Pronman’s list of ‘the best players and prospects under 23’ is what it is

The Athletic’s Corey Pronman ranks “the best players and prospects under 23” this morning, and you know the drill by now: many players and prospects finish ahead of Detroit’s class, which includes Lucas Raymond but not 23-year-old Moritz Seider. I’m surprised how low Raymond ranks, below both NHL’ers and a gaggle of prospects, but that’s how things tend to go:

28. Lucas Raymond

Raymond had a great season; he was a constant offensive threat for Detroit and led their team in scoring. He has special puck skills, with the ability to make high-skill maneuvers in tight areas at a high rate. He combines that skill with excellent offensive IQ and vision. He had a good shot and with how many plays he makes he can run a PP1 in the NHL. Raymond isn’t that big, but he works hard and doesn’t shy from going to the net. He’s not that big or fast, but he’s very elusive and has good edges. He is a legit top-line forward in the NHL.

31. Nate Danielson

Danielson’s season started off poorly in Brandon, but after he was traded to Portland he looked more like the top-10 pick, especially in the playoffs. His numbers aren’t amazing for where I have him projected, but I’ve seen enough offense from this player to think he’s going to score in the NHL. He has excellent 1v1 skills, he skates well, and his ability to create chances in transition will make him dangerous as a pro. He’s both a strong passer and shooter who can make a lot of things happen inside the offensive zone. Danielson is also a diligent two-way center. I get the concerns on his production, but when I’ve watched the player I think his skill is legit. If he’s Detroit’s second-line center of the future he can be a heck of a 2C.

49. Simon Edvinsson

Edvinsson was very good in the AHL this season and earned 16 games up with Detroit. Edvinsson is a rare package of size, mobility and skill. You don’t find big men who can one-on-one opponents often like he can. He is huge and competes well, showing the ability to close on checks
with his length and body. He skates pucks up ice well and retrieves them well. There will be a minor debate on if Edvinsson will ever be a top-end point producer as I don’t see a true playmaker in his game. The sum of the parts should still add up to a good top-four defenseman.

Continue reading Pronman’s list of ‘the best players and prospects under 23’ is what it is

Bultman’s mailbag discusses Raymond and Seider’s respective contract negotiations

The Athletic’s Max Bultman posted an early fall mailbag this morning, and he dives right in with an assessment of the Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider contract situations:

Should we be worried about Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider long-term at this point, or just have to be patient? What could be keeping it from happening at this point? — Will G.

On the one hand, I do feel that I should remind Red Wings fans that Seider and Raymond are not the only unsigned RFAs remaining. Other big names, including Jeremy Swayman and Dawson Mercer, are also still unsigned as of this writing. So it’s not unprecedented. Negotiations can drag on, even this late into the summer.

As for what could be keeping it from happening, the only real answer is a difference on valuation. That’s what it (almost) always comes down to.

I don’t think it’s panic time yet, before camp begins, but that’s probably the point at which it’s fair to have concerns about how this could affect the on-ice product, and perhaps the locker room. Those are two important pieces to be without when camp opens.

Waiting may well have cost Detroit some money here, in the form of new comparables such as Brock Faber’s eight-year, $8.5 million AAV contract. That deal would seem to set a floor for Seider’s deal. And while everyone involved in the NHL knows it’s a business, having two crucial pieces unsigned can’t be great for morale, either. Ideally, you’d want players to see they’ll be rewarded for the kind of hard work and results Seider and Raymond have delivered.

With that said, the Red Wings also have an incentive to set a standard that everyone will need to sacrifice for the sake of the team, and that’s relevant too. It’s not always easy to square those things.

Regardless, I do think deals are going to get done with both players. And if it happens before training camp, then I think any tensions (if there are any) would be pretty quickly forgotten.

Continued (paywall)

Fundraising worries

I’m trying to lay low on what is usually the last “quiet day” before the news build-up to the NHL season, but I’ve got to be bluntly honest here:

Aunt Annie and I are supposed to leave for Traverse City on September 12th. As such, in terms of fundraising, I need to raise about $500 a day between now and September 11th.

Yesterday, we raised $200, which is great, and that gives us $400 out of the approximately $4,500-5,000 needed to head up to the Red Wings’ prospect tournament and training camp.

But we’re already at a deficit, and I don’t really know how we’re going to make it without the vast majority of TMR’s readers lending a hand.

I understand that it’s a difficult time to raise funds. There are many worthy causes, and while inflation is cooling, we all feel price spikes in our grocery bills, mortgages and so forth.

So all I can do is please ask that you consider making a small donation, a not-so-small donation, that you step up and help me make the increasingly unlikely trip to training camp to represent you.

Put bluntly, I’m scared, I’m frustrated and I’m just worried today. I don’t know how the hell we’re going to make it Up North, and not doing so would really be a crushing blow. I hope you can help me change that.

If you’re willing to lend a hand, have an official GoFundMe fundraiser page at https://gofund.me/c08de120; we have a PayPal option at https://paypal.me/TheMalikReport; there’s Venmo at https://venmo.com/george-malik-2; if you’re into the, “I don’t want to use any of those pages” option, here’s always the Giftly option by using my email, rtxg@yahoo.com, at https://www.giftly.com…

And in the banking options, you can contact me via email if you want to send me a paper check, or “Zelle” me via my email, rtxg@yahoo.com. I’m also on Cash App under “georgeums.”

As always, thank you for your readership and your time.

THN on Ted Lindsay’s labor legacy

The Hockey News’s Connor Eargood discusses the legacy of Ted Lindsay, who essentially sacrificed his NHL career’s fortunes in order to establish what would become the NHL Players’ Association:

Through a network of captains, Lindsay and [Montreal’s Doug] Harvey enrolled every player in the league save for Toronto’s Ted Kennedy to their union. In February of the 1956-57 season, they announced the formation of a player’s union. The NHL’s front offices had no idea the movement had taken place until the announcement. Their workers had collectively organized themselves.

“I was doing it because I believed in it,” Lindsay said. “I was doing it not to irritate owners, I was doing it to help out (other players). All of us needed help, we needed a voice as a group, not as an individual.”

For this movement, managers took exception. Detroit’s own general manager Jack Adams stripped Lindsay of his captaincy in 1957, and he slandered his character with fake contract figures and ad hominem attacks through the press. Then, Adams shipped Lindsay off to the much worse Chicago Black Hawks organization in what amounted to exile. On the heels of an 85-point season where he and Gordie Howe led the league in scoring, Lindsay’s career was all but derailed as punishment. In today’s NHL, this move would be like Edmonton trading off Leon Draisaitl, or Boston trading Brad Marchand.

Continued; “Terrible Ted” was a legend on the ice, he was a legendary figure for the NHL’s player labor movement, and his foundation continues to support autism research and treatment.

He left a hell of a legacy.

Daily Faceoff previews the Red Wings

Daily Faceoff’s Tyler Kuehl posted a fantasy hockey-friendly Red Wings season preview today, estimating the Red Wings’ lineup, summarizing the team’s offseason moves, breaking down the Wings’ offense, defense, goaltending and coaching situations, and asking three “burning questions”:

1. Will Simon Edvinsson be on the top pair? At first? Probably not. As important as he was down the stretch last season, he probably starts on the second or third pair. Edvinsson certainly has the tools to be a No. 1 defenseman, but with he and Seider both having the offensive vision, the two probably wouldn’t work well together on the same line.

2. What needs to happen to reinvigorate Alex DeBrincat? The former Windsor Spitfire scored 27 goals for the second consecutive season, far from the 40-goal guy that Debrincat became while as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. They tried pairing him with his old linemate, Kane, but only with limited success. It might sound like a lame answer, but DeBrincat just needs to get off to a good start like he did last year, and keep on the grind to show that he is still an elite scorer.

3. Is it Jonatan Berggren’s time to make an impact? One of the quiet storylines is what the Red Wings are trying to do with Berggren. The former second-round pick was one of the best players in the AHL last season but saw limited time in Detroit compared to the 2022-23 campaign. Even when he was called up, Berggren hardly saw the ice, which left the Swedish forward feeling disgruntled near the end of the regular season. He has shown he can be an everyday NHLer, but he needs to demonstrate that he can buy into the Red Wings’ system.

Continued;

  1. Probably not is right, though Seider wants to play alongside Edvinsson thanks to his tremendous skating speed;
  2. The renaissance of DeBrincat, a former Erie Otter, is definitely an important story line heading into the upcoming season. Whether he can score 35-40 goals is uncertain at this point;
  3. Berggren’s offensive abilities are well-known; coach Lalonde wants to see whether Berggren can play a two-way game this upcoming season.

