Month: August 2019

Per the Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe:

The Toledo Walleye have brought former NHL forward T.J. Hensick back into the fold for the upcoming season.

Hensick, a 33-year-old who has appeared in 112 games in the NHL, played in 47 games for the Walleye last season. The organization announced the re-signing of the veteran at a special press conference at Fifth Third Field on Thursday.

Hensick, a native of Howell, Mich., was the team’s offensive star and leader during most of the regular season. Hensick finished second in scoring with 58 points (17 G, 41 A) before he was permanently called up to the American Hockey League.

“It’s a first-class organization and we’re excited to be back in Toledo,” Hensick said. “I was completely shocked with the fan base, the traditions, the environment. I’ve played a lot of hockey at a lot of places. I’ve been to a lot of minor league cities and this is as good as I’ve seen. It’s the best out there. There are not many places that compare to the atmosphere [at the Huntington Center]. As a player, you want to play in front of big crowds and that’s what you get when you come to Toledo.”

Continued

As per usual, I tried to post one article regarding funding for Traverse City and my server expenses and then moved on…

And that wasn’t a great idea, so:

If you missed it, I’m raising funds for the annual two-week trip to Traverse City for the prospect tournament and training camp, and I’m also raising funds to defer the annual server cost as I mom’s medical issues = I can’t fund that on my own this year.

I’ve already raised $100, which is great, but I’ve got a week-and-a-half to finish raising $2,000 for the TC trip and about $700 for the server and web-hosting fees.

I’m raising funds by Paypal for the moment at https://paypal.me/TheMalikReport, and if you need me to create an alternate funding source and/or send you my address, please email me at rtxg@yahoo.com.

As I stated in the original Fundening post, we’ll be talking about what kinds of original content you’re looking for heading into September and October, and I hope that everyone who reads and helps raise funds will weigh in on that topic.

It’s time to get this fund drive going.

Today, AWood40 on YouTube, a.k.a. Alex Wood, wraps up his set of Henrik Zetterberg career highlights with a clip focusing on Zetterberg’s 2017 and 2018 seasons:

Here are the previous five installments of highlight clips:

Continue reading AWood40 wraps up his Zetterberg career highlights

The Joe Kocur Foundation’s annual charity softball games take place this Saturday, August 24th in Highland, MI:

It’s official! I hope to see ya all on Aug 24th!!!!! #KocurSoftball tickets at https://t.co/iq4N7zi07S pic.twitter.com/uMMd87ry2v— Joe Kocur (@kocurfoundation) June 10, 2019

Tickets cost $10 in advance on Eventbrite.com or $15 on Saturday.

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski stirs the pot today with a list of the “best homes for the remaining unrestricted free agents” in the latest “Wysh List.” Wyshynski suggests that Niklas Kronwall end his career somewhere other than Detroit:

Niklas Kronwall, D

Best match: Toronto Maple Leafs

I think it’s probably Detroit Red Wings or bust for Kronwall, the 38-year-old defenseman who hit opponents so hard that his name became a verb. But if he did continue on elsewhere, what about a left-side role for peanuts with Mike Babcock in Toronto? He averaged 19:57 per game last season with Detroit and was just a nose ahead of his teammates as far as relative Corsi. His expected goals percentage (44.31) was putrid, but it would improve on a better team. He’s Ron Hainsey with Red Wings Cup nostalgia. And hey, maybe he gets one good Kronwalling in on the Bruins in their inevitable playoff series next spring.

Continued; I would be extremely shocked if Kronwall didn’t finish his career as a one-team player.

Via Chris Zadorozny on Twitter, Paul Lukas’ Uni Watch is beginning its voting on user submissions for the Grand Rapids Griffins’ 90’s Jersey today:

Today on UW: the GR @griffinshockey design contest VOTING begins; the XFL (2.0) releases team names & logos; Paul’s adventures & MUCH MORE! [by @PhilHecken] https://t.co/8VHl9bfd0a— Paul Lukas (@UniWatch) August 22, 2019

The Athletic’s Corey Pronman is ranking each and every one of the NHL’s 31 teams’ developmental systems, and he’s produced an analysis of the 13th-ranked Red Wings this morning:

The Wings’ system changed a lot over the past year. It graduated some key prospects and had an important draft in 2019. Filip Zadina was a guy I was very enthusiastic about at this time last season, but I may have hyped him a tad too much. He remains the team’s top prospect even though I bumped him down a notch. The Wings have a lot of very good players on the way but still look to be in the early parts of their rebuild.

Key additions: Moritz Seider, Robert Mastrosimone, Albin Grewe

Key subtractions/graduations: Michael Rasmussen, Filip Hronek, Dennis Cholowski

2018 farm system ranking: No. 7

2019 draft grade: B

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Continued (paywall)

MLive’s Ansar Khan’s scouting reports regarding Red Wings players’ 2019-2020 season outlooks continue today as Khan discusses Jonathan Bernier’s predicted trajectory for the upcoming season.

Khan believes that Bernier may end up assuming the starting goaltender’s mantle should Jimmy Howard be traded:

2019-20 outlook: Bernier’s numbers were rough, the worst of his career, but some of that can be attributed to the sub-par team defense.

Bernier will start the season as the clear-cut back-up to Jimmy Howard. But Howard, being on a one-year contract, might be moved before the trade deadline. If so, Bernier likely would be elevated to No. 1 and veteran Calvin Pickard, signed to a two-year contract on July 1 to play in Grand Rapids, probably would be brought up to be the back-up.

Continued

Red Wings alumni Eddie Mio and Joe Kocur are interviewed by DetroitRedWings.com’s Arthur J. Regner on the latest installment of the “Red and White Authority” podcast.

Kocur’s foundation is going to be holding its annual charity softball game on Saturday, August 24th in Highland, MI.

The Hockey News’s Matt Larkin penned a list of the 10 players he believes are most likely to be traded during the 2019-2020 campaign, and Larkin suggests that Red Wings defenseman Mike Green will be moved as something of a “hired gun” this year:

Mike Green, D, Detroit Red Wings

It sure feels like it’s time for Green to enter the gun-for-hire phase of his career. Teams sniffed around him at the 2018 trade deadline, but an injury stopped him from getting moved. He signed a two-year extension the ensuing summer. Now he’s on Year 2 of that pact, heading back to unrestricted free agency. On Feb. 1, 2020, his no-trade clause becomes a modified version in which he can submit a 10-team no-trade list. New GM Steve Yzerman wasn’t the one who signed Green, so there isn’t necessarily any baked-in loyalty there. Green would make sense as bait for one of Yzerman’s first major trades and, unlike in recent seasons, Green won’t have as much of a say in the matter. Green turns 34 in October and has a heck of a time staying healthy these days but remains an effective puck-mover when he’s in the lineup – and a right-handed one to boot. There will be a market for him this winter.

I don’t see a 33-year-old Mike Green having that much trade value until/if he is able to stay healthy for a lengthy period of time, and even then, I’m not sure he’d bring a large return.