Author: George Malik

The Red Wings posted “The Forecheck” ahead of tonight’s game against the New York Islanders:

Of Red Wings prospect-related note in Europe on Saturday:

In the Finnish Liiga, Eemil Viro finished even with 1 shot in 16:13 played as TPS Turku won 1-0 in a shootout over HPK;

Otto Kivenmaki had an assist, finishing at +1 with 1 shot in 16:49 played as the Lahti Pelicans won 4-2 over KooKoo;

In the SHL, Albert Johansson finished at +1 with 4 shots in 19:42 played, and Gustav Berglund finished at +1 in 7:34 played as Farjestads BK won 5-0 over Oskarshamn;

William Wallinder finished even with 3 shots in 18:44 played as Rogle BK lost 5-4 in overtime to Orebro;

And in Frolunda HC’s 2-1 overtime loss to Linkoping:

Simon Edvinsson finished at -2 with 3 shots in 20:33 played;

Theodor Niederbach finished even in 8:49 played;

And Elmer Soderblom finished at -1 with 5 shots in 15:02 played.

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills spoke with Red Wings executive Jimmy Devellano and former Wing Nick Libett regarding the legacy of one Alex Delvecchio as Delvecchio turns 90 today:

For Red Wings senior vice president & alternate governor Jim Devellano, one of the people lucky enough to know the man, Delvecchio’s commitment to the team and the city of Detroit is the first thing that should be talked about more.

“Alex was somehow able to never leave Detroit as a player, as a coach, as a general manager and he remains here in Detroit some 70 years later,” Devellano said. “I know no other Red Wings player has ever done that. It’s impossible.”

The Fort William, Ontario, Canada, native spent his entire 24-year regular-season career with the Red Wings and missed just two games between 1957-58 and 1967-68. In Delvecchio’s first four seasons, he helped the Wings capture three Stanley Cups.

During his career, Delvecchio was surrounded, and often overshadowed, by some of the best to ever play the game. As the center on Detroit’s famous “Production Line,” he found himself slotted between wingers Ted Lindsay and “Mr. Hockey,” Gordie Howe.

“He tended to kind of play second fiddle in those days,” Devellano said. “But certainly, he was a very, very gifted player.”

Continued

MLive’s Ansar Khan posted a notebook article which discusses Nick Leddy’s “fit” with the Red Wings thus far as his former team, the New York Islanders, come to town for the first of 3 meetings between the teams this month:

“A lot of excitement [going into tonight],” Leddy said. “I’ve played with most of those guys for north of five years, the long playoff runs, some of the tougher years and then some of the great years we had together. I think all those memories and bonds are huge. Probably have a little nerves out there. I’ve always had great times playing against friends. It’ll be even better playing against some real good friends.”

These teams are trending in opposite directions. Detroit has won four in a row and has points in five consecutive games (4-0-1), having allowed only 10 goals in that stretch. Alex Nedeljkovic is expected to start in goal tonight.

“We’ve had great goaltending; they’ve come up huge for us in the times we’ve needed them, and I think we’re really starting to figure out how to win,” Leddy said. “There may be some stretches in the game where we’re not playing our best but we’re competing and working hard and finding ways to win.”

Meanwhile, the Islanders are winless in nine (0-8-1). Their 2-1 overtime loss Thursday to San Jose snapped an eight-game regulation losing streak and marked their return after having two games postponed due to COVID-19. They started the season with 13 consecutive road games while construction of their new arena was being completed.

“They’re trying to get their traction and we don’t want them to get their traction against us,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said.

Continued

I have been feeling particularly under the weather for the past couple of weeks, but I’m trying my best to grind things out as best as I can content-wise.

I apologize for not posting a prospect round-up last night; I’ll try to catch up as able.

Right now, I’m trying my best to get through the Islanders’ morning skate; after that, I’ll rest up ahead of the game and may be posting the game-day notebooks a little late.

Again, I’m sorry for any inconveniences that this might cause, but I’m really not feeling well.

I’m looking forward to the two-day break on Sunday and Monday to recharge my batteries a bit before the Wings play 3 games in 4 nights this upcoming week.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen posted an article this afternoon discussing the fact that Danny DeKeyser is out of COVID protocol, which might yield a deserving player getting bumped from the lineup in Jordan Oesterle:

The Red Wings own a four-game winning streak. Dekeyser is ready to play again after four games on the COVID-19 list, but the expectation is coach Jeff Blashill will follow the standard coaching code [and keep the same lineup].

It presumably comes down to Dekeyser vs. Jordan Oesterle, and Oesterle has been in the lineup for all four wins. Plus, Oesterle has played well in his nine games this season. In his last six games, he’s +4 with one assist. The Red Wings are 4-1-1 in those games.

You can make a case, and fans do, that the Red Wings’ best defensive alignment has Oesterle in and Dekeyser out on a permanent basis. The Red Wings, who break down video and grade players on a game-to-game basis, believe Dekeyser is playing better than the fan base does. However, he hasn’t played good enough to consider his job safe.

Right now, Moritz Seider, Nick Leddy, Filip Hronek and Marc Staal are the entrenched defensemen, although Hronek got himself benched for a couple of games earlier in the season.Gus Lindstrom is another favored young defenseman. But he still trying to prove himself.

