The Malik Report

MLive’s Ansar Khan has issued a list of five prospects who bear watching at the Red Wings’ prospect tournament next week in Traverse City. Among them:

Jonatan Berggren, RW, 5-11, 183: This fast-skating, skilled winger is preparing for the start of his North American career following a breakout season in the Swedish Hockey League with Skelleftea AIK (12 goals, 33 assists in 49 games), leading the team and tying for sixth in league scoring. He became only the 13th player in SHL history to compile 40-plus points in a season at age 20 or younger, and the first since Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson in 2017-18. Berggren was limited to 16 games in 2018-19 due to a back injury and played only 24 games in 2019-20 because of shoulder surgery. He was Detroit’s third pick, 33rd overall in the second round, in 2018, drafted three spots after Joe Veleno.

Sebastian Cossa, G, 6-6, 212: The Red Wings moved up from 23 to 15 to grab their goaltender of the future in this year’s draft. When Cossa is at the top of his crease, there is little room for shooters to get the puck past him. He has a hybrid butterfly style and plays with confidence and a bit of swagger. He dominated in the Western Hockey League, going 17-1-1, with a 1.57 goals-against average and .941 save percentage with the Edmonton Oil Kings last season. Cossa is slated for another season in juniors before likely transitioning to the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Continued

The Finnish Liiga began play today with Eemil Viro playing on TPS Turku’s first defensive pairing over the course of TPS’s 5-3 win over Lukko. Viro played 17:48 and finished even.

This afternoon, the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan has written a subscriber-only article which discusses Filip Hronek’s up-and-down 2020-2021 season as it applies to Hronek’s development into what the Wings hope will be a top-pair defenseman:

Hronek, who’ll turn 24 in November, might be just approaching his potential as a top-pairing defenseman who can play in any role, and do it very well.

“He’s been forced to really trial by fire and he’s been thrown into the mix, and it’s hard to do,” coach Jeff Blashill said late last season. “You don’t have a veteran defenseman who can carry you as you make some mistakes, and he’s had to sink or swim on a nightly basis. (But) enough nights, he’s swam.”

Hronek led the Wings with 26 points last season and 24 assists, including 11 points (all assists) on the power play. Interestingly, Hronek’s two goals on the season were both length of the ice empty-net power-play goals.

Hronek and fellow defenseman Marc Staal were the only two Wings to play all 56 games in the compressed and challenging season, Hronek overcoming some late-season aches and pains to play every game.

“A solid season,” said Blashill, when asked to analyze Hronek’s body of work. “I don’t think any of us can claim we’ve had a great year. We’re not good enough in the standings. But he’s done a solid season.”

Continued

In our daily fundraising update, I’ve got some good news and some not-so-good news.

The good news is that we’ve raised $758.48 in Paypal money, and $184.94 on Venmo. That’s absolutely fantastic, especially given that the first $500 raised had to go to pay for the server and Jetpack, the extension that makes WordPress work.

The bad news is that I received the hotel bill today, and it’s going to cost me $2,081 to stay at the Comfort Inn–at a half-the-cost, cut-the-rate-in-half business deal, for 16 days.

That doesn’t include the $100-or-so it costs in gas and food to get up to Traverse City, and the $100 that it costs to get back from TC, nor does it include the groceries and supplies I try to stockpile to reduce costs ($200-300 is a lot cheaper than eating bunches of “out food” and fancy meals, but it’s still a chunk in our lovely inflation-driven grocery market).

So, with approximately six days before I leave for Traverse City, we’re on our way, which is wonderful, but we’ve got a long way to go.

If you’re willing to lend a hand, you can use Paypal at https://paypal.me/TheMalikReport, Venmo at https://venmo.com/george-malik-2, Giftly by using my email, rtxg@yahoo.com, at https://www.giftly.com, and yes, you can contact me via email if you want to send me a paper check.

I understand that there’s some donor fatigue and fundraising fatigue going on here. I’m not thrilled having to do this, either, but I’m simply not a person of means, so I have to ask for your help.

If you’re interested, the Hockey News has posted an Atlantic Division Preview on its latest podcast, Red Wings included:

NEW HOCKEY NEWS PODCAST:

Our four-part 2021-22 divisional preview series begins with the Atlantic teams.https://t.co/Tto7swTCTg pic.twitter.com/0Eyczp5k6n— Matt Larkin (@THNMattLarkin) September 9, 2021

The Athletic’s Joshua Kloke penned an article regarding the Toronto Maple Leafs team ahead of a team-held development camp preceding their entry in the Red Wings’ prospect tournament, and Kloke included this…comment…From Red Wings draft pick Keith Petruzzelli, who chose to sign with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies after waiting until his Red Wings rights expired:

Petruzzelli was named NCAA (ECAC) Goaltender of the Year after posting a .926 save percentage through 29 games for Quinnipiac University last season. [Erik] Källgren won the Swedish Hockey League championship with the Vaxjo Lakers last season, posting a .937 save percentage through 10 playoff games.

Petruzzelli was a 2017 Red Wings draft pick but opted not to sign in Detroit.

“It was about getting a fresh start, feeling wanted and feeling appreciated,” Petruzzelli told The Athletic in August. “The Marlies, through speaking with (Marlies GM Ryan Hardy), was a great opportunity for myself to really get some work in, a couple years of experience of pro hockey under my belt and see where things go.”

Continued; every indication over the past couple of seasons was that the Wings considered Petruzzelli one of their “goalies of the future,” so this just reiterates the point that it’s not the Wings who passed on signing Petruzzelli–it was the other way around.

It was his call…

This morning, DetroitRedWings.com’s Josh Berenter posted an article discussing the ups and downs of Thomas Greiss’s 2020-2021 season:

Thomas Greiss‘ first year for the Detroit Red Wings can best be described as a tale of two halves.

Greiss made six starts before earning his first victory of the 2020-21 season, but his early win-loss record wasn’t indicative of his level of play, and the 12-year NHL veteran goaltender rebounded to finish 6-0-3 in his final nine starts of the year.

After signing with the Red Wings as a free agent in October 2020 and impressing the coaching staff in training camp, Greiss was pressed into more duty than he expected early in the season when former Red Wings goalie Jonathan Bernier was sidelined with injuries.

The 35-year-old started 11 of the club’s first 16 games, and despite a 2.90 goals-against average and .904 save percentage, Greiss only had one win to show for it.

As the season pressed on and Greiss gained more chemistry with his defensive corps, the wins started piling up and the veteran continued instilling confidence in his young teammates and the coaching staff.

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The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman penned an article discussing “Five players not named Jack Eichel who could help the Rangers,” and she mentions Dylan Larkin as a possible Rangers trade target.

Larkin, the Red Wings’ captain, probably isn’t on the market, but Goldman surmises that his age (25) not lining up with the Wings’ window of contention, combined with the fact that he’s coming off a rough season production-wise, make him an appealing player.

And it’s just as weird to type those words as it is to read them. Here’s a chunk of Goldman’s statistically-driven analysis of Larkin’s game:

Quality of teammates, along with systems and coaching, likely are at the root of his dip in play [last season]. With Larkin, at five-on-five, the Red Wings’ expected goal rate was 6 percent below average; they lacked net-front shots, which may be attributed to the center’s mainstay winger, Tyler Bertuzzi, missing most of the season — but they still created some scoring chances. Without him, though, their offense was a black hole, with their xG generation falling 20 percent below average.

Last season was one of Larkin’s worst shooting seasons, but there’s the potential to change that with a new team — especially if he were to skate alongside an elite playmaker in Artemi Panarin. What may have contributed to one of his worst shooting seasons — both in terms of shot volume and scoring — was a lack of high-danger passes preceding his shots. That would unquestionably change alongside Panarin. In a better position to shoot, the focus shifts to his finishing ability.

He could also match up with Chris Kreider’s speed and net-front play or Alexis Lafrenière’s vision and passing abilities.

Panarin has clicked well with right-handed centers, but his line has essentially only featured righties the past two years. Having another lefty in Larkin would give the offense more variety in handedness. That would be particularly handy on the first power-play unit.

Goldman continues (paywall); I know that anyone can be traded, but even in taking off my “fan” hat and putting on my “blogger/reporter’s” hat, reading Larkin getting talked up as a trade target is weird for me.

If you’re interested, Michigan journalist John U. Bacon had a chat with the NHL Network regarding his book, Let Them Lead: Unexpected Lessons in Leadership From America’s Worst High School Hockey Team:

Here you go, hockey fans!
My interview on NHL Network TV with former Red Wing tough guy turned lawyer Stu Crimson and Jamison Coyle. Lot of laughs. https://t.co/3Kt4sqkh7j— John U. Bacon (@Johnubacon) September 8, 2021

This is pretty cool: the Grind Line–all of Darren McCarty, Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby and Joe Kocur–will be inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame as recipients of the “Michigan Treasure” award, on Friday, October 1st: