Month: September 2020

Red Wings post clips of Yzerman, Gagner’s pressers on YouTube

The Detroit Red Wings posted a pair of YouTube clips of note this evening, including one of GM Steve Yzerman addressing the Marc Staal addition…

As well as Sam Gagner, who spoke about his 1-year extension signed with the Wings today:

Update: Wise words from Yzerman, via NHL.com:

Continue reading Red Wings post clips of Yzerman, Gagner’s pressers on YouTube

Rumor via KK: Rangers defenseman Marc Staal heading to Detroit?

Updated repeatedly: It’s a real deal. 33-year-old defenseman Marc Staal and a 2021 2nd round pick from the Rangers for future considerations.

Via Kukla’s Korner comes a hot rumor from Boston Bruins scribe Joe McDonald:

The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman is saying it’s happening…

Staal, 33, comes to Detroit for a low price:

UPDATE: The #RedWings have acquired defenseman Marc Staal and a second-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft from the New York Rangers in exchange for future considerations. pic.twitter.com/EO9cWDACOE— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 26, 2020

Strict salary dump. Staal is still productive, and he waived a no-move clause to bring his $5.7 million salary to Detroit.

TRADE: #NYR send D Marc Staal and their second-round pick in 2021 to the #RedWings for future considerations. #NHL— Brian Compton (@BComptonNHL) September 26, 2020

Staal has a full NMC and agreed to waive it to go to Detroit.

Rangers receive future considerations https://t.co/jWDn3FSGwC— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) September 26, 2020

The Rangers confirm:

OFFICIAL: Rangers announce they have traded defenseman Marc Staal and a second-round selection in the 2021 NHL Draft to Detroit in exchange for future considerations. pic.twitter.com/5TNeohQhtm— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) September 26, 2020

Staal has a $5.7 million cap hit with one year remaining on his deal. He’s 33 and played in 52 NHL games this season. https://t.co/tYHsVjKfzo— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) September 26, 2020

This deal is done: Rangers send a 2nd and Marc Staal to Red Wings for future considerations. Detroit using cap space to gather assets. https://t.co/zo1zwqnh58— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) September 26, 2020

Staal is not a big point producer, but he’s a steady defenseman who helps stabilize the Wings’ blueline.

The pick is in 2021. https://t.co/27eHXiBg7c— John Shannon (@JShannonhl) September 26, 2020

Here’s the Wings’ press release:

Continue reading Rumor via KK: Rangers defenseman Marc Staal heading to Detroit?

Prospect round-up: Berggren posts 1A, Kivenmaki scores, Brattstrom stops 19 shots on a busy Saturday

Of prospect-related note on a Saturday evening:

In the SHL, Jonatan Berggren had an assist, 3 shots, and finished at -1 in 15:46 of ice time as Skelleftea AIK lost 3-1 to Matias Brome and Orebro HK; Brome finished at +1 in 12:56 for Orebro. You can watch the highlights of the game here;

Albert Johansson registered 2 shots and a -1 in 17:20 of ice time as Farjestads BK lost 5-3 to Brynas; highlights are available in the game recap;

In the Finnish Liiga, Victor Brattstrom stopped 19 of 20 shots as KooKoo won 5-1 over Jukurik;

Otto Kivenmaki scored the only goal in 19:37 of ice time and Kasper Kotkansalo played 19:30 as Assat Pori won 1-0 over the Jared McIsaac-less HPK;

And in Belarus, per Red Wings Prospects on Twitter, Kirill Tyutyayev had an assist as Yunost Minsk won 5-4 over Mogilev.

‘Intelligence from Edmonton’: former Wings GM Holland expects trading season to begin after the Cup Final concludes

I perused my Google email alerts a couple minutes ago, and I found an interesting take on exactly when NHL fans might be able to expect some trades to happen. The answer, from Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland (as told to the Edmonton Sun’s Terry Jones), is “soon”:

“We had some pretty complete [staffing] meetings on Zoom about 10 days ago. Now it’s up to me to work the phones,” said Holland, who actually resides in a condo a few floors above the ones currently being occupied by the Stars and Lightning in the J.W. Marriott.

“I would say to you that it’s going to get very active in very, very short order here,” the Oilers general manager said in a one-on-one interview with your correspondent as he anticipated the walk from his condo in the J.W. Marriott to his office in Rogers Place no longer requiring a detour around the bubble, since the Oilers’ departure from the playoffs four games into the play-in qualifying series.

“I’ve been on the phone almost constantly with other general managers in the past several days. I think there going to be a lot of movement next week. Right now, everybody is working the phones and trying to find fits. If philosophically there look to be some possible fits between your team and somebody else’s team, you start to dive a little bit deeper.

“I would anticipate most of the trades happen next week leading up to the draft.”

When I asked the Oilers GM just how active he thought he could be with his salary cap complications, there was a bit of a pause.

“Not very,” he finally said. “We’re probably like at least half the teams in the league, and maybe more.”

Continued; as Yzerman is so averse to speaking with the media, one must take one’s estimations of the marketplace from where you can get ’em.

Sam Gagner’s comments regarding his re-signing emphasize his importance as a productive role model

The Red Wings re-signed Sam Gagner to a 1-year, $850,000 contract extension today. It’s a ridiculously affordable signing which provides the Red Wings with a “veteran” leader who isn’t ancient at 31 years of age, and when Gagner himself spoke with the media regarding his re-signing, he emphasized points that summarize his status as effectively a “playing coach” as well as a useful 3rd line center who can contribute on the power play.

The Free Press posted a video of Gagner’s Zoom call…

And the Free Press’s Helene St. James posted some of Gagner’s remarks…

Continue reading Sam Gagner’s comments regarding his re-signing emphasize his importance as a productive role model

Grand Rapids Griffins confirm Turner Elson’s re-signing

Yesterday night, PuckPedia reported that the Red Wings had re-signed Grand Rapids Griffins forward Turner Elson to a one-year contract, and today, the Griffins confirmed the signing:

Elson Signs One-Year Extension

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Detroit Red Wings on Saturday signed center Turner Elson to a one-year contract extension.
 
Elson, 28, has spent the last three seasons with the Grand Rapids Griffins, totaling 82 points (36-46—82), a plus-32 rating and 174 penalty minutes in 190 games. After compiling career-highs with 18 goals, 21 assists and 39 points in 2018-19, he posted 22 points (9-13—22) in 61 games during the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season, pacing the team with a plus-eight rating while tying for second with three game-winning goals.
 
Including the team-high three shorthanded goals that he scored in 2018-19, Elson’s five career shorthanded tallies tie for seventh in franchise history.
 
Since making his professional debut with the Abbotsford Heat at the end of the 2011-12 season, the 5-foot-11, 185-pound forward has appeared in 365 career American Hockey League contests between Abbotsford (2011-14), Adirondack (2014-15), Stockton (2015-16), San Antonio (2016-17) and Grand Rapids and compiled 148 points (70-78—148), a plus-22 rating and 318 PIM. He has skated in 10 Calder Cup Playoff games, all as a Griffin, totaling six points (4-2—6).
 
Elson made his NHL debut with the Calgary Flames on April 9, 2016, against Minnesota and logged his first point on an assist. He won the 2014 Kelly Cup as a member of the ECHL’s Alaska Aces during his first full season as a pro, tallying 15 points (5-10—15) in 18 regular season games before scoring 11 points (7-4—11) in 21 postseason tilts.
 
A native of New Westminster, British Columbia, Elson appeared in 253 games with Red Deer of the Western Hockey League from 2009-2013 and racked up 151 points (72-79—151) and 337 PIM.
 

The Red Wings confirmed the signing as well.

Red Wings re-sign Sam Gagner for 1 year at $850,000

The Detroit Red Wings are starting to build their 2020-2021 roster. Yesterday, they signed Turner Elson to a 1-year deal to assist the Grand Rapids Griffins, and today, they’ve signed Sam Ganger to a 1-year deal:

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today signed center Sam Gagner to a one-year contract extension

Gagner, 31, was acquired by Detroit on Feb. 24 along with a second-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and a second-round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for forwards Andreas Athanasiou and Ryan Kuffner. The 13-year NHL veteran went on to score one goal in six games with the Red Wings, totaling 13 points (6-7-13) and 12 penalty minutes in 42 combined NHL games between Detroit and Edmonton in 2019-20. Gagner has appeared in 844 career NHL contests with the Oilers, Arizona Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Vancouver Canucks and Red Wings, tallying 459 points (164-295-459) and 380 penalty minutes since 2007-08. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound forward has also appeared in parts of three American Hockey League seasons with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Toronto Marlies and Bakersfield Condors, totaling 47 points (15-32-47) and 21 penalty minutes in 56 games between 2015-20.

Originally drafted in the first round (sixth overall) by Edmonton in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Gagner made the NHL as an 18-year-old after splitting his junior career between the United States Hockey League’s Sioux City Musketeers (2005-06) and Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights (2006-07), logging 46 points (11-35-46) in 56 USHL games and racking up 118 points (35-83-118) in 53 OHL games prior to being drafted. The London, Ontario, native has also represented Canada internationally on several occasions, notably winning gold medals at the 2007 IIHF World Junior Championship and the 2012 Spengler Cup, along with a silver medal at the 2008 IIHF World Championship.

MLive’s Ansar Khan reports that the deal is a 1-year, 1-way contract for $850,000; the Free Press’s Helene St. James confirms and calls it a “no-risk signing.”

Jonatan Berggren discusses his injuries and inspiration with Hockeysverige.se

Red Wings prospect Jonatan Berggren has battled through back and shoulder issues over the past two seasons, having surgery to repair his shoulder last year. This morning, Berggren engages in an interview with Hockeysverige.se’s Mans Karlsson, discussing his injury-riddled past, his healthier present and his goals for the future. What follows is roughly translated from Swedish:

“The injuries will help me get better in the long run”

After two seasons of injury hell, the Skelleftea prospect is ready to take the SHL by storm.

It’s only this year that Jonatan Berggren makes the senior team, but it feels that he hasn’t been with us for any real length of time. His career so far has been defined by injuries as much as his fine play in the Skelleftea jersey. But Berggren himself is convinced that the hell he’s gone through will help him in the long run. This is an interview about the two difficult injuries–but it’s just as much an interview about positivity and the longing to play an entire season.

Continue reading Jonatan Berggren discusses his injuries and inspiration with Hockeysverige.se

Puckpedia reports that the Red Wings have re-signed Griffins forward Turner Elson

Per PuckPedia on Twitter: it appears that the Red Wings have re-signed Grand Rapids Griffins forward Turner Elson:

The #RedWings re-signed 28 y/o pending UFA C Turner Elson to 1 Year Extension:

-$725K NHL, $115K Minors
-22P in 61 AHL GL
-Represented by Jason Davidson @tcnewsfeed https://t.co/QIVlbAK3Q6— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) September 25, 2020