Of Red Wings-related note from Detroit Hockey Now this morning:
- The Pittsburgh Penguins are reportedly shopping wingers Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust this summer, with GM Kyle Dubas assessing the market value for his two productive forwards. Today, Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen defers to his National Hockey Now colleague, Pittsburgh Hockey Now’s Dan Kingerski, to determine what it would take to pry Rackell or Rust away from the Penguins:
Kingerski’s take on the Rakell value in the marketplace: “A good B+ level prospect or young player, a draft pick in the 25th to 48th range (first half of the second round), and based on the value (or lack thereof) of the first two assets, perhaps a depth NHL player, such as a bottom-six forward, backup goalie, or third-pair defenseman type, whom Dubas could flip for another asset.”
Kingerski believes the “sky-high” price for Rust would be “a guaranteed first-round pick and a young player who projects to be able to fill Rust’s role within a season or two.”
“Rust is difficult to pin down because, like its value, there are intangibles,” Kingerski wrote. “On paper, Rust and Rakell should not be much different, but they very much are. There’s as much emotion involved in the acquisition as there is value. Rust would be an extraordinary addition to a team that wants to learn how to win. Hello, Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, Anaheim Ducks, or even the Ottawa Senators.”
Kingerski added: “Could he turn Detroit, Buffalo, or even the Anaheim Ducks into a playoff team? Well, yes. Not only does that step in success mean team growth, it also means fan growth and millions in playoff revenues. So, every GM who calls can argue what Rust is worth on paper, but Dubas has been wise to hold on because those intangible values can also help the Penguins get from here to there in their transition.”
Continued; while Rust is a grittier forward at 33 years of age, I honestly prefer the 32-year-old Rackell because he’s got more foot speed and is a little more dynamic in terms of his playmaking, but Rust is more of a net-front guy, so it’s “po-tay-to, po-tah-to” when it comes to the interests of teams who weren’t able to add an impact forward during free agency.
At this point, the trade marketplace IS that “sky high” in terms of these two players’ respective values, which is pretty much where Kingerski’s pegged them.
2. Shifting gears, the Red Wings lost a player “in the system” when Grand Rapids Griffins-contracted goaltender Jan Bednar left the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye for Assat Pori of the Finnish Liiga this summer, chasing a bigger paycheck.
Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff reports that Bednar holds no grudges toward the Wings organization, and as he’s still quite young at 22, Bednar will give the NHL another try in a couple of seasons:
After backstopping the Walleye to the Kelly Cup final in the spring, Bednar decided to sign a contract with Finland’s Assat Pori.
“I felt like I needed a change, a step forward, so I started talking to my agent,” Bednar said. “Pori was one of the first to call, and we felt like they were the most interested in me, so we finally made an agreement.”
Just 22, he’s not viewing this decision as an end to his North American days, but rather as a detour on the way to the same destination.
“The goal is still the NHL and that will never change until I’m there,” Bednar said. “But it’s no longer the case that I want to go to America at all costs.
“It’s more that I want to be on a team where they are interested in me, where I have a chance to play a lot. If I have a season, two or three that are successful, and then an offer comes in America, I would definitely not hesitate to come back.”
Many ECHL players who have good seasons (and Bednar went 23-8-and-6 with the Walleye last season, and 7-and-5 in the playoffs) head to Europe at this time of year because ECHL wages just aren’t much more than an average person makes (in the $50K-$75K range), while European teams are willing to pay several hundred thousand dollars for high-achieving ECHL and AHL players.
Bednar never complained about his situation while he tended goal for the Red Wings’ organization, and he was a stalwart at the ECHL level, so it’s easy to wish him well in his future endeavors.
