The Malik Report

The Windsor Star’s Jim Parker spoke with Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman and director of amateur scouting Tyler Wright regarding the team’s 11 2019 draft picks. Wright told Parker that the Wings didn’t go into the draft emphasizing defensive additions, but that’s how things played out:

“As a staff, I thought we identified this as being a pretty deep draft defensively,” Red Wings director of amateur scouting Tyler Wright said. “I don’t think we’re quite in a position where we have to start really picking by position. It just happened to be that defence were kind of heavy in this draft.”

In the second round, the Red Wings added six-foot-four, 193-pound Finnish defenceman Antti Tuomisto.

“This is a guy that’s six-foot-(four) with real bite to his game,” Wright said. “We were ecstatic to leave with him.”

With the team’s third pick in the second round, Detroit added Swedish defenceman Albert Johansson, American defenceman Cooper Moore was taken in the fourth round and defenceman Gustav Berglund in the sixth round.

“At the end of the day, we just needed good players,” Wright said. “It just kind of happened it was defence (heavy).”

Parker continues. I understand the Wings scouting staff’s reticence to suggest that they picked a particular position and bolstered it, but that’s how it played out.

Updated at 5:36 PM: Of Red Wings-related note this afternoon:

1. The Red Wings’ amateur scouting staff chose to focus on replenishing the team’s defensive depth during this year’s draft–though they won’t admit as much–as the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan notes:

“As a staff, we identified this as being a pretty deep draft defensively,” said Tyler Wright, the Wings’ director of amateur scouting. “I don’t think we’re quite in a position where we have to start really picking by position. It just happened to be that defense was kind of top-heavy in this draft. You watch the playoffs and you see the size of these guys with St. Louis and Boston being in there – that doesn’t mean they’re just big.”

Meaning, size with skill. And the Wings are optimistic they picked some big bodies who can do a variety of things.

Moritz Seider (first round) and Antti Tuomisto (second round) are both 6-foot-4 with mobility and offensive skill, while being stout defensively.

Getting Tuomisto with Saturday’s first pick was an aim for the Wings, who had targeted the Finnish defenseman for some time.

“We think he’s a good prospect,” general manager Steve Yzerman said. “He’s a big kid with a good shot. He’s a smart player. He moves well for a big guy and he plays hard. We just like the way he thinks the game. We like his tools and size. Somewhat like Seider. They’re different players, but big right-shot defensemen that move pretty well, that can pass the puck and defend reasonably well.

Kulfan continues…

2. Kulfan also posted a story which includes shorter snippets of comments made by Hakan Andersson and Yzerman. This time, he notes that the Red Wings’ draft class is “dog-free”:

Continue reading On defense, ‘dogs,’ Swedish steals, crushing on Tuomisto and more

Early this morning, the Red Wings posted a 45-minute podcast in which Red Wings special assistant to the GM Kris Draper discusses the Wings’ 11 2019 draft picks:

Kris Draper joins us on Episode 114 of The Red and White Authority to review the #RedWings 2019 draft and offer an analysis of Detroit’s 11 picks.

Listen/rate/subscribe: https://t.co/epOmJaeK7Z pic.twitter.com/rMzUZUq7Kp— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 23, 2019

The Red Wings’ decision to draft Moritz Seider with the 6th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft yielded consternation, confusion and frustration for many of the Red Wings’ faithful.

The Wings felt that their rationale for making a “surprise” pick was straightforward–the team had a need on defense, so they filled it with the best defenseman available–and this morning, Sportsnet’s Luke Fox discusses Seider’s upside, both on and off the ice:

Seider is coming out of Germany’s DEL, where he played for Mannheim. That’s not the same as someone coming out of, say, Finland or Sweden, but there’s something to be said about any teenager who spent a full season playing against full-grown professionals and held their own. The thing most prospects need to do as they rise through the professional ranks is get stronger physically, but Seider already has NHL size at six-feet-four and 207 pounds. He’s also a right shot who can move the puck and with the potential to be a top-pair NHL blueliner one day. Though this pick was a Day 1 surprise, he very well may end up as the best defenceman out of this draft.

