Tweet of note: NTDP single-game tix on sale

Here’s a promotional FYI from the U.S. National Team Development Program in Plymouth:

Single-game tickets for the 2022-23 Team USA season are on sale now! 👊

Be sure to check out our BRAND NEW premium seating option!

ALL INFO → https://t.co/csIuqqwSEB pic.twitter.com/P6fUg301hD— USA Hockey’s NTDP (@USAHockeyNTDP) July 20, 2022

A bit of praise for Ville Husso

The Hockey News’s Ian Kennedy examines the changes made to teams’ respective NHL creases this offseason, including the Red Wings’ trade for Ville Husso:

Detroit Red Wings – Ville Husso: Both Alex Nedeljkovic and Ville Husso have shown flashes of skill, but who will emerge as the No. 1? Nedeljkovic played 59 games last season for Detroit, but Husso enters with a better GAA and save percentage (albeit playing with a superior defensive team that made the playoffs) in 40 games. Last season when Thomas Greiss was in net, the Red Wings fared worse; with Husso, the team will have the goaltending to give Detroit a chance to win every night.

Continued; I’m fairly certain that Husso and Nedejlkovic will serve as a 1A/1B tandem over the course of the first half to two thirds of the 2022-2023 schedule, with a “favorite” emerging down the stretch.

A bit about coach Derek Lalonde’s ‘leeway’ from The Athletic’s Goldman

The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman discusses the respective NHL experience levels of each and every one of this summer’s head coaching hires, and here’s what she has to say about Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde:

Lalonde’s joining a team that’s further along in this [rebuilding] process than [Chicago Blackhawks coach Luke] Richardson. He has an obvious connection to Steve Yzerman who was general manager when he joined Tampa Bay. There’s the pedigree of winning back-to-back Stanley Cups as an assistant with that group that came after head coaching experience at lower development levels, including the USHL and AHL. Lalonde probably doesn’t have the leeway that Jeff Blashill did because the Red Wings’ priorities have shifted as they start pushing closer toward the playoff mix. Instead, there are clear goals like helping the team play consistently, improve defensively, and become a harder team to play against — all of which he seems to be a fit for. Now that this is his bench, their coach can build his identity and voice as a leader, hopefully bringing in some fresh ideas along the way. 

Continued (paywall)

Mid-day Khan: on David Perron’s power play acumen

MLive’s Ansar Khan filed a middle-of-the-day article discussing Red Wings free agent signing David Perron’s status as a superb power play performer:

An ineffective power play has cost the Detroit Red Wings many games over the past six seasons.

David Perron should help in that area. He scored a career-high 11 power-play goals with St. Louis last season and has tallied 33 in the past four years.

That is one reason general manager Steve Yzerman signed Perron to a two-year contract with a $4.75 million average annual value one week ago at the start of free agency.

“A team that goes on a good run on the power play usually starts the year pretty well,” Perron said. “If you start behind the eight-ball, and you have to dig yourself out, it’s tough to come back and have a good season. I think with the Blues last year we had the best power play in the history of the team. I was part of that solution. It’s something that I want to help.”

The Red Wings ranked 26th on the power play in 2022-21 and have the worst cumulative power-play percentage in the NHL during their six-year playoff drought (excluding expansion Seattle).

Perron provides another right-handed shooting option on the power play, along with Lucas Raymond and point men Moritz Seider and Filip Hronek.

Continued

Is Nedeljkovic ‘the guy’ from a fantasy hockey perspective?

The Hockey News’s Jason Chen believes that Red Wings goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic is one of three “contract year” goaltenders which fantasy hockey poolies should pick as fine fantasy hockey investments:

Alex Nedeljkovic, G, Detroit Red Wings (145.2)

Nedeljkovic heads into the 2022-23 as one of the league’s most intriguing young goalies. For spurts, he looked like a legit starter, but at other times he looked destined to be a journeyman. The Wings’ rebuild is gaining steam but there’s still no hurry to rush things; that means Nedeljkovic will continue to get chances to prove his worth and he’s penciled in as their No. 1 goalie going into the season. His 52 starts ranked 15th, and unless the Wings land a big-name goalie via free agency, expect Nedeljkovic to get the lion’s share of the starts with no backup currently signed.

Continued; I don’t see Nedeljkovic as the #1 goaltender per se, but he’s the #1A in the 1A/1B combination with Ville Husso going into the 2022-2023 season.

A quick note via Rakapuckar: Zetterberg and Kronwall, Padel Tennis investors

A quick note this morning from Rakapuckar’s Henrik Leman:

Leman conducted an interview with former Ottawa Senators forward and Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Daniel Alfredsson, who’s attempting to establish the sport of Padel Tennis in the Canada, the U.S. and Sweden. According to Leman, Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall have established a company called ZMP International to invest in the sport.

