Month: August 2024

A discussion of RFA contracts (including Raymond and Seider’s probable deals)

The Score’s Josh Wegman estimates the dollar amounts of contracts that will be signed by the NHL’s remaining restricted free agents today. He discusses both Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider’s likely contracts. Here’s what he has to say about Raymond’s probable deal…

LUCAS RAYMOND, Red Wings

Age: 22
Position: LW
Projection: 8 years, $8M AAV đź’°

The Red Wings might’ve gotten a bargain out of Raymond had they signed him to an extension before he exploded for a career-high 31 goals and 41 assists in 82 games in 2023-24. If nothing materialized because Raymond wasn’t interested in signing before the season, it turned out to be a wise move on his part.

As the No. 4 pick in 2020, this type of top-line production was expected of Raymond, and he delivered. His season was boosted slightly by a robust 19% shooting percentage, though.

Still, Raymond is undoubtedly one of the Red Wings’ core players. With plenty of current cap space, and more money opening up over the next few years, getting Raymond signed to a long-term deal should be a top priority. This cap hit may seem a bit steep in the short term, but it could age well as the cap rises and Raymond continues to blossom through his prime.

The cap hit comes in slightly above those of long-term pacts signed this offseason for young forwards Juraj Slafkovsky ($7.6-million AAV) and Matty Beniers ($7.14-million AAV), but less than an older, more established winger like Travis Konecny ($8.75-million AAV).

And Moritz Seider:

Continue reading A discussion of RFA contracts (including Raymond and Seider’s probable deals)

Tweets of note: Brandsegg-Nygard sniping away in an exhibition game vs. France

Team Norway is playing a warm-up game against France ahead of the Olympic Qualifying tournament from August 29th-31st. [Update: and Norway won 9-0!]

While it’s an exhibition game, Red Wings Prospects on Twitter shows Michael Brandsegg-Nygard flexing his shooting muscles (twice) and displaying the same sniper’s shot he’s been displaying over the course of the SHL preseason:

Again, whether it’s MBN or Kasper (who’s going to play for Austria in the Olympic Qualifying tournament) doing great things, we have to remember that it’s hockey in August, so I’m not exactly penciling in Brandsegg-Nygard for a spot on the Wings’ second line yet…But it’s good to see him displaying his potential on a consistent basis, exhibition games or no exhibition games.

Brandsegg-Nygard wants to head back to Skelleftea AIK for the upcoming season, and that’s where I think he’ll be, but that may be his only year overseas if he can keep up this kind of scoring punch as an 18-and-19-year-old breaking into the SHL.

So I’ll preach patience and taking these highlights with some salt as opposed to going ga-ga about a young man who has yet to play in an SHL regular season game. Let’s see how the Olympic qualifiers go, whether he gets into the Champions Hockey League games that are upcoming for Skelleftea, and ultimately, how he performs in the prospect tournament and training camp.

It’s really easy–and understandable–to get excited about a player’s potential when he’s having a dominant preseason. But it’s also a little premature to sign up to get your #28 Red Wings jerseys already.

Tweet of note: Red Wings pay tribute to Sergei Mnatsakanov

The Detroit Red Wings have confirmed what Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff reported earlier today–that former Red Wings team masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov has passed away:

Press release via NOVA Caps: Nate Danielson to attend the NHLPA Rookie Showcase

NOVA Caps’ Harrison Brown reports that the roster for the annual NHLPA Rookie Showcase is out, and Red Wings prospect Nate Danielson will represent Detroit at the annual photo shoot and media event held by Upper Deck at the Washington Capitals’ practice facility:

The National Hockey League Players’ Association and Upper Deck will host its 14th annual NHLPA Rookie Showcase on Wednesday, Sept. 4 at MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Virginia, with 33 NHL® prospects and rookies scheduled to attend.

This unique event provides Upper Deck – the official trading card partner of the NHLPA and the NHL – with an opportunity to capture photographs and videos of many of the game’s top young prospects and rookies in their official NHL team uniforms. The content collected will be used by Upper Deck to create the players’ first NHL and NHLPA licensed rookie trading cards, as well as additional promotional materials throughout the season and beyond. 

