The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

The Stanley Cup Playoffs
Round 1

The Playoff’s Picture Round 1:


The Round 1 Result – See Inside Spoiler:

Spoiler

Western Conference Notes:
After trailing the series 3-1, President’s Trophy winners, St Louis Blues, recover to beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-3
Nashville sweep the Pacific Division champions , the LA Kings in 4 games.
Anaheim survives a scare from Calgary, finally winning 4-3 in their series to advance to the 2nd round.
The Blackhawks upset a highly touted Winnipeg Jets, winning games 6 & 7 to advance to the 2nd round.

Eastern Conference Notes:
Atlantic Division Champions, the Florida Panthers, easily account for the Montreal Canadiens winning the series 4-1 in 5 games.
Metropolitan Division Champions Carolina & Pittsburgh also advance after defeating their respective opponents in 5 games.
Tampa Bay recovers from a 3-1 series deficit to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 in 7 games .

Round 1 Stats Leaders:

Spoiler

Points:

Goals:

Assists:

Plus Minus (+/-)

PIM

Goalies:

Rookie Scoring:

The Calder Cup Playoffs – 1st Round Result:

Spoiler

Grand Rapids wins games 4 & 5 against Texas to advance to the 2nd round of the playoffs where they will face the league’s top regular season team, the Chicago Wolves.


Grand Rapids Top Player Stats:

Spoiler

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

The Stanley Cup Playoffs
Round 2

The Playoff’s Picture Round 2:

Spoiler

2nd Round Result:
– See Inside Spoiler -

Spoiler

Western Conference Notes:
- The St Louis Blues defeat a gallant Chicago Blackhawks in 6 games, winning the series 4-2, to give them a Western Conference Final appearance.
- Anaheim’s dream of a repeat Stanley Cup Final is dashed after going down 4-1 to Wild Card team Nashville. Nashville wins the series 4-1.

Eastern Conference Notes:
- Carolina surges past the Pittsburgh Penguins in 6 games to advance to the Eastern Conference Final.
- Tampa Bay proves too strong for neighbouring rival Florida, defeating the Atlantic Division Champs 4-1 for an Eastern Conference Final Berth.

Round 2 Stats Leaders:

Spoiler

Points:

Goals:

Assists:

Plus Minus (+/-)

PIM

Goalies:

Rookie Scoring:

The Calder Cup Playoffs – 2nd Round Result:

Spoiler

- Grand Rapids are bundled out by the Chicago Wolves in a 4 game sweep of the series. The Wolves proving why they have been the best team all year, claiming a Western Conference Final appearance.
- The Colorado Eagles only drop one game against the Ontario Reign to advance.
- The Rochester Americans & Lehigh Valley Phantoms both scrape through with 4-3 series victories to advance to the Eastern Conference Final.

Grand Rapids Top Player Stats:

Spoiler

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

The Stanley Cup Playoffs

Conference Finals

The Playoff’s Picture:

Spoiler

St Louis Blues VS Nashville Predators
Carolina Huricanes VS Tampa Bay Lightning

2nd Round Result:
– See Inside Spoiler -

Spoiler

Western Conference Notes:
For the 2nd time in this year’s Finals, the St Louis Blues have recovered from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the Nashville Predators, claiming their 1st ever Western Conference Title & 1st ever Stanley Cup Final berth.

Eastern Conference Notes:
In an extremely close Eastern Conference Final series, the Carolina Hurricanes advance to the Stanley Cup Final in 7 games. For Tampa Bay, the pain is all too familiar & real, failing to advance to the final stage once again.

NEXT ROUND:

Playoffs Stats Leaders After 3 Rounds:

Spoiler

Points:

Goals:

Assists:

Plus Minus (+/-)

PIM

Goalies:

Rookie Scoring:

The Calder Cup Playoffs – Conference Finals Result:

Spoiler

The Colorado Eagles have caused a massive upset by defeating this year’s favourites, the Chicago Wolves & advance to the Calder Cup Final.
In the Eastern Conference Final, the Lehigh Phantoms are too good for the Rochester American’s with a 4-2 series victory.

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

The Stanley Cup Final


The Final Picture:

Spoiler

St Louis Blues VS Carolina Hurricanes


& The Stanley Cup Champion is:
– See Inside Spoiler -

Spoiler

The Carolina Hurricanes are your 2020 Stanley Cup Champions.
Coming in as the underdog, the Carolina Hurricanes have surprised all by sweeping the St Louis Blues 4-0 in this year's Stanley Cup Final.
At the beginning of the season no one could have picked Carolina making it this far in the finals, yet alone winning the Stanley Cup - their 1st since 2006.
In only his 2nd season in the NHL, Andrei Svechnikov is the top scoring player throughout the entire 2020 finals with 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) in 22 games. A massive effort & accolade for a gifted young player, an amazing career is still ahead.
The Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded to veteran goalie, Mike Smith, with an impressive .947% save percentage & 1.61 Goals Against Average (GAA).
For St Louis it is the year that could have been, agonisingly close to a 1st ever Stanley Cup. With a salary cap bulging past breaking point for next season, it will be extremely difficult to keep all of the existing roster together.

Playoffs Stats Leaders:

Spoiler

Points:

Goals:

Assists:

Plus Minus (+/-)

PIM:

Goalies:

Rookie Scoring:

The Calder Cup Final – Result Inside:

Spoiler

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms are the 2020 Calder Cup Champions
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms have defeated the Colorado Eagles in a thrilling 7 game series that saw the final result being played out in double overtime.

Upcoming Events
June 17th -NHL Awards Night (including retirement Honour Roll & Draft Order Reveal)
June 23rd - The 2020 NHL Player Draft

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

The 2020 NHL Awards Night
Wednesday 17th June 2020

& the Winners Are…

Spoiler

Players Awards:













- Phil Kessel Picks up 3 Awards
- not sure how Mark Borowiecki wins the award for Sportsmanship when he led the league in penalty minutes for the 2nd year running?!

AHL – Grand Rapids Players Awarded:


Congratulations to Kalle Kossila & Joe Hicketts on brilliant seasons with the Griffins in the AHL.

Presidents Trophy:

Stanley Cup:


Congratulations to Dylan Larkin – Ted Lindsay Award

Larkin Wins Ted Lindsay Award
Center honoured as most outstanding player as voted by the NHLPA in career best season
18th June 2020,

2020 NHL Draft Lottery Result:

Spoiler

Detroit Retains 10th Spot on Draft Order
The Red Wings remain at pick number 10 in the 1st round of this year’s draft.
Given the draft is quite shallow beyond the Top 7 – 8 picks, there is a definite appetite to put this pick on the market.

