Author: George Malik

If the coronavirus has taught me anything, it’s taught me that there are very few things that I’m not willing to give up for the sake of staying healthy.

I’m the caregiver of an immune-compromised person, and I’ve been very lucky: I already have to socially distance myself from people for the most part; I have to be careful where I go and when and where I go places for the sake of not exposing Aunt Annie to dangerous “bugs”; wearing a mask has been an annoying addition to my out-of-doors ensembles, but I’ve learned to embrace the concept of protecting others from my germs.

I haven’t had to make too many sacrifices during a time in which so many people are surrendering personal and social freedoms in bulk for the sake of not getting sick from this awful virus. During a year in which teenagers have surrendered senior year shenanigans, parents have learned to home school on the fly, so many people have surrendered their social lives, and people are getting sick and dying from this awful virus, my aunt and I are relatively healthy, and in that sense, we are very lucky.

I don’t buy the “Torey Krug to Detroit” narrative. I simply believe that there will be better “fits” for the 29-year-old defenseman than a rebuilding Red Wings team. I sure as hell don’t believe that Krug would be willing to give any sort of “hometown discount” to a team that’s at least a couple years’ worth of high draft picks and lucky breaks in both free agency and player development away from playoff contention.

I understand that sentimentality is big in hockey, but the only small defenseman who’s headed back to Detroit was Brian Rafalski, and he joined a Red Wings team that was gunning for a Stanley Cup.

All of that being said, the hockey world seems to believe that the Krug-to-Detroit storyline is an inevitability only matched by death and taxes, and Krug’s end-of-season comments to the Boston media were definitely intriguing. The well-spoken Krug readily admitted that he’s probably not coming back to Boston because he wants to maximize his earning power on a long-term, big-money contract, and, perhaps to the disdain of Wings fans, Krug pointed out that he was the longest-tenured Boston athlete without a sports championship ring.

This morning, in his “Quick Shifts,” Sportsnet’s Luke Fox wonders aloud what the salary cap-strapped Bruins will do to their roster to remain championship-viable for a couple of years to come, despite an aging core, and Fox brings up the inevitable angle in the process:

Red Wings prospect Kaden Fulcher is a “forgotten man” in the Red Wings’ goaltending pipeline. Fulcher remains a solid goaltending prospect for the Wings, but Filip Larsson, Keith Petruzzelli, Victor Brattstrom and Jesper Eliasson are the most-recognized goaltending prospects at present.

Fulcher’s descent down the list of Wings prospects has had to do in part with an injury-plagued 2019-2020 season with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye.

Today, DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji reports that Fulcher eventually had surgery for a “lower-body injury” that he couldn’t shake this past season, and Wakiji spoke with Red Wings goaltending coach Phil Osaer regarding Fulcher’s trajectory as a prospect trying to hone his craft during a pandemic:

I’m on the record here. I don’t believe that Boston Bruins defenseman, 29-year-old unrestricted free agent-to-be and Livonia native Torey Krug is coming to Detroit this “summer” (see: October or November).

Yes, the “Krug to Detroit” scenario makes sense from a Red Wings fan perspective. Hometown kid comes to Yzerman’s Wings to revive the franchise, etc. etc.. If Krug sacrifices a couple of his “prime years” to Red Wings rebuild, so be it! The Red Wings have always nurtured Cup years out of older players, right? Forget the “championship window” not aligning!

The Torey Krug who spoke to the Boston media on Thursday is a Krug who doesn’t sound like he’s interested in coming to Detroit on a short-term, moderate-money contract–the only kind of deal that makes sense for Detroit, as The Athletic’s Max Bultman suggested.

Instead, it sounds like Krug is interested in making the best business decision he can so that he maximizes his value, and maximizes his window of winning championships.

Let’s examine Krug’s comments to the Boston media on Thurdsay, per his end-of-season Zoom appearance:

What does he feel about the concept of winning “now?” That’s easy. He said this to CLNS Boston’s Evan Marinofsky:

I haven’t had the chance to talk about this sort-of-kind-of Red Wings-related topic yet, so I’m going to take the plunge today. I hope you’ll bear with me:

We’re still in the middle of the “first wave” of a pandemic. For me and Aunt Annie, the decision to “socially distance” ourselves from just about everyone we usually encounter, wear masks when we go into public places and wash our hands very regularly were easy ones to make.

Red Wings defenseman Alex Biega makes his home in Hanover, Massachusetts, and the Patriot-Ledger’s Matt Cunha reports that Biega found a way to brighten the days of Hanover’s high school hockey champions:

The Division 3 state co-champions finally were able to get back together on Aug. 6 for the first since since the Lowell game to celebrate. In lieu of an end-of-year banquet, the team had a socially distanced cookout to give out awards. The team received their state championship trophy five months after their final game.

Detroit Red Wings defensemen and Hanover resident Alex Biega gave out the trophy. A couple of days before Hanover’s game, Biega signed an $875,000 one-year contract extension. Biega’s appearance was a big surprise to the Hanover players.

“It was great to see him there,” said senior captain Kyle Faherty. “I had heard he lives in town and maybe skates around here. I was lost for words when I saw him. It was awesome.”

The former Harvard hockey player lives in Hanover with his wife, Diana, who is originally from Weymouth. Biega uses the facilities at Hanover to work out , so Hanover athletic director Scott Hutchison approached Biega to see if he would come to the banquet.

“I’ve always said I would offer a willingness if they ever needed someone to talk to,” said Biega. “Or if I could be helpful in any way in the community or give back in any way I can.”

Continued, with Biega offering kind words and words of hope for his new friends, as well as himself:

The Detroit Red Wings’ salary cap situation looks very good heading into 2020-2021, despite the need to re-sign restricted free agents Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi, and the Wings could very well carve out more cap space by walking away from a couple of their redundant RFA’s as well.

