Month: July 2024

This afternoon, Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen has posted a subscriber-only article which discusses five points of emphasis for the Red Wings to make the playoffs in the upcoming 2024-2025 season. Here’s his most important point:

Tighten Defensive Coverage: Last season, 17 NHL teams gave 252 or fewer goals over 82 games. They all had a 3.02 team GAA or better.  Thirteen of those teams qualified for the playofs. The Red Wings have a good understanding of what they can do this season to improve their playoff chances.

Getting in the top half of the GAA seems like a “must” for this team. The team’s overall defensive coverage has to improve or they will miss the playoffs for a ninth consecutive season.

It feels as if they made some strides in defensive coverage last season, but numbers say it was negligible. They gave up 275 goals in Derek Lalonde’s first season and 273 last season. Their 11-point improvement resulted primarly from offensive improvement (particularly on the power play).

To make the playoffs, must set their sights on reducing goals against to 250. That will require a restructuring of how the team plays.

Continued (paywall); the Red Wings do indeed need to stem the flow of goals against, and as Allen suggests in his article, that will take improving the team’s level of goaltending, becoming a better road team, “pushing back” physically, and, of course, not allowing the team’s own goal-scoring to decline to the point that it’s a liability.

This is a bit gossipy, and a stark contrast from the serious nature of the last entry. It’s not intentional.

So: the Hockey News’s Caleb Kearney reports that new Red Wings goaltender Jack Campbell is spending hockey’s wedding season in Mexico:

Recent Detroit Red Wings addition Jack Campbell is getting married this week. His fiancee, Ashley Sonnenberg, took to her Instagram stories to share a few pictures.

As it’s not much in the way of news, I’ll let you read the rest on your own. Congrats to the happy couple.

TSN’s Rick Westhead broke this story a couple of hours ago, and while it’s not necessarily Red Wings-related from an on-ice perspective, it does tell the story of the death of former Red Wing and Nashville Predators forward Greg Johnson from CTE.

This does discuss suicide, so be warned:

Former National Hockey League player Greg Johnson, who played 14 seasons in the league, has been posthumously diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, the brain-withering disease linked to repetitive brain trauma in contact sports. 

Johnson’s family and the Concussion Legacy Foundation disclosed the news Wednesday in a joint statement, five years after his death by suicide.

Johnson’s daughter, Carson, used the moment to confront the NHL about its views on CTE. To date, the league has refused to acknowledge a link between repeated brain trauma and the disease.

“I had no idea what CTE even stood for when my dad took his life,” Carson said in a statement released by the Boston-based Concussion Legacy Foundation. “Now understanding that the hits he endured throughout his hockey career damaged his brain, I want all athletes to understand the risks and I want the NHL to start acknowledging it exists and do more to protect its players so other daughters don’t have to lose their fathers.”

Johnson, who was born in Thunder Bay, Ont., was 48 when he died on July 7, 2019, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Rochester, Mich.

Dr. Ann McKee, director of the Boston University CTE Center, diagnosed Johnson with CTE, but was unable to definitively stage it due to the manner of death.

“This diagnosis took my breath away,” Kristin, Johnson’s wife of 22 years, said in a statement. “Greg’s death shattered our world, and we never once thought this disease was something he struggled with. He experienced very few symptoms that we knew of, but he spoke of his concussions often. I remember the exact moment he told me his heart condition forcing him to retire was a blessing because he couldn’t take another hit. He knew his hockey career had a profound impact on his brain.”

Continued; this is obviously awful news…

And if you ever feel like you’re struggling mentally, there is always help via the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills provides one more article which discusses Patrick Kane’s comments made to the media on Monday:

Kane, who spent his first 16 NHL seasons and won three Stanley Cup championships with the Chicago Blackhawks, said that Red Wings fans quickly helped Detroit feel like home.

“I love the fans,” Kane said. “I thought the fans really embraced me too. You never really know what to expect, especially me being in Chicago for so long and coming to Detroit. I know that’s a huge rivalry, but just the embrace of the fans was incredible.”

But Kane was no stranger to Detroit prior to joining the Red Wings last season.

In 2003, Kane moved from his hometown Buffalo, N.Y., to play youth hockey in the metro area, where he lived with former Red Wings forward Pat Verbeek in Birmingham, Mich. Kane also played two seasons (2004-06) with the U.S. National Team Development Program, which was based in Ann Arbor at the time.

Kane said off-ice comfortability factored into his decision to re-sign with the Red Wings.

“I think the suburbs in Detroit are unbelievable,” Kane said. “I lived there when I was 14 but when I came back, I didn’t realize how nice they were and what a great spot it is to live and raise a family. You have a lot of options, whether it’s playing hockey or the schools at your disposal. I really like how (Little Caesars Arena) is set up with the practice rink and the game rink all in one venue. I think the organization treats you first class, so there’s a lot of good things going if you’re a free agent or a player and you want to come to the Red Wings.”

