Month: July 2021

Presser highlights: Marc Staal’s happy to remain part of the Wings organization

Updated at 6:20 AM: The Red Wings chose to re-sign 34-year-old defenseman Marc Staal to a 1-year, $2 million contract on Sunday, adding a full no-movement clause to the mix to ensure that the 6’3″ defenseman would remain a Wing, and Staal spoke with the media regarding his decision to stay on a rebuilding Detroit team on Monday morning:

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan found that Staal is genuinely happy about re-signing with the Wings…

“I told you guys (reporters) at the of the year, during the year, I really enjoyed myself (in Detroit),” Staal said Monday during a media Zoom call. “The organization, the team, the way we were playing, what’s been going on there (offseason moves), it’s fun to be a part of.

“You never know what you’re going to have in free agency and I was curious to get there. But Steve (general manager Steve Yzerman) reached out and made an offer, and like I said before, I had fun playing (in Detroit).”

Staal, 34, also asked, and received, a no-move clause from Yzerman.

“Getting something concrete down where I can move my family down there now and do that stuff, at this time, it was the best decision,” Staal said. “I have three young kids and it was important to me. Not to say I’d say no to an opportunity (at the trade deadline, if it occurs) but with the young family and you never know what’ll be the situation when you get to that time of the year (trade deadline). To be able to control it a little bit at the trade deadline was important.

“Steve was willing to do that for me and I appreciate that. You never know what’s going to happen, but it’s a nice thing to have.”

Kulfan continues; Staal also told DetroitRedWings.com’s Josh Berenter that he’s bought into the Wings’ attempts to improve its roster:

Continue reading Presser highlights: Marc Staal’s happy to remain part of the Wings organization

As the Wings’ beat writers survey the UFA marketplace, there’s one target on my list: Pius Suter

Ahead of the start of unrestricted free agency on Wednesday, the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan, Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen and The Athletic’s Max Bultman have all considered the free agent marketplace as it applies to the Red Wings’ desire to add a couple of forwards to their mix, but there’s only one player that’s truly “on my radar,” via Bultman:

Perhaps the most surprising name to go unqualified Monday was Blackhawks centerman Pius Suter, who put up nearly a half-point per game as a rookie last season in Chicago. Red Wings fans will remember he scored his first career goal against the Red Wings — as well as two more in the same game to complete the hat trick.

In fact, he scored five goals against Detroit last season, so the Red Wings brass should be plenty familiar with his name. He was a breakout player for the Blackhawks, playing 16 minutes per night, and playing a premium position at age 25, he immediately becomes a player of interest for teams looking for centers — which should be just about all of them.

Can the rebuilding Red Wings get him on board? They certainly can’t sell him on Stanley Cup contention, but they may be able to offer some of the most available playing time, with the potential to slot onto the second line. Suter’s 27 points last season would have led the Red Wings.

Continued (paywall); Bultman suggests that Nick Ritchie, Dominik Kahun, Ondrej Kase and Ryan Donato could all be “fits” for the Wings, but in my book, you go for the sniper.

ESPN ponders Sebastian Cossa’s fantasy hockey value

ESPN’s Victoria Mataiash pondered the fantasy hockey value, in both present and future tenses, of the NHL’s 2021 first-round draft picks, and she discussed Sebastian Cossa’s possible “upside” with ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski:

Sebastian Cossa, G, Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton (WHL) Selected: 15, Draft board ranking: 14

Wyshynski: “… Cossa stands 6-foot-6 and has good agility in the crease. He went 17-1-1 with a .941 save percentage for the Edmonton Oil Kings. After Keith Petruzzelli opted not to sign with the Red Wings, the team didn’t really have anyone in the mold of a goalie of the future. Cossa fits that mold, and fits the M.O. of GM Steve Yzerman. Back in 2012, he didn’t have a goalie of the future with the Lightning, so he drafted a kid from the Russian juniors in the first round. That kid just won the Conn Smythe and his second straight Stanley Cup: Andrei Vasilevskiy.”

One of the more obvious no-brainer fantasy selections available, Cossa is pegged to be the starting netminder for an Yzerman-built team that should emerge from its re-building cocoon in the not-too-distant future. There should be a fight over this prospect in every dynasty league on the planet. Any goalie can fall short of expectations for different reasons, but Cossa feels as near a sure-bet as one could ask. With so few performing at an elite level with true consistency, such a promising figure is worth the gamble. But patience is in order. Cossa isn’t starting for the Wings tomorrow.

Continued; patience is required where Cossa is concerned, because goaltenders take several years to develop, but there’s no doubt that he is the Wings’ “goalie of the future” by default.

The Fourth Period’s Pagnotta updates Tyler Bertuzzi’s situation

We don’t know yet whether the Red Wings will attempt to re-sign or trade Tyler Bertuzzi, but The Fourth Period’s Tyler Pagnotta has been hammering the trade drum for the past couple of weeks, and Pagnotta added this to the mix on Monday afternoon:

Gustav Lindstrom re-signs for two years, $1.6 million ($850K per season)

The Red Wings have retained Gustav Lindstrom’s services for the next two seasons.

The Red Wings posted a press release regarding Lindstrom’s re-signing…

DETROIT — The Detroit Red Wings today agreed to terms with defenseman Gustav Lindstrom on a two-year contract extension.

Lindstrom, 22, played in three different leagues during the 2020-21 campaign, finishing the season with a 13-game stint with the Red Wings where he logged three points (0-3-3), a plus-one rating, 14 hits and 17 blocked shots in 16:07 average time on ice. Lindstrom also skated in 13 games with the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins, registering three points (0-3-3) and eight penalty minutes. A native of Ostervala, Sweden, Lindstrom began the season with Almtuna IS in second-tier Sweden, picking up 11 points (0-11-11) and 20 penalty minutes in 20 games. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound defenseman has spent the majority of the last two seasons in North America, totaling four points (0-4-4) and 14 penalty minutes in 29 NHL games with Detroit and eight points (0-8-8) and 34 penalty minutes in 58 AHL games with Grand Rapids.

Originally drafted by the Red Wings in the second round (38th overall) of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Lindstrom also played three full seasons professionally in Sweden prior to moving to North America. In 2018-19, Lindstrom helped Frolunda HC win a Swedish Hockey League championship, posting six points (3-3-6) and 50 penalty minutes in 40 regular-season games, in addition to posting six points (2-4-6) in 11 games as Frolunda also won the Champions League tournament. He’s also appeared in 107 games with Almtuna over two stints, tallying 34 points (8-26-34) and 80 penalty minutes in 107 games. Lindstrom also picked up a silver medal for Sweden at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship, notching one assist in seven games. Prior to turning pro, Lindstrom totaled 14 points (6-8-14) in nine games in the Swedish under-20 league and 51 points (20-31-51) in 59 games in the under-18 leagues for Almtuna.

And the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted the terms thereof:

On Monday, the Red Wings also signed restricted free agent defenseman Gustav Lindstrom to a two-year contract, worth $1.7 million ($850,000 salary cap hit).

Lindstrom, 22, played in 13 games with the Wings last season, with no goals and three assists. He has no goals and four assists in 29 games in the NHL over the last two seasons.

Red Wings choose to not qualify Svechnikov, Brome, Djoos, Verbeek

Per CapFriendly:

Update: Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff explains why the Wings parted ways with Svechnikov:

The Wings did indicate that they’d be willing to discuss signing Svechnikov to a two-way deal. However, Svechnikov’s agent Todd Diamond acknowledged that they would be testing the open market. NHL teams can begin signing UFAs on July 28.

“They let us know they will not be qualifying him at this time but are open to a two-way contract,” Todd Diamond said. “We’ll see what things look like (in the market) and regroup from there.

…

“It’s been a while (for Svechnikov in the organization), he’s had a lot of injuries,” Diamond admitted. “He could have gotten a new opportunity last season. He played hurt. It didn’t happen.

“Maybe it’ll work out for the best and he’ll get a chance to compete with another team.”

Svechnikov played three games in the KHL for Ak Bars Kazan in 2013-14 but Diamond indicated that his client would prefer to play in North America. He also haven’t ruled out returning to Wings on the two-way if he doesn’t get a solid offer from another NHL organization.

Update #2: Here’s a bit more from MLive’s Ansar Khan:

Continue reading Red Wings choose to not qualify Svechnikov, Brome, Djoos, Verbeek

Khan on Cossa’s swagger

MLive’s Ansar Khan has posted a post-draft article discussing Red Wings goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa’s immense self-belief:

“Obviously there’s high expectations in Detroit and I want to live up to that,” Cossa said. “I have high expectations for myself. I love the pressure; I love the stress that comes with it. Obviously, I don’t get stressed, but just the pressure of being that last guy back there and kind of being the villain or the hero.”

Cossa has a swagger about him. He likes to talk a little bit on the ice.

“I’m not afraid to throw a chirp around and I definitely stand my own ground,” Cossa said. “I don’t get bullied out there for sure.”

Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman described Cossa as articulate, personable, confident, and definitely not shy.

“From everyone we talked to, from watching him over the last two years, our guys are confident that he has the mental makeup that it takes to be a real good goalie,” Yzerman said.

Khan continues, speaking with both Yzerman and Kris Draper about the Wings’ due diligence regarding their new top goaltending prospect…