Per the Detroit Red Wings:
Former Wing Bobby Ryan speaks with The Athletic’s ‘The Hockey Show’ about the Olympics
Among the highlights of former Red Wing Bobby Ryan’s comments made to The Athletic’s “The Hockey Show,” per Sean Gentille and Craig Custance:
Where do you think the NHL lands [on the Olympics], if we don’t already know, and would you be like, “I’d jump at the chance to play for the American team?”
I don’t think they’re going. Now you’ve got 30-40 games to be rescheduled for one. Someone was like, “There’s going to be a lot of building dilemmas.” Is it really going to be that many? I mean, that stuff can be switched around in a day, if you have a basketball game that’s scheduled, they’ll flip that overnight. So I don’t think that schedule is going to be much of an issue. And (the NHL) already had a second schedule. Yeah, it was a contingency of schedule. Yeah. So you go to that contingency schedule and remove some games. I don’t know. It shouldn’t be hard. I just don’t think they’re going.
For me, I would definitely be interested. I would absolutely throw my name in the hat and see if there was interest from Team USA. If there was, I would have to do the same due diligence that the NHL guys are doing because I have two young kids at home.
I’m not in a rush to jump in and be told that a) you’re gonna have a five-week quarantine, and (that) if you test positive you’re already in 10-day quarantine, just to get there. So there’s a lot of moving parts. Ask me again in 10 days, I guess, and we’ll go from there
Continued (paywall)
A bit of praise for Simon Edvinsson, WJC ‘x-factor’
Sportsnet’s Lauren Kelly posted a primer on the 2022 World Junior Championship, which will be held in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, discussing the strengths, weaknesses and “x-factors” for each of the participating teams. She suggests that Sweden’s “x-factor” is a Red Wings draft pick:
X-Factor: Simon Edvinsson (DET)
Emil Andrae (PHI) is the lone player who will return from Sweden’s deep 2021 defence corps, which means the blue line will be relatively inexperienced this time around. However, Detroit’s sixth overall pick in 2021, Simon Edvinsson, could help provide the necessary stability on the back end. The hulking 6-foot-5, 207-pound left-shot defender is a smooth-skating, physical player who has the ability to produce from the blue line as well.
NHL.com’s Vickers profiles Sebastian Cossa ahead of the World Junior Championship
NHL.com’s Aaron Vickers posted a profile of Red Wings goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa, who hopes to back-stop the Canadian World Junior team to a gold medal after Christmas:
Sebastian Cossa is hoping to make his mark in Canada’s crease at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship.
The 19-year-old, who plays for Edmonton of the Western Hockey League, is one of three goalies auditioning for the role of No. 1 for Canada, joining 2022 NHL Draft eligible Brett Brochu of London of the Ontario Hockey League and New York Rangers prospect Dylan Garand of Kamloops of the WHL.
“It’s a lot of sacrifice and hard work that’s gotten me to this point, so you embrace it and enjoy it,” Cossa said. “There’s a lot that comes with it, putting on the Team Canada jersey, a lot of expectations. You go out and try to represent your country and play well for them. Being the goalie for Team Canada definitely comes with the expectations that you’re going to do good and a lot falls on your shoulders. At the end of the day, I’m just trying to keep a pretty small mindset and do my job and stop the puck.”
The three goalies were the only ones Canada brought to selection camp Dec. 1.
They’ve been in competition ever since to become Canada’s No. 1 for the tournament, beginning Dec. 26 against Czechia at Rogers Place in Edmonton — Cossa’s home rink.
“The three of us have created a close bond and that’s just going to increase as the tournament goes on,” said Cossa, who counts World Juniors performances from Carter Hart (2017, 2018) and Carey Price (2007) among his most memorable. “It’s competitive, but not anti-competitive where you’re wishing bad on those guys. You just play your game and whoever is No. 1 is whoever is going to play the best and do the best for the team to try to help us win a gold medal.”
Duff discusses Ben Simon’s coaching debut
Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff discusses Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon’s work over the past weekend, when he helmed the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils:
“It’s different because you’re not expecting it,” explained Simon, coach of Detroit’s top farm club the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. “That’s not your goal here. Your goal is to always make it to the highest level, but as a coach you’re really worried about your group and improving your group on a daily basis.”
The group Simon was worrying about suddenly became the Red Wings on Saturday after he received word that the NHL was placing Detroit coach Jeff Blashill in COVID-19 protocol.
While this call up was feeling much different than his November 10, 2001 NHL debut as a player with the Atlanta Thrashers, that didn’t mean Simon wasn’t feeling the thrill of the opportunity.
“There’s a lot going on. There’s a lot of moving pieces, a little bit of everything – a little anxiety, a little panic, a little excitement,” Simon admitted. “It’s kind of cool. At the end of the day, not a lot of guys can say they stepped behind an NHL bench.
“For me, whether that was one game or turns into a thousand games over the course of my life, it was a great experience and to do it for Detroit was pretty cool.”
Erne, Oesterle and unnamed support staffer placed in COVID protocol
Well, shit:
UPDATE: The #RedWings have placed forward Adam Erne, defenseman Jordan Oesterle and one member of the support staff in the NHL's COVID-19 protocol.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 21, 2021
Toledo’s Billy Christopoulos named ECHL’s goaltender of the week
Per the ECHL:
Billy Christopoulos of the Toledo Walleye is the Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Week for Dec. 13-19. It is the third time in his career that he has received the weekly honor.
Christopoulos went 3-0-0 with a 1.32 goals-against average and a save percentage of .959 in three appearances last week as the Walleye swept a three-game southern road trip.
The 27-year-old stopped 32 shots in a 2-1 win at South Carolina on Friday and in a 3-2 victory at Greenville on Saturday before making 30 saves in a 2-1 overtime win at Greenville on Sunday.
A native of Raleigh, North Carolina, Christopoulos is 10-2-1 in 13 appearances this season with a 2.62 goals-against average and a save percentage of .914.
Christopoulos, who was named to the ECHL All-Rookie Team in 2019-20, has appeared in 61 career ECHL games with Toledo, Indy and South Carolina posting an overall record of 45-10-5 with three shutouts, a 2.36 goals-against average and a save percentage of .924.
Prior to turning pro, Christopoulos saw action in 93 career games at the Air Force Academy where he went 42-35-11 with eight shutouts, a 2.29 goals-against average and a save percentage of .913.
Bultman’s mailbag II: Up the middle
The Athletic’s Max Bultman filed a second mailbag column this morning, accompanying yesterday’s feature, and he addresses the Red Wings’ lack of depth at the center position today:
Where are we going to find our future No. 1 center or No. 2 center if Larkin stays at No. 1? — Jack
That’s the million-dollar question, Jack. Or, more accurately, the $8 million per year (or more!) question. Larkin is certainly playing like a number one center this season. There’s also no doubt the Red Wings need another player of that caliber to be a true contender.
So, where does that player come from?
Long term, it almost certainly has to come from the draft. True top-line caliber centers almost never hit free agency, and when they do, the cost is so high that you’d better be ready to win immediately once you sign them. To acquire one in a trade, you likely have to give up either a massive draft haul, a top center prospect, or a top-pair defenseman. To me, the Red Wings aren’t in position to go either of those routes this offseason.
That leaves the draft. If things keep up the way they have, the Red Wings won’t have a shot at getting Shane Wright, Logan Cooley or Matthew Savoie — the three pivots I’d be most eager to land in the 2022 draft. That means they may need to unearth a gem a little deeper down the board, much like they did in drafting Larkin No. 15 in 2014, or Tampa Bay did getting Brayden Point in the third round that same year.
That’s much easier said than done — Larkin and Point both likely go top-five in a re-draft — and getting that lucky can’t be the expectation for Detroit. They could easily strike out.
Continued; if the Wings go the draft route, it may take several years to address their deficiencies at the center position, necessitating an “import” via trade or free agency, but that’s part of the rebuilding process.
HSJ in the morning: on Ben Simon’s NHL coaching debut
The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted an early-morning column discussing Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon’s NHL debut as a substitute for Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill last Saturday, during which time Simon helped the Red Wings win 5-2 over the New Jersey Devils:
It was a hectic day during a tumultuous time. The Wings played Thursday at Carolina, against a Hurricanes team that was short two skaters because of the virus. On Friday, Blashill was among Wings personnel who tested positive, leading Yzerman to summon Simon, Krygier, plus three players from Grand Rapids. Preparing for the Devils was a handful, especially when Zadina received a positive result shortly before game time.
Blashill was a part of pre-game planning via phone and Zoom.
“I talked to Jeff Blashill about line matchups, stuff like that, and you’ve got everything and you’re trying to take a breath, and then Z comes in and he was no longer able to go,” Simon said.
That led to defenseman Jordan Oesterle being moved to forward.
“It was a little bit of flying by the seats of our pants,” Simon said. “But things happen during a game that you have to adjust to, and you just kind of roll with the punches. Jeff had his game plan and we tried our best to implement what he was looking for, and at the end of the day, a lot of the success that night was because of the preparation that went on behind the scenes by Jeff and his staff, even though they weren’t able to be there.”
Yzerman’s advice was “don’t mess it up,” Simon said, and to enjoy the experience: “He was great. We’re missing a lot of players, a lot of coaches, go out there, have fun, and do this to the best of your ability.”
Continued (paywall)
Khan on Ben Simon’s NHL debut
MLive’s Ansar Khan filed a notebook article regarding Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon’s NHL debut, made on Saturday as he coached the Red Wings in Jeff Blashill’s absence:
When Steve Yzerman summoned Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon to Detroit to fill in for Jeff Blashill for a game, he gave him a bit of advice.
“Go out there, have fun and do this to the best of your ability,” Simon said the Red Wings general manager told him.
That’s what Simon did while calling the shots behind the bench in a 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils at Little Caesars Arena.
Whether or not Simon, 43, realizes his dream to coach in the NHL one day, he will always remember this experience.
“At the end of the day, not a lot of guys can say they stepped behind an NHL bench,” Simon said Monday during a media Zoom call. “For me, whether that was one game or turns into a thousand games over the course of my life, it was a great experience, and to do it for Detroit was pretty cool.”