Of note from The Athletic this morning:
- The Athletic asked its NHL writers to name their respective teams’ most disappointing developments this year, or signings of the 2024 offseason, this morning. We all know that Vladimir Tarasenko is so snakebitten that he might as well have a rattlesnake chasing him up and down the ice…
Detroit Red Wings
Vladimir Tarasenko: Tarasenko was supposed to be the big offensive addition this past offseason, but it just hasn’t worked out that way. He was never going to be able to replace all the offense the Red Wings lost amid a salary cap crunch, but through the first 40 games, he has just four goals and 14 points. He’s mostly playing on Detroit’s third line, and for a player with a cap hit of $4.75 million (for another season, too) the impact just hasn’t been enough. What’s more concerning: Even with those numbers, he’s still seventh in scoring among Red Wings forwards. — Max Bultman
Continued (paywall); at this point, I just hope for the best for Tarasenko–i.e. that he’ll snap out of his slump and find an offensive streak at some point this year.
2. And The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa spoke to both Boston Bruins players and Red Wings defenseman Ben Chiarot about the methods by which NHL players attempt to remain most effective by preparing for exertion and then recovering from game action:
In a league stuffed with back-to-back tilts, three games in four nights and travel at all hours, recovery is critical for performance. But the steps the world’s most elite athletes take after games also apply to everyday folks who go to the gym after work, run 5Ks or ride bikes.
“You feel better when the body’s moving the way it should,” said the Detroit Red Wings’ Ben Chiarot. “Cold tub after a run would be great. Reduce inflammation on your joints. Same with diet. Brings the inflammation down. I find that diet is one of the biggest factors for inflammation in my body.”
Chiarot is an ardent supporter of a stretching method called “ELDOA”:
“I’ve got to stretch,” Chiarot said. “I’ve got to get the mobility back in my hips and back. That’s first. Hip flexors, glutes, groins.”
Specifically for his back, Chiarot uses ELDOA, a method targeted to decompress joints.
“Keep everything long and loose,” Chiarot said. “This is over years, knowing what works for me. Just the years, experience and seeing how my body reacts to different things. If I didn’t stretch, the body would feel tight and stiff.”
Continued (paywall)
