Author: George Malik

I have little time for “thought experiments,” and, this morning, two columnists offer just that.

2. First, the Free Press’s Mason Young ponders which 2022 draft pick (of the Red Wings, Tigers, Pistons or Lions) may eventually become the “next big thing in Detroit sports,” and Young makes it sound like he only includes Marco Kasper–and the Red Wings–because he has to:

Marco Kasper: Kasper probably won’t be a Red Wing for at least one more season while further honing his craft in Sweden, giving [Aidan] Hutchison, [Jameson] Williams, [Jaden] Ivey and [Jalen] Duren a huge jump start. But, as is the case is for Duren, the 18-year-old Kasper’s youth could be helpful.

Yet, Dylan Larkin is the beloved captain and leading scorer for the Red Wings, and a Waterford Mott High and Michigan Wolverines alum. One day, Larkin’s mantle may be Kasper’s to accept, but will he surpass Calder Trophy winner Mortiz Seider or talented 2020 pick Lucas Raymond to match Yzerman and Gordie Howe among the franchise’s greatest of all time? And if the Wings don’t start winning again, will anyone notice?

Ho hum, who cares about the Red Wings?

Oy. Vey. Don’t bother mentioning them if you’re not even interested in the team.

Anyway, I’m not sure that Kasper will be better than Seider or Raymond, but Marco (who confirmed to the Kleine Zeitung that, yes, he’s heading back to Sweden this upcoming season) is sharp, composed and self-confident about his excellent-and-improving skill set in a similar vein to Seider and Raymond…

2. And the Toronto Star’s Damien Cox suggests that the Maple Leafs ought to add to their stable of superstars by somehow adding another star to the mix, and he includes the Red Wings’ captain on his list simply because one Dylan Larkin will be 26 this July 30th:

MLive’s Ansar Khan projected the Red Wings’ forward lines yesterday, and, this morning, Khan examines the probable pairings on defense and examines the hierarchy (or lack thereof) in goal:

Defense pairs (left-right)

First pair: Ben Chiarot-Moritz Seider: This has the potential to be a big, abrasive, hard-to-play against top pairing.

Seider did it all as a rookie on his way to becoming the Red Wings’ first Calder Trophy winner since 1965. He was strong defensively, provided offense (seven goals, team-leading 43 assists), played the point on the top power-play unit and killed penalties. He averaged a team-high 23:02. Expect more of the same from the 21-year-old.

The Red Wings might have overpaid for Chiarot (four years at an average annual value of $4.75 million), but the free-agent market for defensemen was thin and he checks several boxes (big, physical, experienced, left-shooting). He scored nine goals (along with a career-high 26 points) last season between Montreal and Florida and in 2019-20 with the Canadiens, but he was brought in to defend and move the puck out of the zone, so the Red Wings don’t spend as much time in their own end.

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Pro Hockey Talk’s Adam Gretz posted a list of “power rankings” among his top 20 unrestricted free agency signings, and Gretz believes that the Red Wings received solid value in both the signings of David Perron and Andrew Copp:

5. David Perron, Detroit Red Wings (two years, $9.5 million). Perron is getting older, but this is a really strong deal for a Red Wings team making to take a big leap forward. He is a legit top-line winger and the Red Wings have almost no risk on a two-year contract.

6. Andrew Copp, Detroit Red Wings (five years, $28.25 million). This deal reminds me a lot of the Philip Danault signing in Los Angeles a year ago. Similar term, player, cap hit, and team situation. I like Copp over somebody like, say, Vincent Trocheck because he is a year younger, better defensively, and has a term that is two years shorter.

Continued; the Perron deal isn’t without risk, but it’s incredibly solid, and I think that Gretz’s comparison with what Copp brings to the table to that of gritty two-way center Philip Danault is quite accurate.

The Red Wings have something of a “wild card” in prospect Kirill Tyutyayev, who’s all of 5’10” and 176 pounds.

