The Malik Report

The Hockey Writers’ Tony Wolak has an intriguing take on the Red Wings’ drafting strategy under GM Steve Yzerman and assistant GM/amateur scouting director Kris Draper:

When Yzerman took over as GM in 2019, he preached patience. His strategy to rebuild the Red Wings would take time. Since then, Yzerman hasn’t wavered. No corners have been cut. His strategy remains the same:

Draft – Find, target, and select high-end, high-character prospects.

Develop – Provide adequate time (and resources) for prospects to grow in junior, European, or minor leagues.

Compete – Create meaningful competition in order for these prospects to earn professional roles.

Mature – Once in Detroit, surround the prospects with strong leaders so they can learn to play the right way.

Lead – Demand that these players step up and take charge of the team.

This offseason was no different. We saw that firsthand in the players Detroit drafted, with Michael Brandsegg-Nygard—a competitive, high-IQ, and talented prospect who plays a two-way game—being the most notable example.

“We have a Red Wing DNA and a type of prospect that we watch, and that’s what we want to continue to bring into the organization,” noted Kris Draper at the 2024 NHL Draft (from ‘Why Red Wings stuck to their ‘DNA’ and drafted Michael Brandsegg-Nygård at No. 15’ – The Athletic – 6/29/24).

Yzerman’s plan for free agency held true to his overall strategy. He surrounded his core with high-quality leaders to help them evolve into impact players. 

Continued; Tony’s got the formula down, more or less, and I would add that it’s incredibly important for the Red Wings that their draft picks are self-improvers–the kinds of players who are driven to improve in terms of their on-ice game and their off-ice training regimens in order to advance their skill sets.

Bleacher Report’s Adam Gretz grades every NHL team’s offseason thus far, and he pulls no punches in issuing distaste for the Red Wings’ moves:

There might not be a general manager in the league facing more pressure this offseason than Steve Yzerman. He needs to produce a playoff team, and so far his offseason makes you wonder if he paid attention to the way his team played in 2023-24.

Instead of fixing one of the league’s worst defenses that helped sabotage their season, he has doubled down on offense by re-signing Patrick Kane and signing Vladimir Tarasenko.

Kane will crush it on the power play, but his 5-on-5 and defensive play are a shell of what they once were.

Tarasenko is still really good, and as good as the Red Wings’ offense was a year ago there is a very real chance it was set up for a regression this season given how high their team shooting percentage was (over 11 percent in all situations, which is not a sustainable number year-to-year).

But that defense … it’s bad, and only managed to get worse after they gave away one of the few reliable players they had by trading Jake Walman in a salary dump to San Jose (and they had to give up a second-round pick to make it happen). That is going to put even more on the shoulders of Moritz Seider to carry the load.

The Red Wings still have over $20 million in salary cap space, and while Seider and Lucas Raymond need to be re-signed as restricted free agents they should not take up all of that. Some of that, at some point, has to be used on defense or the Yzerplan could be setting itself up for another disappointing year.

Grade: D+

Continued; I’m more of an optimist, so I’d issue the Red Wings a solid “C” for their offseason, mostly because, as Gretz suggests, the Red Wings haven’t signed a right-side defenseman to help ease Seider’s workload and provide offense as well…

But the Wings weren’t all that good at even strength defense with David Perron and Shayne Gostisbehere in the lineup. I feel that the team did and will continue to address the “back half” of its lineup through free agency and the evolution and promotion of younger players…

And as much as Gostisbehere’s offense will be missed, his even-strength defense was an…adventure…and Perron has slowed considerably, and was prone to taking obstruction fouls as a result.

Overall, I feel that the Red Wings did what they could with the money they had, and while I disagree with the Walman trade, I am at least hopeful that the Wings will adjust the team’s defensive corps at some point this upcoming season, and I believe that this team will be better at even strength and in goal.

According to Daily Faceoff’s Scott Maxwell, the Red Wings’ free agent signing of Erik Gustafsson was in fact a wise move made by Steve Yzerman and company:

Erik Gustafsson, Detroit Red Wings: 2 years, $2 million AAV

I didn’t give enough love for Erik Gustafsson‘s contract last season. The New York Rangers got him at just $825,000 despite him showing signs of his offensive game returning in 2022-23, and they were rewarded for the gamble. Not only did Gustafsson play well in a depth role for the money he was paid, he also stepped up on their top power play when Adam Fox was hurt and barely looked out of place among the talent that they had on that unit.

That’s why I like this deal for the Red Wings, even though it comes at a slightly higher price tag. With Jake Walman and Shayne Gostisbehere out of the picture, Detroit needed some more offense from the blueline and Gustafsson will happily provide that. Whether he ends up on their second power play unit or on their top unit (if Derek Lalonde wants to continue to give Moritz Seider no easy minutes), Gustafsson should put up the points worthy of at least being worth the $2 million he’s getting paid each season. Detroit may not have won the offseason as a whole with some of the weird decisions they made, but at the very least, this is a nice win for them.

Continued; I wouldn’t call all the Red Wings’ offseason moves “weird,” but some were definitely puzzling.

And here’s hoping that Gustafsson is indeed a Shayne Gostisbehere that’s better defensively.

Nichole Tuttle of Sterling Heights’ “The Voice” reports that the Ted Lindsay Foundation is holding a charitable event later this month:

Red Wings fans eagerly anticipating the start of hockey season can whet their appetite for the game at the upcoming Autos for Autism event in Chesterfield Township.

The annual Autos for Autism fundraiser for the Ted Lindsay Foundation is set for July 20 at Stahls Automotive Foundation, located at 56516 N. Bay Drive in Chesterfield Township. Stahls is a nonprofit that preserves, restores and exhibits vintage vehicles, music machines and memorabilia of the 20th century. The Ted Lindsay Foundation supports autism research and education.

Stahls General Manager Terri Coppens said this year’s fundraising goal is to top last year’s $42,000. Coppens also said the event started several years ago and was born of the Stahls’ Veterans Day events. One of the Veterans Day events is an annual hockey game. Ted Lindsay was in attendance at one of these annual games a few years ago when discussions for an additional Stahls event began.

“It was before Ted Lindsay passed away. We talked with him and kind of got onto a conversation of basically what else we could do. He mentioned the foundation. We thought we could do an event to help that out, and Autos for Autism was born,” Coppens said.

Continued

It’s the morning of July 8th, and ESPN has decided to issue a set of early-summer power rankings. Their conclusions for some teams are pretty fuzzy, including the Red Wings:

16. Detroit Red Wings

Previous ranking: 19
2023-24 finish: Missed the playoffs

At some point, the Yzerplan must result in the Red Wings’ return to the playoffs. Will it happen for them in 2024-25? Detroit brought back Patrick Kane for another kick at the can, and wisely added two-time Cup winner Vladimir Tarasenko as well. But was that enough?

Continued; again, the Red Wings will have to address the need for a right-side offensive defenseman, and that may take a significant period of time to take place.

Also: I’m surprised that the Wings make the playoff cut in ESPN’s rankings, but I’ll take it.

This morning, The Athletic ponders what teams did not address during the start of free agency, and here’s what Max Bultman has to say about the Red Wings’ lingering needs:

Detroit Red Wings: A right-shot top-four defenseman

Detroit added power-play quarterback Erik Gustafsson to replace Shayne Gostisbehere and indicated it will try him on the right side, but he’s more of an offensively tilted player who’s best cast on the third pair. That likely means the Red Wings will once again turn to Jeff Petry in the top four behind Moritz Seider. There was some hope Detroit could find someone to help take a little pressure off Seider, who played the toughest minutes in the NHL last season, but with limited cap space (once accounting for Seider and Lucas Raymond extensions), it looks like this is the group the Red Wings will take into the season. — Max Bultman

Continued (paywall);

At this point, barring a summertime trade that involves the Red Wings shedding salary cap commitments, it may take until next season’s trade deadline before the Red Wings finally address their need for one more offensive defenseman on the right side of the ice.

The Wings may have planned on addressing said need via the proposed trade for Jacob Trouba, who’s more of a shut-down defender, but that’s fallen through, and as such, we’ll have to be patient and see what develops in terms of a potential trade.

This morning, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff discusses the possibility of Red Wings prospect Nate Danielson making the Wings’ roster out of training camp this upcoming season. Duff notes that GM Steve Yzerman isn’t one to award prospects a job based upon their status alone…

“They’re gonna have to really take a step and that’s possible, if they have a good summer and a good preseason,” Yzerman said of young prospects like Danielson. “But we anticipate most of those kids at least starting in GR. Again I don’t have a hard and fast guideline. If we’re in camp and they look like they’re gonna play, we’ll find a spot for them.”

Based on how close he came a year ago, completely ruling out Danielson making the grade seems a bit unwise. He remains someone who oozes belief in himself.

“I thought I had a good camp and I thought I got more comfortable as camp went on and into the preseason and things like that,” Danielson said of Detroit’s 2023 training camp. “I just kept on getting more comfortable, more familiar with it. So yeah, that gave me confidence. Definitely. It gives me confidence going into this year, too, knowing I can have success and play at this level.”

Continued; I don’t know whether Danielson, Marco Kasper, Carter Mazur or any of the Red Wings’ other young players will make the team out of training camp…

But I can make an educated guess that the Wings will want Danielson to acclimate to the AHL in a scoring role instead of playing on the Red Wings’ third or fourth line–unless he proves that he’s absolutely ready for the NHL via a tremendous preseason’s worth of play.

At this point, I think that Carter Mazur’s the most likely player to earn a spot out of training camp given that he plays a supporting, gritty role. As Duff notes, however, Danielson possesses tremendous self-belief, almost to the point of being a bit cocky, so it’s entirely possible that he beats out his fellow forwards to “steal a job” off the Wings’ roster.

97.1 the Ticket’s Mike Stone and Pat Caputo joined Fox 2’s Dan Miller on SportsWorks to discuss several topics on Sunday night, including the Red Wings’ free agency performance.

I can’t embed the video, but at the 6:45 mark, Stone and Caputo discuss the Red Wings’ free agency moves (or the lack thereof) as framed by Wings GM Steve Yzerman’s remarks this past week.

Caputo believes that Trevor Zegras and/or Marco Rossi may be available via a trade route (I would be surprised if that happens!), and they at least address the fact that Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider’s looming restricted free agent contracts slowed down the free agency momentum.

Normally, I would just post this as a press release, but the Tigers and Red Wings’ new furniture and mattress partnership with Ashley will yield a couple of summertime events which might be of interest to you and me:

Dufresne Spencer Group (DSG), the largest licensee of Ashley stores, is now the exclusive furniture and mattress partner to the Detroit Red Wings (NHL) and Detroit Tigers (MLB), joining the brand’s partnership roster alongside the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers, and Memphis Grizzlies, among others.

The long-term partnership marks the first-of-its-kind in the furniture and mattress category for both teams, owned by Ilitch Sports + Entertainment and aims to engage their fans by offering unique experiences, while leaning into the brands’ shared mission and commitment to positively impact their communities. As part of the partnership, awareness and funds will be raised to help children in the foster care system find a permanent home.

“We are thrilled to partner with these two iconic Detroit teams,” said Todd Garten, Chief Marketing Officer of DSG. “We love the passion of the fan base and see this as a tremendous opportunity to enhance the fan experience, while also making a significant impact in the local community. We are committed to working with local organizations and agencies to help find a permanent home for every child in Michigan.”

To kick off that commitment, Ashley DSG will be donating 124 beds to Detroit-area foster children through their “Hope to Dream” initiative, which works to ensure all children have access to a safe place to sleep at night.

To celebrate the game-changing news and the Tigers 124^th season this summer, Ashley will be giving away over $124,000 in furniture, mattresses, team merchandise, and fan experiences in July and August. As part of the giveaways, one sweepstakes winner will receive a $24,000 Ashley shopping spree and four (4) tickets to the Detroit Tigers game of their choice.

Here are the events of note:

Continue reading Press release: Tigers, Red Wings to partner with Ashley Furniture (and there will be giveaways and meet-and-greets as a result)

The Hockey News’s Adam Proteau posted an article which discusses the high likelihood that each and every one of the NHL’s top restricted free agents will earn substantial pay raises, and he includes Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond and defenseman Moritz Seider on his list:

4. Lucas Raymond, RW, Detroit Red Wings: With $19.9 million in cap space, Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman has more than enough room to sign Detroit’s two biggest RFAs – Raymond and defenseman Moritz Seider
(more on him below) – and still have some notable cap flexibility. The
22-year-old Raymond led his team in assists (41) and points (72), and
those numbers were career highs for him. Raymond may skip the bridge
deal opportunity and go straight for a seven-or-eight-year contract that
pays him $5-6 million per season. He’s integral to Detroit’s chances of
getting back into the playoffs, and Yzerman knows he’ll have to fork
over a massive raise to keep the Swede happy. It’s hard to envision
Yzerman draws a financial line in the sand for Raymond; instead, they’ll
give him enough of a raise to reflect his importance to the
organization.

5. Moritz Seider, D, Detroit Red Wings: If Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin
is worth $11 million per season, what should the 23-year-old Seider get
from the Red Wings? Yzerman needs to give the German D-man at least
$8-9 million, and while that would make Seider the highest-paid
blueliner on the team, his value to the present and future of the Wings
cannot be overstated. Seider is a cornerstone component of the Original
Six franchise, and while Yzerman will be looking to cut costs wherever
possible, it won’t come at the expense of Seider. If Seider wants a deal
in the eight figures per season, he might need a bridge deal that gives
him more leverage a few years from now, but we suspect Yzerman wants to
sign him to a longer-term pact that underscores his value to the team.

Continued; the Red Wings’ relative lack of free agent signings was in part muted because of the fact that the Red Wings need to re-sign Raymond and Seider long-term, and it may take all summer for new contracts for Raymond and Seider to emerge.

I can’t imagine any animosity popping up amidst the contract negotiations, but, as Proteau notes over the course of his article, it’s going to be difficult to “sell” either player on earning a team-friendly deal given the $10+ million contracts earned by restricted free agents who’ve produced similarly to the Red Wings’ duo of rising stars.