Category: Uncategorized

HSJ makes the case for the Wings to draft Jamie Drysdale

The Free Press’s Helene St. James suggests that the Red Wings should pick Jamie Drysdale with their 4th overall pick at the 2020 NHL draft, via answering a mailbag question:

Drysdale would shore up the Wings’ defense, headlining the depth chart next to Moritz Seider, Yzerman’s first-round pick from 2019. The Wings would have Drysdale, Seider and Filip Hronek to anchor the blue line for the next decade, complemented by prospects Antti Tuomisto, Jared McIsaac and Gustav Lindstrom. 

Drysdale, 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, is an elite skater who is sound defensively and gifted offensively. Like [Quinn] Hughes, Drysdale isn’t a big guy, but he’s swift on his feet and capable with his stick.

If Drysdale isn’t available, Yzerman’s choices will include either Stutzle or Byfield. Yzerman could also surprise — like he did last year with Seider — and draft Marco Rossi, an elite playmaking center and the first European scoring leader in OHL history, or Cole Perfetti, a creative forward who amends for his less-than-stellar speed with goal-scoring ability

Continued; I’m on the Drysdale bandwagon, but I keep on hearing that the Wings are leaning toward drafting Perfetti instead. My hope is simply that the Wings pick the player they believe has the best “ceiling” in terms of his talent and possible development.

Stars assistant coach Todd Nelson talks about coaching in ‘the bubble’

Former Grand Rapids Griffins coach Todd Nelson is the “eye in the sky” for the Dallas stars, serving as the assistant coach watching from above. Nelson spoke with WZZM 13’s Jamal Spencer regarding his experiences in “the bubble” as Nelson attempts to help the Stars win their first Stanley Cup in 21 years:

“We’re working our tails off as coaches, making sure we don’t miss anything.” aid Nelson. “We don’t want any surprises from Tampa Bay. They’re thinking the same thing. Right now it’s a chess match, but at the end of the day it comes down to heart, hard work and character”.

Nelson became the third player ever to win the Calder Cup as a player, an assistant coach and as a head coach– In 1994 he won as a defenseman with the Portland Pirates, he won again in 2008 as an assistant coach with the Chicago Wolves and, finally, as the Griffins head coach in 2017. He also won the Colonial Cup twice in Muskegon as the Fury head coach as well. He says the chance to add his name to the greatest trophy in sports is special, but he’s not ready to reflect on his career achievements just yet.

“You know what, I’ll have plenty of time after we get out of ‘Shawshank’ here to reflect on this. I’m hoping it works out the right way, I’m not going to say it but we all know what that means. This is something that every player since you were five years old dreamt of being a part of.”

Continued

Red Wings send Rasmussen on an Austrian vacation, loan big center to Graz 99ers

This is a little late, but I was waiting to get my Pacifica fixed at the repair shop:

Update: Here’s more from Sportsnet…

The Detroit Red Wings have loaned forward prospect Michael Rasmussen to the Graz 99ers of the ICE Hockey League, Austria’s top pro league, the team announced Wednesday.

The ninth-overall selection in the 2017 NHL Draft put up 22 points across 35 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2019-20, the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate.

Rasmussen — six-foot-six, 221-pound pivot — also spent 62 games with Detroit in 2018-19, racking up eight goals and 10 assists.

The decision to loan Rasmussen, a 21-year-old native of Surrey, B.C., to the Austrian club likely comes in light of the AHL’s revised start date, which is now slated for Dec. 4, 2020, after the league was forced cancel its 2019-20 season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ICE Hockey League’s 2020-21 season kicks off Friday.

More Mantha contract talk from The Fourth Period

Yesterday, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta Tweeted out news that the Red Wings and restricted free agent Anthony Mantha have begun contract negotiations, and The Fourth Period adds a little more context to the story today:

It should be noted that while a deal is not yet imminent, contract talks are well underway, and the lines of communications are open between the Red Wings and Mantha’s agent Pat Brisson.

…

It’s unclear what type of contract Mantha is looking for, how high of an AAV, but the Wings appear to be interested in a longer-term deal as the 20th overall selection in the 2013 NHL Draft is one-year away from being eligible for unrestricted free agency.

In 43 games with Red Wings this season, Mantha registered 16 goals and 22 assists for 38 points.

Kulfan has the Wings picking Drysdale in his mock draft

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan has filed his first “mock draft” ahead of the 2020 NHL draft, and he has the Red Wings picking a familiar name:

4. Detroit Red Wings: Jamie Drysdale, D, Erie (OHL). The Wings need help everywhere — literally every position. With a puck-moving defenseman so important these days, Drysdale can’t be passed on.

Continued

Bultman wonders whether Lucas Raymond’s scintillating SHL start may complicate the Wings’ draft decision-making

The Athletic’s Max Bultman engages in a thought experiment this morning, pondering whether Swedish phenom Lucas Raymond’s strong start with the SHL’s Frolunda Indians may tip the scales in his favor come draft day:

Raymond breezed through the preseason with four goals and two assists in five exhibitions, including three goals and an assist in his final two friendlies. That’s an impressive showing after he posted four goals and six assists in 33 games at the SHL level last season. While still strong historically for a then-17-year-old, it did leave a bit to be desired relative to his fellow top 2020 prospect Alexander Holtz.

Some of that production was inevitable once Raymond increased his strength and got more playing time. But the fact it’s already begun, at the very beginning of the season and just weeks before the draft, is particularly good timing for the young Swede.

“I think (he) was a little bit too much on the outside last year and the years before that, he was leaning to his strength as a passer — and he is skilled with the puck, and he can really put his linemates in prime positionings too,” [Frolunda coach Roger] Rönnberg said. “But I want him to attack more and be more greedy, to find scoring opportunities by himself. So I think that’s the big improvement this year, that he’s more focused on attacking the net when he’s over the puck.”

Bultman continues (paywall); I’m an unabashed Lucas Raymond fan, but “new data” from a strong preseason and SHL debut don’t make picking Raymond a slam dunk for me.

In my opinion, the sum of a player’s work over the course of his entire development curve matters a whole lot more than the new data confirming that Raymond is on the right track, and whether the Wings choose Raymond or a North American, I think that it’s a little dangerous to become bedazzled by preseason and early regular season work.

Khan’s prospect rankings continue

MLive’s Ansar Khan continues to rank the Red Wings’ top prospects today, continuing a list which he began on Tuesday.

Today’s rankings, of prospects 11 through 15, include one of my favorite Wings prospects:

14. Gustav Lindstrom, defenseman

Height/weight: 6-2/187

Drafted: Second round 2017 (No. 38)

2019-20 club: Grand Rapids (AHL)/Detroit (NHL)

2019-20 stats: Grand Rapids 45 GP, 0 G, 5 A, 5 PT, 26 PM; Detroit 16 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 PT, 14 PM

A stay-at-home defender who plays a simple game, he defends, moves the puck out of his zone efficiently and competes. He will provide little offense, focusing more on keeping the puck out of his team’s net. Injuries afforded him an opportunity at the end of 2019-20 but he must earn a roster spot in training camp. He has been loaned to Almtuna, his former Swedish club, until camps open.

Continued; to me, there’s no shame in being a “complementary part,” and Gustav Lindstrom is exactly that kind of player. He’s a 2nd pair defenseman, and he may never light it up offensively, but he’s useful at even strength and on the penalty-kill, he’s getting stronger, he’s improving his skating, and he could be a useful 2nd pair guy for another decade.

You don’t win with stars alone; if you don’t have a good supporting cast of players who are comfortable taking on secondary and tertiary roles, like Gustav Lindstrom and Givani Smith, you can’t build a competitive team.

TSN special ‘The Problem of Pain’ has no geo-blocking

TSN has made their special on the use and abuse of painkillers in the NHL, a 30-minute production titled “The Problem of Pain,” available to viewers in the U.S., Canada and internationally, which is not the case of the the majority of their programming.

Former Red Wings defenseman Kyle Quincey, long-time Vancouver Canuck (and Livonia native) Ryan Kesler, long-time Anaheim Duck Bobby Ryan and former Ottawa Senators tough guy Zenon Konopka discuss their experiences dealing with both the chronic and acute pain that NHL’ers are exposed to on a shift-by-shift basis.

The Rick Westhead-produced piece is sobering.

I’ve learned that the best thing any of us can do regarding a controversial issue that we’re curious about is to get informed as to the arguments for and against it, as well as the perspectives surrounding the issue.

I can’t speak negatively of NHL trainers and medical staffs, but this is an issue worth giving half-an-hour to if you do have the time.

Tweet of note from TFP’s Pagnotta: It’s Mantha negotiating time

The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that the Red Wings and restricted free agent forward Anthony Mantha are getting down to contractual business:

Detroit and RFA-to-be RW Anthony Mantha are having ongoing contract discussions. Doesn’t seem a deal is imminent, but talks are underway.— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) September 22, 2020

Mantha, who turned 26 on September 16th, is coming off a 2-year, $6.6 million contract, and while I’m certain that the flat salary cap for the next two seasons and Mantha’s injury problems equal Detroit pressing for another “bridge deal,” it would make sense for his side to swing for the fences. My best guess is that the Wings and Mantha will agree on a deal in the $4.5 million to $5 million range.

Monroe: Walleye coach Dan Watson still believes that the 2020-2021 ECHL season will start in December

The Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe spoke with Toledo Walleye coach Dan Watson regarding the questions surrounding the starts of the NHL, AHL and ECHL’s 2020-2021 seasons, and Watson told Monroe that he’s preaching a consistent message to his players…

Walleye coach Dan Watson said he continues to focus on the things he can control, building his roster and preparing for the season. The team has signed 17 players so far this offseason.

“The players that we have signed are preparing to play hockey Dec. 4,” Watson said. “That is our message — be ready for that date, be ready for training camp in the middle of November.”

And coach Watson remains somewhat optimistic regarding the probability of the 2020-2021 ECHL season starting on time:

When asked how optimistic he is feeling that the ECHL season will start up as scheduled, Watson said: “about the same as I have the whole time.”

“Until someone tells me we are not playing, I am doing my job to the best of my ability,” Watson said. “Ever since we stopped in March, my job has been to build for 2020-21 season and I’m continuing to do that. Until I’m actually told there is no season, I don’t care when it starts … we will be prepared. It’s not even an option in my brain right now that we aren’t going to play.”

Continued