HSJ in the morning: on the battle for jobs on the Wings’ blueline

The Free Press’s Helene St. James discusses the Red Wings’ defensive depth this morning, wondering aloud how the competition for spots on the Wings’ blueline this fall will turn out:

General manager Steve Yzerman added three veterans during the offseason in Jeff Petry, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Justin Holl. Gone from last season’s roster are Filip Hronek, Jordan Oesterle, Robert Hagg and Gustav Lindström. Returning defensemen include Moritz Seider, Jake Walman, Ben Chiarot, and Olli Määttä. Health is unpredictable, of course, but on the face of it, that is a better starting corps than the Wings have had in years.

Seider, Petry and Holl shoot right, so the Wings will have the luxury of forming three pairs consisting of right-shots and left-shots. With Seider, Walman, Petry and Gotisbehere, the Wings can also have at least one defender on each pairing who can make things happen offensively. And Määttä showed renewed signs of that side of his game last season, too.

With the exception of three games in mid-February when Walman was out of the lineup, he and Seider formed a successful partnership the second half of the season. They read off one another well, allowing each to take an active role with the puck, without compromising integrity in their own zone. Seider had a minus-13 rating when he gained Walman as a partner, then posted a plus-two in the time they played together. The logical starting point is to have those together again.

From there, it gets interesting. Chiarot, Seider’s partner the first half, had an ugly plus-minus at season’s end, bottoming out at minus-31. But he’s 6 feet 3 and 232 pounds and plays as heavy as he is. He’s got an edge to him — when Ryan Reaves was taking all manner of liberties with the Wings during a game at Minnesota in December last year, it was Chiarot who dropped his gloves to send a message on behalf of his team.


Continued (paywall)

NHL.com: Kris Draper runs into Alec Martinez during his Day with the Cup

From NHL.com’s Christopher Detwiler:

Stanley got to spend his long weekend on the lake with some old friends.

While Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alec Martinez was celebrating the third Stanley Cup championship of his career on his boat in Michigan on Wednesday, he ran into former Detroit Red Wings forward Kris Draper, who won the Cup four times himself.

Before winning the Cup with the Golden Knights this past season, Martinez won the Cup with the Los Angeles Kings in 2012 and 2014. Draper won all four of his Stanley Cups with the Red Wings (1997, 1998, 2002, 2008).

The two met up on Martinez’s boat for a photo with their old friend Stanley.

That’s someone who’s worth keeping in touch with.

A bit more about Steve Yzerman’s comments to the West Michigan Sports Commission luncheon

MLive’s Patrick Nothaft posted an article discussing the comments made by Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman at the West Michigan Sports Commission’s luncheon in Grand Rapids today:

Steve Yzerman captained the Detroit Red Wings to three Stanley Cup championships during his 22-year NHL playing career, but hockey’s top prize has eluded the Hall of Fame player during his 18 years as an executive.

And that’s something the Red Wings’ fifth-year general manager hopes to change in a city that he helped turn into “Hockeytown.”

Yzerman served as the keynote speaker of the West Michigan Sports Commission’s 16th Annual Luncheon Wednesday at the J.W. Marriott in Grand Rapids, where he discussed his goal of winning a Stanley Cup as a general manager, some of his unforgettable on-ice accomplishments and a couple former teammates who he hopes to see in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

“Truthfully, for me, it would be a greater accomplishment than doing it as a player,” Yzerman said of building a Stanley Cup-winning team. “To be in this position and kind of direct the team or guide an organization can be an incredible opportunity and something I wasn’t about to pass on.”

Continued; if you missed the video post, you can watch his full speech here via WZZM 13:

Are the Red Wings just ‘buying time’ this season?

EP Rinkside’s Sean Shapiro posted an article which discusses “NHL storylines to watch” in the Atlantic Division for this upcoming season. Here’s what he has to say about the Detroit Red Wings:

Detroit Red Wings – There’s been this funny tit for tat argument on social media going on between Senators and Red Wings fans in the offseason – especially after the Alex DeBrincat trade. Both are pushing they have the better team, both could make that claim, and both are missing the reality that neither will likely make the playoffs this season. 

In Detroit the plan, or Yzerplan, this season is to contend, play meaningful games, and maybe get into the playoffs – playoff hockey would be a bonus, but not a necessity. There are some additions, the Red Wings got better, but in the long run, Steve Yzerman has built his cap structure and team for an overhaul of assets in a couple years as the salary cap rises. 

If Detroit is out of the playoff picture, there could be another sell-off at the deadline, David Perron, Daniel Sprong, Christian Fischer, and Shayne Gostisbehere will all be pending UFAs.

Until then, this season in Detroit is about finding a way to keep things fun and interesting, while also eventually making room for some of the prospects like Simon Edvinsson, Carter Mazur, and Sebastian Cossa in the following season. 

Continued (paywall); Shapiro’s not the first person I’ve heard who suggests that the Red Wings are just buying time until the salary cap rises and more impactful free agents hit the market when Detroit’s current top prospects become NHL-ready.

Quick tidbit: David Perron’s favo(u)rite cheat food

The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford, Michael Russo and Peter Baugh asked 20 NHL players what their favorite “cheat food” happens to be, and Red Wings forward David Perron goes with a hometown favo(u)rite:

David Perron, Detroit

“Mine is poutine in Quebec. French fries with special poutine cheese and sauce. I go to Louis Luncheonette in Sherbrooke. It’s the same old-school place I’ve been going to my whole life, and I brought the Stanley Cup there in 2019.”

Continued (paywall); it’s a fun little offbeat story.

Video: WZZM 13 posts Steve Yzerman’s speech from the West Michigan Sports Commission’s luncheon

I can’t embed it, but WZZM 13 posted the entirety of Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman’s 18-minute speech today at the West Michigan Sports Commission’s luncheon in Grand Rapids.

Edit: Here it is from YouTube:

Update: WZZM 13 also posted a shorter summary clip…

As did Fox 17…

Which noted the following:

“We certainly would like to make the playoffs,” Yzerman said. “Our goal isn’t just to make the playoffs our goal is to build a championship team, a team that can compete for a championship, the moves we are making along the way here aren’t necessarily designed to be ‘oh my god we have to make the playoffs this year or its playoffs or bust,’ we are trying to build a nucleus of a young team that’s going to be together for a long time that can compete in the playoffs for the Stanley Cup and we are sticking with that plan.”

THN’s Stockton examines Robby Fabbri’s potential impact

The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton examines Robby Fabbri’s potential performance this upcoming season. Fabbri may be “bumped down the lineup” a bit by the Red Wings’ offseason signings, but the Wings will still count upon him to provide an offensive impact:

It’s unfortunate that injuries precluded Fabbri from enjoying any semblance of continuity throughout his Red Wings tenure.  With a sustained run as regular in the lineup, Fabbri could have offer more robust proof of concept that he makes sense in a featured role, but it hasn’t gone that way.  Instead, Fabbri will have to compete just to a secure a place in the lineup each night.

However, before going too doom and gloom, it’s also worth pointing out that Fabbri is only 27, and while he might be in the latter stages of his prime, there is still ample time for him to re-discover his health and form and play his way up the lineup.

To state the blindingly obvious, the first step for Fabbri has to be health and continuity.  

Since that first season with the Red Wings, Fabbri’s challenge has been establishing a clearly defined role, a task made all the more difficult by missing time due to injury.  If he can stay healthy and sustain a run of solid form, that reliability and consistency can in turn set Fabbri up to develop a clear part to play for Derek Lalonde.

Detroit doesn’t need him to be a top scorer but pitching in some offense would be a good start. The other side of the puck might prove more important (and more challenging) for him though.

Continued; Stockton’s right in suggesting that Fabbri has to become a better two-way player.

A wee bit of fantasy hockey talk about the Alex DeBrincat acquisition

In the fantasy hockey department, RotoWire’s John Litterine examines prominent offseason moves as they apply to fantasy hockey poolies, and he spotlights the Red Wings trade for Alex DeBrincat:

DeBrincat’s one season in Ottawa was underwhelming. He scored just 27 goals (and 66 points) in 82 games while finishing with a horrific minus-31 rating in 2022-23. That said, DeBrincat is still just 25 years of age, exceedingly durable, and he’ll be joining a team on the rise in the Red Wings. The Farmington Hills, Michigan native should be extremely motivated for a bounce-back performance with his new club.

Continued, with a mention of J.T. Compher coming off his career-best offensive season; here’s hoping that DeBrincat is indeed “durable.”

Khan profiles Shai Buium

Shai Buium is an NCAA-playing prospect, so he won’t be taking part in next week’s prospect tournament, but he’s about to embark upon an important junior season with the University of Denver Pioneers. As such, MLive’s Ansar Khan filed a profile of Buium today:

Shai Buium might have more offense in him after tallying seven goals and 32 assists in 77 games over two seasons, but defense is his top priority.

“I think every year I’m developing a lot, different parts of my game,” Buium said. “Maturing is a big part of it. I think the defensive part of the game is a big part I needed to work on at the start. I think I’m definitely getting better at that. The more you play in that league, the more confident you get. I feel that becoming a leader is a big step for me this year. I just want to take on those roles.”

That was the Red Wings’ message to him at development camp in July, along with other valuable advice.

“I’ve learned one of the big things is getting enough hours of sleep every night, and they talk about the more you get used to getting to bed earlier your body will get used to waking up earlier,” Buium said. “Little things like stepping outside and seeing daylight first thing in the morning is really good for you. So, applying those little things really make a big change.”

Continued

Tweets of note: A bit from Steve Yzerman at the West Michigan Sports Commission’s luncheon in Grand Rapids

Via The Athletic’s Max Bultman on Twitter/X, WZZM 13’s Jamal Spencer is reporting from the West Michigan Sports Commission’s luncheon today, and the GM reported this regarding one Simon Edvinsson, who’s recovering from shoulder surgery: