Month: January 2021

Kulfan’s notebook: Wings living in a coronavirus world

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed a pre-scrimmage notebook which focuses on the fact that the Red Wings find themselves having to navigate through the sticky wicket that is avoiding the coronavirus as their 2020-2021 season looms:

“We’re going to do the best we can, be as safe as we can while we’re here and when we’re at home,” forward Luke Glendening said. “It’s part of the reality of what we’re living in.”

Players are distancing in the locker room and masks are commonly worn when not on the ice. But the challenge for every team might be increased when teams begin going on the road, as schedules begin to be unhinged.

“We’re going to be confined to our hotel on the road,” forward Dylan Larkin said. “There won’t be much outside contact. From what I’ve heard, all meals will be at the hotel. You can go for a walk with a mask, but that’s about it. That’s OK.

“We’re willing to do that because we want to play. We’re trying to be safe as possible. It’s a concern as we get traveling and there’s more contact outside of what we usually have at LCA. Our guys are really committed to wearing a mask and doing all the right things.”

Continued

Here are the rosters for the 3rd scrimmage, a.k.a. the ‘Red vs. White Game’

From the Red Wings:

What are you hoping to see during tonight’s final ‘Red vs. White’ game?

The Red Wings will engage in their third and final training camp scrimmage via tonight’s Red vs. White Game (7 PM EST on DetroitRedWings.com), and the final tune-up before the regular season begins on Thursday and Saturday vs. Carolina.

My hopes for tonight are to see the Wings’ secondary and tertiary scorers (i.e. the 2nd, 3rd and 4th lines) step up, to see the pace of play continue to increase, and to witness sharper and crisper execution in terms of passing, shooting and systems play.

I’m not quite as concerned about individual players displaying improved play as I am concerned about witnessing some cohesion start to develop as the Wings ride the fine line between attempting to replicate game pace while also attempting to not injure their teammates by attacking each other with 100% regular season level physicality. It wouldn’t hurt if one or two of the Wings’ prospects take a step forward, either, though it’s highly likely that players like Michael Rasmussen, Dennis Cholowski, Gustav Lindstrom, Givani Smith and Evgeny Svechnikov will begin their 20-21 campaigns on the “taxi squad.”

Continue reading What are you hoping to see during tonight’s final ‘Red vs. White’ game?

Sportsnet’s Sadler previews the Central Division, Wings included

Sportsnet’s Emily Sadler previews the NHL’s Central Division this morning, and here’s what she has to say about the Detroit Red Wings:

DETROIT RED WINGS

2019-20 record: 17-49-5, last in NHL
2019-20 finish: Missed playoffs, got robbed of No. 1 overall pick
2019-20 top scorer: Dylan Larkin (19G, 34A, 53 PTS)

Major off-season additions: F Bobby Ryan, F Vladislav Namestnikov, D Marc Staal, D Troy Stecher, D Jon Merrill, G Thomas Greiss

Major off-season losses: F Justin Abdelkader (buyout), F Brendan Perlini, D Trevor Daley (retired), G Jimmy Howard

Best-case scenario: This one’s tough, as a rebuilding team’s idea of success isn’t always the best-case scenario, but with much of GM Steve Yzerman’s tear-down complete, we start seeing the young guns get their chances. Guided by veterans like Bobby Ryan and Marc Staal and pushed offensively by professional rebuilder Vladislav Namestnikov, we start to see the foundation of what Detroit can be. Moral victories aren’t the only wins here.

Worst-case scenario: The team limps through the season with few victories — moral or otherwise — ready to claim their rightful place atop the draft board only to have a bunch of ping pong balls declare otherwise and send the game’s top prospect to New York. Wait a sec…

Continued

A pair of Wings articles from the Free Press: St. James on the ‘state of the rebuild,’ and a trio of staff predictions

The Free Press posted two articles this morning. The first comes from Helene St. James, who suggests that the Red Wings will improve by a fair amount as they continue to rebuild the organization this upcoming season…

The Wings have looked sharp in camp, making do with scrimmages in the absence of exhibition games. For a team that has not played a game since last March, this week of practices, and the promise of what’s ahead, has been encouraging.

“The new guys have made a great impression on a lot of us,” Dylan Larkin said. “We seem to be jelling as a team. It’s hard to grab stuff out of red-white games, but certain guys have looked good. Anthony Mantha certainly has looked good and dangerous. If he can stay healthy and produce, that helps our team a lot.

