Landon Ferraro was the first pick last year (#32) but was quickly upstaged by Tomas Tatar (#60)
Oh, it's almost the most wonderful time of the year.
If you're a regular at BDS (and why wouldn't you be?), you know that perhaps my favorite thing about the NHL calendar besides watching Detroit lift the Cup is the NHL draft. There's nothing quite like scouring the internet for information on who the Wings just picked, specifically the magic that Hakan Andersson pulls out of the late round every year. Look no further than prospect Adam Almqvist (more info in the post directly below this), a defenseman who scored more than two points per game in the Swedish junior circuit, before establishing himself as a top four defenseman in the SEL (a league better than the AHL) -- something it sometimes takes early round picks a couple years to achieve. Even rarer for the pick 210 out of 211 drafted to do in the span of six months.
In the interest of full disclosure: I am sadly unprepared for this year's draft. I can't remember the last time I didn't have fairly decent viewings on most of the players slated to go in the first round. Most of this is due to being in the junior hockey cesspool that is Grand Rapids -- I've been about to watch more AHL hockey and college hockey in the past few years, but I'm not longer ten minutes away from an OHL rink when I lived near the Plymouth Whalers barn. In the past I was able to make due -- I saw a good number of guys play as 15 and 16 year olds, so I knew what type of style they played as they got closer to their draft year, and I still catch a handful of games when I go home. But this year, even in the OHL, I haven't seen a good number of high ranked players play, and the ones I have were in limited viewings.
Without a doubt though, I am ready to dive into the draft and start talking some puck. I've still read a fair bit about a healthy percentage of guys slated to be taken in the first two rounds, but nothing beats being an amateur scout and watching these guys on my own. For that reason, I'm not going to BS anybody with long-winded analysis on each target -- just a short synopsis of their style, with a promise to do as much research as I can on them if and when they become a Wing.
No further delay: let's talk facts. The Wings have their highest pick since 2005, when the lockout year created a league-wide draft lottery that saw Detroit land Jakub Kindl at pick #19. Before that, the last three times they picked outside of the bottom five in the first round (compensating for the days of 22-26 NHL teams) were in 1998 (Jiri Fischer), 1991 (Martin Lapointe), and 1990 (Keith Primeau). Two players who have already retired, and another whose career was cut short medically.
They'll be picking at #21 this year. Additionally, they have their own selections in every other round, so barring any trades (and the Wings have a tendency to slide down a few spots to grab two guys they want instead of one -- see 2006 and 2009), they'll be adding new prospects at #21, #51, #81, #111, #141, #171, and #201. Only one pick in the 200s? However will Hakan get to work his magic?
This draft is not as deep as last years, and in my opinion, even 2008. The first round looks top heavy -- the top 15 will likely stay in the top 20, with about 30-45 players who it wouldn't be at all surprising to see slide into those last 15 picks of the round. Ken Holland has said the team would like to add a skilled forward, but also stated that they would stick with their "best player available" strategy should a high-ranked defenseman slip outside of the top 20. As is usually my preference, I would like to see Detroit add a forward, but there are a handful of intriguing Red Wings-style defensemen who could slip out of the top 20. There's also a handful of players who were considered top five or top ten picks prior to this season who have slipped out of favor in the rankings. Wild cards for sure, but given that the Wings are just outside of the "top-tier" talent window, I would fully support a gamble this season.
I've separated this post into four categories. The first three pertain to the first round. There are the "slippers" who could potentially fall out of that top group, the "targets" who I've seen a lot of mock drafts put around Detroit's pick, and the "sleepers," who would be perhaps be considered slightly off the board, but are worth noting anyway if Detroit tries to trade down (or if these players slip to #51). Lastly, I'll list a couple late round targets that I like -- but these are to be taken with a grain of salt given the much lower percentage than normal of these folks I've actually been able to see. Let's roll.
The Slippers (Most of these players will be giving interviews to TV crews by the time pick #21 rolls around, but if they aren't, Detroit would be foolish not to take a long look at them. There's a few unexpected slips every year, though, so I'm taking a look at the guys that I have a reason to think might fall.)
Jeff Skinner, C - The Kitchener Rangers forward is either ranked in the top ten of the first round, or the top ten of the second round in every list you see. Reasons for that include his potential "hot dog" attitude, generous 5'10" frame, and one-dimensional play. But Skinner was one of just two 50 goal scorers in the OHL, and he potted 20 more in the playoffs. His hands and creativity are considered to be one of the draft's best.
Austin Watson, RW - The product of Ann Arbor was thought to be a late first round pick until a trade from the eventual Memorial Cup champion Windsor Spitfires to the Peterborough Petes opened up more ice time an opportunity for him. Now the budding power forward is thought to be a mid-first round pick. He's got the two-way smarts and the touch around the net, but needs a few years of refinement before he can be a top prospect.
Jon Merrill, D - A second straight Michigander (Brighton), Merrill recently stated his desire to be picked by his long-time favorite team, Detroit. Merill was long considered one of the top defensemen available for this draft, because of his size (6'3"), strength, and efficiency at both ends of the ice. His defensive play is simple and silent, much like a player he is frequently compared to in Nick Lidstrom, but his offensive play never took flight with the U.S. National Development Program. He'll be a Michigan Wolverine next fall, offering Detroit the opportunity to keep a very close eye on his development.
Mark Pysyk, D - Another player thought to be a top ten pick for this draft at this point last year, Pysyk has slid into the middle of the first round with some thinking he could fall all the way to the end of it. There were very high hopes surrounding his entrance into the WHL that he could become the next great WHL point-producing defenseman, but like Merrill, the points never amounted. Scouts are still in love with his skating ability and the way he moves the puck, so perhaps a better situation (Pysyk was not only injured, but he played for the Edmonton Oil Kings, the lowest scoring team in the WHL) could cultivate that offensive ability.
Emerson Etem, C - Baseball fans may appreciate this potential pick, as his name is pronounced Eat-em and he plays for the Medicine Hat Tigers (and if you're unfamiliar, there's a "famous" homeless man, with a foam Incredible Hulk fist holding his change cup, in downtown Detroit who I hear every time I go to a Tigers game, chanting "eat 'em up Tigers, eat 'em up) but hockey fans would appreciate it because of his top notch speed, physical style, and great hands that come from his background being raised in California as a roller hockey player. Etem wouldn't be a huge slip, slated in the 15-20 range, but the Central Scouting Bureau among a few other lists have him in the top ten.
Vladimir Tarasenko, RW - Talent-wise, Tarasenko is top ten. But in the past few years, the biggest sliders in the draft are traditionally the talented Russians that don't make it out of North America. There is no transfer agreement with Russia, and the KHL has made a push in the past few years to keep top prospects at home with long-term entry-level deals and big money contracts. Still, Tarasenko will end up in the first round because of his Pavel Bure-lite style. Hakan recently stated that he scouted Russia more than in the past this season, so it's not absurd to think Detroit is heavily interested in a few of these potential KHL wild cards.
The Targets (These players are the most often available in mock drafts and scouting lists around Detroit's pick at #21. It would be nice to grab a player who has slipped, but these players would not be bad consolation.)
Nick Bjugstad, C - Debated putting him in the first section, but The Hockey News is the only service that has him in the top ten, almost everywhere else has him around Detroit's pick. The 6'4" forward is the product of the powerhouse Minnesota high school hockey system, winner of the annual "Mr. Hockey" award for best prospect in the state. Bjugstad racked up 60 points in 25 games, looking like a literal man amongst boys. His two-way play is also strong for a "raw" player like himself, but consistency is an issue.
Kirill Kabanov, LW - Kabanov is the biggest wild card of the draft, ranked at #2 or #3 for the two years leading up to this draft, and nearly solidifying his spot there by coming to play for the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL. Coming from a rich family, Kabanov showed major immaturity issues from taking self-imposed long shifts to walking off the team towards the end of the year -- before trying to come back for the playoffs. He's said he'd like to stay in North America but it sounds as though the Wildcats want nothing to do with him. Going back to the KHL would be a disappointment for whatever team drafts him, but if he's dealt to another team in the QMJHL and dedicates himself to being "coachable" once again, he has the skill to be one of the best players outside the NHL. Most rankings have him outside the first round, but I don't have any doubt that a team will drool at his talent and pick him up.
John McFarland, C - McFarland is another player who should be a top five pick this year, but now looks to be headed to the end of the first round. He plays a power forward style with one of the best shots in the draft as well as a never-ending bag of slick stickhandling moves. His two-way play, effort level, selfishness, and failure to improve on last year's rookie numbers are what have scouts concerned.
Quinton Howden, LW - Howden is another strong two-way winger with good size who should be going within the five picks before Detroit's or the five picks after it. Howden is strong in front of the net, but is overall a very safe pick because of his ability to be good at everything, but great at nothing.
Riley Sheahan, C - Sheahan is considered one of the top defensive forwards in the draft, and is well on his way to becoming one of the best shutdown players in college hockey after his freshman year at Notre Dame. He was a near lock for the top ten before an arrest early this month has him sliding pretty fast.
Dylan McIlrath, D - There are very few defensemen I'd take in this range that aren't from the top group of slippers, but McIlrath is much of the element that Detroit is missing among their defensive prospects. Off the charts toughness, mobility, size, (6'4, 212) and smart play in his own zone have him slated to be a very good shutdown defenseman some day, but his passing ability and heavy shot offer the opportunity that he could be something more.
Jaden Schwartz, C - Three inches taller, and Schwartz is out of Detroit's range completely. But the soon to be member of the hockey program at Colorado College has incredible offensive ability, speed, and hockey sense. In an era where everyone and their mother has figured out that the new NHL is tailored to small and skilled players, Schwartz's rankings on the border of the first and second round doesn't make much sense.
Ludvig Rensfeldt, LW - What Detroit draft preview isn't complete without a mention of the top ranked Swede? Rensfeldt is neck and neck with the smaller and more skilled (and year older) Calle Jarnkrok, but Rensfeldt's two way play, 6'3" size, and only flashes of offensive talent have drawn some comparisons to Johan Franzen when he was drafted. Whether he finds that offense is a complete gamble, but I'd wager Rensfeldt would be "Detroit's Swede" over Jarnkrok.
Stanislav Galiev, C - There's no doubt that this Russian wants to be in North America. He took no chances, playing for the USHL's Indiana Ice last season before joining the Saint John Sea Dogs in the QMJHL this season. Talent is not an issue, but Galiev showed a hesitation to pay the price to score the goal, preferring to pass the puck (45 assists) instead of shoot it (15 goals). He's a bit lanky at 6'1, 178, so filling out a little more might make him a little more likely to head to the net and score the ugly goals.
The Sleepers (These players aren't often seen ranked by scouting services or mock drafts near #21, but most have them in the last few picks of the first round, or the top ten of the second.Detroit has never shown a hesitation to go off the board a little [Brendan Smith was considered a mid-second before Detroit took him at #27, and that's paying off] so any could be a Wing at #21. Also an option in my opinion is that Detroit trades down and nabs two of them in the later first or early second.)
Charlie Coyle, RW - Most rankings have him in the beginning of the second round, but not many have him slipping into the first. The cousin of Tony Amonte knows what it takes to be an NHL player, but his level of competition -- the EJHL (junior league on the east coast which hasn't produced many early round picks) raise some questions. Coyle is a workout fiend and will be heading to Boston University next year, so there's a chance that his 6'2, 202 frame will leave him with no issues adjusting physically.
Beau Bennett, RW - Another high ranked Californian, Bennett lit up the BCHL (British Columbia Hockey League, it's Jr. A) for 120 points in 56 games. Bennett is going to be a Denver Pioneer, where he'll work on bulking up and becoming a two way player in addition to being a ridiculously good playmaker.
Joey Hishon, C - Hishon would be in the first round if he did not get hurt, but he was limited to just 36 games, leaving him unable to prove he was a complete player despite his size and preference to be flashy.
Jordan Weal, C - One of the smallest players available in the top tier (5'9, 162), playing into Weal's favor is that his teammate, linemate, size-mate (?), and first-name mate Jordan Eberle was around. Eberle helped Weal to 102 points on the year -- more than most of the top ranked players. Weal's totals are largely the factor of his opportunity to play with Eberle, but his offensive ability is undeniable and still developing. He'll get a chance to do it without Eberle next year.
Brad Ross, LW - 27 goals, 203 points. Agitator, dirty, physical. Draft him, or hate playing against him for the next 15 years.
Teemu Pulkkinen, RW - More than likely a mid-second round pick, but his scoring ability has long drawn comparisons to Teemu Selanne. Unfortunately, his overall game and below average size have him slipping.
