The Malik Report

On Sunday’s SportsWorks on Fox 2, WJR’s Sean Baligian spoke with Woody Woodriffe regarding the Red Wings‘ free agent signings as they apply to the youth movement, as well as the team’s goaltending situation. Baligian speaks from the 7-minute mark to the 9:18 mark of the following clip:

 

Earlier this morning, MLive’s Ansar Khan addressed Andreas Athanasiou’s trade value as part of a Monday mailbag feature. This afternoon, the Free Press’s Helene St. James addresses the same topic:

It would not be surprising to see the Wings trade Athanasiou. If they get a good offer – at least a second-round pick or a good prospect, preferably a defenseman – he could be flipped to help the rebuild.

As talented as Athanasiou is, he shouldn’t be as quiet as he is at times – last season he went for stretches of 10 and 15 games without a goal. That came even as he averaged 15:19 minutes per game, up from 13:28 in 2016-17. His average power play time increased to 1:44 from 1:13, yet he contributed only four points during man advantages.

Once restricted free agents Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha are re-signed, the Wings will have 12 forwards towards the 2018-19 roster: Athanasiou, Henrik Zetterberg, Frans Nielsen, Gustav Nyquist, Justin Abdelkader, Darren Helm, Thomas Vanek, Luke Glendening, Tyler Bertuzzi and Martin Frk. Michael Rasmussen, the team’s first-round pick from 2017, is expected to grab a job, and June’s draft added the possibility there’ll be another fresh face in Filip Zadina. Other forward prospects expected to challenge for minutes include 2015 first-round pick Evgeny Svechnikov, and David Pope, a shooter dating to the 2013 draft.

That makes for a crowded field, though injuries crop up during training camp/exhibition season. Svechnikov and Pope may end up starting the season in Grand Rapids, but if they perform well, they should be called up.

Continued

From the Detroit Red Wings:

MLive’s Ansar Khan filed a mailbag feature this morning, and Khan discusses Andreas Athanasiou’s status as the Red Wings’ best “trading chip”:

Continued

DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji examines Andreas Athanasiou’s 2017-18 “numbers” this morning:

33 — The 33 points Athanasiou had in 71 games this past season represented a new career best, topping the 29 points he had during the 2016-17 season.

16 — Athanasiou had 16 goals, which tied him with Dylan Larkin and Frans Nielsen for third most on the team. Anthony Mantha was first with 24 and Gustav Nyquist was second with 21. He had 18 goals last season.

17 — Athanasiou registered 17 assists this season, a new career best, surpassing the 11 assists he had in 64 games last year.

Continued

 

WOOD TV’s Larry Figurski spoke with Red Wings prospects Filip Zadina and Givani Smith during the Wings’ summer development camp, and his interview appeared on Sunday night’s Sports OT:

 

The Detroit News’s Gregg Krupa penned a column that ostensibly focuses on the long odds that Filip Zadina faces in making an overcrowded Red Wings roster, but the column becomes something of a lament regarding the state of the Wings in general:

Judged by actions, Ken Holland, Jeff Blashill and their staffs continue to make plain they believe too many prospects cannot play at the NHL level to consider a wholesale shift to the apprentices.

So, last week, the Red Wings gave Mike Green another two seasons and brought back Thomas Vanek.

They provided no-trade clauses that Holland said were required to extend Green, who turns 33 the first week of the season, and return Vanek, who is 34, now.

And, they replaced their one-time goalie of the future, Petr Mrazek, with a journeyman, Jonathan Bernier.

At an average of about 30.8 years, several years into a self-described rebuild-on-the-fly, and two years after Holland said he really began to emphasize the transition, the Red Wings will be one of the top two or three oldest teams among the 31 NHL franchises.

And that is only one reason Filip Zadina intrigues.

Krupa continues, and at this point, I don’t know a Wings fan who isn’t frustrated by the fact that the Wings’ free agent signings make Michael Rasmussen, Zadina, Dominic Turgeon, Evgeny Svechnikov, Dennis Cholowski, Filip Hronek, Joe Hicketts and all the Wings prospects’ road to the NHL so much tougher.

The Free Press’s Shawn Windsor offers a column in which he discusses the Red Wings’ free agent signings in the context of “speeding up or slowing down the rebuild,” and I believe that Windsor speaks for more than a few of us here:

Then the free agency period rolled around and all that hope fell like a mercury-filled balloon. You could hear the groaning from Ann Arbor to New Baltimore, from Clarkston down to the Michigan-Ohio state line.

Really? The fanbase bemoaned. More veterans? More inexplicable use of cap space? More of the Wings getting in their own way?

It may not be much in the scheme of things, in both dollars and length of contract, but when the Wings announced the signings of Thomas Vanek and Mike Green — goalie Jonathan Bernier made more sense — it was hard to find a corner of the Wings’ faithful that wasn’t confused.

Or suffering from a kind of Red Wings PTSD.

That’s post-traumatic stress disorder, if you prefer your acronyms spelled out. Which is a fancy way of saying:

Why?

Or, better yet, what the hell?

Windsor continues, and I can only say that the Red Wings’ GM has signed so many veterans over the past 10 years that he’s browbeaten me into shrugging and sighing when he inevitably places roadblocks in the way of the Wings’ next generation.

Thankfully, the Wings’ young players are persistent, and they eventually break through, but it’s sure damn frustrating to watch the team place obstacles in their way every July 1st.

The Free Press’s Helene St. James updated her story about the Red Wings’ signing of Filip Zadina with some quotes from Wings GM Ken Holland regarding the star prospect’s readiness for the NHL:

“We do have plans that one or two or three young players will make our team,” general manager Ken Holland told the Free Press Saturday. “Zadina is going to be given an opportunity to make our team. But in terms of player development, he has to be ready.”

Zadina has the skill set the Wings need: He’s a force with the puck, able to score in tight areas and make plays. He’s the type of player who wins games. He’s a marketable gem, too, possessing swagger and charm.

If Zadina does not make the Wings’ opening night roster, they believe he can be sent to the AHL because they are under the impression he was loaned by his Czech team to his junior team, which puts him under European-player rules. Zadina also told the Free Press he was on loan. The Wings have been told Halifax Mooseheads general manager Cam Russell wants Zadina back if he does not make the Detroit roster, but the Wings do not consider it an obligation.

“We’ve sent all the information to the NHL and the league believes what we believe,” Holland said. “The understanding is that if Zadina does not make Detroit, Grand Rapids is an option.”

With the signing of Filip Zadina comes a little more clarification (sort of) regarding Zadina’s non-NHL rights, per MLive’s Ansar Khan…

It remains to be seen where Zadina will play in 2018-19 if he doesn’t make the Red Wings roster.

The NHL has ruled that Zadina was on loan to Halifax of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from his European club, Pardubice HC of the Czech Republic, according to agent Darren Ferris. That makes him eligible to play for the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins in 2018-19 if the Red Wings opt to send him there.

But Halifax might dispute that ruling in hopes of getting Zadina back next season, if he doesn’t earn a spot with the Red Wings. Halifax claims Zadina is a CHL player. CHL players with junior eligibility must return to their junior clubs if they’re not in the NHL.

And the Free Press’s Helene St. James:

Whether he can make the Wings as an 18-year-old will play out during exhibition season, but general manager Ken Holland told the Free Press that Zadina “is going to get a chance to make our team this season.”

In the meantime, there’s contention as to Zadina’s status: Zadina and the Wings believe he was loaned by his Czech club to his junior club, Halifax, which would make him an European-status player able to be sent to the AHL next season, while the Mooseheads have told the Wings Zadina was not a loan and therefore must go back to Halifax if he does not make the Detroit roster. The NHL is looking into that matter.

If it is determined to be a loan, it gives the Wings better flexibility. If Zadina does not look like he belongs in the top nine mix during exhibition season, they could send him to Grand Rapids to start his pro career with the Griffins, then call him back up as warranted. If not a loan, the Wings could look at him for nine games and then send him to Halifax. A longer audition is also possible, though then it burns the first year of his contract even if Zadina is sent to back to juniors after at any point.

The Athletic’s Craig Custance also provided some clarification:

First, here’s what we know about his contract. It’s a three-year, entry-level deal with full Class A bonuses, but no Class B bonuses, typical of a player drafted No. 6 overall. It also contains an out that allows him to play in Europe if he doesn’t make the NHL.

According to multiple sources, in doing this contract, the Red Wings got clarity from the NHL as to whether or not Zadina would have to go back to Halifax in the QMJHL if he doesn’t make the NHL this season. The Red Wings’ and Zadina camp’s stance is that he was on loan from his Czech team to Halifax, which would allow Detroit to send him to the AHL next season rather than back to the QMJHL.

The NHL, according to a source, received a document that was signed before the import draft which set out the terms of his agreement with Halifax — and states that it was only for the 2017-18 season. Prior to the import draft, Zadina had agreed with his Czech team that it would loan him for one year only to a North American junior league. The NHL also was provided a copy of the contract he signed in 2016 with the Czech team.

While this is a bit of a gray area, the NHL indicated that it was enough evidence to confirm the Red Wings’ belief that the AHL was an option for the 2018-19 season.

With that bit of clarity, the contract was finalized.

But even with the league’s backing, both sides aren’t ruling out a pushback from Halifax. Especially with the Mooseheads hosting the Memorial Cup in 2019.

“I think it’s a moot point anyway,” Zadina’s agent, Darren Ferris, told The Athletic. “I think he’ll remain with the big club.”