Alumni news: Filip Zadina signs with HC Davos in Swiss league

Former Red Wings forward Filip Zadina has chosen to sign a two-year contract with HC Davos of the Swiss league:

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen discusses the signing…

Zadina, 24, signed a two-year deal with Davos. No financial details have been released, but the average salary in the Swiss League is in the range of $250,000-$330,000. He earned $1.1 million last season with the San Jose Sharks, and earned as much as $1.8 million per season when he was with the Red Wings.

The signing came a few days after hockey insider Kevin Weekes reported Zadina’s representatives were talking to three teams, although he didn’t specify whether the teams were in the NHL or abroad.

Zadina’s housing and vehicle needs will be taken care of by HC Davos, which the Hockey News’s Sam Stockton notes are a powerhouse team:

Now, it’s on to a fresh start in Switzerland. The Davos club he joins is the National League’s historic titan, setting the standard with 31 titles. However, they finished sixth last year in the regular season then lost to Lausanne in the first round of the postseason. The Zurich Lions (with whom Auston Matthews notably spent his draft year in 2015-16) won the regular season and postseason titles. In the coming season, Zadina will look to help Davos back to the top of the table.

Putting a bow on Tarasenko’s day with the Cup

New Red Wings forward Vladimir Tarasenko celebrated his day with the Stanley Cup last week, and Cup-keeper Phil Pritchard Tweeted this on Sunday morning:

As such, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff put a bow on Tarasenko’s time with the Panthers, noting that the Red Wings’ new #11 is coming to Detroit with every intent of making a Cup-sized dent in the playoffs:

“I feel like last year was very close,” Tarasenko assessed of the Red Wings 2023-24 season. “I’m not a person who just comes and hangs out, enjoy my time. I try to win. I really like winning, and we just won the second Cup.

“But I will do everything I can to help the organization to take the next step, help the guys, share my experience, just do my best to be able to make a playoffs. And once you make a playoffs, you never know what’s gonna happen.

“So that’s the reason I come, because, like I said, I like the way the team played, and I believe this team can make a playoffs and do some special things.”

I know that Tarasenko isn’t exactly the world’s best two-way player, and at 32, he’s not as fast as he once was, but he’s still a proven sniper, and he’s a stocky fellow at 6′ and 220 pounds. If he sustains the “chip on his shoulder,” and he plays in the Red Wings’ top 6, he’s going to be an asset for the Red Wings.

Discussing the Wings’ PP blueline

DobberHockey’s Brennan Des discusses “internal battles for power play opportunities” this morning, and Des suggests that the Red Wings might struggle to determine whether Erik Gustafsson runs the power play, or Moritz Seider does:

Detroit Red Wings – Gustafsson vs. Seider vs. Edvinsson

Given their similar offensively focused skillsets, it’s hard to see Erik Gustafsson as anything other than a Shayne Gostisbehere replacement. Considering Gostisbehere’s main role with Detroit last year was quarterbacking the top power play, it’s only logical that Gustafsson fills that role this year. Some will rightfully question Gus’ competence in such a role considering he’s only really had one standout season and that was roughly five years ago. However, I’m encouraged by the fact that two players who were part of that 60-point campaign in Chicago – Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat – are now with Gustafsson in Detroit. Moritz Seider is certainly capable of stepping up to the top unit if Gustafsson falters, but given Seider’s all-round excellence, it would be nice if someone else could manage power-play minutes so he’s fresh for other situations. It’s worth noting that when comparing career numbers, despite having 300 more power-play minutes under his belt, Gustafsson only has 11 more PPPs than Seider. Simon Edvinsson has offensive upside and could see top unit power-play time at some point in his career, but he’s only 25 games into his NHL career and has just four points to his name. He’ll need some more time to settle in before taking on such a high-profile role.

I don’t see Edvinsson getting a whole lot of power play time unless someone suffers an injury; Seider usually works the 2nd power play unit, so there’s that, but the theory is that it’s going to be Gustafsson’s blueline on the man advantage.

Video: NHL fans vote Red Wings’ 82nd game of 23-24 as 5th-best

NHL.com has shared another hour-long, condensed video of the fan-voted 5th favorite NHL game of the 2023-2024 season.

This game happens to be the Detroit Red Wings’ 82nd game of 23-24, a shootout win against Montreal which was another multi-goal comeback spoiled by the Washington Capitals’ tiebreaker-winning playoff-earning victory over Philadelphia.

This was also the day that my Aunt Annie had her double hip replacement surgery, so I remember the day very, very well:

If you missed it, the Red Wings had three games picked by the NHL as the “Best Games of the 2023-2024 Season” last Sunday night, and one of them is game 81.