Month: August 2022

Mike Babcock tells CKOM 580 he’s retiring…possibly.

I’m not thrilled to be posting this, but nobody else seems to have noticed this report from Saskatoon’s CKOM 580:

Mike Babcock is hanging up his whistle for good. Maybe.

During a chat with Gormley guest host Brent Loucks on Friday, Babcock said he was retiring from coaching hockey. When Loucks asked the former University of Saskatchewan Huskies head coach if he would listen if an NHL team called, Babcock left the door open a crack.

“We always said we were going to retire at 60 and I’m 59, so basically that’s what it is,” he said. “Now, if things change, I guess they change, but surely that’s not our plan.

“Believe me, we’ve talked to lots of people about opportunities and enjoyed those conversations. In the end, we feel this is best for us and best for our family and so that’s what we’re doing.”

Continued

Red Wings re-sign Filip Zadina for 3 years at $1.825 million AAV

This is text because I’m sitting in a Walgreens pharmacy on an emergency run for the aunt…

But the Red Wings have Tweeted that Filip Zadina has been signed to a 3-year extension at an AAV of $1.825 million dollars.

This is a solid contract for a player who will hopefully reestablish himself as a promising prospect in the third line with Suter and Kubalik.

UPDATE: The #RedWings today signed forward Filip Zadina to a three-year contract. pic.twitter.com/APrLPGoHhc— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 26, 2022

FIL! ✍️🙌 pic.twitter.com/7OxdrKNi7B— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 26, 2022

After signing Zadina for $1.825M, the #RedWings have $8.1M Cap Space with a full 23 players on roster (14F/7D/2G) + Pysyk IR.https://t.co/HAIiEpHuTX pic.twitter.com/jiBs7UxJKp— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) August 26, 2022

Friday press release:

Continue reading Red Wings re-sign Filip Zadina for 3 years at $1.825 million AAV

Friday fundraising

It’s a day of unpleasant tasks for me, so I may as well do this one as well:

After having to pay some bills that were unexpected in nature, I still find myself significantly short in terms of being able to afford the yearly payments that I make to Bluehost ($251.88) and Jetpack ($99) to host my site, and the “fix the Pacifica,” “Shop for Traverse City (dry cleaning included)” and “Actually pay the hotel bill” funds are, as of yet, empty, so I have to ask.

If you’re able to lend a hand, I’ve got just under three weeks until I leave for the Red Wings’ prospect tournament and training camp in Traverse City, and I need your help to get up there.

Let’s see whether we can get it done.

If you’re are willing to help, you can use PayPal at https://paypal.me/TheMalikReport, Venmo at https://venmo.com/george-malik-2, Giftly by using my email, rtxg@yahoo.com, at https://www.giftly.com. And you can contact me via email if you want to send me a paper check.

Red Wings’ ‘Roster Reset’ discusses deep pool of players at left wing

The Red Wings website’s Jonathan Mills’ “Roster Reset” discusses the team’s depth at the left wing position this morning:

Headlining the group is Tyler Bertuzzi, who finished as the Red Wings’ second-highest scorer last season by setting career-highs in goals (30), assists (32) and points (62) in 68 games. It was a bounce-back campaign for the 27-year-old, who played just nine games in 2020-21 due to a nagging back injury.

Bertuzzi, who enters the final season of a two-year contract he signed in 2021, remains focused on his development.

“I think every year, I’ve gotten a bit better in different skillsets,” Bertuzzi said on May 4. “Juniors, I got better every year just because you’re so young. And in the pros, I think I’m gonna continue to get better every year.”

Another player who impressed last season was Lucas Raymond, who earned his way onto Detroit’s Opening Night roster last October and never looked back.

In his debut NHL campaign, the 20-year-old finished third among all rookies in points (57), fourth in assists (34), tied for second in goals (23) and was one of only three first-year skaters to play all 82 games.

Continued, with both Dominik Kubalik and David Perron listed as left wingers. Something tells me that both players will shore up the Wings’ second and/or third lines playing to the right of their respective centers.

Khan discusses the shape of a potential Dylan Larkin contract extension

I know that some Red Wings fans are already freaking out about the fact that the Wings have yet to re-sign two players who could become unrestricted free agents in Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi.

I’m more of a, “Wait and see” person, and I assumed that both players’ extensions are both a) inevitable and b) difficult to negotiate, so I’ll only start worrying if both players are still un-signed come next January or February.

MLive’s Ansar Khan discusses the likely shape of a prospective Larkin extension this morning. Khan notes that Larkin has both changed his representatives in terms of player agencies and that Larkin has a no-trade clause in his current contract:

Coming off his most productive season since 2018-19, picking up 31 goals and 69 points in 71 games, Larkin is due for a sizeable bump from the $6.1 million cap hit on his current contract. Where does he slot in? That might not be sorted out until well into the season.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Larkin’s camp is seeking more than $9 million a year. According to capfriendly.com, 35 players currently have a cap hit of $9 million or more, including 10 centers.

Sam Reinhart of Florida isn’t one of them but has remarkably similar statistics as Larkin. Reinhart has 167 goals and 210 assists in 532 career games; Larkin has 147 goals and 211 assists in 504 games. Both have averaged .71 points per game. Both are 26 and drafted in 2014 (Reinhart second overall, Larkin 15th).

Reinhart signed a three-year deal one year ago that has a $6.5 million cap hit. Larkin will get much more than that, perhaps in the $8 million range.

If talks extend well into the season, Larkin’s performance could influence the cap figure. It likely will be an eight-year deal, the maximum term to which teams can sign their own players. Including the upcoming season, that would take the contract through the 2030-31 season when he’s 34.

Khan continues; bluntly speaking, I’d place the “odds” of Larkin being traded very low, at or under 5%, and numbers-wise, I’m guessing that he’ll earn $7-8 million per season.

Here comes the Babcomeback?

You may take this news from the Canadian Press, via TSN, for what you will. Methinks it means that somebody’s gonna hire him:

Former Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock has resigned as coach of the University of Saskatchewan’s men’s hockey team after just one season at the helm. The Saskatchewan Huskies announced Thursday that Brandin Cote, who served as an associate coach under Babcock last year, has been named team’s new interim head coach.

Babcock joined the Huskies on a full-time volunteer basis in February of 2021 after spending 17 seasons in the NHL, including guiding the Detroit Red Wings to the Stanley Cup championship in 2008. He also coached Anaheim and Toronto. Babcock was fired 23 games into the 2019-20 season while in his fifth campaign with the Maple Leafs.

On the international stage, Babcock coached Canada’s men’s team to Olympic gold medals in 2010 and 2014.

Babcock said in a statement that he is leaving the program in good hands with Cote.

“I’m excited for Brandin and his family. He is prepared to be a highly successful coach,” said Babcock, who coached Cote with the Western Hockey League’s Spokane Chiefs. “I believe he will elevate the Huskies play and profile even further. I look forward to seeing him continue down the path of what promises to be an incredible career.”

Continued; something tells me the inevitable redemption story arc is coming, with a bit of a PR campaign whenever an NHL team inks Babcock to some sort of coaching or developmental role.

It is what it is.

Good news for Vladdy?

I try to stay away from politics on this blog, other than reminding you that the most powerful thing you can do as a citizen of your respective country is to exercise your right to vote (even if you’re voting for candidates you don’t like).

I’m making an exception here because there might be some good news for former Red Wings defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov, as reported today by the Associated Press’s Ed White:

Major changes in Michigan car insurance law do not apply to people who were catastrophically injured before the summer of 2019, the state appeals court said Thursday, a victory for long-term victims of motor vehicle crashes and their care providers. In a 2-1 opinion, the court said lawmakers “did not clearly demonstrate” that insurance payment cuts would be applied retroactively.