Continued

DobberHockey.com’s Benjamin Geherels weighs in on the draft class of 2018 today, and he offers this take on Filip Zadina’s development thus far:

6th (DET) – Filip Zadina

44 pts in 108 GP (0.41 ppg)

Verdict: Developing

Zadina hasn’t been scoring much so far but has consistently had some of the best play-driving and possession metrics on the Red Wings this year. He’s seeing power-play time and playing well as part of Detroit’s strong second line. It’s just a matter of time (say, 90 more NHL GP) until he ups his current 30-point pace into the 60s with an emphasis on syrupy sweet goals like this:

Yeah, you just knew @zadina_filip was going to finish that. pic.twitter.com/7edBPmzzTH

— NHL (@NHL) December 1, 2021

The next two seasons will be critical for Zadina’s development. At this point, his career progression looks a lot like those of Kyle Okposo and Jared McCann—guys who step up when needed but generally provide secondary scoring. But Zadina was a prolific goal scorer in junior (44 goals in 57 QMJHL GP) and likely possesses more offensive upside than those comparables.

That upside should begin to show itself partway through next season, though his points ceiling is probably lower than the Red Wings initially hoped. Taking Zadina at #6 will always be a tough selection to defend given the star power selected after him, but in Detroit’s defence most of that star power was on defence. If they were set on taking a forward, Zadina still looks like one of the more dynamic forwards available in this draft after Svechnikov.

Continued

It appears that Red Wings prospect Seth Barton is healthy and ready to play after missing the first two months of the season with an undisclosed injury. According to EliteProspects on Twitter, Barton’s been reassigned from the Grand Rapids Griffins to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye:

Up/Down: Seth Barton (D) | Grand Rapids Griffins -> Toledo Walleye | https://t.co/MaHR7go4qq #ECHL

— EP Transfers (@ep_transfers) December 4, 2021

Red Wings legend Alex Delvecchio turns 90 today, and the Free Press’s Helene St. James posted an excerpt from her book: Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the Detroit Red Wings to celebrate the occasion:

Against the New York Rangers on February 20, 1965, Alex Delvecchio scored a goal to help the Red Wings win 3-2. He scored another goal the next day to help the Wings beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2. Thus began a record that would stand for 23 years, as Delvecchio produced points in 17 consecutive games, his streak ending March 28 when he went scoreless in the last game of the 1964-65 season, a 4-0 Toronto shutout. Delvecchio scored 12 goals and recorded 19 assists, his 31 points tying Norm Ullman by a Wings player in that span.

Delvecchio’s record stood until Steve Yzerman obliterated it between November 25 and January 10 of the 1987-88 season, when he went on a 22-game tear that produced 20 goals and 30 assists. Delvecchio was a durable, skilled forward who served as center on the second iteration of the Production Line, taking over Sid Abel’s spot between Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay after Abel departed for Chicago in 1952.

Delvecchio spent his entire 24-year NHL career with the Wings, playing on three Stanley Cup winners. Alexander Peter Delvecchio was born December 4, 1931, in Fort William, Ontario. He made his debut with the Wings on March 25, 1951, suiting up in their last game of the regular season. When he retired in 1973, at 41, Delvecchio had logged 1,550 games; only Howe (1,687) and Nicklas Lidstrom (1,564) played more games with one franchise. At the time of his retirement, Delvecchio ranked second in the NHL with 1,281 points, trailing only Howe’s 1,809 points. Delvecchio’s sportsmanlike play won him the Lady Byng Trophy in 1959, 1966, and 1969. (Delvecchio tallied only 383 penalty minutes in his career. By comparison, Lindsay tallied 1,808.) He played in the All-Star Game 13 times.

Continued (paywall)

The Detroit Red Wings held a morning skate ahead of tonight’s game vs. the New York Islanders (7 PM EST start on Bally Sports Detroit/MSG+/97.1 FM), and Alex Nedeljkovic will start for the Red Wings tonight vs. the winless-in-8 Islanders.

After the morning skate, Nick Leddy spoke with the media…

Nick Leddy says he met up with some of his “good buddies” on #Isles last night. “That’s a good group there. They know how to win.” Said it was a “bit of a scare” watching ex-teammates go through COVID-19 outbreak.— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) December 4, 2021

Red Wings D Nick Leddy on facing #Isles tonight: “A lot of excitement…All those memories and bonds are huge…I’ll probably have a little bit of nerves out there.”— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) December 4, 2021

FYI:

Danny DeKeyser was getting a lot of extra work in after morning skate which would point toward him being out tonight against the Islanders— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) December 4, 2021

Also FYI, from the Islanders’ side:

Austin Czarnik up, Andy Andreoff down to Bridgeport for #Isles per AHL transactions.— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) December 4, 2021

Zdeno Chara first #Isles player on ice for morning skate here in Detroit.— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) December 4, 2021

Kieffer Bellows, like Chara one of the #Isles who had been on COVID protocol, also skating. Austin Czarnik (No. 10) on the ice. Andy Andreoff back to Bridgeport (AHL).— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) December 4, 2021

Don’t see #Isles Casey Cizikas, who has been in COVID protocol.— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) December 4, 2021

Big Z a full participant in #Isles morning skate. Good sign Chara might be ready to return tonight.— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) December 4, 2021

Ilya Sorokin appears to be occupying the starter’s net for #Isles.— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) December 4, 2021

Casey Cizikas the lone #Isles player remaining in COVID-19 protocol— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) December 4, 2021

Trotz: Anticipating more of a goalie rotation coming up between Sorokin and Varlamov because of upcoming condensed schedule.— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) December 4, 2021

Here are videos of Nick Leddy and coach Blashill speaking with the media, [edit: with Blashill’s availability being from Friday]: