Good news here from Edmonton-based Sportsnet correspondent Mark Spector:
Told that Avangard Omsk (KHL) has given up on signing Klim Kostin, now that the Red Wings have acquired him.
Expect a two-year deal in Detroit for the former Oiler and Blue.— Mark Spector🇨🇦🇺🇦 (@SportsnetSpec) June 30, 2023
Red Wings director of amateur scouting Kris Draper discussed the Red Wings’ 2023 NHL Draft haul on 97.1 the Ticket’s “Stoney and Jansen” show this morning.
Red Wings Director of Amateur Scouting Kris Draper joined us this morning to talk about the Wings’ 2023 draft class. Listen here:
https://t.co/n8f9yqdJSN— Stoney & Jansen with Heather (@StoneyJansen) June 30, 2023
Draper was unwilling to make comparisons between Nate Danielson, Axel Sandin Pellikka and the rest of the Wings’ prospects and current NHL’ers, and he offered a cautiously optimistic message as to whether the Red Wings will slowly but surely build a contending team through the draft.
Update: You can also listen to the interview directly here.
Future Considerations’ Michael Stahurski posted a lengthy article comparing and contrasting the two top defensive prospects taken in the 2023 NHL Draft in David Reinbacher (selected by Montreal 5th overall) and Axel Sandin Pellikka (selected by the Red Wings 17th overall).
I can’t share the entire article, but I can offer you something of a preview…
On the offensive end, Sandin Pellikka is a product of the modern game. Fifteen years ago, it was rare to see a defenseman standing under six feet tall, but today, size has become much less of an obstacle.
Though he averaged a goal every two games while playing in the J20, Sandin Pellikka is unlikely to have similar goal-scoring output at the professional level. What he will do, however, is continue to compile assists. As a puck-moving defenseman, Sandin Pellikka operates as a surgeon from his perch at the top of the offensive zone, piercing pucks through the smallest of windows. His ability to locate teammates all over the ice is unique, as he finds them in optimal scoring positions.
Goal scoring may not be his most substantial attribute, but his shot is still a weapon he’s learned to use effectively. His shot power could improve, but his placement benefits himself and his teammates. Recognizing shooting lanes as he walks the blue line, Sandin Pellikka likes to snap off shots, keeping them between knee and waist height, an ideal location for a screening forward to redirect the puck.
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Where Sandin Pellikka excels on the offensive end, his shortcomings become evident on defense. The physical aspect of the game troubles him as a blueliner needing to add some strength and stature to his game, as it’s the one facet where his size is a hindrance. Larger net-front forwards can cause mismatches he struggles to overcome. The same issue arises while battling for the puck along the boards, causing play to linger in the defensive end longer than necessary. Where he lacks physicality, he typically compensates with good positioning.
Continued (paywall)
Of brief Red Wings-related note this morning:
2 days. 11 new prospects. 🙌#DRWDraft pic.twitter.com/vWL5iL5nXu
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 30, 2023
2. And, if you’re interested, Noah Dower Nilsson was interviewed by HockeySverige.se’s Uffe Bodin. You can watch the 2-minute video if you wish, but you might not get much out of it as the interview’s conducted in Swedish.
The Free Press’s Helene St. James discusses the Red Wings’ 2023 NHL Draft haul this morning, framing the Wings’ 11-player crop as viewed by GM Steve Yzerman and director of amateur scouting Kris Draper.
As I tend to tell people, the reason that the Red Wings stick with their list of players that the team’s amateur scouting staff wants to pick as opposed to the more well-known players at the draft, and that’s why their drafts are so…Unique:
Steve Yzerman looked relieved and sounded hopeful as he prepared to head back to Detroit. He had just wrapped up his fifth NHL draft as general manager of the Detroit Red Wings, adding four forwards, five defensemen and two goaltenders to the farm system. A busy week now shifts to Saturday’s start of free agency, but at least all the work leading up to the draft is in the books.