And even if those changes were intended to be retroactive, that step violates contract protections in the Michigan Constitution, Judge Douglas Shapiro wrote.

“Giving a windfall to insurance companies who received premiums for unlimited benefits is not a legitimate public purpose, nor a reasonable means to reform the system,” Shapiro said in a decision joined by Judge Sima Patel.

So what does this mean for Konstantinov, and other victims of catastrophic car crashes?

For decades, people injured in crashes were entitled to payment for “all reasonable charges” related to care and rehabilitation. But the new law sets a fee schedule and a cap on reimbursements not covered by Medicare.

It’s had drastic consequences for roughly 18,000 people needing long-term care after crashes that took place before June 11, 2019, and the providers of those services.

Hockey star Vladimir Konstantinov suffered severe brain damage when a drunken limousine driver crashed the car in 1997. Konstantinov, a passenger, was celebrating a championship by the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings. By last spring, Arcadia Home Care & Staffing said it had lost $200,000 for Konstantinov’s care due to the 2019 law.

“Every month, I have to ask whether we’re good for another month,” said James Bellanca Jr., Konstantinov’s friend and lawyer. “The decision is a godsend,” he said of the court ruling.

As the AP’s White notes, the insurance companies and State Legislature can still challenge the ruling, but if it sticks…

A whole lot of people in a lot of pain will get their care back. And that would be good news, indeed.

Update: This is hard to watch.

The Michigan appeals court has issued a major ruling affecting long-term victims of car crashes.

Among the beneficiaries: ex-Red Wings star Vladimir Konstantinov, who suffered severe brain damage when a drunken limousine driver crashed the car in 1997.https://t.co/5TXLL7ew0Y pic.twitter.com/ZSB3aDgcs6— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) August 25, 2022

Khan profiles Robert Mastrosimone

21-year-old Red Wings prospect Robert Mastrosimone has a lot on the line this upcoming season. He’s transferred from Boston University to Arizona State University for his senior year, and the undersized center (5’10,” 170 pounds) discussed his decision to head to the aspiring Sun Devils at the Red Wings’ summer development camp. MLive’s Ansar Khan focused on Mastrosimone in a notebook article this afternoon:

“I need a fresh start, just to get out in front of some new eyes, some new teammates, new coaches, new area, and getting my game to the next level,” Mastrosimone said.

The independent Sun Devils began competing in NCAA Division I in 2015-16. They are coming off a 17-17-1 season.

“We’re going to have a really good team,” Mastrosimone said. “The group’s really tight-knit. When I spoke to coach (Greg) Powers and the staff, everything they preached is exactly what I want. It’s culture, it’s coming to the rink every day excited. And, of course, it’s Arizona. You can’t beat the weather. Everything I needed was spot on there. It was an easy decision.”

Mastrosimone included the Red Wings in the decision-making process.

“They pretty much said, ‘It’s your decision, it’s your life. But we’re going guide you and advise you to what we think is the best as well,’ ” Mastrosimone said. “They loved Arizona State. They loved every opportunity that was there — the staff, the new rink, the location. They were all on board with that.

“They’ve been nothing but great the past three years since I was drafted. They’ve checked in on me constantly, made sure I was doing all right. They’ve been to games. I’ve heard feedback from them, most of the staff. They’re on top of their prospects. That’s been huge just hearing what they had to say and taking it in, because obviously they’re at the top level and they know what they’re doing.”

Continued; as it’s his senior season, Mastrosimone has a lot to gain and very little to lose in trying to earn a contract by playing for a new team, but his contract hopes are tenuous at present. Here’s hoping for the best!

Former Wing Frans Nielsen signs on as Seattle Kraken player development consultant

Via Eyes on Isles’ James Nichols, the Seattle Kraken have hired Frans Nielsen as a player development consultant:

Tweet of note: Wings in the gym

The Red Wings’ home opener is 50 days away, and Wings’ social media team wanted to let us know that players are hard at work at the team’s BELFOR training facility beneath Little Caesars Arena: