The Malik Report

According to Hockeysverige.se’s Mans Karlsson and HockeyNews.se’s Alexander Nilsson, Red Wings prospect Simon Edvinsson has signed a two-year “A-League contract” with the SHL’s Frolunda HC, ensuring that he’ll play on the men’s team for the next two seasons (presuming that he remains in Sweden).

Here’s a rough translation of the Frolunda press release:

From Junior to Rookie

Against Lulea Hockey in the Scandinavium [Frolunda’s home rink], Simon Edvinsson reached a milestone–he played 100 minutes in the SHL.

He’s played for Frolunda HC’s A-team since the start of the season last spring, and he played on a rookie contract (and played 100 SHL minutes) through the game agaist Lulea last Saturday.

“It’s wonderful. It’s always been a goal. It’s really cool to get that reward, to just be part of the A-team is a dream,” says Simon Edvinsson.

The 18-year-old Edvinsson–who has signed for two seasons, until the spring of 2023–has played on a defensive pair with Christian Folin so far, and has impressed Frolunda’s GM, Fredrik Sjostrom:

“He’s started the season at an incredibly high level. That he played on a rookie contract, it’s extremely well-deserved, and he will take further steps in the future.”

The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler took in the entirety of the Red Wings’ prospect tournament, and The Athletic’s Corey Pronman jetted from tournament to tournament over the past week, so both gentlemen shared their observations regarding their respective tournaments of focus this morning.

Among Wheeler’s observations are the following…

C Joe Veleno (No. 30, 2018): I think the Red Wings would have liked to see Veleno produce a little more than he did, which kept him out of the standouts here, but he was really quite noticeable in other ways. He played on the interior, pushed tempo, drove through coverage, finished his checks and galloped around the ice with that skating stride of his, trying to cut through every lane he could (though he often didn’t make his way all the way through in possession). He had the puck a lot.

I also spoke to his offseason strength and conditioning coach, Justin Griffin, this week. Here’s what Griffin had to say: “Veleno has changed his body in the last two summers so that at the Detroit testing, they were kind of joking around like ‘wow, you worked out this summer.’ He didn’t really put that much time in the gym when he was younger and once he got to the NHL level and they were like, ‘hey, you’ve got to get stronger.’ He hasn’t missed one workout six times a week with us the last two summers.”

Continued (paywall); one Wings prospect made Pronman’s cut:

Kirill Tyutyayev, LW, Detroit

I was at the first Detroit game where Tyutyayev had two goals and an overall strong performance. He was a later draft pick a few years ago and when I’ve circled around to him, I’ve thought he was a dime a dozen small, skill guy who doesn’t skate well. The size/skating still concerns me but what impressed me at the game other than his hands and playmaking was his work ethic. Tyutyayev competed hard off pucks to create pressure, force turnovers and one of his scoring plays was off a hard drive to the net versus a much bigger defender that he got to the far post on. At the minimum, he put himself on the radar to monitor in the AHL this season.

Our second episode of “Dylan Larkin at the NHL Media Tour” comes not from the NHL’s Swedish-language website, but instead, from the NHL’s German-language one, where Oliver Jensen asked Larkin about the impact that the Red Wings’ summertime changes would have on the team, including the addition of one Moritz Seider to the mix. What follows is roughly translated from German:

“I think with the roster changes that we made this year, there’s already more competition at training camp than in the past four or five years,” Larkin told NHL.com at the 2021 NHL/NHLPA Media Tour. “There are tough battles for every spot on our team. It’s great. That’s exactly how you want it when you start a new season. We’re much younger and have more potential at every position.”

Seider is one of the players who gives Larkin hope for the future. “Mo hasn’t been with us much so far. He was in Grand Rapids [in the AHL]. And last season in Sweden. I’m going to try to help him here as much as I can because he’s going to be an important part of our team. He’s going to play an important role, so the sooner that we get him acquainted with the other guys, the better his game will be,” said Larkin.

The captain is already certain of the individual skills that Seider brings with him: “He’s a great hockey player but he remains humble. He has outstanding skills and a special attitude. We just have to integrate him onto our team. Then he will help us move forward.”

Continue reading Roughly Translated: Dylan Larkin speaks with NHL.com/de regarding Moritz Seider and the upcoming season

Both MLive’s Ansar Khan and the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted profiles of Red Wings prospect Chase Pearson this afternoon.

