Month: September 2020

I’ve found that people get a little aggressive regarding their picks as to whom the Red Wings should draft with the 4th overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft, and that has me hesitant to write up a piece summarizing my takes on the best North American and European players available to the Wings…

But we’re three weeks away from said draft’s first round, and that means that I’ve got to try to grind one out for you shortly.

In the interim, DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji has penned an article “getting to know” a possible Wings pick at #4 in Erie Otters defenseman Jamie Drysdale…

“Jamie Drysdale is the of player that every team is looking for, very smart puck-moving defenseman who can beat you with his vision, beat you with his hockey sense, able to use that great quickness and thinking to defense and strip a puck and turn it around and before you know it it’s going the other way and can find the open man on the attack, makes him too tough to pass up if he’s available when you’re picking,” NHL Central Scouting’s David Gregory said on the April 8 video conference call.

The Otters had claimed a playoff berth as the eighth team in the Ontario Hockey League’s Western Conference with 63 points (26-26-4-7).

But on March 23, the OHL, along with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Western Hockey League and the Canadian Hockey League, announced the cancellation of the 2020 President Cup Playoffs a week after canceling the rest of the regular-season games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Obviously it’s a bit unfortunate that playoffs aren’t able to be played,” Drysdale said on the video conference call. “I think everyone was looking forward to that time of year so obviously unfortunate not on that part. I think like everyone else said, it’s important that everyone just stays home and stays safe as well as making sure they’re staying in shape and doing everything they can to just at the kind of level of hockey they are, whether it’s shooting pucks or working out.

“I think that’s still important to do. It’s not just time off so I think everyone’s just kind of trying to stay in hockey shape and do what they can.”

Wakiji continues, and The Athletic’s Hailey Salvian penned an article discussing the case to be made for the Ottawa Senators drafting Swedish winger Lucas Raymond with the 5th overall pick. Her article is still instructive for Red Wings fans:

Continue reading On Drysdale and Raymond

The Detroit Red Wings have a hard decision to make this offseason in determining whether to “fish or cut bait” with one Madison Bowey. The 6’2,” 205-pound defenseman is a restricted free agent at 25 years of age, and his last season with the Wings was really his first full NHL campaign (53 games, 3 goals, 14 assists and a -16).

Detroit needs to determine whether they want to bring the fledgling pro back for another season, or whether Bowey’s inconsistencies as a puck carrier might mean that the team should give slightly younger players a bigger chance to play.

DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji examines Bowey’s 2019-2020 season “numbers” today, and her discussion of Bowey’s significant figures helps establish some of his “intangibles”:

14 – With 14 assists, Bowey set a new career high, passing the 12 assists he had with the Capitals in 2017-18. He was tied with Andreas Athanasiou for seventh on the team in that category.

17 – Bowey’s career-best 17 points was second among team defensemen. Larkin led with 53 points and Hronek led the blueliners with 31, tied with Fabbri.

58 – Bowey had 58 blocked shots, which was fifth on the Wings. Patrik Nemeth led with 92. During the 2018-19 season, Bowey had 63, 41 in 33 games with the Capitals and 22 in 17 games with the Wings.

70 – Bowey had 70 shots, which was 10th on the team and third among defensemen. Larkin led all skaters with 223 and Hronek led the defensemen with 125. Nemeth had 89.

Continued; I’m not sure whether I would re-sign Bowey if I was Steve Yzerman, but he is a relatively young player who shows promise as a puck-moving defenseman with good skating skills, and he’s still in the process of establishing himself as a regular NHL player.

Would you give Bowey a qualifying offer, or would you walk away from him?

We’re just short of three weeks ahead of the 2020 NHL Draft, and The Athletic’s Max Bultman examines the Red Wings and Lightning’s draft record in the second round over the past 10 seasons in order to determine whether the team should utilize its 3 2nd-round picks to trade up into the 1st round, or whether the Wings should attempt to draft as many prospects as possible.

His conclusion reads (in part) as follows:

Teams that sat tight and made most of their picks had predictably mixed results, too: The second round is not a haven of easy-to-nail picks, but there is often useful talent still on the board, if you can identify it.

Perhaps the most useful data point in all of this, then, is what Detroit did last year, with a similar set of second-round assets. It’s been more than a year since that draft, but in terms of Detroit’s rebuilding status, not much has changed. If anything, the road ahead now may look longer because of the Red Wings’ disastrous results last season.

But those three players Detroit picked in the second round last summer are all now among its top 10 prospects. It wouldn’t be surprising if at least two were part of the Red Wings’ next playoff team. And while high-end talent is the Red Wings’ most pressing need at this stage, more picks means more chances to find another Bertuzzi or a Filip Hronek in Round 2.

