The Malik Report

Of general hockey-related note on a sunny Saturday afternoon in late July:

1. The Toledo Walleye’s recently re-signed coach, Dan Watson, and newly re-signed stalwart defenseman, Simon Denis, said, “Hello” from a Toledo Mud Hens game:

1️⃣4️⃣ weeks until you’re back where you belong. pic.twitter.com/NQhBBJUn2Q— Toledo Walleye (@ToledoWalleye) July 30, 2022

2. The Grand Rapids Griffins’ “Put a Lid on It” campaign is about putting bike helmets on as many young kids as possible, so they held a “Bike Rodeo” today at Van Andel Arena:

Thank you to everyone that came out to the Bike Rodeo today! #GoGRG pic.twitter.com/Z4xEGM41Lh— Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) July 30, 2022

3. And also in the charitable news vein, Red Wings prospect Sebastian Cossa took part in a blood drive for Hockey Gives Blood this past season, raising $3,723:

I would like to thank the group of medical professionals in Edmonton who helped me fundraise this past season for @hkygivesblood and @CanadasLifeline; a non-profit and charity that I am proud to be a part of. #EverySaveCounts @EdmOilKings @TheWHL @CHLHockey pic.twitter.com/r1ivkA1Wf9— Sebastian Cossa (@SebastianCossa) July 30, 2022

Cossa’s in Edmonton preparing for the summertime version of the 2022 World Junior Championship, which will take place at Rogers Place from August 9th to August 20th.

Via Paul Kukla of Abel to Yzerman comes this out-of-left-field suggestion from the Boston Globe’s Kevin Dupont regarding one Patrick Kane:

It increasingly looks and sounds as if the Blackhawks will move longtime franchise pieces Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, each about to enter the final year of their megadeals that carry $10.5M cap hits. Of the two, the 33-year-old Kane remains the most vital and productive (92 points last season), and maybe a team like Detroit (young stars evolving) or Anaheim (winters a touch warmer than both Detroit and Chicago) would entertain the idea of offering a two- or three-year extension at a decent dollar.

Continued; Kane has a full no-movement clause, so he’s able to turn down or approve every potential trade, and while his cap hit is $10.5 million U.S. this upcoming season, he’s making $6.9 million in real-world dollars, per CapFriendly.

He’s still an elite goal-scorer and play-maker with a good five years left on his odometer, so I would see Kane more likely to head back home to Buffalo than Detroit, and I’m not certain that the Red Wings would be willing to pay the haul of prospects and picks that Chicago would logically demand for Kane.

Stranger things have happened, but a Kadri signing on a short-term contract makes more sense to me than a Kane trade.

NHL.com posted a TikTok video on Twitter, and it’s a really remarkable piece of art crafted from a set of molds made from old Nike Zoom skates, combined with Sergei Fedorov in his Nike gear:

Just wait for it… 🤯

(🎥 TikTok/typcollection) pic.twitter.com/xM7NgJEQi7— NHL (@NHL) July 30, 2022

Nice timing here:

Former Red Wings defenseman and current Chicago Blackhawks ambassador and tequila entrepreneur Chris Chelios made a circuit of Michigan-based minor league baseball teams this past week, throwing out the first pitch and then signing autographs at the West Michigan Whitecaps’ game on Wednesday, and repeating his routine at the Traverse City Pit Spitters’ game on Thursday.

Chelios spoke with the Daily News’s Austin Chastain regarding his newer endeavors as a tequila pitch-man and hockey analyst:

Chelios has remained a busy man after his playing and management days in hockey came to a close.

Since retiring from hockey, the 60-year-old has turned into a businessman and restaurateur with Cheli’s Chili in Detroit — which he closed in 2018 to move back to Chicago to be closer to his mother. He has a new venture in El Bandido Yankee Tequila, which he started with Jim Bob Morris at the beginning of the year.

“Another one of those late-night decisions,” Chelios said. “(Morris) did all the leg work, I’m doing the tequila runs and visiting all these cities trying to promote it. I’ve been in the restaurant and bar business, it’s a little different. At my age, I wasn’t seeing myself doing this, but it’s been a lot of fun — we’ve got a great product and we’re looking forward to being one of the top tequilas in Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin.”

On top of promoting his tequila, Chelios spent the hockey season as one of the lead analysts for ESPN’s NHL coverage, including the Stanley Cup Final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and eventual champion Colorado Avalanche.

ESPN acquired the broadcasting and streaming rights for the NHL in a newly restructured deal beginning this year — along with Turner Sports to show games on TNT and TBS. When Chelios caught wind that ESPN was part of the TV deal, he called the company on behalf of his daughter, Caley Chelios — who has spent time as a color commentator and reporter for ESPN and NHL Network covering the Lightning.

Caley stepped away from the Lightning to move to Chicago and take a reporting and hosting position with the Blackhawks. Meanwhile, ESPN offered Chelios the opportunity to work part-time as a studio analyst with a combination of fellow analyst Mark Messier and hosts John Buccigross and Steve Levy.

“(The part-time offer gave) me a little bit of flexibility in my schedule,” Chelios said. “I’ve got grandkids and I’m always family-first. It was a great experience to work with Messier, Levy, Buccigross and those guys — I worked with them in the past and they’re a class-act. I’m looking forward to another year of doing it.”

