The Red Wings practiced on Friday with Tyler Motte ready to return to the lineup from an upper-body injury, and after practice, the Hockey News’s Sam Stockton spoke with Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde, forward Patrick Kane and Motte himself regarding #14’s return as it applies to stabilizing the Red Wings’ wretched penalty-killing unit:
When asked about Motte’s potential to provide the struggling kill a lift with his return this morning, coach Derek Lalonde replied,”I think he came here with a purpose to penalty kill. He’s been good on it, wants to do it, takes a lot of pride in it, so yes, of course, we’d like to get him back in that rotation.” Beyond just special teams, Lalonde lauded Motte’s vigorous presence, saying, “He’s not an overly big guy, but he plays with energy and pace. He’s a guy that can give us some energy minutes, which we would like, and he’s done a really good job throughout his career on the penalty kill.”
One advantage for Motte as he looks to recover his rhythm upon his return is experience. No, he hasn’t yet gotten many live game reps with the Red Wings, but having played for seven teams (including two different stops with the New York Rangers) over his career, Motte has seen and done just about all there is to see and do on an NHL penalty kill.
“I’ve seen and played in most systems on the PK,” Motte told The Hockey News back in October, before sustaining his injury. “I think there’s always the small tweaks in systems and sticks and positioning and when to pressure. And there’s also some of the terminology that’s always a little bit different. When you’re trying to communicate quickly in the moment, sometimes the terminology gets mixed up. You’re used to hearing one thing or saying another, and that just comes with reps. I still feel pretty comfortable. Obviously, throughout the pre-season and camp, you get opportunities to kill with a few guys, but not everybody together. That’s some of the rep stuff that unfortunately has come now as the season’s here. But I have full confidence in myself and the guys that we have to get jobs done.”
Patrick Kane—a long-time staple on the other side of the NHL’s special teams equation—has played with Motte in both Chicago and New York, so Kane is quite familiar with his game. “I think he’s got a great stick, good skater, moves well, strong,” Kane said of Motte. “One thing I’ve really notice on the penalty kill, I’ve noticed to start camp—especially against us, when we’re playing against him—he’s got a good stick, and he pokes it in at the right time and can either get the puck off your stick or deflect the pass. He’s still a threat to go the other way with his speed too. I think he’s had a great camp, and he’s a great addition to the team.”
Continued; at this point, the Red Wings have to make necessary adjustments to attempt to stabilize the PK. It’s just unacceptable to rank 30th out of 32 teams, regardless of the trajectory of the team overall.