Two items from The Athletic’s Max Bultman hit the internet wires this morning:
- The Athletic asked the beat writers covering its respective 32 teams what the “biggest question” is for every NHL team heading into the start of training camp next week:
Detroit Red Wings
How improved is the defense? This was the biggest question entering the Red Wings’ offseason, and it will remain so until we see some live action. Detroit certainly invested in fixing its defensive issues, filling holes not only in net and on the blue line but also up front — adding players such as Andrew Copp and David Perron who can help improve the defense from the forward position. For that reason, Detroit should certainly be better at keeping the puck out of its net. But after allowing the second-most goals in the league last season, there’s a lot of work to be done just to get to the point of respectability. Allowing 50 fewer goals last season still would not have gotten them even into the league’s upper half defensively. Expect that to be a major emphasis for new head coach Derek Lalonde from the outset of camp. — Max Bultman
Continued; for me, it’s wondering how long it will take for the team to gel given that there are so many new faces, from the coach on down;
2. And Bultman also listed “5 storylines” that he’ll be monitoring during the Red Wings’ prospect tournament. His second “question” is the one that intrigues me the most:
Can Kirill Tyutyayev steal the show again? Last season, the big headliner coming into the prospect tournament was Lucas Raymond, with Detroit fans eager to get their first look at the 2020 No. 4 pick. And Raymond ended up having a strong showing, with three goals in two games. But at least on night one, the show was briefly stolen by a little-known seventh-round pick from 2019.
Kirill Tyutyayev scored twice and added an assist in Detroit’s first two periods of the tournament, quickly announcing himself as a prospect to pay attention to. And while those were his only points of the tournament, he continued to be noticeable the rest of the way — generating a lot of excitement for his arrival in the AHL.
Unfortunately for Tyutyayev and the Griffins, the excitement could hardly get off the ground after that. He was injured early in Grand Rapids — believed to have been a shoulder injury — and ended up playing just nine games, in which he had no goals and three assists.
Now, Tyutyayev is back, with another chance to impress in Traverse City. It’s going to be hard to top what he did last fall, but he’s a skilled, smart player who should play a significant role in Detroit’s prospect contingent.
Continued (paywall); Tyutyayev did have a shoulder issue, and he didn’t return after those initial nine games, but my goodness, what skill he possesses in tha 5’10,” 176-pound frame.
