Author: George Malik

This morning, the Free Press’s Helene St. James ponders what the Red Wings’ 2020-2021 NHL season roster might look like, minus the players which will be added to the roster during the offseason (see: free agents and/or traded players). She predicts big changes on the Wings’ blueline:

On defense, I think Moritz Seider will be in the lineup on opening night. The 19-year-old defenseman is currently with his former team, Adler Mannheim in Germany, part of a group of Wings loaned to European teams until the NHL gives the go-ahead on camps. Seider did well playing for the Griffins last season, and would have been called up to play a few games had the pandemic not interfered. Danny DeKeyser or Patrik Nemeth can serve as his partner, with Filip Hronek completing the top four. 

Gustav Lindstrom showed he can play a safe, dependable game. So did veteran Alex Biega, who Yzerman acquired last October in a trade with Vancouver, flipping underachieving prospect David Pope. Those are front-runners to form the third pair, though Madison Bowey, if he is re-signed, should challenge for one of the spots. 

Dennis Cholowski started last season with the Wings but he didn’t make a strong impression and finished in the minors. His fate may be partially determined by whether minor leagues are operational, which they aren’t likely to be without fan attendance.

Continued; it’s my hope that the Red Wings don’t sign a significant number of free agents as I believe that it’s time for players like Seider, Lindstrom and even Cholowski (who may still be another year away from NHL readiness) to play regularly.

Whether that scenario plays out given the Wings’ probable signing of some sort of free agent defenseman is beyond me at this point;

In goal, the Wings obviously need a back-up, and it seems likely that the team will move on from Jimmy Howard;

Up front, St James also predicts a lean roster with minimal turnover, and I do find it interesting that she doesn’t believe the Wings will waive Justin Abdelkader if he has a rough training camp…

Overall, I’ll put it this way: the offseason will be very condensed, regardless of when the 2020-2021 season starts in December, January or at a later date (we are all running on the pandemic’s clock right now), so I’m expecting some surprises as the Wings attempt to navigate signing restricted free agents (see: Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi), the free agent marketplace, and the Wings attempt to build some roster depth in Grand Rapids, all between early October and the start of the season.

As I’ve suggested, I believe that the Wings should plain old walk away from RFA’s Adam Erne and Brendan Perlini, and not submitting qualifying offers to either restricted free agent would give the roster more flexibility going forward.

The Toledo Walleye are navigating an offseason like no other. As summer gives way to fall, the Red Wings’ ECHL affiliate is still signing players to ECHL contracts, expecting the ECHL season to begin in December.

Walleye coach Dan Watson spoke with the Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe regarding his roster strategy (which has involved signing a significant number of “second-year pros”), as well as the lack of a trickle-down effect from the AHL this offseason:

Grand Rapids has provided forwards and defensemen to Toledo throughout the franchises’ 11-year affiliation, but AHL teams have signed fewer depth players due to budget cuts and uncertainty this offseason.

“We have players on our roster this year that, in a typical year, would be signing American League contracts,” Watson said. “We are fortunate to have them here in Toledo.”

Watson said he is still fielding phone calls as he fills out the remaining spots on his roster. He said he believes there are some players who have not signed AHL contracts or with teams in Europe who could sign in October or November.

“I want to have the best team on the ice as possible,” he said. “I still think there is a crop of guys out there that will be available. The biggest key is that we already have a really nice core right now.”

Continued with an excellent summary of the Walleye’s more high-profile signings;

As neither the Walleye, Griffins or Red Wings know when their respective leagues’ seasons will begin, many available players have signed deals with European teams, and others are waiting for the NHL’s free agency period to begin to ink professional contracts. It’s a strange mix of unknowns on top of unknowns in terms of roster construction in the ECHL, AHL and NHL right now.

The Dallas Stars are headed to the Stanley Cup Final, and two of the classiest gentlemen in hockey have paved the way for Dallas’ ascent. Former Red Wings assistant GM and long-time director of amateur scouting Jim Nill is heading to his first Stanley Cup Final as Dallas’ general manager, and coach Rick Bowness is at the helm of the Stars’ bench.

The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch spoke with Nill regarding both his status as the man in charge of a team that’s about to compete for the Stanley Cup, and as a GM who made the decision to pick Bowness to lead his team after the Stars parted ways with coach Jim Montgomery just short of halfway through the abbreviated regular season:

While Bowness is making his first trip to the final as a head coach, this will be Nill’s inaugural stop at the big dance since he took over the Stars in 2013 after 19 seasons and four Stanley Cup titles in Detroit. He left the Red Wings because the timing was right to make the next step from assistant GM.

“This is what you’re in the business for and you always dream of being in this position,” Nill said. “We still have one more hurdle to go here. I’ve been very fortunate in my career. I’ve been surrounded by great people and I’ve had great mentors. I was put in a very fortunate situation (in Detroit), and I learned so much from them.

“I remember when I first got into the business. You’re young, energetic and ready to go and you think you can tackle anything. When I look back now, I had some opportunities to go to some other teams when I was younger and it’s probably a good thing I didn’t because I may have got eaten alive. It’s a tough business. You have to live with the ups and the downs. You’re dealing with ownership, media, players and agents. It’s a tough position.”

Continued; anyone who dealt with Jim Nill during his time with the Red Wings will tell you that he was and is flat-out one of the classiest people in the entire league, and he’s got me rooting for a team that has Corey Frickin’ Perry on its roster.

DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji spoke with former Red Wings assistant coach Adam Nightingale regarding his decision to leave the Wings and join the U.S. National Team Development Program, where he’ll coach the Under-17 team:

“I want to be a head coach and I have been before, just a chance to do it again,” Nightingale said in a recent phone interview. “I think this age is really unique from, not just hockey, but the whole off-the-ice as well, it’s an opportunity to make an impact. I remember moving away from home, there’s a lot of change, a different school, you’re living in a different home, you’ve got totally new teammates. It’s just a different environment so to try to help mentor that age, I think, is something I really have a passion for, and then I think just representing our country with USA Hockey.

“I’ve been fortunate to do four IIHF events and it’s something I was proud of as a player, playing youth hockey, USA Hockey, and then it also helped me in my coaching career. Different doors have opened and I really believe just some of the opportunities I’ve been given from USA Hockey so the chance to give back and be part of USA Hockey was probably the third reason.”

Continued

Sportsnet’s Luke Fox discusses the respective contractual situations of 16 restricted free agents of note this morning, including Red Wings RFA’s Tyler Bertuzzi and Anthony Mantha.

Here’s his take on Bertuzzi’s prospects for a contract upgrade…

Of draft-related note this morning, per The Athletic:

1. Corey Pronman discusses the most pressing draft needs of each and every one of the NHL’s 31 teams, including the Red Wings:

Detroit Red Wings: Talent

Detroit had 23 fewer points than the second-lowest team in the league. It had a strong albeit not incredible farm system. It has some good players, like Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, Filip Hronek, Filip Zadina and Moritz Seider. Even though the Red Wings have some great pieces, they need a lot more – at every position. The pressing need for this organization is good players.

Continued (paywall)…

2. And Max Bultman posted an extensive article discussing the paths by which the Red Wings might take steps forward while drafting a center, a scoring winger and a defenseman.

Here’s Bultman’s take (or part of it) regarding the Red Wings’ organizational path forward should they draft a two-way center, such as Cole Perfetti:

If Perfetti can stick at center and play at a top-line level, it would check a major box for the Red Wings, giving them another high-end pivot to pair with Dylan Larkin.

The appeal of having multiple first-line centers is obvious when looking at recent championship teams, and with Perfetti’s offensive ability and Larkin’s two-way prowess topping its depth chart, Detroit may have the makings of a real 1-2 punch.

Add in recent first-round picks Joe Veleno and Michael Rasmussen behind them, and center could be a major area of strength for the Red Wings — so much so that they could consider flexing one of those latter two to the wing, to avoid relegating one to the fourth line.

Either way, though, Detroit will still have major questions to answer at nearly every other position, with the need for at least one more top-six (but ideally first-line caliber) winger, and potentially two more top-four defensemen (including a No. 1), depending on whether someone from deeper in its existing prospect pool emerges. And, of course, it needs a goaltender of the future.

Continued (paywall)…

The message from both Pronman and Bultman is clear and is accurate–that the Red Wings still need to bring more top prospects into the fold if they are to turn the team around over the course of multiple seasons to come.

I’m sure you already understood this, but it’s interesting to read two respected writers’ takes on the situation. At this point, some three-or-so weeks ahead of the draft, the exercise of examining multiple perspectives helps each and every one of us would-be-GM’s understand the how’s and why’s of Detroit’s possible draft choices.

The Ted Lindsay Foundation held its annual golf outing to raise funds for Autism research today at the Detroit Golf Club, and the Ted Lindsay Foundation’s Twitter account noted that several participants in the golf outing took part in interviews on WJR 760 AM this morning.

I headed over to the Frank Beckmann Show interview page, and therein you can find MP3’s of interviews with Darren McCarty, Mickey Redmond, former NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow, and a combined clip in which Ken Daniels, Dylan Larkin and coach Jeff Blashill all speak with Beckmann.

The interviews represent approximately 34 minutes of audio content during a time in which we’ve barely heard from any members of the Red Wings’ organization, their broadcaster or alumni over the last six months, so give them a listen if you’re interested in their comments…

Alex Wood, a.k.a. AWood40 on YouTube, posted a 30-minute highlight clip from Tyler Bertuzzi’s consequential 2019-2020 season with the Detroit Red Wings on his YouTube channel:

The Jamie Daniels Foundation posted a Tweet today, as noted by the Detroit Red Wings’ Twitter account…

The Jamie Daniels Foundation Celebrity Roast of Scotty Bowman presented by @DeltaDentalMI is sure to be an evening full of laughs and entertainment. Tune in for star-studded appearances from your favorite professional athletes, celebrities, and comedians. https://t.co/p7y5STjOkn pic.twitter.com/73KbgnBPFt

— Jamie Daniels Foundation (@JDanielsFund) September 14, 2020

And the Tweet leads fans to the Jamie Daniels Foundation’s information page for the Celebrity Roast of Scotty Bowman, which will air on Fox Sports Detroit and will stream online Wednesday, October 14th at 8 PM EDT:

NHL Deutsch’s Stefan Herget spoke with Red Wings prospect Moritz Seider regarding his status as Seider skates with Adler Mannheim of the DEL, preparing for a November 1st opening of the German professional league’s ice hockey season. What follows is fairly faithfully translated from German:

Seider works hard in Mannheim for his NHL dream

The Detroit Red Wings junior player was officially loaned to the Eagles by his team

Due to the later start of the 2020-21 NHL season, NHL teams have loaned out some of their European players under contract, specifically younger players, to teams in Europe, in order to provide them with games and practices at earlier stages. In this weekly series, NHL.com/de will report on each of these players as they bridge their time before the start of the upcoming NHL season. Today’s subject is Moritz Seider.