Author: George Malik

My name is George Malik, and I'm the Malik Report's editor/blogger/poster. I have been blogging about the Red Wings since 2006, and have worked with MLive and Kukla's Korner. Thank you for reading!

ESPN ponders Sebastian Cossa’s fantasy hockey value

ESPN’s Victoria Mataiash pondered the fantasy hockey value, in both present and future tenses, of the NHL’s 2021 first-round draft picks, and she discussed Sebastian Cossa’s possible “upside” with ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski:

Sebastian Cossa, G, Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton (WHL) Selected: 15, Draft board ranking: 14

Wyshynski: “… Cossa stands 6-foot-6 and has good agility in the crease. He went 17-1-1 with a .941 save percentage for the Edmonton Oil Kings. After Keith Petruzzelli opted not to sign with the Red Wings, the team didn’t really have anyone in the mold of a goalie of the future. Cossa fits that mold, and fits the M.O. of GM Steve Yzerman. Back in 2012, he didn’t have a goalie of the future with the Lightning, so he drafted a kid from the Russian juniors in the first round. That kid just won the Conn Smythe and his second straight Stanley Cup: Andrei Vasilevskiy.”

One of the more obvious no-brainer fantasy selections available, Cossa is pegged to be the starting netminder for an Yzerman-built team that should emerge from its re-building cocoon in the not-too-distant future. There should be a fight over this prospect in every dynasty league on the planet. Any goalie can fall short of expectations for different reasons, but Cossa feels as near a sure-bet as one could ask. With so few performing at an elite level with true consistency, such a promising figure is worth the gamble. But patience is in order. Cossa isn’t starting for the Wings tomorrow.

Continued; patience is required where Cossa is concerned, because goaltenders take several years to develop, but there’s no doubt that he is the Wings’ “goalie of the future” by default.

The Fourth Period’s Pagnotta updates Tyler Bertuzzi’s situation

We don’t know yet whether the Red Wings will attempt to re-sign or trade Tyler Bertuzzi, but The Fourth Period’s Tyler Pagnotta has been hammering the trade drum for the past couple of weeks, and Pagnotta added this to the mix on Monday afternoon:

Gustav Lindstrom re-signs for two years, $1.6 million ($850K per season)

The Red Wings have retained Gustav Lindstrom’s services for the next two seasons.

The Red Wings posted a press release regarding Lindstrom’s re-signing…

DETROIT — The Detroit Red Wings today agreed to terms with defenseman Gustav Lindstrom on a two-year contract extension.

Lindstrom, 22, played in three different leagues during the 2020-21 campaign, finishing the season with a 13-game stint with the Red Wings where he logged three points (0-3-3), a plus-one rating, 14 hits and 17 blocked shots in 16:07 average time on ice. Lindstrom also skated in 13 games with the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins, registering three points (0-3-3) and eight penalty minutes. A native of Ostervala, Sweden, Lindstrom began the season with Almtuna IS in second-tier Sweden, picking up 11 points (0-11-11) and 20 penalty minutes in 20 games. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound defenseman has spent the majority of the last two seasons in North America, totaling four points (0-4-4) and 14 penalty minutes in 29 NHL games with Detroit and eight points (0-8-8) and 34 penalty minutes in 58 AHL games with Grand Rapids.

Originally drafted by the Red Wings in the second round (38th overall) of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Lindstrom also played three full seasons professionally in Sweden prior to moving to North America. In 2018-19, Lindstrom helped Frolunda HC win a Swedish Hockey League championship, posting six points (3-3-6) and 50 penalty minutes in 40 regular-season games, in addition to posting six points (2-4-6) in 11 games as Frolunda also won the Champions League tournament. He’s also appeared in 107 games with Almtuna over two stints, tallying 34 points (8-26-34) and 80 penalty minutes in 107 games. Lindstrom also picked up a silver medal for Sweden at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship, notching one assist in seven games. Prior to turning pro, Lindstrom totaled 14 points (6-8-14) in nine games in the Swedish under-20 league and 51 points (20-31-51) in 59 games in the under-18 leagues for Almtuna.

And the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted the terms thereof:

On Monday, the Red Wings also signed restricted free agent defenseman Gustav Lindstrom to a two-year contract, worth $1.7 million ($850,000 salary cap hit).

Lindstrom, 22, played in 13 games with the Wings last season, with no goals and three assists. He has no goals and four assists in 29 games in the NHL over the last two seasons.

Red Wings choose to not qualify Svechnikov, Brome, Djoos, Verbeek

Per CapFriendly:

Update: Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff explains why the Wings parted ways with Svechnikov:

The Wings did indicate that they’d be willing to discuss signing Svechnikov to a two-way deal. However, Svechnikov’s agent Todd Diamond acknowledged that they would be testing the open market. NHL teams can begin signing UFAs on July 28.

“They let us know they will not be qualifying him at this time but are open to a two-way contract,” Todd Diamond said. “We’ll see what things look like (in the market) and regroup from there.

…

“It’s been a while (for Svechnikov in the organization), he’s had a lot of injuries,” Diamond admitted. “He could have gotten a new opportunity last season. He played hurt. It didn’t happen.

“Maybe it’ll work out for the best and he’ll get a chance to compete with another team.”

Svechnikov played three games in the KHL for Ak Bars Kazan in 2013-14 but Diamond indicated that his client would prefer to play in North America. He also haven’t ruled out returning to Wings on the two-way if he doesn’t get a solid offer from another NHL organization.

Update #2: Here’s a bit more from MLive’s Ansar Khan:

Continue reading Red Wings choose to not qualify Svechnikov, Brome, Djoos, Verbeek

Khan on Cossa’s swagger

MLive’s Ansar Khan has posted a post-draft article discussing Red Wings goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa’s immense self-belief:

“Obviously there’s high expectations in Detroit and I want to live up to that,” Cossa said. “I have high expectations for myself. I love the pressure; I love the stress that comes with it. Obviously, I don’t get stressed, but just the pressure of being that last guy back there and kind of being the villain or the hero.”

Cossa has a swagger about him. He likes to talk a little bit on the ice.

“I’m not afraid to throw a chirp around and I definitely stand my own ground,” Cossa said. “I don’t get bullied out there for sure.”

Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman described Cossa as articulate, personable, confident, and definitely not shy.

“From everyone we talked to, from watching him over the last two years, our guys are confident that he has the mental makeup that it takes to be a real good goalie,” Yzerman said.

Khan continues, speaking with both Yzerman and Kris Draper about the Wings’ due diligence regarding their new top goaltending prospect…

Monroe: Toledo Walleye qualify 8 players

From the Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe:

The Toledo Walleye extended qualifying offers to eight players Monday.

Each ECHL team is entitled to reserve the rights to a maximum of eight qualified players.

The players on Toledo’s list are goaltender Billy Christopoulos, forwards Hunter Garlent, and Brandon Hawkins, along with defensemen Ryan Lowney, Blake Hillman, Trevor Hamilton, Randy Gazzola, and Ryker Killins.

Toledo retains the ECHL rights to those players if they don’t sign with a team at the higher American Hockey League level.

Continued

Audio: Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman appears on 97.1 the Ticket

Updated at 12:14 PM: Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman spoke with 97.1 the Ticket’s Stoney and Jansen this morning, and you can listen to the interview embedded in the following link:

Yzerman, who sounds very relaxed, discusses the means by which the Red Wings scouted their potential draft picks (see: lots of video), why the Wings picked Simon Edvinsson 6th overall, Sebastian Cossa’s potential and developmental timeline, the ways in which prospect development has changed since Yzerman’s days in the league, his decision to swap out draft picks for Nick Leddy and Alex Nedeljkovic, his decision to trade up to select Cossa, and his belief that the Wings need to add some veterans to the team to help Detroit’s current young players develop at the NHL level.

I’ll post the MP3 as soon as 97.1 the Ticket’s podcast page makes it available.

Update: Here’s the MP3:

Update #2: Among 97.1 the Ticket’s Will Burchfield’s interview highlights:

Continue reading Audio: Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman appears on 97.1 the Ticket