Month: July 2023

Press release: Red Wings sign C Nate Danielson to 3-year entry-level contract

Per the Detroit Red Wings:

RED WINGS SIGN NATE DANIELSON TO ENTRY-LEVEL CONTRACT

  â€Š Center Was Picked Ninth Overall by Detroit at 2023 NHL Entry Draft 


DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today signed center Nate Danielson to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Danielson, 18, was selected by the Red Wings in the first round (ninth overall) of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, held at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. on June 28-29, and participated at Detroit’s Development Camp from July 1-5 at the BELFOR Training Center inside Little Caesars Arena. The 6-foot-2, 186-pound forward captained the Western Hockey League’s Brandon Wheat Kings during the 2022-23 season and ranked among the team leaders with 33 goals (1st), 45 assists (1st), 78 points (1st), 38 penalty minutes (T10th), 13 power play goals (1st), 38 power play points (1st), three shorthanded goals (1st), five game-winning goals (T1st) and 244 shots (2nd) in 68 games. His 78 points were the most by a Wheat Kings player since the 2018-19 campaign. Danielson was named to the WHL East Division’s Second All-Star Team and competed at the 2023 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.

Continue reading Press release: Red Wings sign C Nate Danielson to 3-year entry-level contract

Monarrez on Steve Yzerman’s self-save

The Free Press’s Carlos Monarrez shares a popular opinion this morning regarding one Stephen Gregory Yzerman’s offseason “save“:

Steve Yzerman never played goalie, but maybe the Detroit Red Wings general manager should have, because he sure made some big saves this week with his trade for Ottawa Senators forward — and Farmington Hills product —Alex DeBrincat.

He saved what was shaping up to be another ho-hum, borderline-meh offseason of free agency.

He saved Wings fans from having to lie to themselves about their faith in “the Yzerplan” as they winced and pushed the “renew season tickets” button on their accounts.

And he just might have saved himself, because if you can park your trade euphoria long enough, just imagine the fallout if Yzerman had whiffed on his attempt to acquire DeBrincat. Imagine what kind of indictment this would have been on Yzerman and his rebuild if DeBrincat had balked at signing an extension with the Wings, nixing the deal.

Instead, Yzerman saved himself and any hope the Wings and their fans have of being more than playoff pipe dreamers this season. He did it by using what got him to the Hockey Hall of Fame as a player: his vision. And so he scored the Wings’ biggest acquisition since he took over in 2019.

Continued; as I said the other day, Steve Yzerman works on his own timeline, and he isn’t afraid of taking slings and arrows from the media or his own team’s fans in order to make his team better.

Sometimes he makes mistakes, to be certain, but he generally tends to make the smarter, subtler, more demonstrative set of decisions as he attempts to slowly rebuild the Red Wings into a team with a stable, playoff-contending roster.

None of us are happy where the “state of the rebuild” is right now, and that includes Yzerman, but he’s doing his best to avail himself of the tools he possesses (the draft, free agency and trades) in order to rectify the Red Wings’ competitive issues.

In all honesty, it’s very trendy to bash Steve Yzerman right now, so I believe that it’s a good thing that he doesn’t give a shit about the state of his reputation among media types.

Khan profiles Nate Danielson

MLive’s Ansar Khan posted a morning column today, in which he discusses Red Wings 2023 1st round pick Nate Danielson’s competitive streak:

Connor Bedard called Nate Danielson one of his toughest matchups in the Western Hockey League, and the Detroit Red Wings’ ears perked up.

The words of a generational talent and the first pick in this year’s draft carry weight. It’s not the reason the Red Wings selected Danielson ninth overall, but it helped him rise above any other prospects they were considering with their top selection in this deep draft.

“That kind of stands out in an interview,” Kris Draper, Red Wings assistant general manager and director of amateur scouring, said. “When we heard that, it was something that put a little smile on our face. Same thing with Marco (Kasper, their top pick last year), a very competitive player, very driven player. We feel Nate’s in that same mold. They don’t cheat the game. They’re responsible. They play the right way. It’s a 200-foot game and they have passion for the game.”

The 6-2, 186-pound right-shooting center from Brandon has offensive ability, too, picking up 33 goals and 78 points in 68 games last season.

“Real smart player,” Draper said. “He’s a guy that plays in all-situations. Saw him as an underage as well. Impressive young man in the way he talks, the way he presents himself. Trying to get some centers, trying to build through the middle. It’s another piece for us going forward.”

Continued

DHN: Konstantinov to sign autographs on August 12th

I don’t like posting these stories for a very simple reason: I don’t believe that Vladimir Konstantinov should have to help cover the cost of his own care.

In any case, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff reports that Konstantinov is holding a public signing event next month in Livonia, MI:

Sports Graphing is offering another opportunity for Detroit Red Wings fans to have a meet and greet with legendary ex-Detroit defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov. The Vladinator will be appearing on Aug. 12 at the Sports Zone in Livonia, Michigan.

He will also be doing a private signing on July 30. For those who cannot attend the public event, they are making send ins available to be signed at the end of July. Those items must arrive at Sports Graphing before July 28th. The cost is $50 per item, plus $10 for JSA certification. All of the signed items are JSA certified.

All proceeds go directly to The Vladimir Konstantinov Special Needs Trust that will be used for his ongoing non-medical care. His health insurance is still paid for by the State of Michigan. However, much of his other therapy costs are no longer covered due to a change in the Michigan insurance laws.

Continued; neither Konstantinov nor Sergei Mnatsakanov should have to want for anything at all.

THN’s Stockton analyzes DeBrincat’s game

The Hockey News’s Detroit correspondent, Sam Stockton, goes into a “deep dive” to analyze what exactly Alex DeBrincat’s game looks like from analytical and stylistic perspectives this evening, using analytics and video to determine what DeBrincat adds to the Red Wings as an offensive asset:

So where does this profile best fit in with Detroit?  

The obvious answer, at least to start the season, is on Dylan Larkin’s wing.  It’s fair to wonder who belongs in the other wing spot on that line (specifically, does it make more sense to pair those two with a third scorer like Lucas Raymond or more a worker bee/puck hunter like Michael Rasmussen).  

Regardless, placing DeBrincat on Larkin’s wing should jump-start both players in 2023-24.  It would give the former the chance he never had in Ottawa to flourish with his best teammates, and it would give the latter the kind of support Yzerman named as essential to the Red Wings’ off-season, before even the draft.

DeBrincat also belongs on the left flank of Detroit’s top power play unit, where he thrived in Chicago and Ottawa.  Again, it will take some time to develop chemistry here.  In Chicago, Kane and DeBrincat worked well on opposite flanks.  In an ideal world, Lucas Raymond and DeBrincat will do the same.  

DeBrincat also showed nice chemistry with Brady Tkachuk on the Sens’ power play, with Tkachuk doing an impressive job of creating from the goal line and DeBrincat finishing a number of those chances.  The Wings don’t have that type of down-low playmaker on their roster (there are precious few of Tkachuk’s quality around the NHL) and the net-front spot on the power play may well be up for grabs.  It will be interesting to see who ends up in that role, and whether they too can provide DeBrincat with quality service.

Continued, and his article is worth your time…

DHN’s Allen discusses Seider’s next contract

The Red Wings only have to re-sign one restricted free agent this summer in Joe Veleno, but the team is a summer away from Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond being eligible for restricted free agency.

Both players were eligible to be signed to contract extensions on July 1st, and it is highly likely that the Red Wings’ main post-Veleno priority will be to ink Seider and Raymond to either “bridge deals” or full-on contract extensions.

As such, Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen wonders aloud what shape those contract extensions will take, and he focuses on the possibilities for Moritz Seider’s next contractual deal this evening:

Given Seider’s projected future as a top pairing defenseman, [Red Wings GM Steve] Yzerman might prefer getting Moritz Seider tied up. But how much would Yzerman have to give him up to tie him? Boston’s Charlie McAvoy started an eight-year deal this season with an average yearly salary of $9.5 million. The New York Rangers gave Adam Fox a seven-year, $9.5 million per season deal in 2021.

Some younger players don’t want eight years because when their contract is over they want to be young enough still to be able to ask for term on their next deal. In 2021, Cale Makar took a six-year deal for an average of $9 million per season.

“What exactly is middle term, is it 4-5, is it 3 through 6, I don’t know,” Yzerman still talking generally about contract negotiations. “I like these mid-term deals. You get to know the player. I’ve watched Alex (DeBrincat) play his entire junior and pro career. Now you get them in the organization and really get to know them and your comfort level and we can go back at it. But these mid-term deals I think are a good compromise for both sides.”

DeBrincat settled on a four-year deal, even though it was originally reported that he wanted a long-term deal. Seems like the Red Wings will be looking for a bridge contract for Raymond.

Seider and Raymond are both going to be restricted free agents so there is no pressure on the Red Wings to act with any urgency.

Continued; I would imagine that Raymond will be looking for a “prove it”-style bridge deal as well, and that Seider will probably want to be locked up long-term, but that’s my best guess as well.

TSN posts partial transcript of Senators GM Pierre Dorion’s take on the Alex DeBrincat deal

Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion appeared on Ottawa’s TSN 1200 AM this morning, offering his take on the circumstances leading up to the Alex DeBrincat trade to Detroit. TSN posted a summary of the main points of Dorion’s 27-minute interview:

“I don’t look at it as the price we paid versus what we got in return because the situations are totally different,” Dorion said on TSN1200 Tuesday morning. “One guy was two years out from UFA, when we acquired him, and he gave us a good year of hockey. A lot of things could have gone a bit differently for us, a bit better luck with injuries. Maybe we make the playoffs and people don’t look at it that way. We got a pretty good player for a year and we feel we maximized our return. Let’s look in 3-5 years if that player we take in the first round is better than the player we would’ve taken at No. 7.”

DeBrincat, 25, scored 27 goals and 66 points in his only season with the Senators, finishing fourth on the team in both categories. Despite the solid season from DeBrincat, the Senators missed the playoffs by six points. 

Dorion added that it was always the goal to re-sign the forward to a long-term contract but DeBrincat and his team made it clear that he wished to play elsewhere.

“It was always our goal to sign Alex long term. We talked to him at training camp and [his team] said ‘let’s see how he likes it’,” said Dorion. “About halfway through the year we reached out to them and they said ‘We thought your team would be a bit better from the start of the year.’

“Alex’s body language in the exit interview told me enough. Being around a long time, I told [head coach D.J. Smith] ‘he doesn’t want to be here’. When I got back from the World Championships his agent called me and said ‘we’re not going to sign long-term with you guys.”

Dorion said he reached out to a list of nine teams provided by DeBrincat and gave several teams permission to negotiate a long-term contract with the two-time 40-goal scorer. However, Dorion found finding a trade partner difficult, as DeBrincat did not wish to sign a long-term deal with certain teams and believes he found the best deal he could for the organization.

“At the end of the day, Detroit kept calling and you’re almost just negotiating with one team. And you have to get the best return and do what’s best for the organization,” said Dorion. “What made it a bit more difficult is that if you had a deal close with teams and Alex said he wouldn’t sign there, it made it difficult for us. We were pretty much negotiating with one team.”

Continued