press’s “Greatest of All Time” Red Wings vote is still open;

3. Also of interactive note:

4. In foreign-language news, Wings signee Patrik Rybar spoke with the Slovak News Agency SITA, and the translation thereof is a bit garbled, but Rybar says that he felt that he had to take a chance on earning a spot with the Wings, even though he knows that his two-way contract comes with no guarantees;

5. Also in the goaltending department, The Hockey News’s Jared Clinton suggests that the Wings should make a bid for Washington Capitals back-up Philipp Grubbauer:

PHILIPP GRUBAUER (RFA)
It’s no secret that Grubauer has played his last game in Washington. His opportunity to usurp Braden Holtby slipped through his fingers when he faltered upon taking the starting reins to start the post-season, and now Capitals GM Brian MacLellan has made it clear that he’ll pursue trade options for the 26-year-old keeper. Teams seeking an upgrade in goal, or franchises that need a netminder to build around, could do much worse than taking a shot on Grubauer. Of goaltenders to play at least 80 games over the past three campaigns, he ranks third with a .923 save percentage and he’s ready for his chance to be a No. 1.

Already, reports have surfaced about the New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes showing interest in Grubauer and with good reason. Both teams are in dire need of goaltending. One team that should really take a look at bringing Grubauer aboard, though, is the Detroit Red Wings. With no other bluechip goaltending prospects in the system, Grubauer could have the opportunity to settle into the No. 1 role and become a fixture in the Red Wings’ crease. He’ll have more long-term competition in Carolina and New York, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

6. And in more local news, The Score’s Hannah Stuart penned a superb article about the U.S. National Team Development Program, which has become an American hockey player-development machine. This isn’t Red Wings-related per se, but it’s a good read.

Published by

George Malik

My name is George Malik, and I'm the Malik Report's editor/blogger/poster. I have been blogging about the Red Wings since 2006, and have worked with MLive and Kukla's Korner. Thank you for reading!

5 thoughts on “Afternoon mishmash: on the draft, ‘GOAT’ voting, a contest, goaltending and the NTDP”

  1. Today is the 2nd year anniversary of Datsyuk leaving us. He made me sad, but still he found a way to make me laugh:

    1. ‘You want to make me cry here. The more you ask me these questions you make it hard.’

    2. Q: “Do you know where you’re going to play in Russia?”

    A: “KHL”

    LMAO.

    I also read NHL.com’s “re-draft” of the 1998 draft, and Datsyuk was #1. 😀

    3. Crazy how many “big names” were in the draft. I followed hockey more indepth back then than I do now and I don’t recall that draft being as it was. Old age…lol.

Comments are closed.