Kulfan talks trade candidates in a Friday mailbag feature

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan answered mailbag questions from readers this evening. Among Kulfan’s comments:

Q. It seems rare to have a team that has so few players any other team would want. On their entire roster they have two players worth keeping, (Dylan) Larkin and (Anthony) Mantha. Richard Lewis (via email)

A. Richard, there are some. There will be a decent demand for Green, although he might considered a luxury for many contenders (expect the return to be similar to what Brendan Smith fetched the Red Wings, a pair of second-rounders, or a second- and third-round haul).

Nyquist and Tatar have had rebound seasons, but the interest in either has been so tepid in the past, it would be a bit surprising of they’ll be moved by the deadline (maybe, closer to June’s Entry Draft?).

Keep an eye on Luke Glendening, who is another player who’s had a rebound season, has a manageable contract, and could help a contender on the penalty kill and as a defensive forward. There are players other teams can use.

Kulfan continues…

Wakiji speaks with top prospect Andrei Svechnikov

DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji is taking in the Under-18 Five Nations tournament in Plymouth this week.*

Wakiji spoke with Andrei Svechnikov, a probable top-five pick, about his game and the possibility that the Barrie Colts and Team Russia forward might be drafted by the Wings:

There’s one player that would like nothing more than to have the Detroit Red Wings call his name in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.

His name will be familiar and not just because he is among the top three players in all the rankings.

That’s because he is Andrei Svechnikov, younger brother of Evgeny Svechnikov, whom the Wings took in the first round, 19th overall, in the 2015 draft.

“It would be like a dream because we could win a Stanley Cup together,” said Svechnikov after helping lead Team Russia to a 9-2 victory over Team Czech Republic in the Under-18 Five Nations Tournament at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich. Thursday night.

Svechnikov is ranked first by NHL Central Scouting for North American skaters, second by Hockeyprospect.com, ISS Hockey and Future Considerations and third by McKeen’s Hockey.

Continued

*George’s household is a 1-car household, and our vehicle has been in the shop all week. Terrible, terrible timing.

Glendening on the market? TSN’s Seravalli says teams have inquired about #41

Via KK:

Griffins dedicate ‘Bring Your Dog to the Game’ game to passed staffer

From the Grand Rapids Griffins’ Twitter account:

On fundraising as TMR ‘starts up’

I’ve done my best to avoid talking about funding the blog over the past two weeks, trying to let content do the talking for me, but today, I need to discuss monetary issues.

As I try to build an audience on this blog, I hope that those of you who are new to the blog have noticed that there are no ads here. I’m attempting to keep things that way, asking readers to contribute to my Patreon account via subscriptions instead. It’s sort of an NPR-style model–there are no paywalls, and no ads, but I need to ask for contributions to survive.

[edit: for those of you who are not comfortable with recurring payments, you can go to https://www.paypal.me/TheMalikReport to donate /end edit]

You can pledge any amount to join the TMR community, and in all honesty, even pledging a dollar or two a month goes a long way toward my goal of making this blog self-sustaining. I appreciate all the support I’ve received thus far, and if you are willing to join the community, that would be fantastic.

The goal here is to both make the blog self-sustaining and to reinvest a substantial portion of what I make into the blog and its members (see: trips to take in hockey games, Traverse City trips, a computer so that I can do a faster and better job of covering news, and, of course, ways by which I can reward community members for their contributions. There are no more individual fund drives–it’s about selling blog subscriptions now).

I would also appreciate it if you tell one person that there’s a new Red Wings blog with a seasoned Red Wings blogger producing content on a daily basis.

I understand that The Malik Report is a start-up right now, and as such, we’re building a new audience with a couple of kind old friends leading the way.

Whether you’re considering contributing a couple of bucks a month or letting someone know that this place exists, or whether you’re just here to read and comment, I thank you very, very much for your valuable time and readership.

 

Morning news: Talkin’ about Ken Holland and Tweets of note

Of Red Wings-related note this morning:

1. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski penned a list of general managers organized into “tiers“:

The Votes Of No Confidence

GMs that are feeling the heat because their teams were incredible for like a decade, got old and entered inevitable decline.

Stan Bowman, Chicago Blackhawks
Ken Holland, Detroit Red Wings

Bowman’s handled down cycles for the Hawks before, in between Cup wins, but this one seems like a bit of a steeper climb due to the age of the core (and the fact that there are so many no-trade clauses). Holland has somehow crafted a roster that’s kissing the cap ceiling but is a complete also-ran. Does he return next season?

I have a sinking feeling that Holland will return to see the “rebuild on the fly” through–and I have a sinking feeling that Holland is able to write his own ticket.

We don’t know what Chris Ilitch wants from his teams because Ilitch hasn’t spoken with the media. Rumors suggest that as Ilitch has taken over, the “family” atmosphere fostered by Mr. I has given way to a more businesslike approach, but at this point, the Red Wings, Tigers, Olympia Entertainment and Little Caesars are all private enterprises, and the new boss will speak when he wants to, and not before.

