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!

Prospect round-up: Czechs win at Karjala Cup; Zadina scores as Ocelelari Trinec return to play

Of prospect-related note from Europe:

At the Karjala Cup in Finland, Jonatan Berggren didn’t play in Sweden’s 2-1 shootout loss to Russia. No reason was given for his scratching from the lineup;

Filip Hronek didn’t register a point but took 5 shots and finished at +1 in the Czech Republic’s 2-0 win over Finland;

In the Czech Extraliga, Jan Bednar served as the back-up goaltender in HK Energie Karlovy Vary’s 5-4 win over Ceske Budejovice;

And Filip Hronek had a goal and an assist–and 7 shots–as HC Ocelari Trinec won 4-3 in overtime over HK Kometa Brno.

You can watch Zadina’s goal here or here:

Update: In the USHL, Kyle Aucoin didn’t play in the Tri-City Storm’s 5-1 win over Sioux City;

And, in the BCHL, Kienan Draper didn’t register a point in the Chilliwack Chiefs’ 5-2 loss to Coquitlam.

Via Twitter: Wings prospect goaltender Jan Bednar will be spending some time in the Czech Extraliga

Via Chris Nova on Twitter, it looks like Red Wings prospect goaltender Jan Bednar is going to spend some time with HC Energie Karlovy Vary of the Czech Extraliga until the Acaide-Bathurst Titan solve their goaltending situation.

The Titan have loaned Bednar back to the Czech team he whose system he grew up playing within, per Elite Prospects, and Karlovy Vary confirmed the temporary situation via a Tweet:

Roughly translated, the Tweet reads: “

 “Jan Bednar also traveled to [play against] Ceske Budejovice with the team. The team’s management have given the 18-year-old goalkeeper the opportunity to start for the Energie until he goes to Canada!”

Update: Barry A. Craft on Twitter notes that Bednar may be having issues getting into Quebec due to coronavirus issues:

A pair of interviews with Wings draft pick Donovan Sebrango

The Ontario Hockey League isn’t starting until February, but Red Wings draft pick Donovan Sebrango headed to the Kitchener Rangers’ rink, the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, to speak with their website for a “fall update” interview…

And I can’t embed this, but the Canadian Hockey League’s website also posted an 8:06 interview that Sebrango gave after he was drafted (and prior to his most recent haircut), in which Sebrango speaks with Ontario Hockey League communications manager Sarah Jean Maher.

Larkin’s time to wear the ‘C’ is clearly coming this upcoming season

The more I’ve learned about all the responsibilities that are informally associated with being a team captain–from serving as the face of the team to the media to welcoming new players, mentoring young players and prospects, and serving as the buffer between the players and the coaching staff–the more I’ve understood why the Red Wings chose to wait to name a captain this past season.

We know that Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman has stated that he’s going to name a captain this season, however, and The Score’s Brandon Maron believes that the Wings will make the obvious choice:

Detroit Red Wings

It’s clear both Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha are set to spearhead a new era in Detroit. After a complete overhaul that’s resulted in a ton of young talent, the Red Wings will need either Larkin or Mantha to guide the way.

However, all signs point to Larkin assuming that role. The Michigan native sported an “A” this past season, and he’s Detroit’s offensive focal point. The 24-year-old will be needed in the locker room to get his young teammates going.

Continued; it’s just time for Larkin to be named captain, and it should happen before the start of the 2020-2021 season.

The Hockey News pays tribute to Vladimir Konstantinov’s ‘brilliant and all-too short career’

The Hockey News left Vladimir Konstantinov off their “Top 100 Defensemen of All Time” list, but they weren’t happy about doing so:

In the final season of his NHL career, Vladimir Konstantinov finished second in Norris Trophy voting. It was a distant second to Brian Leetch, but it was second nonetheless. The season before that, he finished fourth in Norris voting. We tell you that only because you might have forgotten how outstanding a player Vladimir Konstantinov was.

To recap, he was a top-five defenseman in the best league in the world for consecutive seasons before a limousine accident during the Detroit Red Wings’ 1997 Stanley Cup celebration robbed him of an NHL career and a normal existence.

