Month: July 2023

The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton weighs in regarding the comments made by Steve Yzerman and Alex DeBrincat’s respective press conferences earlier today:

Yesterday evening, DeBrincat was having a “chill day” at that home with his wife Lyndsey and one-year-old son Archie when the family learned that their off-season house could remain their in-season house for at least the next four years.  “I don’t think anyone’s happier than my parents,” said DeBrincat of the busy day; the trips to watch their son play and grandson grow up will be short and frequent.

For Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman, the deal met a major off-season demand by bringing in a rare asset in the NHL, a player who “anytime they shoot it, it looks like they have a chance to go in.”  A “medium-term” extension, as Yzerman called DeBrincat’s new four year, $31.5 million ticket, works for both parties.  

The Red Wings won’t be locked into seven or eight seasons of a player who has yet to prove his fit in Detroit, while DeBrincat will get the chance to return to free agency in his (late) 20s, when the cap should have swollen and he will still have valuable years left to offer.

That DeBrincat hails from Farmington Hills provided some extra value for the Red Wings as well.  “To have some local ties is great for these players and for our market as well,” said Yzerman.  He added that free agents with more connection to their new home than just dollars and cents tend to be “more invested” in the project they’re joining.

Continued

Per the Toledo Walleye:

🚨 PLAYER ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨

We've inked former Spartan forward Mitchell Lewandowski for the 2023-24 season.

👉 https://t.co/yJmyY1mol4 pic.twitter.com/5to4Sjltbp

— Toledo Walleye (@ToledoWalleye) July 10, 2023

Here’s the press release:

(Toledo, OH) – Former Michigan State Spartan forward Mitchell Lewandowski has agreed to terms with the Toledo Walleye for the 2023-2024 season.

Lewandowski, the Clarkson, Michigan native, completed a five-year college career at Michigan State that saw him appear in 156 games with 120 points (56G, 54A) and 144 penalty minutes. The 25-year-old posted 19 points (7G, 12A) in 27 games during his final college campaign in 2021-2022. Lewandowski was the Big 10 Rookie of the Year in the 2017-2018 season when he picked up 19 goals and 34 points in 36 contests which was good for second on the Spartans in scoring.

He made his pro-debut with Tucson at the end of the 2021-2022 season, appearing in 14 games with a pair of goals and one assist. Lewandowski signed with Orlando last season but did not play for the Solar Bears. Prior to his college days, he was a member of the 2017 USHL Clark Cup champion Chicago Steel.

Here’s what NHL.com’s Nicholas J. Cotsonika took away from Steve Yzerman and Alex DeBrincat’s respective press conferences:

Amid their many moves in that time, they have kept or added some players with local ties. They signed center Andrew Copp, who grew up in Ann Arbor and played at the University of Michigan, to a five-year contract with an AAV of $5.625 million as an unrestricted free agent July 13, 2022.

They signed captain Dylan Larkin, who grew up in the Detroit area (Waterford) and played at Michigan, to an eight-year contract with an AAV of $8.7 million March 1, keeping him from becoming a UFA.

They signed center J.T. Compher, who grew up in the Chicago (Northbrook) area but played at Michigan, to a five-year contract with an AAV of $5.1 million as a UFA on July 1. And now they’ve added DeBrincat and locked him down for four years.

“Ultimately, I want really good players,” Yzerman said. “I don’t care where they’re from, but I think it is a bonus.”

These players are familiar with the Detroit area and each other. They have extra incentive to play for the Red Wings, persevere through hard times and help them take the next step. And they can connect with the fans through something as simple as genuinely wearing a Pistons hat, because, as DeBrincat said, “it’s just a cool hat.”

“If they’re free agents, they want to be there for some reason,” Yzerman said. “I think the players with local ties, I think there’s an added benefit to it. When you target a specific place for the right reasons — for very good reasons and not just going to, say, get the top dollar — I think the player’s more invested in it.”

Continue

The Detroit News’s Nolan Bianchi discusses the Alex DeBrincat deal from a draft-picks-and-cents perspective this evening:

Much speculation surrounded the impending trade and extension, with numerous outlets reporting DeBrincat may have been looking for upward of eight years of term. Ultimately, a four-year extension made sense for both sides, Yzerman said.

“It was a number we were both comfortable with. … Things are changing. You’re starting to see more players — at least this offseason, and I think it might be a trend — more players signing shorter-term contracts, not necessarily going the full seven and eight years,” Yzerman said.

“We discussed four and five years, and ultimately, we were both comfortable doing four years.”

Part of the trend Yzerman was referring to may have to do with the recent stagnation of the league’s salary cap. The cap rose year over year from $56.8 million (2009-10) to $81.5 million (2019-20) in the span of a decade, but loss of revenue from the pandemic forced the number to stay at $81.5 million through the 2021-22 season.

It has increased by $1 million each of the last two seasons but is expected to see a significant jump for the 2024-25 season. Players of DeBrincat’s caliber would find it risky to take a short-term deal (even in two years, a lot can go wrong), but at the same time, a long-term deal may had his contract looking like peanuts by the time the cap jumps again.

Hence, why a four-year deal was a fit for both sides: DeBrincat will hit unrestricted free agency again at age 29, in a cap-infused landscape, while the Red Wings can have comfort in knowing that they’ve got an elite scorer on a team-friendly deal while they look to turn the corner.

Continued

Discuss as you will, per 97.1 the Ticket:

With Alex DeBrincat in tow, should the Red Wings take aim at his old linemate with the Blackhawks? Gator says No. 88 would look good in Detroit:

“Here’s another name I want to throw out as a possibility. People have talked about the best years for DeBrincat were in Chicago with Patrick Kane. Patrick Kane’s a free agent.”

You want to put Patrick Kane here?

“I do. Because I don’t think he’s going to cost you much, even if it’s just a one-year, prove-that-you’re-healthy deal.”

Kane underwent hip surgery in June with an expected recovery time of four to six months. That likely puts him back in action by November. DeBrincat was a two-time 40-goal scorer playing with Kane in Chicago, and the two of them could team up with Dylan Larkin on Detroit’s top line. Kane is eighth in the NHL in points over the last five seasons, but was limited to 57 points in 73 games last year due in part to his injury.

At this stage of his career, who knows if he would be open to joining a team that isn’t yet a Cup contender. And as Karsch says, any potential contract “comes with a risk because the guy is 34 years old coming off a significant injury. The risk is that it would be a waste of resources.”

The Red Wings still have $8 million in cap space after acquiring DeBrincat. And Steve Yzerman did say Monday that he’s willing to spend to the ceiling if it makes the team better next season and that he’s “not going to rule anything out.”

MLive’s Ansar Khan wrote up a fine article discussing Steve Yzerman and Alex DeBrincat’s comments made to the media this morning, emphasizing DeBrincat’s game-changing talent:

“I’m excited for the opportunity that this team is giving me,” said DeBrincat, while wearing a Pistons horsehead logo cap during a media Zoom call. “I don’t think anyone’s happier than my parents, the whole family. It’s a good spot for me.”

It appears to be a good deal for Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman, who signed DeBrincat, 25, to a four-year extension at an average annual value of $7.875 million and didn’t trade a core player or top prospect (Ottawa received the lower of the Red Wings’ two 2024 first-round picks, a fourth-round selection, Dominik Kubalik and prospect Donovan Sebrango).

DeBrincat scored 27 goals in his lone season with the Senators but he and Yzerman believe he can return to his 41-goal form with the Chicago Blackhawks (2018-19 and 2021-22).

“I’m not going to set a number on him,” Yzerman said. “I think he’s more than a goal-scorer. He’s a very smart hockey player, passes the puck, manages the puck extremely well. I think he’s a good linemate to play with. He’s valuable on the power play and does a good job five-on-five.”

Said DeBrincat: “I’m definitely confident in my abilities. I think that this team is a good fit for me. Hopefully, we can get back into the playoffs. Hopefully, it’s sooner than later.”

Continued

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen breaks down the Alex DeBrincat deal by examining all the moving parts in the trade from both teams’ perspectives:

DeBrincat

Senators: DeBrincat wasn’t going to re-sign with the Senators when he was a UFA next summer, and they wanted to move him to prevent losing him for nothing more than added cap space. If they waited until the 2024 trade deadline to move him, they risked him becoming injured.

Red Wings: The Red Wings need more offense and DeBrincat is a difference-maker as a goal scorer. He has averaged 31.1 goals per season for his six NHL seasons. DeBrincat has netted 41 goals twice. He’s been durable, missing only 16 games over the six seasons.

First Round Pick

Red Wings: You must give up something of value to acquire a proven scorer. They weren’t going to be able to make this deal without surrendering a first-round pick, especially given the fact they weren’t willing to give up their top young players. The Red Wings also have two first-round picks next season because they received Boston’s in the Tyler Bertuzzi deal. It’s their choice, which pick goes to Ottawa. GM Steve Yzerman is building through the draft, but has always indicated he would rather have a player than a draft pick. Let’s also not forget that Alex DeBrincat is only 25, meaning he fits nicely into a rebuilding team.

Senators: It’s not like there is no hope that the pick won’t be in the top 15. It’s not a lock that either Detroit or Boston will make the playoffs. The Bruins have lost some depth, and it’s possible that both David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron will retire.

Continued

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills posted an article regarding Alex DeBrincat’s comments this morning, noting that the new Red Wings forward really wanted to “come home”:

While addressing the media, DeBrincat reminisced about how his love for the sport was fueled by watching the Red Wings’ Stanley Cup championship runs in 2002 and 2008.

“They were just so successful through my whole childhood,” DeBrincat said. “It was so fun to watch and that’s a big reason why I play the game. To get to that success is a goal of mine.”

DeBrincat also recalled playing hockey in Farmington Hills as some of his fondest childhood memories. 

“I played for the Farmington Hills Fire for quite a few years at Farmington Hills Ice Arena,” DeBrincat said. “That rink is pretty special to me. Then I moved on to play for Victory Honda, which I’ve trained at for the past couple years too.”

Now, DeBrincat is ready to make new memories with the Red Wings.

“You can see that the compete level is definitely higher,” DeBrincat said. “You see a team that’s maybe frustrated in being in a rebuild and wants to get out. I’m excited to be here, join that and hopefully be part of the solution to get out of that. I’m just really excited to join these guys and I see the potential in this group.”

Enjoy:

Cat's out of the bag. 🐱 pic.twitter.com/EZx1gs1yx1

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 10, 2023

Sportsnet’s Sonny Sachdeva discusses the Red Wings’ free agent period moves this afternoon, suggesting that the team’s trade for Alex DeBrincat may finally move the “Yzerplan” forward:

To this point, Yzerman’s work has followed a fairly consistent slow-and-steady blueprint. Four straight years of top-10 picks, four years of taking swings in free agency and on the trade market to find a solution in net (usually by way of offering a greater role to a star backup), to shore up the blue line around the club’s young talent, and to inject some life into the team’s offence. But on all of those fronts, not much has managed to take, and a number of the club’s additions have wound up as subtractions not long after.

So far this off-season, Yzerman’s done some of the same. On the back end, oft-maligned former Maple Leafs defender Justin Holl has joined the fray on a three-year, $10.4-million deal, along with Shayne Gostisbehere on a one-year, $4.13 pact. In net, yet another backup fresh off a standout season, Alex Lyon, was signed to a two-year, $1.8-million contract, with veteran James Reimer coming aboard too, at one year and $1.5 million.

Up front, another loss of a former mainstay, as the club terminated the contract of 2018 sixth-overall pick Zadina, who’d asked for a trade that the Red Wings weren’t able to make happen. But added to the forward corps were depth gambles forwards Klim Kostin (acquired from Edmonton in a deal that also netted Kailer Yamamoto, who the Red Wings then bought out) at two years, $4 million; Daniel Sprong at one year, $2 million; and Christian Fischer at one year, $1.13 million. Added, too, was another veteran, in J.T. Compher at a hefty five years and $27.5 million.

Take it all together and it should be clear why DeBrincat represents a significant shift for Yzerman and his vision.

To this point, the majority of adds the captain-turned-executive has been able to orchestrate in Detroit have either been for veterans past their prime, depth pieces, or dice-roll offensive adds who could hopefully break out in a Red Wings sweater.

In DeBrincat, they get something else. A bona fide top-tier offensive talent, in his prime. A key piece of the team’s core moving forward. The first 40-goal threat in a Red Wings sweater since Marian Hossa, a decade-and-a-half ago.

The value of DeBrincat’s new deal alone should indicate as much, as the $31.5-million sum he was given is the most Yzerman’s handed out to anyone aside from captain Dylan Larkin — the only player he gave term to, on an eight-year, $69.6-million extension. At four years, DeBrincat doesn’t get as much term as recent additions Compher and Copp, who each got a fifth year, but the former Chicago and Ottawa sniper will be the second-highest-paid player on Yzerman’s roster next season, by a decent margin.

The question now is how much of an impact DeBrincat’s able to have in Detroit. More additions, and further growth from the club’s marquee prospects, are needed for true progress to come for the club. But if the 25-year-old can rediscover his 40-goal form, if he can perhaps climb even higher among the game’s top snipers, his presence should signify an important step forward for a Red Wings rebuild that’s seemed stuck in the mud for the past half-decade.