Bultman continues at significant length, and, put bluntly, the Wings need as many kicks as the can at possible, so I don’t see them attempting to trade up into the first round by combining 2nd round picks at this point.

Edmonton’s “Lowetide,” a.k.a. Allan Mitchell, pondered whether several of the players previously signed by Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland (when Holland was the Red Wings’ GM) or previously coached by Oilers bench boss Dave Tippett might be able to help the Oilers, and Mitchell pulls a familiar name out of his hat…

Darren Helm: He is a fascinating player. His scoring (68 games, 9-7-16) is pedestrian and he doesn’t play centre, but he played against elites a lot in 2019-20 (37.5 percent of his playing time against the league’s best) and shone like a diamond (49 percent Dangerous Fenwick and outscored opponents 5-4) on a simply awful team. However, his cap hit ($3.85 million) is a deal breaker and he has been up and down against elites over the years. He’s a speedster and forechecks like mad, and those 2019-20 numbers are impressive. A hard pass is the call here.

But Mitchell doesn’t over-fantasize regarding the likelihood of Holland bringing any current Red Wings star player into the Oilers’ fold just because he was once the man who drafted and signed Wings prospects:

I had a long look at Danny Dekeyser — he is a fine defenceman but lost most of last season to injury and there’s probably risk involved (back injury) for next season. Gustav Nyqvist is another good fit, but he’s early in his contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets so that relationship is likely to continue for the next couple of seasons. A player like Tyler Bertuzzi is just beginning to emerge in Detroit, and it’s extremely unlikely that general manager Steve Yzerman would move a player he can build around (along with Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha and Filip Hronek).

Continued (paywall)…

The Toledo Walleye brought back a familiar face on Wednesday, signing defenseman Randy Gazzola to a one-year contract. The Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe reports that the 27-year old brings size, strength and scoring to the Walleye’s blueline for the second time:

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound defenseman played last season for a team based in Italy. In 44 games with Ritten/Renon, Gazzola had 34 points with 10 goals and 24 assists.

In seven games with Toledo during the 2018-19 regular season, Gazzola had five points (1 G, 4 A). In 24 postseason games, Gazzola contributed eight points (1 G, 8 A).

Walleye coach Dan Watson said Gazzola represents exactly what the organization looks for during the recruiting process.

“Randy is a player who wants to get better, has high expectations and standards of himself, and wants to win. But, more importantly, he is a true leader and a great person,” Watson said. “He will be counted on to play big minutes, like he did during our Kelly Cup run.”

I watched the Los Angeles Kings kick the Red Wings’ butts in the first round of the playoffs like everyone else did, with the exception being that the Kings’ famous overtime rally (damn you, Adam Deadmarsh) occurred while I was in the hospital, trying to stay awake on a morphine drip while recovering from major throat surgery.

What does that have to do with Down Goes Brown’s discussion of the worst pre-Stanley Cup championship seasons for ten Cup-winning franchises. DGB suggests that the 2000-2001 Red Wings had it worse than the 1995-1996 Wings did, and here’s his rationale:

Continue reading Recalling the 2001 Red Wings as the precursor to the ‘Summer of Ken’ (via Down Goes Brown)

This morning, the Free Press’s Helene St. James ponders what the Red Wings’ 2020-2021 NHL season roster might look like, minus the players which will be added to the roster during the offseason (see: free agents and/or traded players). She predicts big changes on the Wings’ blueline:

On defense, I think Moritz Seider will be in the lineup on opening night. The 19-year-old defenseman is currently with his former team, Adler Mannheim in Germany, part of a group of Wings loaned to European teams until the NHL gives the go-ahead on camps. Seider did well playing for the Griffins last season, and would have been called up to play a few games had the pandemic not interfered. Danny DeKeyser or Patrik Nemeth can serve as his partner, with Filip Hronek completing the top four. 

Gustav Lindstrom showed he can play a safe, dependable game. So did veteran Alex Biega, who Yzerman acquired last October in a trade with Vancouver, flipping underachieving prospect David Pope. Those are front-runners to form the third pair, though Madison Bowey, if he is re-signed, should challenge for one of the spots. 

Dennis Cholowski started last season with the Wings but he didn’t make a strong impression and finished in the minors. His fate may be partially determined by whether minor leagues are operational, which they aren’t likely to be without fan attendance.

Continued; it’s my hope that the Red Wings don’t sign a significant number of free agents as I believe that it’s time for players like Seider, Lindstrom and even Cholowski (who may still be another year away from NHL readiness) to play regularly.

