Author: George Malik

Interesting:

Another defenceman to watch today is John Klingberg. Both Seattle and Detroit have various levels of interest but Carolina (as EF has reported) is probably in the best position to offer what he’s looking for. Carolina has been around Klingberg at various times all season.— Jeff Marek (@JeffMarek) July 13, 2022

Andrew Copp coming home to join the Red Wings? @Buccigross tweeting some images: https://t.co/yppHYo5X1q— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) July 13, 2022

#PureMichigan pic.twitter.com/lDJtAjvtmx— Bucci on Draft (@Buccigross) July 13, 2022

Per TSN’s Darren Dreger…

Back to hockey. Unless something shifts, all indications suggest Andrew Copp will sign with the Detroit Red Wings. Good player who will likely command $5 mil + on a 4-6 year term. We’ll soon find out.— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) July 13, 2022

And Bob McKenzie:

UFA period opens at 12 noon ET, we are on air at 11 am with @TSNHockey #FreeAgentFrenzy. As usual, deals already in place and players already reportedly tied to team(s). Such as Campbell (EDM), Kuemper (WSH), Copp (DET), Giroux (OTT). It will be a busy day.— Bobby Margarita (@TSNBobMcKenzie) July 13, 2022

Also:

If Andrew Copp is Detroit-bound as @DarrenDreger reports, does that take them out of any Kadri flirtation?— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) July 13, 2022

This morning, the Free Press’s Helene St. James offers the following take on Detroit’s free agency outlook, and she posts a list of potential free agent fits as well:

Steve Yzerman described a list of players that would be a good fit for the Detroit Red Wings as “beautiful,” and that was before it included free agents rendered unrestricted because they did not get a qualifying offer from their prior employers.

Free agency begins Wednesday, or as some call it, “the silly season” because in the frenzy to secure a player, general managers can be a bit carefree when it comes to making offers. That’s more so a temptation of GMs in charge of contenders; for a team trying to take the next step in a rebuild, it’s an opportunity to find complementary players that can fill gaps at reasonable prices.

“We watched some of the positive impact some of our young guys had this year,” Yzerman said. “We’d like to add to that and continue to move forward. If there’s a player that can really make a significant impact, we’re not afraid to do that in free agency.

“Some of the things we weigh on is, how much does that player help us today, tomorrow and two or three years down the road, and what’s the cost of acquiring that player. Does the cost make sense for where we hope to be, or are we just spending a lot of money and not going to much different whether that player is here or helped get us there, and is there a more efficient way to get there.”

Yzerman already addressed the need for a goaltender by acquiring Ville Husso. But the Wings need scorers and defensemen, and Yzerman has roughly $30 million in salary cap space, though some of that will go toward re-signing restricted free agents Filip Zadina and Jake Walman. 

Continued

Sportsnet’s excellent Elliotte Friedman offers this late-night free agency note regarding the Red Wings’ search for a second line center:

I will guess Andrew Copp to Detroit, because I like to try and figure out what Steve Yzerman will do. There is also belief the Dylan Larkin extension is trending in a positive direction.

Continued; I’d suggest that a Larkin contract extension may be the most likely move that the Wings will make this July.

The Detroit News’s John Niyo penned a thoughtful column regarding the Red Wings’ free agency plans this evening, touching upon the usual names attached to the Wings–Vincent Trocheck, Andrew Copp and Ondrej Palat as useful UFA additions–before suggesting that Steve Yzerman may very well go “bargain hunting,” seeking unqualified restricted free agents like Dylan Strome (or Dominik Kubalik?) before ending with this wise summation:

Yzerman has worked methodically to give himself the flexibility he has now. Outside of the entry-level contracts for Seider and Lucas Raymond, there are just a handful of players on the Wings’ current roster with contracts that extend beyond the upcoming season: Jakub Vrana, Fabbri, Michael Rassmussen, Filip Hronek and the newly-acquired Husso.

The expectation is Larkin will join them in the coming months, as the Wings lock up their captain and highest-paid player with another long-term extension. Bertuzzi, coming off a 30-goal season, also is headed into a contract year and says he wants to stay in Detroit, but past negotiations with his camp haven’t gone smoothly, so we’ll see how that plays out.

Some of this cap space will be spent on Detroit’s own free agents as well. Zadina and Jake Walman both received qualifying offers ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, and Yzerman said he’s open to bringing back some of the veteran UFAs in time.

But the Wings’ GM also can use it to help now and later, offering to help other teams offload problematic contracts for a fee in future assets. He did it with Marc Staal in a lesser deal a couple of years ago, acquiring the veteran defenseman from the Rangers along with a second-round pick he later flipped in a 2021 draft-day trade to land goalie Sebastian Cossa. And it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him do it again this summer. The Flyers, for example, are a prominent suitor for top free agent Johnny Gaudreau, but may need to move the final year ($7 million) of James van Riemsdyk’s contract to make that happen.

Whatever happens this week, though. rest assured: There’ll be more to come. A lot more.

Continued

From WXYZ’s Brad Galli comes a 3:25 interview with one Sebastian Cossa, prime time Red Wings prospect:

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills took note of the Red Wings’ prospects comments regarding what may be the most important aspect of the Wings’ 2022 summer development camp:

[Dylan] James, who notched 61 points (28-33-61) in 62 games last season with the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers, is also enjoying his off-ice experiences.

“I’m rooming with (2022 eighth overall pick) Marco (Kasper), so he has a little bit of a language barrier and whatnot, but it’s fun,” James said. “It’s fun hanging out with him. Everyone here is a good person. I really like that.”

Forward Cross Hanas, Detroit’s 55th overall pick in 2020, is having fun interacting with fellow Red Wings prospects.

“For me and the other guys who got drafted in 2020, we haven’t gotten it (camp) in two years now,” Hanas said. “This is our first one. It’s been really cool meeting them.”

…

Red Wings defenseman prospect William Wallinder, even after his initial flights to North America were cancelled, is also making the most of his time at camp.

“It’s fun to meet all the guys,” said Wallinder, Detroit’s 32nd overall pick in 2020. “Maybe we’re teammates in the future, so it’s good to get to know them.”

Continued

After a day’s worth of skill development drills at the Red Wings’ 2022 summer development camp on Monday, I had a feeling that Tuesday’s activities would involve more game-like situations as skills coach Dwayne Blais, skating coach Brodie Tutton, skill consultant Kevin Galerno, Wings goaltending consultant Phil Osaer and the rest of the Wings’ player development staff.

Instead, the first development camp under assistant director of player development Dan Cleary involved repetition to some extent, with Tutton first taking groups of forwards, defensemen, and then a second group of forwards through skating drills, before a very vocal Blais and company (including on-ice appearances by Griffins coach Ben Simon, Niklas Kronwall, and Cleary himself) took over and worked on players’ stick-handling skills.

Rink wide view from my mid-grade phone’s camera. pic.twitter.com/JCKUKH8Fx5

— George Malik (@georgemalik) July 12, 2022

There was some battling at the very end of the day, as a sort of “street hockey” set-up afforded players the chance to engage in real one-on-one battles for the puck in front of an assortment of goaltenders (the Wings’ practice goalie, whose name I do not know, and Grand Rapids Griffins netminder Jonathan Lethermon made appearances alongside the camp participants). It was fun to finally watch the skaters bump and grind a bit, but there hasn’t been much else in terms of game situations…

I’ve been wondering what Darren McCarty’s Twitter feed has been up to, because the 4-time Stanley Cup champion, sports talk radio commentator, band leader and cannabis entrepreneur has been talking a lot of smack to amateur and professional wrestlers of late.

According to Yahoo Sports’ Thomas Williams, McCarty is giving professional wrestling–emphasis on the lower levels thereof–a try:

The former Detroit Red Wings enforcer has stepped into the wrestling ring at the age of 50 years old, marking one of the most unique post-career moves of any pro hockey player. While the majority of grey-haired former NHLers enjoy the extra time to golf or podcast, McCarty still has the urge to engage in some form of battle.

Most recently, he was named to the card of the Detroit show of Los Angeles-based promotion Circle 6.

McCarty will be partnering with a team that calls themselves “Midwest Scum,” as they face The Premier on the other end of the ring. This is not some local backyard wrestling company either. On the very same July 22 card, Josh Alexander of Impact Wrestling, and the Impact World Champion – a belt that has at least some gravitas in the wrestling world – is set to step in the ring as well.

Of course, McCarty wouldn’t be jumping in blind to have a big-time match. Over the last 12 months, he has been warming up his in-ring presence. In May 2021, the Red Wings great made his wrestling debut, and dealt a convincing-enough stunner to his opponent.

Continued; I don’t know why Darren feels it necessary to put his body through more wear and tear, but if it makes him happy, it makes him happy, and if he’s not hurting anyone else or himself in any illegal manner…

Go Mac, Go?

It sounds like there’s an article in the works from the excellent Toledo Blade hockey writer Mark Monroe…

I’ve spoken to several players who competed for @DetroitRedWings coach Derek Lalonde when he led the @ToledoWalleye. He left a lasting impact. “He always wanted us to play confident, not arrogant, but quiet confidence. He gave us that by allowing us to be ourselves.” — Kyle Bonis pic.twitter.com/m49hJGhZ2c— Mark Monroe (@MonroeBlade) July 12, 2022

And, well, on the lighter side…

Drop your favorites. ?#DRWDC pic.twitter.com/8DkxciZQ1a— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 12, 2022

Swiss cheese, ketchup, mustard, and possibly a sunny-side-up egg. Nothing else for me. Aunt Annie likes EVERYTHING but ketchup, though, so there’s a familial balance.