The Malik Report

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen offers a prospective opening-night roster after noting that the Wings are in something of a jam, probably on purpose:

The Detroit Red Wings’ signing of five free agents on Wednesday and another today should improve the lineup. But it also makes it more challenging for rookies Elmer Soderstrom, Jonatan Berggren or Albert Johansson to make the roster this season.

Even Joe Veleno will be fighting for a job.

New coach Derek Lalonde is looking at roster that already has 14 forwards. That does included injured Robbie Fabbri and restricted free agent Filip Zadina. However, it doesn’t include the rookies or Joe Veleno who is waiver exempt. After the Red Wings signed 30-year-old veteran Mark Pysyk today, Lalonde has nine defensemen. That includes Steven Kampfer, who might move up and down from Grand Rapids this season, plus restricted free agent Jake Walman.

It doesn’t include rookie Simon Edvinsson who should make the team. The Red Wings are as excited about him as they were about Moritz Seider.

But GM Steve Yzerman also may not be done making changes.  Yzerman has explored trade options during this offseason. He $10,296,000 million in cap space remaining.  We could see more players coming and going.

Continued

MLive’s Ansar Khan weighs in on this morning’s Mark Pysyk signing, and it’s very possible that the Wings want this logjam after all:

The Detroit Red Wings signed 10-year NHL veteran defenseman Mark Pysyk to a one-year, $850,000 contract Thursday, adding to a crowded blue line.

The Red Wings have eight NHL defensemen: right-shooters Moritz Seider, Filip Hronek, Gustav Lindstrom and Pysyk, and left-shooters Ben Chiarot, Olli Maatta, Jordan Oesterle and Jake Walman, a restricted free agent who they qualified and are expected to sign. Plus, top 2021 pick Simon Edvinsson will compete for a roster spot in training camp.

They also have Stephen Kampfer, a former Michigan defenseman who has played in parts of eight NHL seasons and spent last year in the Kontinental Hockey League.

Continued; don’t you want 8 NHL defenders to start a season?

Per the Grand Forks Herald’s Brad Elliott Schlossman:

Canada’s World Junior Championship roster is typically littered with players from Canadian major junior leagues. College players have not traditionally been a staple.

That’s why it’s notable that Hockey Canada has added UND incoming freshman forward Dylan James to its World Junior summer development camp.

The camp is scheduled from July 23-27 in Calgary, which is James’ hometown. Of the 49 players invited to the camp, only four are college-bound — James, forward Adam Fantilli (Michigan), forward Ryan Greene (Boston University) and defenseman Corson Ceulemans (Wisconsin).

The World Juniors will be held from Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Halifax, N.S., and Moncton, N.B.

James is currently at development camp with the Detroit Red Wings, who selected him in the second round, No. 40 overall, in last week’s NHL Draft. James will be the highest-drafted player on UND’s roster this season.

Here’s the Wings’ link to their YouTube stream of the 3 on 3 portion of the team’s 2022 summer development camp:

It’s #DRWDC 3v3 Day!

Games start at 8:00am.

STREAM: https://t.co/HdQB06nrjy pic.twitter.com/pj5qGpT3WY— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 14, 2022

Per the Detroit Red Wings:

UPDATE: The #RedWings today signed defenseman Mark Pysyk to a 1-year contract. pic.twitter.com/AvbA0fm86j— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 14, 2022

The 30-year-old Pysyk is 6’1″ and 196 pounds, and he has actually played 68 games for the Buffalo Sabres this past season. Likely a #6/7 guy.

Red Wings have signed D Mark Pysyk to a 1-year, $850,000 contract— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) July 14, 2022

Press release:

RED WINGS SIGN DEFENSEMAN MARK PYSYK TO ONE-YEAR CONTRACT 

  … Blueliner Has Logged 521 Career NHL Games; Suited Up in 68 Games for the Buffalo Sabres Last Season … 

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today signed defenseman Mark Pysyk to a one-year contract with an average annual value of $850,000.

Pysyk, 30, is a veteran of 10 NHL seasons and has suited up in 531 games, totaling 104 points (28-76-104) and 162 penalty minutes between the Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers and Dallas Stars. The 6-foot-1, 198-pound defenseman returned to the Sabres last season after spending his first five campaigns (2012-16) with the organization, tallying 12 points (3-9-12) and 16 penalty minutes in 68 games during the 2021-22 season. Before rejoining the Sabres, Pysyk spent the 2020-21 season with the Stars, recording four points (3-1-4) in 36 games, and also suited up for the Panthers from 2016-20, tallying 62 points (17-45-62) in 292 games. During his first stint with the Sabres, Pysyk posted 26 points (5-21-26) in 125 games from 2012-16. He has also appeared in 145 games for the American Hockey League’s Rochester Americans from 2012-16, recording 48 points (8-40-48) and 82 penalty minutes.

Originally drafted by the Sabres in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Pysyk spent parts of five seasons with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League before turning professional, totaling 125 points (25-100-125) in 243 games from 2007-12. Additionally, Pysyk posted 11 points (3-8-11) in 20 postseason games during his final season with the Oil Kings to help the club win the WHL Championship. A native of Sherwood Park, Alta., Pysyk won a bronze medal with Team Canada at the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship in Calgary and Edmonton, Alta.

Per the Red Wings on Twitter:

UPDATE: The #RedWings today signed defenseman Olli Maatta to a 1-year contract. pic.twitter.com/WmvCvJv2ql— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 14, 2022

Press release:

Continue reading Red Wings sign Olli Maatta to a 1-year, $2.25 million contract

The Free Press’s Helene St. James weighs in on the Red Wings’ first-day-of-free-agency moves in her morning column:

Ben Chiarot, one of five players the Detroit Red Wings added on opening day of free agency, summed up the appeal: “Steve Yzerman builds good teams. I think everyone knows that.”

Yzerman sent a message Wednesday when he signed Chiarot, Andrew Copp, David Perron, Dominik Kubalik and Olli Määttä: Expectations on the Wings have grown exponentially. Since the Wings played their last game on April 29, Yzerman has replaced Jeff Blashill with new head coach Derek Lalonde, acquired goaltender Ville Husso, and now added five players who want to be a part of the Wings’ resurgence.

“First of all, the moment you get a call from Steve Yzerman, it catches your attention right away,” Perron said. “I had several options I was bouncing around in my head, but the Red Wings are a team with some of the signings that happened, I think they are ready to take the next step in their evolution as a team and I want to be a part of that.”

Yzerman did not talk to media on Wednesday, indicating he may have more moves planned. As it stood Wednesday night, Yzerman had used his cachet and his salary cap space to significantly improve the Wings on offense and defense: Copp, 28, got five years, $28.125 million; Chiarot, 31, got four years, $19 million; Perron, 34, got two years, $9.5 million, Kubalik, 26, got two years, $5 million and Määttä, 27, got one year, $2.25 million. That still leaves about $11 million.

…

The Wings have struggled with depth for so many seasons, Wednesday’s influx seemed like a piñata burst. The five additions weren’t the most coveted free agents, but they’re quality players who strengthen the team, and they’re fully on board with what Yzerman is trying to accomplish.

“Steve did a great job building the team in Tampa,” Copp said. “He was there for a while and drafted a bunch of the guys and turned that into a big part of where they are at today. Detroit is going to be good in a couple years, just wait. I’d like to be a part of that, I’d like to continue to grow with the team, and try to get to that ultimate goal.”

Continued

Detroit Hockey Now’s Nate Brown posted a summary of the Red Wings’ first-day-of-free-agency moves, offering the following take on Detroit’s decision to be active in the free agent marketplace…

As has been the running theme for the Red Wings since Yzerman took over, there’s a specific reason he goes after specific players. Other teams within the conference have grown stronger, no more than Ottawa. Johnny Geaudreau signed with Columbus, putting a little power in the Eastern Conference.

But Yzerman addressed the desperate needs of the team–shoring up at center, and giving the special teams a boost with the acquisitions. Detroit, it seems, will also not shy away from a skirmish with some of the muscle it added.

Things will look quite different in Hockeytown–from the coaching staff right down to the roster.

It’s likely Yzerman isn’t done, whether by more signings or trade.

But things are certainly more interesting–and exciting for fans–than they were 24 hours ago.

Continued, and Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen, writing for Hockeybuzz, believes that the Wings aren’t done, either:

Yzerman doesn’t have a timetable for his rebuild. He has made that clear. But he has picked-up the pace. He’s on a double-time march. This started at the draft when traded and signed for goalie Ville Husson to play in tandem with Alex Nedeljkovic.

And Yzerman may not be done: He has more than $11 million remaining on his salary cap. Plus, he me be interested in making a trade or two.

According to The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford, the St. Louis Blues’ decisions to extend Robert Thomas and re-sign Nick Leddy meant that the team didn’t have enough salary cap to retain David Perron’s services–despite the fact that Perron’s so loyal to St. Louis that he’s had 3 stints with the team:

The salary cap is in control, and with it going up just $1 million to $82.5 million next season, it has limited what teams like the Blues can do.

“Yeah, this is projecting a cap that could go up by $1 million this year, next year and the year after,” [Blues GM Doug] Armstrong said. “Knowing the bridge deals of Kyrou and Thomas are no longer (in place after 2022-23), we don’t expect them to play anywhere near that amount of money after next year.

“We really love David (Perron), but a year ago, when you trade for (Pavel) Buchnevich and acquire (Brandon) Saad, the hard part is that you can’t participate every trade deadline and every summer with a flat cap. So that’s sort of how that situation unfolded. It’s a jigsaw puzzle that’s always moving. You have to make hard decisions.”

Unfortunately for fans, it claimed one of their favorites.

“Definitely a tough loss,” [Robert] Thomas said of Perron. “He’s a guy that loved being in St. Louis, loved being a Blue. He was a great leader on and off the ice. He competed hard every night and was a huge factor in past seasons and playoffs. Definitely a tough loss for us.”

Continued (paywall)

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman is among those who suggest that the Red Wings “won” over the course of the first day of free agency:

Detroit Red Wings: Ottawa’s not the only Atlantic Division team to trend in the right direction. The Red Wings handled their goaltending situation before free agency by acquiring the signing rights to Ville Husso. Detroit used free agency to address their offense and defense. 

The Ben Chiarot contract was a choice, and not a very good one. Olli Maatta signed an inexpensive deal that could easily be flipped at the deadline if the team is looking to recoup some assets, too. He’s absolutely an upgrade on the left side over Danny DeKeyser.

Up front is where Detroit really made a splash. The Andrew Copp signing adds a very versatile all-situation forward to the top nine who could help add some defensive support to a team that sorely needed it, especially in the second half of 2021-22. The Dominik Kublaik signing adds some offensive support lower in the lineup after the Blackhawks decided not to qualify him. Maybe the best signing of all was the David Perron contract. There’s risk because of his age, but he’s a consistent offensive creator who should help elevate this Red Wings team. 

Detroit may not be a threat in the Atlantic Division yet, but this should be a more competitive team that doesn’t face a disastrous second half of the season that likely destroys morale. 

Continued (paywall)