Abel to Yzerman

from Joe Smith of The Athletic,

With the Lightning having $74 million of an expected $83 million salary cap committed to 17 players — and needing to give restricted free agent center Brayden Point a hefty raise — Callahan is expected to be moved this summer. Tampa Bay can try to deal Callahan by the June 21-22 NHL Draft in Vancouver, but they likely would need to sweeten the deal with a pick or prospect. They could also try to buy Callahan out this summer, which would require them to carry some of his $5.8 million cap hit....

With the help of my colleagues at The Athletic, here are five teams that could be potential trading partners with the Lightning in taking on Callahan....

Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings beat writer Max Bultman: The Red Wings are a natural fit for Callahan for several reasons. First, they have the cap space to take on his deal with little to no trouble. Second, their forward situation is such that Callahan would be a legitimate upgrade on their third line and potentially even a natural fit to play opposite rookie Filip Zadina on a line. And, lastly, because they have Steve Yzerman, the GM who brought Callahan to Tampa in the first place and happens to have the most intimate possible knowledge of the Lightning farm system when it comes to picking out an asset as a sweetener.

A Julien BriseBois-Yzerman negotiation over prospects they once oversaw together would be a fascinating process and, considering the number of intriguing players at the AHL level for Tampa Bay, probably ultimately fruitful for both sides. You have to expect BriseBois to draw the line at the some of the top guns like Joseph, Cirelli or even Barre-Boulet, but because Callahan’s hit wouldn’t be a massive burden on Detroit, someone like Mitchell Stephens, Alexander Volkov, Taylor Raddysh, Boris Katchouk, Carter Verhaeghe or Connor Ingram could still be worthwhile for the Red Wings. Detroit would have to live with clogging up a lineup spot with yet another veteran, but utilizing their available cap space on Callahan would allow them to add a prospect from a system that continues to turn out skilled players. If it ends up making them better next season, too, so much the better.

more ($$$) teams and more on Callahan who is 34 years old...

“He’s a guy who is solid in one-on-one situations, very powerful, really good skills, good hands and able to release a good shot. So far his line with Kyle (Turris, of the Predators) and Jared (McCann, of Pittsburgh) has been our most consistent, offensively as much as defensively. They support each other well and in Anthony’s case, so far he’s been competing with a lot of grit, a lot of intensity, and when you have that talent and that frame, that makes a good hockey player.”

Max Bultman of The Athletic (paid subscription) has more on Mantha.

added 2:52pm on 5/21/19, Mantha pic below of a hit he made in the game against Denmark. Thanks to a KK member for the pic.

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

...it wouldn’t be surprising to see Yzerman do some tweaking this offseason, in an effort to strengthen the roster. The hard part for Yzerman will be the simple fact the Wings don’t have many players who would attract significant building blocks.

Forwards Andreas Athanasiou and Anthony Mantha, two young players who showed meaningful progress last season, might be the only pieces who could fetch a big return.

Otherwise, there are several veteran defensemen who are likely to be dealt at some point during the season or before, including Trevor Daley, Jonathan Ericsson and Mike Green.

Here's a look at the Red Wings roster, with a forecast on who's staying and who's going.

Likely staying
Justin Abdelkader, F: Buying out Abdelkader would mean a salary cap hit between $1.2 million and $2.46 million until 2027-28. He has four more years left on his present contract ($4.25 million cap hit) and at age 32, needs to rebound from three declining years.

Jacob de la Rose, F: An accelerated heartbeat ended de la Rose’s season in mid-March, but he had a procedure that apparently fixed the issue. He showed enough to be a part of the fourth line.

Andreas Athanasiou, F: After a 30-goal season where Athanasiou showed significant growth on and off the ice, the only reason Athanasiou isn’t “definitely” staying is that he would fetch a nice return in any trade. And the Wings don’t have an abundance of valuable trade pieces.

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KOSICE, Slovakia - Dylan Larkin (Waterford, Mich.) scored the game-winning goal in the third period off a highlight-reel feed from James van Riemsdyk (Middletown, N.J.), Alec Martinez (Rochester Hills, Mich.) tallied two assists, and Cory Schneider (Marblehead, Mass.) made 24 saves as the U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Germany, 3-1, at the 2019 IIHF Men's World Championship to secure a place in the Thursday's (May 23) quarterfinal round.

“Germany played a hard game,” said Jeff Blashill, head coach of the 2019 U.S. Men’s National Team and also the bench boss of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings. “We had to really grind out a win and I give our guys credit. This is a hard tournament, harder than I think people realize. We got some real strong performances tonight from guys like Suter, Martinez, Larkin and van Riemsdyk, but I thought Jack Eichel really raised his game and played like he wasn’t going to be denied."

The United States (4-1-0-1/W-OTW-OTL-L) will seek a sixth straight win to close Group A preliminary round play when it faces Canada on Tuesday (May 21). Puck drop at Steel Arena in Kosice, Slovakia, is set for 8:15 p.m. local time (2:15 p.m. ET) and will help decide final placement for the quarterfinal round. That game, and every U.S. game, will be broadcast live in the U.S. on NHL Network.

For the complete game recap, click here.

Watch the game highlights below.

from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

F Evgeny Svechnikov Drafted: 19th.

Scouting report: Considered a complete package of size, skill and strength.

Wingspan: It looked promising when Svechnikov notched 20 goals among 51 points in 74 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins as a rookie, and then helped them win the Calder Cup with 12 points in 19 AHL playoffs games. His second pro season, though, started with a slump — Svechnikov had just five points his first 27 games with the Griffins. He righted himself enough to pump 17 points into the next 25 games, and earned an audition with the Wings. Svechnikov scored his NHL goal March 20 and recorded a first multi-point game (goal, assist) on March 29 to finish with two goals and two assists in 14 games.

A knee injury sustained last September led to ACL surgery in October and sidelined Svechnikov the entire season. The Wings made Svechnikov eligible for the 2019 AHL playoffs because at that time (February) there was still hope he’d be able to play by late March, but that plan was scuttled as Svechnikov didn’t show enough progress.

At least that decision buys the Wings time — because Svechnikov, 22, was sidelined the entirety of what would have been his third season of pro hockey, his last year of waiver exemption carries over to 2019-20.

D Vili Saarijarvi Drafted: 73rd.

Scouting report: Mobile and smart player.

Post draft: Bounced between the Griffins and the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye in his first pro season of 2017-18. Had 16 points in 70 games for the Griffins in 2018-19. Saarijarvi, who turns 23 on May 15, has yet to see NHL action. He had a nice season with the Griffins, but he’s been overshadowed by Filip Hronek and Dennis Cholowski, and will soon be dealing with competition from more recent draft picks in Gustav Lindstrom and Jared McIsaac, both of whom are very skilled players, as well as free-agent signee Oliwer Kaski.

Assessment: Has dropped on the depth chart.

more on the above players and other draft picks...

And he just scored another, two for the day, 7 for the tourney

Watch the highlight goal below, two versions.

2 1/2 minutes to watch.

from Jeff Carpenter of USA Hockey Magazine,

It’s his first time representing the U.S. in an international event, throwing the USA crest over his chest after receiving the invitational call from general manager Chris Drury.

“It’s really an honor. It’s such a great feeling to represent your country, especially now for my first time as an older guy,” the recently turned 30-year-old said.

There are a few familiar faces among the U.S. contingent for Glendening. There’s Detroit’s franchise cornerstone Dylan Larkin as well as head coach Jeff Blashill, in his third year at the helm for the Americans.

“Glenny is a total winner,” Blash said. “He goes out every shift and wins his shift. He blocks shots, wins pucks, creates forecheck pressure and goes to the net hard. He’s just that type of winning hockey player.”...

“It’s definitely nice to have that prior relationship with him and be familiar with his systems and what he expects from us,” Glendening said. “I’m definitely not the most skilled guy on the team, but he knows that he can depend on me to help the team however I can and to win faceoffs.”

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Below, Filip Hronek named Rookie of the Year by Detroit Sports Media.

from Brian Manzullo of the Detroit Free Press,

Though it's time for Joe Louis Arena to go, you can't help but feel sad as you watch the demolition process unfold.

Thanks to Detroit Red Wings photographer Dave Reginek, we now have a new look inside the Joe as demolition work continues inside the arena.

Reginek posted a variety of photos on his Facebook and Instagram pages Wednesday, including a 360-degree look from where center ice used to be.

The ice is gone, of course. Though most of the beams are still up, the lower bowl is now piles of rubble. The views, especially from the concourse, are somewhat jarring, especially for those with fond memories of going to Red Wings games over the years.

continue for the pictures...

update 11:30am, the pics in the article have been removed, so basically not much reason to visit the link.

from Scott Burnside of The Athletic,

Here is a look at the questions facing every general manager in the Atlantic Division and what options are available to them....

Possible Free-Agent Targets: Ryan Dzingel, Micheal Ferland

Best Fit: Micheal Ferland would be a nice complimentary player for some of Detroit’s rising young offensive stars, providing some sand up front while still capable of 20 to 25 goals.

Outlook: Here’s the hard part for a Red Wings team now three years into the hockey hell known as the rebuild: No one really knows how many stages of said hell there are. Did the Red Wings take a step forward by repatriating Steve Yzerman as the team’s new GM? Most certainly the answer is yes. Yzerman brings with him instant credibility and a familiar name in Pat Verbeek, who was an important part of Yzerman’s team during his almost decadelong run in Tampa. But credibility wasn’t the issue before Yzerman returned home to take over for his old boss Ken Holland. What has been in short supply in Detroit is successful drafting and developing of players, as the Red Wings inked underperforming veterans to onerous contracts while the team slid further out of sight....

One thing seems certain: Without much cap room and really not particularly close to anything, the Red Wings won’t be spending willy-nilly in free agency as they must still bide their time waiting out onerous contracts bestowed on Frans Nielsen, Darren Helm, Justin Abdelkader, Danny DeKeyser, Jonathan Ericsson and Mike Green. There is also the unknown of whether captain Niklas Kronwall will return for the coming season. “There’s a lot of dead wood there,” the source said of the Red Wings’ contractual obligations. One of the first things that Yzerman did in taking over the GM post was to confirm that coach Jeff Blashill will return. The clock is ticking with the change in management but there are signs this remains a very good fit. Perhaps the biggest challenge facing Yzerman in returning to his hockey home, a place where he is a virtual god, is managing the expectations for this once great franchise.

more (paid subscription) plus a look at the other Atlantic Division teams...

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

Few players are generating as much buzz at the current world championships than Anthony Mantha.

The Red Wings’ forward has carried his late-season scoring surge into the world tournament. Mantha was second in the tournament with seven points (three goals, four assists) in only three games for Canada, skating and playing with the puck about as well as he did at any point during the regular season.

Which is great news for the Red Wings, as Mantha, possibly further increases … his trade value?

Huh?

The chances are slim of Mantha being dealt, especially given the way the line of Mantha, Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi exploded the final weeks of the regular season....

That leaves Athanasiou and Mantha, primarily, as two names that jump out.

So, why not ship a good young forward for a talented young defenseman?...

Could the Avalanche be a trading partner? Or maybe Carolina, with its deep defense, or Anaheim or Nashville, both looking to reshape their lineups and searching for scoring depth, with perhaps a defensemen to spare?

There are teams which could be a good fit.

more

2 1/2 minutes to watch.

Elite Prospects on Kaski.

from USA Hockey,

Dylan Larkin (Waterford, Mich.) scored 3:47 into overtime and Corey Schneider (Marblehead, Mass.) to lift the U.S. past Finland, 3-2, in its third preliminary round game of the 2019 International Ice Hockey Federation Men's World Championship.

The U.S. Men's National Team (1-1-0-1/W-OTW-OTL-L) returns to action Wednesday (May 15) when it continues preliminary round play against Great Britain. Puck drop is set for 4:15 p.m. local time (10:15 a.m. ET) at Steel Arena in Kosice, Slovakia. That game, and every U.S. game, will be broadcast live in the U.S. on NHL Network.

continued

Watch the OT goal below.

from Ansar Khan of Mlive,

The Detroit Red Wings have several young players, forwards and defensemen, who will be competing for roster spots next fall.

Here is an early look at who’s in the mix and some projections of who’ll begin the season in Detroit and who’ll start with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Madison Bowey, defense

Acquired from Washington in the Nick Jensen trade, Bowey got off to a rocky start but got better the more he played. He moves the puck well and has decent size (6-2, 198). He is not waiver-exempt, unlike most of the players on this list, so he would likely win any close battle for a job.

As it stands right now, the Red Wings will have Mike Green, Danny DeKeyser, Jonathan Ericsson, Trevor Daley, Bowey and in all likelihood Filip Hronek on the back end. Dennis Cholowski and Finnish League standout Oliwer Kaski, whom the Red Wings are expected to sign, will be in the mix. They were interested in signing Niklas Kronwall for one more year; he hasn’t decided. General manager Steve Yzerman might try to upgrade through free agency or a trade.

Projected start: Detroit

oe Hicketts, defense

He plays bigger than his size (5-8) with a terrific compete level, but his offensive upside is limited, and he hasn’t been strong enough defensively to earn an extended look in Detroit (16 games over the past two seasons). He’s a restricted free agent who no longer is exempt from waivers.

Projected start: Grand Rapids

Libor Sulak, defense

A good-sized (6-2, 207) player who skates well and likes to join the rush, he had a strong camp and played the first six games before being sent to Grand Rapids (five goals, nine assists in 61 games) to work on his defensive game. He’s a restricted free agent who might opt to return to Europe feeling he won’t get an opportunity in this organization.

Projected start: Europe

more players

from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet,

What the Blackhawks do after Hughes/Kakko affects everyone else. But, there is another variable, and that is who takes Russian winger Vasily Podkolzin.

I’ve seen more of Thanos the past two years than Podkolzin, but certainly know his reputation. He’s a talented, talented player — as skilled as anyone available in June. But he’s locked into an overseas contract for at least another two years, which limits the number of NHL teams willing to consider it at this time.

“If you need help next season or the year after, you can’t take him,” one exec said this week. “But if you can afford to wait…it could be like a delayed powerball victory.”

No GM is more secure than Steve Yzerman, returning to the scene of his greatest triumphs. Even before his announcement, there was a belief the Red Wings liked Podkolzin’s game. The organization has a great history with Russian players, and Yzerman had success with drafting them in Tampa Bay. They won’t be afraid, if he’s the No. 1 guy on their list.

more on this from Friedman's 31 Thoughts...

from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

This is the first in a series examining the Wings’ last five drafts leading up to the 2019 event June. 21-22 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Christoffer Eh​n
Drafted: 106th.

Scouting report: Fast and dependable with good hockey sense.

Draft year: 12 goals, 17 assists for 29 points in 62 games split among Frolunda’s Swedish Hockey League team and lower-level league squads.

Post draft: Made the Wings out of camp last fall on the strength of his skating and defensive accountability. Ehn, 23, showed over 60 games that he’s a reliable defender and penalty killer who has potential to grow his offensive game beyond the three goals, six assists he produced as a rookie.

Assessment: Has potential as a grinder.

Who the Wings could have drafted instead: Forward Victor Arvidsson, who Nashville drafted at 112th. He scored 34 goals in 58 games for the Predators in 2018-19.

Axel Holmstrom
Drafted: 196th.

Scouting report: Hard worker with good hockey sense.

Draft year: 15 goals, eight assists for 23 points in 33 games for Skelleftea’s junior team, and zero points in four games with Skelleftea iAIK (Swedish Hockey League).

Post draft: Had 12 goals and 32 assists for 51 points in 131 games over the last two seasons with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Signed a two-year contract with HV71 (Swedish Hockey League) in April and is no longer considered a prospect.

Assessment: A miss.

more players...

Mark Spector of Sportsnet had a Q & A with Ken Holland,

Are you bringing Shawn Horcoff with you from Detroit?

“I hired him (in Detroit) on the recommendation of (Kris) Draper and (Dan) Cleary. He has been a great addition. I think he and Steve will hit it off. He married a girl from Michigan, the farm team (Grand Rapids) is two hours away from his house. Life is good for Horc, and I’m sure Steve will want to keep him, because Horc is a good man.”

a few more Detroit mentions, but nothing we haven't heard in the last few days...

Assistant GM with the Wings.

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

The Detroit News surveyed several longtime NHL analysts around North America to get their opinion on the Red Wings....

Here are their thoughts:

Where do you think the Red Wings are in their rebuild? They’ve missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons and most of the roster will likely remain the same heading into next season. Is there noticeable progress?

- Barry Melrose, ESPN analyst: They have to get better on defense but their forwards are good. They’re fast. For the most part, in today’s NHL, if you can get a big, fast guy it’s better than a small, fast guy, and Detroit has a lot of bigger guys. You don’t have to go further than Colorado. They used a lot of draft picks on fast guys and they’re a contender. It just goes to show you have to skate in today’s NHL and Kenny had the framework for that and I’m sure Stevie will continue.

-Kevin Weekes, NHL Network analyst: This current cast of young players is improving. Kenny leaves Steve in a good spot and a good place based on some of those players, be it Andreas Athanasiou, Larkin, Mantha, who has a big ceiling, and on the back end Cholowski and Zadina are on the way on the roster. They’re in a good place. They’ve stocked the pond.

-Mike Zeisberger, NHL.com national correspondent: I like where they are going. Zadina, (Joe) Veleno, guys like that, they haven’t had really high picks even during this rebuild, but I really like some of their young people. To me, up front, this is the most promising foundation of young forwards than I’ve seen in Detroit since they started this rebuild in a while.

more analysts and more questions...

Yes, it is a slow news day at this point.

via USA Hockey's YouTube page,

U.S. Men's National Team head coach Jeff Blashill, alternate captain Dylan Larkin and forward Clayton Keller recap Team USA's pre-tournament win over Germany and look ahead to the opening game of the 2019 IIHF Men's World Championship against tournament host Slovakia.

added 1:47pm, Below, watch a short look at Ken Holland with the Wings.

from Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News,

He could’ve chosen the easy path and stayed, accepted the money without the pressure, taken the executive title without the power. And for a week or so, Ken Holland thought about the ring to it — Red Wing for Life, a ceremonial bow on a great career.

That’s what he could’ve done, but at his competitive core, that’s not who he is. Holland has more to do. And in his mind, he has more to prove. I say, good for him, for refusing to be defined by timelines, for wanting to show what he has left, and in some ways, validate what he’s done....

Holland took the brunt of the criticism here, and it stung him. Some of it was overblown revisionism. He was surrounded by so many stars on the ice and in the coach’s office, from Scotty Bowman to Mike Babcock, he was never going to get ample credit.

Some of the criticism was justified. Holland handed out too many bad contracts to marginal veterans, from Justin Abdelkader to Frans Nielsen to Darren Helm to Jonathan Ericsson. You can’t fully judge the moves without acknowledging the motives, and the motive from the Ilitches was to keep making the playoffs, especially as the team moved into Little Caesars Arena. That doesn’t excuse Holland’s mistakes, but it underscores the strategy.

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I am about to end the Ken Holland era in Detroit at A2Y, I may post a few more items but the majority of the Edmonton talk will be posted in the KK Hockey section.

from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

The knock on Holland, coming almost exclusively from people who haven’t been lucky enough to get to know the man, is that his last few seasons in Detroit are proof that the game has passed him by. So let’s take that on.

Mistake No. 1: There was a lot of loyalty in Detroit to those who helped win four Stanley Cups between 1997 and 2008. In 2013-14 — the last year Johan Franzen was an NHL force; with Nicklas Lidstrom and Tomas Holmstrom having retired — the Red Wings should have begun their rebuild.

They did not, because as long as Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk were there, Holland felt a responsibility to compete for the playoffs. He shouldn’t have, but that loyalty is what gives the Red Wings one of the top cultures among NHL franchises.

“He treats people right, treats people with respect,” said a Red Wings employee of more than 20 years. “Those players he had signed, he wasn’t just going to move on from them.”

In a perfect world Holland trades Datsyuk and Zetterberg for youth and draft picks. In a perfect world the Blackhawks trade Brent Seabrook, and Boston moves on from Zdeno Chara. The NHL is not a perfect world.

Mistake No. 2: In September of 2014 they broke ground on Little Caesar’s Arena in downtown Detroit. At that time, again, Holland should have gone to his owners, the Illitch family, and told them it was time to rebuild.

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Watch the raw replay of the press conference which was held at noon ET today.