The 21-year-old Grand Rapids Griffins-contracted prospect missed the majority of the 2021-2022 season with what Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen reveals was a shoulder injury. However, as Allen notes in today’s prospect profile, Tyutyayev made such an impact at last fall’s prospect tournament that people still believe in his potential to–if he keeps on defying expectations–become a game-breaker:

Tyutyayev is not your traditional seventh-round draft pick. There is something about him that makes you want to see more. There’s something special about his relationship with the puck.

He was a novelty when drafted because he didn’t weigh 150 pounds. But he’s now listed as 5-foot-10, 178 pounds. He might be over 180 now. Grand Rapids teammate Jared McIsaac notes Tyutyayev protects the puck well for an undersized player. He is still only 21.

The odds are against Tyutyayev. The Red Wings haven’t signed him. He’s playing on a minor league contract. But he is still on Detroit’s radar.

But scouts saw him score 47 goals in 31 games when he was playing in a Russia junior league. In 2020-21, he registered 32 points in the Belarus League. He added 10 more points in the playoffs.

People find themselves rooting for Tyutyayev. Lucas Raymond called him “a beauty” at last fall’s prospect camp.

“He’s a smart player,” Raymond said. “He’s a bit unpredictable and I can imagine hard to play against.”

Continued; I don’t know whether Tyutyayev will earn an NHL contract, never mind crack the Red Wings’ roster, but his skill level is elite, and his work ethic is elite.

The question is whether his physical development, his mental development and his hockey development will converge at the same time.

Red Wings forward Michael Rasmussen and defenseman Jordan Oesterle took part in the Wings’ Street Hockey Summer Showcase,” as helmed by Wings ambassador Jason McCrimmon, at Detroit’s Farwell Recreation Center today.

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills chronicled the scene…

As part of the Red Wings’ groundbreaking Learn, Play, Score platform, the seven-week clinic series is providing more than 300 metro Detroit youth aged 6-14 with an opportunity to learn the basics of hockey, along with fundamental life skills, in a fun, laid-back outdoor atmosphere at eight Detroit Parks & Recreations locations across the city.

“It’s always fun,” Oesterle said. “I always try to give back. Obviously being from Michigan and being able to give back to the community that gave me so much means a lot.”

Oesterle added that working with the city’s youth is a humbling experience.

“They don’t necessarily care about you,” Oesterle said. “Good or bad, they think it’s cool that a professional athlete is coming to hang out with them. They all enjoyed it, they all had a great time and had a lot of smiles on their faces.”

Rasmussen agreed with Oesterle about how rewarding it feels to make a difference in the community.

“It’s nice to be part of the community and help out,” Rasmussen said. “Just seeing kids outside and playing sports, especially hockey, is pretty cool.”

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From WDIV Local 4: Red Wings players Jordan Oesterle and Michael Rasmussen played supporting roles as Red Wings Youth Hockey Ambassador Jason McCrimmon helped teach youngsters in Detroit to play street hockey via the Street Hockey in the D Summer Series:

I love this. I learned how to play hockey on the street, and I wasn’t a kid of “means,” so I love to see the financial roadblocks to participating in hockey be dismantled.

Former Red Wings grinder, Grinder band leader, amateur wrestler, cannabis entrepreneur and sports talk radio host Darren McCarty spoke about the state of the Red Wings in terms of the team’s draft and free agency moves on today’s “Big D Energy” show on the Woodward Sports Network:

Of Red Wings-related note this evening:

1. The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan offered assessments of each and every one of the NHL’s 32 teams‘ free agency doings (or the lack thereof), and here’s what he has to say about the home team:

► Detroit: GM Steve Yzerman addressed every need the Wings had, and the lineup is significantly deeper than it was a few weeks ago. Trading for goaltender Ville Husso also looks like a shrewd move right now. 

2. The Hockey News’s Stan Fischler made a slate of observations regarding the free agency moves around the NHL, and those preceding July 13th, and here are his Red Wings-related takes:

Department of So-Nice: Jeff Blashill winding up on his feet behind the Bolts bench as Jon Cooper’s aide is a case of justice triumphs.

…

If the Red Wings make the playoffs for a change it’ll be because of the goaltending; specifically Ville Husso; no more, no less.

Another reason to just love Red Wings rookie coach Derek Lalonde. He comes from Brasher Falls, N.Y.

Brasher Falls — as far north as you can get in New York State — is so small that at the last census, its population soared to 669!

Finally, the Toronto Star’s Chris Johnston reminds us that a key member of the Red Wings’ leadership corps this past season is still an unrestricted free agent:

Sam Gagner, Detroit Red Wings

Centre

Age: 32

2021-22 cap hit: $850,000

2021 stats: 13 goals, 18 assists, 31 points in 81 games

The veteran forward is just 33 games from reaching 1,000 in his career. He’s a fourth-line option nowadays, but comes with intangibles in the manner Darren Helm and Andrew Cogliano provided during the Avalanche’s championship run this spring.

I don’t know if there’s room on the Wings’ roster for Gagner unless he’s willing to take a part-time role.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen believes that the Red Wings will have approximately $7.5 million in salary cap space when the season begins, and here’s why:

According to Capfriendly.com, the Red Wings have $10.296 million in cap space remaining with restricted free agents Filip Zadina and Jake Walman still to sign.

Walman filed for arbitration. He made $750,000 last season and could earn $1 million or more for this season.

The low-end comparable players earn $1 million and the high-end comparable is probably someone like defenseman Niko Mikkolo, who received a one-year deal from the St. Louis Blues for $1.9 million. Both Mikkola and Walman are 26. Walman has played 76 NHL games and registered 12 points, while Mikkolo has 88 games and 17 points.

Zadina does not have arbitration rights. His comparables are all over the map, although his best comparable may be Arizona’s Barrett Hayton. Both players had 24 points last season, although Hayton did it in 14 fewer games. Hayton is also a restricted free agent and hasn’t yet signed.

The low-end comparable for Zadina is Detroit’s Michael Rasmussen who is at $1.46 million AAV for a three-year contract he signed after the 2020-21 season. Of course, Rasmussen is now a more productive player.

…

If Walman signs for $1 million and Zadina comes in at $1.8 million for two years. that would leave the Red Wings at roughly $7.5 million under the cap. That number will rise if Robby Fabbri stays on LITR (Long-term Injured Reserve) for a lengthy period.

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The Hockey News’s Adam Proteau offers the following set of observations as part of a “Screen Shots” column:

After the first few days of unrestricted free agency, I looked back over the moves teams have made, and the more I look at what GM Steve Yzerman and the Detroit Red Wings have done, the more I like them to make a push for a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division this coming season.

With the caveat that, like many people, I don’t like the amount of salary or term Yzerman gave to defenseman Ben Chiarot, the rest of Detroit’s additions should make a big difference for them in 2022-23. The dependable goal-scoring of veteran winger David Perron will be a major boost for their offense, as will the signing of former Jets and Rangers forward Andrew Copp. Although Chiarot is overpaid at $4.75 million, he’ll add bite to the lineup, and if new head coach Derek Lalonde has better luck on the health front with veterans Robby Fabri and Jakub Vrana, Detroit’s offense will be formidable.

All things considered, the Wings have enough punch in their roster now to see them giving the Boston Bruins a run for their money for the fourth playoff berth in the Atlantic. The Ottawa Senators will also be in that mix, and determining that last playoff spot may come down to which team has the best goaltending. Detroit has the relatively inexperienced Ville Husso between the pipes, but if he gets enough offensive support, he could thrive in the No. 1 role.

The other thing to bear in mind with the Wings: Yzerman still has more than $10.2 million in cap space. Some of that will go to restricted free agents Jake Walman and Filip Zadina, but there should still be a good chunk left over for Yzerman to spend on an in-season addition. That could put Detroit over the top in the playoff race. Regardless, keep your eye on the Red Wings this year. They could make the post-season for the first time since 2015-16, and that’s welcome news for Wings fans.

Continued