Kukla's Korner

Time To Call Him Captain Larkin

Blog: Abel to Yzerman By Paul

05/29/20 at 07:38 AM ET | Comments (0)

from John Niyo of the Detroit News,

He wore the losses about as well anyone could expect in a season that threatened to make history for all the wrong reasons.

So now it’s time to see how Dylan Larkin wears the captain’s ‘C’ in Detroit, where living up to history is part of the job description.

I realize that’s probably way down the offseason list of priorities for general manager Steve Yzerman and head coach Jeff Blashill, who’ll return for a sixth season behind the Red Wings’ bench. But in the absence of any real hockey here for several months to come, it’s one that was top of mind this week as the team and its leadership talked about what went wrong this past season — it was a long conversation, obviously — and where they’ll go from here.

continued

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There’s Always Next Year

Blog: Abel to Yzerman By Paul

05/28/20 at 08:37 PM ET | Comments (5)

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

Next season, whenever it’ll begin for the Red Wings, will be a big one for forward Evgeny Svechnikov and defenseman Moritz Seider.

Svechnikov, 23, is a 2015 first-round pick who has spent the majority of his professional time in Grand Rapids, in the minor leagues.

Svechnikov either stays on the Wings’ roster after next training camp, or will be lost on waivers. The Wings will likely keep him around, but it’ll be up to Svechnikov to carve out playing time.

“The first thing Svech has to do is find a way to earn his way on the team and earn his way into minutes,” Blashill said. “As he earns those opportunities, we can start seeing how high he can go (in the lineup), but you have to start by making the team and earning more minutes. Those aren’t handed out to anybody....

The Wings are hopeful Seider will be ready to step into the lineup next season.

“He had a real good year in totality,” Blashill said. “It was a learning year, ups and downs, and when you’re a defenseman it’s real hard. The experience he went through, especially for him because he wants to attack the game an in an offensive manner, and that’s awesome. But part of that is learning not to bite off more than you can chew.

“He has a chance to be a real impactful defenseman. Can he do it next year? I hope so. He might have as many as eight months to get himself prepared to improve his body and turn his body to an elite pro body.”

more on the Wings...

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Today’s Hockey Thoughts

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

05/28/20 at 03:01 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet,

- Other things you may have missed from an active Wednesday: Detroit GM Steve Yzerman confirmed Jeff Blashill will remain as head coach and that the Wings will name a captain before next season. (You’re not going to get great betting odds on Dylan Larkin for that.) Great news for Carolina and the Islanders as Dougie Hamilton and Adam Pelech will be ready to return from what were supposed to be season-ending injuries. Same for Jonathan Drouin in Montreal. Pittsburgh’s Nick Bjugstad had a setback and is out for the season, while Winnipeg does not yet have clarity on Bryan Little. San Jose GM Doug Wilson did not commit to Bob Boughner’s return as head coach.

- ... “I do want to play in the NHL, so I haven’t thought a lot about it.”

Gagner said there hasn’t been much discussion about an extension with Detroit, but he understands why because there’s so much up in the air. They will need good pros. What’s for sure: He’s making a plan to be ready.

This is a long, uncertain stretch for UFAs on the non-playoff teams.

- Via video, Jeff Blashill addressed the graduates at De La Salle Collegiate in Warren, Mich. It was really good, and I wanted to end the blog with it. Blashill:

more Thoughts, more from Gagne and read what Blashill had to say...

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Afternoon Line- Darnell Nurse

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

05/28/20 at 02:47 PM ET | Comments (1)

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Video- Strange Goals In the Last 20 Years

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

05/28/20 at 02:44 PM ET | Comments (0)

ust over six minutes long.

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Stream- Jeff Blashill And The Media

Blog: Abel to Yzerman By Paul

05/28/20 at 12:23 PM ET | Comments (9)

via Nick Cotsonika tweets,

Blashill said it means a lot to have Yzerman's support. He's had clear conversations with him about the parameters in which he works. The Red Wings are taking a long-term approach.

Blashill talked about the negatives, such as losing game experience, but also about the opportunity for strength, conditioning and skill development.

Blashill said Red Wings changed defensive zone scheme midseason. It's hard to change habits. It took a while, but he thought by the end of the year it was where they wanted it to be and set a building block for the future.

Below, watch the live stream late (my fault), but you can rewind.

Continue Reading »

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Collecting Regular Season Hardware

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

05/28/20 at 12:03 PM ET | Comments (0)

NEW YORK (May 28, 2020) – The 2019-20 National Hockey League regular season concluded with the Boston Bruins capturing three of the League’s major awards, including the Presidents’ Trophy as the team with the best overall record.

Bruins right wing David Pastrnak and Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin each earned the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the NHL’s goal-scoring leaders, while Boston’s Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak combined for the William M. Jennings Trophy as the goaltenders who played for the team allowing the fewest goals. Joining these winners was Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl, who finished 13 points ahead of the field for his first career Art Ross Trophy as the League’s scoring champion.

Continue Reading »

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Advance Your Skills by Passing Microsoft 70-741 to Become a Windows Server Specialist

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

05/28/20 at 11:48 AM ET | Comments (0)

Did you know that IT has revolutionized the employment industry? And that virtually all industries are now inclined towards modern technology in one way or another?

There’s no denying that artificial intelligence (AI) is making interesting headlines with every passing day, and big data is going bigger and better. But these are not the only trends you need to be aware of to stay updated with the latest skills. The entire IT landscape is expected to change even further in the coming years.

To help you keep pace with new trends and launch a career as an IT specialist, we compiled an informative guide to the Microsoft MCSA 70-741 Exam Dumps , one of the 3 tests that qualify students for the popular MCSA Windows Server 2016 badge.

Continue Reading »

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Morning Line- Terry Jones

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

05/28/20 at 11:36 AM ET | Comments (0)

There were more questions than NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was able to answer while his three-year-old grandson played with pots and pans for background in the kitchen Tuesday afternoon.

But at a time when other leagues are still floating without a plan, Bettman provided one that is reasonable and realistic.

Yes, there’s an absence of any real time frame other than a hope to get players around the league back on the ice and skating in the next week or two and into training camp situations in mid-July.

But there’s a framework going forward that the NBA, MLB and certainly the Canadian Football League don’t have. And there’s a reasonable chance they could make it work.

-Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun where you can read more on this topic.

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Testing Will Be A Key In The Return To Play Plan

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

05/28/20 at 09:11 AM ET | Comments (0)

from David Waldstein of the New York Times,

There are many issues, some complicated, that need to be settled over the next several weeks to yield a 24-team, two-city hockey extravaganza that in its early stages would see up to three games played per day in a single arena, much like in the Olympics or the N.C.A.A. tournament.

But the most important step the N.H.L. must confront to move forward is the same one that daunts the rest of the United States — figuring out how to execute a coronavirus testing protocol for players, staff and family members.

The N.H.L.’s complex plan to end its regular season and jump into a 24-team playoff became necessary months ago when hockey, and most sports, were forced to shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic. Resuming play could mean testing each player every night, expediting the results to be delivered in the mornings before players and staff head to arenas for games or practices. Gary Bettman, the N.H.L. commissioner, said in a news conference on Tuesday that by the end of the Stanley Cup finals the league will have administered 25,000 to 30,000 tests under the guidelines outlined in a memo on Monday.

read on

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