Fox Sports Detroit color commentator/analyst Larry Murphy discussed his move to the Detroit Red Wings during the 1996-97 season via trade, and winning 2 Stanley Cups with the Wings as a result:
Month: August 2021
Duff ponders whether a Coyotes move East would send the Wings West (again)
The news that the Arizona Coyotes would not have a hockey home at Gila River Arena after the 2021-2022 season spurned much discussion on social media and elsewhere yesterday.
While Gary Bettman insisted that the Coyotes will remain in Arizona, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff states the obvious: with an NHL-ready arena in Quebec City’s Centre Videotron, and some sort of move possible but not probable, it’s conceivable to suggest that, should the Coyotes head to Quebec City, Detroit would be the team moving West, as unlikely as a Coyotes move might be:
Suppose they go to Quebec. The NHL already has 16 teams in the Eastern time zone. Some club would need to head to the Western Conference to balance the books and the budget.
Logically, that team would probably be the Red Wings. In 2013, the Wings were moved from the West to the East. Going back to the West would increase the team’s travel budget but considered the dearth of quality clubs on that side of the NHL, might improve their playoff chances during the current rebuild.
Duff continues; I don’t expect the Coyotes to relocate anywhere outside of Arizona, either, but a Yotes-to-Quebec scenario would have many Wings fans stocking up on Visine and caffeine for more West Coast swings.
Tweet of note: Praise for Simon Edvinsson’s preseason
IceHockeyGifs posted a snippet of a behind-the-paywall article from GP.se this morning, in which Frolunda Indians coach Roger Ronnberg praises Red Wings 6th overall draft pick Simon Edvinsson amidst a strong SHL preseason’s worth of play:
https://t.co/KTFuxLBHLz
Coach Roger Rönnberg about Simon Edvinsson’s preseason:
“- I knew he was good, but that he’s able to play shift after shift at such a high level, being so calm with and without the puck.. it was surprising!”
Simon has grown to 198cm (6’6”) tall. #LGRW— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) August 20, 2021
And in the FYI department:
I’m sure that other folks have covered this one, but the Frolunda Indians announced that they’ll call themselves “Frolunda HC” starting on September 1st.https://t.co/1Rf1QL5b5Mhttps://t.co/mDhEL8eh9I
The new logo, nickname and uniform come next year.— George Malik (@georgemalik) August 20, 2021
Frolunda’s chairman, Mats Grauers, tells GT.se’s Leotrim Jusufi that the team “ran out of time” to order new uniforms for the 2021-2022 season, so they’ll still wear the Indian head logo for one more year, but sometime around the new year, the team will unveil its new nickname.
Talking about a 2018 re-draft
It’s not hard to suggest that the last sin of the Ken Holland-era administration took place at the 2018 NHL draft, when the Wings passed on defenseman Quinn Hughes to take Filip Zadina with the 6th overall pick in the ’18 draft.
In retrospect, Hughes would have been a perfect fit on the Red Wings’ blueline; the fact that the then-Tyler Wright-led draft staff had Oilers prospect Evan Bouchard ranked higher than Hughes, and Zadina even higher, is a little concerning, and that’s just part of the reason why Kris Draper and company took over for the 2020 and 2021 drafts.
That being said, many Red Wings fans still believe that Zadina has star potential.
The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler is not one of those people. Wheeler conducts a re-draft of the 2018 class of prospects this morning, and he ranks Zadina as the 11th-best prospect available, with Zadina falling to the New York Islanders, due to concerns about Zadina’s ability to play at NHL pace:
11. New York Islanders: RW/LW Filip Zadina
Actual draft pick: No. 6 (change: -5) to Detroit
My final ranking: No. 3 (change: -8)If I was right about my reluctance in ranking [Jesperi] Kotkaniemi in the top five, I was wrong about slotting Zadina there in retrospect. Zadina was the player who bounced between third and fourth on my list with Hughes and I was pretty firm in my belief that they were the best two prospects after Dahlin and Svechnikov were picked. I got one of those players right and the other wrong. I still think Zadina has one of the more high-end skill packages at the time but I should have been more cognizant of the troubles his pace and decision-making would present him as he progressed beyond the junior level and he wasn’t able to hang onto the puck quite like he was accustomed to. I still think he’s going to settle in as an offensively gifted middle-six forward who can do some damage on the power play. But I believed he was on a 60-70 point player trajectory and that now looks very unlikely.
Wheeler continues (paywall), having the Red Wings draft now-Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Adam Boqvist instead.
The good news about his re-draft is that Jonatan Berggren does slot into Wheeler’s first-round draft class at 18th overall, but the “bad news” is that the Wings’ second first-round pick, Joe Veleno, earns an “honorable mention” instead of a spot in the top 31.
Continue reading Talking about a 2018 re-draftA bit about the Frans Nielsen buyout
CapFriendly revealed that the Red Wings are going to buy out Frans Nielsen today, and the “takes” came raining down from The Athletic’s Sean Gentille, the Hockey News’s Mike Stephens, Sportsnet, MLive’s Ansar Khan, the Free Press’s Marlowe Alter, Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen, etc.
The consensus is the same regarding the native of Herning, Denmark: Frans Nielsen, now 37, has outlived his usefulness as an NHL player. He was waived and on the taxi squad at times last season, and while Ken Holland himself suggested that Nielsen’s contract might not age well in its final years…
The $4.75 million cap hit that the Wings are saddled with (and $1 million in actual dollars) for the two seasons ($4.25 million this upcoming season, and only $500,000 in 2022-2023) are worth the investment.
With the #Red Wings settling their Arb case with Adam Erne 4 days ago, the club had access to a second buyout window.
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) August 19, 2021
As a result, Detroit has opted to buyout 37 year old forward Frans Nielsen.
Buyout Breakdown:
2021-22: $4,250,000
2022-23: $500,000https://t.co/PuBFpDdokW pic.twitter.com/vuFFa24fUe
As many have suggested, the Nielsen that the Red Wings signed in 2016, when Ken Holland swung and missed at signing Steven Stamkos (who did not even consider the Red Wings’ offer), inking Nielsen and Thomas Vanek instead…Was not the Nielsen that was playing and sitting for the Red Wings during the 2020-2021 season. Nielsen appeared exhausted from the Red Wings’ losses, and the grind of professional hockey.
In a happy world, he goes home and plays for the Herning Blue Fox of the Dansk Metal League this upcoming season, wrapping up his pro career in his hometown, a Danish NHL pioneer and idol of many of his contemporaries who simply never lived up to the expectations he was given as “Pavel Datsyuk’s replacement” in Detroit.
More than anything, Nielsen’s departure frees up a roster spot for a younger, hungrier and less beaten-down-by-the-losing player on the Wings’ forward roster.
This also closes a chapter of late-era Ken Holland signings that bit the Wings in the butt (via dead weight on the cap in the form of Nielsen and Justin Abdelkader’s buyouts), and it’s just a relief to know that the late-Holland era of Red Wings roster-filling has passed us by.
Nielsen’s departure doesn’t guarantee improvement, but it helps forge a younger, leaner and hungrier Red Wings roster, from stem to stern, and that’s the direction this team needs to take starting in mid-September.
MLive: Jeff Blashill to play in Ally Challenge
MLive’s Brendan Savage reports that Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill will take part in the Ally Challenge in Grand Blanc, MI:
Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill will be teeing it up alongside three Hall of Famers in the Ally Challenge Celebrity Shootout Aug. 28 at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club in Grand Blanc Twp.
Blashill will join Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino and Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo in the Celebrity Shootout, which will raise money for six Southeastern Michigan charities.
The nine-hole event will feature a $30,000 purse and will have a new format this year. The players will switch partners every three holes and will play a match-play scramble.
Each team will be playing for a specific charity and each hole will be assigned a dollar value.
“I’m thrilled to join the lineup for the Celebrity Shootout and look forward to raising money for charitable organizations in my home state of Michigan,” Blashill said in a statement. “Having the opportunity to play alongside golf legends Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino is incredibly exciting and I hope along the way to pick up a few tips to improve my game.”
Red Wings to buy out Frans Nielsen
Per CapFriendly on Twitter:
With the #Red Wings settling their Arb case with Adam Erne 4 days ago, the club had access to a second buyout window.
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) August 19, 2021
As a result, Detroit has opted to buyout 37 year old forward Frans Nielsen.
Buyout Breakdown:
2021-22: $4,250,000
2022-23: $500,000https://t.co/PuBFpDdokW pic.twitter.com/vuFFa24fUe
Red Wings name Verbeek GM of Grand Rapids Griffins
Per the Detroit Red Wings:
RED WINGS ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER PAT VERBEEK NAMED GENERAL MANAGER OF GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS
DETROIT – Detroit Red Wings executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman today announced that Pat Verbeek will assume general manager duties of the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Verbeek will also continue in his role as assistant general manager of the Red Wings.
Verbeek, 57, is beginning his third season as assistant general manager with the Red Wings and his ninth season overall with the organization, in addition to spending four years as a professional scout (2006-10) and two years as a player (1999-01). Verbeek has 15 years of front-office experience overall, as he also worked alongside Yzerman with the Tampa Bay Lightning for nine seasons as director of professional scouting (2010-12) and assistant general manager and director of player personnel (2012-19) prior to rejoining the Red Wings before the 2019-20 season. In his expanded role with the Griffins, Verbeek will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the team, including personnel decisions, contract negotiation and player movement.
“The Griffins are a first-class organization, and Grand Rapids is a fantastic market for hockey,” said Verbeek. “Both of those factors are critical in the successful development of prospects in the American Hockey League and the ability to help them get to the next level. I look forward to continuing the winning culture in Grand Rapids and providing our prospects every necessary resource to develop as professionals and become impactful players in the NHL.”
The Red Wings and Griffins have been affiliated since the 2002-03 season, and Detroit has overseen all hockey operations matters for Grand Rapids since 2011-12. The Griffins rank as one of the most successful AHL franchises on and off the ice, annually ranking among league leaders in attendance in addition to winning Calder Cup championships in 2013 and 2017. Grand Rapids has qualified for the playoffs in seven-consecutive seasons, excluding the last two seasons in which a full AHL postseason was not held due to the COVID pandemic. The franchise has also captured three division championships and one regular-season title since affiliating with Detroit. The Griffins have produced 59 players who made their NHL debuts with Detroit, with a total of 105 players overall who have debuted or returned to the NHL with the Red Wings after playing for Grand Rapids.
“We’ve been fortunate to win Calder Cups under the leadership of both Ryan Martin and Jim Nill, and we’re excited at the opportunity to now work with Pat in pursuit of our mutual goals of developing players for the Red Wings and winning championships in Grand Rapids,” said Griffins president Tim Gortsema. “His experience and proven hockey acumen put us in a prime position to continue fielding competitive hockey teams now and into the future.”
As a player, Verbeek logged 1,063 points (521-541-1,063) and 2,905 penalty minutes over a 1,424-game NHL career, spent with the New Jersey Devils (1982-89), Hartford Whalers (1989-95), New York Rangers (1994-96), Dallas Stars (1996-99; 01-02) and Red Wings (1999-01). In 135 games with Detroit, Verbeek notched 78 points (37-41-78). His career accomplishments include two appearances at the NHL All-Star Game (1991, 1996), gold (1994) and silver (1989) medals for Canada at the IIHF World Championship and a 1999 Stanley Cup championship with Dallas.
Toledo Walleye sign defenseman Chris McKay
The Toledo Walleye have signed defenseman Chris McKay this morning:
? PLAYER ANNOUNCEMENT ?
Defenseman Chris McKay joins the Walleye for our 2021-22 season.
? https://t.co/AZpaLgbYPz pic.twitter.com/7uc3KyKFXk— Toledo Walleye (@ToledoWalleye) August 19, 2021
Here’s more from the Walleye:
(Toledo, OH) – Defenseman Chris McKay has agreed to terms with the Toledo Walleye for the 2021-2022 season.
McKay, a native of Edmonton, Alberta, joins the Walleye after spending his first pro season with the Pensacola Ice Flyers of the SPHL. In 32 contests he collected a pair of assists with 13 penalty minutes. McKay added in another assist in four playoff contests. “
Chris won a championship last season with Pensacola. This experience will help Chris continue his development at the next level. Chris is a big defender who can play many different roles on a team. I’m looking forward to seeing Chris compete during camp.” –Head Coach Dan Watson
Prior to turning professional, the 25-year-old spent four years at the Rochester Institute of Technology where he played in at least 20 contests every season. McKay posted a career-best three goals with eight assists in 35 games as a senior in 2019-2020. The 6’4”, 214-pound defenseman totaled 123 games played for the Tigers with five goals, 23 assists, and 167 penalty minutes.
DetroitRedWings.com’s McWethy discusses the Wings’ ‘reset’ on defense
Nine days ago, DetroitRedWings.com’s Josh Berenter examined the Red Wings’ roster “reset” at forward, and, this morning, Brett McWethy discusses the Wings’ changes on defense:
When considering the club’s draft strategy the past few seasons, it may appear that a youth movement is alive and well along the blueline for the Detroit Red Wings. Dig a little deeper, and you’ll find a seasoned position group with a wealth of NHL experience.
Since becoming the Red Wings’ Executive Vice President and General Manager prior to the 2019-20 season, Steve Yzerman has had defensive depth on his mind. Yzerman and his amateur scouting staff have selected 13 defensemen, including a combined six blueliners in the first and second rounds of the NHL Entry Draft.
The prevailing thought in Hockeytown is that Moritz Seider, selected with the sixth overall pick in 2019, is next in line and will plug in on defense for the 2021-22 season. While he figures to have every chance to make the Opening Night roster, Seider will undoubtedly need to earn his spot with a solid performance and a standout compete level in Training Camp.
However next season shakes out for Seider and Detroit’s other young defensemen, they’ll have a chance to learn from some accomplished veterans. The Red Wings currently have seven blueliners on their active roster, encompassing 51 seasons of NHL experience and 2,990 games played.