Month: September 2022

Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman will address the media today at approximately 10:30 AM EDT, and The Word on Woodward’s Daniella Bruce will discuss what Yzerman has to say:

Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde spoke with the media today at Centre ICE Arena. Here’s an audio clip of the interview, in which coach Lalonde outlined his plans for training camp and more over the course of a 6:44 interview with DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills, the Free Press’s Helene St. James and myself:

Update: Here’s the Red Wings’ video of the press conference:

Red Wings prospect Cross Hanas scored a “Michigan” goal last season with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, but Hanas insisted to Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff that it wasn’t something he’d intentionally planned:

It was more instinctive in that time, because at that moment it just felt like I had the puck for more time than usual behind the net,” Hanas recalled. “No one was really coming at me, so I thought, ‘You know what, I’ll try it.’

“Thankfully it worked out. It would’ve looked pretty dumb if it didn’t work out. I just felt like I had a lot of time there behind the net.

“I saw it a few days before when Zegras and Milano did it, so I thought, ‘you know what? Maybe I’ll try this.’

hat Hanas would be the creator of such hockey magic isn’t at all surprising. After all, 60 of his team-leading 86 points for Portland last season were assists.

“I think of myself as a playmaker,” Hanas said. “I like making plays. Setting guys up is kind of what I find myself enjoying. I’ve been that way my whole life.”

Continued; here’s the goal, via Duff:

📽️ HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT 📽️

It's a thing now, and we are here for it.@pdxwinterhawks | #WHLHoN pic.twitter.com/IgOEtogfXD

— The WHL (@TheWHL) December 19, 2021

Okay, folks, we’re in a bit of a fundraising emergency: the second $971 bill for the hotel came due at 3:20 AM this morning, and there’s no way that I can make it.

Actually embedding requests for Prospect Tournament/Training Camp support in articles has been a total dud, so I’m posting this stand-alone article asking you for any support you can give so that my credit card and aunt’s bank account don’t bounce like a rubber ball over the next 48 hours.

Any amount of support for this two-week odyssey, which is only halfway over, would be greatly appreciated, because the crap has hit the fan again.

If you’re are willing or able to lend a fundraising assist, 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. I’m also on Cash App under “georgeums” (an old nickname).

I’m really desperate here, folks. Anything you can help is very necessary right now.

Bleacher Report’s Sara Civian discusses the ways in which the caliber of NHL defensemen have changed and grown since Zdeno Chara broke into the league, and one of the examples she gives as a representative of the defensive evolution is Moritz Seider:

My sneaky favorite

Mortiz Seider: “Sneaky” might be a stretch considering Seider won the 2022 Calder Trophy, but I’m not sure many of us outside of Detroit have truly grasped how good and fun this kid is going to be.

His stats are good—he led a stacked rookie class in assists (43) and power play points (21), and he led rookie defensemen in points (50) and game-winning goals (four) in 82 games. But I’d rather talk about all that combined with the fact that the 6-foot-4 21-year-old also led the struggling Red Wings in average time on ice (23:02) and blocked shots (161), while bringing the physicality every night.

Listen, I am totally here for the short king, skill-based NHL defenseman era. But did we ever consider maybe we can have it all?

Continued; why can’t we have it all, indeed!

The Athletic’s “Down Goes Brown,” a.k.a. Sean McIndoe, offers “bizarro meter” takes on the offseason happenings for Eastern Conference teams this morning, and here’s what he has to say about the Red Wings:

Detroit Red Wings

The offseason so far: They signed a whole lot of guys. Some of them are good, some of them not so much, and none of them are superstars. But GM Steve Yzerman brought in enough help that Dom’s model thinks they improved more than any other team. That should give new head coach Derek Lalonde more to work with than Jeff Blashill had.

But their strangest story was: Signing David Perron to an NHL contract. Wait, only the Blues are allowed to do that!

Bizarro-meter ranking: 3.5/10. Busy? Absolutely. Newsworthy? Sure. But given how long the rebuild has been going, the only bizarre thing about Yzerman’s offseason was that he waited this long.

Continued (paywall)

ESPN’s NHL staff posted a massive article asking “lingering questions” for each and every one of the NHL’s 32 teams heading into training camp, and here’s what they suggest the Red Wings must answer:

Detroit Red Wings

Big question: How good will Detroit be with its new additions?

Red Wings’ general manager Steve Yzerman came to slay this offseason. He signed Andrew Copp, Dominik Kubalik and David Perron up front, added Ben Chiarot to the blue line and Ville Husso to complement Alex Nedeljkovic in net. Yzerman also made his first head-coaching hire in Detroit, replacing Jeff Blashill with Derek Lalonde. The new bench boss has plenty of fresh talent to start with. Where will it all take the Red Wings?

Last season, it was Detroit’s defensive deficiencies that stood out. The Red Wings allowed the second-most goals against in the league (3.78 per game) and the fifth-most shots (33.7). Addressing and improving that area will be critical from the outset for Lalonde, and the new guys should be an asset in doing so. Perron and Copp are both solid two-way players who will lead by example on the defensive side. Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin will also want a return to form in that area, after posting a 2.95 expected goals against in 2021-22.

Then there’s Husso. He was a stud in the regular season for St. Louis last season and now has a chance to be Detroit’s No. 1 in a tandem with Nedeljkovic. Detroit had a cumulative save percentage below .900 a year ago (Nedeljkovic was at .901) and Husso should push that number up. If he does, and if those other new players come out firing, Detroit could be flying high. — [Kristen] Shilton

Continued

NHL.com’s Dan Rosen answered mailbag questions for his Wednesday mailbag (it’s Tuesday night, but this published a little early), and he feels that the Red Wings are one of three (or four) rebuilding teams that may very well impress:

Who are the top three rebuilding teams you see taking the next step this season? — @nyrprpokemon

They’re all in the Atlantic Division, the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings. I will add the New Jersey Devils, but let’s focus on the three in the Atlantic for the purposes of your question.

Continue reading A bit about the up-and-coming Atlantic teams from NHL.com’s Rosen

We already know that Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin took part in the NHL’s Player Media Tour in Las Vegas, Nevada last week. What I didn’t expect is that the first set of comments from Larkin to come out to the press are from an NHL.com/de article written in German.

Here’s a rough translation of what Dylan Larkin had to say to NHL.com/de’s Axel Jeroma regarding Moritz Seider:

Continue reading Roughly translated: Dylan Larkin discusses Moritz Seider’s present and future with NHL.com/de

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen ranked 10 rookie and/or European free agents’ chances of earning spots on the Red Wings’ opening-night roster:

1.Defenseman Simon Edvinsson (sixth overall in 2021): The Tampa Bay Lightning already had Victor Hedman when the Tampa Bay Lightning hired Steve Yzerman. But Yzerman had to draft his own Hedman once he came to Detroit. Edvinsson is a 6-foot-6 defender who hasn’t yet explored his offensive side. The Red Wings are not handing him a spot, but they are expecting Edvinsson to earn a place on the roster.

Chances of being a Red Wing on Opening Night: Darn Good

2. Right Wing Jonatan Berggren ( 33rd overall in 2018): Berggren improved significantly last season in Grand Rapids when he put up 21 goals, and added 43 assists, or 64 points in 70 game. His confidence expanded as the season wore on.  The question is where would he fit? Is he ready enough to claim a spot in the top six?

Chances of being a Red Wing on Opening Night: Not totally out of the question

3. Left Wing Elmer Soderblom (159th overall in 2019): If you look at Soderblom’s history, he needs time at a new level before he begins to find his comfort zone. He may need time in Grand Rapids just to figure out how he needs to play in North America. But his 6-foot-8 size, long reach and hands around the net give him a better shot than most. The Red Wings are intrigued by him. If he looks sharp in training camp and scores in preseason, Steve Yzerman might keep him.

Chances of being a Red Wing on Opening Night: Not totally out of the question

Continued; I think that Edvinsson’s chances are a little lower given the roster crunch on defense, and that Soderblom may have an edge as he’s a winger…But I don’t expect any of the Wings’ young (or not-so-young) rookies to make the roster unless they can play among the “top nine” forwards or “top four” on defense.