The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

[SeattleBattleCat]

NHL Free Agency 2022
PART 2
‪1ST July - 31st August 2022

Free Agency Period Highlights Across the League
FA Signings & News Releases ‪from 1st July – 31st August:

‪1st July

Quote:

Let the Race begin… Boston, Vancouver & Montreal line up to sign Forsberg. 1st July

‪4th July

Quote:

Lindholm sticks with Ducks 8 teams sought Swedish Defenseman, however stays home signing 6 year contract valued at $6.6M per season 5th July,

5th July

Detroit Signs Goalie Garret Sparks to 2 year, 2 way Contract @ $0.925M per year

Quote:

Gaudreau Signs with Rangers Talented forward moves on & signs long-term 7 year contract worth $72.8m 5th July 2022,

Quote:

Letang signs for 1 year with Sharks San Jose continue run of big name defensemen with 1 year signing of Letang 5th July 2022,

‪7th July

Quote:

FA Rumour Mill: Giroux in Talks with Red Wings Reports indicate Yzerman called centerman yesterday. 34 year old considering options, has not received other offers yet 7th July 2022

‪9th July

Quote:

Forsberg Signs with Bruins Star winger signs contract worth $79.73M over 7 years 9th July,

‪11th July
Detroit Signs C Claude Giroux to 1year contract @ $8.6M

Quote:

Red Wings sign Giroux Veteran Center accepts 1 year $8.6m deal to bolster Red Wings back-to-back Cup bid. Led Flyers with 93 points last season 11th July 2022

‪14th July

Quote:

Malkin joins Vancouver Veteran Center signs 1 year deal to join Canucks for season 22/23 14th July 2022

‪3rd August
Detroit signs C Michael Rasmussen to 1yr 2way Contract @ $0.925M.
(Has accepted our Qualifying Offer)

4th August

Quote:

Subban signs with Hurricanes Star Defenseman passes up big contract offer from Vegas to join Carolina on 1 year contract 4th August 2022,

7th August
Detroit signs LW Givani Smith to 1 yr 2way Contract @ $0.925M
(Has accepted our Qualifying Offer)

9th August
Detroit signs D Aleksander Petrov to Entry Level Contract - 3yrs @ $0.925m per year

10th August
Detroit signs G Dylan Wells to 1 yr 2way Contract @ $0.7775m


All the Trades that occurred during Free Agency:





Notable Free Agent Signings Around The League:

Anaheim
D Hampus Lindholm re-Signed for 6 years @ $6.6m per year
D Slater Koekkoek Signed for 6 years @ $4.52m per year

Arizona
D Adam Larsson Signed for 1 year @ $5.145m

Boston
LW Filip Forsberg Signed for 7 years @ $11.39m per yr
LW Anders Lee Signed for 5 years @ $3.91m per year
D Danny Dekeyser Signed with Boston for 5 years @ $3.45m per year

Buffalo
LW Patrick Marleau Signed for 1 year @ $1.415m
D Nick Holden Signed for 1 year @ $1.57m

Carolina
C Victor Rask re-Signed for 2 years @ $3.525m per year
D PK Subban Signed for 1 year @ $6.375m

Chicago
G Malcolm Subban Signed for 4 years @ $4.255

Colorado
RW Sam Reinhart Signed for 5 years @ $7.745m per year
D Justin Schmaltz Signed for 4 years @ $4.855m per year

Columbus
C Ryan Dzingel Signed for 1 year @ $2.325m
RW Mikkel Boedket Signed for 1 year @ $2.575

Detroit
G Garret Sparks Signed for 2 years @ $0.925m per year
C Claude Giroux Signed for 1 year @ $8.6m
G Dylan Wells Signed for 1 year @ $0.775m

Edmonton
D Morgan Reilly Signed for 7 years @ $7.25m

Florida
D Josh Manson Signed for 5 years @ $4.86m per year
D Tyler Myers Signed for 6 years @ $4.29m per year

Los Angeles
D Esa Lindell Signed for 6 years @ $5.7m per year
C Sean Couturier Signed for 7 years @ $5.9m per year

Minnesota
G John Gillies Signed for 2 years @ $1.89m

Nashville
D Julius Honka Signed for 4 years @ $4.53m per year

New Jersey
RW Nino Neiderreiter Signed for 5 years @ $5.09m per year
LW Ondrej Palat Signed for 1 year @ $4.045m per year