Late Round Targets (This group is mostly of guys I don't see going in the first or second round. It's just a mess of players I've seen play or read enough about to like, but won't be pulling for too hard given that I don't know if they're really any better than the players ranked near them.)
Maxim Kitsyn, LW - A likely second rounder blessed with size and skill, but with the ability to fall because of his Russian nationality.
Justin Faulk, D - Skilled puck mover, but under-sized.
Tom Kuehnhackl, RW - I haven't seen this top ranked German play, but he's earned rave reviews and he'll be in the Windsor program next season -- looking to field another strong team after they'll likely lose more than a few players to the NHL and AHL ranks.
Greg McKegg, C - Overall game has some concerned, but decent size along with 37 goals and 85 points show that he plays a smart offensive game. And it's a lot easier (especially in Detroit) to teach an overall game -- it's almost impossible to the knack for scoring.
Justin Knight, C - Knight conveniently plays for the London Knights, but never took the offensive leap many expected he could when he joined the league. If he does, he's a steal.
Justin Shugg, RW - Not flashy, but the decent-sized winger has always impressed me, playing mostly a depth role on the stacked Windsor Spitfires. Good around the net, decent in his own end -- plays very simply and reminds me of Drew Miller. A likely 3rd or 4th rounder.
Benjamin Conz, G - Howard's graduation, Larsson's departure, and McCollum's inconsistency has opened up the need for a potential mid-round goalie. Who better than the Swiss sensation that stole the show in the World Junior Championships?
John Ramage, D - Another WJC stud, the American Ramage (son of Rob Ramage) put himself on the map with a performance as the best defensive defender on the squad. If Detroit didn't see him there, as Brian Lashoff's teammate, they saw him as Brendan Smith's teammate in Wisconsin.
Austin Levi, D - One of two Plymouth Whalers defensemen I like, Levi is a smooth-skating aggressive defenseman with untouched offensive ability. He's very raw, but those skills will likely have him picked in the top 100.
Colin MacDonald, D - A steady and mobile defenseman, looked better than teammate Levi in most games I caught this season. Unfortunately, the Whalers coaching staff didn't think so as McDonald was definitely lower on the depth chart. Doesn't offer the offensive package that Levi does, but is worth a flyer in the 6th or 7th.
Jason Zucker, LW - A likely second or early third round pick because of his unlikely nomination to the WJC, but not a lot of upside. Could slip.
Konrad Abeltshauser, D- A 6'5 German defenseman who was on pace for a solid offensive season in the QMJHL until injuries held him about 25 games shy of a full season.
Victor Ohman, LW - Considered to be the top Swede in the draft for a few years, but fell this year. Talented, but not productive.
Pontus Netterberg, LW - Not necessarily ranked very high, but worth a look given his 47 points in 41 games with Adam Almqvist's HV-71 J20 club, but worth a look given his awesome first name and first letter of the last name that's just a Z on it's side.
Mock Draft In the past, I've done a full one of these with explanations for each pick. Unfortunately, I don't have the time or the knowledge on all of the players to do that this year. For now, I'll just try going with a gut feeling (I don't have a good track record on these when I know about the players, so maybe this is just what I need) and then talk a little first round after it ends on Friday night.
1. Edmonton Oilers - Taylor Hall, LW, Windsor (OHL) 2. Boston Bruins (via TOR) - Tyler Seguin, C, Plymouth (OHL) 3. Florida Panthers - Cam Fowler, D, Windsor (OHL) 4. Columbus Blue Jackets - Erik Gudbranson, D, Kingston (OHL) 5. New York Islanders - Brandon Gormley, D, Moncton (QMJHL) 6. Tampa Bay Lightning - Brett Connolly, RW, Prince George (WHL) 7. Carolina Hurricanes - Nino Niederreiter, LW, Portland (WHL) 8. Atlanta Thrashers - Mikael Granlund, C, HIFK (FNL) 9. Minnesota Wild - Derek Forbort, D, USNTDP (U18) 10. New York Rangers - Ryan Johansen, C, Portland (WHL) 11. Dallas Stars - Alex Burmistrov, C, Barrie (OHL) 12. Anaheim Ducks - Jeff Skinner, C, Kitchener (OHL) 13. Phoenix Coyotes (via CGY) - Austin Watson, RW, Peterborough (OHL) 14. St. Louis Blues - Jack Campbell, G, USNTDP (U18) 15. Boston Bruins - Mark Pysyk, D, Edmonton (WHL) 16. Ottawa Senators - Nick Bjugstad, C, Blaine (USHS) 17. Colorado Avalanche - Jon Merrill, D, USNTDP (U18) 18. Nashville Predators - Vladimir Tarasenko, LW, Sibir (KHL) 19. Los Angeles Kings - Riley Sheahan, C, Notre Dame (CCHA) 20. Pittsburgh Penguins - Quinton Howden, LW, Moose Jaw (WHL) 21. Detroit Red Wings - Emerson Etem, C, Medicine Hat (WHL) 22. Phoenix Coyotes - John McFarland, LW, Sudbury (OHL) 23. Buffalo Sabres - Kirill Kabanov, LW, Moncton (QMJHL) 24. Atlanta Thrashers (via NJD) - Jaden Schwartz, C, Tri-City (USHL) 25. Vancouver Canucks - Evgeny Kuznetsov, C, Chelyabinsk Traktor (KHL) 26. Washington Capitals - Jarred Tinordi, D, USNTDP (U18) 27. Montreal Canadiens - Alex Petrovic, D, Red Deer (WHL) 28. San Jose Sharks - Dylan McIlrath, D, Moose Jaw (WHL) 29. Anaheim Ducks (via PHI) - Charlie Coyle, RW, South Shore (EJHL) 30. Chicago Blackhawks - Stanislav Galiev, C, Saint John (QMJHL)
Friday's the day. Well, the first round. Then Saturday is the day -- the day Detroit drafts their next superstar.
Part two. Sorry for the delay folks. Here's 1-10 if you hadn't seen it. Note the name change from "May" because it's now mid-June. Discuss!
11. Brian Lashoff, D (+4) [+1] Signed as a free agent, September 2008 ----------- Stats 08/09 .. Barrie (OHL) .. 25 GP .. 1-12-13 .. -3 .. 19 PIM 08/09 .. Kingston (OHL) .. 35 GP .. 6-13-19 .. -1 .. 32 PIM 08/09 .. Grand Rapids (AHL) .. 6 GP .. 1-4-5 .. +1 .. 0 PIM 09/10 .. Kingston (OHL) .. 58 GP .. 6-21-27 .. -10 .. 71 PIM 09/10 .. USA (WJC) .. 7 GP .. 0-2-2 .. 4 PIM 09/10 .. Grand Rapids (AHL) .. 6 GP .. 0-2-2 .. +5 .. 2 PIM ============================================== Season: Despite a very impressive showing in an AHL tryout last season, due to his 1990 birth year, Lashoff had to spend this season in the OHL, where he captained the Kingston Frontenacs. Though Kingston was better than last year, Lashoff's numbers didn't show it, but he did log major minutes on their blueline. Paired with 2010 top ten pick Erik Gudbranson, when he was healthy, Lashoff was a clear leader on the Kingston blueline from the get go, serving as the team's captain. Lashoff also helped United States win gold at the World Junior Championship. He played sparingly when the tournament began, but earned more and more ice time as it went on, eventually facing the task of shutting down Taylor Hall in the gold medal game. From there, he finished his season in the OHL and moved on to another successful tryout with Grand Rapids. ============================================== Future: I really feel that Lashoff has the same symptoms in the OHL that I saw in Jimmy Howard and now Jakub Kindl in the AHL. His teammates, and Lashoff played on an average team, but posted only average numbers, just aren't up to his skill level. Lashoff makes a much better professional prospect than junior prospect, because of his mobility and puck moving ability. He'll get that chance now, as the once undrafted free agent will finally begin the three-year entry level deal he signed in September of 2008. This ranking is very generous for a player with his output in junior hockey, but I believe it's fair if he can make the impact I think he's capable of. Lashoff should be able to step comfortably into a top four role for the Griffins next season. ==============================================
12. Adam Almqvist, D (+2) [+21] 7th round, 210th overall, 2009 ----------- Stats 08/09 .. HV71 (J20) .. 41 GP .. 8-28-36 .. 44 PIM 08/09 .. Sweden (U18) .. 14 GP .. 1-3-4 .. 10 PIM 09/10 .. HV71 (J20) .. 15 GP .. 5-29-34 .. +14 .. 14 PIM 09/10 .. Sweden (U18) .. 4 GP .. 2-2-4 .. 2 PIM 09/10 .. HV71 (SEL) .. 28 GP .. 2-6-8 .. +11 .. 10 PIM ============================================== Season: In my few years of ranking prospects, no new draft pick has made the strides in a year that Almqvist made this season. Almqvist started the season hilariously productive, putting up 34 points in 15 games with HV-71's J20 team. To clarify, all senior league clubs (in the top Swedish league, the SEL) have junior teams, and Almqvist played on the one for 20 year olds. His team didn't lose a single game while he was down there, but he left once injuries opened up a spot in the SEL. He was expected to spend a few games there and then be loaned to second-tier Sweden -- where he would be more challenged than in the J20 league, but not to the point where he could dominate. Almqvist had other plans, as he impressed enough to stick on HV-71 all season long. He produced eight points in 28 games, and then 11 more in 16 playoff games as HV-71 won the SEL title. When it was all said and done, Almqvist was playing 20-25 minutes a night on the team's top pairing with former NHLer Janne Niinimaa -- a pretty good feat for an 18-year-old first round pick, let alone a seventh. ============================================== Future: Future? Bright. Almqvist could not have possibly had a better season, and his ranking reflects that. He came just as he was billed -- skilled, with hockey sense through the roof. Most will cite the fact that he's on the smaller end, but he is the same size that Niklas Kronwall was at this age (though he is not known for big open ice hits, sorry). Almqvist should be able to stick in the SEL all season long, and should be a near lock for Sweden's team at the World Junior Championships in Buffalo next winter. ==============================================
13. Daniel Larsson, G (-8) [-10] 3rd round, 92nd overall, 2006 ----------- Stats 08/09 .. Grand Rapids (AHL) .. 40 GP .. 22-12-2 .. 2.76 GAA .. 90.7% .. 5 SO 09/10 .. Grand Rapids (AHL) .. 53 GP .. 23-24-2 .. 2.85 GAA .. 90.3% .. 1 SO ============================================== Season: All things considered, Larsson had a pretty strong season. Grand Rapids struggled more overall, and the team's overall defense is more to blame than both the struggles of Larsson and Thomas McCollum. Unlike last season when he split time with Jimmy Howard, Larsson was primarily the starting goalie all year in Grand Rapids. McCollum was given time early in the season, but hit a wall midseason as Larsson took over the bulk of the starts. Once the Griffins were out of the playoff picture and McCollum picked up his game, Larsson saw a lot of bench. This was difficult as he had statistically outperformed Howard last season as a rookie. He didn't get a chance in the NHL due to the Wings needing every point they could get down the stretch. Combining that with small salaries of the AHL, and Larsson signed a two-year deal with Swedish club HV-71 instead of re-signing with Detroit. ============================================== Future: Larsson's ranking reflects the decision about his future. What doesn't totally kill it is the fact that he has an out-clause after the first year, if, say, Chris Osgood retires and the Wings need a backup goalie for Howard in 2011-12. How willing the Wings would be to give that job to a goalie with no NHL experience is another story. Either way, Larsson is still a talented netminder and is a top ten prospect in this organization if he stays in the AHL. Going to Sweden doesn't necessarily make him any worse -- the SEL is actually a better league than the AHL, in the opinion of most -- but the Wings history with getting players back from Europe is not good. Larsson still says playing in the NHL is his goal, but for now he gets a demotion and a resounding "we'll see." ==============================================
14. Andrej Nestrasil, RW (-2) [-1] 3rd round, 75th overall, 2009 ----------- Stats 08/09 .. Victoriaville (QMJHL) .. 66 GP .. 20-35-57 .. -2 .. 67 PIM 09/10 .. Victoriaville (QMJHL) .. 50 GP .. 16-35-51 .. +4 .. 40 PIM 09/10 .. Czech Republic (WJC) .. 6 GP .. 1-6-7 .. 4 PIM ============================================== Season: Nestrasil is the pick from the 2009 draft that many called the "free pick." Detroit traded down from pick 29 to 32, nabbing Landon Ferraro as well as the pick used to select Nestrasil. The Wings considered him first round talent in terms of offensive skill, and hoped that he would have a breakout offensive season in the QMJHL because of that. He started off on the right foot, alongside fellow Czech Tomas Kubalik (CBJ) tearing it up for Victoriaville, among the league's top 20 scorers for most of the first half of the season. Victoriaville was very active at the trade deadline, adding several veteran players as they unsuccessfully tried to load up for a long playoff run. This severely cut into Nestrasil's ice time, and he slumped through the second half of the season, and into the playoffs -- posting just six points in 16 playoff games. The brightest spot for Nestrasil was his performance with the Czech Republic at the World Junior Championships, where he logged major minutes as one of the most offensively gifted players on the team. ============================================== Future: Following the season, completing a trade that they made at the aforementioned busy deadline, nestrasil was traded from Victoriaville to PEI, where he'll suit up for his third junior season. Nestrasil will need a contract following next season, and could play himself out of it if he does not take the next step as a scorer in the QMJHL. He'll also reprise his role with the Czech Republic at the WJC. ==============================================
