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Going ‘all in’ at the deadline just doesn’t sound like the best idea

Between the Red Wings losing Andrew Copp (pectoral muscle tendon) and Jeff Petry (???) to surgeries that have ended their respective regular seasons, the Free Press’s Helene St. James believes that the Red Wings have every reason to make some trades with their $12.2 million in salary cap space (per PuckPedia) before Friday’s 3 PM EST trade deadline…

But St. James and I aren’t certain whether the Red Wings’ GMSY and management group are going to go “all in”:

Are they far enough ahead in the rebuild to start peddling first-round picks? Because that’s what it would take to pry away a player who could come in and make an immediate impact. The Buffalo Sabres project to miss the playoffs for a 14th straight season, which could put some of their players in play — such as center Dylan Cozens (he’s 24 and in the second season of a seven-year deal averaging $7.1 million a season) or defenseman Bowen Byram (he’s 23 and a pending restricted free agent). But the Sabres are a divisional opponent, and that always makes for a trickier trade.

Yzerman could look to add older players with less term, such as Nashville Predators defenseman Luke Schenn (he’s 35, shoots right, and in the second year of a three-year deal averaging $2.75 million a season). There’s also Radko Gudas (he’s 34 and in the second year of a three-year deal averaging $4 million) with the Anaheim Ducks. Yzerman and Ducks GM Pat Verbeek go way back and have made multiple trades with each other; the most recent one had the Ducks acquiring goaltender Ville Husso. Schenn and Gudas are both solid third-pairing D-men who would add physicality to the back end.

Continue reading Going ‘all in’ at the deadline just doesn’t sound like the best idea

Morning recaps: Danforth’s controversial goal against the Red Wings still stings

MLive’s Ansar Khan posted a morning-after-the-game recap of the Detroit Red Wings’ 5-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night’s Stadium Series game, and we’re not going to ignore the obvious here:

The Red Wings felt they deserved a better fate with a 46-21 edge in shots and a dominant third period that included goals by Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat (his second of the game with 3:24 to play) to erase a 3-1 deficit.

“I thought we played a hell of a game,” [Red Wings coach Todd] McLellan said. “When you think of the type of game we played two nights ago in Detroit (5-2 loss) and the response that we got … we were aggressive. But at the end of the day, we have to learn how to win those games and not lose them.”

[Blue Jackets forward Justin] Danforth’s goal was a bit controversial as he high-sticked Simon Edvinsson while entering the zone, taking the defenseman out of the play. Officials discussed the play but opted not to call a penalty which would have negated the goal.

“I got a stick up in my face. I won’t comment anything more on that,” Edvinsson told reporters. “To lose on that, it sucks. It’s very frustrating.”

Dylan Larkin said of the explanation from officials: “They said Simon was falling down and going into the stick. It’s a stick in the face and we still have two guys who’d like to make the play, but we didn’t, and they scored, so we didn’t even get a point. That’s a tough one, especially clawing our way back in that game.”

McLellan did not harp on it.

“We should never be in that situation, not with the two D-men back there,” McLellan said.

Continued; I’ve been watching hockey for 34 years now, and last night’s goal by Danforth was the first goal I’ve ever seen that included a combination high-stick-and-take-down-trip ahead of the player scoring the actual goal.

I’m starting to wonder whether the NHL is so hellbent upon making sure that the call of “goal” on the ice stands that almost nothing can overturn said call, even if it’s common sense to take the cautious route.

The Free Press’s Helene St. James’ customary 6 AM recap discusses the goal against as well…

Continue reading Morning recaps: Danforth’s controversial goal against the Red Wings still stings

Red Wings-Blue Jackets wrap-up: despite an unfair Stadium Series ending, Detroit still has the chance to write its own storybook tale

The Detroit Red Wings dropped a 5-3 decision to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Stadium Series on Saturday night, and this is the biggest reason why Columbus swept the home-and-home series:

No, the Red Wings weren’t good enough to win. When you out-shot-attempt an opponent 84-45 and you’re the one that gives up 5 goals, you got out-goaltended by Elvis Merzlikins.

When you blow a 1-1 tie by giving up 2 2nd period goals in 32 seconds, you’re not on your game defensively.

And when you get beaten twice by the same opponent, that stings, especially when the latter game is on an international stage.

But when the game-winner is Justin Danforth giving Simon Edvinsson a high-stick shave and skating in to score the gamer, and the referees actually consult each other after the goal, and decide that the high-stick never happened en route to the goal, and ESPN’s Dave Jackson says it was fine, and ESPN spends the entire f***ing night talking about the Blue Jackets as the TEAM OF DESTINY, with this goal to punctuate it all…

The Red Wings play 3 games in 4 nights starting on Tuesday, hosting Carolina, then Utah Hockey Club on Thursday, and then flying to Washington to battle the Capitals on Trade Deadline Friday…And I sure hope that they can move on, because I’m not moving on any time soon.

