Author: George Malik

I’ve gotten around to the point in my internet life where I realize that being a talking head on Twitter can lead to hurt feelings and dumb things said, so:

I noticed that Adam Erne of the Red Wings had blocked me on Twitter today, and I am fairly certain I know why. I had joked with a couple of folks around the time of his contract-signing a couple of weeks ago that Erne had an abnormally large head, and while I’m not someone who possesses a figuratively “big head” myself as a small-market blogger, I’m fairly certain that Erne saw it, and that it hurt him.

Adam, if I pissed you off by making stupid jokes on the internet, I’m really sorry. It wasn’t appropriate for a 43-year-old to make kid jokes about a fellow wearer of a size 7-and-a-half hat (me, too!), and if it makes you feel any better, I feel really stupid for having said what I did. I’m not asking you to unblock me on Twitter, but I’m asking you to accept my heartfelt forgiveness.

I’m a fat, bald blogger. I’ve been overweight since I was 12 and ballooned to a 6,’ 250-pound kid, and I’ve been unable to shake that weight completely, no matter how hard I try. I started losing my hair when my dad died when I was all of 14, and you can imagine how fun it was to be losing your hair during high school and college, and being totally bald up top by 21.

I’m also “out of the closet” when it comes to my mental illnesses, which are either anxiety and depression or bipolar II, depending on who’s diagnosing me, and I don’t like it when people make fun of me for being the depressed blogger.

But both instances happen. And it’s no fun when they do.

Sorry, Adam. You’re a good egg, and I don’t want to be on your bad side.

DetroitHockey.net’s Clark Rasmussen revealed the Red Wings’ remaining new players’ numbers today, as later confirmed by the team on Twitter…

The Red Wings have updated their roster to have Mitchell Stephens wearing No 22. As expected, Nick Leddy is No 2 and Alex Nedeljkovic is No 39.

— DetroitHockey.Net (@detroithockey96) August 25, 2021

pic.twitter.com/c9PnRGUijy

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 25, 2021

And DetroitHockeyNow’s Bob Duff examined the new Wings‘ numbers as they apply to the team’s overall “numbers game,” in both recent and historical contexts:

Pius Suter (No. 24)

Suter wore No. 24 with the Swiss world junior squad, as well as last season for the Chicago Blackhawks. He wore 44 with ZSC Lions Zurich of the Swiss League and 22 during his days with the OHL’s Guelph Storm.

Who Wore It Last: Defenseman Jon Merrill and forward Richad Panik both wore No. 24 for the Wings in 2021.

Who Wore It Best: Two Hall of Fame defenseman – Chris Chelios (1999-2009) and Leo Boivin (1965-66) – wore No. 24 as Red Wings. However, any Detroit fan will immediately identify No. 24 with one player and one player only – Bob Probert (1985-94). He’s still Detroit’s single-season penalty minute record holder with 398 minutes in 1987-88. Probert was also an NHL All-Star that season, along with being the league’s most feared and respected enforcer.

Continued; I’m biased, but I think that #24 is a great example of a number that should be placed in a “ring of honor” for Probert and Chelios’s contributions to the team, just as numbers 18, 25 and 33 should be remembered for their places in the “Grind Line”…

To me, there are so many Wings who were key contributors to the organization–think Igor Larionov and his 3 Cups–but weren’t here long enough for their number to be retired, and the Red Wings could and should honor those players with special recognition nights and the induction to a de-facto team Hall of Fame.

The Athletic engaged in a fan survey of opinions as to each and every one of the NHL’s 32 fan bases regarding their teams’ respective front offices.

Today, Dom Luszczyszyn reveals that the Red Wings’ fan base thinks highly of their team’s braintrust. The Wings finish 3rd overall in the survey, despite Luszczyszyn’s jab at the Wings’ current status:

People know this team is still terrible, right?

Kidding aside, there is a lot of deserved belief in the Yzerplan which has been careful, slow and methodical with no immediate rush or hurry to take the next step. That’s fine, this team is far from ready and that patient approach has been extremely beloved by Red Wings fans. There is hope here that the man in charge can take the team back to where it needs to go with incredible faith in Steve Yzerman’s ability to make trades, signings, draft, develop and navigate the cap. The vision is crystal clear and the future looks bright.

