Per the Detroit News’s Gregg Krupa:
#RedWings conference call with holland, 12:30
green 12:45
bernier 1
vanek 1:15 .
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
SO:
holland:
obviously, we need another goaltender.
bernier’s played real well in COL ANA TOR
30 is good age for goalie.
good one-two punch in net.
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
#RedWings Holland: We think with Bernier and Howard, we have a good 1-2 in net.
— Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) July 1, 2018
“With Jimmy Howard and Jonathan Bernier we’re going to have a good one-two punch in net.” – Ken Holland
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 1, 2018
Ken Holland tells the media during a conference that Sugnung Jonathan Bernier adds a veteran presence that provides a good 1-2 punch in net
— Jennifer Hammond (@HammerFox2) July 1, 2018
holland:
green played most minutes. skating a strength.
league heavy on speed, mobility.
can join rush.
wanted to be in #Detroit likes role. and next year or two, slowly moving young guys in, and green gives us more depth.
2 years, good term for us.
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
Holland (paraphrasing): The plan is to slowly move young players in our system onto our team, up front and on defense. It’s important that we have veterans around our kids and that our kids get an opportunity. We believe we can make both things happen.
— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) July 1, 2018
Holland says Greene has a No-trade clause.
— Jennifer Hammond (@HammerFox2) July 1, 2018
#RedWings Holland mentions Sulak, Hronek, Sulak and Cholowski as defensemen who will get a long look in preseason. “But they have to be ready.”
— Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) July 1, 2018
holland
trying to transition from older to young, but have signed some older players.
important to have older guys around young guys. and for young guys to have opportunity.
going to give young players long look, hope 2 or 3 crack lineup.
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
“It’s important that we have veterans around the kids and that our kids get an opportunity. We believe we can make both things happen.” – Holland
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 1, 2018
Holland (paraphrasing): Rasmussen, Zadina, Svechnikov, Turgeon, Sulak, Hronek, Cholowski, Hicketts will get long looks in preseason. The plan is — the hope is — that some kids crack our lineup. But they’ve got to be ready. Got to win a job.
— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) July 1, 2018
holland
green does have no trade.
message to young kids is that they have to come in and take a job.
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
Ken Holland says Mike Green has a no-trade clause, too.
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) July 1, 2018
“They’re going to have to win a job, and we’re going to give them that opportunity.” – Holland on: Svechnikov, Rasmussen, Zadina, etc…
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 1, 2018
holland
svechnikov will get a chance. great rookie year.
opportunity after tatar trade, and will give him more of a chance.
fine line between putting him on team, and what does he have to do to win job.
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
Holland says the wings will end up with 2 to 3 young kids on their team who it is will be determined in Traverse City.
— Jennifer Hammond (@HammerFox2) July 1, 2018
Ken Holland: “We’re going to give a lot of young players a long look in preseason. The hope is that 2-3 kids crack our lineup. But, they have to be ready. … If they don’t make it opening day, doesn’t mean they won’t be up in two weeks.”
— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) July 1, 2018
holland
if they don’t make roster opening day, does not mean he can not be up two or three weeks later.
six month season. lot will happen.
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
Holland (paraphrasing): We’re going to end up with two or three kids on our team. Which two or three depends on training camp and preseason. If they don’t make it opening day, they could make it later in the season.
— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) July 1, 2018
“In order to crack the lineup on opening day, they’ve got to come in and grab it.” – Ken Holland.
— Jennifer Hammond (@HammerFox2) July 1, 2018
holland
trying to get a few young guys into the lineup.
possibly two young defensemen
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
I’d make an educated guess to say Martin Frk doesn’t make the Red Wings opening night roster. Grand Rapids seems more likely.
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) July 1, 2018
#RedWings Holland on Zetterberg: Last I talked to him, I think he’s planning on playing. Obviously his back will determine it.
— Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) July 1, 2018
Holland said the last he talked to Zetterberg, he’s planning on playing. Obviously his back is going to determine whether he can or can’t. Holland is expecting him to play.
— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) July 1, 2018
Ken Holland on Henrik Zetterberg: “The last I talked to him, he’s planning on playing. His back determines whether he can or can’t. I’m expecting him to play.”
— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) July 1, 2018
Ken Holland: “The hope is that two to three young kids crack our lineup.”
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) July 1, 2018
Holland says he doesn’t know for sure yet if Hank Zetterberg will return to play given the health issues with his back.
— Jennifer Hammond (@HammerFox2) July 1, 2018
holland
on zetterberg
expecting him to play.
i do not have a clear green light, but when dealing with a back hard to read the future.
obviously, that is a key piece for us.
will stay in touch with Z. into july to see how his back is.
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
On conference call right now Holland says he expects Zetterberg to play but doesn’t have “clear green light” that Zetterberg is returning #RedWings
— Ted Kulfan (@tkulfan) July 1, 2018
Ken Holl
Hopes 2 of 3 kids can make the lineup #RedWings
— Ted Kulfan (@tkulfan) July 1, 2018
and says he’ll stay in touch with Henrik Zetterberg in regards to his health and playing next season. “His back is going to determine whether he can or he can’t.”— Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) July 1, 2018
Henrik Zetterberg update from Red Wings GM Ken Holland: “Last I talked to him, I think he’s planning on playing. Obviously his back will determine it.”
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) July 1, 2018
#RedWings Holland: We went through development camp, we got a lot of kids coming. It’s going to take a little time.
— Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) July 1, 2018
holland
we liked development camp.
we think we’ve got lots of kids coming.
we need mentors.
we need to be competitive.
obviously, trying to juggle veterans and young players.
i have lived through it, before.
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
Holland (paraphrasing): We think we’ve got a lot of kids coming. It’s going to take a little bit of time. Have to be patient. In the meantime, bringing in veterans to buy time, help mentor, stay competitive.
— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) July 1, 2018
holland
a lot of reason to bring back vanek.
popular. players looked up to him.
signed him to score G, but he made a lot of plays, too.
big body.
vanek nielsen and athanasiou, and double-a was scoring some goals.
net front presence.
shoots right.
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
#RedWings Holland on Vanek: He’s also a playmaker. He wants to be here, enjoyed his time here.
— Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) July 1, 2018
“He’s as good a playmaker as he is a goal scorer. We’re excited to have him,” Holland on signing Thomas Vanek.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 1, 2018
holland
“push for playoffs?”
i think we can hang in. longer we do, better for fans and team.
my focus is a little farther down the road.
for playoff contention to happen, younger guys have to come in and take another step.
hoping for competitive goaltending.
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
Ken Holland said Thomas Vanek wanted to be in Detroit, and really enjoyed playing here.
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) July 1, 2018
holland
we’re going into an unknown.
i am trying to juggle older players and younger players, to make the younger players better and provide them with a role and some opporuntity.
…THUS ENDS HOLLAND’S CONFERENCE CALL.
GREEN, NEXT.
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
#RedWings Mike Green will be next on the conference call.
— Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) July 1, 2018
Holland On expectation for 2019 playoffs: We’re going into the unknown with a mix of Veterans and young players.
— Jennifer Hammond (@HammerFox2) July 1, 2018
#RedWings Holland said goaltending and how the young players who don’t have a track record or long track record perform will be key in determining if they can push for playoff spot.
— Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) July 1, 2018
On 2019 playoff expectations: “We’re going into an unknown.” says mix of veterans/young players, the hope is team can stay in playoff mix, would be good experience..but much depnds on growth of Mantha/AA/Larkin/Bertuzzi
— Ted Kulfan (@tkulfan) July 1, 2018
so, holland quite clear about Z.
there is no clarity, right now. #RedWings@DetroitRedWings
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
MIKE GREEN:
green:
i’m doing great.
gone through rehab, and everything better than expected.
full training.
i love it there in detroit, i love the organization and the culture, i love the guys.
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
Mike Green on recovery from neck surgery in April: “Everything has gone beyond what expected. I’m training full throttle and feel great.”
— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) July 1, 2018
Green says “i’m doing great” in terms of his neck surgery #RedWings he’s been training full bore….of his returning, says he loves the culture
— Ted Kulfan (@tkulfan) July 1, 2018
“I love it here in Detroit. I love the organization, I love the culture, I love the guys,” Mike Green on his decision to stay in Detroit.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 1, 2018
green
hope to help the younger guys develop quicker and speed up that process.
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
#RedWings Green said he really loves it here in Detroit, also said he’s rehabbed from surgery and is feeling good.
— Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) July 1, 2018
Green says he weighed his options but ultimately wanted to get a deal done with Detroit. Said he loves playing here.
— Jennifer Hammond (@HammerFox2) July 1, 2018
Mike Green: “I wanted to get a deal done with Detroit. Once I realized Detroit wanted me back and we were on the same page, it was an easy deal to get done.”
— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) July 1, 2018
green
in any biz you way your options, but in the back of my mind and forefront, i wanted to make a deal in detroit.
once i realized they wanted me back and we were on same page, i wanted to get the deal done.
100% not expecting any delays for training camp.
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
ends green conference call.
headline: back, and should be ready for camp despite neck surgery.
bernier conference call, next. #RedWings
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
Mike Green said his recovery from surgery has gone better than expected.
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) July 1, 2018
Mike Green no-trade clause is until Feb. 1, 2020.
— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) July 1, 2018
JONATHAN BERNIER:
bernier:
head injury from knee. came back and not sure he should have. felt dizzy.
swtiched masks.
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
#RedWings Bernier said Wings attractive option because of great fit, Original Six, knows Howard a bit and said they’ll push each other to help team get back to playoffs.
— Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) July 1, 2018
bernier:
always unbelievable to play for Original Six.
experienced it in turrana.
always great to be on road and see a lot of support.
to me, i just thought it was a great fit.
i know jimmy a little bit. and we’re just going to push each other.
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
Jonathan Bernier on Jimmy Howard: “We’re gong to push each other to bring this team back to playoffs.”
— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) July 1, 2018
bernier
wanted to play more than 15 games, somewhere.
obviously, howard’s contract situation was a consideration, with jimmy in last year.
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
#RedWings Bernier: I’m more mature now, I’ve been through ups and downs. It was appealing to come to Detroit and be part of something special.
— Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) July 1, 2018
bernier
wanted to be part of something special. lots of history in the organization and the town and i am happy to part of it.
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
Bernier says he’s looking forward to competing with Howard and wanted to come down to Detroit and be part of something special (Original Six)
— Jennifer Hammond (@HammerFox2) July 1, 2018
“There’s a lot of history in this organization and in this town and I’m excited to be a part of it,” – Bernier on his contract with the #RedWings.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 1, 2018
#RedWings Bernier: When we played the Wings, I didn’t think they were missing much.
— Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) July 1, 2018
bernier:
has a child looking to start school, soon.
a consideration.
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
Bernier says he believes the Wings will be pushing for a playoff spot this year. “They’re really not that far.”
— Jennifer Hammond (@HammerFox2) July 1, 2018
Bernier says the Original Six aspect, the fact he’ll be competing for playing time with Jimmy Howard, and Howard’s UFA status in 1 year all contributing factors for him joining the #RedWings
— Ted Kulfan (@tkulfan) July 1, 2018
THOMAS VANEK:
Thomas Vanek on returning to Red Wings:: “I loved it there. It was a good fit. I really liked the whole culture of the organization.”
— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) July 1, 2018
#RedWings Vanek also mentions culture in Detroit as part of the reason he wanted to return. Said tried to get a deal done last year but didn’t work out, happy it did this time.
— Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) July 1, 2018
vanek:
i love it there, it was good fit i really liked the culture of the whole organization.
tried to make it work out last year, and it didn’t happen. glad it did this year.
we had some other options. i loved detroit.
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
#RedWings Vanek believes he can help young players like Mantha, Rasmussen (likely Zadina — Vanek speaks fluent Czech), Athanasiou.
— Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) July 1, 2018
vanek
i hope so (mentor)
if they want to listen, if they want some advice i can give it to them.
larkin, mantha, athanasiou all thee great players, they just need a little time.
rasmussen, i’ll be there to help him as well.
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
vanek
disappointing to leave detroit a year and a half ago.
not fun moving around, but VAN was great and CBJ was awesome.
i try to make the most out of it.
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
#RedWings Vanek on no-trade: You want to finish what you started with a team. I understand the business side.
— Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) July 1, 2018
“Ever since I’ve been there (Detroit), I loved it. It’s great. I’m so happy to be back,” – Thomas Vanek, after signing a one-year contract.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 1, 2018
thus concludes live tweets of #RedWings conference calls.
— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) July 1, 2018
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. If the Wings don’t move any players out via trade this summer, there will be very little room for any “kids” to make the opening night roster in Detroit. I understand the premise that veterans like Vanek and Green can mentor younger players. Unfortunately, the players they will be mentoring probably won’t be Rasmussen, Zadina, Hicketts, & Hronek because there won’t be roster spots available to most of them. I also get that promoting a culture of “losing is OK” is to be avoided. I just don’t see how a rebuilding team can justify more of the same old formula they’ve been using and still say it’s a rebuild. It’s a bit mystifying.