“We added to the prospect pool and hope some of them turn into players,” Yzerman said Thursday. “Once you get your list in order, you just kind of OK, let’s not overthink this. It’s much like as a player before a big game, you’re all nervous. Once the puck drops, you just play and you feel good. That’s the way it is here. Get a bit of a breather and get back to Detroit and get ready for the first [of July] and see what we do.”
The biggest picks were made Wednesday, when the Wings took center Nate Danielson at No. 9 and defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka at No. 17. On Day 2, the Wings used their draft capital to add players at every position.
“We added four defensemen and generally all of them were on the bigger size,” Yzerman said. “We like them as prospects. It’s nice that they’re big and if they can play, that’s even better.”
Continued (paywall) with player profiles…
ESPN’s Ryan S. Clark and Kristen Shilton have posted a massive article which plans free agency roadmaps for each and every one of the NHL’s 32 teams.
Here’s what they suggest the Red Wings attempt to accomplish when free agency begins tomorrow at 12 PM EDT:
Key players hitting UFA: F Pius Suter, G Alex Nedeljkovic
Key player hitting RFA: F Joseph Veleno
Cap space: $27,565,278What they should do: The Red Wings have two clear areas of need: scoring depth and a suitable No. 2 to play behind Ville Husso in net. Detroit finished 24th in goals per game last season (2.89), and trading away Tyler Bertuzzi certainly didn’t help there. It’s time to restock.
The free agent market up front is veteran heavy, and GM Steve Yzerman has already explored the trade route adding Kailer Yamamoto and RFA Klim Kostin in a transaction with Edmonton on Thursday. Pending Senators RFA Alex DeBrincat is another option on that front. The Red Wings just can’t go another year without addressing their offensive inconsistencies. As for the goaltending dilemma, it’s time to give Husso a real partner. Even a Cam Talbot or Semyon Varlamov could do the trick, leaving Husso to shine as Detroit’s No. 1 while providing the right amount of support.
Continued (paywall); regardless of how the Red Wings do it, I agree that the team must address its offensive issues, physicality and goaltending.
The Detroit Red Wings drafted eleven players over the course of two days at the 2023 NHL Draft.
I posted a massive wrap-up of the Red Wings media corps’ takes on the first day of the draft last night, and tonight, we’re going to review the Wings media’s observations regarding the second day of the draft, on a source-by-source basis:
A. MLive: Ansar Khan posted capsule articles regarding the Kailer Yamamoto/Klim Kostin trade, the Red Wings’ three second-round picks in Trey Augustine, Andrew Gibson and Brady Cleveland, and he noted the Wings’ drafting of Noah Dower Nilsson, brother of Wings 2021 pick Liam Dower Nilsson, and Khan offered scouting reports on the Wings’ eleven picks.
Khan also focused on the comments made by GM Steve Yzerman at the conclusion of the draft:
Continue reading Summarizing the ‘Local takes’ on the Red Wings’ 2023 Draft haulThe Detroit Red Wings drafted a total of eleven players over the course of Days 1 and 2 of the 2023 NHL Draft. Here are the takes/grades the Red Wings received from several experts:
Yahoo Sports’ Ian Kennedy gives the Wings a great grade for both their draft picks and the Yamamoto/Kostin trade..
Detroit Red Wings: A
The Red Wings didn’t get Alex DeBrincat (yet) as was rumored, but they added so much organizational depth that it’s an undeniable win for Detroit. Some questioned how high the Red Wings reached for Nate Danielson, but there’s no denying he’s one of the most complete, polished players in the draft. Even if his ceiling is lower, so is his risk.Getting Axel Sandin Pellikka at 17 was a steal, followed by taking Trey Augustine, Brady Cleveland, Noah Dower Nilsson, and Andrew Gibson. To top it all off, Detroit got a pair of low-risk, high-reward young wingers in Kailer Yamamoto and Klim Kostin for nothing. Both have upside and Detroit has had success with reclamation projects (see Robby Fabbri and Jake Walman.
Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis gives the Wings a solid “B“…
Continue reading ‘Expert Takes’ on the Red Wings’ 2023 Draft classThe Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch offers an Ottawa Senators-side update as to what’s going on with Alex DeBrincat–or what’s not going on, in this case:
General manager Pierre Dorion has cautioned everybody that he’s not about to give the 25-year-old winger away just because DeBrincat has refused to sign a long-term extension with the Senators. Throughout this process, Dorion has been open to making a trade involving a first-round pick in 2024, but he spent a lot of time during the draft trying to move DeBrincat just the same.
While DeBrincat and Toronto-based agent Jeff Jackson would prefer the Senators move on as soon as possible, Dorion wants to make sure he gets the right return and is in no hurry to make a deal.
The Senators have filed for reverse arbitration with DeBrincat to try to get a 15-per-cent reduction in his $9-million salary for next season. That will likely create a pressure point for DeBrincat and Jackson if they don’t want him playing at $7.65 million.
DeBrincat had 27 goals and was minus-31 in his first season with the Senators, which won’t bode well for him in front of an independent arbitrator. The best bet is for a deal to happen before the Senators can take the case to arbitration in late July or early August.
Sources say the Senators would like to get back someone who can offer immediate help as part of the return for DeBrincat. In addition to the 27 goals scored last season, he played significant minutes on the power play.
The Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings all have varying degrees of interest. The New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, Seattle Kraken and St. Louis Blues are also looking for scoring.
It’s believed DeBrincat wants to go to Detroit, but the Senators haven’t been able to find common ground with Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman.
The Detroit Red Wings acquired Kailer Yamamoto and the rights to restricted free agent forward Klim Kostin from the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, and both players came for future considerations.
For the Oilers, the decision was difficult, as GM Ken Holland told the Oilers’ website’s Michael Arcuri:
“I think if the cap was $86 or $87 million, it would work out. It’s just that the cap never moved,” Holland said. “Skinner’s due a raise. Bouchard’s due a raise. McLeod’s due a raise. We made a deal for Ekholm at the deadline.
“It’s just the evolution of the way the system works, so the money gets moved around. I like Yamo. When we did [his contract] it last year, I had no idea what the cap was going to be this year. I was hoping that maybe we could catch up and get the cap moving. The cap doesn’t move, it goes from $82.5 million to $83.5 million, so we’ve got to make difficult decisions.”
In the case of Kostin, the forward was a restricted free agent looking for a significant raise over the $750,000 he made last season after a solid breakout campaign that saw the Russian winger notch 21 points (11G, 10A) in 57 games with the Blue & Orange. Due to Kostin’s excellent performance and Russian roots, the Oilers also had to deal with the looming threat of the KHL (Kontinental Hockey League), where the forward was reportedly receiving overtures from teams within his home country to add another wrench into an already difficult negotiation.
“I talked to Klim Kostin’s agent multiple times. Really, I was negotiating against the KHL, so I knew we weren’t going to be able to find a way to keep him. So, I had to trade the player,” Holland said about the negotiations. “[Detroit Red Wings Executive Vice President &Â General Manager] Steve Yzerman was really interested in Klim Kostin, and obviously the $3 million for Yamo, I had to get some money off the cap.”
TSN’s Ryan Rishaug confirmed that the Oilers were going to buy out Yamamoto to gain salary cap space, the Edmonton Journal’s David Staples simply called the move a “poison pill” for the Oilers, and Kostin may have signed in the KHL, as Sportsnet’s Mark Spector confirmed…
How about Yamamoto, a first-round draft pick in 2017 who played his first 244 NHL games with this organization? Like a game of Snakes and Ladders, he goes from a team that is within spitting distance of the Stanley Cup to Detroit, where the Red Wings finished 24th last season and are reminiscent of the team Yamamoto joined in Edmonton in 2018-19.
