The Malik Report

Of Red Wings-related note this afternoon:

1. The Hockey News’s Jared Clinton examines the Red Wings’ “youth movement” as the team prepares for a season in which Henrik Zetterberg may or may not play:

While a Zetterberg-less Red Wings would mean the end of an era, the changing of the tides may be what’s best for the organization in the long haul. It’s no secret Detroit, after a long spell of success, are mired in a two-season drought and entrenched in a transitional period as the old guard passes the torch to a new wave. And in that sense, it was somewhat fitting that Holland copped to the continued uncertainty about Zetterberg and the potential for life without one of the franchise’s modern fixtures on the same day the team announced and celebrated the signing of Dylan Larkin to a five-year, $30.5-million pact.

Larkin took a major step towards becoming the future of the Red Wings’ offense last season when he took over the top-line role that formerly belonged to the likes of Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, commanding not only first-line playing time, averaging nearly 20 minutes per outing, but driving the offense with a team-leading 63 points. Even prior to his career-best point production, though, Larkin was heralded as the future in Detroit, with some even attaching the future captain tag to his name.

And while Larkin’s role would potentially stand to increase the most on a Zetterberg-less Red Wings, with added on- and off-ice responsibility as arguably the new face of the franchise, he would be far from the only one who could benefit from the roster refresh that could truly be spurred on by Zetterberg’s injury-related departure. Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou, both of whom were handed two-year contracts this summer, would almost certainly be among those to see increased playing time if Detroit were to hand the reins over to their younger talent. Both have seemingly untapped offensive upside, and on a goal-starved team, having one or both breakout with greater ice time would give promise for a brighter future for the Red Wings.

Likewise, other up-and-comers fighting for playing time, the Tyler Bertuzzis, Martin Frks and Evgeny Svechnikovs of the roster, could see greater opportunities come their way were Zetterberg’s absence to lead to a change in mindset in Detroit. While veterans such as Justin Abdelkader and Darren Helm have become fixtures of the middle-six for the Red Wings, Detroit could use this as an opportunity to rejuvenate the bottom half of their roster with young legs. That’s to say nothing of the aforementioned Zadina, either, who could be an instant top-six winger in Detroit.

2. DetroitRedWings.com’s Arthur J. Regner examines Anthony Mantha’s 2017-18 season on both statistical and narrative bases:

Continue reading Three Things: The Hockey News on the Wings’ youth movement; Mantha’s numbers and ESPN’s Top 250 fantasy rankings

NBC Sports just released its broadcast schedule for the 2018-19 season, and here are the Wings’ 6 scheduled appearances on NBCSN:

Wed., November 28  St. Louis vs. Detroit   7 p.m.

Tues., Dec. 11 Detroit vs. Washington 7:30 p.m.

Tues., Jan. 22 Detroit vs. Edmonton 9 p.m.

Sun., Feb. 17 Philadelphia vs. Detroit 6 p.m.

Wed., February 20 Chicago vs. Detroit 7:30 p.m.

Sun., March 31 Boston vs. Detroit 7:30 p.m.

MLive’s Ansar Khan offers a 2018-19 outlook for Tyler Bertuzzi this morning:

2018-19 outlook: Bertuzzi made an impact as a rookie, improving steadily and gaining confidence after joining the team full-time in late December. He brings a much-needed element of grit with his physicality and eagerness to go to the net and battle in the corners. He was a good complement on a line with skilled players Henrik Zetterberg and Gustav Nyquist for part of the season.

After dealing with injuries the previous two off-seasons, Bertuzzi was looking forward to a healthy summer of training. The Red Wings opted not to send him back to Grand Rapids for the AHL playoffs. The club’s message to Bertuzzi was to get bigger, stronger and quicker. He planned on working with a skating coach.

If skilled forwards Filip Zadina and Michael Rasmussen make the team, like the Red Wings hope and expect, this club will have many options for top-nine forwards. It remains to be seen where Bertuzzi would be slotted, but they’ll find a place for him, valuing his combination of skill and grit.

Quotable: “He’s like a rink rat-type hockey player. He’s smart. He gets pucks. His game is better than maybe his physical attributes right now. Every night he goes against guys that are probably a little bit stronger and a little bit faster. And he finds a way with his mind and his will to make that up and become a positive impact in the game. … He’ll be more than a complementary player, he’ll be a go-to type player.” – coach Jeff Blashill.

Continued

The Free Press’s Ryan Ford examines six possibilities for the Red Wings’ captaincy if Henrik Zetterberg is unable to play this upcoming season, including the team choosing to go without a captain or rotate the captaincy. As far as I’m concerned, however, there’s one option should Zetterberg not be able to continue his career:

Dylan Larkin: With just three seasons in the NHL, Larkin is probably still a touch too young to wear the Wings’ ‘C’. Still, at just over 22 years old, he wouldn’t be the youngest captain in Wings history – that would be Yzerman, who got the ‘C’ at 21 years, 151 days — or the youngest in NHL history – that would be Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, who was named captain of the Oilers at 19 years, 266 days. If the plan is to eventually make him captain, why wait, Red Wings?

Continued, and I know that Larkin would experience some growing pains as a young captain, but I believe that he’d receive the support necessary to withstand the weight of a “C” on his jersey.

Who would you choose as captain if Zetterberg cannot play?

 

Of very brief Red Wings-related note this morning:

1. USA Hockey Arena is hosting the Warren Strelow National Team Goaltending Camp from Tuesday to Friday of this week, and both Jimmy Howard and prospect Keith Petruzzelli have been invited to participate in the camp. The camp will mainly aid potential National Team goaltenders, but Howard is one of seven pro goalies to take part in the event.

I don’t believe that the event is open to the public, but if it is, I’ll try to get that information out to you.

2. According to Hockeysverige.se’s Mans Karlsson, Wings prospect Alfons Malmstrom is taking a step back to take a step forward. Malmstrom has signed a deal with Boden HF of the Swedish Hockeyettan.

Malmstrom, a 20-year-old defenseman, has struggled to earn playing time in the Swedish J20 league, so he’s going to drop down to the Swedish equivalent of the ECHL to find some playing time as he graduates from under-20 hockey to men’s league play.

Updated significantly at 5:48 PM: Pro Hockey Talk is spotlighting the Red Wings today, and unlike NHL.com, PHT tends to stagger articles over the course of the day, so I’ll be posting their Wings stuff in this blog entry.

PHT’s Wings coverage kicks off with a “state of the team” article penned by James O’Brien…

The 2017-18 season was rough for the Red Wings, but you could argue that it was “the right kind” of rough. Or at least close enough.

As underwhelming as the Red Wings were, they remarkably finished ahead of three other teams in the Atlantic, which says a lot about the disparity between the haves and the have-nots in that division. Nonetheless, management could continue to prattle on about the team’s “culture,” as they enjoyed some of the fruits of tanking without fully doing so.

(Granted, the team would be better served pulling off the Band-Aid, but asking Ken Holland to go to a full-on rebuild seems like a waste of energy at this point.)

The Red Wings did acknowledge reality to a decent extent during the trade deadline, sending Tomas Tatar to Vegas for three picks and Petr Mrazek to the Flyers for a lesser package. Some wanted more – was there really no market for Mike Green? – but this is about as committed as you’ll see this proud franchise get to really trying to load up on future assets.

And, hey, it paid off quite nicely.

By just about all accounts, the Red Wings nailed it with their first-rounders, seeing two interesting forwards drop to them (Filip Zadina at sixth, Joe Veleno all the way down to 30th). It was a busy draft weekend overall, as the Red Wings drafted two players in the second round, three in the third, and then had the usual selection in rounds 4-7. We may look back at those 10 selections as the turning point for a franchise that seemed to be stuck in neutral for a while after their peak window closed.

Again, the regular season wasn’t much to write home about, although it was nice to see some young players thrive.

O’Brien continues, and he also spotlights the 2017-18 campaign of Anthony Mantha:

Continue reading Pro Hockey Talk places the Red Wings in the spotlight

Sportsnet’s Luke Fox attended the Power Edge Pro camp in Toronto this past week, and he spoke with Dylan Larkin regarding Jack Hughes’ potential, as well as the Red Wings’ lineup:

Larkin, who signed a five-year deal Friday, is pleased with the Red Wings’ off-season signings of Thomas Vanek, Mike Green, and Jonathan Bernier.

“We’ve got some great depth, we’ve got some great veterans, and there’s going to be some young players who are fresh faces in the lineup who are going to help our team,” he says.

“I’m really confident how our lineup’s looking. If we come together and everyone plays to their capabilities, it’s going to be a great year for us.”

Continued

NHL.com examines the Detroit Red Wings as part of their “31 in 31” season preview series today, and their items of note include:

1. A video preview in which Dan Rosen and E.J. Hradek discuss the team’s outlook:

2. A season preview in which Nicholas J. Cotsonika speaks with Ken Holland regarding his team’s future and present:

Continue reading NHL.com’s ’31 in 31′ season preview series examines the Red Wings’ 18-19 season outlook

As something of an addendum to all the Dylan Larkin contract talk:

1. 97.1 the Ticket’s Will Burtchfield spoke with Larkin and Ken Holland regarding Larkin’s leadership, which will likely earn the 22-year-old a “C” on his jersey sometime soon:

“You look at Henrik Zetterberg, Nicklas Lidstrom, Steve Yzerman, they really led by example,” Holland said. “When it was time to say something they stood up and said what needed to be said, but for the most part they led by example and earned their respect of their teammates with the way they played the game, the way they practiced and their determination and passion for the game of hockey, for the sport and for their team. I think early in his career, Dylan shows a lot of those intangibles.”

Most of all, Holland said, Larkin hates to lose — even more than he loves to win. That’s something that comes from within, though Larkin said he’s also been shaped by the veterans around him.

“As the three years have gone by, I think I’ve learned from some of the best leaders in the game in Henrik Zetterberg, Niklas Kronwall, Pavel Datsyuk, Justin Adblekader, Trevor Daley. These guys have groomed me into a position where I haven’t had to be anything I’m not. I just try to be myself and work hard and play the game that I love,” he said.

Truth be told, he can’t play it enough. Larkin represented the U.S. at the World Championships in June for the third straight year, runs his own hockey school in the offseason and is currently in Toronto training with a host of NHL players. If his obsession with the game runs deep, so does his pride in playing for the Red Wings. He’s a rink rat from Waterford, only now he’s making more than $6 million per year. He intends to earn every penny.

“I think, with this, there’s definitely pressure, but I think it comes from within. I want to earn this and make the team proud. I want this to be something that they look back on and say they made the right move to sign me for five years,” Larkin said. “There is a bit of pressure there, but it’s still the game that I love and I can’t wait to start up. Now I want to win, get the fans back and make them happy getting back in the playoffs.”

2. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox took note of Holland’s comments regarding the Wings’ rebuilding effort…

Continue reading A bit more regarding Dylan Larkin’s signing: Leadership talk, KH on the rebuild and audio/video

Red Wings GM Ken Holland spoke with Aftonbladet’s Tomas Ros regarding Henrik Zetterberg’s health. Here’s a rough translation of the article:

Detroit is planning for a team without Henrik Zetterberg

Zetterberg’s injury problem began in 2014–and now his back may stop him.

Detroit begins to plan a future without Henrik Zetterberg, who will be 38 years old in October.

That’s what the general manager says to Sportbladet.

“When I an coach Jeff Blashill put together the lines in the office, we have a variant with Zetterberg and one without him. The last thing we heard is that his back did not cope with heavy strain, unfortunately,” Ken Holland says.

There are 32 days until NHL teams start their training camps in North America.

For the Detroit Red Wings, it is a long and hard wait.

Team captain and superstar Henrik Zetterberg is injured. He cannot train properly or go skating.

“Henrik’s problem began four years ago. He had an operation on his back after the Olympics, and was injured until the third round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2014. It’s the same problem that bothers him now, and his back will never get better, it’s just something to accept,” says Ken Holland by phone from British Columbia.

In 2018 the problems in his back became increasingly extensive for Detroit’s captain.

“Yes, he had a meeting with our coach, Jeff Blashill, this past winter, and they agreed that Henrik would only play in games and not practice. Nevertheless, Henrik was the best player on the team, describing quite well his capacities and hockey abilities. However, in the last six months Henrik has not been able to work out properly for several consecutive days,” says Ken Holland

Now, it’s mid-August.

“Trying to work out in the gym…”

Coach Blashill talks weekly with his captain, and Holland regularly speaks with Zetterberg’s North American agent, Marc Levine. They keep up to date on the Swede’s well-being.

“We get the same message. Unfortunately. He tries to work out in the gym, but when he presses, and the load increases, the back doesn’t fix on it. He has to rest for a while,” says Holland.

Holland is worried, and cares about Henrik’s health and ability to be a family man and father, where the pain in his back does not hurt every day. And he would like to have Henrik included in the conversation phase which Detroit is in.

“We are building on and we are building new. And then it’s not about out with the older guys and in with the younger players. We need Henrik as a ‘role model’ in our dressing room. He is so professional in his behavior and he leads the way in terms of acting as a player and a person for the Red Wings. The same is true for Niklas Kronwall, by the way. We need the veterans to teach the young players on our team.”

Within a week, Holland will have a group meeting with Zetterberg and the agent Levine.

“I’m not giving up hope yet. And if someone is going to succeed in playing another season, Henrik is. His hockey passion is great and he’s returned before.”

Holland becomes emotional during the telephone conversation.

“Maybe not playing more ice hockey…”

For Detroit and Holland, Zetterberg is the last of the Golden Generation, which gave the city so many successes from 1996 to 2008, including four Stanley Cups.

“Everything started with Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov and Nicklas Lidstrom. Then came Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. All of it belongs to Detroit’s best players through the ages, and I hope we don’t see the last of Henrik,” says Holland.

What are the chances of Henrik playing this winter?

“I can’t give a percentage like that. That doesn’t work. But I will say this, when Blashill and I put together the lines in the office, we make a version without Zetterberg and one with him. Unfortunately, we have to take into account that there may be no more ice hockey for Henrik.”