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Author: George Malik
My name is George Malik, and I'm the Malik Report's editor/blogger/poster. I have been blogging about the Red Wings since 2006, and have worked with MLive and Kukla's Korner.
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Walleye’s Pat Nagle wins ECHL’s “March MASKness Challenge”
Per the ECHL, Toledo Walleye goaltender Pat Nagle’s goalie mask won the ECHL’s “March MASKness Challenge”:
The March MASKness Final commenced on April 2nd and ECHL fans had 48 hours to cast their vote of which mask was more deserving of being named champion – either [Ty] Reichenbach’s or Nagle’s. Over 1,800 votes were cast in the final in which Nagle won 67% of the fan support to become the 2018 ECHL March MASKness champion.
Continue reading Walleye’s Pat Nagle wins ECHL’s “March MASKness Challenge”
Caputo weighs in on Holland’s contract extension
The Oakland Press’s Pat Caputo weighs in on the Red Wings’ decision to retain Ken Holland’s services today, offering “5 Factors” as to why the Wings kept KH in the fold (though this is more of Caputo offering his own suggestions as to what Holland should do next as opposed to analyzing the reasons why he was retained):
4. There is a silver-lining to this – It’s at least the Red Wings veterans with the over-valued deals still play exceptionally hard. They care about the game, and the Red Wings’ tradition. It should help during the transitional period. Zetterberg is a terrific captain, who plays hard every night and is willing to call out his young teammates when necessary.
Holland needs to display he can make value-for-value trades involving players from other organizations, not just draft picks. Athanasiou and Gustav Nyquist have value and should be moved.
And who would replace them?
5. Evaluating Red Wings’ coach Jeff Blashill has been very difficult – Blashill will be back next season, but whether he is the long-range answer as coach remains the great unknown. He inherited a very difficult situation. He was replacing a future Hall-of-Famer, Mike Babcock, and with a declining team. Blashill has displayed the spine to hold the Red Wings’ younger players accountable, but at times his decision-making involving speciality units and line combinations could be better. His team didn’t quit on him, though.
Reading the tea leaves and body language from the Ilitch-Holland presser
Hockeybuzz’s Bob Duff shares his impressions from yesterday’s en Holland-and-Christopher Ilitch press conference announcing Holland’s 2-year contract extension, and Duff suggests that Holland’s job is still on the line if one reads the owner’s body language:
Does anyone really think the mess that is the current state of the Red Wings will rectify itself in two short years?
This contract doesn’t seem to be a vote of confidence for Holland as much as it appears to be one last lifeline of opportunity before he is voted off the island.
Naturally, Wings governor Chris Ilitch didn’t see it that way at all.
“When Ken and I were talking, two years is what we settled on and what we are both comfortable with,” Ilitch explained. “There’s really no magic to it. Like I said, we’ve known Ken and he has known our family and our organization for so long, length is nothing we’re really too concerned about.
“We just sort of settled on two years and felt comfortable with that, and that’s why we extended Ken for two years.”
It’s no secret that Wings co-owner Marian Ilitch, Chris’ mother, is a big Ken Holland fan, although her son may not share her fondness for Holland’s work. The two men didn’t exactly look like close pals as they shared a podium during Saturday’s announcement.
Duff continues, and I happen to disagree, though I respect Duff’s take to no end.
The young Mr. Ilitch attended a friend’s wedding a decade ago, and he was stiff. In every interview I’ve seen Christopher give, he seems a little stiff. To me, Ilitch is simply the way he is–a little disconnected and disengaged most of the time as it’s his affect.
I didn’t read much into the body language at all, instead listening to Ilitch’s praise for Holland as “the man I’d want flying the airplane,” and you can make your own judgment viewing the Red Wings’ 19-minute-long video of the presser:
HSJ, Khan: Jared Coreau clears waivers, heads to Grand Rapids
Per the Free Press’s Helene St. James and MLive’s Ansar Khan, Jared Coreau has cleared waivers, and he will return to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, where he will probably serve as the Griffins’ playoff starter:
Jared Coreau cleared waivers, Red Wings have assigned him to Grand Rapids.
— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) April 8, 2018
Goaltender Jared Coreau cleared waivers. #RedWings have assigned him to @griffinshockey
— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) April 8, 2018
A Rasmussen reminder
I tend to assume that you’re paying attention to the prospect round-ups, but if you’ve missed Michael Rasmussen’s 9 goals, 10 assists and 19 points posted over the course of 6 playoff games for the WHL’s Tri-City Americans–or the fact that Rasmussen, who had wrist surgery earlier this season, is not taking faceoffs–the Free Press’s Helene St. James fills you in:
Rasmussen and 2016 first-round pick Dennis Cholowski will join the Griffins if their respective playoff runs end and Grand Rapids is still playing. Cholowski has four goals and six points in nine playoff games for the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, who are 1-1 in their second-round series against Everett.
Rasmussen’s performance wasn’t a one-off: he has had multi-point performances in each of Tri-City’s six playoff games, for a total of nine goals and 10 assists. Four of the goals have come on power plays.
Rasmussen is listed at 6-foot-6 and 221 pounds. He usually plays center, but has been on the wing during the playoffs, which should help him make the jump to the NHL because it’s a less demanding position.
He showed promise during last year’s training camp, and is expected to push to stay in Detroit next season to help with the rebuild. Rasmussen, who turns 19 on April 17, will either have to make Detroit’s roster or he’ll have to go back for his last year of junior eligibility. Cholowski will either be in Detroit or Grand Rapids.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the NHL-Canadian Hockey League player agreement, 18-and-19-year-olds have to either make NHL rosters or be assigned to their Canadian Hockey League rights-holders. NHL teams have a sort of 10-game “grace period” in which the team can evaluate their players without tolling a year off their contracts, but come 10 games, that player’s either on the NHL roster, or he’s headed back to Major Junior for the balance of the CHL team’s regular season and playoffs.