Interesting, anyway.

Bultman, Goldman compare the Wings’ blueline to the Kings’ blueline

The Athletic’s Max Bultman and Shayna Goldman assess the defensive impact of the Red Wings’ free agency additions this morning, and they compare the potential improvement of the Red Wings to the models presented by last year’s Los Angeles Kings:

Los Angeles – where [Olli] MÀÀttĂ€ has been for the last two seasons – is a good example of what Detroit is likely hoping to see result from these additions. The Kings had been on a largely parallel track to the Red Wings until L.A. made some big offseason additions – highlighted by a strong 200-foot center in Philip Danault and scoring winger Viktor Arvidsson – that propelled them into the playoffs last year.

“I think those were really big pieces for us,” MÀÀttĂ€ said. “We had more depth, and I think everybody being more comfortable with the system. I think the depth was the biggest thing. We were a good team before, but we didn’t have that two or three lines 
 and I think last year we found that. And it’s hard to play against when you can roll with three or four lines and you’ve got three ‘D’ pairs you can play. It’s tough to match up against that.”

The Red Wings – partly due to playing in the Eastern Conference’s loaded Atlantic Division – likely won’t see quite the kind of jump in the standings the Kings did. But they can still aspire to see a similar level of improvement in their play.

At the very least, these additions of defensive support should help avoid a collapse similar to last year. The Red Wings showed just how quickly those lapses could snowball once a game started heading south, with waves of rushes headed towards their goaltender. Even if Detroit doesn’t dive right back into the playoff race, it can build some level of confidence if it can stay competitive in the defensive end, which should have a positive ripple effect on its offense.

And with all these additions taken together, there is reason to believe that defensive improvement will come.

Continued (paywall)

Bultman weighs in on the Red Wings’ biggest post-free agency need

The Athletic asked its NHL correspondents what needs remain for the NHL’s 32 teams after a week’s worth of free agency moves, and here’s what Max Bultman had to say about the Red Wings:

Detroit Red Wings

Extensions for the core: This is stretching the definition a bit, but after the Red Wings methodically addressed every need in free agency (and via trade), the only major piece of business remaining is getting contract extensions done for Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi. Technically, the Red Wings have another year to do so before either can become a free agent, but getting these deals squared away now would prevent any needless angst or uncertainty that would follow if both go into the season unsigned long-term. — Max Bultman

Continued (paywall); it’s still assumed that Steve Yzerman will hammer out deals with Larkin and Bertuzzi this summer.

The Athletic considers seven destinations for Matthew Tkachuk, including Detroit

The Athletic’s Hailey Salivan and Sean Gentille wonder aloud whether Matthew Tkachuk might accept a trade out of Calgary, and they include the Red Wings as one of seven potential destinations for Tkachuk, should the salary arbitration-bound forward truly want to leave the Stampede City:

Detroit Red Wings

Cap space: $10.3 million
Wheeler’s 2022 prospect pool ranking: No. 7

The Red Wings are in a good spot; they have the cap space and roster construction (22 out of 23 spots filled) that would allow them to accommodate Tkachuk immediately, and a prospect pool more than good enough to net him in the first place. They’re short on established, young NHL players with remaining years of team control — that they’d be interested in trading, at least.

The most interesting, realistic package from Detroit? A win-now player like Tyler Bertuzzi (2023 UFA, $4.75 million AAV) or Jakub Vrana (UFA 2024, $5.25 million AAV), younger pros like defenseman Filip Hronek (RFA 2024, $4.4 million) or Filip Zadina (22 years old, RFA) and some combo of picks and prospects other than Simon Edvinsson and 2022 No. 8 overall pick Marco Kasper.

There’s no shortage of options there for Calgary. The issue — and it’s a big one — is whether Tkachuk would have any interest in signing a long-term deal with Detroit. Age-wise, he fits, especially given the moves GM Steve Yzerman just made. A team with Andrew Copp, David Perron and Ben Chiarot is no longer just rebuilding, and the rest of the team’s core — led by 2023 UFA Dylan Larkin, Calder Trophy winner Moritz Seider and top rookie forward Lucas Raymond — is ready to turn the corner.

Detroit probably isn’t in the same tier as perceived front-runners like St. Louis – and frankly, it’s easy to argue that they should be. Why wouldn’t Tkachuk want to, say, replace Bertuzzi on a line with Larkin and Raymond, on a roster as balanced as the one Yzerman has built? He’d be familiar with the area with his experience in the U.S. National Team Development Program – now based in Plymouth, Mich. And he’d be the biggest star on the Detroit Red Wings. Something to keep in mind.

Continued (paywall); I would argue that the Wings are in fact still rebuilding, and that the price for the 24-year-old Tkachuk is only reasonable should Tyler Bertuzzi’s vaccination status resolve itself in some manner.