15. Logan Pyett, D (+2) [+12] 7th round, 212th overall, 2006 ----------- Stats 08/09 .. Grand Rapids (AHL) .. 61 GP .. 3-11-14 .. -1 .. 12 PIM 09/10 .. Grand Rapids (AHL) .. 80 GP .. 9-21-30 .. +7 .. 41 PIM ============================================== Season: After a strong junior career, Pyett had a very slow start to professional hockey last season. Much like Jan Mursak, Pyett played sparingly when he was in the lineup and was out completely when amateur tryouts like Brian Lashoff and Joakim Andersson (in Mursak's case) came into the lineup late into the season. For that reason, he was buried on the pre-season rankings. Pyett came alive this season, though, and worked his way back up the depth charts an into Detroit's long-term plans. Pyett was very productive offensively, doubling his totals from last season, but also worked to refine his defensive game in order to make himself a legitimate top four defenseman. Pyett is undersized, but plays a style of puck possession hockey that would fit well in Detroit, so he will likely get a long look at training camp for the future. ============================================== Future: With Jakub Kindl in the NHL and Sergei Kolosov a restricted free agent who may or may not have been qualified, Pyett could be the most experienced returning prospect. This makes the coming season a very important one for him. He'll have plenty of competition with rookies like Brendan Smith and Brian Lashoff as well as second-year pros but not quite AHL regulars like Sebastien Piche and Travis Ehrhardt all searching for ice time. Pyett is entering the last year of his entry-level contract, and will need to build off his strong sophomore season to stick around in the organization. ==============================================
16. Willie Coetzee, LW (+2) [NR] Signed as a free agent, September 2009 ----------- Stats 08/09 .. Red Deer (WHL) .. 72 GP .. 18-24-42 .. -9 .. 42 PIM 09/10 .. Red Deer (WHL) .. 72 GP .. 29-52-81 .. +10 .. 32 PIM ============================================== Season: Coetzee earned a contract after training camp, some thought because he was a linemate and friend of Landon Ferraro. That wasn't the case, though, quickly proving he earned a contract on his own merit with 81 points in 72 games. He started the season on a torrid pace, staying in the top five WHL scorers for a time. He slipped down to a three-way tie for 16th by the end of the season, but still remained the top scoring player on the mediocre Red Deer Rebels. Coetzee is known for his great release, but still has strides to go for his defensive game. ============================================== Future: Although last year was his first year eligible for the NHL draft, his 1990 birth year makes him eligible to play in the AHL. It sounds as though he will get a long look at Grand Rapids, but given his somewhat late development, it would not be surprising if Detroit determines that top minutes in the WHL are more worthwhile than bottom six minutes in the AHL. However, if he's returned to the Rebels, he will likely be without Ferraro who seems to be on the outs. Instead, he'd probably frequently be paired with potential 2011 top ten pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. ==============================================
17. Max Nicastro, D (-4) [+0] 3rd round, 91st overall, 2008 ----------- Stats 08/09 .. Chicago (USHL) .. 57 GP .. 9-22-31 .. 84 PIM 09/10 .. Boston U. (HE) .. 37 GP .. 3-12-15 .. 26 PIM ============================================== Season: Nicastro's fall isn't as representative of his struggles but rather the group ahead of him just having very impressive seasons, opposed to Nicastro's average one. He was a freshman at Boston University this season, a perennial contender in the NCAA and the defending champions from the year before. They lost some talent on their blueline, but still boasted an impressive group that didn't make Nicastro finding early ice time a guarantee. He did anyway, playing in all but one game, playing regularly at even strength and even given the chance to quarterback the second powerplay unit. Nicastro was also the final cut on what eventually became the gold medal winning United States squad. That must have been disappointing, but if he made it, it likely would have been Brian Lashoff left off. Nicastro did advance further in the process than some though, even edging out his former defensive partner with the USHL's Chicago Steel in John Moore, a first round draft pick of Columbus. ============================================== Future: Everything is on track here -- it would have been downright freakish for a two-way defenseman like Nicastro to put up any higher numbers than he managed this season on a blueline that deep. Fortunately for him, due to the graduation of Erik Gryba (PIT), and NHL contracts signed by Kevin Shattenkirk and Colby Cohen (both COL), leaving Nicastro and the very offensive-minded David Warsofsky (STL) as the elder statesmen on the Terrier blueline heading into next season -- more ice time than most sophomores get on such recognized programs. Additionally, three of the team's top four scoring forwards have moved on (due to NHL contracts, graduation, and team dismissal), so BU may be in for a rare down season. Development-wise, this leaves an excellent opportunity for Nicastro to seize both a larger role and a leadership role, something that could accelerate him back closer to the top ten. ==============================================
18. Dick Axelsson, LW (-7) [-12] 2nd round, 62nd overall, 2006 ----------- Stats 08/09 .. Sweden (INT) .. 3 GP .. 0-1-1 .. 2 PIM 08/09 .. Djurgardens IF (SEL) .. 18 GP .. 5-7-12 .. -1 .. 10 PIM 08/09 .. Farjestads BK (SEL) .. 21 GP .. 6-12-18 .. +4 .. 32 PIM 09/10 .. Grand Rapids (AHL) .. 17 GP .. 2-3-5 .. +1 .. 6 PIM 09/10 .. Farjestads BK (SEL) .. 15 GP .. 6-4-10 .. +2 .. 24 PIM ============================================== Season: Sigh, where do we begin? After burning the first year of his entry-level contract by staying in Sweden, Axelsson finally headed to the farm to begin this season. Since I've hashed out the details on this so many times before, the short version of what happened is this: like most of the Griffins, and especially Griffins prospects, Axelsson struggled to find the net early in the season. While trying to find line combinations, sticking with his philosophy of leaning on veteran players instead of rookies, Axelsson found himself on a line with Kris Newbury and Jamie Tardif, not exactly the two most gifted offensive players. After a few benchings, Axelsson got sick of the low ice time, scarce AHL crowds, and likely poor salary and picked up and left for Sweden in a move that upset Detroit fans much worse than it upset Detroit management. He returned to Farjestads BK, where he racked up 10 points in 15 games -- still very solid numbers for a young prospect in Sweden. ============================================== Future: What doesn't back up my theory that Axelsson would still want to play for Detroit some day is the fact that he's now decided to stay in Sweden for one more season. It's uncertain as to whether or not Detroit will even bring him to camp now, given that he's gone from "I'll think about reporting to the AHL" to "I've signed a two year deal in Sweden." Taking into account this is his last season on the aforementioned AHL contract, and it's likely he's done as a Detroit prospect. Still, he's at 18 because of talent alone -- Axelsson is one of just a small handful of prospects (possibly up with only Jan Mursak and Tomas Tatar) as players who scream "top six forward" (there's a few more who have that ability, but could also develop into checkers). Detroit is really going to have to be happy with his upcoming season to even consider keeping him in the system, as likely the one way they can get him over is to lure him with the chance to be an NHLer or, at least, an early call-up. While it's likely that won't happen given Axelsson's history of having one thing go terribly wrong every season, I don't support the sentiment of "good riddance" to him. He's a talented player and it's a shame the Wings are on the brink of losing him. ==============================================
19. Nick Jensen, D (+5) [+9] 5th round, 150th overall, 2009 ----------- Stats 08/09 .. Green Bay (USHL) .. 52 GP .. 5-17-22 .. +34 .. 27 PIM 09/10 .. Green Bay (USHL) .. 53 GP .. 6-21-27 .. +36 .. 35 PIM ============================================== Season: The story on Jensen is that he was so sure he wasn't going to be drafted, he was driving from Texas back to Minnesota the morning of the draft and decided to just sleep through the second day of it. That is, before a phone call from Detroit woke him up. Jensen played his second season for the powerhouse Green Bay Gamblers in the USHL. Starting slowly, with just eight assists in his first 21 games. His offensive game picked up in the second half, ironically, just after the time that I was able to interview him on behalf of Winging it in Motown. He made the USHL All-Star Game despite his reputation for being more of a minute-munching defensive guy, with a hard shot and good puck-moving ability. He was among league leaders in +/- after solely leading the league last season. By the end of the season, he was regarded as one of the top defensemen in the USHL, playing upwards of 25-30 minutes a night. He helped Green Bay capture the Clark Cup as USHL champions, erasing a 2-0 deficit to win the series 3-2 over the Fargo Force. ============================================== Future: Now a seasoned USHL veteran, it's time for Jensen to move on to a new challenge. He's known for a while that he would be playing for St. Cloud State next season, joining a program that gets stronger by the season. As far as ice time goes, he gets much of the same treatment as Max Nicastro -- I don't expect that he'll play huge minutes, but he should be able to acclimate himself as the year goes on and post decent numbers. He will be teammates with fellow Wings prospect Nick Oslund, who will be a senior. The Huskies are graduating two defensemen this year, including two of the only three to score a powerplay goal all season, so Jensen will have the potential to log minutes in all kinds of situations from the get go. ==============================================
20. Brent Raedeke, C (-1) [+6] Signed as a free agent, September 2008 ----------- Stats 08/09 .. Edmonton (WHL) .. 71 GP .. 20-36-56 .. -13 .. 80 PIM 08/09 .. Grand Rapids (AHL) .. 2 GP .. 0-0-0 .. -1 .. 0 PIM 09/10 .. Edmonton (WHL) .. 39 GP .. 17-14-31 .. +4 .. 60 PIM 09/10 .. Brandon (WHL) .. 33 GP .. 7-18-25 .. +12 .. 35 PIM ============================================== Season: One of three Detroit free agent finds in the top 20, Raedeke emerged as one of the top two-way centers in the WHL. He started the season on one of the lowliest teams in the league, the Edmonton Oil Kings, and was on pace to beat his offensive highs from the previous season as Edmonton hovered around the lowest scoring teams in the league (they finished last). He got good news in the middle of the season, that he would be traded to the Brandon Wheat Kings, a contending team that was hosting the Memorial Cup, therefore guaranteed a bid to it and had been building their team accordingly to try to win on home ice. They were bounced in the playoffs by the Calgary Hitmen, but got their revenge, beating them in the Memorial Cup to advance to the final, where they were promptly got destroyed by Windsor Spitfires 9-1. ============================================== Future: Raedeke was signed at the same time Brian Lashoff was, and is a 1990-born player. This means he can play in Grand Rapids next season, something that will likely happen given his strong two-way play and big league speed. However, it will likely be a bit of an adjustment period as he battles alongside the other potential rookie Griffins -- Joakim Andersson and Willie Coetzee ==============================================
Like it or not, Todd Bertuzzi is joining the club as players who are most likely going to retire as Red Wings. In what seemed like a difficult negotiation, Detroit finally conceded on their plan to not offer him a raise, giving him a two-year deal, weighted at $2.25 million for the first year, but evening out at a cap hit of $1,937,500.
I'm in favor to this with a slight after-taste of indifference. I've said repeatedly that I don't like the idea of giving Bertuzzi a raise on a multi-year deal, given his history of injuries and other off-ice baggage. His back has nagged him in particular, which isn't a good sign for a 35-year-old. But he came into this season saying he feels healthier than he's been in five seasons, and went on to play 82 regular season and 12 playoff games for Detroit. I really don't think you can count on many 35 (and eventually 36 and 37 for Bert) year-old players to not get hurt, let alone players who have missed almost entire seasons, like Bertuzzi did in 2006-07. While I liked the idea of bringing him back, I was really pulling for a two-year deal around $1.5 million. Am I happy that he got more? No. Am I going to make a big deal out of $437,500? No, well, only if it helps me prove a point.
