Month: July 2024

Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin examines the “NHL Goalie Musical Chairs” among Eastern Conference teams, and here’s what he has to say about the Red Wings’ crowded crease:

Detroit Red Wings (Stock up)

Cam Talbot (2 x $2.5M)
Ville Husso
Alex Lyon

(Out: James Reimer)

A .902 combined SV% between Husso, Lyon and Reimer simply wasn’t good enough in 2023-24, despite the fact Lyon had a couple great months. Husso was supposed to be starter-quality over the course of his three-year contract, but he’s been a $4.75 million annual headache instead. Even though Talbot faltered in the New Year and again in the playoffs for L.A., he was good enough to be in the Vezina Trophy conversation for much of last season and is an upgrade over Reimer. It feels like an open competition in Hockeytown, but the smart money is on Talbot to begin 2024-25 as the starter. If Yzerman was satisfied with Husso and Lyon, he wouldn’t have signed Talbot.

Continued; it is an open competition among the Red Wings’ trio of goaltenders. My money’s also on Talbot emerging despite his age (he’s 37), and Lyon ending up as the back-up. I’m a big Husso fan, but at this point, I wonder whether he’s going to be the odd man out, especially if he cannot regain his form.

Sports Illustrated’s Jon Alfano suggests that the New Jersey Devils, Utah Hockey Club and Detroit Red Wings are likely candidates to earn a playoff spot over the course of the 2024-2025 NHL season:

Detroit Red Wings: The Red Wings came oh so close to ending their long playoff drought last season, only losing the final wild card spot to the Capitals due to tiebreakers. It’s now been eight years since Detroit’s last playoff appearance, and the once-proud franchise is determined to get back to that point.

Unlike other teams on the list, the Red Wings didn’t make sweeping changes this offseason. The big addition former All-Star forward Vladimir Tarasenko, who just won his second Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers. Other additions include depth pieces such as Tyler Motte and Erik Gustafsson, while their losses include David Perron, Shayne Gotsisbehere and Jake Walman.

Goaltending will be a bit of a question mark with Ville Husso, Alex Lyon and newcomer Cam Talbot between the pipes, but it should at least be good enough to not sink their chances.

With another year to build chemistry, the Red Wings should be able to improve enough to finally get back to the postseason. If they don’t, then expect there to be serious questions about general manager Steve Yzerman’s job.

Continued; I don’t expect Yzerman to be given anything less than a long leash by Chris Ilitch, because we’re only in year 7 or so of a 10-12 year rebuild. Coach Derek Lalonde, on the other hand, may indeed be on the punditry’s “hot seat.”

Ahead of today’s 2024-2025 AHL schedule release, the Grand Rapids Griffins website’s Andrew Streitel reviews goaltender Sebastian Cossa’s 2023-2024 campaign:

Goaltender Sebastian Cossa competed in his second season with the Griffins, compiling a 22-9-9 record with two shutouts to go along with a 2.41 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage in 40 regular-season games. Cossa set a new franchise record with a 19-game point streak from Jan. 19-April 5 (13-0-6), beating out Marc Lamothe’s 15-game run from Oct. 19-Nov. 30, 2002. He also tied the record for longest home point streak at 13 games (9-0-4 Jan. 24-April 5) and tied the mark for the longest road point streak at 10 contests (8-0-2 Dec. 27-April 17). 

During the regular season, the 21-year-old ranked among the top goaltenders in the AHL in GAA (T3rd among rookies, T6th among qualified goalies), SV% (T5th rookies, T13th qualified goalies), wins (5th rookies), shutouts (T5th rookies), 2,388:59 minutes played (4th rookies, 11th qualified goalies), and a .778 shootout SV% (6th rookies). Cossa was named the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending on Feb. 25 when he went 2-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and a .970 SV%, collecting his first AHL shutout on Feb. 21 against the Texas Stars.

Cossa then went on to compete in every Calder Cup Playoff game for the Griffins during his first postseason in the AHL and finished with a 5-4 mark, a 2.72 GAA and a .900 SV% in nine appearances. He became the first Griffins rookie to win a playoff series since Petr Mrazek in 2013. 

Continued

ESPN’s Ryan S. Clark and Kristen Shilton issue draft/free agency/summertime trade grades for every one of the NHL’s 32 teams this morning (via a subscriber-only article). They are not bullish on the Red Wings’ moves:

Detroit Red Wings

Key players added: F Vladimir Tarasenko, G Jack Campbell, G Cam Talbot
Key players lost: F David Perron, D Jake Walman, G James Reimer
Remaining cap space: $19.92 million

Coach status: Derek Lalonde is going into his third season with Detroit — and his seat is undeniably warm. When GM Steve Yzerman tapped Lalonde for his first NHL head coaching job, it was with the idea that he could help Detroit break through its defensive issues and become a playoff-caliber team.

Despite Lalonde’s best efforts, the Red Wings haven’t turned the corner on that side of the puck — something Yzerman made clear when he said Detroit basically lacked the basic fundamentals of defending. Lalonde must be feeling the heat now as Yzerman has made it clear the status quo — no playoff appearances since 2016 — won’t be accepted from here.

Overall grade: C+. If Yzerman can be critical of how the Red Wings are performing on the ice, it’s worth discussing how they’ve been constructed, too. Yzerman didn’t go all-in anywhere to make Detroit demonstrably better. His notable moves were re-signing Patrick Kane to a one-year contract and adding free agent Tarasenko on two-year pact. Veterans with Stanley Cup-winning experience are generally good to have, but how much of a difference will they make overall?

Granted, Yzerman has RFAs Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider to sign, and that requires cap space. But he is counting on the Red Wings’ internal growth to carry the day here, and how beneficial that strategy is will become clear in due time. Until then it doesn’t appear Detroit is much improved — or all that different — from what Lalonde was working with last season. Hence why the coach and his staff will be tasked with getting Detroit to lose its Achilles heel as an under-performing defensive team.

Continued (paywall); I honestly get kind of pissed off when pundits play the “blame the coach” or “blame the GM” game. Don’t get me wrong, accountability is a good thing, but building a team is a team effort…

And the Red Wings are just at the point where they’ve developed a strong system of prospects, free agents are coming to Detroit because it’s Detroit, and the team is taking those first tentative steps toward making the playoffs on a consistent basis.

The rebuild isn’t over by any stretch of the imagination, and while you, me and Steve Yzerman want more progress by now, things are taking the long route. That’s not a good thing or a bad thing–that’s just the reality of the situation.

The Free Press’s Helene St. James welcomes us to Thursday with a subscriber-only column which discusses Nate Danielson’s immense level of self-belief. As St. James points out, Danielson really rocketed up the scoring charts when he was traded from the Wheat Kings to Portland of the WHL this past season, posting 41 points over the course of just 28 games played:

“Every year you just try and improve,” Danielson said. “I think my overall game has improved since last time I was here. And just overall as a person and player, I’ve improved with all the new experiences I’ve had.I try to work on everything — my skating, my shot, stick handling. I don’t know if there’s any one thing I feel I’m that much better at.”

Danielson had a good camp and exhibition season last fall, but there never was much question he’d go back for another year of junior hockey. Again, it was valuable experience.

“I thought I got more comfortable as camp went on,” Danielson said. “That gave me confidence, definitely, and gives me confidence going into this year, too, knowing that I can have success and play at this level.”

Danielson, 2022 first-round pick Marco Kasper and 2021 third-round pick Carter Mazur are all coming off good seasons and project to challenge for jobs in Detroit. Kasper and Mazur both have more pro experience, having played a full season in the AHL, but Danielson shouldn’t be overlooked. Maybe he doesn’t make the team out of camp, but he looks and sounds like a guy determined to be atop the depth chart in the minors.

“I believe in myself,” Danielson said, “and I believe I can make it.”

Continued (paywall); Danielson is only 20, and he’ll attempt to break into pro hockey with the Grand Rapids Griffins this upcoming season, but he’s got a level of self-confidence that’s almost cocky, and that’s good for a professional athlete to have.

I’ve been gone for a long time, and to help me reacquaint myself with you, the important people in my blogging life, I want to do a mailbag feature.

So comment below (I promise I’ll double check the comment queue so that your comment gets posted), send me a Tweet/X post, send me an email, ask me about the Red Wings, the offseason additions, prospect stuff, ask me about recovery from hip replacement surgery if you need to.

Just ask some questions, because it’s the second week of July, and it’s time to stir the pot and find a way to talk hockey during a lull in the 24/7/365 news cycle.

The Athletic issues “way too early” 2024-2025 season predictions this morning, and they do so by sharing a poll of their NHL writing staff, all 49 of ’em.

The Red Wings don’t get much of a mention until Shayna Goldman, Sean Gentille and Jesse Granger are asked which coach will be fired first: in The Athletic’s staff poll, 31.3% of the respondents said it will be Wings coach Derek Lalonde:

Gentille: I’m not sure the Red Wings got any better this offseason, and expectations are still high. Derek Lalonde is a good coach, but it’s easy to see him as a scapegoat.

Granger: It’s hard to argue with that explanation for Lalonde. I personally wonder how things go in Philadelphia if the Flyers don’t exceed expectations the way they did for most of last season.

Goldman: Lalonde definitely makes sense, but I actually went with Jim Montgomery here if the Bruins don’t look like a team ready to go on a deep run.

Continued (paywall); Gentille also complains when he finds that the Wings earn the last playoff spot in the East in the poll, but that’s it for the Wings.

As far as Lalonde is concerned, I don’t know whether he’s going to get the Wings back into the playoffs, but he’s the coach, and I believe that he’ll do a competent job this upcoming season.

The Red Wings’ GM may be overly patient and thoroughly methodical, but he’s not dumb–if the team struggles this season, Steve Yzerman won’t hesitate to make changes on the roster, both on and behind the bench.

And as far as the rest is concerned, the Wings are not going to have a lot of believers this upcoming season, just like last year, and they’ll have to prove people wrong. Again.

Strange things happen in the KHL all the time, and this morning, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff tries to make sense of Dmitri Buchelnikov’s situation.

Buchelnikov was recently traded from the mighty SKA St. Petersburg club to Vityaz Moscow Region, but the player Buchelnikov was traded for, former Red Wing Dmytro Timashov, was traded as well, with Timashov being sent to what is essentially SKA’s farm team in HC Sochi.

What does all of this have to do with Buchelnikov? It’s a strange turn of events for a player who bounced between St. Petersburg in Russia’s west and Vladivostok in the far, far east (think north of Japan) last season. That moving around wasn’t great for his stats in Buchelnikov’s first full season in the KHL, but he managed to post 29 points in 53 games.

Blah blah blah, get to the point, George? Well, Duff explains that Buchelnikov getting sent to Vityaz was a bit weird given his one-time status as a rising star with SKA, and he notes that the Red Wings have to simply cross their fingers that the young man who stands at 5’10” and 170 pounds wants to come over to North America so that he can be assessed properly:

Buchelnikov was a 13-goal scorer in the KHL last season with Admiral, a team he was sent to on loan by SKA St. Petersburg. Does he have NHL potential? The fact of the matter is that at this stage of his development, no one can say for sure.

The Red Wings brass can’t get into Russia to see Buchelnikov play in person. And since Russia is under ban from international competition, there’s no chance to measure him against his peers on the international stage.

So what can the Red Wings do to determine how Buchelnikov is progressing until his contract with Vityaz is up in 2025? Get first-hand reports from their Russian scout, and watch as many games as necessary on streaming services:

Continue reading Overnight Duff: On the curious case of Dmitri Buchelnikov

WWMT’s Nate Brown reports that Red Wings assistant GM and director of amateur scouting Kris Draper was in Grand Rapids to take part in his other favorite sport on Wednesday:

Day Two of the 2024 Beer City Open brought with it a few differences: matches played inside due to poor weather, and the beginning of Major League Pickleball sanctioned matches as the professionals began their fun.

Day Two also brought with it tournament Number Two for the “One Dollar Man”, Kris Draper.

Draper, the longtime Detroit Red Wing who won four Stanley Cups with the organization, competed in the 2023 Open as an amateur and finds himself back in Grand Rapids for the second straight year.

As someone who played the sport of hockey at the highest level imaginable, though, watching other professionals at the top of their craft only brings out the fan in Draper that much more.

“I love watching the best of the best. Last year was great getting to watch all the pros play,” said Draper. “This year with MLP here, it’s pretty neat just to watch the way these guys warm up. The way they hit the ball, it’s just a different sound. It’s just fun to watch how they move, how they play, how they are. It motivates you to continue to get better.”

Continued with a non-embeddable video…

Per the Grand Rapids Griffins on Twitter:

Starting off the season seeking revenge against Milwaukee 🔥💪 #GoGRG | See you soon @mkeadmirals 😉 pic.twitter.com/K0bBDR1KGm

— x – Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) July 10, 2024