FYI:
Will the #LGRW return to the playoffs this season?
The #Yzerplan has been accelerated by offseason moves (Husso, Perron, Copp, Kubalik) to vastly improve the supporting cast for Larkin, Raymond & Seider
Listen to @NHLFantasy on Ice: https://t.co/MGGfTroq4Z pic.twitter.com/oZMNjCjeYb— Pete Jensen 🏒 (@NHLJensen) July 22, 2022
You can listen to the podcast here.
National Team Development Program play-by-play announcer Pete Krupsky, who’s been growing the game in Southeastern Michigan for what feels like forever, posted a clip of goals by former National Team Development Program members Oliver Moore and some guy named Dylan Larkin this morning:
Enjoy a 4:25 clip of Moritz Seider’s “Top 5” plays:
ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski examines nine possible destinations for Matthew Tkachuk this morning in an article for ESPN+, and Wyshynski includes the Red Wings in his examples of potential trades:
Cap space: $10,296,111
Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman clearly signaled this summer that the time to turn the corner back to contention is now, with big free-agent signings (David Perron, Ben Chiarot, Andrew Copp) and a trade for Ville Husso. The Red Wings have the cap space and the capital to make a run at Tkachuk if that in fact fits into the Yzer-plan.
The pitch: F Tyler Bertuzzi, F Michael Rasmussen, D Filip Hronek, and an unprotected 2024 first-round pick for Tkachuk.
There’s zero chance that Yzerman trades a 2023 first-rounder with Connor Bedard waiting to supercharge someone’s franchise.
Bertuzzi helps immediately and is coming off a 30-goal season, but he’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Rasmussen and Hronek give the Flames two players with more contractual control. We could see Jakub Vrana here instead of Bertuzzi, as he’s signed for two more seasons. It’s not a trade the Red Wings need to make, but one they could make if the price is right. And hey, Matthew and his brother would become division rivals, which would be fun.
Continued (paywall); I think Wyshynski’s offer is light. If the Flames took that kind of package, I’d do it.
NHL.com’s Dave Hogg profiles Red Wings prospect and 2022 8th overall draft pick Marco Kasper this morning. Kasper, of course, is Austrian-born, but plays for Rogle BK of the Swedish SHL, and he’s learned Swedish so that he can finish high school in Sweden:
“It was a difficult decision to leave home and leave my family, but I think it has been a good decision to go play in Sweden against better competition,” he said. “We have a good team and I’ve really developed as a player.”
[Red Wings assistant director of player development Dan] Cleary said the main focus of development camp wasn’t to evaluate players, but to make sure they had the best possible tools to evolve as players.
“We work on skills with them, but a lot of what we are teaching is about proper recovery techniques,” he said. “We also have a nutritionist here, so the kids can learn what to eat and when to eat it — that’s an important aspect — and a sports psychologist to deal with the mental side of things.”
So, Kasper, who signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Detroit on July 13, is heading back to Sweden with homework, even if his workload might be lighter than others.
“We know Rogle runs a legit program that’s already dialed in,” Cleary said. “We might have some suggestions about making it a little better, but they are already in a good position.”
DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills posted a notebook article this morning which delves into Red Wings prospect Carter Mazur’s status as a life-long Red Wings fan from Jackson, MI, who has many ties to the team:
Growing up, Mazur, who is an alumnus of the Little Caesars AAA Hockey Club, loved practicing at Joe Louis Arena and then at the BELFOR Training Center inside Little Caesars Arena.
“Having that history, meeting players every day and having coach Kris (Draper) be my mentor in a way while he’s bringing in people like (Niklas) Kronwall to skate with us was something you really don’t have an opportunity to do when you’re younger,” Mazur said about his experience with Little Caesars. “But we did here and that was pretty special.”
After playing seven games for USA Hockey National Team Development Program’s (NTDP) under-17 team in 2018-19, Mazur was selected third overall in the 2018 USHL Phase I Draft by the Tri-City Storm. He tallied 13 points (6-7-13) in 47 games the following season with Tri-City, then was named captain for the 2020-21 season, notching 20 goals and 24 assists in 47 games.
This past season, Mazur concluded his freshman campaign at the University of Denver with 14 goals and 24 assists in 41 games, helping the Pioneers win the 2022 NCAA Championship in April and garnering NCHC Rookie of the Year honors.
When reflecting on his first year as a Division I student-athlete, Mazur evolved both on and off the ice
“I felt I grew a lot physically and mentally,” said Mazur. “Especially studying and doing school with hockey. That added a lot to my mental game, so I think that had a really good impact on us.”
The Sporting News’s Ryan Murphy posted a late-night article which digs into the Red Wings’ offseason moves, attempting to discern how the team will fare in a stacked Atlantic Division. This reads more like an “explainer” for people who aren’t familiar with teams’ offseason moves than a piece of in-depth analysis, which is fine:
Just because Detroit got a whole lot better does not make them automatic playoff contenders.Â
They are in arguably the toughest division in the NHL right now. Looking at the four teams that made the playoffs last season, all four are arguably in better spots than the Red Wings.
The Panthers didn’t make any major additions with their cap troubles, and lost Mason Marchment in free agency, but still have their core group together. The Maple Leafs brought in Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov as their goaltending tandem and we’ll see if that helps them get over the first-round hump.Â
The Lightning are the Lightning and re-upped a bunch of their players while not bringing in anyone significant. They did lose Ondrej Palat in free agency. The Bruins are going to have to deal with the losses of Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk at the beginning of the season, but still have their core group intact and will get three of those players back at some point.Â
The bottom line is the four playoff teams from the Atlantic last season are heading into the fall with rosters that are very similar to last year’s and will very well compete for a postseason spot.