For a team that is in full rebuild mode, we haven't exactly had the best of luck with securing top picks with pick #9 in 2017, pick #6 in 2018, pick #8 in 2019 & pick #10 in 2020. However this year's 10th pick is on us, finishing up the ladder past where we thought we would.

The big winner for this year’s draft is Colorado who advance from 5th to 1st in the order, whilst the NY Islanders drop 2 spots from 2nd to 4th in their 1st round choice.
Buffalo, who were in line for 1st pick again, drop 1 position to 2nd, which still gives them yet another amazing pick for the 3rd straight year (1st, 1st & 2nd).

Player Retirements:

Spoiler

The following players have hung up their skates.




Only 2 Goalies officially retired this season.


New Scouts in the System:


Frans Nielsen Retires
Veteran Red Wings Center, Frans Nielsen has decided it is time to move on to the next phase of his life. His retirement cuts his contract short by 2 years & frees up $5.25 Million of cap space.

Up Next:

2020 NHL Player Entry Draft

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

Just noticed that I've changed from Rookie to Pro under my user name - yay me! lol.

[nolman29]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

Hot dog man Phil Kessel with a good season!

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

2020 NHL Player Entry Draft
23rd June 2020

The Result:
Some big trades involved for the Red Wings during this years entry draft. Hopefully in the years to come, I can look back at this day & be happy with the choices.

Breaking Trade News:

Red Wings give up pick 10, Nyquist & Hronek to Acquire Defensive prospect Callan Foote from Lightning
Huge Deal sees Bolts receive Gustav Nyquist, Filip Hronek, Picks 10 & 75, plus a future 2021 2nd round pick in exchange for Foote & veteran left wing Alex Killorn
23rd June 2020,

At the commencement of proceedings of Draft day, Steve Yzerman was immediately busy, stringing together a deal, to pick up highly touted defenseman prospect, Callan Foote.
After many rejections from his former Colleague @ Tampa Bay, Julien Brisebrois (now GM), the Red Wings & Lightning finally agreed on a deal, with only minutes to spare, mid-way through Washington’s pick 9, that saw 4 players & 3 picks exchange sides.
The following deal was done:

In order to secure Foote, Yzerman gave up Detroit’s leading goal scorer of last season, Gustav Nyquist (who scored 30 goals in season 19/20), young defenseman Filip Hronek, as well as pick 10 in this years draft, (which should see Tampa Bay select another defensive prospect, Zachariah MacArthur), this year’s pick 75 (3rd round), plus a future 2021 2nd Round draft pick.
In the deal, the Red Wings finally received defenseman Callan Foote & 30 year old veteran Left Winger Alex Killorn.
Foote, who turns 22 in December has played 2 seasons with Tampa Bay’s AHL affiliate, Syracuse Crunch & was knocking on the door for an NHL berth with his former team prior to today’s trade. Coincidently, it was Yzerman, as former GM of the Lightning who selected Foote at pick 14 during the 2017 draft.
Foote is the son of Quebec Nordiques / Colorado Avalanche great & dual Stanley Cup Champion, Adam Foote, which is another interesting twist considering the Red Wings & Avalanche rivalry during the Yzerman / Foote era.
“We’re excited to have Foote with us. It very nearly didn’t happen. Pick 10 was right on the door step before Brisebois & the Lightning finally agreed to the deal. He should be a good centre piece player to build a defensive core around which our team dearly needs.”
When asked about the assets that the Red Wings gave up, Yzerman remained quite stoic about his choice.
“They (Tampa Bay) drove an extremely hard bargain, there were other assets on our team that I had in mind for the deal however Julien knew what he wanted & we eventually came to terms.”
“Pick 10 by itself was not going to pick up the kind of elite potential defenseman we wanted & it was always going to be on the market. Although we lost Gus (Nyquist), we have picked up Alex Killorn, who invariably, is a very similar player & should fit into our line up nicely.”
The Draft continues. We will keep you updated with further Red Wings news.

Red Wings make trade for pick #30 – Expected to select Defense prospect Amrit Shaw
Red Wings deal away veteran D-man Calvin deHaan, plus 2 more picks in exchange for Rd 1 Pick 30 & upcoming Goalie, Ville Husso
23rd June 2020,


With having made a blockbuster trade only just over an hour ago, Steve Yzerman was not finished. Again with minutes to spare, a deal has been made with the St Louis Blues to secure pick #30 & 25 year old Goalie, Ville Husso, in exchange for d-man, Calvin deHaan, pick 41 (2nd Round) & a 2021 4th Round draft pick.
By securing pick #30 it is expected that the Red Wings have made the move to select highly touted defenseman prospect, Amrit Shaw.
25 year old Finnish Goalie, Ville Husso was part of the San Antonio Rampage’s 2018/19 Calder Cup championship team, where he won the Jack A Butterfield Trophy (Playoff MVP) during that run. This will put pressure on existing Wing’s goalies, Jimmy Howard & Jonathan Bernier to keep their roles in the side.
More updates to follow.

Detroit Selects in the 2020 Draft:
RD1 Pick 30 D Amrit Shaw - USA 18yrs 100% Low Elite DFD


Rd3 pick 79 D Zachery Spezza USA 18yrs 100% Med Elite OFD


Rd4 pick 101 LW Vitali Goldolbin CZE 18yrs 100% Low Elite SNP


Rd5 pick 135 G Jake Higgins - DEN 17yrs 50% Med Elite HYB


Rd6 pick 165 RW Juha Tuomanen FIN 18yrs 75% Med Top9F SNP


Rd6 pick 171 RW Emmet Pierce CAN 19yrs 100% Bottom6F PWF


Rd7 pick 196 C Geoffrey Perrott USA 18yrs 100% AHLTop6F



All the trades on Draft Day:
A number of trades from a number of teams on the day. Perhaps none bigger than Detroit’s 1st trade to acquire Foote.





The Top 10 Picks in this year’s NHL Draft:

Pick #1 – Colorado Avalanche – LW Alexis LaFreniere – High Elite

Pick #2 – Buffalo Sabres – RW Andy Winther – Med Elite

Pick #3 – Ottawa Senators – C Rick Drake – Med Elite

Pick #4 – New York Islanders – C Dave Dingman – Med Top6F

Pick #5 – Arizona Coyotes – LW Michael Dufresne – Med Elite

Pick #6 – Vegas Golden Knights – LW Braylon Ma – High Top6F

Pick #7 – Dallas Stars – C Jukka Blomqvist – Med Elite

Pick #8 – New Jersey Devils – LW Aiden Schroeder – Med Top6F

Pick #9 – Washington Capitals – LW Jimmy Lockhart – Med Top6F

Pick #10 – Tampa Bay Lightning – D Zachariah MacArthur – Med Top4D


Detroit's 1st selection @ pick #30 - D Amrit Shaw - USA 18yrs 100% Low Elite DFD

Even though only 18yrs old, Amrit’s ratings appear to be quite high for a player going so low in the 1st round. We had to have him.

Our Bargain @ pick #79 - D Zachery Spezza USA 18yrs 100% Med Elite OFD

It might take this kid some time to make it to the NHL however we got an absolute bargain @ pick 79. My scout in the Central USA had found him very early in the season & we spent a lot of time studying him.



NHL Draft Wrap Up:
An extremely busy draft day. It was a very shallow draft & I wasn’t happy with the 1st defenseman coming in @ #10 & only being a Top4D potential, so I made the decision a long time ago to look at other options & put our 1st pick (#10) on the market. We walked out the door with 7 selections, which was a markedly lower quantity than the 2 season’s past, but still quite happy nonetheless.
Hopefully Foote can live up to his potential, his growth is a little slow at 22 years of age, however with some good ice time hopefully he can begin to flourish.
The real bargains I believe were the pick ups of Amrit Shaw (Low Elite D, a late decision to try to pick him up) & Zachery Spezza (Med Elite D). If I’m still in the drivers chair of this team in the years to come they should be great assets for me to mould the team with. Not 100% sure if anyone from this year’s draft will be given an entry level contract this season, though will see how they develop.
Re-sign week & Free Agency to follow soon.
(Work & life have been keeping me flat out, so I am miles behind at the moment.)

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

(Re-Sign Phase)
25TH June – 30th June 2020,

Breaking News...

Kronwall tells Yzerman – I am moving on
Wings veteran defenseman & captain advises team he will be testing Free Agency
25th June 2020,

Players Released:
LW Dylan Sadowy 24yrs 64ovr Med Bottom6F
D Alec Regula 19yrs 58ovr Med 7thD (unsigned Rookie)
G Victor Brattstrom 23yrs 66ovr Med AHLStarter (unsigned Rookie)
G Jesper Eliasson 20yrs 62ovt Med AHLStarter (unsigned Rookie)
LW Otto Kivenmaki 20yrs 65ovr Med Bottom6F (unsigned Rookie)
D Niklas Kronwall 39yrs 81ovr Exact Top6D - did not want an extension

Kronwall's departure to Free Agency & Nielsen’s retirement prior to the draft leaves a large hole in respect to the team's leadership group & Maturity .

Players Re-signed:
G Ville Husso 25yrs 78ovr Med Starter - Signed New Contract - 3yrs @ $1.425M per yr
D Chris Bigras 25yrs 78ovr med Top6D - Signed 2way RFA Extension - 1yr @ $1.005M
Only 2 players that we are keen to retain required extensions. Ville Husso will hopefully be a great asset with stablemate goalies Howard & Bernier not getting any younger.

RFA - Qualified Tenders:
We have a qualified tender in for Joe Hicketts. He is yet to re-sign with the team.
D Joe Hicketts 24yrs 76ovr med Top6D

Entry Level Contracts Signed:
C Jonatan Berggren 19yrs 63ovr Med Top6F - Signed Entry level Contract - 3yrs @ $0.815M per yr
LW Anthony Gilroy 19yrs 67ovr Med Top6F – Signed Entry level contract – 3yrs @ $0.925M per yr
Currently we have 49 players contracted & we have withheld from signing any new prospects from this year’s draft. Amrit Shaw does continue to interest me, at only 18years old, his potential ratings were a lot higher compared to many other prospects that were drafted in front of him.

Up Next: Free Agency Period

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

NHL Free Agency 2020
1ST July - 31st August 2020

Top Free Agents available in 2020:
Skaters:



An Extremely large group of talented players heading for Free Agency this season.
Taylor Hall, who heads this year’s list has picked up from New Jersey and moved on in the search for more money.
2 of St Louis’ major stars in Brayden Schenn & team captain, Alex Pietrangelo have also pulled the plug & headed to market.
Niklas Backstrom is the 1st of 2 Washington Capitals centrepiece players to move on in what appears to be an indication a rebuild maybe on the cards for the season 17/18 & 18/19 Stanley Cup Champs.

Goalies:


Braden Holtby is the massive drawcard in this years goalie pool. At 30 years of age and some serious hockey ahead of him, some big offers await.
Andrei Vasilevskiy makes the list as a RFA, currently holding out on the Lightning for a better offer, with a crammed roster full of talent, it is unlikely he will get the monetary value contract that he is hoping for.

Detroit Red Wings – Free Agency Period Highlights
FA Signings & News Releases from 1st July – 31st August:

1st July
- Red Wings in 4 way race for Pietrangelo
- Howard Traded to Islanders
- Red Wings Trade Killorn & 2 x 2021 3rd Round picks for Colorado’s 2021 1st Round Pick. Killorn leaves the Red Wings organisation without having played a game.

Red Wings, Bruins, Devils & Knights express interest in Pietrangelo
30yr old former Blues Captain set to expect some very big bids.
1st July 2020

Jimmy Howard Traded to Islanders
Another Veteran is moved on by Yzerman. Red Wings receive a 2021 3rd Round Draft Pick
1st July 2020,

Red Wings collect Av’s 2021 1st Round Pick
Yzerman accepts offer of 1st round pick from Colorado for Alex Killorn & 2 x 3rd Round Picks.
1st July 2020

6th July
Breaking News...

Bruins clinch Pietrangelo
Former Blues Captain signs 6 year contract with Bruins worth $40.77 Million USD
6th July 2020

7th July
Detroit signs the following 2 players to Entry Level Contracts:
D Brandon Mestre 19yrs 68ovr Low Elite - Signs 3yr level Entry contract - $0.925M per yr
C Emanuel Comrie 19yrs 66ovr Med Top6F - Signs 3yr level Entry contract - $0.925M per yr

FA Rumour Mill: Red Wings in talks with Muzzin
Detroit takes aim at defenseman Jake Muzzin after missing out on Pietrangelo
7th July 2020,

10th July
Detroit accepts trade offer from Buffalo - Buffalo recieves RW Luke Glendening 31yrs 77ovr exact Bottom6F for NYR 2021 5th Rd Draft Pick

Glendening Traded to Buffalo
The cleanout at Detroit continues with Yzerman accepting offer to move Glendening on
10th July 2020,

11th July
- Detroit Signs the following 2-way contracts
RW Alex Chiasson 29yrs 73ovr Exact Top9F - Signed 2way Contract - 2yrs @ $0.8M per Yr
RW Tom Kuhnhackl - 28yrs 80ovr Exact Top9F - Signed 1yr @ $1.6M per yr
RW Tomas Hyka 27yrs 75ovr Exact Bottom6F - Signed 2way Contract - 1yr @ $0.850M

12th July

Two left in race for Hall – Islanders & Vegas in pursuit.
28 year old winger could command yearly price tag up to $11.5M
12th July 2020,

15th July
- Red Wings sign Free Agent Brandon Pirri
LW Brandon Pirri 29yrs 80ovr Exact Top9F - Signed 2way Contract - 2yrs @ $0.925M per yr
LW Anthony Gilroy 19yrs 67ovr Med Top6F - Signed Entry level Contract - 3yrs @ $0.925M per yr

Hall signs for 6 years with Islanders
Taylor Hall collects massive $69.36 Million USD contract – set to be new face of the Isles
12th July 2020,

*$11.56M per year – you’ve got to be kidding right!

16th July
- Detroit signs Jake Muzzin:
D Jake Muzzin 31yrs 85ovr Exact Elite - Signed 4 year Contract - $5.225M per yr

Wings sign Muzzin to 4 year deal
Red Wings stabilise defensive structure with signing of former Kings D-man Jake Muzzin
16th July 2020

18th July
LW Scottie Upshall 36yrs 78ovr Exact Bottom6F - Signed 2way Contract - 2yrs @ $0.925M

23rd July
Detroit matches Minnesota offer sheet.
D Joe Hicketts 22yrs 76ovr Med Top6F Signs 2 year contract - $1.44M


28th July

Backstrom signs 1 year deal with Stars
Dual Stanley Cup champ comes to terms with Dallas. Signs 1 year contract worth $5.895M
28th July 2020,

13th August

Kronwall signs 1 year deal with Lightning
Former Red Wings Captain signs 1 year contract worth $2.73M. Bolts hope to win Cup before too late.
13th August 2020,

Notable Signings Around the League:
One team’s loss is another team’s gain, some huge Free Agent signings this season.

D Alex Pietrangelo Signed with Boston - 6yrs @ $6.795M
D Travis Hamonic Signed with Buffalo - 4yrs @ $4.735M per yr
C Brayden Schenn Signed Buffalo - 7yrs @ $6.86M per yr
C Niklas Backstrom Signed with Dallas - 1yr @ $5.985M
D Jake Muzzin Signed with Detroit - 4yrs @ $5.225M
D Justin Schultz Signed with Minnesota - 4yrs @ $4.67M per yr
LW Taylor Hall Signed with the New York Islanders - 6yrs @ $11.56M per yr
C Joe Thornton Signed with the NY Islanders - 1yr @ $3.54M
LW Kris Kreider re-Signed with NY Rangers - 5yrs @ $4.825M per yr
G Braden Holtby Signed with Ottawa - 6yrs @ $7.495M
LW Vladislav Namestikov Signed with Ottawa - 5yrs @ $5.15M per yr
RW Evgenii Dadanov Signed with Philadelphia - 5 yrs @ $4.09M per yr
RW Justin Williams Signed with Philadelphia - 1yr @ $3.15M
D Niklas Kronwall Signed with Tampa Bay - 1yr @ $2.73M
LW Patrick Marleau re-Signed with Toronto - 2yrs @ $2.47M per yr
D Jared Spurgeon Signed with Toronto - 4yrs @ $5.09M per yr
G Malcolm Suban Signed with Vancouver - 2yrs @ $1.98M
C Mikko Koivu Signed with Washington - 1yr @ $3.375M
G Robin Lehner Signed with Washington - 1yr @ $2.005M

& Finally:
2020, The year of the locker room clean out -7 players leave the Red Wings since the NHL draft – they were:
D Calvin de Haan (Traded)
RW Gustav Nyquist (Traded)
D Filip Hronek (Traded)
C Frans Nielsen (Retired)
RW Luke Glendening (Traded)
D Niklas Kronwall (Free Agency)
G Jimmy Howard (Traded)

Up Next: NHL Training Camp & Pre-Season

[nolman29]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

Good signings in Muzzin & Pietrangelo and some good trades made too!

Go Red Wings!

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

Good signings in Muzzin & Pietrangelo and some good trades made too!

Go Red Wings!

Unfortunately I didn’t get Pietrangelo, he went to the Bruins. I am happy with picking up Muzz though.

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings


Training Camp Begins Tomorrow.
Roster spots up for grabs for prospects & hopefuls
12th September, 2020


As we all eagerly await the commencement of the 2020/21 NHL regular season, GM Steve Yzerman, Head Coach Jeff Blashill & the Detroit Red Wings assistant coaching staff will be busy assessing their talent pool when training camp officially kicks off tomorrow at Centre Ice Arena in Traverse City, Michigan.

19 year-old Center, Kirby Dach, the Red Wings 8th Pick in the 2019 draft, who played out his final season with the Saskatoon Blades during 2019/20 will be one of the players to watch as he makes his case known to make this year’s Red Wings Roster.
“I listened to what the coaches like Mr Blashill told me throughout last seasons camp & used a lot of that back in the WHL. It really grew my game back home so I am really excited to give it another shot this season”
Dach played a career best season with the Blades, compiling 48 goals, 60 assists for 108 points in 66 games.

Two other talented prospects who will be training hard to make selection is Center Joe Veleno, the Red Wings 30th Pick in 2018 & Defenseman Jared McIsaac, the Red Wings 36th Pick in 2018. Both played their final years with their respective QMJHL teams, notching career best stats.

Amongst the group, looking to solidify their positions with the team are new comers Tom Kuhnhackl, Brandon Pirri, Scottie Upshall and this season’s big signing, Jake Muzzin.
Muzzin was asked on his thoughts about joining a rebuilding side:
“I’m very excited to join an up & coming list of players. I hope I can contribute on the ice, but also help mentor some of these younger guys away from the ice. I feel settled in Detroit already, I’m loving this city.”

The Red Wings have not yet named a new captain to fill the void left by Niklas Kronwall’s departure. It is believed they will assess this during the pre-season games. Jeff Blashill stated:
“I want to watch guys like Larkin, Mantha Green & some of the younger ones that show some promise. Myself & Steve will assess who has the best leadership quality that will move this team in the right direction. With Kronner & Nielsen leaving this year it’s never been as important for these guys to stand up & lead. We’ll make a decision soon but we are not going to rush this.”

First training drills & inter-club game commence tomorrow in Traverse City, Michigan, with the 1st pre-season game commencing against the Florida Panthers on the 16th September.

Players on tryout contracts or on the roster selection bubble:

Left Wing
#83 Kalle Kossila - Grand Rapids Griffins - On Selection Bubble
#54 Givani Smith - Grand Rapids - Tryout
#18 Anthony Gilroy - Grand Rapids - Tryout
#37 Brandon Pirri - New - On Selection Bubble
#73 Matt Puempel - Red Wings Roster - On Selection Bubble

Center
#17 Kirby Dach - Grand Rapids - Tryout
#90 Joe Veleno - Grand Rapids - Tryout
#56 Kirby Fritz - Grand Rapids - Tryout
#92 Stelio Mattheos - Grand Rapids - Tryout

Right Wing
#22 Chris Terry - Grand Rapids - On Selection Bubble
#34 Tom Kuhnhackl - New - On Selection Bubble

Defense
#75 Callan Foote - Grand Rapids - Tryout
#2 Joe Hicketts - Grand Rapids - On Selection Bubble
#21 Dennis Cholowski - Grand Rapids - On selection bubble
#15 Jared McIsaac - Grand Rapids - Tryout
#65 Brandon Mestre - Grand Rapids - Tryout
#3 Chris Bigras - Red Wings Roster - On Selection Bubble

Goaltender
#35 Ville Husso - Grand Rapids - Tryout
#31 Harri Sateri - Grand Rapids - Tryout

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

Season 2019/20

Pre-Season Report

Overall Record: 6-1-0

Home Record: 4-0-0
Away Record: 2-1-0

Pre-Season Schedule:


Atlantic Division Pre-Season Standings:


The Players:

Leading Points: Anthony Mantha & Filip Zadina - 8
Leading Goals: Anthony Mantha - 6
Leading Assists: Kirby Dach - 5

GM's Most Impressed Award: Filip Zadina

Player Pre-Season Stats:


Game Results, News & Team Updates::

16th September, Florida @ Detroit

Hockey is back in Detroit & the Red Wings pull out a 5-2 victory over the Florida Panthers.
Tonight was a 1st glimpse of new talent & new recruits for many Red Wings fans. The highly anticipated return of Kirby Dach went exceptionally well on his way to assisting in 2 goals, whilst the big inclusion for this season, defenseman Callan Foote, whom the Wings gave up a lot for his services, played a big 25:42 of ice time and also tallied an assist.
Tom Kuhnhackl also got off to a brilliant start for his new team, scoring the game winning goal, plus an assist which earned the seasoned winger tonight’s 1st star award.
It was an impressive win for the Red Wings who may be looking down the barrel of another poor regular season, toppling the Panthers, who looked the goods for parts of the game, but lacked momentum when the time counted.
Rookie Goalie, Ville Husso got his 1st workout in net for his new teams making 24 saves.

3 Stars of the Game:


Players Released From Tryout:
C Stelio Mattheos
LW Anthony Gilroy

Game Pics – See Inside Spoiler

Spoiler

Breaking News...

Locked in: Skinner & Zadina Sign Extensions
Jeff Skinner signs 4 year $22.8M extension. Filip Zadina signs 1st extension worth $22.6M over 5 years
17th September 2020,

18th September, Detroit @ Boston

The Red Wings pile on 6 goals over the 2nd & 3rd periods to walk away with a 6-2 victory over the Bruins at TD Garden.
Boston pounced early against the Red Wings during the 1st period, with goals coming from Ryan Donato & David Krejci, giving the home side a 2-0 lead by period’s end.
The Red Wings seized control for the rest of the game, capitalising on their 26 shots on net with goals from Puempel, Svechnikov, Rasmussen, Veleno & 2 goals from Zadina.
Ville Husso scored his 2nd win in as many games, settling in well with his new team.
Filip Zadina is tonight’s 1st star with 2 goals & an assist, followed by 2nd star Evgeny Svechnikov with 1 goal 1 assist. New young recruit, Callan Foote is the Wings 3rd Star with 2 assists.

3 Stars of the Game:


Players Released From Tryout:
D Brandon Mestre

Game Pics – See Inside Spoiler

Spoiler

21st September, Toronto @ Detroit

Anthony Mantha scores with 1.8 seconds left in overtime to give the Red Wings a 4-3 OT win at home.
The miraculous goal was set up by Defenseman Chris Bigras, who managed to get the puck to Mantha through several sets of skates, setting up what was a brilliant play that Leaf’s fans will have nightmares about.
The Red Wings almost had a regulation win on the boards, until with 49 seconds remaining, Nazem Kadri scored on a break to tie the game at 3-3 and force overtime.
Mantha was brilliant scoring 2 goals, this earning the 1st star of the game.

3 Stars of the Game:


Players Released From Tryout:
LW Givani Smith

Game Pics – See Inside Spoiler

Spoiler

23rd September, Detroit @ Tampa Bay

The Red Wings pick up their 4th pre-season win on the trot with a close shave, 4-3 shootout victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Wings net minder, Harri Sateri, got his 1st start, making 26 saves and held on during the shootout to record the win over Lightning’s all-star Goalie, Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Jeff Skinner helped the score board in his 1st preseason game with a goal in the 1st period, along with another goal from Anthony Mantha & Filip Zadina.
As well as scoring in regulation, Mantha scored the go ahead shootout goal to give the Wings tonight’s win.
Bolts centerman, Steven Stamkos scored late in the 3rd period to force overtime however the Wings were able to rally & hold out any further attack.
Tonight’s result on the road sees the Wings move to a 4-0-0 record and they head to Buffalo to play the Sabres tomorrow night.

3 Stars of the Game:


Players Released From Tryout:
C Tanner Fritz
LW Kalle Kossila
LW Matt Puempel

24th September, Detroit @ Buffalo

A 3 goal haul in the 3rd period gives the Sabres a comfortable 4-1 victory over the Red Wings.
Tonight is the 1st loss incurred by the Wings this preseason which has been promising to this point.
Dylan Larkin scored the lone goal for Detroit, whilst Buffalo acquired their goals from Dahlin, Reinhart, Ristolainen & Eichel.

