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Red Wings Notes: Early Struggles, Mantha, Svechnikov

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An 0-2 start for the first time since 2009 has Red Wings fans in a frenzy and bench boss Jeff Blashill has only liked two of his defenseman’s play writes the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James. Only Jonathan Ericsson and Xavier Ouelett have played well enough to garner Blashill’s praise and for the Wings, it’s been a brutal stretch early as they’ve struggled to score goals, generate shots on goal, and be responsible in their own end. The Detroit News’ Ted Kulfan reports quoted captain Henrik Zetterberg as saying that the Wings’ efforts haven’t been good enough:

“We’re not really connected right now. We should be able to create more than we have been in these two games. Can’t blame it on chemistry. We’re supposed to be better hockey players than that and should be able to create more.”

Positives are free agent pick ups Thomas Vanek and Frans Nielsen have been effective in the first two games, and Petr Mrazek has kept games from getting completely out of control. But there is a glaring need on defense, and it will be interesting to see if the Wings address it soon.

With the early woes, many fans have already begun calling for the heads of anyone in management, but fan blog Winging It In Motown writes that a steady course is the best bet for Detroit. Though the Red Wings have struggled out of the gate, and looked poor through stretches of both games, the column states that Blashill can only do so much. As stated by Zetterberg, time and familiarity could bring success.

In other Wings news:

  • Evgeny Svechnikov and Anthony Mantha both scored goals in Grand Rapids’ 3-2 victory over the Chicago Wolves, making the calls for Mantha’s promotion louder. Mantha has now scored in both Griffins victories, with one goal coming on the power play. Mantha was on the bubble of making the final roster, but the spot went to Andreas Athanasiou, who spent considerable time with the Red Wings last season. Mantha, who bulked up in the offseason, continues to make strong impressions in the hope of getting a longer stay with the big club. Svechnikov, who wasn’t expected to make the roster, has shown his own flashes of brilliance and while the team is struggling in Detroit, there still appears to be a solid pipeline of talent that could come up should the season turn disastrous.

Jonathan Quick Could Be Out 3-4 Months

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Per a tweet from Sportsnet’s Daren Millard, Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick will be out for the next 3-4 months due to a severe groin injury. This is significantly worse news for the Kings as only earlier in the day, general manager Dean Lombardi wouldn’t speculate on the injury. Lombardi indicated that it was in the same area as his last major injury–one that kept him out for two months. Millard added in his tweet that the injury could require surgery. Nick Kypreos adds that Quick will be looking at every option before deciding on “rehab options.”

After placing him on injured reserve, Quick was initially seen as being week to week. Clearly, it’s much worse.  Quick was hurt on what appeared to be a routine save in the first period during the Kings 2-1 loss to San Jose Wednesday night.

The focus now turns onto who the Kings will rely on without their #1 option available. Adam Gretz of NBC Sports writes that the Peter Budaj/Jeff Zatkoff duo will have to do for now as the Kings have little wiggle room within the salary cap to find a #1 goalie elsewhere. Kypreos also said the Kings will most likely search internally for a solution before “looking elsewhere.”

Snapshots: Malkin, Athanasiou, Subban

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Penguins writer Sam Kasan reports that with Sidney Crosby out for indefinitely, the Penguins are looking at Evgeni Malkin as the man to lead the team in his absence. A mainstay in Pittsburgh since being drafted second overall in 2004, teammate Chris Kunitz comments that having Malkin is a huge plus that most teams in the NHL don’t have:

“Most teams don’t have that luxury. ’Geno’ is an important guy for us. He’s going to get more offensive zone time for himself with ’Sid’ being out and showed (Thursday) that he can change a game at any time.”

Kasan writes that Malkin already put the team on his back after having a breakaway goal, assist, and a shootout goal in the Pens’ 3-2 victory over Washington. Malkin admits that it’s not easy being with Crosby, but adds that he feels his confidence is back after having a sub-par performance in the World Cup of Hockey.

In other news from around the league:

  • Ansar Khan tweeted earlier that the Red Wings are already shuffling lines in the wake of a 6-4 loss at the hands of Stanley Cup favorite Tampa Bay Thursday night. The Red Wings jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead and held a 3-1 lead before the Lightning reeled off four straight goals. The Detroit penalty kill had a busy night while the line of Steve Ott, Drew Miller, and Luke Glendening had a statistically brutal evening. Khan reported that Andreas Athanasiou was slotted into a line with Henrik Zetterberg and Frans Nielsen, while Ott was working into the fourth line. Khan later tweeted that those would indeed be the lines for Saturday’s contest against Florida, meaning that Ott would be the odd man out. This could be an early indicator that head coach Jeff Blashill will truly mix and match in order to find a spark, and will be quick to yank players from the lineup swiftly, whether they’re veterans or rookies. Last season, Athanasiou had 14 points (9-5) in 37 games and did so averaging just over nine minutes on the ice.
  • PK Subban notched his first goal as a Nashville Predator with a blistering slap shot in the first period of Nashville’s contest against the Chicago Blackhawks. Subban, who was traded for Shea Weber on June 29, ripped a shot from just inside the blue line to even the score at one. Known for his enthusiasm, and philanthropy during his time in Montreal, Nashville has fallen in love with its new star and the success expected on the ice should only increase his legend in the Music City.

2016-17 Season Preview: New York Islanders

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With the start of the regular season today, we continue our look at every team in the NHL. Today, we look at the New York Islanders.

Last Season: 45-27-10 (100 points), Finished 4th in the Metropolitan Division. Defeated Florida 4-2 in first round; Lost to Tampa Bay 4-1 in the second round.

Remaining Cap Space: $1.39MM per CapFriendly

Key Newcomers: Andrew Ladd (free agent), Jason Chimera (free agent), Dennis Seidenberg (free agent).

Key Departures: Kyle Okposo (signed with Buffalo), Frans Nielsen (signed with Detroit), Matt Martin (signed with Toronto).

[Related: New York Islanders Depth Chart at Roster Resource]

Players To Watch: Mathew Barzal. There are a number of players to watch, but Barzal is exciting to watch and the 16th overall pick from 2015 will be counted on to help replace the quality of players lost to free agency. Barzal had 88 points (27-61) with Seattle in the WHL last season and added 26 points (5-21) in just 18 playoff games. He’s only 19, but Barzal has a chance to make an early mark on the Islanders’ season.

Key Storyline: Can the Isles make up all that they lost in the offseason? Losing Okposo, and Nielsen will test the Isles, who though driven by captain John Tavares, will certainly miss the production from both players and especially the two-way play from Nielsen, who will fill the same role in Detroit. The Islanders broke through the first round by stunning Florida, but were dispatched quickly by Tampa Bay. Ladd will certainly help, but his numbers fell a bit last season. Chimera will also chip in and Seidenberg will help shore up an already strong defensive corps. Another question mark is in net: what will they get out of Jaroslav Halak? Thomas Greiss was terrific last season, and it’s almost a 1A-1B argument with the netminders. Regardless, a step back wouldn’t be shocking as the Islanders lost a lot in the offseason but another playoff appearance shouldn’t be discounted with a team that has a lot of positives.

Is Ken Holland Feeling The Heat In Detroit?

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Detroit Free Press columnist Drew Sharp writes that Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland could be feeling the heat for building a “so-so” team. Though Sharp isn’t a beat writer for the team, he sounds off on a topic that has been trending in Detroit. The general manager set the bar low this season, telling the media that fans should have lower expectations due to the competitiveness of the league.

But a lot of fans–and analysts–aren’t buying it, feeling that Holland is to blame for the mess Detroit is in. National outlets like NBC are even picking up on it.

Holland was questioned by many for re-signing Darren Helm to a lucrative deal while adding Steve Ott and re-signing Drew Miller to one-year deals. Then, Holland placed Martin Frk and Teemu Pulkkinen on waivers, and both were claimed, by Carolina and Minnesota respectively.

The waiving of both players caused a ripple through fan blogs, encouraging Winging It In Motown’s Prashanth Iyer to pen a long article (following Frk’s departure) about Holland’s offering of entry-level contracts and the lack of those players ever playing for the Red Wings. Iyer also said this about Holland’s work, but it was the most recent column by The Malik Report’s George Malik that may have raised eyebrows. Malik, will lean toward portraying the Red Wings’ brass in a positive light, but today he  taps into the frustrations being felt by the fanbase. Add in this quote from head coach Jeff Blashill and though it didn’t come from Holland, it felt like a team mandate to many. From the Free Press’ Helene St. James:

Mantha scored the game-winning goal but “I didn’t think him or AA were good enough, to be honest with you,” Blashill said. “They’ve got to be better than that. These are big games for those guys and you’ve got to be better.

“I told the young guys in camp to slap me in the face and tell me you’re better than other options. It can’t be a period, it’s got to be 60 minutes. But with that said, I thought they picked it up in the third.”

Though Andreas Athanasiou was named to the roster today, Anthony Mantha was sent down to Grand Rapids. It was another in a series of moves that puzzled analysts and enraged fans, especially since the Red Wings are desperate for goal scoring.

Holland has had a tremendous run as the Red Wings general manager, winning three Stanley Cups (1998, 2002, 2008) and presiding over a terrific run of success with the team. But the more recent realities have been a team on the decline, and when choosing veterans not known for scoring goals over younger players drafted to purportedly score goals, that tends to reflect poorly on upper management’s thinking. Further, a look at the salary cap situation now, and into the future does not bode well for the Wings, with many players on the wrong side of 30 promised large sums of money for long durations. Add in the masterful work of former Red Wing and front office apprentice Steve Yzerman in Tampa and it creates a perfect storm of criticism.

As a mainstay of the Detroit front office, it’s understandable that ownership would give him the benefit of the doubt for now. But should this team, after significant criticism, struggle out of the gate and throughout the season, the quiet drumbeat for accountability will only grow steadier–and louder.

2016-17 Season Preview: Florida Panthers

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With the start of the regular season just one day away, we continue to look at each team’s off-season and preview the upcoming year. Today, we focus on the Florida Panthers.

Last Season: 47-26-9 (103 points), Finished 1st in the Atlantic Division. Lost 4-2 to the New York Islanders in the first round.

Remaining Cap Space: $9.71MM per CapFriendly

Key Newcomers: Keith Yandle (Acquired from New York Rangers), Jonathan Marchessault (free agent), Colton Sceviour (free agent), Jared McCann (Acquired from Vancouver), Jason Demers (free agent), Mark Pysyk (Acquired from Buffalo), James Reimer (free agent).

Key Departures: Jiri Hudler (signed with Dallas), Brian Campbell (signed with Chicago), Teddy Purcell (signed with Los Angeles), Al Montoya (signed with Montreal), Dmitry Kulikov (traded to Buffal0).

[Related: Florida Panthers Depth Chart at Roster Resource]

Players To Watch: Keith Yandle: The Panthers acquired him from New York and then signed him to a monster seven-year deal worth $44.45MM. So now the question is if the Panthers will get the return on investment. Yandle had a great season with New York in 2015-16, and is still only thirty years of age. Though the length of the term and a cap hit of $6.35MM will hurt in latter years, it’s right now that matters. Yandle will quarterback the power play, a place where the Panthers needed help. Further, he gives a tremendous 1-2 punch with Aaron Ekblad.

Key Storyline: How will the Panthers fare knowing that Jonathan Huberdeau is out for the next three to four months? This is a team that was busy in the offseason after a disappointing postseason result, and bolstered their blue line significantly with the additions of Demers, Yandle, and Pysyk. Huberdeau’s injury, however, could be a tough hole to fill as he accounted for 59 points (20-39) last season and was third on the team in points and goals. The loss is huge, and how the Panthers respond for the first half of the season should dictate their season. However, depth is not a weakness for the Florida, and should they be able to tread water during Huberdeau’s absence, his return will only bolster an already strong team on paper.

Red Wings Roster Crunch: Analyzing the Forwards

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What will the Detroit Red Wings do as the exhibition season only has one week left? General manager Ken Holland had a lot of people scratching their heads when it came to his offseason signings, no one more than Steve Ott, who adds an element of grit, but already irritated the Red Wings faithful with his hit on teammate Tomas Nosek during a scrimmage. Holland made it a priority to get “tougher” and while that’s certainly a sure bet with Ott in Detroit, head coach Jeff Blashill wants to feature speed in his lineup, which favors the younger players.

Mar 22, 2014; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Detroit Red Wings center <a rel=

So what to expect if you’re a Red Wings fan? Seasons past certainly favors the veterans, but with Anthony Mantha having a solid preseason and Andreas Athanasiou picking up where he left off, it would certainly behoove the Wings to watch those two younger players closer than just sending them back to Grand Rapids because they’re safe getting through waivers. Three seasons ago, the Wings did just that with Gustav Nyquist, who when finally given the chance, went on a torrential scoring binge that helped the Wings into the playoffs.

Sure Bets 

Henrik Zetterberg, Dylan Larkin, Justin Abdelkader, Tomas Tatar, Frans Nielsen, Gustav Nyquist, Thomas Vanek, Darren Helm, Riley Sheahan, Luke Glendening, Steve Ott. 

These guys are all in, though Zetterberg is still iffy based on his knee. Should he not play, it would open up a spot for one of the younger kids to get a chance to stick longer with the big club. Nielsen is looking like a great pickup after he had a terrific World Cup of Hockey performance, along with teammate Tomas Tatar. Larkin has looked strong on his skates and made immediate contributions upon his return from the World Cup. He will also move to center, relinquishing Zetterberg from a heavier workload. Abdelkader, Helm, and Glendening will be counted on to grit out scoring chances and chip in with goals. Detroit is hoping Vanek will have a bounce back year with at least 20 goals. Sheahan, who has also been strong in the preseason, is also being looked upon to add more in scoring.

This is where it gets interesting. Miller and Ott’s contracts can be buried in the AHL because of the minimal amount they’re making: Ott at $800K and Miller at $1.025MM. Ott will most assuredly be on the opening night roster, but isn’t guaranteed to stay there. Ott will make the roster only because the team is in love with the grit narrative that doomed Team USA in the World Cup.

Though it bothers Red Wings fans that the loyalty is shown to players like Miller, who despite supposed penalty killing prowess, adds very little in terms of productivity on the ice at full strength. Going off of previous trends, it’s a safe bet that Miller will most likely end up on the Detroit roster, which if it sends Athanasiou and Mantha to Grand Rapids, will cause the fanbase to howl with disgust.

Finally, should Nyquist get the ice time he deserves, he should have no problem reaching the 20 goal plateau and in theory, should get close to his first 30 goal campaign.

Bubble players: 

Martin Frk, Tomas Nosek, Tyler Bertuzzi Anthony Mantha, and Andreas Athanasiou.

With Mantha and Athanasiou making strong cases, it should give Holland pause as to going with his “over ripen” strategy and sending younger players to the minors.  Mantha beefed up in the offseason and has been a force on the ice, netting goals in consecutive games. Athanasiou has been his usual disruptive self, using his speed to force turnovers and make plays on the offensive side of the ice. But basing it off previous Detroit decision making, no matter what the younger players do, unless they prove them indispensible as Larkin did last preseason, they will end up in the AHL because of the “Red Wings way” of favoring veterans.

Frk is an interesting case. After struggling and going back to the ECHL to retool his game, he has been steady and making his case during the preseason. The problem is Frk is not waiver exempt and would likely be claimed should he be exposed.

Bertuzzi is scrappy and has a knack to find the net, but needs just a little more seasoning before making the final roster–not to mention that Mantha and Athanasiou will block his path.

Nosek will start the season in the AHL with chances to make appearances in Detroit should there be injuries.

Injured: Teemu Pulkkinen and Tomas Jurco.

Jurco is not expected back until November while Pulkkinen is projected to play later this week.

Long Term Injured Reserve: Johan Franzen and Joe Vitale.

2016-17 Season Preview: Tampa Bay Lightning

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With the NHL preseason underway, PHR continues to look at every team prior to the regular season. Today, we look at the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Last season: 46-31-5 (97 points), Finished 2nd in NHL Atlantic Division. Defeated Detroit 4-1 in the first round; Defeated New York Islanders 4-1 in the second round; Lost to Pittsburgh 4-3 in Eastern Conference Finals.

Cap Space Remaining: $5.55MM via CapFriendly.

Key Newcomers: None

Key Departures: None

Player to Watch: Ben Bishop. There are so many players to keep an eye on (namely Nikita Kucherov), but Bishop is intriguing because of what general manager Steve Yzerman will do as the netminder enters the final year of his contract. With Andrei Vasilevskiy waiting patiently behind him, Bishop has become a valuable commodity. Does Yzerman hold onto him for insurance purposes and unbelievable goaltending depth? Will he peddle him at the trade deadline or even before that, trying to pick up additional depth for a deep Stanley Cup run? While many wonder what he’ll do, Yzerman has proven to be the master negotiator and a front office executive who will do whatever it takes to strengthen the team. With Bishop coming off of a stellar season, it will be interesting to see if Bishop can replicate the performance, and if so, whether it will be with the Bolts or another team starved for a great goaltender.

Key Storylines: Is this the season Tampa Bay puts it all together and wins the Cup? Tampa is one of the deepest, if not the deepest team in the NHL, and a major contributor to that is Yzerman. As problem after problem faced the team, Yzerman barely broke a sweat navigating every issue. Jonathan Drouin demands a trade? No problem. Yzerman remained firm, let the situation blow over, and when trouble brewed in the way of injuries, Drouin was brought back to the big club and amazingly, peace was restored. Drouin also went on to be a major factor in the Bolts’ return to the conference final.

Steve Stamkos had a number of suitors lining up for what could have been the biggest free agency bonanza since Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, and Yzerman locked him up before free agency could even begin. He then re-upped with Alex Killorn, Vladislav Namestnikov, J.T. Brown, Cedric Paquette, Victor Hedman, and Vasilevskiy. While they didn’t add or subtract any major players, Yzerman locked up significant pieces with the exception of Kucherov, who is holding out for a new contract. If there’s anything to be said, it’s that Yzerman will find a way to solve the problem, be it through a trade (think the Martin St. Louis deal that Yzerman won) or a new contract–though the latter will be more difficult to maneuver. If Yzerman does trade Bishop down the road, expect him to find a defenseman to help shore up the blueline.

Should the Lightning stay healthy, there are few teams that could rival them in the regular season or playoffs. This could be the season that Yzerman, Jon Cooper and company bring a second Stanley Cup back to Tampa.

Tampa Bay Depth Chart

Tampa Bay Trims Roster By 24

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The Tampa Bay Lightning trimmed their roster by 24 players today according to the team’s website, and now have 28 players remaining. Below are the players who were sent down or cut:

Forwards 

Cameron Darcy
Adam Erne
Yanni  Gourde
Mike Halmo
Brian Hart
Henri Ikonen
Pierre Letourneau-Leblond
Tye McGinn
Jeremy Morin
Matt Peca
Tanner Richard
Mitchell Stephens
Jonne Tammela

Defensemen

Dylan Blujus
Adam Comrie
Jake Dotchin
Dominik Masan
Matt Taormina
Ben Thomas
Daniel Walcott
James Wisniewski (Released)

Goalies

Nicola Riopel
Adam Wilcox

Veteran defenseman James Wisniewski was released from his professional tryout and will be on the move again. Adam Gretz writes that Wisniewski admitted it was difficult to adjust to Tampa’s system. Though he’s coming off of a major injury, Wisniewski could add value to a depleted blue line should he be able to shake the rust off and stay healthy.

Poll: 2005 NHL Draft Take Two: Eighth Overall Pick

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Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

We’re looking back at the 2005 NHL Draft, which kicked off the salary cap era and ushered in many of the current NHL superstars. The question we’re looking to answer is knowing now what we didn’t know then, how different would this draft look now with the benefit of hindsight?

Here are the results of our redraft so far:

1st Overall: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
2nd Overall: Carey Price (Mighty Ducks of Anaheim)
3rd Overall: Anze Kopitar (Carolina Hurricanes)
4th Overall: Jonathan Quick (Minnesota Wild)
5th Overall: Kris Letang (Montreal Canadiens)
6th Overall: Tuukka Rask (Columbus Blue Jackets)
7th Overall: Bobby Ryan (Chicago Blackhawks)

Now we move forward to the eighth pick, which was held by the San Jose Sharks.

To recap how this works:

  • We will go through the 2005 NHL Draft and have our readers select, through a voting process, who they think should have been taken with the selection.
  • The entire first round will be redrafted, spanning picks one through thirty. The new selection is chosen by the majority of votes.

The Sharks selected Devin Setoguchi with the eighth overall pick and at the time, it looked like a solid pick. In 2008-09, Setoguchi had his best season with 65 points (31-34) and it looked like he would only go up from there. Unfortunately, he never came close. Instead, Setoguchi bounced around the league and recently signed a professional tryout with the Kings. In eight NHL seasons, Setoguchi has 249 points (127-122).

With the eighth pick of the 2005 NHL Draft, who should the San Jose Sharks select? Cast your vote below!

Mobile Users click here to vote!

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