from Ansar Khan of Mlive,
Q: Will Bertuzzi’s injury-plagued season affect contract talks or how much he’ll get on his next deal? -- Sean
A: It’s doubtful. There is enough of a sample size to know what Bertuzzi can do when healthy and in good shape, with a 30-goal season and two 21-goal campaigns over the past four years.
The bigger question is whether the sides reach a deal before the March 3 trade deadline. If they don’t, general manager Steve Yzerman surely will move Bertuzzi rather than risk losing him as an unrestricted free agent on July 1. That probably would be the case even if the Red Wings are in the thick of the playoff chase.///
Q:Is Berggren here to say? He’s played well enough to not be sent back down. But what happens when (Elmer) Soderblom comes back? Can they keep both? Berggren’s skating and skills and Soderblom’s size make a good combination. – K.D.
A: Soderblom, as you know by now, was assigned to Grand Rapids on Friday after being activated from injured reserve. It was the obvious move, given the team’s need to be roster compliant, Soderblom’s need to get back in game condition not having played since Nov. 8, and Berggren’s emergence.
Berggren has shown he’s NHL-ready and has impressed by providing offense (four goals, five assists in 14 games) while playing in the bottom six. How long he remains in Detroit depends on the injury situation. When any combination of Bertuzzi, Fabbri, Zadina and, possibly, Vrana returns, there probably won’t be room for Berggren....
Q: What is the Wings’ long-term plan for Magnus Hellberg? Doesn’t make sense to carry three goalies all year. Could they move (Alex) Nedeljkovic and keep Hellberg as the backup? -- Jeremy
A: Hellberg was recalled Sunday after completing his conditioning stint with Grand Rapids, where he went 2-2-0 with a 2.50 goals-against average and .932 save percentage. For now, the Red Wings have the roster spot to keep three goalies. But when one or two more of their injured players return, they’ll be facing a roster crunch....
more on each of the above...
from Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now,
If youre still seeking out that unique holiday gift for the Red Wings fan in your life, its not too late to acquire an autographed item from former Detroit defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov.
Already, through signings held in conjunction with sportsgraphing.com, over $65,000 has been raised for the Vladimir Konstantinov Special Needs Trust to help defray the costs Konstantinov and his family will be incurring due to changes in the Michigan automobile insurance laws.
continued
Mo Seider with another reverse hit in the Dallas game.
Daryl Reaugh with the observation.
The thought of Berggren losing his seat to the terminally invisible Filip Zadina is just about all I can take.
Nailed it.
The problem with Bert isn't that we don't know if he can score. He can, and nobody doubts that. Where the doubts come is that he can't stay in the lineup. Even when he's healthy, he decided not to participate in 10 games last season. Yea, his injuries always seem like a "freak accident", but he seems to have a lot of them and is out for 6 weeks at a time.
Get a good haul for him at the deadline to a contender. I doubt he'd get from Stevie what he could get on the UFA market. Let him find out.
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