The Malik Report

We’re just short of three weeks ahead of the 2020 NHL Draft, and The Athletic’s Max Bultman examines the Red Wings and Lightning’s draft record in the second round over the past 10 seasons in order to determine whether the team should utilize its 3 2nd-round picks to trade up into the 1st round, or whether the Wings should attempt to draft as many prospects as possible.

His conclusion reads (in part) as follows:

Teams that sat tight and made most of their picks had predictably mixed results, too: The second round is not a haven of easy-to-nail picks, but there is often useful talent still on the board, if you can identify it.

Perhaps the most useful data point in all of this, then, is what Detroit did last year, with a similar set of second-round assets. It’s been more than a year since that draft, but in terms of Detroit’s rebuilding status, not much has changed. If anything, the road ahead now may look longer because of the Red Wings’ disastrous results last season.

But those three players Detroit picked in the second round last summer are all now among its top 10 prospects. It wouldn’t be surprising if at least two were part of the Red Wings’ next playoff team. And while high-end talent is the Red Wings’ most pressing need at this stage, more picks means more chances to find another Bertuzzi or a Filip Hronek in Round 2.

Bultman continues at significant length, and, put bluntly, the Wings need as many kicks as the can at possible, so I don’t see them attempting to trade up into the first round by combining 2nd round picks at this point.

Edmonton’s “Lowetide,” a.k.a. Allan Mitchell, pondered whether several of the players previously signed by Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland (when Holland was the Red Wings’ GM) or previously coached by Oilers bench boss Dave Tippett might be able to help the Oilers, and Mitchell pulls a familiar name out of his hat…

Darren Helm: He is a fascinating player. His scoring (68 games, 9-7-16) is pedestrian and he doesn’t play centre, but he played against elites a lot in 2019-20 (37.5 percent of his playing time against the league’s best) and shone like a diamond (49 percent Dangerous Fenwick and outscored opponents 5-4) on a simply awful team. However, his cap hit ($3.85 million) is a deal breaker and he has been up and down against elites over the years. He’s a speedster and forechecks like mad, and those 2019-20 numbers are impressive. A hard pass is the call here.

But Mitchell doesn’t over-fantasize regarding the likelihood of Holland bringing any current Red Wings star player into the Oilers’ fold just because he was once the man who drafted and signed Wings prospects:

I had a long look at Danny Dekeyser — he is a fine defenceman but lost most of last season to injury and there’s probably risk involved (back injury) for next season. Gustav Nyqvist is another good fit, but he’s early in his contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets so that relationship is likely to continue for the next couple of seasons. A player like Tyler Bertuzzi is just beginning to emerge in Detroit, and it’s extremely unlikely that general manager Steve Yzerman would move a player he can build around (along with Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha and Filip Hronek).

Continued (paywall)…

The Toledo Walleye brought back a familiar face on Wednesday, signing defenseman Randy Gazzola to a one-year contract. The Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe reports that the 27-year old brings size, strength and scoring to the Walleye’s blueline for the second time:

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound defenseman played last season for a team based in Italy. In 44 games with Ritten/Renon, Gazzola had 34 points with 10 goals and 24 assists.

In seven games with Toledo during the 2018-19 regular season, Gazzola had five points (1 G, 4 A). In 24 postseason games, Gazzola contributed eight points (1 G, 8 A).

Walleye coach Dan Watson said Gazzola represents exactly what the organization looks for during the recruiting process.

“Randy is a player who wants to get better, has high expectations and standards of himself, and wants to win. But, more importantly, he is a true leader and a great person,” Watson said. “He will be counted on to play big minutes, like he did during our Kelly Cup run.”

I watched the Los Angeles Kings kick the Red Wings’ butts in the first round of the playoffs like everyone else did, with the exception being that the Kings’ famous overtime rally (damn you, Adam Deadmarsh) occurred while I was in the hospital, trying to stay awake on a morphine drip while recovering from major throat surgery.

What does that have to do with Down Goes Brown’s discussion of the worst pre-Stanley Cup championship seasons for ten Cup-winning franchises. DGB suggests that the 2000-2001 Red Wings had it worse than the 1995-1996 Wings did, and here’s his rationale:

Continue reading Recalling the 2001 Red Wings as the precursor to the ‘Summer of Ken’ (via Down Goes Brown)

This morning, the Free Press’s Helene St. James ponders what the Red Wings’ 2020-2021 NHL season roster might look like, minus the players which will be added to the roster during the offseason (see: free agents and/or traded players). She predicts big changes on the Wings’ blueline:

On defense, I think Moritz Seider will be in the lineup on opening night. The 19-year-old defenseman is currently with his former team, Adler Mannheim in Germany, part of a group of Wings loaned to European teams until the NHL gives the go-ahead on camps. Seider did well playing for the Griffins last season, and would have been called up to play a few games had the pandemic not interfered. Danny DeKeyser or Patrik Nemeth can serve as his partner, with Filip Hronek completing the top four. 

Gustav Lindstrom showed he can play a safe, dependable game. So did veteran Alex Biega, who Yzerman acquired last October in a trade with Vancouver, flipping underachieving prospect David Pope. Those are front-runners to form the third pair, though Madison Bowey, if he is re-signed, should challenge for one of the spots. 

Dennis Cholowski started last season with the Wings but he didn’t make a strong impression and finished in the minors. His fate may be partially determined by whether minor leagues are operational, which they aren’t likely to be without fan attendance.

Continued; it’s my hope that the Red Wings don’t sign a significant number of free agents as I believe that it’s time for players like Seider, Lindstrom and even Cholowski (who may still be another year away from NHL readiness) to play regularly.

Whether that scenario plays out given the Wings’ probable signing of some sort of free agent defenseman is beyond me at this point;

In goal, the Wings obviously need a back-up, and it seems likely that the team will move on from Jimmy Howard;

Up front, St James also predicts a lean roster with minimal turnover, and I do find it interesting that she doesn’t believe the Wings will waive Justin Abdelkader if he has a rough training camp…

Overall, I’ll put it this way: the offseason will be very condensed, regardless of when the 2020-2021 season starts in December, January or at a later date (we are all running on the pandemic’s clock right now), so I’m expecting some surprises as the Wings attempt to navigate signing restricted free agents (see: Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi), the free agent marketplace, and the Wings attempt to build some roster depth in Grand Rapids, all between early October and the start of the season.

As I’ve suggested, I believe that the Wings should plain old walk away from RFA’s Adam Erne and Brendan Perlini, and not submitting qualifying offers to either restricted free agent would give the roster more flexibility going forward.

The Toledo Walleye are navigating an offseason like no other. As summer gives way to fall, the Red Wings’ ECHL affiliate is still signing players to ECHL contracts, expecting the ECHL season to begin in December.

Walleye coach Dan Watson spoke with the Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe regarding his roster strategy (which has involved signing a significant number of “second-year pros”), as well as the lack of a trickle-down effect from the AHL this offseason:

Grand Rapids has provided forwards and defensemen to Toledo throughout the franchises’ 11-year affiliation, but AHL teams have signed fewer depth players due to budget cuts and uncertainty this offseason.

“We have players on our roster this year that, in a typical year, would be signing American League contracts,” Watson said. “We are fortunate to have them here in Toledo.”

Watson said he is still fielding phone calls as he fills out the remaining spots on his roster. He said he believes there are some players who have not signed AHL contracts or with teams in Europe who could sign in October or November.

“I want to have the best team on the ice as possible,” he said. “I still think there is a crop of guys out there that will be available. The biggest key is that we already have a really nice core right now.”

Continued with an excellent summary of the Walleye’s more high-profile signings;

As neither the Walleye, Griffins or Red Wings know when their respective leagues’ seasons will begin, many available players have signed deals with European teams, and others are waiting for the NHL’s free agency period to begin to ink professional contracts. It’s a strange mix of unknowns on top of unknowns in terms of roster construction in the ECHL, AHL and NHL right now.

The Dallas Stars are headed to the Stanley Cup Final, and two of the classiest gentlemen in hockey have paved the way for Dallas’ ascent. Former Red Wings assistant GM and long-time director of amateur scouting Jim Nill is heading to his first Stanley Cup Final as Dallas’ general manager, and coach Rick Bowness is at the helm of the Stars’ bench.

The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch spoke with Nill regarding both his status as the man in charge of a team that’s about to compete for the Stanley Cup, and as a GM who made the decision to pick Bowness to lead his team after the Stars parted ways with coach Jim Montgomery just short of halfway through the abbreviated regular season:

While Bowness is making his first trip to the final as a head coach, this will be Nill’s inaugural stop at the big dance since he took over the Stars in 2013 after 19 seasons and four Stanley Cup titles in Detroit. He left the Red Wings because the timing was right to make the next step from assistant GM.

“This is what you’re in the business for and you always dream of being in this position,” Nill said. “We still have one more hurdle to go here. I’ve been very fortunate in my career. I’ve been surrounded by great people and I’ve had great mentors. I was put in a very fortunate situation (in Detroit), and I learned so much from them.

“I remember when I first got into the business. You’re young, energetic and ready to go and you think you can tackle anything. When I look back now, I had some opportunities to go to some other teams when I was younger and it’s probably a good thing I didn’t because I may have got eaten alive. It’s a tough business. You have to live with the ups and the downs. You’re dealing with ownership, media, players and agents. It’s a tough position.”

Continued; anyone who dealt with Jim Nill during his time with the Red Wings will tell you that he was and is flat-out one of the classiest people in the entire league, and he’s got me rooting for a team that has Corey Frickin’ Perry on its roster.

DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji spoke with former Red Wings assistant coach Adam Nightingale regarding his decision to leave the Wings and join the U.S. National Team Development Program, where he’ll coach the Under-17 team:

“I want to be a head coach and I have been before, just a chance to do it again,” Nightingale said in a recent phone interview. “I think this age is really unique from, not just hockey, but the whole off-the-ice as well, it’s an opportunity to make an impact. I remember moving away from home, there’s a lot of change, a different school, you’re living in a different home, you’ve got totally new teammates. It’s just a different environment so to try to help mentor that age, I think, is something I really have a passion for, and then I think just representing our country with USA Hockey.

“I’ve been fortunate to do four IIHF events and it’s something I was proud of as a player, playing youth hockey, USA Hockey, and then it also helped me in my coaching career. Different doors have opened and I really believe just some of the opportunities I’ve been given from USA Hockey so the chance to give back and be part of USA Hockey was probably the third reason.”

Continued

Sportsnet’s Luke Fox discusses the respective contractual situations of 16 restricted free agents of note this morning, including Red Wings RFA’s Tyler Bertuzzi and Anthony Mantha.

Here’s his take on Bertuzzi’s prospects for a contract upgrade…

Continue reading Sportsnet’s Fox talks restricted free agents, including Tyler Bertuzzi and Anthony Mantha

Of draft-related note this morning, per The Athletic:

1. Corey Pronman discusses the most pressing draft needs of each and every one of the NHL’s 31 teams, including the Red Wings:

Detroit Red Wings: Talent

Detroit had 23 fewer points than the second-lowest team in the league. It had a strong albeit not incredible farm system. It has some good players, like Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, Filip Hronek, Filip Zadina and Moritz Seider. Even though the Red Wings have some great pieces, they need a lot more – at every position. The pressing need for this organization is good players.

Continued (paywall)…

2. And Max Bultman posted an extensive article discussing the paths by which the Red Wings might take steps forward while drafting a center, a scoring winger and a defenseman.

Here’s Bultman’s take (or part of it) regarding the Red Wings’ organizational path forward should they draft a two-way center, such as Cole Perfetti:

If Perfetti can stick at center and play at a top-line level, it would check a major box for the Red Wings, giving them another high-end pivot to pair with Dylan Larkin.

The appeal of having multiple first-line centers is obvious when looking at recent championship teams, and with Perfetti’s offensive ability and Larkin’s two-way prowess topping its depth chart, Detroit may have the makings of a real 1-2 punch.

Add in recent first-round picks Joe Veleno and Michael Rasmussen behind them, and center could be a major area of strength for the Red Wings — so much so that they could consider flexing one of those latter two to the wing, to avoid relegating one to the fourth line.

Either way, though, Detroit will still have major questions to answer at nearly every other position, with the need for at least one more top-six (but ideally first-line caliber) winger, and potentially two more top-four defensemen (including a No. 1), depending on whether someone from deeper in its existing prospect pool emerges. And, of course, it needs a goaltender of the future.

Continued (paywall)…

The message from both Pronman and Bultman is clear and is accurate–that the Red Wings still need to bring more top prospects into the fold if they are to turn the team around over the course of multiple seasons to come.

I’m sure you already understood this, but it’s interesting to read two respected writers’ takes on the situation. At this point, some three-or-so weeks ahead of the draft, the exercise of examining multiple perspectives helps each and every one of us would-be-GM’s understand the how’s and why’s of Detroit’s possible draft choices.