Month: July 2024

Tweets from Day 4 of the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp

The Red Wings’ prospects don’t get Independence Day off. They’re busy at work, taking part in the final practices of the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center:

Impressions of the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp participants, away-from-the-rink version

I haven’t been able to attend the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp for the first time since 2006 due to vehicle issues this summer, and it’s eaten at me all week long.

I’ve felt like I’ve been grieving not being able to raise quite enough funds to rent a car as my own 18-year-old Chrysler Pacifica’s tailpipe, muffler and catalytic converter are all dragging on the ground (with no money to replace the automobile, we’re trying to reach out to simply get the rust-bucket, declared unsafe to drive by our mechanic last fall, repaired), and I’ve been in a rotten mood all week long.

Continue reading Impressions of the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp participants, away-from-the-rink version

MLive: Joe Louis Arena site to become home of a 600-room hotel

As MLive’s Edward Pevos reports, the former site of Joe Louis Arena will soon be home to a 600-room hotel that will be connected to the former Cobo Hall:

Long gone is the Joe Louis Arena, the former home of the Detroit Red Wings. In its place will soon be a swanky new hotel. Detroit-based developer Sterling Group and the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority (DRCFA) have revealed details on what’s being built at the former site of “Hockeytown.”

The 600-room hotel will open under the JW Marriott brand and will be connected to the Huntington Place Convention Center via a skybridge. The JW Marriott Detroit Water Square will be 25 stories and will feature 50,000 square feet of meeting spaces, restaurants, a market and more.

“This connected hotel will change the hospitality landscape in the City of Detroit and allow for Huntington Place to attract more and larger conventions,” said Danny Samson, Chief Development Officer of Sterling Group. “It will be a significant economic benefit to the City and the region.

Construction of the hotel began in early April and is expected to be completed by early 2027, just in time for the Men’s NCAA Final Four tournament taking place at Ford Field in Detroit in March of that year.

Continued; the incredibly expensive apartment building that is “The Residences at Water Square” has already opened at the former JLA site.

Eying Big Elmer

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen wisely suggests that Red Wings fans keep an eye on Big Elmer Soderblom, Detroit’s 6’8″ forward prospect, as Soderblom attempts to break into Detroit’s bottom six forward lineup this fall:

One player to watch in training camp is Elmer Soderblom. After a slow start, the 6-foot-8 forward finished with 13 goals in 61 games. Seven of his goals came in his last 20 regular-season games. The Red Wings could use his size. He weighs almost 250 pounds. It wears down opponents to deal with his size. If the Red Wings carry 13 forwards, he could be a candidate to make the team. The issues standing in his way: Detroit could have three goalies on their roster and they many need to carry eight defensemen to protect Albert Johansson from being claimed on waivers. Johansson will be competing with William Lagesson for that No. 8 spot.

Continued; Soderblom is waiver-exempt for one more season, and he’s just starting to put his game together at 22 years of age.

Do the Wings still need to add a blueliner via trade? ‘Spector’ believes so

This morning, Bleacher Report’s Lyle “Spector” Richardson discusses “5 teams in need of a trade” because they didn’t address all their needs during the unrestricted free agent period.

The Red Wings definitely built up their third and fourth lines by re-signing Christian Fischer and Tyler Motte, added goaltending depth in Max Talbot and Jack Campbell, and addressed some of their scoring losses in Vladimir Tarasenko, but Richardson believes that the Red Wings must do more to add to their defense:

On June 25, the Detroit Red Wings traded Jake Walman to the San Jose Sharks for future considerations. It was an obvious salary dump, clearing the 28-year-old defenseman’s $3.4 million average annual value (through 2025-26) from their books. That move seemed to set the stage for a significant addition by the Wings.

The Wings had plenty of salary-cap space entering the free-agent market, but a big portion of it will go to restricted free agents Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond and Joe Veleno. They brought back Patrick Kane on a one-year deal but opted for smaller depth additions like goalies James Reimer, Cam Talbot, Jack Campbell and blueliner Erik Gustafsson.