As such, both Rasmussen and Cholowski–and the rest of the Wings’ CHL-playing prospects–can’t join the Grand Rapids Griffins until their CHL teams’ playoff runs end.
Also: Of all places, the WHL’s Victoria Royals lost 4-1 to Tri-City last night, but their YouTube channel posted a balanced highlight clip:
HSJ: Wings want Bertuzzi to focus on 18-19 season training, not AHL playoffs
Per the Free Press’s Helene St. James on Twitter, Tyler Bertuzzi won’t reprise his role as the Grand Rapids Griffins’ go-to playoff scorer:
Red Wings have decided not to send Tyler Bertuzzi to Grand Rapids. They want him to have a big summer in the gym, get stronger. Last summer shortened by Griffins’ Calder Cup championship & injury. Has done everything he could at AHL level (2017 AHL playoff MVP).
— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) April 8, 2018
This, you already know:
Jared Coreau will be sent to Grand Rapids if he clears waivers today. #RedWings
— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) April 8, 2018
Update: MLive’s Ansar Khan confirms:
#RedWings not assigning Tyler Bertuzzi to @griffinshockey saying “He needs a big-time summer in the gym.” Bertuzzi was AHL playoff MVP last season. Jared Coreau will be sent down if he clears waivers at noon, which is expected.
— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) April 8, 2018
Khan confirms in article form as well:
Bertuzzi won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy in 2017 as AHL playoff MVP, picking up 10 goals and 19 points during the Griffins’ title run.
Recalled to Detroit mid-season, Bertuzzi had a good rookie year, with seven goals and 24 points in 48 games. He finished strong, complementing Henrik Zetterberg and Gustav Nyquist on the top line with his grit, physicality and net-front presence.
Prior to learning of the team’s decision, Bertuzzi said he was fine either way.
“You want to go try and win again but you want to stay healthy and have a good summer,” Bertuzzi said. “There’s pros and cons both ways.
“It would be awesome to win back-to-back. It’s been a long year. I had an injury the last two summers, so I think that’s a big factor, too, that I haven’t been healthy for the summers for training.”
Cup of Khan: Zetterberg’s far from finished
After last night’s 4-3 OT loss to the New York Islanders, Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg told the media that the realities of the Red Wings’ “rebuild on the fly” have hit the players…
And, as MLive’s Ansar Khan notes, it appears that Zetterberg wants to be a part of the rebuild, despite his back issues:
Zetterberg, who will turn 38 at the start of next season, made it clear that he’s coming back for at least one more year. He has played all 82 games three years in a row and missed only five games the season before that. Even he couldn’t have predicted that after major back surgery in 2014.
“I didn’t practice since January,” Zetterberg said. “I wish I could practice every day and go out and fly around like some other guys do in here, but I know that I can’t do it,” Zetterberg said. “But you never know, have a good summer and I might be flying around.”
Zetterberg finished second on the team in scoring with 56 points (11 goals, 45 assists). He is 40 away from 1,000, a milestone reached by only four Red Wings (Gordie Howe, Steve Yzerman, Alex Delvecchio and Nicklas Lidstrom).
“There were days where I wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to play,” Blashill said. “He’s as tough a person as you’ll ever be around, like true toughness, being able to handle pain and endure that. Lots of days he’s good, so I don’t want to overdo it, but I think that the impressive thing isn’t that he’s played the games, but it’s the level at which he’s played. He’s still lots of nights an elite two-way player.”
Khan continues, and he posted a video of Zetterberg’s post-game comments:
ESPN tells Ken Daniels son’s fatal struggle with prescription painkillers
ESPN’s John Barr and Mike Farrell tell a difficult tale this morning, relating the difficulties that Ken Daniels’ son, Jamie, had with the prescription painkillers that took his life.
This is part of an “E:60” documentary that will air this evening at 11 PM EDT:
Jamie died of an overdose of heroin that had been laced with fentanyl, a synthetic and far more potent form of the drug, according to an autopsy report and death certificate. For Ken, understanding how Jamie could overdose in a sober home environment meant exploring the dark path Jamie had traveled in the final weeks before his death, a journey that opened Ken’s eyes to something he had never before considered: the existence of a corrupt side to the billion-dollar rehabilitation industry in South Florida, where federal laws can be exploited by people who actually have no interest in keeping recovering addicts clean. Jamie, his father came to realize, got caught in an insurance scam known as “The Florida Shuffle.”
“It’s one thing to have an addiction and not being able to overcome it because the addiction overtakes you … but then when bad people get involved and they contribute to it, it makes you sick,” Ken says.
The story continues, and this is the kind of topic that we need to discuss because it’s not easy to talk about the most widespread addiction problem in the U.S. and Canada. We are countries struggling with everyday people addicted to prescription drugs, and it sucks, but the this stuff happens to everyday people like you and me, and the more we de-stigmatize addiction as an illness and a disease, not a sign of personal weakness, the better we can help people treat their illnesses.
Prospect round-up: Tangradi’s goals lead Griffins over Roadrunners; Walleye win final regular season game in OT
Of prospect-related note in regular season action:
In the AHL, the Grand Rapids Griffins clinched a playoff spot via a 4-1 victory over the Tuscon Roadrunners. Grand Rapids received a pair of 1st period goals from Eric Tangradi (his 30th and 31st of the season), 2nd-period markers from Turner Elson and Dan Renouf and a 22-save performance from Tom McCollum.
Edit/update: Here’s the Griffins website’s recap: