The Malik Report

The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted an article in which she discusses the Red Wings’ first-day-of-free-agency moves, issuing individual grades:

Steve Yzerman added multiple forwards, defensemen and goaltenders on the first day of free agency, but did not find what the Detroit Red Wings arguably need most.

Four months after trading away Tyler Bertuzzi, Jakub Vrana and Filip Hronek, all highly skilled players in their mid-20s, the Wings filled those vacancies with J.T. Compher, Daniel Sprong and Justin Holl.

Signing goaltenders James Reimer and Alex Lyon certainly looks like upgrades over Alex Nedeljkovic and Magnus Hellberg, whose struggles last season curbed the Wings’ effectiveness. But Bertuzzi and Vrana were both proven scorers and Hronek was an offensive defenseman, and the newcomers do not have resumes that match their production.

Yzerman was not made available to reporters Saturday, but two days earlier he spoke of the challenge of finding high-end players in free agency: “We’ll fill some spots; who exactly; I’m not sure, or for how long or how much. That’s the nature of free agency.”

Yzerman had salary cap cash, but seven years of missing the playoffs has left the Wings without the cachet of being a destination for the sort of top-end free agents they used to draw. Bertuzzi was a 30-goal scorer and while Yzerman made a smart move in gaining a first-round pick (2024, top-10 protected) for a guy who otherwise could have been lost for nothing in free agency, neither Compher and Sprong have Bertuzzi’s touch around the net.

Continued

The NHL Tonight crew discussed the Red Wings’ decision to sign J.T. Compher to a 5-year contract on Saturday:

EP Rinkside’s Dmitri Filipovic posted an article discussing “winners and losers” after the first day of the unrestricted free agent period, and here’s what he had to say about the Red Wings’ moves:

The other team whose reckless usage of resources similarly stands out is the Detroit Red Wings. For the second straight offseason, they jumped head first into the unrestricted free agent market and spent freely on players that are fine, but don’t exactly move the needle in any significant way. Here’s the list of free agent skaters they’ve signed in that time, and the amount of future money they invested in them:

• Andrew Copp – 5 years, $28.125 million
• J.T. Compher – 5 years, $25.5 million
• Ben Chiarot – 4 years, $19 million
• Justin Holl – 3 years, $10.2 million
• David Perron – 2 years, $9.5 million
• Dominik Kubalík – 2 years, $5 million
• Shayne Gostisbehere – 1 year, $4.125 million
• Daniel Sprong – 1 year, $2 million

The last two I actually like. Detroit’s offence was deplorable last year, finishing 28th in 5-on-5 scoring and 31st in high-danger chance generation. At those prices, Gostisbehere and Sprong will both surely be able to help and can be easily flipped to a contender at the deadline for a decent return. 

What I don’t really understand are the long-term commitments to some of the others up at the top, especially when combining the context of where they’re at as an organization and what those players provide. When he took a sharp step back and sold off everything he could at last year’s trade deadline, general manager Steve Yzerman was fairly critical of the Red Wings, and how far away they were from competing against some of the other teams in their own division. 

That was the right assessment at the time, and it was encouraging to hear because it provided some hope for their plan of action moving forward. But the choices they just made yet again this summer don’t really gel with that, and the fact that it’s unclear what their goals are and what they’re trying to ultimately accomplish is kind of concerning.

Continued (paywall)

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff examines the negative reactions to Steve Yzerman’s free agency moves this morning:

From the moment he became GM of the Detroit Red Wings in 2019, it was appearing that Steve Yzerman was bulletproof. With each move he made in the rebuild of the franchise, the faithful were greeting the transaction with absolute certainty that it was the right thing to do. Stevie Y could do no wrong.

Trust in the Yzerplan was the mantra of the masses.

Has the bloom come off that rose?

Saturday, as the Red Wings began dipping their toes in the NHL UFA pool, it was impossible to drown out the noise from the Detroit fanbase as they began panning each move. Suddenly, they were also questioning Yzerman’s management acumen.

“Guys it’s looking like Yzerman is a bad GM,” posted someone billing themselves as Source on Twitter. “It pains my heart. I almost named my son after him in 2006.”

Many Detroit fans who in the past have walked in lockstep right alongside Yzerman on this journey were doing a harsh 180 in reaction to his latest personnel decisions.

