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!

Kulfan talks ‘winners,’ ‘average’ and ‘ugly’ free agency teams

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan graded each and every one of the NHL’s 31 teams based upon their work during free agency thus far, with Kulfan deeming the Red Wings to be a “winner” so far:

Detroit Red Wings: Look, the Red Wings aren’t going to make the playoffs, win the Stanley Cup, but they will be more competitive. After last season’s debacle, that’ll be a step forward. In trading for defenseman Marc Staal, and signing goalie Thomas Greiss, forwards Bobby Ryan and Vladislav Namestnikov, and defensemen Troy Stecher and Jon Merrill (Grand Blanc/Michigan), GM Steve Yzerman made no long-term, big-money commitments but added leadership and improved the roster.

Continued

Red Wings’ website examines Filip Zadina’s 2019-2020 ‘numbers’

DetroitRedWings.com’s Brett McWethy examines Filip Zadina’s 2019-2020 season stats this morning, noting that Zadina’s sophomore NHL season went quite well:

28 – The amount of games Zadina skated with the Red Wings during the 2019-20 season. He was called up after Anthony Mantha was injured in late November, and played in the ensuing 28 contests from Nov. 24 through Jan. 31, when he suffered an ankle injury at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers. Zadina’s 28 games played easily trumped his nine games of ice time in his rookie season.

8 – Zadina “filled the net” eight times in 2019-20, scoring for the first time on Dec. 12 vs. Winnipeg. He went on to tally three goals in the month of December and five in January, including two goals on Jan. 22 at Minnesota in what turned out to be his second-to-last game of the season.

7 – The amount of assists Zadina collected during his second season donning the Winged Wheel. He tallied his first point of the season with an assist on Nov. 30 against the Washington Capitals, kickstarting a spree of at least one helper in four of the next five games. Zadina’s last assist of the season came on Jan. 20 at Colorado.

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USA Today deems the Wings a free agency ‘winner’

USA Today’s Jimmy Hascup and Mike Brehm issue free agency “Winners and Losers” this morning, and the Red Wings make the gents’ list in the “winning” category:

Detroit Red Wings: GM Steve Yzerman is sticking to the rebuild. He signed forward Bobby Ryan and defenseman Jon Merrill to one-year deals, and traded for defenseman Marc Staal, who has a year left on his deal. They can be dealt later for younger assets. Goalie Thomas Greiss is an upgrade in net, and defenseman Troy Stecher signed for two years.

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‘On This Day in History’ = an excuse to post a Nicklas Lidstrom milestone

I don’t mind posting these kinds of entries at all:

On this date in 2009, #RedWings Nick Lidstrom became the first European-born defenseman to reach 1,000 points— Jen (@NHLhistorygirl) October 15, 2020

On this day in 2009, with two assists in @DetroitRedWings‘ game against the Kings, @NicklasLidstrom became the first European-born defenceman to score 1,000 career NHL points #Hockey365 #LGRW pic.twitter.com/QEwHJ7U9Lz— Mike Commito (@mikecommito) October 15, 2020

‘The Word on Woodward’ to include Kris Draper interview

Per DetroitRedWings.com’s Daniella Bruce:

You know what day it is! The #WordOnWoodward is live at 12 on @DetroitRedWings and @tigers Facebook, YouTube, and websites!! We’ll be joined by Kris Draper, @KenKalDRW, @beckjason, @tkulfan, and more! #LGRW #DetroitRoots— Daniella Bruce (@daniellabruce_) October 15, 2020

Grab that cup of ☕️! The #WordOnWoodward is all new today at noon with special guest: Kris Draper! (This was recorded at 10:00 AM ET.) ?https://t.co/JcI8QxrNRY pic.twitter.com/dkasrYrDLX— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 15, 2020

Sportsnet’s Fox praises and pans Wings in offseason power rankings

Sportsnet’s Luke Fox posted a list of offseason power rankings this morning, and here’s what he has to say about the Red Wings:

14. Detroit Red Wings

Love it: Holding six picks in the first three rounds of the 2021 draft. Recruiting an influx of NHL-calibre players — Troy Stecher, Thomas Griess, Sam Gagner, Bobby Ryan, Vladislav Namestnikov, Marc Staal — without committing term. Weaponizing cap space for the Staal deal. Still holding $18.7 million below the ceiling.

Hate it: Tyler Bertuzzi and Anthony Mantha still unsigned. Buyout of Justin Abdelkader will be on the books until 2026. We’re still waiting on a thunderbolt move from Steve Yzerman — Mikhail Sergachev offer sheet? Patience is the prudent course, but it’s not fun for headlines.

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Bultman discusses Kris Draper’s influence upon the Wings’ draft tendencies

The Athletic’s Max Bultman wrote a superb article this morning, discussing Red Wings director of amateur scouting Kris Draper’s first time running Detroit’s NHL draft as it pertains to the team’s direction going forward. Bultman notes that Draper takes the “get the Red Wings back to the playoffs, and then even more” parts of his job very, very seriously:

“Everybody knows how much the Detroit Red Wings mean to me,” he said. “I’ve spent half my life here, and I want to do everything that’s possible to get us back to where we want it to be, where the fans want it to be. And we know we have work to do. And we also realize that a big part of us getting back to where we want to go is going to be drafting and developing.”

The charge of getting the Red Wings back into contention falls onto more shoulders than just Draper’s. It takes an entire franchise. But as Steve Yzerman has preached building through the draft, the department Draper now helms has a massive hand in shaping the future of the franchise.

Draper’s correct that it will take years to find clarity about this draft class. But for now, this first draft can hopefully tell us a few things about how the department will run under the four-time Cup winner.

Bultman continues (paywall)