Detroit is on the come, but are likely three more seasons away from where the Oilers are today. Maybe four. Why didn’t it work out in Edmonton for Yamamoto?
“Well, if the cap was $86 or $87 (million), I think it would have worked out. It’s just, the cap never moves,” said Holland. “(Stuart) Skinner’s due a raise, (Ryan) McLeod’s due a raise, (Evan) Bouchard’s due a raise, we made a deal for (Mattias) Ekholm at the deadline… So there’s got to be (sacrifice).”
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As for Kostin, he was a luxury the Oilers simply could not afford to keep.
In Edmonton, Kostin is a fourth-line player. As such, he can not be paid more than about $1 million.
His agent had been negotiating with Avangard Omsk of the KHL, where he could receive a sum that would approach what the Oilers would pay — but with the tax differences, his take-home would be far better.
The Edmonton Sun’s Robert Tychkowski concurred…
“Everything is cap-related,” Holland said. “This is my fifth year here and the cap has moved $2 million. It should probably move three to four million every year if there was no pandemic. It’s unique times. It just gets tighter and tighter and tighter.”
This closes the book on Yamamoto, the Oilers first-round pick (22nd overall) in 2017. The 5-foot-8 winger made a big impact when he first joined the Oilers in the winter of 2019-20, putting up 26 points in 27 games on a line with Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to help spark a slumping team back into a playoff spot.
But things trailed off after that and he struggled to stay healthy last season. In 58 games, he generated 25 points and had four points in 12 post-season games.
This a tough one for Yamamoto, a hard-working and popular member of the Oilers who moves from a Stanley Cup contender close to his home in Spokane, Wash., to a bottom-dweller in Detroit.
Nobody will ever question the 24-year-old’s heart and determination, just making the NHL at 150 pounds is an accomplishment in itself, but the wear and tear caught up with him and his production in a top-six spot isn’t where a contending team needs it to be.
“I like Yamo,” Holland said. “When we did (his contract) last year I had no idea what the cap was going to be this year, hoping that maybe we could catch up and get the cap moving. The cap doesn’t move. It goes from $82.5 million to $83.5 million so I have to make difficult decisions. If the cap was $87 million, it would have worked out, it’s just that the cap never moves. And now Stuart Skinner is due a raise, Bouchard is due a raise, McLeod is due a raise. We made a deal for Ekholm at the deadline, who makes $6 million. It’s just the evolution of how thew system works. The money gets moved around.”
NHL.com’s Derek Van Diest offers us both Holland and Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman’s perspectives on the move…
“Kostin is a big guy who skates well, and it looks like he took a step in Edmonton this year and has a chance to maybe get a bigger opportunity in Detroit,” Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman said Thursday. “We’ll see what the plan is for Kailer, we’ll kind of get back (to Detroit) and evaluate. He has a lot of skill, he’s useful and can play in all situations.
Yamamoto had 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) in 58 regular-season games for the Oilers and four points (one goal, three assists) in 12 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
The 24-year-old forward has one season remaining on a two-year contract ($3.1 million average annual value) he signed with the Oilers on Aug. 3, 2022, and can become a restricted free agent after next season.
“I like ‘Yammo,’ and when we did (his last contract) I had no idea what the (NHL salary) cap was going to be this year, hoping that we could catch up and get the cap moving,” Oilers GM Ken Holland said. “The cap doesn’t move, it goes from 82.5 to 83.5 (million) so we have to make difficult decisions.”Â
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Kostin set NHL career highs in goals (11), assists (10) and points (21) in 57 regular-season games this season and had five points (three goals, two assists) in 12 playoff games. The 24-year-old forward can become a restricted free agent July 1.
“I talked to Klim Kostin’s agent multiple times and was really negotiating against the [Kontinental Hockey League], so I knew we weren’t going to be able to find a way to keep him, so I had to trade the player,” Holland said. “Steve Yzerman was really interested in Klim Kostin and obviously $3 million for Yammo, I had to get money off the cap.”