The good news is, I believe Bertuzzi's capable of being that 20 goal scorer. Scorers of that caliber do not come at this price tag. Additionally, Bertuzzi has a fairly abusive job as he seemed to get more and more comfortable this season standing in front of the net on the second powerplay -- good news, since Johan Franzen, who used to have that job, looks much more comfortable on the wing. Bertuzzi is also an entirely different player than the one I'd seen previously in Calgary and Anaheim, as he's now willing to play in his own zone. And while I truly believe, as I did when he was signed, that he takes a good number of stupid penalties, I think he really improved in that department, and I was shocked how often he went to the box just because of the name and number on the back of his jersey.
Although December and January were the peak of his productivity, I much prefer the Bertuzzi we saw in the second half of the season and playoffs to the one we saw in the first half. The one in the first half didn't entirely understand his role. He tried to do too much, he tried to rush the puck to much, his passes were mostly last second passes that were off target when he was rushed, and yeah, he did that stupid spinning stuff a lot. I saw that our good friend Michael Petrella, who is, in my mind, the only entertaining Bertuzzi-hater, already brought that up, but that made me think: when's the last time he did that? Maybe it's a selective memory, but I truly don't remember too many spins or any other of the mostly-ineffective moves he did, specifically once he got to play with Johan Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg. I felt like he was very good on that line, and exactly the player he's going to need to be to make me truly happy with this contract.
Less is more with him. If he can play on that line, or perhaps on a Pavel Datsyuk line that doesn't include Tomas Holmstrom, I think he can be highly effective. If he plays with two skilled players he'll be more likely to get in front of the net and stay there. He's more than capable of making a play when he gets the puck, but he won't have to carry the puck as much, meaning he can really focus on his bread and butter: creating traffic just by getting in the way (good or bad), getting the puck to the shelf in close, and showing off his great hands if he needs to make a quick move in front. The reason he wasn't in this spot all season was due to injury -- I think the healthier the team is, the more productive Bertuzzi will be.
However, haters gonna hate. I'm aware of this. There's a large chunk out there that aren't going to be happy he got a raise, and who aren't going to be happy he's back all together. But, it's done -- deal with it. Given that he was inconsistent and did blow a frustrating amount of chances (I can say negative things, why can't the haters say positive things?), I wasn't absolutely convinced that he should be brought back. Part of me who didn't want him back felt like it would be a relief to not have to see a dozen or so whiny, negative tweets every time he hit the post, misplayed a puck, or did, you know, the things that many NHL players do on a regular basis. I think life would be a lot less stressful for these people if they let go of these personal vendettas, but that's their choice. I was happy with how he played, and I still think he's got more to offer.
Finally, I was going to make a post on this but it was going to be quick and to the point. Ken Holland and Jim Nill have been rewarded for their excellent decision to keep Bertuzzi by signing five-year extensions. Nill's contract includes (happily, I might add, judging from his words) a clause that says he can't interview for anyone else's GM spot. But don't feel sorry for him just yet, because in this unintentionally humorous comment, he reveals that he's paid like a GM anyway. All the money with none of the flak? Sign me up.
*Also, I know I spelled Bert's name wrong in the title; it's a reference to a "great" screenplay my roommate started to write last year. Sound like a movie you'd like to see?
According to one of them fancy tweets from the always reliable CapGeek, the Wings have signed Ilari Filppula, brother of Valtteri, to a one-year, two-way contract worth $500,000.
Sometimes these things make sense... but not so much in this case. Ilari is going to be 29 this year -- Valtteri's elder by three years -- usually when a brother enters the organization, they usually have an older sibling in the system. What does it mean? Late developer? Family favor? A really sneaky way to give Valtteri more money? Hm.
Other than knowing for a long time that he had an older brother who was a regular in the top Finnish league, and knowing that he looks really similar to his brother, I really don't know that much about Ilari. He just finished his seventh full season in SM-Liiga, meaning he was impressive enough to get into that league at a pretty young age. However, he never really represented Finland at any age group internationally, which most top prospects do at some point.
But he's coming off of his strongest season ever. He racked up 49 points in 58 games to lead his team, and another 14 in 15 playoff games as he captured the Jari Kurri Trophy for MVP of the playoffs. This is coming on the heels of two 20 point seasons after a 41 point season in 2006-07 -- showing a bit of inconsistency, but still that he can be a contributor, as the Finnish league is not known for it's high scoring.
By now you're asking -- can you tell me anything that doesn't come from Wikipedia or his profile on EliteProspects? Sadly, no. He's a bit of a mystery to me -- never seen him play. To be certain, he's slated for Grand Rapids, potentially as a player who can slot onto the top two lines, and potentially not look terrible in the NHL in a pinch if Detroit's younger prospects aren't panning out due to his experience on the professional circuit. His sounds like he's just an older version of Valtteri -- more of a playmaker than a scorer, probably pretty solid at both ends of the ice, not all that big.
Griffins fans should love getting some more use out of their Filppula jerseys -- one of the more popular ones I see down there. An NHLer in the making? Unlikely. But a serviceable AHL player that has shown enough promise to reward with a long look at training camp? Most definitely.
Fella's pretty popular on YouTube. I remember seeing this first one earlier in the year and pear-hops even tweeting about it, the other two are pretty nifty too.
Hello there and welcome to Power Post. For those unfamiliar, Power Post is what happens when I disappear for a few weeks, but hockey news doesn't disappear. Folks have been talking about all these fantastic things, but were left to wonder: "what does that guy who runs that Death Stare site have to say about this?"
For those looking for an excuse, here's what happened. I was recently diagnosed with a respiratory condition that has really started to rack up the medical bills. Faced with the prospect of putting a son with cerebral palsy through college with a second, unplanned, child along the way to a really, really awfully unbearable wife, I decided I needed to raise money for my family if I were to, you know, not make it. Since my day job as a high school chemistry teacher and part-time job at a car wash, working for a guy with eyebrows that won't quit, weren't paying the bills, I decided to start cooking crystal meth. To make a long story short, after several failed dealings to move my chemically-excellent product, I got in contact with a distributor who went by the name Tuco. Only it turned out that Tuco was insane, and, fearing that I would rat him out after he killed his brother-in-law "No-Doze," he kidnapped my partner and I, taking us to a location out in the desert where he lived with his uncle. We waited for his cousins to come so he could smuggle us into Mexico, where we could start new lives and cook meth free of consequences due to our connections with The Cartel. However, a DEA agent out looking for my partner got into a shootout with him and ended up killing him. I did not want him to know I was at the scene, so I fled before he saw me until I ultimately returned home, faking a "fugue state" as an excuse for my absence, having recently been released from the hospital after medical and psychiatric evaluation determined that it was an isolated incident and it would not happen again.
This is what I look like now:
Anyway, we'll start with the biggest news first.
DOUG JANIK SIGNS
Doug Janik somewhat unexpectedly signed a two-year deal with Detroit. This is unexpected because Janik was mostly just depth for Grand Rapids, and those types of players typically make a living off one-year deals. Play a year somewhere, then try to cash in a strong season with an AHL team for an opportunity with a different team where you might get an NHL look. If you don't make it, repeat the cycle -- with some players eventually giving up and heading to Europe for more money. Janik, who is 30 now, has been in this cycle for a long time and is coming off his best AHL season ever with 37 points. I predicted that he wouldn't be back, because the Wings haven't really brought back anyone they've ever signed just for Grand Rapids, but he is. He will get a chance to compete for the #6 job along with Jakub Kindl, and the UFA defenseman Detroit is apparently targeting that may or may not be Andreas Lilja, but definitely not Brett Lebda.
The news-worthy part is the deal's structure. He is on a two-way deal for the first year, and a one-way deal for the second year. This was likely a big selling point of the contract to get him to stick around, since you don't see this often for players slated for AHL depth. Obviously, Janik is good in the AHL and decent in the NHL. This says that they're comfortable using him full-time in the NHL for that second season, the 2011-12 season, because even if they send him to the AHL, he'll be making his full $513,000 salary in the AHL, opposed to the 15-20% of it that players on two-way deals usually get. Also, he'll need to pass waivers to be sent back down to the AHL if and when he's ever called up. Interesting to note is that Janik was claimed off waivers two different times in the 2008-09 season, so there's no guarantee Detroit can hold on to him if they intend to bring him back and forth for the next two years.
I'd personally prefer Janik to stay in the AHL, as he's looked uncomfortable and unbalanced when he's in the NHL. He might be a decent #6 defenseman, but Detroit doesn't "settle" for those types -- they look for players who are too good to fill the role they're given. I wish him luck and hope he has a good camp, but he is excellent in the AHL and I hope he can mentor some of the young defenseman down there, like Brendan Smith, who some people still believe is the worst and most misbehaved hockey prospect in the history of existence.
CHICAGO MAKES EAST LOOK GOOD IN CUP WIN
Short and sweet: I wanted Chicago to win. I know I'm in the minority of Wings fans on that one, but, as much as Chicago would like to be considered a heated rival (and their fans want it too -- everyone heard that they chanted "Detroit sucks" in the street after Game 6), they just aren't. They're just the little annoying brother at this point. I don't hate any of their players aside from Tomas Kopecky because he's awful, and Brian Campbell because he's terrible, and Cristobal Huet, because he insists he's NHL-employable. They're just neutral, Joel Quenneville is a terrible coach and Jonathan Toews is merely just boring. But I just hate Philadelphia so much more. The fans of both teams are terrible, but Philly takes the edge. I hate Chris Pronger. I hate Scott Hartnell.
I hate them both. I was hoping for a repeat of 1918-19 when the flu canceled the finals, but that didn't happen. If I were held at gunpoint (and I was) I'd take Chicago. Primarily because the city of Philadelphia doesn't deserve it. But also because the Flyers barely made the playoffs and were the 18th best team in the league overall. And the Eastern Conference sucks. It sucked all season and it was even worse in the playoffs, with a 7th seed advancing to the Finals after having home ice in the Conference Finals, having made the playoffs in a shootout. No team who does that deserves a Cup. The fact that that team was in the state of Pennsylvania, where my two least favorite Eastern teams are, just made it all the easier to root against them. The hockey fan in me saw that Chicago paid their dues, kinda. They "lost before they won," as much as I hate that cliche, they actually deserved to be in the playoffs, and they played well all year long. The Detroit fan in me didn't like to admit that, but at the very least, it's going to taste even sweeter now when we beat them back to their rightful place next season.
The Cup-winning goal summed up the series perfectly: terrible. I waited for the series to get good and it just didn't. There were very few goals that weren't the result of extremely incompetent goaltending or just bantam-level defense. The Conn Smythe winner didn't even score in the Finals -- shows you how well these two teams were playing. The downside to all of this is now we have to hear more about how brilliantly the Hawks were built. Which, to sum it up, was like this: being terrible enough to accumulate an amazing number of high draft picks (Toews, Kane, Seabrook), get lucky that a few minor deals really panned out (Sharp, Versteeg), overpay for complementary pieces (Campbell, Huet, Hossa, Sopel), and have just a few shrapnels that everyone can fawn about as evidence of actual, real development (Keith, Byfuglien, Niemi). It's too bad that Dave Tallon left them in such a terrible place where they're already over the cap for next season with just three forward lines, four defenseman, and one terrible French goaltender. The repeat is clearly already in the works.
FORMER WINGS SUCK IN FINALS
Like in most hockey games, the Wings got a fair amount of publicity because of the number of their ex-players in the fold. The media acted like Detroit just gave up on all these players and there's no such thing as a salary cap. To recap:
Ville Leino -- Is back to being a star much in the way he was last season after a brief stint in the NHL and a decent few game playoff where he played on the 4th line. I'm officially tired about hearing how his career turned around in Philly and Detroit was crazy to get rid of him. Clearly, it has nothing to do with the fact that Detroit didn't want him ragging the puck all the way up the ice and losing it half the time, giving him 1st and 2nd line minutes but getting no points out of him, and actually wanting him to backcheck. Give him a situation where he mess around with the puck, get big minutes despite not earning them, and not having to play defense, and he can succeed. Nobody remembers the turnovers when he can get a highlight reel goal or two. I'm happy for him, but tired of hearing about him like there was no salary cap and he didn't have 8,000 chances here. But whatever. Good luck getting him going in the regular season.
Marian Hossa -- Did a little more in the Finals than last season, but overall this season I didn't see the Hossa that I saw last season. I'm happy that he won his Cup, because I'm tired of Wings fans ragging on him for wanting to go to a good situation. And because I don't want him for 11 more seasons. Good luck getting that to hold up -- apparently he played with a hurt knee this year too after the shoulder thing last year.
