Author: George Malik

The Detroit Red Wings were busy adding to their prospect pool over the past two days, so I’ve been a little busy.

Between the Czech league stopping for a couple of weeks, Jared McIsaac (HPK of the Finnish Liiga) and Malte Setkov (Malmo Redhawks of the SHL) suffering injuries, and a busy Swedish hockey schedule, the last two days of prospect activity have a Nordic feel to them.

So:

On Wednesday, per Red Wings Prospects on Twitter:

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan doesn’t believe that we’ll see the same kinds of free agent fireworks that the NHL usually provides due to pandemic-shaken finances, a flat salary cap for the next two years, and, in Detroit, a skeptical GM:

“I would say we’ll be relatively conservative,” Yzerman said. “There’s a lot of uncertainty as to what the economic landscape in the NHL looks like in the next couple of years.

“I wouldn’t rule out anything. Again, it’s got to make sense, the contract has to make sense, what you have to pay the player, and the term depending on their age. We’re not opposed to anything. But it’s got to make sense.”

The Wings have ample space under the salary cap, but need to work out deals with restricted free agent forwards Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi.

They acquired defenseman Marc Staal from the New York Rangers (along with a 2021 second-round draft pick), absorbing a contract the Rangers couldn’t keep.

There are several teams similar to the Wings, with ample cap space. But most other teams are watching their pennies, what with the flat salary cap and clouds on the economic horizon.

“There’s just a lot of uncertainty around the league,” Yzerman said. “Nobody really knows what’s going to happen on Oct. 9 with free agency What’s going to happen in the market.”

I’m not so sure, but that’s my take…and I do agree with Kulfan regarding watching the name of Vladislav Namestnikov. Slava Kozlov’s godson was raised around here.

On a busy day, I found out that my therapist is retiring, I had to move my car so the shared condo lot could be paved, I listened to the governor’s speech, and talked to the aunt…Long story short, I’ve been gone for a couple of hours, so:

1. The Grand Rapids Griffins are holding a virtual 5 K, and Marcus Kinney wants you to run in it:

Here’s a personal invitation from Marcus Kinney to join the Griffins 5K! Register today and complete your 3.1 miles by October 24. ?

Register >> https://t.co/jVAFKjZcvS pic.twitter.com/ChhRwiniXB— Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) October 8, 2020

2. Fox Sports Detroit’s John Keating posted the following:

Arriving for work.
Great to be back in the Red Wings dressing room for a post- draft show shoot. Fingers crossed… hockey season starts January 1st. pic.twitter.com/2myvhu5gf8— John Keating (@JohnKeatingFSD) October 8, 2020

3. And the Red Wings posted this clip of Lucas Raymond scoring a goal in today’s Frolunda Indians game vs. Brynas, via C More Sport:

PANG! ??? Lucas Raymond visar varför @DetroitRedWings draftade honom som fjärde spelare totalt – vilken fullträff! #twittpuck #SHL @frolunda_hc pic.twitter.com/k5m4UYuub1— C More Sport (@cmoresport) October 8, 2020

Speaking of which:

Leave a note below to help us welcome our 2020 #DRWDraft Class to Hockeytown‼️ pic.twitter.com/Ynia3pwPQi— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 8, 2020

Fun facts with some of our newest Draft picks ?⤵️ pic.twitter.com/3L1o4TeJ3k— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 8, 2020

The Free Press’s Helene St. James will be releasing a book called, “The Big 50: Detroit Red Wings” on October 13th, and she spoke with WDET’s Pat Batcheller about her history of the Wings’ franchise:

Red Wings fans know Gordie Howe was “Mr. Hockey.” Steve Yzerman was “The Captain.” Mike Ilitch was just “Mr. I.”

But who was “Old Boot Nose?”

One might be surprised to learn that was the nickname of Howe’s high-scoring teammate, Sid Abel. One would not be surprised by how he earned it — during a fight on the ice with an opposing player.

That’s one of the stories featured in a new book, “The Big 50 Detroit Red Wings,” published by Triumph Books. It’s due for release on Oct. 13, 2020.

The book is about the men and the moments that define the franchise. The author, Helene St. James, has covered the team for the Detroit Free Press since the late 1990s. She spent about a year collecting stories from her career and researching the team’s past.

Continued with an embedded interview…

This is going to be a very rough translation on a day of lots of international news: Red Wings draft pick Jaroslav Bednar (pronounced Bed-nash), who is bound for the QMJHL this season, spoke with Ceska telivize and the CTK News Agency regarding being drafted by Detroit.

Here we go:

Bednar wanted a traditional team and it’s Detroit. “A good organization chose me,” he says.

He wanted to join a traditional Canadian team, eventually chosen by another, albeit a traditional NHL team. Hockey goalkeeper Jan Bednář is excited about Detroit. The 18-year-old pupil of Karlovy Vary has already received congratulations from compatriots on the Red Wings, defender Filip Hronek and forward Filip Zadina, and he believes that he will get a chance to show his qualities on the team.

“I’m so glad that Detroit chose me because it’s an organization with a huge tradition, they have a great rink and great fans. My dream has always been to play in Canada, but Detroit is a hockey city and it’s more or less comparable to Canada. In I am definitely extremely satisfied in this respect,” Bednář told the Energie Karlovy Vary website.

This note comes from DetroitRedWings.com’s Josh Berenter, who wrote a 2nd-day-of-the-draft article for the Wings’ website today:

With the first pick of the second round (No. 32 overall), Detroit selected Swedish blueliner William Wallinder, a 6-foot-4, 192-pound force who many experts projected as a first-round talent.

“It doesn’t matter if you go in the first or second round. The only thing that matters is what you do after the draft,” Wallinder said. “You still keep working hard and going for it. You can’t stop working because you didn’t go in the first round. So it really doesn’t matter (where I was drafted). It just feels good to be a player for the Detroit Red Wings. It feels amazing. Just proud to be part of this amazing organization.”

Yzerman said he’s impressed with Wallinder’s game and his ability to play in all situations.

“He’s 6-4, (with a) left shot. Good skater, plays a relatively simple game,” the Wings’ GM said. “He moves well, he’s mobile. I’d say he’s more of a two-way guy. He should be able to play as a two-way defenseman who can log minutes.”

Continued

Red Wings director of amateur scouting Kris Draper spoke with 97.1 the Ticket’s Stoney in the Morning show today, and 97.1’s Will Burchfield noted that Draper’s pretty impressed by the Wings’ two-sport star:

“I would probably say the one intriguing name for me is Sam Stange,” Draper told 97.1 The Ticket on Thursday. “This kid is a phenomenal athlete.”

No kidding. Before he was a fourth-round pick of the Wings, Stange was a two-time Player of the Year in Wisconsin — not in different years, but in different sports. He won the award in hockey after putting up 67 points in 31 games as a senior, then won it that spring in baseball.

He capped off his career on the diamond by hitting the go-ahead homer that lifted Eau Claire North to the state title.

“I saw one of the home runs he hit,” said Draper, “and that thing was gone. He’s a phenomenal athlete, and you love drafting athletes. There were some people who said that if he chose, he could have been drafted in baseball as well. So that’s something that’s obviously pretty exciting.”

Despite pressure to ditch high school hockey for juniors, Stange followed the more traditional path to college — with a stop in-between in the USHL, where last season he put up 45 points in 49 games. Now he’s beginning his freshman season at Wisconsin under head coach Tony Granato.

Continued

Update: Here’s Stange on Zoom, from the Red Wings:

My aunt may be one of the kindest people I know, but she’s also brutally pragmatic, and she recommended that I hold off on telling you yesterday’s news that we’ve gotten a laptop via credit card, though I’m still not quite at the point that I can pay for it.

I went with the policy of truth, and it shot the fundraising effort in the foot. I still need to make about $200 to really cover the costs, and I’m sure that you’re not thrilled to keep hearing this, but I do still need your help.

If you can lend a hand at https://Paypal.me/TheMalikReport or giftly.com, I would be incredibly grateful for your support.

I’m on the moon, so to speak, but I need to buy a rocket to get home now. It won’t be much longer until we can all take a little break as free agency quiets down, and then I hope we can talk about podcasting (I believe I have a co-host lined up) and monetizing the blog long-term.

For now, I just need to pay back my aunt.

The Free Press’s Helene St. James grades the Red Wings’ 2020 NHL Draft class this afternoon, and here’s part of what she has to say in a subscriber-only article:

Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman expressed hope after the 2020 NHL draft that he increased the odds that “a few of them become NHL players,” by making 12 selections.

The ones that are likeliest to drive the rebuild in a few years are winger Lucas Raymond, defenseman William Wallinder and center Theodor Niederbach. They project as high-impact players, gifted skaters with elite skill sets and high hockey IQ.

They’re the primary reason Yzerman earns an A-minus for his second draft since he was named GM in April 2019. He made three trades to add to the 10 picks with which he entered the two-day event and add one more to his haul in the 2021 draft.

The 2020 class numbered Raymond at No. 4, Wallinder at No. 32, Niederbach at No. 51, forward Cross Hanas at No. 55, defenseman Donovan Sebrango at No. 63, defenseman Eemil Viro at No. 70, forward Sam Stange at No. 97, goaltender Jan Bednar at No. 107, defenseman Alex Cotton at No. 132, defenseman Kyle Aucoin at No. 156, forward Kienan Draper at No. 187 and forward Chase Bradley at No. 203.

Continued (paywall)

Take note of these remarks made by Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman, as made to MLive’s Ansar Khan:

“I would say we’ll be relatively conservative,” Yzerman said during a recent media Zoom call. “There’s a lot of uncertainty as to what the economic landscape in the NHL looks like in the next couple years. We’re not opposed to anything, but it’s got to make sense. But I think it’s a fair assumption that we’ll be relatively conservative.”

…

“To build through free agency is impossible, it just doesn’t work,” Yzerman said. “And to do it through trades is extremely difficult because they want your good assets, and our assets are our young players and draft picks and that’s what we’re trying to build with.”

The Red Wings acquired a second-round pick in 2021 and 33-year-old defenseman Marc Staal from the New York Rangers on Sept. 26 for the price of assuming the final year of his contract ($5.7 million). Yzerman said he is willing to absorb another contract for a draft pick from a team that is tight on cap space.

“I have had some discussions with general managers looking to create cap space, but it really depends on their level of urgency or what else they’re trying to do for it to make sense,” Yzerman said. “We try to justify what is a second-round pick worth, what is a first-round pick worth if we’re in effect buying that. Some of these contracts have term on them, and how much do we want that player, how much can they help us? Sometimes it’s worth it, sometimes it’s not. We’re open to it. This could happen over the course of the offseason.”