Where this is warranted disagreement is in the first category, which is roster building. Yzerman and friends have done the easy part so far — actually building a roster is where things get difficult. I can see why there’s a difference as it comes to the philosophy of what this survey even tries to answer. The public may not be confident in the team’s roster building because the roster itself is still currently in its flaming wreckage state. But with how good everything else is going, it’s also completely fair for fans to have complete unwavering faith in management that the roster building part of the process will go just as smoothly as everything else. It’s the team doing things from the ground up and fans appreciating that even if there are no tangible results yet.

Red Wings fans have been patient and a rebuild deserves that trust. Detroit’s management team belongs in this spot, but I do wonder if the lustre begins to dim the longer the rebuild goes on. At some point, the results have to be tangible and not theoretical.

Continued (paywall), and the rebuild has to start delivering tangible results this year…

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan has issued a top 10 list of the Red Wings’ best prospects via a subscriber-only article, and his list is headlined by two players who will fight for roster spots this upcoming season:

Moritz Seider, defenseman

►Selected: 2019, first-round (sixth overall) 

►2020-21 stats: Rögle (SEL): 41 games, 7 goals, 28 points. 

►The skinny: When was the last time a Wings’ prospect has been so eagerly anticipated by Wings’ fans? Almost since the day Seider was drafted, fans have been wanting to see the mobile, physical 6-foot-4 defenseman in the NHL. 

They’ll get their wish this season, likely right out of training camp. Seider, 20, was the the best defenseman in the Swedish League last season. There isn’t a prospect ranking out there that doesn’t have Seider in the top-3 players outside of the NHL.

Lucas Raymond, forward

►Selected: 2020 first-round (fourth overall) 

►2020-21 stats: Frölunda (SEL): 34 games, 6 goals, 18 points.

►The skinny: Raymond’s season was cut short by an elbow injury. But during his time in Frolunda’s lineup, Raymond showed the explosiveness, creativity, shot, and two-way ability that make him one of the top forward prospects not currently playing in the NHL.

Raymond’s lack of action over the last two seasons will likely necessitate some time in Grand Rapids this season, while also familiarizing himself with North American hockey. But the expectation is Raymond will be a dynamic NHL player at some point.

Continued (paywall)

MLive’s Brendan Champion reports something a little strange on this Wednesday in late August:

Al the Octopus is a beloved symbol of passion, tradition, and a whole lot of winning for Detroit Red Wings fans.

But apparently fans of the NHL’s 31 other teams aren’t as enamored with the longtime purple mascot named for former Joe Louis Arena building operations manager and current Little Caesars Arena building operations manager Al Sobotka.

According to a recent survey of more than 2,000 hockey fans in the U.S. and Canada conducted by Play Canada, Al the Octopus is the second most “obnoxious” mascot in the NHL behind only the Philadelphia Flyers mascot, Gritty.

Harvey the Hound (Calgary), Youpii! (Canadiens) and Bailey (Los Angeles) rounded out the top 5 most obnoxious mascots, according to the survey.

It wasn’t all negative though. Overall, Al was ranked as the 14th best mascot in the NHL, just behind Hunter of the Edmonton Oilers and just ahead of Sparky the Dragon of the New York Islanders. Carlton the Bear of the Toronto Maple Leafs took the top spot.

Al is not obnoxious, he’s endearing.

MLive’s Ansar Khan profiles Red Wings prospect/player Michael Rasmussen today, discussing a forward who’s on the cusp of establishing himself as a “power center” in the NHL:

“Michael Rasmussen, for me, is the most improved player from a year ago,” [Red Wings coach Jeff] Blashill said near the end of the season. “He’s clearly a better skater, clearly playing with more confidence, a better defensive player. From a year ago to today he’s probably come the furthest in terms of development.”

Rasmussen, the ninth overall pick in 2017, will head into the 2021-22 season as the Red Wings’ third-line center. The team envisions him as a shut-down center who can provide some offense, particularly while using his 6-6, 230-pound frame in a net-front role on the power play.

The Red Wings signed Rasmussen, 22, to a three-year extension last month that averages $1.46 million per season.

Rasmussen appeared in 40 games with Detroit in 2021, picking up three goals and 12 points. He began the year with the Red Wings, spent February in Grand Rapids (two goals, six points in seven games) and returned to Detroit for good in March.

“It was a big year for me,” he said. “Starting in GR, I played well there and had good people around to support me and have a plan for me. Once I got to Detroit, I tried my best to contribute and play with confidence and play hard. It’s a good stepping-stone to kind of build off of and keep working hard, keep improving.”