That may be because the new deals for Seider, Raymond and Veleno will eat most of their remaining $21.5 million. Still, adding three fading goaltenders won’t address their problems between the pipes. Trading Walman for nothing only weakens their blue line following the departure of Shayne Gostisbehere to the Carolina Hurricanes.

If Yzerman can get Seider, Raymond and Veleno under more affordable terms, it could give him the cap room to acquire a defenseman by peddling a high draft pick or a quality prospect. He was reportedly close to a trade for New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba, though complications appear to have scuttled that deal.

Continued; I believe that it’s pretty certain that the graduations of Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson from Grand Rapids mean that the Wings’ blueline “is what it is” for now, and may remain in its current state until the trade deadline.

The Wings have enough cap space to re-sign Jonatan Berggren, Raymond, Seider and Veleno, but not much else at this point. They’d have to at least move Justin Holl and his 2 years remaining on his contract at $3.4 million per season to squeeze out some wiggle room, and as that’s going to take some assets in the form of a draft pick or prospect to “sweeten the pot.”

As such, I’m not certain whether we’re going to see a trade for a defenseman for now, especially as the Trouba trade fell through. Detroit may have to wait to sort out its blueline.

HSJ in the morning: Wings prospect goaltender Trey Augustine says his last year’s been ‘super cool’

The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted a subscriber-only article which discusses Red Wings prospect goaltender Trey Augustine, who spent the past year tending the net for the resurgent Michigan State University Spartans, and then playing for the men’s World Championship team in Czechia:

Being selected was tremendous recognition for Augustine, a 2023 second-round pick (No. 41 overall), and fitting given his freshman year. The South Lyon native posted a 2.96 goals-against average and .915 save percentage in 35 games for the Spartans. He had three shutouts in his first season at MSU, leading the Spartans to their first Big Ten title ever, as well as their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2012.

“I got to watch Trey play quite a bit at State,” Wings assistant director of player development Dan Cleary said. “When I watch Trey, he just gives me a lot of confidence, and I’m not even on his team. He’s got a great demeanor about him. A nice calm, cool demeanor, but competitive — that fire burns within him. Tremendous season for him. Going to [the] World Championships was a cool experience for him, playing against NHL caliber players. It’s been a lot for him.”

It has been quite a lot for Augustine, which is why he took the previous two weeks off from skating, sort of an opportunity to mentally refresh before bearing down and gearing up for his sophomore year. From being drafted to playing at State to the World stage and back at development camp, it has been a whirlwind.

“I think that’s a good time for me to reflect on the 12-month span I’ve had,” Augustine said. “I’ve had some unbelievable opportunities and I’m super thankful to everyone who has helped me get to this position I’m in today. It’s super cool and I’m looking to have some more coolness in the future.”

Continued (paywall)

A bit about new Red Wings prospect Fisher Scott

The Red Wings selected Dubuque Fighting Saints defenseman and incoming Colorado College freshman Fisher Scott with the 208th overall pick in last weekend’s 2024 NHL Draft. The Aspen Daily News’s Rich Allen checked in with Scott as he attends the Red Wings’ 2024 Summer Development Camp. Allen also spoke with Scott’s coach in Dubuque, Kirk MacDonald, and Red Wings assistant GM/director of amateur scouting Kris Draper regarding Scott’s potential:

“Fisher’s progression over the last few years of junior hockey has been impressive,” Kris Draper, Detroit’s assistant general manager and director of amateur scouting, told the Aspen Daily News via an email statement. “He is a very good skater. His skating, along with good stick detail, allows him to end plays quickly. He’s a high-character kid which we value. He’s smooth in transition, moving pucks on time. We’d like to see him work on his strength like most young players but we’re very happy to have him in the organization.”

Draper’s name should be familiar to hockey fans in Colorado: As a player, he was a central figure in the Red Wings-Avalanche rivalry at its peak around the turn of the century. That could’ve made it awkward for Scott, who grew up cheering on the Avs, but he said he’s just elated to play pro hockey.

“As a player, you dream of being in the NHL. It doesn’t matter what team you go to, you’re pretty happy and fortunate to be anywhere,” Scott said.

…

In most cases, a seventh-round draft pick is considered a long shot or a lottery ticket to make it to the bigs. A study by DobberProspects.com in 2020 using data from 2000-2009 showed that only 5.5% of the league’s players came out of the seventh round, and the odds of a seventh rounder reaching the NHL was at 10%.

But even with those odds, Scott’s stock has seemingly been rising from the obscurity of Aspen to the main stage in Las Vegas — and his former coach likes his chances.

“F—ing right I do,” MacDonald said when asked if thinks Scott could be an NHL player one day. “There’s no doubt in my mind that Fish can play. … I think he’s going to go into CC this year and make an immediate impact this year, no doubt in my mind he’s going to be great for them for as long as he’s there. And hopefully when the time is right, he makes that transition to pro hockey and he’s just going to continue to grow. I think he’s going to make Detroit look really smart a few years down the road.”

Continued

Duff: Cam Talbot eyes the Red Wings’ starting job

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff posted an article which discusses goaltender Cam Talbot’s belief that he can earn the Red Wings’ starting job this upcoming season:

“Absolutely,” Talbot, 36, declared. “That’s one of the reasons why I chose to sign here. There’s gonna be the competition no matter what between three three or four of us. I feel healthy and good even at my age.”

Signed to a two-year, $5 million deal as a UFA, Talbot is coming off a solid season with the Los Angeles Kings. While posting a .913 save percentage and 2.50 GAA, he was also earning the Pacific Division nod for the NHL All-Star Game.

“I played 54 games last year, made an All-Star appearance,” Talbot said. “I still feel like I got a lot to give. That’s one of the biggest reasons why I wanted a two-year deal to come in and try to help a team win and still come in and compete for starts. That’s a big factor for me coming in.”

Continued; the competition for playing time in goal should be very healthy this season as Talbot, Ville Husso and Alex Lyon vie for two goaltender’s jobs, with Jack Campbell and Sebastian Cossa not to be ruled out of the back-up’s position just yet.

Tweet of note: A light-hearted Q and A at the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp

What food or food product shouldn’t exist? As a Tweet? Sure.

Grading the Tarasenko deal

ESPN’s Ryan Clark weighs in on the Red Wings’ signing of Vladimir Tarasenko to a 2-year, $9.5-million contract, grading the transaction:

Grade: B+

Where does he fit? Tarasenko was attractive given his ability to play a top-six role, and it appears that’s the part he will play for the Red Wings. Tarasenko’s arrival adds to a group that already had Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane and Lucas Raymond on the roster.

DeBrincat is a six-time 20-goal scorer with three seasons of more than 30 goals; he scored 27 goals in 2023-24 for a consecutive season. Kane is a future Hall of Famer who had 20 goals and 47 points in 50 games, while Raymond had the strongest season of his career, with 31 goals and 72 points.

Adding Tarasenko, who scored 23 goals between his time with the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers, gives them another option in an offseason that saw them lose David Perron in free agency. Altogether, the Red Wings look to have one of the more formidable top-six winger situations as they seek to climb back into the playoffs after an eight-year hiatus.

Does it make sense? The Red Wings had 13 players who finished with more than 10 goals during the 2023-24 season; however, they lost three of those players this offseason. Perron and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere left in free agency while Jake Walman was traded to the San Jose Sharks.

It left an opening for a proven goal scorer for a team just barely missed the playoffs. So who better to call, or sign, than a two-time Stanley Cup winner who not only gives the Red Wings another top-six option but adds another figure to a power play that was ninth in the NHL with a 23.1% success rate?

As for the actual contract itself, giving him two years at $4.75 million AAV is the type of deal that provides a sense of comfort for Red Wings. It’s a pact that’s long enough to build continuity, but not too long that it’s an inescapable deal in the event he struggles to find consistency. — Clark

Continued (paywall)