Month: July 2022

Former Red Wings defenseman and current Chicago Blackhawks ambassador and tequila entrepreneur Chris Chelios made a circuit of Michigan-based minor league baseball teams this past week, throwing out the first pitch and then signing autographs at the West Michigan Whitecaps’ game on Wednesday, and repeating his routine at the Traverse City Pit Spitters’ game on Thursday.

Chelios spoke with the Daily News’s Austin Chastain regarding his newer endeavors as a tequila pitch-man and hockey analyst:

Chelios has remained a busy man after his playing and management days in hockey came to a close.

Since retiring from hockey, the 60-year-old has turned into a businessman and restaurateur with Cheli’s Chili in Detroit — which he closed in 2018 to move back to Chicago to be closer to his mother. He has a new venture in El Bandido Yankee Tequila, which he started with Jim Bob Morris at the beginning of the year.

“Another one of those late-night decisions,” Chelios said. “(Morris) did all the leg work, I’m doing the tequila runs and visiting all these cities trying to promote it. I’ve been in the restaurant and bar business, it’s a little different. At my age, I wasn’t seeing myself doing this, but it’s been a lot of fun — we’ve got a great product and we’re looking forward to being one of the top tequilas in Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin.”

On top of promoting his tequila, Chelios spent the hockey season as one of the lead analysts for ESPN’s NHL coverage, including the Stanley Cup Final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and eventual champion Colorado Avalanche.

ESPN acquired the broadcasting and streaming rights for the NHL in a newly restructured deal beginning this year — along with Turner Sports to show games on TNT and TBS. When Chelios caught wind that ESPN was part of the TV deal, he called the company on behalf of his daughter, Caley Chelios — who has spent time as a color commentator and reporter for ESPN and NHL Network covering the Lightning.

Caley stepped away from the Lightning to move to Chicago and take a reporting and hosting position with the Blackhawks. Meanwhile, ESPN offered Chelios the opportunity to work part-time as a studio analyst with a combination of fellow analyst Mark Messier and hosts John Buccigross and Steve Levy.

“(The part-time offer gave) me a little bit of flexibility in my schedule,” Chelios said. “I’ve got grandkids and I’m always family-first. It was a great experience to work with Messier, Levy, Buccigross and those guys — I worked with them in the past and they’re a class-act. I’m looking forward to another year of doing it.”

Continued (there’s a paywall :/ )

It’s a notable day when the Red Wings’ captain turns 26 years of age. It’s also kind of cool for me because it would have been my dad’s 75th birthday.

Happy birthday, young man…

Happy birthday, @Dylanlarkin39! 🥳 pic.twitter.com/xpivgZakoC— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 30, 2022

Wishing a happy birthday to Dylan Larkin! 🎂🎉@Dylanlarkin39 | #LGRW pic.twitter.com/lMXDPrFEEP— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) July 30, 2022

And happy birthday, ya old fart:

We’ve read a fair number of articles of late which link the Detroit Red Wings to potentially signing one unrestricted free agent forward Nazem Kadri.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Nate Brown isn’t buying it, and he offers “Two Truths and a Lie” as to why Kadri might be far more inclined to re-sign with his most recent employer, the Colorado Avalanche, instead of Detroit:

Truth: Yzerman is on the Record Saying He’s Done Signing Free Agents: The Red Wings general manager joked in the past that so many analysts, fans, and pundits think he always has an ulterior motive when making deals.

If you look at his work in Detroit and Tampa, he’s been consistent with his comments. Here’s what he said two weeks ago:

“I wouldn’t want to sign another significant free agent and put myself in position where I have to trade somebody for whatever reason because that’s not a good time to do it. But I’m always looking at ways to try to get better.”

It already looks like new coach Derek Lalonde and Yzerman will be playing roster Tetris with who fits and who doesn’t. Filip Zadina is still unsigned as well as Jake Walman. Beyond that, where will Joe Veleno fit in? And then there’s players pushing onto the roster, trying to be this season’s Lucas Raymond or Moritz Seider.

Adding Kadri would only confound things more for Yzerman and Detroit.

Brown continues, and his logic is sound. I don’t believe that Kadri will end up in Detroit unless it’s on a John Klingberg-like short-term contract, and I suspect that he’s going to end up back in Denver.

The Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe wrote a lovely Saturday morning read today. He’s written an article which discusses the surprising ways in which a bit of a coaching pipeline goes through the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye, and it’s just a charming article which gives due praise do Derek Lalonde, Dan Watson and Nick Vitucci:

Some call it research and development, while others jokingly call it straight-up thievery, but several former Walleye hockey players continue to use what they learned in Toledo as head coaches.

Toledo has produced a handful of Walleye players who are now at the helm of their own teams.

Former Walleye forward Troy Schwab, who played for the team in 2014-15, now coaches the Charlotte Rush of the United States Premier Hockey League.

Schwab said he learned about the importance of instilling a winning culture from Walleye coaches Derek Lalonde and Dan Watson.

“When I came to Toledo there was a huge emphasis on culture and the way you treat people,” Schwab said. “The way I run video sessions, team meetings, and practices are very similar to the way [Lalonde] and Watty ran things when I was in Toledo. I call it research and development when you steal other coaches’ practice drills. I have stolen a lot from [Lalonde] and Watty.”

Continued

New Red Wings forward David Perron appeared on “Hockey Sense With Andy Strickland” on St. Louis’ 590 The Fan (KFNS) on Friday afternoon.

Perron was in his home province of Quebec, and he discussed his future in and out of hockey, his free agency decision-making process as someone who’d been with the Blues and exited the city for the Detroit Red Wings, and much more. It’s a 34-minute interview, and I enjoyed listening to it:

Listen to “David Perron – 7-29-22” on Spreaker.

In the “Friday Night in Late July News” category, NHL.com’s Pete Jensen and Anna Dua offer fantasy hockey analysis as to the free agent signings of several teams, including the Red Wings, in terms of their fantasy hockey value. The Wings’ signings of Andrew Copp and David Perron were deemed most significant:

RED WINGS SIGN PERRON, COPP: The Detroit Red Wings signed forwards David Perron (two-year contract) and Andrew Copp (five-year contract), significantly boosting their top-six forward group for this season.  

Copp brings versatility to the rebuilding Red Wings and is likely to be their No. 2 center with exposure to two of the following valuable wings: Perron, Jakub Vrana and Tyler Bertuzzi. Perron had 57 points (27 goals, 30 assists) in 67 games with the St. Louis Blues last regular season and led them in points (13 in 12 games) and goals (nine) during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Perron, who’s like to play on the second line with Copp, brings the experience and consistency (at least 40 points in six straight seasons) to increase the fantasy value of both forwards. 

Copp was better than a point per game (18 in 16 games) last regular season and an instrumental part of New York’s run to the Eastern Conference Final (14 points in 20 Stanley Cup Playoff games). Copp loses some fantasy appeal moving away from the Rangers’ second line with elite left wing Artemi Panarin but remains in the top 250 for one of the most-improved teams in Detroit, which also acquired Ville Husso from the St. Louis Blues and is expected to incorporate elite defenseman prospect Simon Edvinsson.

Continued; Dominik Kubalik also earns a fantasy hockey shout-out as a free agent signing with “sneaky fantasy hockey upside” as well.

As you and I both know by now, the Red Wings’ signings are really about building a backbone’s worth of secondary scorers and depth players who give the Red Wings a skeleton upon which to build a deeper and better team, but the late-blooming Copp and the ever-productive Perron should both help the Red Wings score more goals.

NBC Sports EDGE’s Ryan Dadoun posted a surprisingly in-depth preview of the Detroit Red Wings’ 2022-2023 regular season, as the team stands as of July 29th.

In doing so, Dadoun reviews the “mixed bag” that was the Wings’ 2021-2022 season, he examines the team’s offseason acquisitions, and he issues the following prediction for 22-23:

So was it all enough to put the Red Wings in a playoff spot? I doubt it. I look at the Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Tampa Bay Lightning and they all seem clearly better on paper than the Detroit Red Wings, so unless there’s a surprise or something otherwise changes, the Red Wings’ best bet seems to be a Wild Card spot. Even then though, are they better than the Boston Bruins? What about the Ottawa Senators, who had a summer of major gains too? The Bruins are a bit more of a question mark, but I’m not convinced that the Red Wings are a favorable matchup against either of them.

That’s just looking at the Atlantic Division too. It’s entirely possible that the Metropolitan Division will be capable of securing one of the two playoff spots, as they did last season, which further weakens Detroit’s chances.

The 82-game campaign is a long one. Injuries happen. Players underperform and end up as pleasant surprises. To dismiss any team before the season even starts is risky, especially one like Detroit, which has brought in considerable talent. However, as I look at their roster and compare it to their direct competition, I’m left with the impression that Detroit remains an underdog in the battle for a postseason berth.

