from Max Bultman of The Athletic,
The most exciting moments relating to the Red Wings Tuesday didn’t happen anywhere near Raleigh, N.C., where Detroit suffered its latest loss, this one a 4-1 handling by the Hurricanes.
Those moments happened in Anaheim, where the Canucks’ win over the Ducks boosted — at least for now — the Red Wings’ first-round pick. They happened in Boston, where the Bruins’ record-breaking win took a back seat to the Capitals maintaining their draft placement ahead of Detroit. And they happened in Pittsburgh, where the Penguins’ stunning loss to the lowly Blackhawks may have cost Detroit dearly by once again clearing a playoff path for the Islanders, whose pick the Red Wings own.
None of this is unusual, mind you. It’s been like this in Detroit for more than half a decade now, the only minor exception coming in 2019-20 — when the Red Wings were so far behind the pack that their last-place finish was assured, even if the pandemic hadn’t wiped out the season’s final 11 games.
And it’s understandable. Once your team is out, it’s only rational, as a fan, to watch the scoreboard and hope the draft will make the year worthwhile. That’s true across sports. It’s also, for some amount of time, inevitable in the lifecycle of a modern NHL franchise.
But for the Red Wings, it has to be getting intolerable after so many years stuck in this phase.
continued ($)
Good piece by Bultman.
I don't know about you, it is nice to read something like this, as opposed to the regurgitated stuff a few of the beat writers continue to write.
I like the fact he got into the issue of SY trading away the team's core going forward from when he took over: Mantha, Bertuzzi, Hronek. How SY asked for patience and how--very soon--the top prospects that Detroit got during those patience years and trades will all be in a Wings lineup. How the odds of getting better prospects via the Draft is a window that is closing soon. Also touching on the fact they are in a loaded division with 2 teams in similar positions that are ahead of the Wings in terms of talent (Buffalo and Ottawa) and upside.
In summary, this is the article that brings up my biggest fears for the Wings: that they become the Detroit Pistons from 2009 to 2020. Hang around that 8th pick to 15th pick (Pistons were 7th to 18th pick), become cannon fodder in a playoff series or two, overpay to land an aging superstar, and have to start the rebuild over again as prospects age out or are traded.
The biggest difference between the two organizations is the cap management. Next year the Wings lose Panik and Bertuzzi's retained salaries. Abdelkader's dead cap hit is cut in half (to 1.056M). Yet, Larkin, Maatta, and Walman all got raises (with Veleno due for a slight one via a bridge deal). The following year Vrana's 2.625M comes off the books. However, that same time the following players will leave their ELC's: Albert Johansson, Berggren, Raymond, and Seider. Plus Rasmussen leaves his bridge deal. Just one year later Soderblom, Edvinsson, and Cossa leave their ELC's.
SY's got cap space. This summer is very important. It may be the last one SY doesn't have the competition of the whole league as the Covid Escrow the NHLPA owes projects to be paid up next year which means GM's space will open up in the summer of 2024. Yet the list of UFA for this summer is underwhelming: Patrick Kane, Tarasenko, Sean Monahan, IR risk Max Pacioretty, Alex Killorn, Jason Zucker, Damon Severson, Matt Dumba, Bertuzzi, Michael Bunting, Ryan OReilly, Shayne Gostisbehere, and James van Riemsdyk.
I am especially interested in seeing what kinds of trades can be made this summer: other GM's are under cap pressure and the Wings have an abundance of draft picks (2023 2x 1st rounders, 2023 3x 2nd round picks, 2024 2x 1st round picks), LHD prospects (Edvinsson, Johansson, Wallinder, McIsaac, Shai Buium, Donovan Sebrango, and Eemil Viro), a decent pipeline of LW'ers (Carter Mazur, Dmitri Buchelnikov, and Dylan James), and a couple of current players that could intrigue a fellow GM (Kubalik, Soderblom, Zadina, or even Perron who has a partial NTC).
Let the summer of intrigue begin....or I mean Wingless NHL playoffs begin...
Some realism yes. The Bally Sports team has talked a lot of ballyhoo, which I guess is their job.
the Penguins stunning loss to the lowly Blackhawks may have cost Detroit dearly by once again clearing a playoff path for the Islanders, whose pick the Red Wings own.
I only disagree with the characterization that the Islanders making the playoffs would cost Detroit dearly in the lottery. By sneaking in, Detroit's Islanders pick would likely be #17. If the Islanders miss by one point their pick would probably be 15 or 16.
Especially given Yzermans penchant for picking an unexpected, the long term impact on the franchise of dropping their second pick of the first round from 15 to 17 could hardly be described as dearly.
You are discounting the fact the Isles pick in the lottery could jump 10 places.
Going from 5th to 17th or 6th to 17th is dearly.
The pick is top 12 protected, so if that happens we don't get it.
(and then roll the dice on the 23-24 Islanders)
If the Isles miss the playoffs, win the lottery and get the 5th or 7th pick or whatever, then our pick slides to next year, unprotected. So, I guess, do you want middle of the pack this year (a very deep draft, by all accounts)? Or a shot at a lottery pick next year, or even just a great pick, if the Isles fall off a cliff and miss by a lot next year.
Just to look back when 6 or 7 teams were within 6 points, some went on losing streaks to drop out of the Peloton of Suck in the wrong direction (Red Wings, Capitals), some went on winning streaks to break out of the Peloton of Suck to the upside (Florida, NYI), and Buffalo too late.
Brian Lashoff announced his retirement after 14 season with GR. He's 32 years old. He will officially retire on Saturday when the Griffins end their season in Chicago.
He is 2nd on GR Griffins career games (628) trailing former captain Travis Richards (655), but Richards played for GR when they were an IHL team affiliated with the Ottawa Sens (so his GR totals are 269 in the AHL and 386 in the IHL).
Lashoff also was notable for playing his entire minor league AHL career with the same organization. He ranks 3rd all-time in that department trailing Bill Needham (981, Cleveland Barons 1956-71) and Arnie Kullman (753,
Hershey Bears 1948-60).
Lashoff played in 136 games for the Wings and got his start after Errorsson went down in the 2012-13 lockout season. He played exclusively for the Wings in 13-14 then was the equivalent of a AAAA player during the remaining 5 years he spent back-and-forth spending the most time in the AHL.
I agree that the Wings/ Sabres/ Sens are the 3 most likely teams fighting for the division going forward. Except only the Sabres had a chip the size of Jack Eichel begging to get out of town (rightfully) whose value they maximized (was a long wait) in the form of Thompson (wow) and Tuch etc.
Tage Thompson was a gift from heaven for them.
SY has to find That Guy some how some way in order makeup the margin we face.....
Rock me, Amadeus! Here's hoping.
DETROIT The Detroit Red Wings today assigned left wing Taro Hirose and center Danny ORegan to the American Hockey Leagues Grand Rapids Griffins.
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