As Detroit is in a full rebuilding mode, it’s hard to envision someone like Torey Krug coming to Detroit, but there’s no doubt that Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman will look to improve the roster after finishing in last place in the league, and Sportsnet’s Rory Boylen believes that the Red Wings should “weaponize” their salary cap room under what will be a flat $82.5 million salary cap for at least the next two seasons:

DETROIT RED WINGS

Projected cap space: $34.6 million
Roster size: 10

The Red Wings seem a ways off from contending still, but they have a promising core to start with at least. Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha (RFA) and Tyler Bertuzzi (RFA) were their leading scorers up front and Filip Zadina was on a good scoring pace in the 28 NHL games he played. They’ll add another top-four pick this draft as well. Detroit has a lot to figure out. They need a new goalie and must rebuild the blue line, though there are promising prospects coming along there, too, namely Moritz Seider. GM Steve Yzerman likely will still take a slow and patient approach here, but if the right opportunity comes along to add something, he’ll pounce. Is it a good thing that the team he used to GM, Tampa Bay, is among those most pressed to the cap and in need of money-saving deals?

Boylen also discusses six more teams that could stand to benefit from a “flat cap” world…

And while I don’t see the Wings biting on big-money free agents, another scoring forward and top-four defenseman couldn’t hurt (the same could be said for a back-up goalie) via the second tier of free agents this fall.

Also: while the Wings have two particularly heinous contracts still on the books from the Ken Holland regime in Frans Nielsen (2 more years at $5.25 million) and Justin Abdelkader (3 more years at $4.25 million), it’s still plausible that the team could snag another “bad contract” from a cap-constrained team both this summer and the next in order to add draft picks and/or prospects to the mix. We shall see what the Yzerplan involves this summer in terms of lateral and forward-facing moves.

In another subscriber-only article, the Detroit News’s Mark Falkner reports that Saginaw Spirit forward and top 2020 draft prospect Cole Perfetti is hoping that his “local team,” the Detroit Red Wings, call his name when the Wings pick 4th overall in this fall’s NHL Draft:

Perfetti said he wants to be “selected as high as possible” after finishing in second place in league scoring with 37 goals, 74 assists and 111 points this year, but knows there’s a chance he could be Draper’s first pick in his new job of running Detroit’s draft.

“At the end of the day, I hope what I did throughout the year on the ice and off the ice speaks for itself and makes it a no-brainer for them,” Perfetti said. “There would be no hard feelings if they don’t draft me because it’s a business and they have to do what’s right for them. If it was the Red Wings, it would be amazing and a dream come true.”

Saginaw general manager Dave Drinkill said [Red Wings director of amateur scouting Kris] Draper “probably knows more about Cole than any other NHL scout.” The team’s ownership partners also include Red Wings senior adviser Jimmy Devellano and former Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood.

“Cole has been a big-time point producer, a go-to player, ultra-competitive and our team has taken off since he came on board,” said Drinkill, who selected Perfetti fifth overall after Byfield and Drysdale were taken in the 2019 OHL draft. “Kris will remove that relationship aspect and do his job. That’s what he’s paid to do and the Red Wings are in good hands. If they do take Cole, they’ll be getting a heck of a player.”

Continued (paywall)…

FYI from Twitter:

Loan: Filip Larsson (G) | Detroit Red Wings -> Almtuna IS | https://t.co/4NabxBZO10 #HockeyAllsvenskan— EP Transfers (@ep_transfers) September 2, 2020

Update: The #RedWings have loaned goaltender Filip Larsson to Almtuna (Swe-2). pic.twitter.com/2jQSYe5mDM— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 2, 2020

Almtuna IS’s website confirms, via website editor Peter Tjern:

We are proud to announce that goaltender Filip Larsson, who’s trained with the Detroit Red Wings, will be with Almtuna for a while, and will start the season in Almtuna and the Allsvneskan.

A loan agreement with the NHL team the Detroit Red Wings and goaltender Filip Larsson is ready.

Filip played for Stockholm team Boo IF as his parent team, and then continued with Djurgardens’ junior teams. He’s only played at the junior level in Sweden, at Djurgarden, but he also played on the other side of the Atlantic for the Tri-City Storm (USHL), the University of Denver (NCAA), the Toledo Walleye (ECHL) and the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Filip has also played in the Swedish U16, J18 and J20 national teams, and has a J18 World Cup silver medal on his resume.

“I’m happy that it’s been resolved after I’ve been training with the team for a couple of weeks. It feels damn fun to get the chance. It will be my first senior season in Sweden after living in the USA for three years, so I look forward to joining the team and playing games with them,” says Filip Larsson.

“Filip Larsson has a high capacity. He’s a technically skilled netminder and also is tactically aware, plays consistently after a goal and has a simple game understanding based upon his strengths. Filip is skilled at moving upright and down. He is wise in his decisions in choosing a working position, and according to that position related to the puck, he usually saves by good margins,” says goaltending coach Sebastian Johnsson who continues: “Filip is humble, easily laughs and competes every day. It will be fun to work with him.”

Five days ago, I decided to try to give blogging a try for the first time in almost a year. I asked for help in reaching a fundraising goal–paying pending bills to my blog’s hosting company, Bluehost, the essential add-on to my website in Jetpack, and Dlvr.it, which provides updates to my Twitter account and TMR Facebook page.

You guys and gals delivered in a big way, with most of the donations being surprisingly big ($20-50) and coming from a lot of people who’ve never donated to the TMR cause before.

I am SUPER GRATEFUL to each and every one of you for your support. We’re at the fundraising goal ($420) plus about $50 after all of five frickin’ days’ worth of fundraising.