Month: July 2023

Sunday morning DeBrincat update from the Fourth Period

Per the Fourth Period:

The Ottawa Senators continue to try to trade sniper Alex DeBrincat and those discussions are believed to have picked up some steam over the last couple of days. As TFP’s David Pagnotta has reported, the Anaheim Ducks and New York Islanders are among the teams very interested in DeBrincat, joining the Detroit Red Wings and a handful of other clubs still in the mix.

DeBrincat’s agent Jeff Jackson has been granted permission to speak with teams about a contract for the 25-year-old but has not yet been successful in coming to an agreement, which has derailed some trade talks.

On Saturday, Senators GM Pierre Dorion acknowledged that deals have been close, but failing to agree to terms on an extension has been the sticking point.

“There’s varying degrees of interest,” Dorion said, as quoted by the Ottawa Sun. “Teams call, we get close to a deal, I give them permission, and sometimes they’re not ready to pay maybe the term that we’re ready to pay. He’s 25 years old, so he’s looking for something in particular, and I can talk about it because we own his rights, so I think the degrees (of interest) vary.”

Dorion suggested DeBrincat could sign a short-term deal with Ottawa. Or, if a deal isn’t done by the time their arbitration case takes place, DeBrincat could play out next season with the Sens and leave as a free agent.

Trade talks are expected to continue Sunday and carry into the week. It is unclear what type of package the Ducks or Islanders are willing to give up for DeBrincat. The Sens reportedly wanted the ninth-overall pick from the Red Wings last week, but that never materialized.

Allen on the Wings’ crowded roster

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen duly notes that there will be a significant amount of competition for spots on the Red Wings’ roster this upcoming season:

With the Red Wings confirming Sunday they had signed former Arizona Coyotes forward Christian Fisher, the team now has 14 forwards, seven defensemen and three goalies on one-way contracts

If the season started tomorrow, they could send one goalie to Grand Rapids and have a traditional 23-person roster.

But that roster wouldn’t include Kasper, Edvinsson, Elmer Soderblom, Carter Mazur, Albert Johansson or anyone who might play well enough to earn a place in training camp.

This is hardly a major problem. Injuries usually help teams make room for young players. Plus, Edvinsson’s surgery recovery time may delay his start time.

It’s just something to keep an eye on.

Red Wings sign Christian Fischer to 1-year, $1.125 million contract

Per the Detroit Red Wings on Twitter:

The Detroit Red Wings have signed Christian Fischer to a one-year, $1.125M deal. Fischer is solid at PK. Overall, another weird signing by Yzerman this summer in our eyes. pic.twitter.com/STpggypAPo— Andy & Rono (@ARHockeyStats) July 2, 2023

Christian Fischer, signed 1x$1.3M by DET, is a bottom six winger who kills penalties. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/5ftQOyTPT6— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 2, 2023

Here’s the press release:

Continue reading Red Wings sign Christian Fischer to 1-year, $1.125 million contract

HSJ in the morning: Reviewing the Red Wings’ first day of free agency

The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted an article in which she discusses the Red Wings’ first-day-of-free-agency moves, issuing individual grades:

Steve Yzerman added multiple forwards, defensemen and goaltenders on the first day of free agency, but did not find what the Detroit Red Wings arguably need most.

Four months after trading away Tyler Bertuzzi, Jakub Vrana and Filip Hronek, all highly skilled players in their mid-20s, the Wings filled those vacancies with J.T. Compher, Daniel Sprong and Justin Holl.

Signing goaltenders James Reimer and Alex Lyon certainly looks like upgrades over Alex Nedeljkovic and Magnus Hellberg, whose struggles last season curbed the Wings’ effectiveness. But Bertuzzi and Vrana were both proven scorers and Hronek was an offensive defenseman, and the newcomers do not have resumes that match their production.

Yzerman was not made available to reporters Saturday, but two days earlier he spoke of the challenge of finding high-end players in free agency: “We’ll fill some spots; who exactly; I’m not sure, or for how long or how much. That’s the nature of free agency.”

Yzerman had salary cap cash, but seven years of missing the playoffs has left the Wings without the cachet of being a destination for the sort of top-end free agents they used to draw. Bertuzzi was a 30-goal scorer and while Yzerman made a smart move in gaining a first-round pick (2024, top-10 protected) for a guy who otherwise could have been lost for nothing in free agency, neither Compher and Sprong have Bertuzzi’s touch around the net.

Continued

‘Reckless usage’

EP Rinkside’s Dmitri Filipovic posted an article discussing “winners and losers” after the first day of the unrestricted free agent period, and here’s what he had to say about the Red Wings’ moves:

The other team whose reckless usage of resources similarly stands out is the Detroit Red Wings. For the second straight offseason, they jumped head first into the unrestricted free agent market and spent freely on players that are fine, but don’t exactly move the needle in any significant way. Here’s the list of free agent skaters they’ve signed in that time, and the amount of future money they invested in them:

The last two I actually like. Detroit’s offence was deplorable last year, finishing 28th in 5-on-5 scoring and 31st in high-danger chance generation. At those prices, Gostisbehere and Sprong will both surely be able to help and can be easily flipped to a contender at the deadline for a decent return. 

What I don’t really understand are the long-term commitments to some of the others up at the top, especially when combining the context of where they’re at as an organization and what those players provide. When he took a sharp step back and sold off everything he could at last year’s trade deadline, general manager Steve Yzerman was fairly critical of the Red Wings, and how far away they were from competing against some of the other teams in their own division. 

That was the right assessment at the time, and it was encouraging to hear because it provided some hope for their plan of action moving forward. But the choices they just made yet again this summer don’t really gel with that, and the fact that it’s unclear what their goals are and what they’re trying to ultimately accomplish is kind of concerning.

Continued (paywall)

Duff on the ‘Yzer-pan’

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff examines the negative reactions to Steve Yzerman’s free agency moves this morning:

From the moment he became GM of the Detroit Red Wings in 2019, it was appearing that Steve Yzerman was bulletproof. With each move he made in the rebuild of the franchise, the faithful were greeting the transaction with absolute certainty that it was the right thing to do. Stevie Y could do no wrong.

Trust in the Yzerplan was the mantra of the masses.

Has the bloom come off that rose?

Saturday, as the Red Wings began dipping their toes in the NHL UFA pool, it was impossible to drown out the noise from the Detroit fanbase as they began panning each move. Suddenly, they were also questioning Yzerman’s management acumen.

“Guys it’s looking like Yzerman is a bad GM,” posted someone billing themselves as Source on Twitter. “It pains my heart. I almost named my son after him in 2006.”

Many Detroit fans who in the past have walked in lockstep right alongside Yzerman on this journey were doing a harsh 180 in reaction to his latest personnel decisions.

Continued