Power rankings, copy and paste style, from The Athletic

This morning, The Athletic’s Sean Gentille and Dom Luszczyszyn offer a chat-on-Slack-cut-and-pasted edition of early August power rankings, and the Red Wings fare fairly well on their list, all things considered. Any spelling, punctuation or capitalization issues are…theirs…

26. Detroit Red Wings

Sean 3:06 PM
for the first time in a while, the red wings are going to start a season without one of the bottom two spots in the league on lock. i’m not sure they fully deserve to be in this spot, but I like the fact that Steve Yzerman went out and added a couple legit pieces (in alex nedeljkovic and nick leddy), if only for the team’s emotional well-being. there’s a plan, and they should be rewarded a bit for it.

Dom 3:06 PM
i can see it
i think we’re in another very tight cluster of terrible teams and with the red wings it’s at least easy to see a path forward
which is why i’m going with the senators next

Continued (paywall); there are still a few fires for Steve Yzerman and Jeff Blashill to put out from the Ken Holland era (see: Frans Nielsen[?!?!?]), but the seemingly unending roster turnover of the past two seasons has yielded a leaner, meaner, younger and hungrier Red Wings team.

I’m not predicting a long playoff run for the 2021-2022 Red Wings, but I think that they’ll be demonstrably better than they’ve been over the last few years of the Holland regime, and the first few years of Yzerman’s reign…

Monroe: Walleye re-sign goaltender Billy Christopoulos

The Toledo Walleye didn’t participate in the 2020-2021 ECHL season, but they retained the rights to almost a dozen players, including star goaltender Billy Christopoulos (who played with the ECHL’s Indy Fuel this past season). The Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe reports that the Walleye brought Christopoulos back into the fold on Thursday:

Goaltender Billy Christopoulos, who was named to the All-ECHL rookie team in 2019-20, has re-signed with the Toledo Walleye.

Christopoulos, 27, made his pro debut with the Walleye and posted a 23-3-3 record in 2019-20.

In his first pro season, the Air Force Academy graduate led the ECHL with a .932 save percentage, ranked third with 24 wins, and was sixth with a 2.29 goals-against average. He was named the ECHL goaltender of the month in February of that year.

The native of Raleigh had re-signed with Toledo last summer. But the Walleye organization opted to sit out the 2020-21 ECHL season due to the uncertainties created by the coronavirus pandemic.

“I’m pumped to be there,” Christopoulos said. “I know everybody feels like we have a little bit of unfinished business when we got shut down. We’re all excited to get back to the Huntington Center and listen to [the fans] rock that place.”

Christopoulos said it was the organization as a whole that swayed him to return.

“It really is a first class operation,” he said. “From the top down, management, coaching staff, facilities, and everything in between, it’s a great place to be. And then when you add the fans and atmosphere at the Huntington Center on top of that, it’s hard to beat. We’re really looking forward to getting the season going and picking up where we left off two years ago.”

Continued

Press release: AHL to expand Calder Cup Playoffs

This is intriguing stuff, per the AHL:

FORMAT APPROVED FOR 2022 CALDER CUP PLAYOFFS

23 teams to qualify for postseason play next spring

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League Board of Governors has approved the qualification rules and format for the 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs.

A total of 23 teams will qualify for postseason play when the 2021-22 regular season ends on April 24, with five rounds of playoffs leading to the crowning of a Calder Cup champion.

“Our clubs and their National Hockey League partners recognize the importance of playoff races and postseason experience on overall player development,” said AHL President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Howson. “Expanding the Calder Cup Playoff field will allow some 150 additional players to play more meaningful games in pursuit of a championship.”

Continue reading Press release: AHL to expand Calder Cup Playoffs

Press release: Grand Rapids Griffins partner with Paciolan for digital ticketing

FYI, from the Grand Rapids Griffins:

GRIFFINS PARTNER WITH PACIOLAN
Paciolan to Provide Industry-Leading Digital Ticketing Technology to Elevate the Fan Experience

IRVINE, Calif. & GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Paciolan, a leading provider of ticketing and marketing solutions for live entertainment, has partnered with the Grand Rapids Griffins in Grand Rapids, Mich., to power the team’s new ticketing solution. Paciolan will provide comprehensive digital ticketing and marketing solutions for all Griffins events at Van Andel Arena.

The celebration of 25 seasons of Griffins hockey (1996-2021) was put on ice last season due to the COVID pandemic, but this fall the Griffins expect fans to be able to return to Van Andel Arena in full force. The upcoming season will include various festivities and exciting promotions to honor the franchise’s first quarter-century.

“The Griffins are excited to partner with Paciolan for our team’s ticketing needs starting in 2021-22. Paciolan is an industry leader and provides fan-friendly, mobile ticketing technology. In addition, Pac offers a host of marketing tools and sharing of industry best practices which will drive increased exposure and ticket sales for our franchise,” said Tim Gortsema, president of the Griffins.

Here’s more:

Continue reading Press release: Grand Rapids Griffins partner with Paciolan for digital ticketing

Liam Dower Nilsson to take part in Swedes’ ‘Four Nations Cup’ tournament later this month

Very briefly: Hockeysverige.se’s Rasmus Kagstrom and Hockeynews.se’s Henrik Sjoberg report that the Swedish junior national team is going to shake things up after a so-so showing at the World Junior Summer Showcase, icing 18 new players for the late-August “Four Nations Cup.”

Coach Tomas Monten wants to see whether a different group of Swedish junior players can produce a better result, and Wings 2021 draft pick Liam Dower Nilsson is part of the roster.

Update: Here’s a bit more on Dower Nilsson from Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff:

Sweden’s national junior team just got back home from the World Junior Summer Showcase. Monten will be taking almost an entirely new lineup to the upcoming Four Nations Cup in the Czech Republic.

There are 18 new players on the Swedish roster who weren’t in Plymouth, Mich. for the WJSS. Among the news faces in the selections is Detroit Red Wings draft pick Liam Dower Nilsson.

Dower Nilsson is viewed as a strong two-way center whose strength as a player right now is in his defensive game.

“He’s another high character kid,” said Mark Seidel, director of the North American Independent Central Scouting Bureau. “The coaches raved about him. He’s very smart defensively and can shut down the other teams top players. Not a ton of offense but he will get the most out of his talent.”

Dower Nilsson invokes the name of former Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg when assessing his own game.

NHLPA reveals salary arbitration dates: Jakub Vrana scheduled for August 11th, Adam Erne for August 21st

The NHLPA has revealed its salary arbitration dates for the 17 players who filed for a arbitration this past weekend, and Jakub Vrana’s hearing is scheduled for the earliest available date, Wednesday, August 11th, while Adam Erne’s hearing will take place ten days later, on Saturday, August 21st.

FYI:

First hearings are set for Aug 11 with Adam Pelech (NYI), Michael McNiven (MTL) & Jakub Vrana (DET). Negotiations can continue, and a deal can be struck as late as right before the hearing begins. https://t.co/rCOXGqfZGL— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) August 5, 2021

Isn’t it awfully nice to have some cap space?

The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus and Scott Powers spoke with Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman regarding the team’s decision to allow three unrestricted free agents (Vinnie Hinostroza, David Kampf and Pius Suter) test the UFA waters last week, and Bowman revealed that the Hawks did try to keep all three players, but Chicago was hampered in its pursuit by its proximity to the salary cap’s upper limit:

The Blackhawks did try to re-sign Vinnie Hinostroza, David Kampf and Pius Suter. All three players were made offers by the Blackhawks, and all three rejected those offers and tested free agency.

“Most of those decisions were primarily salary-cap related,” Bowman said. “We wanted to bring these players back. You negotiate with their agents and looking at where the numbers were as far as where we felt comfortable paying them and where they were looking in the market. There wasn’t really a match. When that happens, the players find roles elsewhere. That’s not that uncommon to have forwards move from team to team.

“We certainly made an attempt to keep them here but at the same time, I think some change is good for our forward group and I think looking forward, I like the look of our team right now and the players we have. We’ve got a fair amount of talent.”

Kampf signed a two-year contract with a $1.5 million cap hit with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Hinostroza joined the Buffalo Sabres on a one-year, $1.05 million contract. Suter signed the biggest deal as he agreed to a two-year contract with a $3.25 million cap hit with the Detroit Red Wings.

Continued (paywall) with mostly Hawks stuff; it’s nice to be the team with cap space to poach a young player from a historic rival once or twice…

A bit about Filip Hronek, restricted free agent

Sportsnet’s Luke Fox examines the respective contract situations of 10 restricted free agents this morning, and Red Wings RFA Filip Hronek, who did not have arbitration rights, ranks highly on his list:

7. Filip Hronek
Age: 23
Position: Defence
2020-21 salary cap hit: $714,166
Arbitration rights: No

Bargaining chips: 2017 Calder Cup champ. 2019 Red Wings rookie of the year. Team Czech staple who won Best Defenceman at 2019 worlds. Puck-moving, right-shot defenceman yet to reach his ceiling. Led team in points (26) and assists (24) this season. Logs 23:23 per game. Improved discipline and defensively during platform year.

The latest: Fantasy managers know: Hronek is that rare Red Wing worth hanging onto, even during the mighty franchise’s patient rebuild.

“A year from now, Filip Hronek’s up and we’ll extend his contract,” promised GM Steve Yzerman back in October, during an appearance on 97.1 The Ticket.

As recently as the 2021 trade deadline, when he dealt away Mantha, Yzerman highlighted Hronek as a core member of a roster he’s slowly building back to prominence.

Detroit is flush with cap space, so Hronek should surface this summer with more term than any of his teammates. Yzerman was prudent in managing his internal cap in Tampa, so the bar he sets with Hronek will be one worth watching.

Continued; I’d gather that Hronek will sign a bridge deal in the $3 million range, but that’s just an educated guess at this point.

The Athletic’s Luszczyszyn on improved teams (including the Wings)

The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn offers a list of the teams which he believes have improved the most over the course of the short 2021-2022 offseason, and the Red Wings rank highly on his list, not only for their additions, but also their subtractions:

From New Jersey to Arizona, a look at which teams have improved the most and least this offseason: https://t.co/iAxfddJCA6 pic.twitter.com/wBIKnn3rDA— dom at the athletic (@domluszczyszyn) August 5, 2021

7. Detroit Red Wings

Wins Added: 2.2 wins

Salary Added: $5.8 million

In: Alex Nedeljkovic, Pius Suter, Nick Leddy, Jordan Oesterle, Mitchell Stephens

Out: Jonathan Bernier, Richard Panik, Dennis Cholowski, Luke Glendening, Darren Helm

One massive addition is driving Detroit’s standing here and that’s potential goalie of the future Alex Nedeljkovic. He was lights out in 23 games last season and Carolina’s loss is Detroit’s gain between the pipes. There isn’t a lot of data to go off, but based on what he’s shown to date (and a heavy dose of regression) the model is a big fan of Nedeljkovic. He’s projected to be a pretty sizeable upgrade over Jonathan Bernier.

The rest isn’t much, but they’re all upgrades to the team’s depth. Nick Leddy had a nice bounce-back last season and provides a boost to Detroit’s defence, while Pius Suter proved in his rookie season he can be a responsible middle-six center. In addition by subtraction news, losing Luke Glendening and Darren Helm also helps.

Continued (paywall)

Red Wings re-sign Chase Pearson for one year

Knocking the contracts out, one at a time: the Red Wings have re-signed Chase Pearson to a one-year deal after a spectacular season with the Grand Rapids Griffins:

UPDATE: The #RedWings today re-signed center Chase Pearson to a one-year contract. pic.twitter.com/iata8K7ADx— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 5, 2021

Here’s the press release:

Continue reading Red Wings re-sign Chase Pearson for one year