Coach McLellan is of course moving on…

But the players aren’t yet:

It was gush, gush, gush for the Blue Jackets from the media all weekend long, and gush, gush, gush after the game, predictably so. You’d think that the Blue Jackets and the city of Columbus walk on water and turn that water into wine:

And the Red Wings’ captain…Is a captain. Per the Free Press’s Helene St. James, Larkin kept the Gaudreau family close by, even after the Red Wings honored Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau prior to the game:

Continue reading Red Wings-Blue Jackets wrap-up: despite an unfair Stadium Series ending, Detroit still has the chance to write its own storybook tale

Tweet of note: Gracious in defeat

Dylan Larkin’s team got hosed by the referees in the Columbus Blue Jackets’ 5-3 Stadium Series win, but Dylan Larkin was gracious in defeat:

Red Wings-Blue Jackets Stadium Series quick take: Columbus steals a BS win, sweeps home-and-home series

The Detroit Red Wings ventured into the unfriendly confines of Ohio Stadium to play the back half of a home-and-home series with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night, taking part in this year’s Stadium Series game.

As hockey was played on ice built upon stadium grass, the Red Wings certainly didn’t deserve to earn two regulation points, with Cam Talbot giving up 4 goals on 20 shots against, but the way all of this unraveled, with Mateychuk opening the scoring only 5:31 in, then DeBrincat tying the game on the power play, Voronkov and Olivier cracking open the 2nd period, and Kane and DeBrincat making it close…

Only to see Justin Danforth high-stick Simon Edvinsson, and in one motion, skate in and get the rebound goal on Talbot to make it 4-3…

Ultimately, Columbus would win 5-3, take the Stadium Series at the Smelly Shoe, and earn 4 points to push past the Wings in the Eastern Conference Wild Card standings…

But this is just despicable, and I may be biased, but if Dylan Larkin did this to a Blue Jacket, I would not be laughing and cheering:

Continue reading Red Wings-Blue Jackets Stadium Series quick take: Columbus steals a BS win, sweeps home-and-home series

It’s a small (hockey) world

The Red Wings headed into Ohio Stadium in Johnny Gaudreau’s amateur hockey jerseys, and ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski discussed the team’s decision with Moritz Seider:

“Johnny Hockey,” as he was known in the NHL, played for the Calgary Flames for eight seasons before joining the Blue Jackets as a free agent in 2022. He was one of the best American-born scorers of his generation, with 743 points in 763 career games. Matthew Gaudreau, like his brother, played for Boston College before embarking on a four-season pro hockey career.

The Red Wings arrived on their team bus wearing jerseys that Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau had worn during their playing careers from the Omaha Lancers and Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL, Boston College and USA Hockey.

“He not only meant a lot for the Columbus organization, for U.S. hockey and for hockey in general, but also for our locker room. I think there are plenty of guys who shared paths with him,” Detroit defenseman Moritz Seider said. “It’s a little thing we can give back and I think it was a right decision.”

Continued;

Update: Here’s more from NHL.com’s Nicholas J. Cotsonika:

Continue reading It’s a small (hockey) world

Pregame updates of note: Wings stick with regular lineup; it’s frickin’ windy at Ohio Stadium

According to the Free Press’s Helene St. James, the Red Wings will stick with Thursday’s lineup as they face the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL’s Stadium Series (6 PM EST start on ESPN/TVA Sports/FX-CA/97.1 FM):

It also sounds very windy at Ohio Stadium, per WXYZ’s Brad Galli…

And the Wings…

And St. James…

On Kane’s ‘family skate,’ part 2

The Detroit News’s Ted Kufan filed an afternoon notebook which focuses on Patrick Kane’s attempts to maximize the impact of taking part in an outdoor hockey game with his family nearby–in the form of his father, his son, and his partner:

“That’s the cool part about these events. It’s an important game, a fun atmosphere,” Kane said. “It ties in with the Michigan – Ohio State rivalry, too, and you can enjoy your family. I remember the first time I took him on the ice and skated with him,” said Kane, of the skating with his infant son. “Everyone was like, ‘watch, watch’, and bending over so much and picking him up. I didn’t think anything other than the next day my lower back was in pain. I kind of let (Kane’s partner) Amanda do all the work today and just sit back and enjoy just being out there with Amanda and Patrick and my sisters as well.”

Coach Todd McLellan made a point Friday of attempting to meet as many wives and girlfriends of Wings’ players as he could on the ice, not having had much of opportunity since taking over Dec. 26.

McLellan noticed the three generations of Kanes on the ice and called it “special.

“The generations that are out there, I met Mr. Kane and obviously Patty, his (partner) and then they’ve got their little guy out there,” McLellan said. “That’s three generations of hockey. The little one is trying to learn how to skate and just stand up. Patty is going into the Hall of Fame, and his dad and mom are hockey parents who gave him everything he needed, so that’s really special, then they all come together on the road, skate and share that moment. It does wonders.

“I personally took time to go around and meet the wives and girlfriends. I haven’t had a chance to do that anywhere. That allowed me to put some names to faces. Everybody has a story to tell tonight. They’re going to phone somebody tonight and say, ‘it was so cool because,’ and that’s how it should be. They should have their own chapters.”

Continued