Whether that scenario plays out given the Wings’ probable signing of some sort of free agent defenseman is beyond me at this point;

In goal, the Wings obviously need a back-up, and it seems likely that the team will move on from Jimmy Howard;

Up front, St James also predicts a lean roster with minimal turnover, and I do find it interesting that she doesn’t believe the Wings will waive Justin Abdelkader if he has a rough training camp…

Overall, I’ll put it this way: the offseason will be very condensed, regardless of when the 2020-2021 season starts in December, January or at a later date (we are all running on the pandemic’s clock right now), so I’m expecting some surprises as the Wings attempt to navigate signing restricted free agents (see: Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi), the free agent marketplace, and the Wings attempt to build some roster depth in Grand Rapids, all between early October and the start of the season.

As I’ve suggested, I believe that the Wings should plain old walk away from RFA’s Adam Erne and Brendan Perlini, and not submitting qualifying offers to either restricted free agent would give the roster more flexibility going forward.

The Toledo Walleye are navigating an offseason like no other. As summer gives way to fall, the Red Wings’ ECHL affiliate is still signing players to ECHL contracts, expecting the ECHL season to begin in December.

Walleye coach Dan Watson spoke with the Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe regarding his roster strategy (which has involved signing a significant number of “second-year pros”), as well as the lack of a trickle-down effect from the AHL this offseason:

Grand Rapids has provided forwards and defensemen to Toledo throughout the franchises’ 11-year affiliation, but AHL teams have signed fewer depth players due to budget cuts and uncertainty this offseason.

“We have players on our roster this year that, in a typical year, would be signing American League contracts,” Watson said. “We are fortunate to have them here in Toledo.”

Watson said he is still fielding phone calls as he fills out the remaining spots on his roster. He said he believes there are some players who have not signed AHL contracts or with teams in Europe who could sign in October or November.

“I want to have the best team on the ice as possible,” he said. “I still think there is a crop of guys out there that will be available. The biggest key is that we already have a really nice core right now.”

Continued with an excellent summary of the Walleye’s more high-profile signings;

As neither the Walleye, Griffins or Red Wings know when their respective leagues’ seasons will begin, many available players have signed deals with European teams, and others are waiting for the NHL’s free agency period to begin to ink professional contracts. It’s a strange mix of unknowns on top of unknowns in terms of roster construction in the ECHL, AHL and NHL right now.

The Dallas Stars are headed to the Stanley Cup Final, and two of the classiest gentlemen in hockey have paved the way for Dallas’ ascent. Former Red Wings assistant GM and long-time director of amateur scouting Jim Nill is heading to his first Stanley Cup Final as Dallas’ general manager, and coach Rick Bowness is at the helm of the Stars’ bench.

The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch spoke with Nill regarding both his status as the man in charge of a team that’s about to compete for the Stanley Cup, and as a GM who made the decision to pick Bowness to lead his team after the Stars parted ways with coach Jim Montgomery just short of halfway through the abbreviated regular season:

While Bowness is making his first trip to the final as a head coach, this will be Nill’s inaugural stop at the big dance since he took over the Stars in 2013 after 19 seasons and four Stanley Cup titles in Detroit. He left the Red Wings because the timing was right to make the next step from assistant GM.

“This is what you’re in the business for and you always dream of being in this position,” Nill said. “We still have one more hurdle to go here. I’ve been very fortunate in my career. I’ve been surrounded by great people and I’ve had great mentors. I was put in a very fortunate situation (in Detroit), and I learned so much from them.

“I remember when I first got into the business. You’re young, energetic and ready to go and you think you can tackle anything. When I look back now, I had some opportunities to go to some other teams when I was younger and it’s probably a good thing I didn’t because I may have got eaten alive. It’s a tough business. You have to live with the ups and the downs. You’re dealing with ownership, media, players and agents. It’s a tough position.”

Continued; anyone who dealt with Jim Nill during his time with the Red Wings will tell you that he was and is flat-out one of the classiest people in the entire league, and he’s got me rooting for a team that has Corey Frickin’ Perry on its roster.

DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji spoke with former Red Wings assistant coach Adam Nightingale regarding his decision to leave the Wings and join the U.S. National Team Development Program, where he’ll coach the Under-17 team:

“I want to be a head coach and I have been before, just a chance to do it again,” Nightingale said in a recent phone interview. “I think this age is really unique from, not just hockey, but the whole off-the-ice as well, it’s an opportunity to make an impact. I remember moving away from home, there’s a lot of change, a different school, you’re living in a different home, you’ve got totally new teammates. It’s just a different environment so to try to help mentor that age, I think, is something I really have a passion for, and then I think just representing our country with USA Hockey.

“I’ve been fortunate to do four IIHF events and it’s something I was proud of as a player, playing youth hockey, USA Hockey, and then it also helped me in my coaching career. Different doors have opened and I really believe just some of the opportunities I’ve been given from USA Hockey so the chance to give back and be part of USA Hockey was probably the third reason.”

Continued