3 Stars of the Game:


Players Released From Tryout:
G Harri Sateri


27th September, Montreal @ Detroit

The Red Wings win at home in a high scoring affair 6-4, over the Canadiens.
New Wings Net minder, Ville Husso Picks up his 4th preseason win despite an average 21 saves during the game. Newcomer to the Canadiens, veteran goalie, Ryan Miller was peppered with 36 shots with 31 saves.
The Canadiens scored the 1st goal of the game only 4:18 into the 1st period, however the Wings stole the lead later in the same period with tallies from Mantha & Larkin.
The 2nd period saw both teams add another 2 goals each to their respective scores with Evgeny Svechnikov & Kirby Dach scoring for the Red Wings & Brendan Gallagher & Artturi Lehkonen scoring for the Habs.
Tomas Plekanec tied the game at 4-4 early in the 3rd period to give the visitors hope, however Joe Veleno scored with 3:56 remaining, putting the Wings back in front.
Finally in the dying seconds of the game, Red Wings veteran & newcomer, Scottie Upshall scored on the empty net to put the final seal on a victory for the home team.
With 1 game remaining in the pre-season, the Red Wings have an impressive 5-1-0 record.

3 Stars of the Game:


Players Released From Tryout:
C Joe Veleno
RW Chris Terry


29th September, Ottawa @ Detroit

Detroit narrowly defeats Ottawa 3-2 in overtime after a slick wrist shot from Evgeny Svechnikov seals the deal.
The Red Wings trailed for most of the game with Ottawa scoring both of its goals in the 1st period, with the Red Wings playing catch up. The comeback eventually came to fruition thanks to a Michael Rasmussen breakaway goal in the 2nd period, then finally, Anthony Mantha’s deflection goal in the 3rd to tie the game and send it to overtime.
Ville Husso played another exceptional game with 23 saves, further helping his cause to being Jonathan Bernier’s back up this season.
Rasmussen takes tonight’s 1st star award with a goal plus an assist.

3 Stars of the Game:

Players Released From Tryout:

Game Pics – See Inside Spoiler

Spoiler

Wrap up:
A very good pre-season from Detroit, having lost only 1 game to the Sabres.
The top 6 forwards are pretty much set with Mantha, Skinner & Larkin occupying the 1st line. Followed by Zadina, Svechnikov & Dach on the 2nd line. Moving forward, I’d like to see Dach get plenty of minutes, however he has to earn them.
Michael Rasmussen will likely lineup in the Center of the 3rd with Athanasiou to do the same on the 4th, however it’s also possible that both those guys could get stints in the 2nd line from time to time.
The 4 wing positions in the bottom 6 will be an experiment for a little while longer to see who is the best fit & on what line.
With some admirable acquisitions, such as Scottie Upshall, Brandon Pirri, Tom Kuhnhackl along with regulars Martin Frk & Tyler Bertuzzi it will be a tight race for games & minutes.
In the defensive zone, it has been refreshing to have Jake Muzzin, controlling the puck at the blue line, who will get to be in the top pairing alongside Mike Green.
With the exits of Kronwall & deHaan from the top 6, Alex Edler is likely to have a number of different partners on the 2nd pairing. As we need a number of younger d-men to get adequate ice time, he could likely see players such as Foote, Cholowski & McIsaac pair with him.
It has been tough to pick a top 7 & it is entirely possible to see some moving between the NHL & AHL for several players on a regular basis.
As such, Joe Hicketts & Chris Bigras will be starting with the Griffins, do not expect to see them there for long.
And finally in goal, we were extremely happy with Ville Husso’s performance early on during the pre-season that we decided to keep him at the crease to get as much game time as possible. Husso will backup Jonathan Bernier this season, however there is a great opportunity for him to play quite a number of games depending on performance.

The regular season kicks off in a number of days at home against the Maple Leafs. They are an extremely strong side that has had our number quite often over the last few seasons, it will be a great contest.

The Final Roster – Detroit Red Wings:
Here is the starting roster for the 2020/21 season. Are my eyes tricking me?
Callan Foote could be a Low Potential Top4D??? This could be the mega bust trade of the millenium. His skills haven't been fully investigated just yet so let's hope he is still the Medium Potential Elite Defenseman I thought I was acquiring.





Grand Rapids Griffins / Signed & unsigned Prospects:







Contract Extensions:
18th September
RW Filip Zadina 20yrs 83ovr Med Elite - Signed 5 year Extension @ $4.525M per yr
LW Jeff Skinner 28yrs 85ovr Exact Elite - Signed 4 year Extension @ $5.7M per yr

Projected Lines – 5th October, Toronto Maple Leafs @ Detroit

[SeattleBattleCat]

Re: The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

Season 2020/21

October Report

October Schedule:


Overall Record: 8-3-0 (4th Atlantic Div)
Month Record: 8-3-0

Home Record: 4-1-0
Away Record: 4-2-0
Last 10 Games: 7-3-0
Current Streak: 2W

League Standings:

Spoiler

The Players:

Leading Points: Jeff Skinner – 14
Leading Goals: Jeff Skinner & Anthony Mantha - 6
Leading Assists: Jeff Skinner & Filip Zadina – 8

GM's Most Impressed Award: Jeff Skinner

Player Stats:

Spoiler

Goalie Stats:

Spoiler

Rookie Watch:

Spoiler

League Leaders:

Spoiler

Points:

Goals:

Assists:

Goalies:

Rookie Scoring:

Plus / Minus (+/-)

PIM

Game Results, News & Team Updates::

Larkin Named Red Wings Captain
Lark’s has proved to us that he is the leader this team needs – Yzerman
1st October 2020,

Only 4 days away from the official puck drop of the 2020/21 season, the Detroit Red Wings have ended all speculation and named Dylan Larkin the team’s Captain.
Along with the aid of coach Jeff Blashill, Steve Yzerman made the choice to make their star center the newest Captain to guide the Winged Wheel.
“He’s ready. Larks has proved to us that he is the leader this team needs. Whether it’s out on the ice on game day or behind the scenes during practice, or in the locker rooms, he motivates the guys to be better. I wish him all the luck in the world.” Yzerman said today during a press conference.
“He is still young at 24 however the timing is perfect with developing his captaincy along with this team’s rebuild. The bonds he forms with his players, the respect & leadership he will earn is a massive foundation block for future success for him and this hockey club.”
Upon a career best season in 2019/20, Larkin scored 64 points & won the coveted Ted Lindsay Award, marking the young center as one of the best in the league.
“It’s an honour & a privilege to lead this team. I used to dream about being the Captain of the Red Wings when I was a kid growing up in Waterford, Michigan.”
“We have a huge job ahead of us to drive this team forward in the right direction, I will be giving everything to help our boys along. I hope the crowd will get behind us on Monday & cheer us home against the Leafs. That will be a start.”
Larkin will don the ‘C’ for the 1st time on Monday 5th October when the Red Wings host the Toronto Maple Leafs at Little Caesar’s Arena.
How will the Red Wings go this year – we’ll be there to give you all the latest.

5th October, Toronto @ Detroit

Opening night in Detroit & Kirby Dach has just announced his arrival in the NHL by kicking the door in, with an outstanding 4 point (2 goals, 2 assists) night in his NHL debut.
Oh and by the way, the Red Wings won their season opener 6-3 over the Maple Leafs.
Dach was simply brilliant in his 1st regular season game, scoring only seconds into his 1st shift, when linemate Evgeny Svechnikov passed the puck to Dach on the wing, he then took on 2 defenders, deked then shot a perfect wrist shot that beat all-star calibre goalie, Frederick Andersen, over his stick.
The 2nd player to be credited with an assist to Dach’s goal was fellow 1st gamer, Callan Foote.
The noise level from the fallout of Dach’s 1st NHL goal was electric & chants of Dach’s name continued every time he hit the ice for a shift.
Dach went on to score again in the 2nd period, plus he assisted both linemates, Svechnikov’s & Zadina’s goals to make a perfect 4 point night for the youngster.
Leafs goalie, Fredrick Andersen had a night he rather forget, letting through 5 goals in the 1st & 2nd periods & perhaps was lucky to have not been pulled at that stage.
Jonathan Bernier played well for his team, making 26 saves for the night.
Tonight may be a rare night, however if this kid can repeat a performance like this a few times throughout the season, the Red Wings have a very bright season & future ahead.

3 Stars of the Game:


Game Pics – See Inside Spoiler

Spoiler

8th October, Los Angeles @ Detroit

The Red Wings hold on & prevail 2-1 in a shootout victory over the Kings.
Rookie Kirby Dach bought the house down at Little Caesars Arena once again, as the talented rookie netted his 3rd goal for the season, in the 1st period to give the Wings the lead.
Anti Kempe put the Kings back in the game early in the 3rd period with a big shot on net that beat Bernier over the glove & no one else would score for the rest of the period, or during overtime.
Evgeny Svechnikov then saved the day with a brilliant shootout goal, which was unanswered by the Kings, handing the Red Wings their 2nd win from as many starts.
Full credit to both goalies tonight. Both Quick & Bernier stopped 30 shots on goal each.


3 Stars of the Game:


10th October, Montreal @ Detroit

The Red Wings close out their 1st 3 home game stand with another win. Tonight they defeat the Canadiens 4-1.
New recruit for this season, veteran wingman Scottie Upshall scored the game’s opening goal which was the left winger’s 1st for the season, followed by a goal from Svechnikov, who is having a great start to the season.
Anthony Mantha netted his 2nd for the season & Jeff Skinner scored on an empty net late in the 3rd.
Kirby Dach tallied an assist in tonight’s game to keep his point streak going. Dach has 3 goals, 3 assists, 6 points in 3 games.
Former Red Wing, Tomas Tatar was the Canadiens lone goal scorer, getting one back for the Habs in the 3rd period.
Jonathan Bernier’s great start to the season continues with 24 saves.

3 Stars of the Game:


14th October, Detroit @ Vegas

The Red Wings make the most of their 1st road game of the season, emerging with a 6-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights.
The win was slightly marred with Bernier sustaining what appeared to be a groin injury & exiting the game early in the 1st period. This gave rookie goalie, Ville Husso, his 1st career NHL game. Husso was brilliant & made 27 saves on his way to his 1st career victory.
Jeff Skinner & Dylan Larkin both scored twice in tonight’s big win & Anthony Mantha contributed tallying 4 assists, which was great to see the 1st line contributing.
Jake Muzzin scored his 1st goal as a Red Wing, with a rocket fired between the top of the faceoff circles, beating Marc-Andre Fleury. Brandon Pirri also scored his 1st as a Red Wing in the victory.
Kirby Dach also keeps his streak alive with at least a point in all 4 games to date.
Jonathan Bernier
Tonight’s win keeps the Red Wings perfect start to the season going. Tomorrow night they face the LA Kings on the road for their 2nd confrontation of the season.

3 Stars of the Game:


Breaking News...

Bernier Leaves game with Groin Injury
Ville Husso replaces Bernier in 1st period to play 1st career NHL Game, records 1st win!
14th October 2020

15th October, Detroit @ Los Angeles

The streak continues with the Red Wings pulling out a 4-3 victory over the LA Kings on the road.
Rookie goalie, Ville Husso pulls out his 2nd win from consecutive games, tonight making 24 saves from 27 shots faced. Tom Kuhnhackl scored his 1st 2 goals as a Red Wing, pulling off a brilliant game. Anthony Mantha & Tyler Bertuzzi also scored in the victory.
The Kings got off to a good start & were 2-1 in front at the end of the 1st period, however the home team couldn’t hold on with the Red Wings continuing to find a way to win.

3 Stars of the Game:


17th October, Detroit @ Arizona

The Red Wings win streak finally comes to a close at 6 with a 3-1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on the road.
Harri Sateri got his 1st NHL start since the 2018/19 season and it did not start well for the hopeful net minder, letting in 2 goals within the 1st 4 shots on net. Sateri recovered, only allowing 1 more goal during the 3rd period and finished with 35 saves.
The Red Wings really suffered on offense and had little structure up forward as they only put 19 shots on goal for the game.
With 1 minute to spare, Michael Rasmussen scored to give the Wings some type of respectable finish however a very poor game from the team who had their offensive structure working like clockwork during the 1st 6 games of the season.