“It’s been a long 10 months. We’re excited as a team. It’s going to be great to have game one here against Carolina and from there it’s going to go pretty fast with games almost every other night.”

On opening night, Larkin is expected to be wearing a ‘C’ on his sweater, as Yzerman has said he plans to name a new captain.

Continued (paywall);

And the Free Press’s staff writers–St. James, Jeff Seidel and Shawn Windsor–made predictions as to what will happen during the upcoming season:

Shawn Windsor

Best-case scenario: The young guys keep improving and the team occasionally takes a heavyweight down. Also: stay healthy.

Worst-case scenario: Injuries to youngsters, of course. Any wasted develop time would be a setback.

Breakout player: Filip Zadina, who else? A creative and gifted skater and scorer should get all the time he needs to show he’s ready.  

Goals leader: Anthony Mantha. He found ways to score on the league’s worst offensive team a year ago before injuries and the pandemic shortened his season. If he stays healthy, he should build on the promise — and production — he flashed last season. 

Will they make the playoffs: No. Not likely. This season isn’t about the playoffs anyway. It’s about staying healthy and building chemistry and getting better and trading for more assets.  

Continued

Greiss (and Bernier) rank far down the list of The Athletic’s ‘Goalie Tiers’

The Athletic’s Craig Custance employed an anonymous panel of GM’s, head coaches and goalie coaches to rank the NHL’s starting goaltenders from 1 to 31, and they 1) chose Red Wings goaltender Thomas Greiss as the team’s starter and 2) ranked Greiss far down the list:

27 (tie). Thomas Greiss, Red Wings

Average 2021 tier rating: 3.37

Greiss is going from a very structured, strong defensive team in the Islanders to, well, one that is not. This spot very could be Jonathan Bernier, who was actually pretty good last season in a tough situation. The Red Wings seemed to realize that Bernier does well with a heavy workload, and it’s possible he plays more than Greiss, who has had success as a spot starter. But Greiss got the offseason contract after a solid five seasons with the Islanders. The question is: Can he do that in Detroit?

“I like Greiss a lot. I think he’s underrated. We’ll see how he does now,” said one panelist.

Added a head coach: “Greiss is better than a lot of the goalies on this list.”

This seemed to be a fair summation of the goalie situation in Detroit: “(Greiss is) a good quality backup goalie. I don’t think he’s a No. 1 guy. I don’t see him doing any better than Jonathan Bernier. They’re comparable goalies.”

Continued (paywall)

Bultman discusses Red Wings assistant GM Ryan Martin’s role in the U.S. WJC win

This is an excellent article from The Athletic’s Max Bultman:

As the United States’ world junior team stormed the ice in Edmonton on Tuesday night, celebrating the country’s first gold medal at the event since 2017, Ryan Martin was off in the background, where he prefers it.

In his ninth world junior tournament working in player personnel for the U.S. — and throughout his time as Red Wings assistant general manager and general manager of the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins — Martin has experienced his share of championship celebrations before. None, however, featured circumstances like these.

Team USA’s 2-0 upset victory over Canada capped a tournament in which participants spent an entire month away from their families, split their time almost exclusively between the team hotel and the rink and, in Martin’s case, did so while also balancing obligations back in Detroit and Grand Rapids.

“It was a tournament like none other,” Martin said, and the players’ swarming celebration in a mostly empty Rogers Place reflected that.

Continued (paywall)

Prospect Round-up: Petruzzelli, Gylander earn wins; Holway, Stange post assists on busy NCAA Saturday night

Of prospect-related note in North America from Saturday’s action:

In the USHL, Kienan Draper finished at -1 with no shots in the Omaha Lancers’ 3-1 loss to Fargo. The game was Draper’s first in the USHL after coming over from the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs;

Birthday boy (19) Chase Bradley finished even with 3 shots and 2 minor penalties as his Sioux City Musketeers lost 2-1 to Kyle Aucoin’s Tri-City Storm. Aucoin finished even with 1 shot, and his penalty taken was a coincidental minor for roughing on Bradley;

In NCAA Hockey, Keith Petruzzelli stopped 18 of 21 shots as his Quinnipiac Bobcats won a 4-3 OT decision over Clarkson;

Carter Gylander stopped 32 of 34 shots as his Colgate Raiders won 4-2 over St. Lawrence;

Continue reading Prospect Round-up: Petruzzelli, Gylander earn wins; Holway, Stange post assists on busy NCAA Saturday night