Tomas Kopecky -- Just absolutely terrible, can barely skate, hands are awful, thinks he's a scorer but plays nothing but the 4th line. Just big and Slovakian. Yet, some people suggested Detroit made a mistake letting him and his $1.2 million cap hit go just because of that one goal in Game 1 of the Finals.
Brent Sopel -- Yes, you may notice that Sopel never played for the Wings. But he did come to camp on a tryout once, and then Chicago jumped in and signed him to a ridiculous contract despite him being awful. And then he had an awful first season, and they signed him to a three-year $7 million extension. Yet... Detroit somehow missed out on a golden opportunity for a #6 defenseman.
NICK LIDSTROM? NICK LIDSTROM
This bit makes me realize how long I was away, since it happened a while ago. Nick Lidstrom decided to return and signed a one-year $6.2 million deal.
What else do you say about this besides "thank you hockey gods"? There's really no analysis needed the way there is with a high-profile Doug Janik signing. I'm not being radical or acting like I'm the only one saying this, but I'm assuming this is going to be his last season given his deliberation on the deal. I had him begged in the $5-6 million range so this is a tad high, but the news that the cap may be going up as much as $2 million makes this no issue. Then you consider that he made like seven mistakes all season and was still among defensive leaders in scoring despite not scoring a goal for like 40-something games, and you realize this is an absolute steal. More than happy to hear the news.
But of course, he should be traded for a second round draft pick at the deadline if it doesn't look like Detroit is going to be a contender when half their roster is out with injury.
TOMAS HOLMSTROM'S TWO, TOO
I talked about this prior to the 2007-08 season -- how much longer can Tomas Holmstrom fill the role that he fills? He misses his fair share of games already, and it takes quite a bit to get him out of the lineup. Yet, here we are, talking about the two-year, $3.75 million extension that he signed. The money is balanced in favor of the first year meaning there's a chance this could be his last, but it seems unlikely.
I'm very happy to have him back, but I expect this season will see more of Johan Franzen and Danny Cleary in front of the net and Holmstrom reserved more for the powerplay, as he's gradually phased out. He'll still see top six minutes most nights, but I don't expect we'll see him relied upon as heavily unless the game is on the line.
BERTUZZI MIGHT BE CRAZY
Only because he hasn't already taken the two-year deal at salary that sounds like it is, at best, only equal to the $1.5 million he made this past season. It sounds as if he might be looking for a bit more, but it seems he's stated his destinations are either Detroit or retirement.
I made my pro-Bertuzzi stance clear all season, but let's be clear on this: it's stupid to give Bertuzzi a raise on a two-year deal. This is security through a guy with emotional baggage on top of a body that has already been injury-riddled the past few seasons, though he did appear in all 82 this season. If his agent thinks that means he's healed, he's foolish. That won't happen again. He's bound to get hurt. His production is definitely worth more than $1.5, but it's a near guarantee that Jiri Hudler is going to eat into his ice time, and overall, he won't get the first line minutes he saw mid-season because there's just no way injuries can cripple the Wings like they did last season.
When they signed him, I thought he was a player who was looking for an opportunity with maybe one or two good seasons left in him. Physical players tend to hit the wall hard which is why I'd like to see him take a pay cut if he signs a two-year deal, so it's not an albatross contract if he ends up as a third line winger for the next two years. For this reason, I won't be devastated if he walks. However, if he signs, I'll pull for him next season the way I did this season -- as a physical presence who can clog the net and chip in a few, timely goals. Anyone expecting anything else -- like some who seemed to rag on him if he was anything less than a 25-30 goal scorer that he was five years ago -- is crazy, in my opinion.
YZERMAN RAIDS THE CUPBOARD
I wrote about Stevie leaving and I'm still thrilled for him, excited for the moves he's already made in bringing in a young coach like Guy Boucher, who I'm familiar with as a strong coach in the QMJHL prior to this season. However, he did sign scout Pat Verbeek away and it seems likely he'll make Red Wings capologist Ryan Martin his assistant GM.
Other than noting that it happened, there isn't much to say about it. People always talk about how rich Detroit is in the front office so it's ridiculous to assume these guys won't get poached eventually. I'm more than happy to see Yzerman get them, not just because I like him and want him to do well, but because he's in Tampa Bay and this won't come back to bite Detroit.
Losing the capologist (potentially) is weird -- seems likely he played a bigger role than most people think in the structuring of the complicated Zetterberg and Franzen deals. But obviously, Holland knows the CBA and knows how to structure a contract. I'm not too worried about it, just curious to see how quickly Detroit will go out and find a replacement.
HOLLAND STATES THE OBVIOUS
Jason Williams and Brett Lebda won't be back. Lebda apparently turned down an offer from a KHL team. Good for him, but it's not a foregone conclusion that he's going to get NHL offers. I hope he does, just so I can see if he was actually a decent player on a stacked team, or if he was just Brett Lebda on a stacked team.
The Williams news is weird considering Detroit traded Williams in 2007-08. So, like, of course he won't be back, Holland. Why say anything? I know, tons of fans are probably devastated that Bobby Lang, Kyle Quincey, and Manny Legace won't be back either but you don't need to talk about them in the press. Just seems like a cheap shot to talk about a player you got rid of years ago.
What? Oh... so he did.
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS QUALIFIED
Yes. This happened. Everyone who matters was qualified, and so was Derek Meech.
PROSPECTS PROSPECTS PROSPECTS PROSPECTS
It's almost done. Expect the next batch on Tuesday and the rest later in the week. Sorry for the delay, but you know, the crystal meth thing and all.
As most of you know, I do this every year. An end-of-season, an extremely long but hopefully entertaining look at all of Detroit's prospects. I try to make these my most comprehensive ratings. Typically at the beginning of the season I start everyone fresh -- just ranked based on potential, and my opinion as to whether they're close to reaching that potential. But at the end of the season I try to weigh things a little more carefully. I look at the year's pre-season rankings, as well as the midseason rankings, and see who really met expectations, who finished strong, and who's positioned to make an NHL impact at some point in the future.
The end of the list is still a work in progress, but the top ten typically generates the most discussion even though the rest won't be out for a week or so. So I encourage you to pick away, but kindly remind you that there are no "right answers" for these things (keep in mind Igor Grigorenko was considered Detroit's #1 prospect for a long time) so nitpicking at a spot or two is really quite fruitless. Instead try to focus on these as informational blurbs. I do certainly welcome differing opinions, but I really like to hear reasons why and not just "you're wrong."
1. Tomas Tatar, LW (-) [+9] 2nd round, 60th overall, 2009 ——————————— Stats 08/09 .. HKM Zvolen (SVK) .. 48 GP .. 7-8-15 .. 20 PIM 08/09 .. HK Detva (SVK-2) .. 1 GP .. 1-1-2 .. 2 PIM 08/09 .. Slovakia (WJC) .. 7 GP .. 7-4-11 .. 4 PIM 09/10 .. Grand Rapids (AHL) .. 58 GP .. 16-16-32 .. +8 .. 12 PIM 09/10 .. Slovakia (WJC) .. 6 GP .. 3-2-5 .. 6 PIM 09/10 .. Slovakia (WC) .. 6 GP .. 2-0-2 .. 4 PIM ============================================== Season: Tatar's season started with some uncertainty. He was a high draft pick in the CHL Import Draft by the Kitchener Rangers (rights later traded to the more local Plymouth Whalers). Detroit indicated that they had some interest in watching him in the OHL, where he likely would have been one of the top scorers in the league. Tatar wanted to play with men, so his top two choices were Grand Rapids or back in the top Slovak league. Despite being the youngest player in the league, Tatar worked his way into the lineup and became one of the hottest players in the league in the middle of the season. He cooled down by the end of the year, but still sat among team leaders in scoring, even missing games due to work permit issues at the beginning of the year, and a two week stint with Slovakia at the World Junior Championships, where he first rose to prominence as a prospect after a successful 2009 tournament. His tournament was not as successful, nor was Slovakia as a whole, but it was enough for him to draw consideration for the Olympic team, as well as a spot on their team at the World Championships. ============================================== Future: Tatar retains his spot on top after being not only an exciting prospect who surpassed all expectations, but truly one of the most offensively-gifted players in the AHL. I'm not as concerned about him cooling off later in the season because Griffins' coach Curt Fraser did not really lean on young players the way most coaches do when their team is out of the playoff hunt. Tatar has two more years remaining on his entry-level contract. He has no problems playing in the AHL despite his size, so it seems that a little more consistency with his scoring and a continued effort to improve his already much-improved two-way game will get him an NHL call-up before those two years are over. ==============================================
2. Brendan Smith, D (+1) [+2] 1st round, 27th overall, 2007 ——————————— Stats 08/09 .. Wisconsin (WCHA) .. 31 GP .. 9-14-23 .. 75 PIM 09/10 .. Wisconsin (WCHA) .. 42 GP .. 15-37-52 .. 76 PIM ============================================== Season: This season was a big deal for Smith. Due to injuries and a desperate need to make up for lost time in his defensive game (Smith was a forward up until the start of 2006-07), he only showed flashes off the game-breaking offensive ability that made him a coveted first round pick in June of 2007. Smith was actually a healthy scratch for the second game of the season, and that was all he needed as a wakeup call. He ignited his offensive came, quickly matching the totals he put up as a sophomore and going on to nearly double them. He was considered a front-runner for the Hobey Baker Award -- the award for the best collegiate hockey player. He made the cut down to the final ten nominees, but eventually the trophy was awarded to his teammate and Nashville Predators prospect, Blake Geoffrion. Still, Smith, who led all NCAA defensemen in scoring, helped Wisconsin climb all the way to the NCAA Championship game (courtesy of an NCAA record-tying five assists in their Frozen Four match against RIT), where they were defeated by Boston College. Still, the accolades rolled on for him: NCAA All-West Regional Team, WCHA Defensive Player of the Year, All-WCHA First Team, WCHA Defensive player of the Week (3x), INCH National Defenseman of the Year, AHCA/Reebok West First Team All-American, and WCHA Player of the Month in December. And, according to his profile on the Badgers' official site, he scored more points than the entire defensive corps of eight different D-1 teams. His award-laden season was unfortunately ended with a black mark, as Smith, who has in the past gotten in trouble while under the influence of alcohol, punched someone in the face at a party and is facing charges for it. ============================================== Future: Like most top prospects do, Smith announced he was going to skip his senior season and signed an entry-level contract in late May. Smith got a ton of national attention for his strong play down the stretch, and many think he can make to the jump to the NHL. These people probably aren't aware that he was drafted by Detroit, though, because the Wings likely wouldn't rush him into the NHL given that they have no room. Either way, a strong training camp for him could potentially make him a top injury call-up. With Jakub Kindl moving on, Grand Rapids needs another #1 defenseman. It's not absurd to say that could be Smith by the end of the season. ==============================================
3. Jakub Kindl, D (-1) [-1] 1st round, 19th overall, 2005 ——————————— Stats 08/09 .. Grand Rapids (AHL) .. 78 GP .. 6-27-33 .. -14 .. 76 PIM 09/10 .. Grand Rapids (AHL) .. 73 GP .. 3-30-33 .. -3 .. 59 PIM 09/10 .. Detroit (NHL) .. 3 GP .. 0-0-0 .. -2 .. 0 PIM ============================================== Season: Kindl has struggled to really make the jump to the level of play Detroit thought he was capable of, but they showed confidence in him when they gave him a three-year, one-way contract extension that kicks in starting next season. This led to some confidence for Kindl, but he still hasn't found his game professionally. He's been solid -- he quarterbacks the powerplay and looks like a natural at times, he's become more physical, and his defensive play has come a long way, but Kindl has a lot more talent than his point totals indicate. He finally got his first taste of NHL hockey courtesy of three games in Detroit, where he played third pairing minutes with some powerplay. He was understandably a bit nervous, but showed great composure and gained many fans' confidence in him for next season. ============================================== Future: The 30 players drafted in the first round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft have combined to play 3,435 games in the NHL, and only three of those belong to Kindl. Yes, it's been a while since he was drafted. He'll finally help to increase that number because he's going to be a full-time NHL player next season. His spot isn't guaranteed though. He'll likely battle Jonathan Ericsson for ice time on the bottom pairing with whichever one or two of Andreas Lilja and Mebdeech Detroit decides to bring back. It's tough to say where he fits in, but Jimmy Howard proved that sometimes all you need is better teammates. Having a more skilled core of players around him that mesh better with his puck control ability and creative style could lead to a productive rookie season that involves major minutes on the second powerplay unit. ==============================================
Stats 08/09 .. Maine (HE) .. 38 GP .. 13-19-32 .. 28 PIM 09/10 .. Maine (HE) .. 39 GP .. 19-42-61 .. 20 PIM ============================================== Season: Detroit doesn't have a ton of collegiate prospects, but they do have some good ones. While Brendan Smith led all NCAA defensemen in scoring, Nyquist led all forwards. And he did so quite comfortably, nearly doubling the point totals from his freshman season that got him on his conference's all-rookie team. Some thought Nyquist was just a good player on a bad Maine team last season, but he's proving that's not the case. This season, he was the best player on a good Maine team, and proved to be one of the nation's most dangerous offensive players. Nyquist is compared at times to Henrik Zetterberg as a compliment to his complete game. He doesn't always have the elite level skills, but he thinks the game so well and competes at both ends of the ice. Nyquist was in the "Hobey Hat Trick" as one of the final three nominees for the Hobey Baker. ============================================== Future: Usually when you write so many glowing things about a player, you mention something about a professional contract. That's not the case for Nyquist, who's already slated to return to Maine for his junior season. He's assuming a leadership role, having just announced that he will be an alternate captain next season. Over the past 10-15 years, fewer programs have had as much success as Maine, making the past couple years where they've struggled more of an anomaly than anything else. They made great strides this season and aren't losing much talent for next season. Nyquist will be front and center on what could be one of the nation's top teams. The challenge for him is to maintain a high level of play despite already having achieved so much. He does value his education, so it's not as though he wanted to turn pro and Detroit asked him to stay -- the decision seemed easy, and mutual. ==============================================
5. Jan Mursak, LW (+4) [+16] 6th round, 182nd overall, 2006 ——————————— Stats 08/09 .. Grand Rapids (AHL) .. 51 GP .. 2-7-9 .. +0 .. 25 PIM 09/10 .. Grand Rapids (AHL) .. 79 GP .. 24-18-42 .. +12 .. 46 PIM ============================================== Season: Last season, many (including myself) were ready to write Mursak off. A scorer and top flight offensive player in junior hockey posts just two goals as an AHL rookie, while being a frequent healthy scratch? It turns out, Mursak wasn't ready to write himself off. He gained a little more confidence from Curt Fraser, resulting in an opportunity to play on an actual scoring line. He started the season strong, but didn't really take off until he was paired with Tomas Tatar midseason. Mursak's speed and stickhandling ability makes him a threat to score every time he's on the ice, but the patience and two-way play he learned last year on the 4th line makes him a top prospect for the Red Wings. Mursak finished second on the team in goals with 24, and sputtered a bit down the stretch, but is poised to be a go-to player for Grand Rapids next season. He also represented his home country of Slovenia in the Division 1 World Championships, whose winners go on to play in the regular pool with the top countries. Helped out immensely by Mursak's five goals and seven points in five games, Slovenia achieved a promotion and will be in the top group for the first time in their history next season. ============================================== Future: It isn't just players who learn lessons when they develop, bloggers do too. While nine points as an AHL rookie is certainly disappointing, I was about ready to write Mursak off, hence why he climbed 16 spots from the beginning of this season. He offers a great lesson in patience and is a great example to other prospects as to how paying your dues pays off -- he likely could have gone on to more money and much more ice time in Europe, but he wants to be a Red Wing. Mursak is primed for a third season for the Griffins, one that will be very crucial in earning a spot in Detroit some day. He will need a strong start so that, knock on wood, if Detroit runs into injury problems they will be more likely to call up someone like Mursak or Tatar instead of whoever next year's version of Kris Newbury is. ==============================================
6. Thomas McCollum, G (-2) [-1] 1st round, 30th overall, 2008 ——————————— Stats 08/09 .. Guelph (OHL) .. 31 GP .. 17-10-4 .. 2.23 GAA .. 92.6% .. 3 SO 08/09 .. USA (U20) .. 5 GP .. 3-2-0 .. 2.83 GAA .. 86.0% .. 1 SO 08/09 .. Brampton (OHL) .. 23 GP .. 17-6-0 .. 1.94 GAA .. 92.9% .. 4 SO 09/10 .. Grand Rapids (AHL) .. 32 GP .. 10-16-2 .. 3.48 GAA .. 88.1% .. 0 SO 09/10 .. Toledo (ECHL) .. 4 GP .. 2-1-0 .. 4.48 GAA .. 86.4% .. 0 SO ============================================== Season: The top ranked goalie heading into the 2008 NHL Entry Draft somehow landed with the Stanley Cup champions. Because of his late birthday, McCollum could play in the AHL season, instead of next season like most 2008 draft picks. That transition was very rough on him, and playing on a team as inconsistent as Grand Rapids helped neither goaltending prospect down there. McCollum started the season as the backup, and even spent some time with Detroit's "new-old" ECHL affiliate in Toledo (formerly the Toledo Storm, they were out of commission for two seasons), posting some not-so-great numbers. McCollum played decently until December, where he hit a three month rut where he was completely unable to find a win. He finally ended that streak and ended up starting most of the Griffins' games down the stretch. ============================================== Future: With Daniel Larsson having grown tired of the AHL and booked it to Sweden, McCollum is officially to the guy down there. How long that "official" title lasts is unknown. With Jordan Pearce left as the only other goalie in the organization, it's very likely Detroit will sign a veteran journeyman type to at least be a tandem with McCollum in the AHL. While he found his game at the end of the season, goalies take much longer to adjust, so it's unrealistic to expect he will be able to handle the duties of the every day starter. However, he will need to show some signs of improvement. And with Larsson temporarily out of the picture (we'll talk more about him in his blurb), it accelerates McCollum to the official "goaltender-in-waiting," meaning there's a slim chance he could start a game or two the way Jimmy Howard did throughout his development. This is no guarantee though -- if he goes three months in between wins again and Detroit needs an emergency backup, it would probably be this unknown veteran they're sure to sign. ==============================================
7. Landon Ferraro, C (-) [-] 2nd round, 32nd overall, 2009 ——————————— Stats 08/09 .. Red Deer (WHL) .. 68 GP .. 37-18-55 .. -23 .. 99 PIM 09/10 .. Red Deer (WHL) .. 53 GP .. 16-30-46 .. -18 .. 55 PIM 09/10 .. Grand Rapids (AHL) .. 2 GP .. 0-0-0 .. +0 .. 0 PIM ============================================== Season: Detroit's top pick 12 months ago faced some adversity this season. He started by hurting his knee in Detroit's training camp, and the injury nagged him into his WHL season. After missing the team's first few games, he re-aggravated it by trying to come back too early and missed and even longer chunk while coming to Detroit to receive treatment. When he returned, he picked up where he left off as one of Red Deer's most dangerous scorers -- due to his big league speed (one of the fastest in the league), excellent shot, and smart touch around the net, though teammate and fellow Wings' prospect Willie Coetzee outproduced him, for the most part. Despite finishing the season averaging over a point-per-game, Ferraro's season finished on a down note as his work ethic was not where it needed to be in the playoffs. He was a healthy scratch in the team's final playoff game (they were swept, for the record), and the word on the street is that most fans are unhappy and want to see Ferraro dealt. I take this as more of a frustration with the team's struggles in general, but I do find concern in Ferraro's -18 rating after we heard that the -23 he put up the previous season was mostly due to Ferraro being told to look to score, as the only dangerous player on a very bad team. ============================================== Future: The only thing clear about Ferraro's future is that it won't be in Red Deer. If health is not a factor, this will be Ferraro's last season in the WHL, making him an enticing option to contending teams looking to make a run at the WHL title and Memorial Cup. Unlike most star players in that position, it does seem like even if no contenders line up, Red Deer will trade him to the highest bidder. Despite the fact that I believe his coach, former Detroit draft pick Jesse Wallin, is solid, there's clearly a need for Ferraro to get to a new environment where he can kick his offense to the next gear and work on rounding out his defensive game before he heads to Grand Rapids. ==============================================
8. Mattias Ritola, LW (+8) [+6] 4th round, 103rd overall, 2005 ——————————— Stats 08/09 .. Grand Rapids (AHL) .. 66 GP .. 15-27-42 .. -13 .. 32 PIM 09/10 .. Grand Rapids (AHL) .. 73 GP .. 19-23-42 .. -3 .. 50 PIM 09/10 .. Detroit (NHL) .. 5 GP .. 0-0-0 .. +0 .. 0 PIM ============================================== Season: Ritola is a player I've never been completely comfortable with, as he looks very good when he suits up for Detroit, but doesn't usually stand out when he plays for Grand Rapids. After seeing him get somewhat of an extended visit with Detroit, and then seeing him become more assertive offensively in the AHL, I've officially come around. He's always been a player who works hard and has ton of offensive skill, but he doesn't show up very often on the scoresheet. Though his totals this season only match what he put up last season, his five games (plus one in the playoffs) with Detroit really makes me think that he has Jimmy Howard Syndrome (JHS) -- the same disease that I hope Jakub Kindl will contract. Ritola just looks better playing alongside players with his very high hockey IQ and creative talents, and those players are found more often in Detroit than they are in Grand Rapids. ============================================== Future: Ritola's new contract shines some light on his future. It's a three-year deal -- meaning he is committed to staying in North America, and Detroit is committed to giving him a chance to become an NHL player. However, the first year of that deal is a two-way deal, indicating that Detroit is likely considering sending him down to the AHL despite the fact that he has to clear waivers. He' s a talented player, but they can likely get him through waivers at the beginning of the season, given that most teams will be looking at the veteran talent available at that time to plug those last few holes, and not try to fill it with another unproven rookie. Ritola does have a chance at an NHL job, depending on what kind of contracts (if any) the Wings give to the likes of Patrick Eaves, Drew Miller, and Derek Meech. One thing for certain is that, worse case scenario, Ritola will be the team's top injury call-up. The player who filled that role last season, Justin Abdelkader, ended up spending 50 games in Detroit before seeing the AHL, so Ritola has a good chance at wearing a lot of red and white next season. ==============================================
9. Joakim Andersson, C (+1) [-1] 3rd round, 88th overall, 2007 ——————————— Stats 08/09 .. Vastra Frolunda HC (SEL) .. 49 GP .. 6-6-12 .. +3 .. 22 PIM 08/09 .. Boras HC (SWE-2) .. 4 GP .. 2-2-4 .. +1 .. 2 PIM 08/09 .. Sweden (U20) .. 6 GP .. 2-4-6 .. +7 .. 6 PIM 08/09 .. Grand Rapids (AHL) .. 1 GP .. 0-1-1 .. +0 .. 2 PIM 09/10 .. Vastra Frolunda HC (SEL) .. 55 GP .. 6-12-18 .. +6 .. 42 PIM ============================================== Season: Andersson doesn't get a lot of hype, but he might just be the "next wave" of the "next wave" of the Grind Line (with Darren Helm and Patrick Eaves being the first of that wave). Drafted in 2007, he's spent the past three seasons toiling away in Sweden, with this season as his first without any time loaned to other clubs. Andersson is a solid checking line center who's also able to chip in offensively. The knock on him, skating, has been much improved since he has been drafted. He also has great size and is not afraid to get involved physically. ============================================== Future: After initially impressing enough to work his way into the 2008-09 version of Grand Rapids' playoff lineup, Andersson elected to stay with Frolunda for one more season. Now, he is armed with a three-year entry level contract and can likely step into the Griffins' lineup right away and make a big impact. While his offensive game isn't stellar, he is creative and could be a 2nd or 3rd line center for the team next year. His upside at the NHL level is more of that of a bottom six forward, but seeing as the Griffins need some offense, he will have the chance to prove himself in that area too. ==============================================
10. Cory Emmerton, C (-2) [-1] 2nd round, 41st overall, 2006 ——————————— Stats 08/09 .. Grand Rapids (AHL) .. 69 GP .. 10-25-35 .. -9 .. 18 PIM 09/10 .. Grand Rapids (AHL) .. 76 GP .. 12-25-37 .. +0 .. 22 PIM ============================================== Season: Emmerton is a very creative and gifted two-way center, but the problem with him is he's becoming very okay with this. He fits in very nicely at the AHL level -- he should be standing out. He was Detroit's top pick in 2006, coming out of the OHL as a gifted playmaker with a big shot. That offense hasn't entirely translated into the AHL, but he has the ability to make Curt Fraser's decision to keep him off the powerplay an inexcusable one. Instead, he doesn't get too involved in the offense. However, Detroit is very high on Emmerton and they view him as a future NHL player. The crunch time minutes that Emmerton logs as well as the big penalty kill minutes are valuable, but Emmerton can do more with his game. ============================================== Future: Like Jan Mursak, Emmerton is entering his third professional season, meaning he will need to clear waivers in 2011-12. That is generally the benchmark for players to get to the NHL. Some take longer, for sure, but a top prospect should need about three seasons so they don't need to be exposed to the rest of the league to take off your hands through the waiver wire. Unlike Mursak, Emmerton hasn't really found his stride at the AHL level yet. His defensive game is valuable, but Detroit drafted him as a scorer. If he can find his offensive game, he could finally find himself with an NHL future. ==============================================
I've made mention several times that prospect Brendan Smith announced he'd be skipping his senior season at the University of Wisconsin to sign a professional contract with Detroit. And he did just that yesterday, signing a three year entry-level deal, cashing in on his strong collegiate career by earning the rookie max base salary of $875,000 per year.