Continued; I’m a little more optimistic about the Red Wings’ chances of staying in the playoff mix for the duration of the regular season.

Whether the team earns a playoff spot or not will be determined by the growth of young players, health, and of course luck and circumstance, but I think that the Red Wings have at least built themselves a solid layer of depth players behind their stars which the team simply did not possess a year ago, and if they can channel their first-half-of-the-season performance under coach Lalonde and his staff (including some better special teams play), a Wild Card spot is certainly within reach.

I’ve been trying to figure out where I feel that the Red Wings’ 2022 draft picks fit into the prospect system of late, and it’s particularly difficult to gauge where someone like 212th overall pick Brennan Ali fits in. The 6,’ 194-pound center from Illinois dominated playing high school hockey at the Connecticut prep school level, and he had limited experience in the USHL.

As Detroit Hockey Now’s Nate Brown notes, Ali’s headed to Notre Dame this fall, and we may discern a more accurate assessment on his “ceiling” as he battles NCAA competition:

Ali is kicking off his college career with Notre Dame, but the returns from his prep career and even his brief stint in the USHL are certainly encouraging. Ali’s rights with Detroit don’t expire until 2026 when he’ll be 22, so growth between that time is certainly going to be something they’ll keep monitoring.

Director of Amateur scouting Kris Draper mentioned following the draft how neat it was to see Ali’s reaction on being drafted.

“It’s a very special moment,” Draper said. “We were excited that he was here as well. When he came around the table you could see the joy he had so it was a very special for him.”

Ali described himself as a power forward when answering questions following the selection.

“Hard to play against,” Ali said of himself on the ice. “Big, physical, fast and a good shot to go with that.”

Continued; Ali was a late-round pick for a reason, but the plucky forward hopes to become a Carter Mazur-type prospect at some point soon.

Red Wings director of amateur scouting Kris Draper was in Pictou, Nova Scotia last Friday, raising funds in a charity golf tournament, and he spoke with the Pictou Advocate’s Steve Goodwin regarding the future of the franchise:

Draper, who played most of his NHL games with the Red Wings, was a special guest during the Weeks Hockey Organization’s annual celebrity golf tournament last Friday at Abercrombie Country Club. The former forward is the Red Wings’ director of amateur scouting.

“We’re getting some good, young pieces,” he said. “We think we have some good, young players coming. We’re excited with who we’re adding.”

Former Red Wings superstar Steve Yzerman named Draper to his current position after returning to Detroit in 2019. Draper said his presence will remind players of his past achievements. Yzerman won three Stanley Cups during 23 seasons as a player and one as an executive with the Wings.

“It just fits,” Draper said. “It means he’s here to do what he did in Tampa and as a player with Detroit. Off-ice, he wants to do the same thing.”

Draper’s uncertain start to his NHL career included parts of three seasons with the Winnipeg Jets before they sent him to the Red Wings for $1. He mentioned the deal during his address last Thursday at the Weeks barbecue and auction.

“It’s amazing how things work,” he told the gathering, regarding his NHL career. “I was very excited for the opportunity. I not only played the game. I’m a huge fan of the game.”

Continued; Draper was on the Winged Wheel Podcast this week as well:

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills wrote a notebook article which focuses on the continuing development of one Sebastian Cossa this afternoon:

Detroit Red Wings goalie prospect Sebastian Cossa isn’t fazed knowing that when a game is on the line, he is his team’s last line of defense. In fact, playing under pressure is what Cossa relishes.

“Mentally, I love the game,” said Cossa, who was Detroit’s 15th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. “Being a goalie, it’s being the last end-all or be-all. I like that about the position, for sure.”

Last season, Cossa compiled a 33-9-3 record with a 2.28 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage in 46 regular-season games with the Western Hockey League’s Edmonton Oil Kings, finishing as the Central Division nominee for the Del Wilson Memorial Trophy as the WHL Goaltender of the Year.

“A lot of hockey,” the young netminder said about his 2021-22 campaign. “I think it was a lot of experience for me and it was really good.”

Cossa added that he learned a lot from Phil Osaer, the Red Wings’ head of goaltending, scouting and development.

“He (Osaer) was coming up to Edmonton to work with me probably once a month,” Cossa said. “Him coming up was great, but they (Detroit’s player development staff) tried to keep their distance a bit and let me play my game.”

Continued