Author: George Malik

The Detroit Red Wings headed into Bridgestone Arena to tangle with the Nashville Predators on Saturday, with the Wings hoping to earn a rare win against the powerhouse Predators.

The Wings played an excellent 60 minutes’ worth of hockey, out-working, out-hustling and out-scoring the Predators, with Luke Witkowski scoring his first NHL goal, Gustav Nyquist scoring his 16th and Darren Helm scoring an empty-netter as Detroit emerged with a 3-1 victory.

Petr Mrazek stopped 31 of 32 shots and the Wings blocked a staggering 26 shot attempts in a superb effort.

Now the Wings head home to host the Maple Leafs, who lost 5-3 on the road to Pittsburgh on Saturday night.

Continue reading Red Wings-Predators quick take: Wings out-work, out-Wit the Preds

Via “The Vyrus” on Twitter, Sportsnet’s Saturday Headlines video included a discussion of Seattle’s GM search…which Nick Kypreos says may involve Ken Holland? Check out the 5:50 mark. Kypreos says that Ken Holland hasn’t had talks with the Wings yet regarding his expiring contract, and his contract may not be addressed until the end of the regular season:

If and when Seattle gets a franchise, there’s likely to be a number of high-profile candidates to be GM and Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland appears to be “at the top of the list,” according to Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos.

“Let’s make no mistake about it, Kenny Holland is out there,” Kypreos said during the Headlines segment Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada. “His contract is going to expire at the end of the year. No talks at all scheduled. It appears it might go all the way to the end of the season before it gets addressed. You’ve got to put him at the top of the list.”

Via KK, the Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby wondered aloud whether the Maple Leafs really want to acquire Luke Glendening:

Preceding the Maple Leafs’ arrival in Detroit on Sunday are recurring reports Toronto is pressing the Red Wings to acquire Luke Glendening.

Head coach Mike Babcock likely is applying the most pressure, having been a strong supporter of the big checking centre going back to their time together in Detroit. Glendening’s best season, 12 goals and a plus five, was Babcock’s last season with the Wings. The undrafted University of Michigan star signed a four-year deal with Detroit last summer, but at $1.8 million US a season, it’s not a cap-breaker.

The Wings, who are not likely in the playoffs again this year, have a good relationship with the Leafs through Babcock’s former boss Ken Holland. But that doesn’t mean Glendening would be acquired for nothing. Like many teams ahead of the Feb. 26 NHL trade deadline, the Wings would like to pry away some of Toronto’s prospects or draft picks. As for an assertion that idled winger Matt Martin would go to Detroit because of his Windsor roots, he has neither a desirable contract, nor the inclination to make such a move go smoothly.

The Leafs are also trying to add depth on defence. While Toronto was in Pittsburgh the past two days, rumours resumed about defenceman IanCole, who was linked to the Leafs earlier this year, or Matt Hunwick, a Babcock favourite who is not being utilized at present. The  rumour that never goes away is the Pens might approach the Leafs about centre Tyler Bozak, now on an expiring deal, based on his previous success with Phil Kessel.

I can assure you that the Red Wings want nothing to do with Martin’s $2.5 million cap hit for the next two years…

DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji spoke with Wings players and their fathers/mentors regarding the Dads’ Trip:

Continued

The Detroit News’s Gregg Krupa suggests that Pavel Datsyuk still looks superb as he plays for Team Olympic Athletes from Russia at the 2018 Olympics:

He played so well! Watching Pavel Datsyuk lead his team of Russian players against the United States Saturday, bright and early TV, tested resolve.

Red Wings fans had to let him go. In the case of one of the greatest players in the history of the franchise, with his enthralling talent and beguiling, impish humor, it dumped a heap of separation anxiety.

To break the habit after 2016, and Datsyuk’s departure to his homeland, nearly required a 12-step program. Make it 13, in his honor.

And so, a preliminary-round Olympic game, played halfway around the globe at a most un-hockey-like hour, arrived as grotesque temptation for the dependent.

What, of comfort? Maybe, at 39, the oldest player in the men’s ice hockey tournament in the Pyeongchang games would not be quite so alluring, especially after plying his trade for a couple of years in the KHL.

Yeah, well, forget about that. Datsyuk looked like he was 26, again, except for two things: he is even smarter a third of a lifetime later, which is noteworthy given his big head start in the cunning department, and way more physical.

Krupa continues at considerable length, and his article is worth your time: I will say that Datsyuk looks like he’s finally recovered from the ankle surgery that hobbled him during his final campaign with the Wings…

Of Red Wings-related note ahead of tonight’s game against the Nashville Predators (8:00 PM EST on FSD/FS Tennessee/97.1 FM), a game in which Jusse Saros and Petr Mrazek will face off in goal, Mike Green will sit due to an upper-body injury and Luke Witkowski will substitute:

Update: here’s the Wings’ Game Day Preview video:

1. The Free Press’s Helene St. James reports that Trevor Daley will replace Mike Green on the power play via a video conversation with coach Blashill:

Continue reading Red Wings-Predators game-day updates: Green-less Wings prepare to battle Predators’ ‘process’; Mrazek vs. Saros in goal

Among MLive’s Ansar Khan’s trade scoops is the probable destination for Mike Green…

One player almost certain to be dealt is Mike Green. Tampa Bay is the most likely destination for the 32-year-old defenseman, who has agreed to waive his no-trade clause if a deal with the Lightning can be made, a source told MLive.

The Red Wings and Lightning have had many discussions and will continue to talk. Detroit would like Tampa Bay’s first-round pick this year, which is sure to be in the high 20s, if not 30^th or 31^st. If the Red Wings must settle for a second-round pick, which would be around 60^th overall, they’ll also want a young player who can step into their lineup next season.

Luke Glendening…

Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock coached Glendening for two seasons in Detroit and is desperately seeking a fourth-line center and “shut-down guy.” The Red Wings have made it clear they’re not giving him away; they want a decent pick or one of Toronto’s many good prospects. Right wing Kasperi Kapanen, who’s appeared in 16 games for the Leafs this season, is a possibility.

The Wings’ goalies…

The Red Wings tried to move goaltender Jimmy Howard to the New York Islanders earlier in the week, but their asking price of a high pick wasn’t being met.

Since then, Jaroslav Halak made 50 saves Thursday in a 3-0 victory vs. the New York Rangers and Thomas Greiss stopped 45 shots in a 3-0 win at Carolina the next night. That could curtail talks with the Islanders.

The Red Wings offered Howard or Petr Mrazek to Philadelphia after Flyers goalie Brian Elliott was injured last week (he had core muscle surgery and is expected to be out 5-6 weeks). The Flyers said they’re not interested in either. They appear content with Michal Neuvirth, who has gone 3-0-1 since Elliott’s injury.

And Khan discusses Gustav Nyquist and Xavier Ouellet’s potential futures as well…

The Grand Rapids Griffins hope to sweep their two-game series with the Manitoba Moose this evening (8 PM EST on WOOD Radio), and Griffins announcer Bob Kaser sets up tonight’s game:

Update: Mike Green is out tonight with an upper-body injury.

The Detroit Red Wings will open a home-and-sort-of-home series against the Nashville Predators this evening (8 PM EST on FSD/FS Tennessee/97.1 FM). These teams will play again at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday, but the Wings will battle Toronto tomorrow night, so this isn’t a classic home-and-home series.

Nashville comes into tonight’s game with a 7-1-and-2 February record, and the Central Division-leading Predators are back-stopped by Pekka Rinne, who’s 10-1-and-1 over his past 12 starts.

Prior to the Predators’ morning skate, Brooks Bratten penned a game-day preview for NashvillePredators.com:

Continue reading Red Wings-Predators morning skate Tweets and articles: Context galore; Mrazek vs. Saros?

Hockeybuzz’s Bob Duff chose to discuss the rumor that Luke Glendening may be headed to Toronto:

TSN reported that both the Leafs and Dallas Stars have talked to the Wings about what it would take to pry Glendening away from Detroit. And the answer they got from the Wings was quite a bit.

The Wings are looking to cut salary and add assets, mainly draft picks, and the Leafs have extra picks in the second and seventh rounds of the 2018 NHL entry draft.

The Wings signed Glendening as an undrafted free agent in 2013 and he was sent down to AHL Grand Rapids and recalled seven times during the 2013-14 season before making the NHL for good via a New Year’s Eve 2013 call up. He played the next day for Babcock’s Wings against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium, the school where Glendening played college hockey.

Saturday, the Wings are in Nashville, but Sunday, they play host to the Babcock-coached Leafs and perhaps Glendening’s future home.

Certainly, if Babcock has any pull the Leafs will made a concerted effort to land Glendening. Toronto has been seeking a reliable fourth-line center almost for as long as the Leafs have been seeking their next Stanley Cup win. OK, it hasn’t been that long, but if you were to ask a Leafs fan, it sure seems like it has.

….

Glendening is versatile and can also play the wing, as he has frequently this season on Detroit’s matchup forward unit with Frans Nielsen and Darren Helm. He’s posted 8-6-14 numbers in 44 games, and leads the Wings at the faceoff dot, winning 57.8 percent of his faceoffs. Glendening ranks fifth in the NHL among players who’ve taken at least 400 draws.

Glendening’s current contract runs through the 2020-21 season and has a cap hit of $1.8 million per season.

Duff continues…