Continued; it’s still a little strange to see Kane in a Red Wings uniform, but I’m not surprised that Kane’s praising the Metro Detroit area as a good place to raise a family, or the Red Wings’ facilities as state-of-the-art. There’s a reason that so many players who come here toward the end of their careers end up retiring here.

The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn discusses the improvements made (or the lack thereof) by every one of the NHL’s 32 teams over the course of the summer (thus far).

We all know that Luszczyszyn is particularly tough on the Red Wings, and this morning, he argues that the Wings have dropped 9 spots from their end-of-season ranking due to a lack of offseason improvements:

23. Detroit Red Wings

Net Rating added: -9
Salary added: -$5 million

Key Additions: Vladimir Tarasenko, Tyler Motte, Erik Gustafsson, Cam Talbot

Key Departures: David Perron, Daniel Sprong, Robby Fabbri, Shayne Gostisbehere, Jake Walman

There seem to be a lot of Red Wings fans out there who believe Detroit did enough to jump into the playoffs. I am of the opposite opinion — it feels like the Red Wings got worse in an already difficult conference that got even harder.

Let’s go line-by-line. Vladimir Tarasenko offers more offense than David Perron, but it comes at the expense of defense. That might be a wash.

Tyler Motte is probably a downgrade from Robby Fabbri and there’s no adequate replacement for Daniel Sprong and the depth offense he brought.

I like Erik Gustafsson more than any reasonable person should, but he’s still just an off-brand Shayne Gostisbehere. No Jake Walman means more Justin Holl too. The team’s already weak defense probably got worse.

And while Cam Talbot had an excellent season with the Kings, I’m not sure he will repeat that at his age with this team. He’s likely more of the same as what the Red Wings already have in Alex Lyon and Ville Husso.

Continued (paywall); I don’t believe that the Red Wings got worse, though it does feel as if the Wings are treading water, and need to add a dynamic right-shot defenseman to bolster the defensive corps.

I think that Vladimir Tarasenko is an upgrade on Perron because he’s speedier and a little less gritty, which means fewer penalties taken due to slow foot speed or temper;

Tyler Motte isn’t Robby Fabbri–he’s a checking-line and PK forward who feels better-slotted to playing in the “bottom six”;

Losing Walman definitely hurts, and again, I feel that the Wings need to add a defenseman to help out Moritz Seider, Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson.

And while Erik Gustafsson is not going to produce as much as Shayne Gostisbehere, whose loss definitely hurts, he’s going to be better defensively, especially at even strength.

As I’ve gotten older myself, I’ve also continued to root for the old guys, and if Cam Talbot can push the Wings’ save percentage up a couple of percent, and be at least a steady presence in a Red Wings crease that’s been in a state of turmoil over the past couple of seasons, I’ll be very happy with his addition.

All in all, considering that Daniel Sprong is also gone and that the Wings’ remaining cap space is likely to go to re-signing Jonatan Berggren, Joe Veleno, Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider…

Yee Wings are going to have to improve from within to contend for a playoff spot, but that’s the whole damn point of player development, isn’t it?

I still feel that the Wings are at least ahead of the Senators, Sabres and Canadiens, if only by a nose, and I’m not certain that the Capitals or Islanders did enough to push themselves ahead of Detroit, either.

Ultimately, yes, I could see that the Wings end up having to battle for a playoff spot down to the wire again, but that’s whole lot better than things used to be around here. Detroit’s in year 7 or so of a 10-year rebuild, and that’s just where the team is at.

MLive’s Ansar Khan posted a subscriber-only article which discusses Red Wings prospect Nate Danielson’s expectations for his first campaign as a professional hockey player. Danielson’s level of self-confidence is off the charts, but he faces long odds in terms of making the Red Wings’ roster out of training camp:

Danielson likely will need at least one season in Grand Rapids to continue developing. He made his pro debut last spring in two playoff games with the Griffins, after his junior club, Portland, was eliminated in the WHL Championship by Moose Jaw.

“It was a good experience, making that jump to pro next year and just kind of knowing the speed of the game,” Danielson said. “Obviously, everyone’s older, bigger, heavier, and stronger.

“Just feeling how much guys are stronger on pucks and things like that, it definitely kind of gives you a little extra motivation to be in the gym and really work on that aspect of it.”

Danielson tallied 24 goals and 67 points in 54 games split between Brandon and Portland last season. He led the Winterhawks’ playoff push with seven goals and 24 points in 18 postseason games.

Continued (paywall) with comments from Red Wings assistant director of player development Dan Cleary;

Danielson is only 19, and he’s highly likely to play an AHL campaign at the very least before vying for an NHL job, but he’s borderline cocky, and at his age, that’s a positive quality.

Former Red Wings forward and Hockey Hall of Famer-to-be Pavel Datsyuk took part in last week’s Summer Development Camp, but Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff lets Datsyuk explain why #13 is heading back to Yekaterinburg, Russia for good:

“I miss Detroit but now I have job, I’m hockey player development back at home,” Datsyuk said. “I wanted to see how this goes, wanted more experience and more study from one of the best teams.”

He’s not at all interested in following in the footsteps of old teammates like Nicklas Lidstrom, Dan Cleary, Niklas Kronwall, Kirk Maltby, Jiri Fischer and Kris Draper and joining GM Steve Yzerman’s staff.

“Of course, I’m happy to see many people who work there when I left,” Datsyuk said. “They still work and are in good shape. I’m happy to see them. I have good memories. I hope they do, too.”

For Datsyuk, though, home is where his heart remains.

“I want to stay with my family, spend more time at home,” he explained. “I spend lots of time on the road. Now I try to be at home.”

Continued; the Red Wings already have Henrik Zetterberg working with the team in an informal capacity in Sweden. If they could convince Datsyuk to even keep an eye on prospects in Russia, that would be amazing, but it’s unlikely at this point.

Sportsnet’s Emily Sadler discusses potential targets for restricted free agent offer sheets this evening, and while offer sheets are rare in today’s NHL, she wonders aloud whether players like Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider might be targeted by teams looking to offer the Red Wings’ duo of young stars more money than Steve Yzerman is planning on giving them:

The market-setter: Lucas Raymond + Moritz Seider, Detroit Red Wings

It’ll be near impossible to pry either one of Steve Yzerman’s prized top young players out of Detroit. Both Raymond and Seider are integral parts of the Red Wings’ rebuild and the team is well-situated to pay them both accordingly. 

Yzerman is swimming in cap space — more than $20 million, according to CapFriendly’s latest projections — and could match any offer. Whether someone swoops in and sets the market for him is likely the bigger question here. 

Continued; the Red Wings aren’t going to let either player go away, but I do believe that there’s a small possibility that someone will toss them a $10+ million offer in an attempt to “set the market” as there are young players that are earning that kind of money today (think Rasmus Dahlin).

FYI:

Join us on Wednesday at the Grand Rapids Public Library’s Main Library from 1-2 p.m., where volunteers from the Griffins and Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital will be on hand to properly fit free helmets for the first 100 kids 🚲 ⛑️ #GoGRG

DETAILS >> https://t.co/tv1NQaSWf9 pic.twitter.com/809ch2ocBH

— x – Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) July 9, 2024

The Red Wings re-signed Christian Fischer for his grit, determination, heart and work ethic. Fischer is a strong 5-on-5 player and a good penalty-killer. This afternoon, the Hockey News’s Sam Stockton offered this take on Fischer’s media availability on Monday…

Having just signed a one-year, $1.25 million contract to remain in Detroit, Fischer greets the assembled media for his Zoom press conference from a boat, nautical gauges mounted on the wooden wall behind him. He expresses seriocomic surprise that anyone would stick around now that Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko have already spoken. Later on in his availability, with help from the confirmation of a disembodied voice offscreen, he reveals he is Zooming in from off the coast of Capri.

That Fischer delivers such idyllic offseason vibes should come as no surprise. Days before he spoke, his general manager Steve Yzerman said, in explanation of the desire to bring back the hard-working, light-scoring forward, “he’s a very popular player on our team. He’s very versatile on the ice…His character and his personality and the role he’s gonna play on our team are the biggest factors in bringing him back.”

Of course, the offseason didn’t begin so peachily.  By Fischer’s account, there were “probably quite a few emotions” in the immediate aftermath of the Red Wings bitterly close playoff pursuit.  Fischer himself was out of a contract for the second summer in a row.  That shrouded his summer in uncertainty until the option he desired all along formally opened.  “Once Steve called, I think it was a no-brainer on our side,” Fischer said.  “We didn’t wait for another call.”

To Fischer, the willingness of superstars like Kane and Tarasenko to choose Detroit affirms the seriousness of the Red Wings’ ambitions: “We got Hall-of-Famers signing contracts with us.  A guy like Patrick, he could go to any team…I think that says a lot about our organization.  You look at Tarasenko, the guy’s just won.  He has two Stanley Cups.  He’s not coming just to play hockey.  That guy obviously sees something in the Red Wings.”

Stockton continues, and Stockton’s fellow Wings columnist at the Hockey News, Connor Eargood, discusses Fischer and free agent signing Tyler Motte’s respective impacts on the Red Wings’ penalty-kill:

Continue reading A pair of Christian Fischer-centered stories from the Hockey News