Holland is 62. He spends his off-seasons in Vernon, British Columbia, and he’s stated that Vernon is where he’ll retire to. But 62 is fairly young in hockey executive terms.

I don’t believe that Steve Yzerman is a logical successor. For one, Yzerman wants to win a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning; second and perhaps more importantly, if Yzerman came back “home,” the media and fans would micro-analyze every move he made, and I don’t imagine that Yzerman wants to suffer a managerial death by a thousand cuts. I believe that he will stay with the Bolts.

If Holland goes, it’s most likely that either Kris Draper or Ryan Martin will succeed him. I do not expect the Wings to go outside the organization to replace Holland with a “new voice.”

Coach Blashill has a year left on his contract, and it’s up to Holland to determine Blash’s future. There are some who suggest that Todd Nelson, the Grand Rapids Griffins’ coach, would do a fine job in Blashill’s stead, and others want the Wings to go outside the organization to bring a fresh outlook behind the bench. If Blashill is fired, my money is on Nelson replacing him.

Mostly, we need to find out what Chris Ilitch is thinking regarding the team, and I don’t believe that we’ll hear from him prior to locker room clean-out day, if we hear from him at all.

2. On Twitter…

Prospect round-up: Griffins shut out the Moose

In the AHL, the Grand Rapids Griffins scored a single goal against the Western Conference-leading Manitoba Moose, and Jared Coreau made Matt Lorito’s second-period marker stand up. Coreau stopped 28 shots as the Griffins defeated Manitoba 1-0.

The Griffins’ website posted a recap:

Continue reading Prospect round-up: Griffins shut out the Moose

Red Wings-Lightning wrap-up: out-classed

The Detroit Red Wings’ losing streak against Tampa Bay extended to 11 games via a 4-1 loss to the Bolts on Thursday night.

Detroit simply got out-classed by a Lightning team motivated to snap a 2-game losing streak amidst a fierce battle for Atlantic Division supremacy.

The Red Wings…the Wings tried hard, out-shooting the Lightning, but Detroit’s defense couldn’t get a handle on the Bolts’ tremendous lateral passes, and when Nikita Kucherov has 4 points, Victor Hedman has 3 assists, Steven Stamkos scores 2 goals and Andrei Vasilevskiy makes stopping 38 of 39 shots look easy, you’re going to struggle.

As the Lightning discussed their win with the media, Steven Stamkos issued something of an understatement regarding himself, Kucherov and Hedman to TampaBayLightning.com’s Jacob Lynn:

Continue reading Red Wings-Lightning wrap-up: out-classed

Red Wings-Lightning quick take: this losing streak goes up to 11

The Detroit Red Wings attempted to snap a 10-game losing streak against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night.

This one wasn’t even close. Tampa Bay defeated Detroit 4-1, extending their winning streak to 11 games, and Nikita Kucherov (1+3) had a 4-point game, Victor Hedman had 3 assists, Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 38 of 39 Wings shots, and the Wings plain old got out-classed.

Jimmy Howard was very good despite giving up 4 goals on 32 shots against–because the Bolts worked lateral passes to perfection, scoring mostly empty-net markers–and Tomas Tatar scored the Wings’ goal on a good night for Tatar, Larkin and Bertuzzi…

But Anthony Mantha’s blind drop pass that yielded the Bolts’ 4-1 insurance goal typified the Wings’ attention to detail, or the lack thereof, as well as the Lightning’s aplomb in scoring on the counter-attack. The Wings just aren’t as good as the Bolts, by a fair margin, and they lost because of it.

Continue reading Red Wings-Lightning quick take: this losing streak goes up to 11

Tampa Bay Times’ Smith talks about Mike Green’s possible ‘fit’ with the Bolts

The Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith discussed whether Mike Green might be a fit for the Tampa Bay Lightning:

A lot of this depends on the price. Red Wings GM Ken Holland told the Detroit Free Press he’s looking for assets and to open roster spot for younger players, so a package involving a draft pick and prospect could work.

“I look at every player, whether it’s a rental or has term on their contract, what does it cost?” Yzerman said. “Does it make sense for us?”

In some ways, Green makes sense. He’s a veteran, right-shot defenseman with playoff experience. He’s a very good puck-mover and creator, which would fit into the Lightning’s system. He’d be an upgrade on the right side over Jake Dotchin, whose play has dropped off.

And Green has got a fan in the Lightning coach.

“He’s very cerebral,” Cooper said. “You watched in the All-Star Game, the way he’s scoring, the way he can move the puck, it’s just effortless. He’s somebody that’s been doing it for a long time in this league. He seems to be able to create everywhere he goes. He’s been in the league for a while, but he’s sure a hell of a player still.”

The Lightning doesn’t need much help on the power play, which ranks second in the league at 23.7 percent. That’s been a strength for Green, who has quarterbacked units in Washington and Detroit.

“It’s just the way he sees the ice,” said Lightning wing Ryan Callahan. “You see what he did in Washington. I remember playing against them in the playoffs and he’d tear us apart pretty good when I was in New York. That was his biggest asset, the way he sees the ice and his speed, what he can do with the puck.”

Continued