Author: George Malik

Good news:

UPDATE: The #RedWings have removed defenseman Danny DeKeyser from the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol.— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 3, 2021

Red Wings Prospects on Twitter spotted this Tweet of note from TSN:

“You don’t have to look very far to see the big man in the net…”@CraigJButton kicks off the first edition of #WorldJuniors Watch with a closer look at ?? Edmonton Oil Kings netminder Sebastian Cossa: https://t.co/yuUPyPzQC6#TSNHockey pic.twitter.com/bGkRGC7t0v— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) December 3, 2021

The 1:24 video can’t be embedded, but it’s available for viewing in the U.S. and Canada.

The Athletic’s Don Luszczyszyn and Sean Gentille are back with their weekly power rankings, and this week they’re surprisingly optimistic about the Red Wings’ playoff chances:

19. Detroit Red Wings

Record: 12-9-3
Last Week: 25
Dom rank: 19
Sean rank: 19

Dom: No team has won me more money this year than the Red Wings — not even the Wild. So I unequivocally love them more than any other team right now. They’re better than people are giving them credit for as the team’s trifecta of rookies have done a great job plugging some massive holes. It might not be enough to make the playoffs in a deep East, but it’s a start to something good.

Sean: You saying “it might not be enough to make the playoffs” implies that it also … might be enough to make the playoffs. It’s not. The Red Wings are not going to make the playoffs. But — BUT — they’re probably the fifth-best team in the Atlantic, and the bottom of the Metro is a crater. Looks like a four-playoff-team division over there. So … yeah, maybe the Red Wings can make the playoffs.

Continued (paywall); I don’t think that the Red Wings will make the playoffs, but it’s fun to talk about.

MLive’s Ansar Khan posted a lengthy article discussing the Red Wings’ return to a margin of relevance due to the tremendous play of Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider:

Seider, the defenseman selected sixth overall in 2019, was a lock to make the team after being named defenseman of the year in the Swedish Hockey League last season. Raymond, the right wing taken fourth overall in 2020, needed to excel in training camp and the preseason, and his performance in a home exhibition against Chicago, which dressed its best players, convinced coach Jeff Blashill.

“But even with that said, you just don’t know,” Blashill said. “Then you keep watching. I’m not going to get ahead of myself right now. He’s done a really good job so far. He’s really smart, and he’s been able to produce while also playing the right way. I think that’s the biggest key. That’s why he’s been so transferable. He doesn’t need to cheat to create offense. He earns ice time.”

Raymond’s terrific shot, crisp passing and overall hockey sense earned him a promotion to the top line with Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi early in the season. At 19, he has tremendous self-awareness.

“I’m trying to find my game and I’m still learning every day and trying to get better at the areas that are my weaknesses and always trying to improve my strengths,” Raymond said. “But overall, I’m just trying to be an offensive forward who you can count on defensively who plays hard every night. Still working and going to find my identity as it goes on.”

It starts with consistent effort.

“I think my main thing is to try to go out there and skate real hard,” Raymond said. “I feel like if I’m playing with pace I get into situations with speed and I get out of them with speed as well and get closer to the puck and get the puck as much as possible.”

Continued

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski evaluates the NHL’s award races this morning, so you know that Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider are mentioned in his Calder Trophy discussion:

Calder Trophy (top rookie)

Leader: Lucas Raymond, LW, Detroit Red Wings
Finalists: Moritz Seider, D, Detroit Red Wings; Trevor Zegras, C, Anaheim Ducks

The Calder Trophy race has been a wild one already. Preseason favorite Cole Caufield of the Montreal Canadiens was demoted to the AHL and has a goal and an assist in six games since returning. Bowen Byram, who was in the top three here last month, saw his season interrupted after an upper-body injury. He returned to the team on Nov. 27.

Leading the pack is Raymond, the 19-year-old standout for the Wings who has 22 points in his first 24 NHL games. He was the rookie of the year choice for 60% of the voters we surveyed, playing a top-line role with top-line minutes (17:11 per game) for Detroit.

His teammate Seider is the clear second choice, getting the nod on 30% of the ballots. He has 16 points in 24 games and is playing the most minutes on average (22:20) of any rookie skater — and the Red Wings aren’t protecting him in the least, like other rookie blueliners were in their breakout seasons. A very viable candidate for the Calder, especially if Raymond’s top line with Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi cools down.

Zegras was the only other player to appear on the ballots. He was tied with Michael Bunting of the Leafs with 17 points, second overall behind Raymond. But two things that Bunting doesn’t have: He’s six years younger and has started hitting the highlight reel with McDavid-like frequency thanks to his innovative playmaking. And in some years, that can be all you need in the Calder race.

Two other rookies who were mentioned but not put at the top of voters’ ballots: Forward Dawson Mercer of the New Jersey Devils and Red Wings goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, the latter of whom is trying to become a Calder finalist for the second straight season, which would be quite a quirky thing indeed.

Continued (paywall)

Of prospect-related note in North America on Thursday:

In the QMJHL, Jan Bednar stopped 18 of 22 shots as the Acadie-Bathurst Titan lost 4-3 to Cape Breton;

In the OHL, Pasquale Zito scored a goal on 3 shots, winning 11 of 21 faceoffs, but he finished at -3 in the Windsor Spitfires’ 5-4 OT loss to Erie.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen also posts a daily column on Hockeybuzz.com, and he discusses the Red Wings’ rookies among his “Thursday Thoughts“:

Everyone is correct in their assessment that rookies are helping the Detroit Red Wings be an improved team. But everyone is wrong about how many rookies are contributing.

The belief is two rookies, defenseman Moritz Seider and left wing Lucas Raymond, are carrying the Red Wings. But it’s actually been three rookies carrying the load. People forget goalie Alex Nedeljkovic is still technically a rookie. And he is contributing as much as Seider and Raymond.

“It’s been a great confidence boost to know that he’s gonna be there every night,” Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said.

Seider was Rookie of the Month in October and Raymond won for last month. But you could have easily picked Nedejkovic for November. He was 6-2-1, with a 2.24 GAA and .934 save percentage. Nedeljkovic was a finalist for Rookie of the Year last season when he played for the Carolina Hurricanes. But he still meets the criteria to be considered a rookie this season.

Continued; we know in Detroit…

From Complex Magazine’s Jordan Rose comes a decidedly non-hockey story:

Montreal-based producer Nicholas Craven enlists one of Griselda’s finest, Boldy James, to assist him on his latest track. Premiering above, “Yzerman” acts as the first single for Nicholas’ upcoming album Craven N 3, which will mark the conclusion of his Craven N trilogy.

The menacing production put together by Craven is neatly paired with Boldy James’ baritone, giving the song a Sopranos-type feel. “Yzerman” almost sounds like the cold winters of Canada and Buffalo coming to dance together, making for an impressive offering that’s likely a nod to legendary hockey player Steve Yzerman.

When talking about the single and his forthcoming project, Craven said that after hearing Boldy’s The Price of Tea in China project with the Alchemist, he knew he needed a collaboration.

“For the last album in my Craven N series, I wanted a lineup consisting of the hardest MCs that weren’t on any previous installments,” Craven told Complex. “Of all the names that ended up making the cut, Boldy was the first that came to mind. I’ve been a fan of his since My 1st Chemistry Set but after The Price of Tea in China dropped, he solidified himself as one of the most important figures in the game and I knew that I had to work with him.”

Enjoy:

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

In the Finnish Liiga, Eemil Viro finished at +1 with 4 shots in 18:32 played as TPS Turku won 4-3 over Karpat;

In the SHL, William Wallinder is one of 7 defensemen skating for Rogle BK right now, but Wallinder finished even with 2 shots in 16:52 played during Rogle BK’s 5-2 win over Brynas;

Albert Johansson scored a goal, finishing at -1 with 2 shots on goal in 22:46 played during Farjestads BK’s 6-3 loss to Skelleftea AIK. Gustav Berglund never left the bench, playing no minutes as the team’s seventh defenseman.

Per IceHockeyGifs on Twitter:

Albert Johansson breaks his stick as he's shooting, but a fortuitious bounce makes the puck reach the back of the net anyway. 3rd goal of the season for Johansson. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/K6iMmZxJf0

— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) December 2, 2021

And, in Frolunda HC’s 3-2 shootout loss to Lulea:

Simon Edvinsson finished at -1 with 1 shot in 23:57 played;

Theodor Niederbach finished at -1 in 10:01 played;

And Elmer Soderblom played on the same line as Niederbach, finishing at -1 with 3 shots taken in 15:58 played.

Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi, who is unvaccinated against COVID-19, happens to have the illness right now, and Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said that Bertuzzi will miss at least 10 days and at least 5 games while he’s in COVID protocols. According to TSN’s Insider Trading, the Wings don’t have to pay Bertuzzi while he’s out because he chose to decline the vaccine:

Players testing positive for COVID-19 has become an almost daily occurrence for the NHL over the last few weeks. But was there something different about the news Wednesday?

[Chris] Johnston: There was. That’s because Tyler Bertuzzi of the Detroit Red Wings is the lone unvaccinated NHL player. And based on the rules that were written up and agreed to between the NHL and NHLPA before the season, if you’re unvaccinated and you do test positive, your team is under no obligation to pay you during that period. In the case of Tyler Bertuzzi, that would be forfeiting a little bit more than $20,000 per day in salary. He is expected to be out at least 10 days while in COVID-19 protocol. And this isn’t entirely new for him. He hasn’t been able to travel into Canada with the Red Wings this year and on those days that the Wings have been in Canada he’s been suspended without pay and not getting paid those days.

Continued; actions have consequences.