2024 NHLPA Rookie Showcase Scheduled Attendees:

The following NHL prospects and rookies are scheduled to be in attendance for the 2024 NHLPA Rookie Showcase:

Marek Alscher (Panthers), Lian Bichsel (Stars), Gavin Brindley (Blue Jackets), Seamus Casey (Devils), Macklin Celebrini (Sharks), Nikita Chibrikov (Jets), Easton Cowan (Maple Leafs), Nate Danielson (Red Wings), Josh Doan (Utah Hockey Club), Dalibor Dvorsky (Blues), Ivan Fedotov (Flyers), Cutter Gauthier (Ducks), Gage Goncalves (Lightning), Lane Hutson (Canadiens), Nikolai Kovalenko (Avalanche), Jonathan Lekkerimaki (Canucks), Artyom Levshunov (Blackhawks), Logan Mailloux (Canadiens), Matvei Michkov (Flyers), Ivan Miroshnichenko (Capitals), Logan Morrison (Kraken), Shakir Mukhamadullin (Sharks), Bradly Nadeau (Hurricanes), Frank Nazar (Blackhawks), Liam Ohgren (Wild), Zack Ostapchuk (Senators), Noah Ostlund (Sabres), Vasily Ponomarev (Penguins), Matt Rempe (Rangers), Olivier Rodrigue (Oilers), Will Smith (Sharks), Fedor Svechkov (Predators) and Akil Thomas (Kings).

(At least) One more year of Bally Sports Detroit for Wings fans

The Detroit News’s Tony Paul reports that we’re stuck with Bally Sports Detroit for at least another season’s worth of Red Wings hockey:

Diamond Sports Group, the parent company of the Bally Sports stable of regional sports networks, has reached an agreement to continue broadcasting more than 20 NHL and NBA teams on linear television through the 2024-25 seasons in a move that is considered a critical development as the company looks to emerge from bankruptcy court.

The agreement includes the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons, which will continue to have their games air on Bally Sports Detroit and through the Bally Sports-Plus app.

The agreement was announced Friday and confirmed by Bally Sports Detroit.

“We are appreciative of the ongoing collaboration and long-term partnerships with the NBA and NHL,” David Preschlack, CEO of the Diamond Sports Group, said in a statement. “These new agreements that cover NBA and NHL linear and DTC (direct-to-consumer) rights are another major milestone and continue Diamond’s momentum toward emergence (from bankruptcy), which will enable us to provide value for our NBA and NHL partners and continue to serve dedicated local NBA, NHL and MLB fans.

“Having completed negotiations with key partners that provide certainty around our content and distribution, Diamond is well positioned for the future.

“We appreciate the support of our creditors, we are focused on finalizing our reorganization plan to support our emergence and presenting that plan to the Court in due course.”

Continued; as Mr. Paul reports, Bally is supposed to start streaming games with Amazon in the future, but I’ve still got doubts as to the network’s long-term viability.

Duff: Sergei Mnatsakanov has passed away

Very sad news from Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff:

Sergei Mnatsakanov might not have drawn the same level of public outpouring of emotion that Detroit Red Wings defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov has over the years, but he endured the same challenges.

Red Wings team masseur Mnatsakanov, like Konstantinov, was suffering debilitating brain injuries from a limousine crash that happened less than a week following Detroit’s 1997 Stanley Cup win. Mnatsakanov was also left paralyzed from the waist down.

The players were returning from a team golf outing, their last get together following the Cup triumph before heading their separate ways for the offseason. Red Wings defenseman Vyacheslav Fetisov was also suffering lesser injuries in the crash.

Former Red Wings forward Slava Kozlov told rg.com that Mnatsakanov died on Friday in Boca Raton, Florida of cancer. He was 71 years old. He’d been living in Florida in recent years after relocating from the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe.

Also from Duff: a Tweet from former Red Wings trainer John Wharton:

THN on LCA’s playoff drought

The Hockey News’s Connor Eargood discusses the fact that Little Caesars Arena has yet to host an NHL playoff game some eight years into its existence, and the truth of the matter is that LCA has yet to host any playoff game eight years in thanks to the Pistons’ playoff drought as well.

Anyway, Eargood’s bloody thorough in terms of going through the NHL buildings struggling with playoff droughts over the years, Detroit’s various arenas included. At present:

Right now, the Red Wings are tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets with seven seasons without hosting a playoff game in Nationwide Arena. The Blue Jackets technically went eight years without hosting a playoff game, but 2004-05 was the NHL lockout and no games were played that season.

In greater NHL history, Detroit could tie the Washington Capitals for the longest ever NHL playoff drought after opening a new arena. When the Caps joined the league in 1974-75, they went eight seasons without hosting a playoff game at the Capital Centre. The difference is, Washington was an expansion team, not one of the league’s most historic franchises.

Since Little Caesars Arena opened, three new arenas have joined the NHL circuit. The New York Islanders opened UBS Arena in 2021-22, while the Seattle Kraken joined the NHL while playing in their current Climate Pledge Arena in the same season. Both those teams went one season without playoff hockey to usher in their new homes. The Utah Hockey Club will add the third new arena this season when it plays its first season in Salt Lake City at the Delta Center.

Excluding newcomer Utah that has yet to play a game, Little Caesars Arena is the only current NHL arena to never host a playoff game.

Continued with some very thorough historical analysis; again, no playoff games at all for LCA. It won’t really get a reputation as a pumping Pizzarena or a Dough Joe until the Wings and/or Pistons get their stuff together.

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right…

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan examines the Atlantic Division’s eight teams today, and Kulfan sees the Red Wings finishing in a similar spot to last year–in fifth place, possibly earning a Wild Card playoff spot:

5. Detroit Red Wings

â–¶ 2023-24: 41-32-9, 91 points. Added: RW Vladimir Tarasenko, C Tyler Motte, D Erik Gustafsson, G Cam Talbot. Subtracted: LW David Perron, RW Daniel Sprong, LW Robby Fabbri, D Shayne Gostisbehere, D Jake Walman.

â–¶ Analysis: Getting RW Patrick Kane to re-sign was a key, and youngsters like D Simon Edvinsson and RW Jonatan Berggren are expected to seamlessly enter the lineup. But there are clear areas the Wings need to improve upon. The team defense has to be better, cutting an inflated goals-against number. Tarasenko, Berggren, maybe Joe Veleno, have to supply the offense lost. Talbot, or Ville Husso or Alex Lyon, has to grab hold of the starting goaltender position

Continued; as we all know by now, the Red Wings have a three-headed goaltending monster right now, and that’s one of a handful of storylines to discuss heading into training camp, including…

  1. Whether the Red Wings will be able to overcome the losses of David Perron, Shayne Gostisbehere and Daniel Sprong’s offensive contributions;
  2. Whether the Red Wings will be able to shore up their defensive play enough that they don’t have to rely on the Miraculous Comeback Button of late-game comebacks to win down the stretch;
  3. Whether they can find the consistency necessary to not be fighting for a playoff tiebreaker in the final game of the season, instead appearing playoff-relevant all season long;
  4. How the defense will sort itself out given that the Wings have Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson to break in, and Justin Holl still aboard;
  5. Whether the Wings’ improved balance up front will help the team score more consistently;
  6. And how the goaltending situation will sort out, because the Wings appear set to have EIGHT goalies in the organization to start out the 2024-2025 season (see: Ville Husso, Alex Lyon and Cam Talbot in Detroit, Jack Campbell and Sebastian Cossa at the AHL level, and Carter Gylander, Gage Alexander and the AHL-contracted Jan Bednar battling it out in Toledo).

Friday fundraising

Eight days until the server fees come due. Just under three weeks until we’re supposed to leave for Traverse City. And the fundraising situation is…going okay. We’ve raised about $700 of the $860 needed to cover the server costs to keep TMR running, and after that, well…

It’s going to take some very generous folks to help Aunt Annie and I get up to Traverse City.

We’ve had some tight situations before and made it through thanks to generous donors at all levels of fundraising, but if you’ve been gone all summer, didn’t know that TMR is re-launching, or just haven’t felt like donating yet, as NPR would say, “Now is the time!”

Continue reading Friday fundraising

Get to know Shai Buium

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills profiles big defenseman Shai Buium this morning, discussing the 21-year-old’s decision to turn pro after his junior season–and two NCAA Division 1 championships–at the University of Denver:

Buium earned National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Second All-Star Team honors last season after setting NCAA career-highs in goals (seven), assists (29), points (36) and games (43) at the University of Denver, helping the Pioneers capture their second NCAA Division 1 national championship in three years.

The No. 36 pick of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft by Detroit, Buium said he made key strides during his time at the University of Denver.

“I think I’ve gotten a lot better defensively,” Buium said. “You learn new things every year. I like to be a sponge, just take it all in. Good defense just generates more offense for me. I like to be on the offensive side of things, and playing good defense helps with that.”

Buium said he quickly noticed the elevated competition at the AHL level [with Grand Rapids] last season.

“I was already in playoff hockey in the NCAA, so I would say (the AHL) is similar in that style of play,” the young defenseman said. “I just think guys are probably faster, stronger and smarter.”

Continued; right now it looks like the 6’3,” 220-pound defenseman projects as a shut-down D, but Buium does have some good offensive instincts. Ideally, he develops into a Swiss Army Knife defender that can be utilized in all situations.