The Malik Report

The Athletic’s Max Bultman proposes a scenario in which the Red Wings lose traction in the standings this upcoming season in order to earn a higher draft position:

Thanks to the number of young, still-developing players on their roster, the 2019-20 Red Wings have a chance to be an improved hockey team from the one they were last year. They also have a chance to stagnate, or even fall lower, in the NHL standings. And it’s perfectly plausible that those two outcomes could exist concurrently, strange as it may sound.

It’s a concept that came up in the comments of a recent story, which posed one question about each skater on the Red Wings’ roster. With a handful of young players entering, or currently in, their prime years, improvement from those players is a fair expectation. Decline from some aging players could always negate that progress, but if not, that might be enough for at least a marginal step forward in the standings. And that’s probably what you’re looking to see from the Red Wings a couple years into their rebuild. (Although our Dom Luszczyszyn does have them losing half a win based on their offseason moves, which also is a relevant consideration).

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The Athletic’s Scott Burnside penned an article discussing what coaches do during the NHL off-season, and Burnside notes that Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill has kept himself busy every spring that the Wings have missed the playoffs:

Blashill is coming off a third straight gig as head coach of Team USA at the [World Championship], and he has used that experience to try and add to his own bank of knowledge about how different coaches coach and players play. He’s also never been afraid to look outside his own comfort zone to talk to people who might help him in that pursuit.

“I also think it’s a discovery process in you can do some research projects on other teams. Teams that play similar to you. What do they do a little different? Where maybe we can steal some ideas,” Blashill said. “The other thing that I try to spend those months doing is talking to other coaches. Other coaches in the NHL, other coaches in different levels. I’ve done a thing with a small coaching development group where we have a good sharing of ideas. I’ve brought coaches into Detroit and had one- or two-day sessions with them, what they’re good at. If I see something in college, maybe someone’s got a great power play, I want to bring them in and learn from them. I try to go and spend time with professional coaches in other sports when I can, specifically I’ve done that a little bit with the Lions. And it’s that discovery process.”

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MLive’s Ansar Khan examines Darren Helm’s 2019-2020 season outlook this morning:

2019-20 outlook: Helm still possesses the elite speed that that broke into the NHL with in 2007, which he uses to get in on the forecheck and create turnovers. He continues to be one of the team’s top penalty-killing forwards. His quickness creates scoring chances, but he doesn’t have the hands to finish most of them.

Injuries over the years have contributed to his decline in physicality. He’s not as hard to play against as he was earlier in his career.

Where does Helm fit in the lineup? He’ll likely start at wing on the fourth line but could move into the top six as an injury replacement because of his ability to win puck battles with his speed and willingness to go to the net.

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DetroitRedWings.com’s Arthur J. Regner profiles Wings prospects Cooper Moore and Kirill Tyutyayev this morning, discussing both players’ 2018-19 seasons. As Regner notes, Moore is headed to the BCHL to continue to develop before heading to the University of North Dakota:

“Another mobile guy, obviously very raw. Good skill set but he’s going to play hockey in the BCHL before heading off to college. He’s got a lot of development in front of him. He’s actually playing for an old teammate of mine at Michigan State (Brian Maloney) at Chilliwack so I’ve got good ties there, we’re going to stay on top of him. But good tools, good tool set there.” Shawn Horcoff, Red Wings director of player development.

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Via the Muskegon Lumberjacks…

Join us at this special game for a great cause! Featuring Werenski, DeKeyser, Draper, Mickey Redmond, and Play-by-Play Announcer for the Detroit Red Wings, Ken Daniels, + more!

Admission is FREE! Register here ? https://t.co/qNCxD8MVlp #handsfreemichigan #playwithpurpose pic.twitter.com/4ejuZ27ILA— Muskegon Lumberjacks (@MuskegonJacks) August 13, 2019

USA Hockey Arena on Facebook, and The Game 730 AM:

Many current and former NHL players will take part in a charity hockey game to support distracted driving awareness initiatives.

The 3rd Annual “Play With Purpose” game will take place on Friday, August 16th at the USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth.

The game, presented by Hockey has Heart, will feature current NHL players like Danny DeKeyser from the Red Wings, Zach Werenski from Columbus and Austin Czarnik from Calgary.

Former NHL players expected to take part include Kris Draper, Joe Kocur, Darren McCarty, Mickey Redmond, David Legwand and Tie Domi. There will also players from the NCAA and USHL on hand for the game.

Bob Duff pens this month’s prospect report on DetroitRedWings.com, and Duff notes that the Red Wings’ prospects will have a major presence at Boston University this upcoming season:

No fewer than three Red Wings prospects will be suiting up for the NCAA’s Boston University Terriers this season.

Defenseman Kasper Kotkansalo, selected 71st overall in the 2017 NHL entry draft, will be entering his junior year with the Terriers.

Meanwhile, two of Detroit’s 2019 entry draft selections — left-winger Robert Mastrosimone (54th overall) and center Ethan Phillips (97th overall) — will be enrolling as freshmen at BU.

“It does make it easier because when you go in, you can see three guys,” [Red Wings director of player development Shawn] Horcoff said. There’s another Red Wings connection at Boston with Terriers assistant coach Len Quesnelle, at one time a Detroit amateur scout.

“When you talk with the coaching staff, Kasper’s been there for a while now and obviously Len worked in the organization before going there,” Horcoff said. “So we’ve got a good relationship with BU and yeah, it makes it easier. I get more viewing on the guys.”

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The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan discusses the state of the Red Wings’ defensive corps today, and Kulfan believes that the blueline will face the biggest questions and biggest changes:

Get ready for some change on the Red Wings’ roster.

Specifically on defense, where the opening night lineup isn’t likely to look the same at the trade deadline.

And, then, even slightly more different to begin the 2020-21 season.

No position group on the Wings is likely to undergo as much change as the defense, where contracts, age and maturation of some recent draft picks all will conspire to force a new look.

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The Red Wings and Labatt Blue teamed up to help renovate Detroit’s Clark Park earlier this week, and Red Wings TV chronicled the event:

MLive’s Ansar Khan continues his set of Red Wings player profiles by examining defenseman Trevor Daley’s 2019-2020 season outlook this morning. Khan believes that Daley won’t finish the season as a member of the Red Wings organization:

2019-20 outlook: The Red Wings signed Daley to a three-year, $9.5 million free-agent contract on July 1, 2017, hoping the veteran, mobile, puck-mover would help boost a declining defense. Now, they will look to move Daley for a draft pick prior to the trade deadline.

Until then, the 15-year veteran figures to play regularly, if healthy, on the third pairing, possibly with Jonathan Ericsson, his partner for much of last season when they were in the lineup together.

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MLive’s Brendan Savage reports that former Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg will be taking part in a celebrity golf outing on September 14th:

Former Detroit Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg will be the fourth participant in The Ally Challenge Celebrity Shootout, tournament organizers announced this morning.

Zetterberg will join Jack Nicklaus, Dierks Bentley and Kid Rock in the charity exhibition that will take place Sept. 14 during the second round of the $2 million Ally Challenge at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club.

They’ll tee off on the 10th hole behind the final group of the day in the Ally Challenge.

“Adding Red Wings legend Henrik Zetterberg to the celebrity foursome was the final piece of what will be an amazing day on tournament Saturday,” said Andrea Zimmer, chief marketing and public relations officer for Ally.

Zetterberg and Bentley will play as a team against Nicklaus and Kid Rock in a nine-hole, match-play scramble. They’ll play for $25,000 to benefit Genesee County Habitat for Humanity and United Way of Genesee County.

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