Continued (there’s a paywall :/ )

It’s a notable day when the Red Wings’ captain turns 26 years of age. It’s also kind of cool for me because it would have been my dad’s 75th birthday.

Happy birthday, young man…

Happy birthday, @Dylanlarkin39! 🥳 pic.twitter.com/xpivgZakoC— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 30, 2022

Wishing a happy birthday to Dylan Larkin! 🎂🎉@Dylanlarkin39 | #LGRW pic.twitter.com/lMXDPrFEEP— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) July 30, 2022

And happy birthday, ya old fart:

We’ve read a fair number of articles of late which link the Detroit Red Wings to potentially signing one unrestricted free agent forward Nazem Kadri.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Nate Brown isn’t buying it, and he offers “Two Truths and a Lie” as to why Kadri might be far more inclined to re-sign with his most recent employer, the Colorado Avalanche, instead of Detroit:

Truth: Yzerman is on the Record Saying He’s Done Signing Free Agents: The Red Wings general manager joked in the past that so many analysts, fans, and pundits think he always has an ulterior motive when making deals.

If you look at his work in Detroit and Tampa, he’s been consistent with his comments. Here’s what he said two weeks ago:

“I wouldn’t want to sign another significant free agent and put myself in position where I have to trade somebody for whatever reason because that’s not a good time to do it. But I’m always looking at ways to try to get better.”

It already looks like new coach Derek Lalonde and Yzerman will be playing roster Tetris with who fits and who doesn’t. Filip Zadina is still unsigned as well as Jake Walman. Beyond that, where will Joe Veleno fit in? And then there’s players pushing onto the roster, trying to be this season’s Lucas Raymond or Moritz Seider.

Adding Kadri would only confound things more for Yzerman and Detroit.

Brown continues, and his logic is sound. I don’t believe that Kadri will end up in Detroit unless it’s on a John Klingberg-like short-term contract, and I suspect that he’s going to end up back in Denver.

The Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe wrote a lovely Saturday morning read today. He’s written an article which discusses the surprising ways in which a bit of a coaching pipeline goes through the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye, and it’s just a charming article which gives due praise do Derek Lalonde, Dan Watson and Nick Vitucci:

Some call it research and development, while others jokingly call it straight-up thievery, but several former Walleye hockey players continue to use what they learned in Toledo as head coaches.

Toledo has produced a handful of Walleye players who are now at the helm of their own teams.

Former Walleye forward Troy Schwab, who played for the team in 2014-15, now coaches the Charlotte Rush of the United States Premier Hockey League.

Schwab said he learned about the importance of instilling a winning culture from Walleye coaches Derek Lalonde and Dan Watson.

“When I came to Toledo there was a huge emphasis on culture and the way you treat people,” Schwab said. “The way I run video sessions, team meetings, and practices are very similar to the way [Lalonde] and Watty ran things when I was in Toledo. I call it research and development when you steal other coaches’ practice drills. I have stolen a lot from [Lalonde] and Watty.”

Continued

New Red Wings forward David Perron appeared on “Hockey Sense With Andy Strickland” on St. Louis’ 590 The Fan (KFNS) on Friday afternoon.

Perron was in his home province of Quebec, and he discussed his future in and out of hockey, his free agency decision-making process as someone who’d been with the Blues and exited the city for the Detroit Red Wings, and much more. It’s a 34-minute interview, and I enjoyed listening to it:

Listen to “David Perron – 7-29-22” on Spreaker.

In the “Friday Night in Late July News” category, NHL.com’s Pete Jensen and Anna Dua offer fantasy hockey analysis as to the free agent signings of several teams, including the Red Wings, in terms of their fantasy hockey value. The Wings’ signings of Andrew Copp and David Perron were deemed most significant:

RED WINGS SIGN PERRON, COPP: The Detroit Red Wings signed forwards David Perron (two-year contract) and Andrew Copp (five-year contract), significantly boosting their top-six forward group for this season.  

Copp brings versatility to the rebuilding Red Wings and is likely to be their No. 2 center with exposure to two of the following valuable wings: Perron, Jakub Vrana and Tyler Bertuzzi. Perron had 57 points (27 goals, 30 assists) in 67 games with the St. Louis Blues last regular season and led them in points (13 in 12 games) and goals (nine) during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Perron, who’s like to play on the second line with Copp, brings the experience and consistency (at least 40 points in six straight seasons) to increase the fantasy value of both forwards. 

Copp was better than a point per game (18 in 16 games) last regular season and an instrumental part of New York’s run to the Eastern Conference Final (14 points in 20 Stanley Cup Playoff games). Copp loses some fantasy appeal moving away from the Rangers’ second line with elite left wing Artemi Panarin but remains in the top 250 for one of the most-improved teams in Detroit, which also acquired Ville Husso from the St. Louis Blues and is expected to incorporate elite defenseman prospect Simon Edvinsson.

Continued; Dominik Kubalik also earns a fantasy hockey shout-out as a free agent signing with “sneaky fantasy hockey upside” as well.

As you and I both know by now, the Red Wings’ signings are really about building a backbone’s worth of secondary scorers and depth players who give the Red Wings a skeleton upon which to build a deeper and better team, but the late-blooming Copp and the ever-productive Perron should both help the Red Wings score more goals.