He celebrated his new contract by punching some dude square in the face. Well, that's what a lot of places are saying, but really the incident happened earlier this month and he was charged today.
I fully expect some people to blow this way out of proportion. Because yes, this isn't the first time Smith has done something less than brilliant. However, these things happen in college, sometimes to hockey players. Smith is a passionate player on the ice and that carries off the ice. He's made his fair share of mistakes in college, but I have no doubts he can let it stay there. The atmosphere surrounding a college athlete and a professional (either AHL/NHL) is entirely different. That's not to say that you can't make these mistakes as a professional, but I really don't see this thing start to follow him when he gets into the swing of the every day grind at the rink.
Other than that, I couldn't be more thrilled. Smith was Detroit's first round pick in 2007, and it took him until this season to prove exactly why. He had shown flashes before, but this season he just ran away with the defensive scoring race, and in the couple games I saw him, he looked very competent in his own zone. He's a converted forward -- so it's good both that he's still scoring and that he's made strides in the defensive end as well. He was one of ten finalists for the Hobey Bakers as the top player in college hockey. His speed, big shot, puck control, and creativity and patience with the puck are by far his best assets.
Looking forward to seeing if he can make any noise in camp, and either way, to what he can do for Grand Rapids next season. If nothing else, at least guy has the toughness that so many fans are always clamoring for. Right, right?
When I finally rolled out of bed two sleeps ago, I was pretty surprised to see that Steve Yzerman had taken the job in Tampa Bay. Of course he had been contacted for the job, but all reports made it seem like he wouldn't take it. I was shocked when I read about it, but not for the same reasons as most people. I got on the internets, and started reading around. Detroit media, national media, Detroit blogs, non-Detroit blogs... had one general theme: sadness. And I thought one thing... Do these people think that Steve Yzerman is dead?
Don't get me wrong, it definitely means something that he left Detroit. I get why people are sad, and I'm sad in some ways. But this "end of an era" stuff.. doesn't make much sense. To me, the end of the era was when he hung up the skates in 2006. Loyalty in the playing-side of hockey is a lot different than the business aspect. Just like I was hinting at with the prospects post just underneath this one: you just cannot just sit on wealth and expect it to be ultra-patient.
Here's my deal: it didn't make sense. All I heard about was how Detroit had some succession plan to get Stevie Y in the GM job. Just vague terms like that. And my thinking was, how?Ken Holland is still pretty young in GM years. He's been at it a while, and there aren't a whole lot of GMs who really start as young as he did and not take a "promotion" to president after a while. Adding to that, I can say without even looking it up that Jim Nill is one of the longest serving assistant GMs in the league. It's no secret he's been asked a few times about vacant GM jobs, and one can assume -- given his track record as the Overseer of the best scouts in the league -- that he's probably been offered a job or three. I always wondered what the plan was. Was Nill to be skipped over completely, or perhaps rushed through a short term?
It seems that he would pretty aware of the situation. Obviously, he's got a family in the area, but it's not like the guy didn't know Yzerman was a GM in waiting. It seems like he would have headed for greener pastures if he knew he would be skipped over when the big job opened up. It makes me think that maybe Yzerman wasn't lined up for the job, or at least, it was really far down the road.
Either way, it seemed like Yzerman would wait a while. I just didn't understand why he would. To me, it was a foregone conclusion that he'd eventually take off for a full-time job. I remember suggesting this in some post last offseason and a few people told me there was no way he'd leave. And this is what I was talking about: the business side. He paid way more than his dues in Detroit, and he even chipped away a few years in the office. It's not like he was a few years away from the position and bolted early. He spent four solid years and proved his abilities on the international stage. Gold medals for Canada tend to lead to really overblown hype -- though I think Steve's the man for the job.
I'm not trying to suggest anything like "I saw this coming, I'm awesome." After the initial shock of seeing that he was actually gone when it looked like he wasn't going to go to Tampa Bay, I was actually pretty thrilled. I'm glad he's getting a chance while he's still young to try his hand at running a team. I would have loved for him to stay around and eventually be Detroit's guy -- and no, I don't think he'll come to Detroit should the position open up, he's building his own empire and identity -- but I just couldn't piece together when he'd get that opportunity.
I do think it's a good opportunity for him. There's a couple heavy contracts on that team. They have some young studs like Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman, but both of those guys are big contracts in waiting. It does seem like if Yzerman can move one of those heavy contracts for several less expensive role players, the team might be capable of making some noise. Their top offensive gear is good, defense is fairly stable, and Mike Smith is a quality goalie. In a way, Yzerman is falling into a pretty good situation and there's a very real possibility he'll be a Ray Shero-type GM who just falls into a good situation, but gets all the credit for making smaller, more shrewd moves.
I've always been pretty partial to the Leafs, but I have no problems making the Lightning my new Eastern Conference team. I really want to see him do well, and I have all the faith in the world that he has the ability to get it done. It was sad to see him hang up the skates, but as for leaving Motown -- he doesn't owe us anything, anymore. This is him making a name for himself (as a manager), and not just as Detroit's Captain. He'll always be that, no matter where he ends up now. I think he's more than ready to be cut loose to make a name for himself.
Nobody gets the people talking like Dick Axelsson.
Everyone's favorite side story from this past season is back in the news again. Heading into the final year of his three year entry-level contract, Axelsson has officially re-signed a two year deal with Farjestads BK in the SEL. What does this mean? Well, Axelsson still plans on coming over for camp, but he's voiced concern about reporting to Grand Rapids should he be sent there, which, if you know anything about the way Detroit develops players and how crowded their roster already looks for next season, you know is where he'll end up.
If you haven't followed along, here's the deal. In the first year of Axelsson's contract, he wished to stay in the SEL. Detroit endorsed this because due to his late development (never played for a high profile Swedish junior team like most prospects do), major contract disputes between his SEL team and SWE-2 team, and a couple injury issues, Axelsson never really got a proper adjustment period to SEL hockey. In year two, this past season, he came over to Grand Rapids. He had a strong training camp in my eyes, and was very strong early on for Grand Rapids. Unfortunately, the team as a whole struggled, and amidst a ton of line re-shuffling, Axelsson was only getting fourth line minutes and was even out of the lineup a few times. Keep in mind, nobody was scoring. Axelsson got frustrated and was not too impressed with the AHL, so he packed his bags and returned to the SEL -- where he got much more ice time -- and that was that for his season.
I read this and figured, sigh, well that effectively ends his tenure as a legitimate NHL prospect. But then as more and more leaked out about this signing, I got to thinking.
It turns out that, like Daniel Larsson's contract, the deal is a one-and-one. One year with the option of cutting out of the second year if he chooses. Which, as reader Teus pointed out in my last post, doesn't really matter anyway because there is now a transfer agreement between the NHL and Sweden -- players can cut out of their SEL contracts and leave for the NHL when they please (well, before and after seasons at least -- you can't "recall" a player from the SEL midseason).
Taking this even further, Detroit has given Axelsson the thumbs up on returning to Sweden. They were not too happy when he took off without notice this season. But it makes some sense -- Axelsson hasn't proved much in the SEL yet. He had a decent year with Djurgardens in 07/08, but was then kicked off the team for poor training habits (and rumors, yes, just rumors, about off-ice partying). He then posted an impressive 18 points in 21 games with Farjestads to close the season, but a finger injury that eventually required surgery kept him from having a productive playoff.
However, Axelsson has drawn the wrath of Detroit's Swedish super-scout, Hakan Andersson. Here are a few of the choice words that Hakan had for Dick (copied from George's translation at Red Wings Snapshots)
"We had hoped that Dick would have liked to pursue an NHL career. But there are no hard feelings. Detroit doesn't stand in the fall with Dick Axelsson, but he doesn't want to be there when the train rolls. He never sends any signals, in any case."
"Dick may be happy as long as Farjestad can cope with him."
"As it is right now, he doesn't want to play for the farm team and we think, or rather know that he doesn't qualify for a spot in Detroit. He's simply not that good. If he doesn't want to play for our farm team so it doesn't matter to us where he plays. My boss says he doesn't want players on our farm team who don't want to be there. So it was last winter, and I assume so it would be this winter."
"He will be happy as long as Farjestad wants him, and it's still a fairly high level [of hockey]. He surely couldn't [make it] with Djurgarden for a particularly long time. Now we'll see how long Farjestad will be able to cope with him."
"We have the rights to Dick for another year and if he will against all odds develop and emerge in the team we may have to think about it then. But as it was last winter, he was hardly a prominent player with Farjestad."
"It feels like he has set his hockey career on a completely different level than we expected."
You might be wondering the same thing I was at this point: why is Hakan Andersson giving him the verbal business like this? It seems very unlike a high ranking official in the Red Wings organization to publicly trash a player. Andersson is just a scout -- the scout, as it is -- but still. From an organization that preaches patience with players, Hakan's comments seem petty.
But it makes sense. Unlike most of Detroit's Swedish steals, Andersson must have pushed for Axelsson to be drafted high. He was taken in the second round of the 2006 draft, having been unranked, virtually unheard of, and undrafted in his first year of draft eligibility in 2005. There was really nothing that justified it. You just assumed that he was a player because Andersson usually waits for the middle and later rounds to find his Swedish steals. He stuck his neck out for Axelsson, and he got burned.
For the record, Axelsson handled the comments pretty well for a player who many laptop GMs accuse of being "immature" and "childish." He brought up an interesting point and a potential huge development issue in that Andersson basically gave Axelsson the cold shoulder;
"Hakan and I had a great relationship at first. But when I went home, he didn't even dare to call and ask how I was. They were annoyed about me and now I can understand that."
"Of course it's sad that he'll just sit there and make those attacks. I don't know if he thinks he knows me, and that he can say that people don't like me. But he wants to take out their aggression that way. Anybody can feel and say what they want."
"I don't know if he thinks he knows me, so he thinks he can say that people don't like me. He might believe that. But if Hakan doesn't think I can play at a higher level I guess I can play for a spot at this level. I would not have directly said that I wanted to earn a position in the NHL. But I have made my choice and I believe in it."
Clearly this is going to motivate Axelsson, an already very moody and emotional player and person, to give Detroit another chance.
This got me thinking about the way Detroit has been developing Swedish players lately. It's a tough question to pose, but I think the logical thing to ask right now is if Detroit is truly as proficient at developing players as their often given credit for. Just hear me out. This is about the time of the post where many are thinking "what is this? When is he gonna mention the Red Wing's philosophy of paying your dues? Nobody is entitled to an NHL spot." Well, now's the time.
I'd argue that most of the players on the Red Wings did not pay their dues. Heck, some of the players who are flourishing the most did not pay their dues, and are succeeding in other organizations where they were thrust into the line of fire. Look at the roster among players drafted by Detroit.
Cross off Lidstrom because that was a way different era -- probably Holmstrom too. But Datsyuk, Franzen, and Zetterberg moved right in -- different circumstances because those happen to be the three best players. Abdelkader, Filppula, Helm, and Kronwall (who was injury-prone in Sweden, thus needing some AHL time) forced their way in and "cut in line" so to speak, because they got the chance. Ericsson spent a year in the AHL after he was deemed NHL ready and look how that turned out. That leaves Osgood, who actually is a really good example of paying your dues, though he didn't really have a choice when Detroit went after Hasek. Howard and Meech certainly paid their dues, but to be fair, Meech is awful, and goalies tend to develop later than players. That just leaves the group of four who had some AHL time (throw Hudler in too, but he's not the best example because he got impatient with low ice time and left for Russia), but most of them accelerated into the NHL. Sure, it's because they deserved to be there, but who really thought Helm was an NHLer in waiting until he finally got into the lineup? I'm a prospects nerd, and I was baffled when they called him up the first time.
Of course, not all "paying your dues" involve AHL to NHL. Like Osgood for example, Detroit has found some success with free agents. Guys like Dan Cleary, Andreas Lilja, and now Patrick Eaves and Drew Miller were castoffs from other teams. They started with small roles on the team and worked their way up into moderate success. Cleary is coming off a bad year, but should be a 20 goal scorer that once scored three goals on Detroit's 4th line, but earned that ice time because he hustled and created chances while he was there. Lilja's a bit different because he was only a third-pairing guy, but it didn't take long for him to develop into a PK mainstay. Eaves and Miller both remind me of Cleary, in that they were largely 4th line players who will probably get a few chances in the next few years to earn a larger role.
But also, a precedent is being set for over-development. A lot of players are seeing that they can not only cash in for more money, but they can flourish with more ice time. Mikael Samuelsson scored 30 goals this year and was, ugh, clutch in the playoffs. Ville Leino is suddenly a useful player who looks like the guy that appeared briefly in Detroit last season. He admits that the trade was enough to light a fire under him, but also confessed that the coaches were telling him too many things and his confidence was shot. To be clear, I don't want either of these guys back, at all, but I'm just saying -- nobody thought either would amount to much outside of Detroit. Then you look at former prospects like Shawn Matthias and Tomas Fleischmann (edit: Kyle Quincey, duh), who would likely still be chipping away in Grand Rapids instead of securing full-time NHL positions. Jakub Kindl almost made the Red Wings when he was 19, and now at 23, Detroit has openly admitted they're not all that confident in him. The last thing we need is another Ericsson, with Nicklas Lidstrom, anywhere from a week to a year away from retiring.
So what am I saying here? That Detroit develops their players wrong? No, because clearly that isn't the case. Axelsson is just one of a handful of examples, but meanwhile there are a solid number of other prospects who are slowly chugging along without drawing a lot of media attention who are just fine. I'm just saying that, the notion that "you must pay your dues" is spoiled, flawed, and frankly, stupid. Yes, in the case of the NHL players, you take less to win. All that extra money didn't get Samuelsson anything, and Leino is a game away from the Finals only because the Eastern Conference is the only conference where Leino is a good player.
I'm just suggesting that Detroit has not had that much success making sure their players are "over-ready" for the NHL. And now, with European players, they're facing the ever-growing threat of better salaries in Europe. European players (and this is not just happening in Detroit, for the record) are finding it much easier to go home if it looks like they'll be in the AHL too long.
Who wouldn't? You play a couple years of professional hockey in your home country where the fans are as ravenous, sometimes more ravenous, than NHL fans. Sometimes you have to learn a new language. You travel by bus. New culture -- new things to do, new food, new everything. With Grand Rapids, the city is nice but if you go 20 minutes in any direction you're on somebody's farm. Attendance all across the AHL is not good, Grand Rapids is one of the best in the league but games that aren't on Fridays can get pretty scarce. Meanwhile, in you could be playing in sold out buildings in your home country, while being a little more recognized in the national spotlight. And guess what? You still improve as a player, because the SEL is better than the AHL.
Look, I enjoy a Dick Axelsson joke as much as the next person. I'm just trying to make sure people see the other side of the coin here. He's certainly made his share of mistakes, but he gave Grand Rapids a chance. He was a second line player in a better league, and came to the AHL to play on the 4th line. It's not all work ethic. He looked very good in the two games I watched in Grand Rapids. Nobody on the team was scoring, so Curt Fraser shuffled the lines. My only complaint about the guy is he's very delicate with rookies. Jan Mursak barely played last year, then exploded for 24 goals this year. Tomas Tatar was the best player on the team in January and March when the rest struggled, and was frequently scratched in favor of veterans. Axelsson certainly could have waited longer, but when you're played so sparingly and then the team agrees to take on other NHL teams' garbage in Patrick Rissmiller and Michael Nylander, well, it paints a certain picture.
And he's not the first case. Johan Ryno is a pretty well-known story, and he was actually scoring in Grand Rapids when he decided to leave. Igor Grigorenko was the Wings top prospect for years, nearly made the team, and spent five games in the AHL before he decided he'd had enough and Russia was the better fit for him. Leino would have bolted if Detroit sent him down. Now, Daniel Larsson left, the second that he learned he was playing in the AHL again. Goaltending is a different animal entirely, but Larsson and Jimmy Howard were equals in 08-09. Howard moved up (because he paid his dues, sure) and then virtually starred in the NHL. Larsson split time with a struggling rookie goalie, and was poised to do it for a second straight season -- with that goalie, Thomas McCollum, almost guaranteed to get more playing time based on Detroit having invested a better draft pick into him.
When Larsson left, he also signed a contract he can opt out of for one year. He's said he still wants to play in the AHL, but feels it's unnecessary to spend another year in the AHL because he thinks he has nothing left to prove. I disagree, but either way he's going to get better competition in the SEL. He also said he wanted to work with a goalie coach, which makes me wonder how much time Jim Bedard actually spends in the AHL. But he's not to blame. Larsson is taking an opportunity to play for HV-71, coming off an SEL championship, for more money, a better national standing (Larsson was barely even considered for the Olympics, while many SEL goalies were), and, in his mind, a chance to come back to Detroit after a year should Chris Osgood retire. But still people feel slighted that he dare leave Detroit to pursue personal interests.
The point is when you have this wealth, you can't just sit on it and act like it's the player's fault for wanting a better opportunity. It's very tough to make the NHL, tougher in Detroit than most cities. Players still come here because they're thrilled to go to a world class organization, but not everybody wants to. Not everyone wants to wait, and it amazes me when fans get on their case about it. Off-ice issues or not, most prospects are immature just based on being 18-24 years old. We understand it because we're fans and we read about it. Not every player understands the ins and outs of development, as sad as that may be to hear.
The Axelsson decision is interesting. They seem to have no problem with Axelsson playing in Sweden, with the exception of Hakan. This means one of two things: they're either fed up to the point where they're not going to bother asking him to stay, or they're seeing by the amount of prospects they're losing for nothing that it might be better to let a skilled player like Axelsson play big minutes in the SEL opposed to flanking a couple of muckers like Kris Newbury and Jamie Tardif in the AHL. Don't get me wrong in all of this though, Axelsson's not innocent, he makes mistakes pretty often. But people act like he's some head-case nut-job and that's just not true.
I'm not really suggesting anything with this long-winded dribble. I'm just wondering if others find that Detroit's philosophy of patience is not nearly as effective as it's given credit for. And I'm wondering if others thing opening up the door to Europe, where high skill players like Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and Franzen were able to jump directly from, might be a better long-term solution. End rant.
I know it's been over a week since I've written anything, but for once it wasn't out of my laziness or busy schedule. There just isn't a whole lot going on. I debated writing a warning piece to Philadelphia Flyers fans about the dangers of calling Ville Leino a legit NHL player, but Saler covered that pretty good atOn the Wings. I was going to write about Ritola last night, but the hockey gods had other ideas, and I wake up today to see that Detroit is down a prospect. Sigh, well, let's dissect this.
The very good news is that restricted free agent to-be Mattias Ritola has signed a three-year deal to stay with the Red Wings. Ritola spent the last three seasons in Grand Rapids, getting a handful of games in with the big club -- even a playoff game, filling in for Jason Williams, who, as you might remember, was single-handedly responsible for Detroit's playoff exit.
For a little overview, when Ritola was drafted in 2005, they called him a "skilled but lazy" player. All the offensive skills in the world, but not always a strong commitment to two-way play. Then he comes over to Grand Rapids as a rookie and leads the team in +/-, showing that he can commit to a consistent two-way style of play. I always thought he looked pretty good in his few NHL appearances, he always looked like a Red Wing type player in pre-season action, and he gradually really grew on me in his time as a Griffin.
But the pressure for any twenty-something Swedish (or just European in general) player who isn't a mainstay in the NHL is to look at a professional contract back in their homeland. Depending on the league, they can make more money, and fans in Sweden tend to regard players who are regulars in the SEL a little higher than those stuck in the AHL, so there's more glory in it as well. You play in rinks that are a little fuller, with fans who are a little (note: italics indicate understatement) more ravenous than that in an AHL venue. Sometimes it's just not worth waiting, so prospects tend to go back to Sweden at that age. Who can blame them though? Well, a lot of Wings fans do anyway, but I digress.
This is what I thought might happen with Ritola, given that the Wings got good seasons from the likes of Drew Miller and Patrick Eaves. Getting Jiri Hudler back as well as only having Williams as the only free agent who really isn't worth bringing back leads to a roster crunch. I left out Miller in my offseason post (see below) in favor of keeping Ritola just as a 13th forward. However, I mentioned that I wouldn't be at all upset if they brought the hard-working Miller back, and Ken Holland seemed to echo my thoughts. He's planning to qualify all of the team's restricted free agents, so clearly he doesn't read my blog. No word if that just means the NHL RFAs, or ifhe'll qualify the elusive Johan Ryno as well.
This deal though, sheds some light on Detroit's RFA situation. It's set up as a two-way deal for just the first season, and a one-way in both year two and three. This means that, unless he has an incredible training camp, Ritola will end up in Grand Rapids for another year. He would have to clear waivers (but not re-entry waivers if he's called back up), which, as good as he is, is likely. There's going to be a lot of players on waivers then, and what do you think a team would prefer when they're trying to patch up a lineup in October? A player who's had NHL experience before, or a wild card like Ritola who wasn't able to crack an NHL roster in four straight training camps? Seems like he'd be able to pass, though it's a slight risk.
Drew Miller? Looks like you're staying a Wing. Thank Ritola for taking this swell deal. Ritola did himself a favor by keeping his cap hit low -- he'll likely be the top injury call-up. That was Justin Abdelkader's position last year, and he ended up playing in like 50 games before he saw any AHL time.
And just because the universe can't tip too far into Detroit's favor at one time, this morning it was announced that Daniel Larsson has signed a two-year deal with HV-71 of the SEL. I also touched on this in my offseason post, mentioning that there were SEL teams after Larsson's services, and that his thinking in coming over to North America (if Erik Ersberg can play in the NHL, then so can I) without getting any NHL time might have been frustrating. Then he splits time with Jimmy Howard last season and statistically outperforms him by a decent margin --yet Howard goes up to the NHL and flourishes, and Larsson has to split time with a much younger goalie in Thomas McCollum. It wasn't the best of situations for him, given that he was definitely AHL-bound for another season, and with McCollum turning his game around late in the season, it looked as if Larsson would get even less playing time this coming season.
I thought he was a can't miss prospect at one point. The year before he came to North America he won the Honken Trophy for best goaltender in the SEL. Then he lit up the AHL, taking almost no time to transition. However, he had a rough year this season, and he looked like he was struggling more and more each time I saw him. It didn't take long for McCollum, despite his numbers, look like the better professional goaltending prospect.
However, Larsson would have turned 25 this coming season. He is definitely a promising goaltender who will be missed, but his role in Detroit seemed very small. He likely would have taken the backup job in 2011-12, when Chris Osgood is expected to retire, but only for a few seasons. McCollum would have had another two seasons in the AHL, and likely would have forced Detroit to move Larsson at some point, should his development pan out the way Detroit thought it could. And again, all of this assumes that Jimmy Howard is still the real deal, who knows what happens if he doesn't prove capable of handling 60 games per season.
This is good news for McCollum though, who becomes Detroit's "next goalie in waiting" two years earlier than most thought he would. He won't need to worry about splitting time with another prospect next season. Grand Rapids goaltending does look a little sketchy for next season, with only McCollum and Jordan Pearce (who started very slowly in the ECHL, before having a decent end to the season) left in the system. Detroit may sign a veteran to tandem with McCollum, and give Pearce a few starts only if his play in Toledo improves. But either way, McCollum becomes the priority down there, where before, Larsson was demanding equal attention. He'll get more quality starts, and if he starts next season the way he finished this one, he'll start the bulk of the games no matter who else is down there.
This also leaves Detroit with just two goaltending prospects in the system, both at polar opposite places as a prospect -- one is a 1st round pick who has always been a top prospect, the other is an NCAA standout who signed this contract only to give professional hockey a try, with med school as a "backup" plan. It might be worth drafting a goalie this coming June, especially a long-term project who might be college-bound (so Detroit would hold their rights longer). But it's not worth drafting a college-bound goaltender just to have one, so I'm sure Detroit will only do it if the fit is right.
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The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
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