New York Islanders
D Shea Theodore Signed for 6 years @ $5.635m per year
D Calvin de Haan Signed for 1 year @ $2.205m

New York Rangers
LW Johnny Gaudreau Signed for 7 years @ $10.4m per year

Ottawa
C Thomas Hertl Signed for 4 years @ $5.07m per year
D Nate Schmidt Signed for 5 years @ $5.01m

Philadelphia
G Jonathan Bernier Signed for 1 year @ $2.15m

San Jose
RW Jakob Silfverberg Signed for 6 years @ $3.255m per year
D Kris Letang Signed for 1 year @ $6.01m

St Louis
D Will Butcher signed for 5 years @ $5.25m per year
G Cory Schneider Signed for 2 years @ $6.35 per year
LW Reilly Smith Signed for 6 years @ $2.275m
C William Karlsson Signed for 1 year @ $5.355m

Toronto
D Nikita Zadorov Signed for 6 years @ $5.175m per year
G Thomas Greiss Signed for 1 year @ $0.995m

Vancouver
C Evgeny Malkin Signed for 1 year @ $7.35m

Vegas
D Ryan Pulock Signed for 4 years @ $5.02m per year
C Nazem Kadri Signed for 1 year @ $5.535m

Wrap up:
We are pleased to sign Claude Giroux to a 1yr deal worth $8.6m. With $20m in loose salary cap change, we could have either done nothing & kept with the team we had from last season, or go shopping for a talented veteran (of which there were plenty to choose from) & danlge the carrot for an opportunity to win a Cup.
Giroux, 34, is a bonafide scorer & leader, make no mistake we really do need to shuffle the team around to fit him in, however I am sure he will have no problem fitting in anywhere, from the 1st to the 3rd line.
This is definitely a short term relationship, that will either go just the 1, or maybe 2 seasons at most, so we better make the most of it.
Rasmussen & Smith finally accepted their Qualifying Offers. They will be inline for bigger 1-way contracts next season.
The other signings over free agency were definitely minor in nature.
With Bernier leaving the side, Chistov is very likely to move up from the AHL, which meant we needed some backup goalies for Marcus Hogberg, who will have the job of the Griffins number 1 starter. Garret Sparks & Dylan Wells will be great additions for the Griffins. Both will likely get starts throughout the season, we just needed that extra 1 goalie in case we need to cover for injuries.
Last but not least, we signed a rookie defenseman, Aleksander Petrov. He will take a few seasons to flourish, however we needed a little extra depth in defense at Grand Rapids & he will make a great depth defender in his 1st season.

[SeattleBattleCat]

Pre-season Press Releases:

Quote:

Claude Giroux: New Season, New Team, Same Competitive Approach Giroux confident with decision to sign with Red Wings - will wear ‘A’ on his jersey this season 8th September 2022, When Claude Giroux picked up his phone on the 7th July - which had been unexpectedly quiet, 7 days into Free Agency - he didn’t expect to be hearing Steve Yzerman’s voice on the other end of the call. A week later Giroux & Red Wings penned a 1 year, $8.6M contract that will see Giroux line up in a jersey adorning the Winged Wheel this season. “I was surprised, sure. The Red Wings had just won the Cup & kept all of their forwards over the off-season. I wouldn’t have thought there was room for me but Steve told me otherwise.” Said Giroux. “To be joining a hockey team that has tasted success to this degree early, it feels great that I could be adding my game to a real contender - even if it is only this season – or 2. Who knows?“ Giroux, 34, - a likely candidate to have his jersey hanging in the rafters at Wells Fargo Center upon his eventual retirement - became a Free Agent at the end of last season when his 8 year contract with the Flyers expired. The Flyers elected to not re-sign Giroux with a number of younger up & coming players demanding new contracts, squeezing the veteran out of the roster. Fellow centerman, Sean Couturier found himself in the same position - later signing with the Los Angeles Kings. When asked about his feelings on the Flyers not re-signing him: “It’s the business we’re in. The management made a call, what they think is the way forward for the Flyers. I just wish I could have raised the Cup above my head just once in the 15 seasons with them. We got close a number of times, but it didn’t happen, I guess that speaks for itself. I love Philly, it’s where my home is, but we’re parting ways for a while.” In the passing weeks since signing in July, Giroux has picked up his small family & relocated to Detroit. He has also hit the gym hard over this off-season in preparation for the year to come & says he is fit & ready to go. Additionally, Giroux, the former Flyers Captain since 2013, has been given the A to wear on his jersey for his new team - A true testiment & recognition of his leadership ability. “I really like what Claude can bring to this team, he has a fierce competitive streak that has not left him since he was a kid. He is a natural scorer & leader, he scored 93 points last season & has tallied 30+ goals per season over the past 5 at least. He has the ability find the open slots to get the puck to a teammate - a great player with great hockey sense. We weren’t eapecially hunting him in the beginning, I was just surprised, that a week into Free Agency, that no one had approached him yet, so we decided to go in with an offer.” Said Yzerman this morning. “We’re in an extremely fortunate position this season where a bunch of our younger players on the roster are on low & entry-level contracts, which meant we had the luxury of being able to bring in more firepower if we wanted to. Will it work? Nothing is ever certain in the NHL but we’re giving ourselves every chance with G’s (Giroux) signing.” Giroux will be taking part in the upcoming annual training camp & fans will get an early peek of their team’s newest recruit on the 16th September when the Red Wings play their 1st pre-season game, at home, against the Florida Panthers.

Quote:

Training Camp Commences Red Wings Players & Prospects hit the ice for the 1st time this morning to earn a spot on the upcoming season roster 13th September 2022, The 2022/23 season is nearly upon us & the Stanley Cup Champions of last season are busy getting back to work. Today signals the commencement of the Red Wings annual training camp held at Centre Ice Arena in Traverse City, Mich, which coincides with the NHL’s pre-season competition beginning on September 16th. New recruit, Claude Giroux will no doubt be eager to gel with his new teammates early to find some chemistry moving into the season proper. According to head coach Jeff Blashill, Giroux could find himself on the same line as last year’s Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year) winner, Fredrik Larsson. “We have the benefit of being able to choose from up to maybe 8 players for the Top 6 on the forward lines this season, with the ability to mix & match if the lines need to be changed up. Our Top 6 guys & our bottom 6’s will get every chance to prove themselves during our training Camp this week” Said Blashill during some pre-dinner presentations at last night’s pre-Camp dinner. For the up & coming players trying to make the team, it will not be an easy task, with all rosters spots figuratively all but automatically locked in, aside from on the 4th line & a 6th & 7th defenseman, those spots made vacant after Koekkoek’s exit & the retirement of Shea Weber. Where are the opportunities? - Forward’s: On the forward lines, with the signing of Giroux for this season, it is even tougher to make the roster, with 1 player from last season’s championship team, staring down the barrel of some time in the AHL &/or placed on the Trade Block. Players who would have to surely know they are on the bubble going into the camp, & would have to be at least a little concerned for their roster spot will be Givani Smith, Michael Rasmussen, Martin Frk, Chris Terry & even Tyler Bertuzzi. Pushing from underneath to try to make the roster in front of these players are training Camp invitees, Prospects Vitali Goldolbin & Emmet Pierce, plus regular Griffins roster players, Michael Puempel, Kalle Kossila, Tomas Hyka, Stelio Mattheos & Logan Stewart. Defense: At the Red Wings Blue Line, there are 2 positions open. Those trying to make this year’s roster are defensive prospects, Zachery Spezza, Amrit Shaw, Brandon Mestre & Jaylon Legace, plus 32 year old Michael Stone – who is a late free-agent signing. Zachery Spezza has been a revelation during his last season with Notre Dame, leading his team to the Frozen a Four Championship. He would almost be a shoe in for one of the roster spots, leaving 4 players to contend for the 1 remaining place left. Goalie: With Johnathan Bernier leaving Detroit at the end of last season, there is a definite position up for grabs to back up Ville Husso. The genuine number #1 contender for this place on the roster will have to be Russian rookie Viktor Chistov, who spent last season as the Grand Rapids Griffins Starter for the best part. What could affect this decision, was the youngster’s fade towards the end of last season, which the Griffins then heavily relied on Marcus Hogberg to get the team through to the finals. Hogberg is the other consideration for the Red Wings backup, he has the credentials behind him, however will it be the direction the team wants to head in, given the development & time already put into their 2nd round choice from 2019. All said & done, it will be an interesting 2 weeks, we’ll keep you up to date with the latest moves within the team.

[SeattleBattleCat]

Season 2022/23

Pre-Season Report

Pre-Season Schedule:


Pre-Season Record: 4-2-1

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


Atlantic Division Pre-Season Standings:



The Players:

Leading Points: Fredrik Larsson - 9
Leading Goals: Fredrik Larsson - 7
Leading Assists: Dylan Larkin & Claude Giroux - 6

Player Stats:





Game Results, News & Team Updates::

18th September, Florida @ Detroit

1st game of the pre-season kicked off tonight at Little Caesars Arena, & the Red Wings run away in the 3rd period, clinching a decisive 6-2 victory.
Tonight saw what should be the bulk of this season’s regular roster lineup on the ice, with the Red Wings management deciding to give a number of their championship players an early game to try and avoid any championship hangovers.
Fredrik Larsson scored twice in tonight’s win, with great contributions from Mantha & Skinner tallying a goal, plus an assist each.
Wings fans also got the chance to catch a glimpse of Free Agency acquisition, centerman Claude Giroux. The numerous time all-star played 19:06 and tallied an assist in the win.
Dylan Larkin played a great Captains game, tallying 3 assists.
The Panthers were easily outshot tonight, however their lineup did consist of a number of prospects, which would have been a great experience for those younger players.

3 Stars of the Game:


20th September, Detroit @ Boston

The Red Wings walk away from TD Garden with a 6-2 victory over the Boston Bruins, all thanks to a seamless 4 goal effort from Fredrik Larsson.
Larsson has stated he is ready for the NHL season, with a massive game, tallying 4 goals & 1 assist in tonight’s victory.
If tonight is anything to judge on, Larsson could potentially wind up with an even better season than in his rookie year.
Larsson’s line-mates, Mantha & Giroux both finished with 3 point nights, with Mantha also netting a goal of his own.
Russian rookie goalie, Viktor Chistov played in his 1st & had good game, making 24 saves. There was one hiccup for the young goalie, when team Captain Dylan Larkin inadvertently scored an own goal in the 1st period. The puck kicked off Larkin’s skate & went into the net.
Filip Forsberg had his 1st game for his new team, the star forward played 19:58 of ice time.
The Red Wings certainly made a statement tonight. The Pre-season continues.

3 Stars of the Game:


Game Pics - See Inside Spoiler

Spoiler

23rd September, Toronto @ Detroit

The Maple Leafs have fought back from a 4-0 deficit to beat the Red Wings 5-4 after a shootout - in what was a classic pre-season tussle.
Despite being outshot, the Red Wings had danced their way out to a 4-0 lead by midway through the 2nd period, with goals from Prospect players, Stewart, Legace, Mestre & Goldobin. The Leafs nailed a late 2nd period goal from Mitch Marner, then the visitors piled on 3 more goals in the 3rd period to tie the game.
No score would eventuate in overtime, however the Leafs took the win outscoring the Wings 2-1 in the shootout.
Marcus Hogberg had a busy night for the Red Wings, facing 45 shots.
Tonight, the Wings rested Giroux, Larsson & Mantha up forward, however much should be said for the prospect players who put in a great 1st part of the game.

3 Stars of the Game:


25th September, Detroit @ Tampa Bay

Nikita Kucherov scores 4 goals to hand the Red Wings a 5-3 defeat by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Kucherov is looking on track for a massive season ahead with tonight’s haul, which included an empty net goal in the final 16 seconds of the game.
The Lightning’s other goal scorer was former Red Wing Gustav Nyquist.
Givani Smith, Amrit Shaw & Michael Rasmussen each scored a goal, with the Red Wings narrowing the margin to within 1 goal behind the Bolts with 2:16 remaining in the game.
Marcus Hogberg was given the net duty for the Red Wings & for the 2nd game in a row it was an extremely busy night, having faced 44 shots on net. In 2 games this pre-season, Hogberg has faced 89 shots on goal.
The Red Wings will try and turn the loss around tomorrow as they head to Buffalo to play the Sabres.

3 Stars of the Game:


26th September, Detroit @ Buffalo

Night 2 of the Red Wings Pre-season road double-header ends with a promising 4-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.
With Giroux, Larsson, Mantha & Dach returning to the lineup, the Red Wings looked much a better side than in last night’s loss to the Lightning.
Giroux, Larsson & Mantha all tallied goals, as did promising rookie Vitali Goldobin during the middle of the 3rd period.
Garret Sparks was given the honours of net duty, putting in a great effort with 33 saves.
With 2 games remaining in the Pre-Season, the Red Wings now sit with a record of 3-1-1

3 Stars of the Game:


29th September, Montreal @ Detroit

Detroit have taken a big 6-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens tonight at Little Caesars Arena.
The home team had 6 goals from 6 different players & aside from a Habs goal from Frank Papineau during the 2nd period, the Wings looked the better team all night.
The Red Wings started their 5th different goalie in 6 games. New recruit Dylan Wells put in a big game, making 30 saves for his team, contributing to the win.
Colton Parayko & Claude Giroux both finished with 3 points each, both scoring & tallying 2 assists each.
With only 1 game remaining in the pre-season, the Red Wings sit on a record of 4-1-1 & will face their last opponent, Ottawa here at Little Caesars Arena in October 1st.

3 Stars of the Game:


1st October, Ottawa @ Detroit

Detroit are knocked back to earth in their final pre-season game, going down in a 3-0 shutout loss to the Ottawa Senators at home.
Vladislav Namestikov put in a 1st star performance with 2 goals, whilst goalie Braden Holtby was equally as good making 31 saves on his way to a shutout.
For the Red Wings, whilst there were plenty of scoring opportunities, the Senators defense & forecheck kept the team at bay.
A timely reminder to the Wings that victories don’t just fall into laps.

3 Stars of the Game:


Game Pics - See Inside Spoiler

Spoiler

Wrap up:
Pre-season is done & the team is looking in good shape for the season ahead. 35 skaters & 5 goalies took part in this year’s pre-season tournament, which gave us plenty to think about in terms of putting a team together as well as seeing what some of prospects might be capable of in the future.
With the big addition of Claude Giroux we are hoping for a successful season, however we’ll take it as it comes – with the good old cliché – one game at a time.

The Final Detroit Red Wings Roster for commencing season 2022/23






This Season’s Owner Goals:

Chris Ilitch doesn’t want much this season….. Only have to get the team to the Stanley Cup Final….


Contract Extensions:
Nil, however coming up, we will be looking at extensions for Kirby Dach, Dylan Larkin & Ville Husso as priorities.

Projected Lines - 8th October, Toronto @ Detroit

[SeattleBattleCat]

Season 2022/23

October Report


The players watch on as the Red Wings 12th Stanley Cup Champions Banner is raised to the rafters
during the season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs

October’s Schedule:

Overall Record: 5-4-1 (4th Atlantic Div.)
Month Record: 5-4-1

Home Record: 2-2-1
Away Record: 3-2-0
Last 10 Games: 5-4-1
Current Streak: 2W


League Standings:

Spoiler

The Players:

Leading Points: Dylan Larkin - 14
Leading Goals: Fredrik Larsson & Claude Giroux - 6
Leading Assists: Dylan Larkin - 10

GM's Most Impressed Award: Dylan Larkin

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::

8th October, Toronto @ Detroit

The Detroit Red Wings have kicked the 2022-23 season into action with a 6-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Little Caesars Arena.
Before the puck dropped for the commencement of the game, fans in attendance were treated to the raising of the 2021/22 Stanley Cup Champions banner to the rafters.
Within the first 2 minutes of the game, Red Wings’ new recruit, Claude Giroux announced his arrival with a big play. At the Wing’s defensive end, Giroux delivered a huge check to Leafs Defenseman Nikita Zadorov, which caused the Leafs to turnover the puck, Giroux then burst away to the other end, received the puck on the break & scored from his very 1st shot of the season.
Zadorov had to be helped from the ice & did not return to the game – a sour note to his 1st game of the season for his new team.
Giroux’s heavy check set the tide for the game, with play getting rougher & several fights & injuries to both side’s players. For the Red Wings, Filip Zadina, who had earlier scored his first goal of the season, was taken out in brutal fashion by Leafs defenseman, Travis Dermott & also did not return to the game.
Amongst all the grit, the big moment came when rookie Defenseman, Zachery Spezza, scored his 1st career goal during the 2nd period. The rookie didn’t stop there, also scoring a 2nd goal during the 3rd. As well as 2 goals Spezza laid in 3 hits & played a solid 22:56 of ice time. For his efforts, the youngster was named tonight’s 1st star of the game.
The Wings now get a 4 day breather before playing the 2nd of a 5-game home stand, which sees the Wings not have to play their 1st away game until January 22nd against the Blackhawks.