He was also a draft-combine favourite. Stylish and with a fun personality, Red Wings fans will find Seider very easy to cheer for — he may even become a fan favourite one day.

German D Moritz Seider, who’s apparently a big fashion guy, said he wasn’t sure what to pack for NHL combine. Debated full suits but opted for less formal wear. Some teams commented on business casual/sneakers look. “I’m famous for that, maybe,” he joked. Kid’s got a personality.— John Matisz (@MatiszJohn) June 1, 2019

Fox continues at length, and, if you missed it, the Wings posted a video chronicling Seider’s draft day experiences:

The Athletic’s Max Bultman wrote an intriguing article late last night, offering “19 Thoughts” regarding the Red Wings’ 2019 draft performance. I can’t share them all with you, but I feel that Bultman’s words of caution regarding the hit-or-miss nature of drafting players is too important not to share:

If this all sounds a little too positive, allow me to refer you to a quote from former Detroit scout Christer Rockstrom when I recently asked him what he was thinking when leaving the Red Wings’ legendary 1989 draft.

“Every scout leaves the draft happy,” he said.

That’s the deal here. Yes, the Red Wings like the guys they drafted. It’s why they drafted them. And maybe their rationale makes it a little easier to be excited about a class that — whether because of the publicly available draft rankings or sheer unfamiliarity — hasn’t necessarily been met with the same enthusiasm as last year’s class. Just make sure it also doesn’t fool you into thinking Detroit just drafted 11 NHL studs. Pronman gave the class a “B.” That sounds about right to me.

I don’t like to deal in absolutes, but the chance most — or even half — of these prospects pan out as the Red Wings hope they will is incredibly small. The goal is getting a few to hit, and one or two to hit it big. And that still might not happen.

Bultman continues (paywall) at length, and my take on the draft class, at least very, very early on, is this:

Continue reading The Athletic’s Bultman offers ‘draft Thoughts’ (and so do I)

I’m admittedly a bit of a “front office comment” nerd here. I will watch and/or listen to the comments made by a general manager and his contemporaries, usually made at the beginning, middle and end of the regular season, as well as at the draft, at least a couple of times. During Ken Holland’s reign as GM, I found his rambling, 45-minute pressers to be a treasure trove of philosophy regarding the team’s direction and management, and while Steve Yzerman is more succinct, his commentary is no less important.

I’ve already watched/listened to the Red Wings’ videos of Yzerman, director of amateur scouting Tyler Wright and director of European scouting Hakan Andersson speaking with the media, and, this morning, the Free Press’s Helene St. James posted an article which discusses a bit of the “Yzerplan” as it applied to this year’s draft:

Continue reading HSJ in the morning: Talking about the ‘Yzerplan’ as St. James grades the Wings’ draft performance

The Detroit Red Wings are not likely to make any significant additions to their lineup via free agency this summer, especially on defense, but the Free Press’s Helene St. James reports that GM Steve Yzerman will “work the phones” (to use a Ken Holland term) to see who and what might be available to enhance his roster:

“I”m going to make some calls and see,” he said. “There are players we’re interested in. I’ll get a feel for, one, if they have any interest in coming to Detroit, and then what the parameters are of what they’re looking for.”

The San Jose Sharks re-signed pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Erik Karlsson before he reached the open market. The Winnipeg Jets traded pending restricted free agent defenseman Jacob Trouba (Rochester) to the New York Rangers on June 17. 

The Wings are not likely to be a playoff team next season, but they do have roster spots available up front and on defense.

“Before doing it through trade I would look at free agency to fill those roster spots,” Yzerman said. “We also do want to have some opportunity for our younger players to fill those spots, but we will look at free agency. But the player has to fit what we’re trying to do. The value of the contract has to fit.”

St. James continues, discussing Niklas Kronwall’s future.

The Red Wings and NHL’s media corps have levied their evaluations of the 2019 NHL Draft, and here is a summary of at least some of the points made regarding the Wings’ 11 picks:

1. In the subscriber-only department, ESPN’s Chris Peters weighs in regarding the Wings’ overall draft performance:

Detroit Red Wings: B.

Let’s talk about reaching. The Red Wings definitely went a bit off the board to get Moritz Seider, but I like the player. Had they traded down, perhaps no one would have batted an eye. But in the end, they got the guy they ultimately wanted. Where he goes from here is a bit of a mystery because of the relatively small role he played on his German pro team. There’s no question he has talent — we just need to see him in more situations. I also thought Antti Tuomisto was a really risky pick where the Red Wings got him, but I don’t mind the bet on a towering defenseman who is still pretty raw.

The Red Wings get a higher grade despite the risk because of the value they got out of the middle-round picks. I really like Mastrosimone for both his skill and competitiveness. Albert Johansson has some legit skill and poise, too. Albin Grewe is a physical forward with some limited offensive upside, but I’ve long been intrigued by his toolbox. And my favorite bet that the Red Wings made? Elmer Soderblom, a 6-foot-7 forward who needs a lot of work. But I think he skates well for such a big man, and he has some hands. If they hit on him, he’d be one of the more unique forwards in the game, given his size and apparent skill. Whether or not the Red Wings reached early on, they made their system better at this draft.

2. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler wrote a gargantuan assessment of all 31 teams’ draft classes, and he had this to say about the Wings, who he deems “overtime losers” as far as wins-losses-and-ties are concerned:

Continue reading Disparate snapshots of the Red Wings’ 2019 draft class

The Oakland Press’s Pat Caputo penned a superb article regarding the Red Wings’ 2019 Draft haul, duly noting that the Wings probably made most of their picks based upon recommendations that would have been the same under former general manager Ken Holland, but I’m left questioning his conclusion regarding the Detroit scouting staff’s early picks:

It’s difficult to discern how much different this draft is with Yzerman compared to how it would have been under Ken Holland.

The Red Wings definitely addressed the blue line. Yzerman sure didn’t make the obvious picks.It will be interesting to see if time proves Yzerman right.

The only certainty is it’s way too early to declare him wrong.

And the honeymoon is still on for Yzerman. Had Holland made the same first two selections, the critics undoubtedly would have been quick to jump all over him.

But right now, for this town, it is in Steve Yzerman it trusts.

Caputo continues, and again, his article is superb, but I’m pretty sure that the Yzerplan sprung a leak when the Wings selected Moritz Seider 6th overall:

I read some rather nasty things said about Yzerman after Seider’s pick, but that’s just me and Twitter for ya.

DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji spoke with Red Wings director of European scouting Hakan Andersson regarding the Wings’ four Swedish picks made over the course of the 2019 Draft:

It would not be a true Red Wings draft without some Swedes in the mix.

The Wings started by selecting defenseman Albert Johansson, a 6-foot, 168-pound player from Farjestad, with their third pick of the second round, 60th overall.

“I’m very excited about his talent,” said Hakan Andersson, Detroit’s director of European scouting. “That was another scout that told me he thinks he might be the best of them all and I kind of agree. He’s a great skater and a very good guy with the puck. But he has to fill out. His dad (Roger Johansson) played 160 games in the NHL and 500 games in the Swedish league and was on the national team. He’s 6-foot-3 and he’s got two older brothers that are big. If he grows it’s going to help his career more but even right as a 6-foot kid, a very good hockey player. For some reason it didn’t quite come out when he played on the under-18 national team but he dominated in junior in Sweden. Just dominated. He was voted the best defenseman in the junior playoffs in Sweden. Talented guy without the size.”

Wakiji continues…