Kane to Detroit? Hear me out, because this makes sense

So the various hockey sources are reporting that Patrick Kane, who is 35 years old and coming off hip resurfacing surgery, is going to sign with the Detroit Red Wings, possibly as early as today.

I mean, it could be worse. We heard rumblings from the Chicago Daily Herald’s John Dietz in September that Kane was considering the Red Wings as a spot where he could reunite with Alex DeBrincat, and the Wings remained in the picture ever since.

He’s going to be trying a very difficult thing, especially given that Nicklas Backstrom wasn’t able to successfully return from his hip resurfacing surgery, and, at 35, Kane isn’t going to be quite as dynamic as he once was, even if we’re assuming that the hip holds up.

But I can deal with this. As a Red Wings partisan, obviously, there’s quite a bit of water under the bridge regarding Kane’s time as a Wing-killer with the Chicago Blackhawks, but that’s what happens when you’re trying to build a playoff-worthy team…

And, as a pretend hockey blogger, let’s all admit this:

This Red Wings team definitely needs to add at least one more player who has elite offensive hands (even if his legs aren’t going to be what they used to be) to really remain in the mix for a playoff spot all season long, if not earn a spot outright…

And signing Kane to a one-year, incentive-laden contract (or, Gord forbid, a two-year deal) makes a lot of sense for Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings’ brass, just as it makes sense for Patrick Kane as a no-risk, as-little-pressure-as-possible option.

The Wings have the cap space. The Wings have DeBrincat. The Wings have proven over the last couple of days that the Sweden trip served as something of a hard re-set for a team that’s striving for some consistency under coach Derek Lalonde and the almost half-new roster one quarter of the way into the 2023-2024 season.

So Kane comes to Detroit. If he fits in as someone who can be a primary scorer/assist man, great. If he can fit in as someone who is a secondary scorer in a slightly reduced role, great. If he can fit in as a tertiary scorer with flashes of those fantastic hands and feet, great.

And if he can’t succeed, the Red Wings will have maximized their salary cap space in order to successfully land a player that Buffalo, Toronto and Florida were all looking at signing, giving the Red Wings a *wee bit* more cachet in terms of their ability to attract what this team still desperately needs, and just doesn’t have in the pipeline yet, in elite offensive talent (even if somewhat diminished by age and wear-and-tear).

No harm, no foul, at the very least. And if all goes remotely well, we’ll see flashes of “Showtime” in Detroit, who should at the very least bolster the Wings’ secondary scoring.

Why not, especially with the team trying to establish itself as a legitimately rejuvenated, somewhat consistent outlier for a wild card spot (at the very least) in the East?

Slowing down the antibiotic roll

Hey everybody. I’m just finishing up a week-long course of a second antibiotic this week, something called Doxycycline. The second course of antibiotics really tore me up physically, but it appears that I dodged bronchitis, so the investment appears to have paid off. I’m a wreck today, but I’m a healthier wreck.

I also received a referral to a sinus specialist from my primary care physician, so for those of you who’ve been “sniffly” about me having “just a sinus infection,” know that surgery to correct these dangerously debilitating sinus infections is very likely in the future.

I’m guessing that it’s going to take the weekend to get out of this antibiotic haze that I’ve been in thanks to the courses of Amoxicillin and Doxycyline–I’ve been sleeping a lot thanks to the heavy medication–so I’m hoping to get back to work early next week.

It really sucks that I’ve had to miss the Wings’ Sweden Trip, but I’ll try to be on Twitter/”X” for the games at least.

Aunt Annie and I are struggling to pay the bills after a month without me being able to blog, too, so we’ve got a GoFundMe started. It’s been a difficult financial month for the family, and I know that Thanksgiving is a belt-tightening time for everyone, but we’re trying to get by, and if you can lend a hand, it would be incredibly appreciated.

It’s embarrassing and discouraging to have to go the GoFundMe route again, but one must do what one must do to survive, and that’s where we are at. Trying to get through.

That’s it for me for now. I hope you all are doing well and that we will talk again soon.

On Amoxicillin

Just a quick note tonight: I had a telehealth appointment with my doctor yesterday, and she prescribed a 5-day course of Amoxicillin.

I’m still feeling pretty awful, but I’m hopeful that the antibiotic will kick-start my immune system and help me beat the sinus infection I’ve fought for the last three weeks.

I will return to work as soon as I can sit up regularly. I don’t need to be at 100% to work–at this point, 75 or 80 percent would be wonderful.

Missing hockey and talking with you, and LGRW,

George

Sick and tired (of being sick and tired)

Hey gang, just a quick update. It’s been two and-a-half weeks now, and I’m still battling this sinus infection.

I’m quite frustrated by the lack of progress made in terms of feeling better, and I miss working quite a bit, but this bug is just hanging on and doing things the hard way.

As such, if I don’t get better in the next couple of days, I’m going to call my doctor, because this is bloody tiring.

I’ll be back soon. I do miss all of you and talking hockey with you.

S’not fun

Just a quick update: My apologies for missing the first two games. I’ve been knocked off my feet with a significant sinus infection.

My symptoms include dreadfully bad sinus pain, awful congestion, body aches, stiffness and soreness, heavy fatigue and significant discomfort from stem to stern, as well as a dash of brain fog for good measure. I feel utterly miserable.

I it appears that I gave my bug to Aunt Annie, because she’s feeling pretty wrecked as well. Ye olde doctor’s office bug, it appears.

As soon as I can sit up and stay up, I’ll be back. I miss working, I miss you guys and I miss hockey.

Coach Lalonde discusses ‘all-inclusion’

Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde was asked about the NHL’s decision to ban “Pride Tape” during the offseason, and, as MLive’s Ansar Khan notes, coach Lalonde was blunt in his reply:

“That’s a league decision; obviously, that’s out of my hands and above my pay scale or even what I should even comment on,” Lalonde said when asked about the hot-button topic. “But I’m an all-inclusive guy. I’ve always been. Probably a lot of credit to my family, my upbringing. I fully support the league mandates, but I’m a person that believes in all-inclusion, always have and always will.”

The NHL sent a memo to teams last week outlining what players are allowed to do and what they can’t do during theme celebrations this season. It included a ban on the colorful tape. Any player who uses such tape will be fined.

“That’s probably not my spot to say because some of these, it comes down to the individual at times,” Lalonde said. “I can’t speak for the Red Wings. I don’t want to speak for the Red Wings. I can speak for myself and I always have been, always will be a very proud, all-inclusive person.”

The Free Press’s Helene St. James also took note of coach Lalonde’s remarks:

Amid the NHL’s decision to ban rainbow-colored “Pride tape” coming as a further blow to what used to be a league celebration of Pride Night, Detroit Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde favors inclusion.

“I’m an all-inclusive guy, I’ve always been,” Lalonde said Wednesday.

The NHL sent a memo to teams last week clarifying what players are allowed — and not allowed — to do to celebrate special causes. One of the items included a ban on the use of “Pride tape” — rainbow-colored stick tape. The memo states that player uniforms and game gear cannot be altered to reflect theme nights, including Pride, Hockey Fights Cancer or military appreciation celebrations. Players can voluntarily participate in themed celebrations off the ice.

Let’s be honest here: an outright ban of things like “Pride Tape,” camouflage tape and purple tape for Hockey Fights Cancer Night is dumb. If somebody doesn’t want to participate, that’s their business, but the theme nights raised tens of thousands of dollars for charities, and…

It’s all very short-sighted of Mr. Gary Bettman and his Board of Governors, because the whole concept is that everyone should be welcome at NHL games, whether we agree with each other’s beliefs or not. If we love hockey, that’s the point.

Mills speaks with Andrew Copp ahead of his restart with the Wings

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills spoke with Red Wings forward Andrew Copp about his increased confidence level as he begins his second season with the Wings:

A natural progression to the regular season is a luxury Andrew Copp did not enjoy last year, when offseason abdominal surgery forced him to miss his first training camp and preseason with the Detroit Red Wings.

But the 29-year-old forward is in a much different position entering the 2023-24 campaign and believes coming off a full, healthy offseason will pay huge dividends.

“It was nice to have a full summer of training,” Copp said on Sept. 29. “I did a lot of new stuff, things that helped me get to the point where I am now. It was nice to not have to worry about that side of things coming into the year. Just go out and play a little bit.”

Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said Copp looks ready to go this season.

“He’s a guy who is today’s pro,” Lalonde said about Copp on Oct. 5. “He trains extremely hard in the summer, so he’s physically in a good spot.”

Continued

A pair of columns from Burchfield regarding the Red Wings’ rebuilding process

Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde spoke with 97.1 the Ticket’s Stoney and Jansen show this morning…

And 97.1 the Ticket’s Will Burchfield posted two columns about the interview, first noting Lalonde’s more quotable remarks…

When the Red Wings open the season Thursday night in New Jersey, they won’t have a single first- or second-year player on the roster — which feels counterintuitive for a rebuilding team. Derek Lalonde says it’s a reflection of a deeper roster with higher ambitions.

After the Wings added several veterans this summer, key prospects like Simon Edvinsson, Marco Kasper and Jonatan Berggren will start the season in Grand Rapids.

“I do think you’re going to see plenty of those guys, but they’re not fitting what we’re trying to do right now,” Lalonde said Wednesday on 97.1 The Ticket. “Our goal is to win now, of course with the vision of improving in the future. When you say is it important for them to play? I would agree with you. Absolutely, it’s important for them to play 23 minutes in a significant game (in the AHL rather) than seven, eight minutes with us and growing on the fly with mistakes or sitting up in the press box.”

The Red Wings have leaned toward the latter the last few years, said Lalonde, without gaining much ground. He pointed to Berggren, a 2018 second-round pick who debuted in Detroit last season and scored 16 goals in 67 games, and said, “No disrespect to Jonatan Berggren, but he was forced to play for us last year where with we were at.”

And then questioning the Red Wings’ identity as a rebuilding team:

Continue reading A pair of columns from Burchfield regarding the Red Wings’ rebuilding process