3 Stars of the Game:


20th October, Detroit @ Toronto

A tough matchup tonight for the Red Wings & they lose their 2nd consecutive game 5-3 to Toronto on the road.
Anthony Mantha scored a hat-trick in tonight’s loss, doing all he could to push his team to the front, but it wasn’t to be with no others being able to find the net. Jeff Skinner assisted in all 3 of Mantha’s goals.
Leaf’s Nazem Kadri also tallied a hat-trick & collects a win to go with it. Johnathan Tavares & Mitchel Marner also scored for the Leafs to give the home side the final advantage.

3 Stars of the Game:


22nd October, Washington @ Detroit

The Red Wings get back to winning with a 4-1 victory over the Washington Capitals.
Getting his 2nd start in net & 3rd game for the season, Ville Husso keeps his perfect win record intact with a solid 34 saves for the night.
Capitals all-time great & Captain, Alex Ovechkin was the Caps lone scorer, which was the very 1st goal of the game.
Jeff Skinner continues a good run with 2 more goals to his tally, with Tyler Bertuzzi & Dennis Cholowski scoring the other majors.

3 Stars of the Game:


24th October, Tampa Bay @ Detroit

Tampa Bay hands the Red Wings their 1st loss at home, with a final score 5-3 to the visitors.
Tonight was the 1st time for many fans to see former Wings players, Gustav Nyquist & Niklas Kronwall play in Lightning colours & it was Nyquist who scored the go-ahead goal in the 3rd which gave the Bolts the win.
Skinner was good early with a goal in the 1st period, followed by Svechnikov which gave the Wings a 2-1 lead going into the 2nd period.
However the Tampa Bay Lightning showed why they are one of the best hockey teams in the NHL, slowly wearing down the Red Wings defense, collecting the win.

3 Stars of the Game:


Trade News...

Brandon Pirri Traded to Calgary
Red Wings send Pirri & a 5th Round Draft Pick to the Flames in exchange for a 4th Round pick
26th October 2020,

27th October, Detroit @ New Jersey

Red wings win a tight 1-0 game over New Jersey on the road. Filip Zadina the game’s lone goal which came 7 minutes into the 2nd period.
The Red Wings defensive structure was right on song tonight, limiting the Devils to 20 shots on net for the whole game. Jonathan Bernier records his 1st shutout for the season.
At the other end, the Wings had plenty of the puck, with the visitors taking 38 shots on goal, which is a big compliment to Devils’ Keith Kinkaid’s efforts, who made 37 saves for an impressive night by any standard. Kinkaid was awarded the game’s 1st star.

3 Stars of the Game:


31st October, Detroit @ Winnipeg

The Red Wings have come away victorious in another grinding game, winning 2-1 over the Winnipeg Jets on the road.
Michael Rasmussen scored the game winning goal with 40 seconds remaining in the 3rd period when the young Center managed to find a gap between two defenders and snap it past Calle Hellebuyck.
The Jets were 1st to score, with a goal from Kyle Connor in the 2nd period. Red Wings D-man, Alex Edler produced his 1st goal for the season not long after to tie the game.
The Jets always play a physical brand of hockey & the game did take its toll on a couple of Red Wings players. Dennis Cholowski left the game early after a heavy check into the boards & did not return. Later, Evgeny Svechnikov sustained a heavy knock, but continued to play through

3 Stars of the Game:


Game Pics – See Inside Spoiler

Spoiler

Wrap up:
The Red Wings finish with a very impressive 8-3-0 record, including winning the 1st 6 games in a row. This is the best month the team has had since I took over as GM from Ken Holland.
I have been extremely impressed with Mantha & Skinner on the 1st line. Although it did take about 3 games to gel, they really hit a gear and drove much of the team’s success that the team had this month. Let’s hope the season keeps going in a positive direction – we are still classed as a rebuilder, so if the wheels fall off it’s no biggy.

Kirby Dach’s 1st career NHL game will be one that I will remember for some time (I had a lot of fun playing that game). Not only was it his 1st game, he scored on his 1st shot, followed that goal with another one and came away with 2 assists. If that is how he opens his career, it will be a great ride in the years to come that’s for sure.

Rookie Defenseman Callan Foote, although a little outclassed by tougher opponents currently, is playing big minutes, spending much of his time on the 1st pairing with Jake Muzzin. If the team were performing badly I’d move him, but given we are in a good place right now, I see little point of depleting his ice time or even sending him to the minors.

The good start does have me in a bind of sorts, with regards to this season’s primary objective handed to me by Chris Ilitch (Owners Goal).
He wants us to acquire yet another 1st round pick for the 2021 draft. Already we have ours, plus we have Colorado’s 1st (who, by the way are sitting near the bottom – please stay there).
If we were losing, the answer would be easy, I’d trade Jeff Skinner in a heartbeat - sorry Jeff.
However if the team continues to win, it becomes a big task to pick a player or players to put into a trade deal & remain competitive.
If we keep winning, my thoughts are to trade early, say around November or December. The 2 regular roster guys I have in mind are Andreas Athanasiou (which sucks because I’m a huge fan in real life) &/or Alex Edler, both of whom could make up the lion share of a deal & I think the team would still have the depth to cover the loss of them.
In fact in the defenseman pool, trading Edler would actually help a lot, because I have Hicketts & Bigras sitting in the AHL when they should be with the Red Wings. At least then I could call one of them up.

Phew! Callan Foote is Medium Elite afterall!
Last season we scouted Callan Foote endlessly to make sure he was Medium Elite potential. Hence when the 2020 draft commenced & we sent 2 players & 3 picks to Tampa Bay in exchange for him, I wasn’t worried.
Then as pre-season kicked on, the coaching staff began to send in reports that Callan may in fact only be as good as having a low chance of being a top 4 defenseman! (See final rosters on the previous pre-season post – he is listed as a Low Top4D).
I stayed resolute (but was extremely worried that my prize recruit may in fact be a dud) & finally my coaching staff have adjusted their thoughts on Callan & projected that he has indeed got a decent (medium) potential of becoming an elite defenseman.
….or the coaching staff are protecting my ego & are just agreeing with what I said….


Injuries:
31st October - LW Evgeny Svechnikov - Mild Concussion - Out until 8th November
31st October - D Dennis Cholowski - Broken Nose - Out until 12th November

Contract Extensions:
D Alex Edler 34yrs 81ovr Exact Top6D - Signed Extension for 2yrs @ $2.575M per yr

Call Ups/ Assignments:
14th October - G Harri Sateri recalled to Detroit
19th October - G Harri Sateri assigned to Grand Rapids
31st October - C Tanner Fritz Called up to Detroit

Projected Lines – Nashville Predators @ Detroit Red Wings, 2nd November 2020