HSJ weighs in regarding her all-time greatest Wings

As the Free Press holds its fan vote for the greatest Red Wings of all time, the Free Press’s Helene St. James offers her list:

That Gordie Howe is the No. 1 seed is a no-brainer: he is synonymous with the franchise. He is considered one of the greatest hockey players of all time. Among his myriad of accomplishments, he won four Stanley Cups with the Wings.

The next two names were going to be Steve Yzerman and Nicklas Lidstrom – but in which order? I know that if I asked either of them, they would put one another in the No. 2 spot. I ultimately went with Yzerman – like Howe, he came to be the face of the franchise. He was the quiet, unassuming teenager who led the team out of the “Dead Wings” era and onto glory. He was named captain at 21 and served in that role for two decades. He became known simply as “the Captain.”

It speaks to the significance of Howe and Yzerman that Lidstrom, the best defenseman of his generation and one of the all-time greatest players, sits at No. 3 on my list. He embodied perfection – on the ice, off. In all my years of covering him, not once did I see him lose his temper. I remember during the playoffs one year, a reporter asked him why the Wings had trouble converting on 5-on-3s. Lidstrom, the most polite person I’ve ever met, pointed out their two-man power play had only lasted 2 seconds.

St. James continues…

Kulfan compiles a “Top 20” Wings prospect list

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan has compiled a list of the Red Wings’ top 20 prospects.

It’s probably never been a better time to be a prospect in the Wings’ organization over the past two decades.

If a young player shows the ability, work ethic and determination, he’s likely to find his way onto the Wings’ roster.

More roster spots will be available, as the Wings’ watch contracts on established veterans expire over the next few seasons — meaning more spots for draft picks.

“I’m hoping and expecting that two, maybe four or five kids, between the ages of 19 and 22 are on the roster next year that weren’t won the team (this season),” Holland said. “I want to get those young people onto the roster when they can help us be competitive.”

With the organization’s young players never more important, here’s a look at the the Red Wings’ top 20 prospects.

Among Kulfan’s comments via photo gallery:

4. Filip Hronek, defenseman. Age: 20. Height/weight: 6-0/178. 2017-18 stats: Grand Rapids (AHL) – 67 games, 11 goals, 28 assists, 39 points. Acquired: Drafted, 2016, second round (No. 53 overall). Skinny: He was one of the most improved players on the Griffins’ roster over the course of the season. Hronek isn’t the biggest guy around, but plays with a lot of heart and isn’t afraid to mix it up physically. He’s further along offensively, including showing a real awareness on the power play.

The Athletic’s ‘Mock Draft 2.0’ has the Wings picking Hughes

The Athletic’s Corey Pronman has penned a “Mock Draft 2.0,” and as he believes that Evan Bouchard will go to Ottawa 4th overall, Pronman and Craig Custance suggest that the Red Wings will draft Michigan native Quinn Hughes at #6:

No 6 Detroit: Quinn Hughes, D, Michigan-Big 10 What does the team typically value in players? The Red Wings ideal during their rebuild would be to build a team with skill and size. Even as the league is trending smaller, they value size along with character players they believe will put in the work to develop. That said, they understand the organizational need for high-end skill so they may be more willing to take on risk with their stockpile of draft picks.

Is there any major area of need? The Red Wings focus at the top of the draft will be on defense and at center.

Rationale? If the draft plays out like this, expect the Red Wings to look to trade down, although they won’t go outside the top 10. They might prefer Noah Dobson in this spot because of his size and his right-handed shot, but it’s hard to pass up Hughes’ skating and playmaking.— Craig Custance

Pronman’s comments: The Wings pick out of their backyard to get the defenseman with the second highest pure upside in the class, and the best pure skater in the class. He immediately becomes the organization’s top prospect and the most talented young defense prospect they’ve had in decades.

Continued (paywall), and I’d be surprised if Bouchard doesn’t slide down to 6th, but that’s my take.

 

Custance: Wings have offered Bylsma a spot on Blashill’s staff

According to The Athletic’s Craig Custance, the Red Wings have offered Dan Bylsma an assistant coaching job:

Kovalchuk? No, thanks…

Via WDIV’s David Bartkowkiak Jr.:

Nyet, spasiba.

Three things: Recalling 2002’s Wings-Canucks series; UFA’s of note and Nyquist’s ‘numbers’

Of Red Wings-related note this afternoon:

1. Sportsnet’s Sean McIndoe examined 8 Stanley Cup champions “who survived early deficits“:

3) 2002 Detroit Red Wings

If there are any Canucks fans still reading after we mentioned the 2011 Bruins, this section should finish them off.

The 2001–02 Red Wings were easily the Cup favourites heading into the season; they were coming off a 116-point season in a year when nobody else managed more than 101. But the eighth-seeded Canucks seemed poised to pull off the upset, stealing the opener on Henrik Sedin’s OT winner and then rolling to a 5–2 win in Game 2.

With the Red Wings on the ropes and a raucous home crowd cheering them on, the Canucks tied Game 3 with a goal midway through the second period and were headed into the intermission with a chance to shove the favourites into an impossible hole.

Every Canucks fan remembers what happened next:

The goal held up as the winner, and the Canucks didn’t win another game. The Red Wings went on to beat the Blues and Avalanche on their way to an easy final matchup with the overmatched Hurricanes.

But look on the bright side, Canucks fans. While the series may have featured one of the most devasting gut-punch goals in modern NHL history, at least it served up a legendary Brian Burke press conference.

2. USA Today’s Kevin Allen compiled a list of 15 potential unrestricted free agents of note, and the Wings are mentioned in the cases of two potential UFA players:

Continue reading Three things: Recalling 2002’s Wings-Canucks series; UFA’s of note and Nyquist’s ‘numbers’

Khan discusses developmental curves for the Wings’ top prospects

This morning, MLive’s Ansar Khan examines the Red Wings’ top prospects, attempting to estimate when Michael Rasmussen, Evgeny Svechnikov, Filip Hronek, Dennis Cholowski, David Pope, Libor Sulak, Givani Smith, Filip Larsson and Vili Saarijarvi will be ready to arrive in the NHL:

Michael Rasmussen
Position: Center
Height/Weight: 6-6/221
Shoots: Left
Drafted: First round in 2017 (No. 9)
2017-18 season: He tallied 31 goals and 59 points in 47 games with the WHL Tri-City Americans in a season interrupted by wrist surgery. He was even more dominant in the playoffs, with 16 goals and 33 points in 14 games.
Timeline to NHL: The Red Wings are counting on Rasmussen to make the team in training camp. They plan to ease his transition to the NHL by starting him on wing, like they did with Dylan Larkin as a rookie in 2015-16. If Rasmussen isn’t ready for the NHL he will return to Tri-City for his final junior season. He is not eligible to play in the AHL in 2018-19.

‘Two Things,’ video version: On Ben Simon’s hiring and more ‘Best of Joe Louis Arena’ from AWood40

Of video-related note this morning:

1. Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon spoke with WOOD TV’s Jack Doles regarding his hiring by the Griffins:

2. And AWood40 posted “The Best of Joe Louis Arena, Part 12”:

‘Three Things,’ Friedman’s 31 Thoughts version: Talking about the draft, assistant coaching and managerial scuttlebutt

Of note from Elliotte Friedman’s 31 Thoughts:

1. Regarding the draft…

I don’t think Detroit is moving, barring an offer that gives them great assets for their rebuild. After that sixth pick, teams willing to move are Vancouver (at seven), Edmonton (at 10) and possibly the Islanders (11 and/or 12).

2. Regarding the Wings’ assistant coaching search…

There are rumblings Dan Bylsma may return somewhere as an assistant coach if he’s not on the Islanders’ radar. A logical spot would be Detroit, since he and Jeff Blashill just worked together at the World Championships.

3. And regarding managerial news:

It’s believed assistant GM Mike Futa — linked to almost every job opening in existence — signed an extension with Los Angeles.

Mark Hunter, involved in almost as many rumours, has been linked to Detroit, Montreal and the Islanders. We’ll see. He’s (officially) unavailable until July 15.

Organizational meetings, part 2, on tap for the Wings

The Detroit Red Wings’ front office is holding its second set of organizational meetings this week, re-examining the team’s draft rankings post-scouting combine and discussing the team’s outlook for both its own free agents-to-be and the UFA marketplace.

The Free Press’s Helene St. James spoke with Red Wings GM Ken Holland regarding the front office’s docket…

“The object of the meeting is to bring the staff together and talk about what we are going do with team over the next month and beyond,” Holland said. “We’ll go through our team in detail, talk philosophy for ’18-19 and ’19-20. Then we’ll go through all the other teams and talk about what opportunities exist, if any with other players.”

The group also includes special assistant Kris Draper and assistant general manager Ryan Martin, who are part of the group spearheading plans for the June 22-23 draft.

Whoever the Wings select with their sixth overall pick — options could include defensemen Evan Bouchard, Noah Dobson and Quinn Hughes — figures to be in the group of prospects club personnel hopes to see challenge for a spot with the Wings during exhibition season this autumn. Those prospects include 2017 first-round pick Michael Rasmussen, 2016 first-round pick Dennis Cholowski, 2015 first-round pick Evgeny Svechnikov, as well as Filip Hronek, Libor Sulak, Joe Hicketts and Dominic Turgeon.

“Part of our plan is going to be youth,” Holland said. “We are going to training camp and on defense, Sulak, Hronek, Cholowski, Hicketts — we want to see how those players are. Same with Svech, Rasmussen, Turgeon, and the sixth pick in the draft, whether it’s a forward or defenseman. Part of the decisions won’t be answered until camp, but we are hoping that one or two of those names are going to be grab a couple spots.”

St. James continues, and the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan picks it up from there:

Continue reading Organizational meetings, part 2, on tap for the Wings