Pearson, who’s an “older prospect” at 24 years of age, looks like someone who’s continuing to evolve into a stalwart defensive center at the NHL level, and that is exactly what Pearson’s goal for this season happens to be, as he told Khan:

“The goal is making the Red Wings roster on opening night,” Pearson said. “Just give them a reason for me to stay. I’m going to try to do that every day and have a positive attitude around the rink. That’s about all I can do, and things will face into play, or they won’t. We’ll see.”

Pearson is a good-sized center (6-3, 205) who fits the checking-line mold. He’s strong defensively, has shown some offensive ability in the AHL and can play the wing.

The Red Wings are looking to replace fourth-line center Luke Glendening, who signed with Dallas. They also parted ways with Darren Helm, Evgeny Svechnikov, Frans Nielsen, Richard Panik and Mathias Brome, creating opportunities.

Mitchell Stephens, acquired from Tampa Bay and drafted the same year as Pearson, might have the inside track on the fourth-line center spot based on his NHL experience (45 games). Veteran Carter Rowney and young Joe Veleno and Givani Smith also are in the mix for bottom-six spots.

Kulfan picks up the story from there:

Last season, during the pandemic shortened AHL season, Pearson had eight goals and 14 assists for 22 points. Those 22 points were identical to how many Pearson earned the season before. The difference: Pearson amassed the total last season in 28 games, unlike the 59 games the season before.

Pearson had a plus-3 rating last season, compared to being minus-9 the season before.

“Last year was huge for me,” Pearson said. “I got a bigger role in Grand Rapids, and I earned the coaches’ trust a little bit more, which enabled me to play in all situations and really take a step forward.

“I got better defensively and also on the offensive side. I was able to come into my own a little bit, which helped through playing more and gaining confidence. When you play with confidence, the game comes easier for you.”

Kulfan also continues…I don’t say this about many prospects, but I have full faith that Chase Pearson is going to be a defensive center at the NHL level within a year or two, regardless of whether it’s with Detroit or some other NHL team, and his employer will be better off for having him in the lineup.

Sportsnet’s Rory Boylen posted a comprehensive list of power rankings, ranking the Red Wings 29th despite offering the following assessment of the Wings’ roster situation…

29. Detroit Red Wings

Key additions: Pius Suter, Mitchell Stephens, Nick Leddy, Alex Nedeljkovic

Key subtractions: Valtteri Filppula, Bobby Ryan, Darren Helm, Jonathan Bernier

This training camp is all about the kids. What do we see from Moritz Seider and can he force his way on to the roster? How long can Lucas Raymond hang around camp and how close is he to NHL ready? Everyone knows what this Wings team is all about, but while more losing is expected in the short-term, you still want to see bounce backs from Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi as they return from injuries, a step up from Filip Zadina, and more of the same from Jakub Vrana, who was a point per game player after being acquired at the trade deadline.

Continued; and the Hockey News’s Matt Larkin offers this take on the Red Wings’ “Stanley Cup Window”:

REBUILDING

(Laying foundation for the future, not interested in pursuing a Cup right now)

Detroit Red Wings

Steve Yzerman continues to slow-play things. Trading for goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic was a long-term move, just like last season’s Jakub Vrana trade was, and even this past summer’s Nick Leddy trade meant bringing in a veteran with an expiring deal and trade-deadline value. We should see mega-prospect defenseman Moritz Seider in the NHL this year, and maybe left winger Lucas Raymond as well, but the Wings still don’t appear to be in any rush. The 2022 and 2023 draft classes are just too tempting. If you’re rebuilding now, you might as well lay low one more year to get a crack at a lottery selection in one of those classes.

Also continued…

Enjoy this profile of Moritz Seider from the Red Wings’ “Waiting in the Wings” series:

Scary stuff from WXYZ’s Kim Russell:

In text form:

“I was with Vlady when he was in Beaumont in a coma. I saw him say his first words after the coma. I saw him do his first physical therapy after the coma. And to see him then and to see him now is a miracle,” said Jim Bellanca, Vlady’s friend, and attorney.

“He is incredible,” said Linda Krumm, Konstantinov’s Medical Case Manager, who has cared for him since shortly after his injury.

Krumm coordinates caregivers who help him eat, dress, and get out in the community. He needs around-the-clock care due to the impact of his traumatic brain injury.

Konstantinov’s care team has defended his privacy, not allowing news crews into his Oakland County apartment over the years, despite requests for interviews, but now something has changed.

“I don’t think he is going to survive. That’s how strongly I feel,” said Bellanca.

Continued

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen stirs the pot a little bit with a ranking of the Atlantic Division’s best GM’s:

1.Julien BriseBois, Tampa Bay Lightning: BriseBois learned from Yzerman, but has earned the No. 1 ranking because of the trades he’s made and the creativity he showed managing his salary cap. He left Yzerman’s shadow when he won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.

2. Steve Yzerman, Detroit Red Wings: Yzerman was no longer there, but his fingerprints were all over the Tampa Bay titles. More importantly to Detroit fans, he has received strong reviews for the work he has done thus far in the Red Wings’ rebuild. He is highly respected for his vision and aggressiveness.

Continued; Yzerman has made some trade and signing fumbles, like any GM (see: Alex Regula for Brendan Perlini, and the inability to really address the dearth of offense or defensive depth until he was able to shake off the final Ken Holland contracts this past summer), and he’s going to continue to make a mistake from time to time, but his overall vision for the team is a strong one.

It’s on the players, coaches and fellow management to deliver upon that vision–one man cannot rebuild a team alone.

Of Red Wings-related note this afternoon:

1. Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff posted something of a prospect tournament wrap-up, noting that Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon was working with a disparate group of prospects, who were all experiencing different stages of their development:

As coach of his hastily-assembled crew, the job of Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon was to mold them into a cohesive unit while at the same time aiding each player in their individual growth.

“Every player is at a different point in their development process,” Simon said. “When that puck is dropped, though, it doesn’t matter if you’re a 24 year old or an 18 year old. It doesn’t matter if you played 10 games last year or a hundred games last year. It may not show in the results but I do think this tournament is great in seeing where you stack up.”

Hockey players live by the mantra that every day they show up for work is a tryout to keep their job. They do so because that’s how it works.

“If you’re a young 19-20 year old and you’re playing against a 24-25 year old, I’m learning, ‘okay, I’ve got a little ways to go to be able to compete wit that 24-25 year old,’” Simon said. “Or conversely, if I’m a 24, 25 year old and I’m not as good as I thought I was and this young kid is pushing me, it teaches you that you’ve got to push even harder to stay relevant.”

2. Duff also wrote an article which discusses the murky injury statuses of Jonatan Berggren and Lucas Raymond…

Raymond and Berggren didn’t play in Sunday’s 7-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets in Detroit’s NHL Rookie Tournament finale at Traverse City, Michigan. Berggren, hurt in the previous game against the St. Louis Blues, wasn’t expected to play. Raymond was a late scratch, leaving the Wings with just 10 forwards.

Whatever is ailing either of these young prospects is a closely-guarded secret. Will they be good to go when main camp hits the ice? The Wings haven’t revealed what Berggren’s injury is, or if in fact Raymond is hurt.

“I can’t speak to that,” said Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon, who handled the rookie team in Traverse City.

3. And finally, this item from DetroitRedWings.com’s Josh Berenter’s recap of Sunday night’s game is worth noting:

The Red Wings now turn their attention to main training camp, which runs Thursday, Sept. 23 through Tuesday, Sept. 28 in Traverse City.

Red Wings players, prospects and tryouts will be divided into teams that will practice and scrimmage throughout camp, including the annual Red and White Game on Sunday, Sept. 26, followed by practices next Monday and Tuesday, before breaking camp to begin the preseason schedule on Wednesday, Sept. 29 against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Training Camp coverage will be live streamed and documented on DetroitRedWings.com and across the Red Wings’ social media platforms.

According to The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, former Red Wings prospect Keith Petruzzelli chose to become a free agent, and ultimately sign with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, because the 22-year-old feels that the Maple Leafs are best-suited to helping him learn how to put on and keep a healthy weight…And, because the Red Wings wanted Petruzzelli to wait one more year before turning pro:

A few weeks ago, he signed a two-year AHL contract with the Toronto Marlies, leaving college and the Red Wings, the team who drafted him in the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft, behind. One of the many reasons he was pulled to the Leafs was for the wealth of resources he’d be able to tap into in his pursuit of stability in his weight.

“I had a really good summer this year and with the resources in Toronto, I can get on a plan with a nutritionist and a strength coach and really take my game to the next level building my body to where it needs to be,” Petruzzelli said. “It just really felt like a good fit. They have a lot of resources that I felt I could really use to my advantage over the next two years for my development.”

The resources weren’t the only reason he landed in Toronto, though. He decided to test free agency because the Red Wings wanted him to return to Quinnipiac for a fifth year in the NCAA. But Petruzzelli felt he was ready to turn pro, saying “going back to school wasn’t something I was prepared to do.”

Continued (paywall)