The Malik Report

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted a summary of the Red Wings’ free agency moves today, July 13th, by discussing the comments made by Andrew Copp, David Perron and Ben Chiarot:

Wednesday’s haul excited the newcomers, who feel it’s a sign the Red Wings are done with rebuilding and looking to contend for the playoffs.

“The Red Wings are a team, with some of the signings that happened today, they’re ready to take the next step in their evolution, and I wanted to be part of that,” Perron said.

…

Copp said he saw similarities between teams he’s been on such as Winnipeg and the New York Rangers, young teams that took dramatic steps upward, and the current Wings roster.

“Definitely,” Copp said. “The year we went to the conference final in Winnipeg, we missed the playoffs by six games the year before, and all of a sudden, the next year, we’re kind of a powerhouse and had the second-best record in the league. That change can happen quickly.

“This year, with the Rangers, they went from a team projected not to be in the playoffs to being in the conference finals. You never know when that jump will be. But I have a lot of faith in the young talent that’s come through the last couple of years, and guys that have been here like Larks (Dylan Larkin) and (Tyler) Bertuzzi. We have a good group ready to take the next step.”

…

“As a player you always want your team to be adding pieces and trying to get better and Steve definitely tried to do that today,” Chiarot said. “Andrew Copp is a guy I played with in Winnipeg, a great forward and person, and Kubalik, there’s a lot of good players added to the team today. It’s an exciting day for myself and all the guys on the team when you have your team take steps forward like today.”

Continued

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen dishes a little bit of dirt regarding Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman’s decision to be aggressive over the course of the past five days, adding five significant unrestricted free agents and a goaltender acquired by trade:

Steve Yzerman doesn’t provide regular updates about how he feels about his hockey team. But in the second half of last season, the word around Little Caesars Arena was Yzerman livid about the team’s lack of competitiveness.

Yzerman has a long-term plan for rebuilding. But Wednesday Yzerman turned anger into action by signing five unrestricted free agents who should step immediately into the lineup. He used $19.9 million in cap space to sign center Andrew Copp ($5.65 million), wings David Perron ($4.75) and Dominik Kubalik ($2.5 million) and defensemen Ben Chiarot ($4.75 million) and Olli Maatta ($2.25 million).

“I think that’s a sign to the whole fanbase and to the team that the team is ready to take that next step,” said Chiarot who helped the Montreal Canadiens reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2021. He finished last season with the Florida Panthers.

With all of the changes Yzerman has made and Simon Edvinsson coming in, Perron is not ruling out anything for the Red Wings.

“After the experience I lived through in Vegas (in its first year), I’m not sure how long it takes to just turn a team around,” Perron said.

That expansion team advanced to the Stanley Cup Final. He thinks the experiences he learned with the Vegas Golden Knights can help the Red Wings. He thinks this team could come together and compete for the playoffs “who knows what could happen from there.”

Continued

MLive’s Ansar Khan has posted his take on the Red Wings’ free agency moves thus far, which include signing Andrew Copp, Ben Chiarot, David Perron, Dominik Kubalik and Olli Maatta (and making a trade for Ville Husso last Friday):

The Red Wings are deeper and more skilled. The message from Yzerman is clear – last season’s fade (8-18-4 over the final 30 games), which included 9-2 and 11-2 losses and resulted in the team finishing second-to-last in goals against, must be reversed quickly. Now it’s up to new head coach Derek Lalonde and all the players to deliver.

Copp, Perron and Chiarot spoke with the media, and all said the same thing – this team is ready for the next step.

“It shows the belief (Yzerman) has in the group and the guys he’s adding,” Copp said. “I have a lot of faith in where this team is headed and the young talent that’s come up the last couple of years, and obviously the guys that have been here like Larks and (Tyler) Bertuzzi. I feel like we have a good group and we’re just ready to take the next step.”

Chiarot was asked if this day could be a turning point in a rebuild that has seen the Red Wings miss the playoffs six years in a row.

“Absolutely,” he said. “The young guys kind of getting into their mid-20s and then you add veteran guys like myself and Perron and Copp, I think that’s a sign to the whole fanbase and the team that the team is ready to take that next step.”

Perron said his experience during the Vegas Golden Knights’ surprising run to the Stanley Cup Final as an expansion club in 2018 tells him fast turnarounds are possible.

“The moment you get a call from Steve Yzerman, it gets your attention right away,” Perron said. “I think the Red Wings, with some of the signings that happened today, are ready to take the next step in the evolution of the team and I wanted to be part of that. I know I’m getting older, but I still have a lot to prove in my head.”

Continued

The Associated Press’s Larry Lage posted an article regarding the Red Wings’ particularly busy first day of free agency:

[GM Steve Yzerman] signed center Andrew Copp to a $28.1 million, five-year contract soon after the market opened. Yzerman, who built the Tampa Bay Lightning into a Stanley Cup winner, followed up by adding more veteran to a team with a few proven players and some promising prospects. Yzerman also signed defenseman Ben Chiarot to a $19 million, four-year contract and a pair of wings to two-year deals: David Perron for $9.5 million and Dominik Kubalik for $5 million.

“With a bunch of the additions, it’s an exciting time and I’m ready to help take the team to the next level,” said Copp, who boosted his value with 14 points in 20 playoff games this year with the New York Rangers. “It just kind of shows the belief (Yzerman) has in the group and he feels like the next step is ready to be taken.”

The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016. During a dismal stretch of missing six straight playoffs, Detroit has been among the worst teams in the league. Two weeks ago, the Red Wings hired Lightning assistant coach Derek Lalonde to lead an NHL team for the first time. Suddenly, he has a roster that appears capable of contending for a spot in the playoffs.

“This team is definitely ready to start competing on a regular basis,” said the 34-year-old Perron, who has 665 career points in 973 games with St. Louis and four NHL other teams. “I want to be part of a solution.”

…

The newcomers join veteran forwards Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi and Jakub Vrana along with Calder Trophy winner Moritz Seider on the blue line and second-year forward Lucas Raymond.

“It’s well known around the league that it’s a young, up-and-coming team,” said Chiarot, who has played for Winnipeg, Montreal and Florida over nine seasons. “With all the additions the team made, it makes them an even more exciting team.”

Continued

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski and Kristen Shilton posted an ESPN+ article regarding the day’s earlier free agent signings, and Wyshysnki assesses the Red Wings’ signing of Andrew Copp thusly:

Andrew Copp, C, Detroit Red Wings

Terms: Five years, $5.625 million average annual value ($28.1 million total)

Where does he fit: Wherever the Red Wings need him to fit, to be honest. The true value of Andrew Copp is that he’s a Swiss Army knife of a forward. The Winnipeg Jets cast him as a defensive forward and played him up the lineup with their stars. The Rangers played him up with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome.

Does it make sense? Absolutely. When the Rangers acquired Copp from the Jets at the trade deadline, the assumption was that he would move into Strome’s spot next to Panarin on a new contract. But the Rangers had someone else in mind — Vincent Trocheck — and let Copp walk to free agency.

Their loss is the Red Wings’ gain. Copp’s versatility makes him an asset for a team that is still trying to see where the young pieces fit in their lineup. He’s not the strongest finisher, but he’s got a decent shot. He’s a good passer if not a great playmaker. Even if his offensive numbers fade by Year 5 of this deal, he does so much more for a team that it’s a worthy investment.

Grade: A-. Once upon a time, the Red Wings signed a free agent named Frans Nielsen to a six-year contract worth $5.25 million annually. That contract … did not work out. There are echoes of that signing in bringing on Copp, who is another underrated forward who will be asked to build on the offensive promise of his 53 points in 72 games this past season. I don’t believe history will repeat itself here, as Copp is hitting his stride as an offensive player. Plus Nielsen arrived as Detroit’s kingdom was crumbling, while Copp arrives as the Wings are trending back up. — Wyshynski

Continued (paywall)

Yahoo Sports’ Justin Cuthbert posted the following take on the Red Wings’ particularly active first day of free agency, deeming the Wings a “winner” of the first day…

Steve Yzerman had to show something resembling short-term ambition at some point. While he’s earned the luxury of executing a slow and methodical rebuild, we’ve reached the point where the Red Wings need to demonstrate some on-ice progress.

Yzerman took steps toward that in the early stages of free agency, adding three legitimate top-nine forwards between Andrew Copp, David Perron and Dominik Kubalik, who together form some much-needed insulation for a young core. Copp arrives at a bit of a rich price tag at five years with an average annual value of $5.625 million, but Perron and Kubalik will cost a combined $7.25 million and could conceivably provide in the neighbourhood of 50 combined goals.

Detroit also brought in an experienced defender to insulate Moritz Seider on the back end in Ben Chiarot. His value may exclusively be tied to taking the load off the Calder Trophy winner by eating up some of the more taxing and difficult minutes.

While Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin suggests that the Red Wings lie in the “murky middle“:

Continue reading Red Wings: Free agency winners, losers, or ‘murky middlers?’

DetroitRedWings.com’s Daniella Bruce confirms that the Red Wings will stream tomorrow morning’s 3-on-3 games at the 2022 summer development camp:

?REMINDER: We will have live coverage of the @DetroitRedWings Development Camp 3v3 Tournament tomorrow starting at 8:00am!! Wake up with me, @KenKalDRW, & @ArthurJRegner on Red Wings, Facebook, & Website ? #LGRW— Daniella Bruce (@daniellabruce_) July 13, 2022

Here is the schedule:

8:00-9:45 AM: 3 on 3 tournament game 1

9:00-9:45 AM 3 on 3 tournament game 2

10-10:45 AM 3 on 3 tournament consolation game

11-11:45 AM 3 on 3 tournament championship game

From new Red Wings forward David Perron:

To the Blues fans and players. I’ll never forget you! thanks for the memories it breaks my heart to think it’s over but looking forward to see you at Stanley Cup Reunions @StLouisBlues— David Perron (@DP_57) July 13, 2022

Hello @DetroitRedWings , Cant wait to get going and being able to prove myself all over again! It will be an honor to play for an Original Six team. Thanks for the welcome and see you very soon— David Perron (@DP_57) July 13, 2022

WXYZ’s Jeanna Trotman discussed the Red Wings’ more notable free agent signings (Andrew Copp, Olli Maatta, Ben Chiarot and Dominik Kubalik) this evening…

The opening hours of free agency were exciting for the Detroit Red Wings. Steve Yzerman made SEVERAL moves to bolster the team’s goal-scoring & strengthen the blue line. Agree w/ the “Yzer-plan” or not, this team will be significantly better than they were last season. pic.twitter.com/TzOGqBdHRR— Jeanna Trotman (@JeannaTrotmanTV) July 13, 2022

As did Bally Sports Detroit’s John Keating:

It doesn’t take long for Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman to get busy as free agency begins. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/3WFSC9pOVi— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) July 13, 2022

From the Red Wings’ Twitter account:

UPDATE: The #RedWings today signed right wing Matt Luff to a one-year, two-way contract. pic.twitter.com/B80qJy9NQl— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 13, 2022

UPDATE: The #RedWings today signed center Austin Czarnik to a two-year, two-way contract. pic.twitter.com/Hz2t8j7euz— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 13, 2022