Continued

The Toledo Walleye have signed two players today, inking forward Keeghan Howdeshell and Conlan Keenan

? PLAYER ANNOUNCEMENT(S) ?

Forward Keeghan Howdeshell has agreed to terms with us for the 2021-22 season. pic.twitter.com/qnimw76izq— Toledo Walleye (@ToledoWalleye) August 25, 2021

Signed, sealed, announced.

Welcome to T-Town, Conlan Keenan! ?

? https://t.co/KmeuBRR8bb pic.twitter.com/erWnp5Gg23— Toledo Walleye (@ToledoWalleye) August 25, 2021

Here are more details, per the Walleye:

(Toledo, OH) – Forwards Keeghan Howdeshell and Conlan Keenan have each agreed to terms with the Toledo Walleye for the 2021-2022 season.

Howdeshell, a native of Brighton, MI, joins the Walleye following a big 2019-20 campaign where he posted 37 points (13G, 24A) over 47 games in his first pro season with Rapid City. That year also featured one contest at the AHL level with Tucson. Last year he skated in just four games for Jacksonville. Prior to turning professional, the 23-year-old had a strong two years in the OHL, averaging nearly a point-per-game with 113 (62G, 51A) in 127 contests for the Soo Greyhounds.

“Conlan and Keeghan are both young professionals who are continuing to develop at the pro level. These two players will bring energy to the team and an eagerness to learn and get better each day. Conlan gained experience with Tulsa last season and Keeghan had a great rookie campaign in 2019-20, so I am excited to see these two players bring their best at training camp.” Head Coach Dan Watson

Keenan, the 26-year-old, got into 28 games this past year with the Tulsa Oilers, posting six goals and three assists for his rookie campaign. The native of Webster, NY dominated at the college level while playing four years for SUNY-Geneseo that included two seasons as team captain. In 110 college games, he posted 172 points (86G, 88A). Keenan was named Sunyac Conference Player of the Year in 2019-20, when he picked up 50 points (22G, 28A), third most in NCAA III that season.

Adam Erne spoke with The Word on Woodward’s Daniella Bruce and Arthur J. Regner for 17 minutes quite recently:

My theory regarding fundraising is a simple one: it’s never fun to ask people for money…

But I’ve probably been my own worst enemy in this department by telling you how much I hate doing what is really a necessary part of being a blogger with no ads on his blog.

I’d like to pay the server bill for this website at the end of this month. I’d like to go up to the Wings’ prospect tournament and main training camp, which are both two days longer than usual this year. I’d like to be able to afford staying in a hotel that’s charging me an extra $10 a night for a 15-night stay, and afford the gas to get there (at $3.25 a gallon).

But I’d like to make some sort of living during the months that I don’t go up to training camp, too, and my family budget is at a point where I rely on earning some income to get the household by.

All of these aspirational goals are possible, if you and I are okay with some semi-regular fundraising posts. For now, at least, this is the NPR of blogs, and while I’m more than willing to talk about generating more original content (and I’m sure you’ve got some ideas to that regard, such as producing a podcast), we are where we are until/unless I start advertising. Hell, bloggers who advertise have to raise funds, too.

So that’s the big spiel. Fundraising posts aren’t fun for me, and they’re probably not fun for you, but talking about money is not exactly fun for anyone who’s part of a community or group, and, as strung out as things have been over the last couple of years, there is a TMR community out there.

For the present moment, if you’re willing to help me raise the $600 for my server bill, and/or what’s getting closer and closer to $3,000 for the Traverse City trip, you can use Paypal at https://paypal.me/TheMalikReport, Venmo at https://venmo.com/george-malik-2, Giftly by using my email, rtxg@yahoo.com, at https://www.giftly.com, and yes, you can contact me via email if you want to send me a paper check.

Talking about money among friends and family isn’t fun, but it’s a normal part of a for-small-profit website’s discourse, and that’s what it’s going to be here, from here on out.

Per Clark Rasmussen of DetroitHockey.net, via the Red Wings’ roster page:

The Red Wings have updated their roster to have Mitchell Stephens wearing No 22. As expected, Nick Leddy is No 2 and Alex Nedeljkovic is No 39.— DetroitHockey.Net (@detroithockey96) August 25, 2021

If you missed it, Jordan Oesterle is going to wear #82, and Pius Suter #24.

Update: The Red Wings confirm:

pic.twitter.com/c9PnRGUijy— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 25, 2021