Murphy continues, concluding that the Red Wings won’t make the playoffs. We shall see.
Deadline Detroit’s Paul Harris is a long-time hockey writer, and he posted an article this evening which both summarizes the Red Wings free agency moves, projects the Wings’ opening-night roster, and questions whether GM Steve Yzerman’s moves were the best ones for the growth of top prospects Jonatan Berggren, Simon Edvinsson, Elmer Soderblom:
Before those signings the team was already looking at a potential talent infusion going into the 2022-23 season but from more of its own draft choices who are beginning to come of age.
Defenseman Simon Edvinsson – the team’s first-round pick (sixth overall) in 2021 and who at 19 and 6-feet-6, has been compared to last season’s NHL Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year) winner Moritz Seider, late bloomer Elmer Soderblom, 21 (the 159th pick in 2019) a 6-feet-8, 250-pound winger … with hands both signed three-year entry-level deals and are preparing for their first season in North America (both are from Sweden). Another Swede, left winger Jonatan Berggren who is 22, led the Red Wings American Hockey League affiliate the Grand Rapids Griffins with 64 points (21 goals and 43 assists) in 70 games in 2021-22, his first season in North America after being taken in the second round (33rd overall) in the 2018 draft.
All would have gotten a long look in training camp – Edvinsson was expected by most to make the team, Soderblom was expected to ultimately head to Grand Rapids, and the natural progression would have had Berggren heading the opposite direction to Detroit. And maybe they could have rivaled or come close to the impact that Seider and right wing Lucas Raymond had as rookies last season.
Not anymore.
It is always possible that one or more of Edvinsson, Soderblom and Berggren could still play their way onto the team in Traverse City and in exhibition games, but now all three will likely be in Grand Rapids when the regular season begins. Yzerman, like Ken Holland before him, prefers the Red Wings top prospects to get as much seasoning as possible in the American Hockey League as key players getting power-play time, etc., as opposed to being extra players in the NHL who sit out many games and/or go back and forth from Detroit to Grand Rapids before they are ready to be NHL regulars.
Harris continues at length, and I’ll readily admit that I was a bit shocked by the Red Wings’ aggressive draft and free agency moves…
But I have faith that the players who merit NHL ice time will get it, Berggren, Edvinsson and Soderblom included.
Grand Rapids Griffins defenseman Seth Barton is something of a “mystery prospect” to me. The 2018 3rd round pick is 22 going on 23, and at 6’3” and 196 pounds, the Griffins defenseman hasn’t played a full professional season yet, nor did he replicate his prolific BCHL numbers at the NCAA, AHL or ECHL levels.
Detroit Hockey Now’s Nate Brown profiles Barton this evening, and his “upside” is hard to pin down due to injuries…
Injuries hindered Seth Barton’s time on the ice this season as well as a solid grading of where he stands in the system. The small sample size of 20 games did show favorable returns, however. A big bodied defenseman at 6’3 and 215 pounds, Barton was looking to add more muscle to his frame during last year’s offseason to prepare him for the 2021-22 season.Â
In the handful of games he did play, Barton was efficient and scored his first goal with the Griffins as 2021 was coming to an end. In a 5-4 victory over Milwaukee on December 31, Barton found the back of the net in just his first five games.
So, as Brown suggests, Barton’s more than a little bit down the depth chart in terms of his status as a potential NHL prospect:
Barton’s arrival in Hockeytown is going to come with some competition in a crowded pipeline. Not only did Detroit beef up during free agency, but there are a number of players ahead of him knocking on the door. Simon Edvinsson, Jared McIsaac, William Wallinder, and Albert Johansson all have the inside track as of now. Detroit Hockey Now has Barton as the Red Wings’ tenth best defensive prospect in the system.
Brown continues, and I’m not about to write off a Red Wings prospect while he’s still in the system, but Barton’s climb toward the NHL is certainly uphill.
The Woodward Sports Network’s Nick Leach reminds us that the Rocket Mortgage Classic is taking place next week at the Detroit Golf Club next Wednesday, and a “Celebrity Scramble” will precede the event. Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin will be attending and participating in the “Celebrity Scramble”:
PGA TOUR players participating include; Will Zalatoris, Tony Finau, Jason Day, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler and Matt Kuchar.
— Rocket Mortgage Classic (@RocketClassic) July 13, 2022
Celebs will be Barry Sanders, Tom Izzo, Calvin Johnson, Dylan Larkin, Maurice Allen, and Kelley James.
Here’s the press release, in case you plan on attending:
The AREA 313 Celebrity Scramble – awarded the PGA TOUR’s “Best Special Event” after its debut in 2019 – will be held Tuesday, July 26 at Detroit Golf Club. It is one of the many special events being held during Detroit Community Days presented by DTE Energy, which provide complimentary admission and parking on Tuesday, July 26 and Wednesday, July 27.
The Rocket Mortgage Classic returns July 26-31 to Detroit Golf Club, bringing the PGA TOUR event to the city of Detroit for the fourth straight year. Tickets for Thursday-Sunday competition rounds are available at RocketMortgageClassic.com.
I’m not a golf person, but if you are, enjoy!
