Friedman: Red Wings to waive Zadina again to terminate his contract

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Red Wings are going to place Filip Zadina on unconditional waivers in order to terminate his contract tomorrow:

We’ll see what happens tomorrow, but there is word the Detroit Red Wings are considering placing Filip Zadina on waivers for the purposes of terminating his contract.

Zadina is owed $4.56M in salary over the next two seasons. This is tricky to report, because agent Darren Ferris would not comment, but, as I write this, the belief is Zadina is prepared to walk away from the money and not contest the move. According to several sources, in recent conversations, the player made it very clear he would not report if sent to the AHL next season. (That would be a contract violation.)

If he clears waivers, he could sign anywhere he wishes.

Zadina asked for a trade before the draft, and the Red Wings placed him on regular waivers on Tuesday. Available to any team, everyone passed. Talking with local media, Yzerman made it clear salary was the problem.

“Am I happy to put him on waivers? No. I signed him to a three-year contract a year ago because I believed that he was going to grow. The reality now is: you wanted that contract, that contract may prevent you from getting the opportunity you’re looking for in another organization.”

Some development camp thoughts from Shapiro

I very happily pay the $8 a month to subscribe to Sean Shapiro’s Substack as the former Dallas Stars correspondent and EP Rinkside contributor is an excellent writer with a fine hockey mind. As he lives in Detroit, he attended several days of this year’s 2023 Summer Development Camp, and today, Sean offers some thoughts regarding the process and product thereof:

The stuff we see, the on-ice portion, is only the surface level. For some teams it’s completely unnecessary, which is why the Chicago Blackhawks completely ditched any on-ice activities at their development camp.

Development camps are more about the back-end prospect education. Teaching younger players how to eat and cook for themselves, getting some base-level medical scans on some players from Europe while they are in the NHL facility.

The off-ice growth, the Detroit Red Wings took the prospects to play paint ball for example, is hidden within the NHL machine.

Wouldn’t it be more interesting to read about how the paintball game played out that how a 19-year-old worked on his skating edges?

Alas, the Red Wings aren’t inviting me, or any media member, to the paintball game anytime soon. So we’ll have to chat about what we could see with our own eyes.

Continued (subscriber-only)

Roughly translated: Magnus Hellberg discusses his time with the Red Wings

Former Red Wings goaltender Magnus Hellberg signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins as an unrestricted free agent, but today, in speaking with HockeySverige.se’s Ronnie Ronnqvist, Hellberg reflected upon his tenure as a Detroit Red Wing:

“After Seattle, it was Detroit. I should add that my partner, Emma, was with me during this time and carried our daughter, Freja, who is now eight weeks old. She was heavily pregnant when I was picked up on waivers, so it wasn’t “just” packing the hockey bag; you have to pack the whole family.

“We had three different doctors, so it wasn’t just hockey-wise that things happened. But it was also in my private life. I have to give compliments to Emma. She knew what to expect this season, and was fantastic throughout the journey,” says Magnus Hellberg, who breaks into a smile. “It was a special season in that way, but at the same time, we were in the NHL for the whole season, and I only started in 20 games.”

It felt like the 2022-23 season was the first where you got a relatively big role on an NHL team?

“Yes, that’s how I felt at the same time, as it was nice to land a little with a team. Being able to be in one place and work. Not having to feel like we were living in a suitcase.

“In terms of hockey, I was mixed and gave a little. Some games felt fantastic, while others went less well. Also, Detroit, as a team, all the goalies and all the players, had a tough season, and hockey is a team sport.

“I would have liked to maintain a more stable level during the games I played, but I learned a lot throughout the season.

“In Russia, I was more of a first-choice goaltender and gained a lot of trust. In Detroit, I ended up in a back-up role where I didn’t get to play as much. Maybe I played a game every two or three weeks. It was also something I needed to deal with and make the best of the situation to help the team win.”

Do we in Sweden really understand how good Lucas Raymond was last season?

“I don’t think so. Lucas is an amazingly good hockey player, and I noticed that he will play in that league throughout his career and maintain a very high level.

“He has a really good shot and is cunning out there, and so the Swedish people will definitely see a lot more of him.”

Continued (in translation)

Your Alex DeBrincat rumors of the day

The Winged Wheel Podcast’s Ryan Hana reported the following yesterday night…

Bally Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland offered these two tidbits…

The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch added a quip of his own…

And now 97.1 the Ticket’s Karsch and Anderson show are running with last night’s rumor from Marek (who is to be believed about 99% of the time):

Continue reading Your Alex DeBrincat rumors of the day

Khan: Kris Draper’s new ‘dual role’ excites #33

Red Wings assistant GM and director of amateur scouting Kris Draper spoke with the media this morning at Little Caesars Arena, and MLive’s Ansar Khan took note of Draper’s comments:

“It’s something pretty special,” Draper said. “To be an assistant general manager of the Detroit Red Wings is obviously a stepping-stone, it’s a goal for me, but to earn that trust from Steve Yzerman means a lot. Obviously, he appreciates the hard work and what I’ve been doing and where we’re at and the direction we’re going.

“Just going to stay the course, keep highly motivated, understanding there’s still so much work to be done, but it’s obviously nice to be rewarded.”

Draper will continue working alongside Yzerman and assistant GM Shawn Horcoff, who oversees the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins, on all hockey operations matters and continue running the draft. His expanded duties include being more involved on the business side (contracts, input on player transactions).

“I want the opportunity to sit on meetings like last week with free agency, the negotiations of contracts, entry-level deals,” Draper said. “I’d love to learn how to do those. But my main role is exactly what it’s been since Steve has come here and that’s running the draft.”

Continued

Regarding J.T. Compher and Shayne Gostisbehere’s respective fantasy hockey values

Of fantasy hockey-related note:

Sportsnet’s Michael Amadio weighs in on the Red Wings’ signing of J.T. Compher from a fantasy hockey perspective…

The Detroit Red Wings spent a bunch of money in free agency, including a pretty rich multi-year deal for J.T. Compher. I’m not sure Compher will be able to duplicate a strong 2022-23 season in Detroit, though, as he recorded 29 of his 52 points playing with Mikko Rantanen after a bunch of injuries pushed him up the Colorado Avalanche lineup. Compher won’t be playing with anyone close to Rantanen’s talent level in Detroit and is probably destined for more of a defensive role.

And Daily Faceoff’s Nick Alberga has this to say about Shayne Gostisbehere:

Shayne Gostisbehere – Detroit Red Wings – DAfter rising back to fantasy prominence in Arizona last season, Gostisbehere’s stock took a substantial hit when he was traded at the deadline to Carolina. Now with Detroit, the 30-year-old should get ample opportunity —at least at even strength. That said, Moritz Seider figures to retain his role quarterbacking the first play unit, which obviously bodes terribly for Gostisbehere’s fantasy stock. Then again, things can change quickly.

Another ‘Yzerpan’

EP Rinkside’s Ryan Lambert isn’t the only journalist to lambast the “Yzerplan” this week. Today, Yahoo Sports’ James O’Brien also lambast’s Yzerman’s plans for improving his organization:

For one, every dollar that goes to inessential players [like this summer’s free agent signings] could make it tougher to retain the essential ones. Entering the last year of their rookie deals, it’s difficult to say how much Seider and Raymond will cost. It wouldn’t be ideal if all of that poorly-spent money might translate to bridge deals where long-term contracts may be more team-friendly for Detroit.

Also: when you spend money on veterans, you open the door for tricky situations that could hinder development.

Did Seider suffer a partial “sophomore slump” last season, or did he mainly languish when he was attached to Chiarot? Many believe it wasn’t a coincidence that Seider’s numbers looked a lot better with Jake Walman.

Stacking up veteran defensemen who may just be incremental upgrades could mean blocking someone like Edvinsson. Maybe Yzerman was merely providing lip service on Tuesday when he said that Edvinsson needs to earn a spot in the team’s top six. However, NHL coaches are notorious for giving veteran players far too much benefit of the doubt while failing to give up-and-comers room to grow (and occasionally make mistakes).

Frankly, those growing pains might even set you up with a better shot at that extra dynamic prospect who can truly raise the ceiling of a franchise. It seems like a wiser path than Detroit’s most likely destination: the murky middle.

Continued