Continued

MLive’s Ansar Khan discusses the Red Wings’ six major free agency signings and trade acquisitions (one Klim Kostin) this evening, and Khan wonders aloud whether GM Steve Yzerman improved the team’s outlook for the 2023-2024 season:

Are they better than they were at the start of last season, when they had Tyler Bertuzzi, Jakub Vrana, Filip Hronek and Alex Nedeljkovic among others?

If so, only marginally it would seem. With a little more than $9 million in cap space, Yzerman has some flexibility to make a trade or two before the start of training camp or during the season (Ottawa still hasn’t moved Alex DeBrincat).

Regardless, the Red Wings need growth from younger players like Lucas Raymond, Michael Rasmussen, Jonatan Berggren and Joe Veleno. They need a prospect or two, like Simon Edvinsson, Elmer Soderblom or 2022 top pick Marco Kasper to contribute. They need Dylan Larkin and Moritz Seider to be at least as good as they were last season. They need better health.

Most of last year’s free agents/trade acquisitions made a positive contribution. David Perron was second on the team in goals (24) and points (56). Andrew Copp didn’t score much (nine goals) but had a career-high 38 assists, checked and killed penalties. Olli Maatta was a steady bottom-four defenseman. Goaltender Ville Husso might have been their most valuable player before fading near the end under a heavy workload.

This year’s newcomers must make an impact, too, if the Red Wings, who finished 12 points out of a playoff spot, can take the next step in this lengthy rebuild.

Continued; by hook or by crook, the Red Wings still need to add an elite offensive talent up front if they are to really improve upon last season’s record, and that player may have to come via a trade.

Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin doesn’t deem the Red Wings to be a first-day-of-free-agency “winner,” but he doesn’t believe that they’ve “lost,” either. Instead, he places the Red Wings front and center in the “murky middle“:

Red Wings: Steve Yzerman keeps adding up the middle. After backing up Dylan Larkin with Andrew Copp last season, he landed two-way maven J.T. Compher, who was legitimately one of the top pivots available in the depressed market. While he won’t score in Detroit like he did with Mikko Rantanen in Colorado, Compher will be useful in a shutdown role. On the other hand: Compher’s defensive acumen is offset by, er, whatever Justin Holl was doing out there for the Maple Leafs. Lacking in confidence and seemingly tilting the ice for the Leafs’ opponents every shift during the playoffs, Holl could be a worthy reclamation project for a lower-pressure market in theory given his past success as a penalty killer. But at $3.4 million per for three seasons, there was absolutely no discount on the signing. The additions of Daniel Sprong and Shayne Gostisbehere fortified Detroit’s depth, but the Holl head scratcher put a damper on things.

Continued

Per the Grand Rapids Griffins:

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins on Saturday signed defenseman Josiah Didier (DIH-dee-ay) to an American Hockey League contract.

Didier, a nine-year AHL veteran, has captained the Providence Bruins for the past two campaigns. During the 2022-23 campaign, the 30-year-old posted 13 points (4-9—13) and 61 penalty minutes in 69 regular-season games with the Bruins. Didier has spent time in the AHL with the Hamilton Bulldogs (2014-15), St. John’s IceCaps (2015-17), Charlotte Checkers (2017-19) and Providence (2019-23), making his pro debut with the Bulldogs on April 2, 2015. He became a Calder Cup champion in 2019 when he aided Charlotte with four assists and a plus-12 rating in 19 playoff appearances. With the Bruins in 2019-20, Didier paced the AHL with a plus-32 rating in 61 contests, while scoring a career-high 15 points (3-12—15). Drafted with the 97th overall pick by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, the 6-foot-3 defenseman has accumulated 67 points (16-51—67), 423 penalty minutes and a plus-61 rating throughout 377 regular-season AHL outings. In the postseason, he has added one goal and eight helpers in 34 Calder Cup Playoff appearances.

Continue reading Grand Rapids Griffins sign D Josiah Didier to AHL contract

Via Paul Kukla of Kukla’s Korner: Regardless of whether the Red Wings are interested in Alex DeBrincat, it’s worth noting that the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch spoke with Senators GM Pierre Dorion regarding the disgruntled Sens forward, and, well…

Alex DeBrincat is learning the hard way that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence.

After refusing to sign an eight-year deal with the Ottawa Senators, the 25-year-old, two-time 40-goal scorer and his Toronto-based agent, Jeff Jackson, are learning that DeBrincat can’t get that kind of contract anywhere else in the National Hockey League.

While the Senators have tried to deal DeBrincat for the past three weeks and found some trades they considered to be close, those talks got shut down because Jackson was unable to get the kind of term of contract he wanted after being given permission to speak to those teams.

General manager Pierre Dorion confirmed Saturday, the day NHL free agency opened, he had given Jackson permission to talk contract with more than one team in an attempt to facilitate a trade, but those trades fell through because DeBrincat’s camp didn’t like the term they were being offered.

“There’s varying degrees of interest,” Dorion said at the Canadian Tire Centre. “Teams call, we get close to a deal, I give them permission, and sometimes they’re not ready to pay maybe the term that we’re ready to pay. He’s 25 years old, so he’s looking for something in particular, and I can talk about it because we own his rights, so I think the degrees (of interest) vary.”

…

With the first day of free agency out of the way, that may open up landing spots for DeBrincat. It’s believed the Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks are among the teams that have shown interest. Also looking for scoring are the Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, Seattle Kraken, St. Louis Blues and both the New York Islanders and New York Rangers.

Teams that didn’t address their needs in free agency may circle back, but, for example, Dallas signed Matt Duchene to a one-year, $3-million deal and the Rangers brought in Blake Wheeler. That’s not going to help the Senators as they try to move DeBrincat and his contract.

Continued

As first reported by The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Red Wings signed 30-year-old defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere to a 1-year, $4.125 million deal with the Red Wings:

Not sure if this is out there but as I sip on my beer, Gostisbehere signs one year, $4.125 M in Detroit 🍺— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 1, 2023

Shayne Gostisbehere 1x$4–and-bit in DET— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 1, 2023

UPDATE: The #RedWings today signed defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere to a one-year contract with an AAV of $4,125,000. pic.twitter.com/3M7NAguMcZ— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 2, 2023

Shayne Gostisbehere has signed with the Detroit Red Wings to a one-year, $4.125M deal. This is one of better signings by Yzerman today. Gostisbehere is a TOP4 offensive defenseman & who is also great on PP. For one year it’s good deal. pic.twitter.com/jxnsag4M8r— Andy & Rono (@ARHockeyStats) July 1, 2023

Shayne Gostisbehere, signed 1x$4ishM by DET, is a top four offensive defenceman with a great shot and excellent penalty differential. At his best in the offensive zone, pretty easy to beat off the rush. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/zkxfdDTvi1— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 1, 2023

Here’s CBS Sports’ take:

Gostisbehere recorded 13 goals and 41 points in 75 contests between Arizona and Carolina last season. Although the 30-year-old defenseman has had an up-and-down career, Gostisbehere is capable of serving in a top-four role and being a major asset on the power play. He should be put in a position to succeed with the Red Wings.

And MLive’s Ansar Khan confirms:

Continue reading Red Wings sign D Shayne Gostisbehere to 1-year, $4.125 million contract

The Athletic’s Max Bultman posted seven “thoughts” regarding the Red Wings’ first-day-of-free-agency moves. Among them:

It shouldn’t be lost here that signing Compher as a top-nine Swiss army knife makes the Red Wings deeper. Detroit badly needed a right-shot center, too, and Compher can be that, whether it means playing down the middle full-time or by playing on Copp’s wing and taking draws from the right dot.

He should make the Red Wings harder to play against in general.

But the price was not small, and even after adding Compher and 21-goal scorer Daniel Sprong, Detroit is still without that true top-level scorer it needs. It was always going to be tricky on a free-agent market this thin, but whether it was on the UFA market or by trade, top-six firepower was the key need going into today. And right now, Detroit’s approach seems to have been to fill by committee.

It would have been one thing to take that route as a bridge to next summer’s free agent class, but giving Compher five years complicates that, and is a bit hard to square with recent comments.

Just last week, Yzerman said, “Seven- and eight-year contracts are a risk at any age. And some of them can turn out to be good. But if you look at the history of them, the majority of them don’t work out. So, very careful on how many of those we hand out, and who you hand them out to.”

Continued (paywall); I’m fairly certain that the Wings will have to make a trade to add what they’re looking for.