Konstantinov had just recently turned 30 and had played six years in the NHL to that point. He was just reaching his career crescendo and probably had at least as many, if not more, NHL seasons ahead of him. That would have given him plenty of time to win more Stanley Cups, perhaps a Norris or two and make a compelling case for Hall of Fame status. To be sure, it would have moved him up significantly on our list of the Top 100 NHL Defensemen of All- Time, where he landed at No. 101. “It took a couple of years, but with our run to the final in 1995 and winning the Cup in 1997, he was starting to get the recognition from people over here that he was one of the top defensemen in the world,” said former Red Wings GM Ken Holland. “I think he had a chance to be regarded as one of the best defensemen in the NHL for a long time. His status in the NHL at that time was beyond Nick Lidstrom’s.”

Continued

Regrettably in Swedish: Theodor Niederbach talks about being ‘starstruck’ at being drafted by the Wings

You’re not going to get a lot out of this because it’s in Swedish, but Red Wings prospect and Frolunda Indians Under-20 league star Theodor Niederbach spoke with Hockeysverige.se’s Uffe Bodin regarding being “starstruck” after finding that Steve Yzerman and Niklas Kronwall’s Red Wings drafted him:

Update:

George, here’s a quick translation of that second half of @UffeBodin’s interview with Niederbach. pic.twitter.com/A1L79rqhNx— Michael Edlund (@ArcticLeo) November 6, 2020

The Athletic’s Luszczyszyn says the Wings’ contracts are ‘less bad’

The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn penned a column which discusses the contractual values of each and every one of the NHL’s 30 teams, post-free agency, and while I can’t post his entire set of comments regarding the Red Wings, Dom suggests that the Red Wings have made significant gains in the “less bad” department:

16. Detroit Red Wings

Last year: 31st

No team had a bigger year-over-year glow up than the Red Wings, who ranked dead last the previous season, but come in at 16th this time around. It’s a monumental leap. The big difference is how much the team is paying per win, going from one of the league’s worst to one of the best at third overall. That’s thanks mostly to most of the roster being on very short term deals, but also trimming a lot of negative value off the roster. The biggest subtraction is Justin Abdelkader, owner of one of the league’s worst contracts who was mercifully bought out this offseason. With Jonathan Ericsson’s deal expiring and Darren Helm only having one year left, only Frans Nielsen has a contract in the “D” range compared to the four the Red Wings had last season. One of the ugliest salary cap pictures is finally clearing up.

This is still a bad team filled with players unlikely to live up to their deals, but the short commitments make things much more palatable. That’s especially true for new additions Bobby Ryan, Jon Merrill and Troy Stecher, who all bring positive value.

The biggest pluses are the two newest deals for Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi. RFA deals usually come in below market price and the team got a great deal for both, especially Mantha, whose deal instantly becomes one of the league’s best. Those contracts were enough to push Detroit up a few spots in these rankings.

Continued

The Athletic’s Wheeler, Bultman discuss Red Wings prospect-ripening ‘timelines’

The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler and Max Bultman discuss Red Wings prospects’ “timelines” this morning, making predictions as to when ten of the Wings’ best prospects will graduate to the NHL level:

Moritz Seider, RHD, Roglë (SHL)

The timeline: 2021 (once SHL season ends)

Wheeler: I don’t want to say this should be an easy decision, because putting a 19-year-old kid in an NHL lineup is never an easy decision. It’s easier to give those minutes to one of the several guys you’ve just signed in free agency. It’s easier to play the long game than the short one with a prospect, especially when you’re in a rebuild. And Yzerman isn’t the impatient type. But by the time Seider’s season finishes in Sweden, he’s going to already have three seasons, in three different pro leagues, in three different countries, under his belt before his 20th birthday. The SHL is probably the third-best pro league in the world and the best of the trio of leagues he’s played in, too. So if he keeps playing like he has, producing and averaging more than 19 minutes a night with Roglë, he’ll have earned his NHL opportunity.

Bultman: Yeah, this one feels like just a matter of time. Seider looked ready for an NHL appearance at the end of last season, and you have to think he’ll get that opportunity once he returns from Sweden this spring. I don’t think I can go as far as saying he’s facing better competition in Sweden than he was in the AHL, but I certainly don’t think it’s too steep a drop-off, and Seider should return from this stint with plenty of experience and confidence. My biggest question between now and then: How much does his offensive output keep up? Right now, he’s producing at a point-per-game clip, which is more than double the rate he scored at in the AHL last season. Fair to presume he won’t score at this rate all season, but how much can he chip in from the back end?

Continued (paywall)