3 Stars of the Game:


Game Pics - See Inside Spoiler

Spoiler

Breaking News...

Quote:

Zadina to miss up to a week with a Mild Concussion Right Winger hurt in rough season opener against Leafs. Zachery Spezza scores twice in NHL debut 9th October 2022

13th October, Edmonton @ Detroit

Edmonton are triumphant with a 5-4 shootout victory over the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena.
Connor McDavid led his Oilers with 2 goals & nearly had the game sealed in regulation, until a late 3rd period goal came from Red Wings forward Kirby Dach to tie the game at 4-4.
With overtime going scoreless, both teams were absolutely scorching in the shootout with the final decision finally coming out at 4-3 in the Oilers favour.
Ville Husso was busy in between the posts tonight, having faced 43 shots on net, whilst Oilers goalie, Chad Johnson faced 27 shots, but was lucky thanks to the visiting side’s offensive pressure.

3 Stars of the Game:


15th October, Philadelphia @ Detroit

Claude Giroux takes first blood against his old team with the Red Wings taking a 4-0 shutout victory over the Flyers.
All eyes were on rookie goaltender, Viktor Chistov in his 1st career NHL game. The young Russian, played exceptionally well & was well protected by his Defenseman, facing only 19 shots & stopping all to make his 1st win, a shutout.
At the other end the Red Wings 1st line had a field day with all 3 players, Mantha, Giroux & Larsson Scoring.
Larsson, who finished 2nd only to Alex Ovechkin last season in his rookie year, finally netted his 1st for the season.
Tonight’s star of the game of course was former Flyers Captain, Claude Giroux, who netted his 2nd goal for the season & tallied 2 assists.

3 Stars of the Game:


18th October, New York Rangers @ Detroit
An extremely average net minding performance sees the Red Wings take an embarrassing 7-3 loss at home to the New York Rangers.
It appeared that Husso may as well have not been standing in the crease as puck after puck beat him to the back of the net - yet head coach Jeff Blashill did not replace him, persisting with him all game.
The Rangers had 7 different goal scorers, including recent acquisitions, Tuevo Terravainen & Johnny Gaudreau.
For the Red Wings, Martin Frk scored his 2nd goal in as many starts & Dylan Larkin did his best to keep the Wings in the game with 2 goals of his own.


3 Stars of the Game:


20th October, Tampa Bay @ Detroit

The Red Wings are demolished for a 2nd straight home game, going down 6-3 to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Viktor Chistov got his 2nd start in net, however he possibly wishes that wasn’t the case.
It hasn’t exactly been the relaxing home stand the Red Wings were hoping for as they finish their 5-game home stand at 2-2-1, with 13 goals being piled on in the last 2 games alone.
Bolts Captain, Steven Stamkos scored twice, whilst Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev tallied 3 assists for the visitors.
The Red Wings now hit the road for 5-game away stretch, beginning in Chicago, where they take on a red hot Blackhawks who currently have a record of 5-0-1.

3 Stars of the Game:


Breaking News….

Quote:

Dach Signs 8 year Extension with Red Wings 21 year old center has signed first big contract extension with Wings – 8 years, worth $63.2M USD 21st October 2022,

22nd October, Detroit @ Chicago

The Red Wings have turned around their last 2 big losses & have handed out a 7-1 thrashing to the Blackhawks, who were previously undefeated in regulation, until now.
Detroit hit Chicago hard in the 1st period, scoring 5 goals unanswered, including 2 from Larsson. Patrick Kane managed to get one back with 30 seconds remaining in the period, however the damage was already done.
Fredrik Larsson tallied his 3rd goal for the game, late in the 2nd period, giving the Swede his 1st Hat-trick of the season.
The Red Wings will be hoping to take much of tonight’s game away with them for tomorrow night’s clash against the Predators.

3 Stars of the Game:


23rd October, Detroit @ Nashville

After the adulation of the big victory last night, the Red Wings go down 1-0 in a real nail biter against the Predators.
The game only saw 1 goal scored for the whole duration, late in the 3rd period.
Head Coach Jeff Blashill gave Ville Husso the night off & started rookie, Viktor Chistov who played well making 28 saves with just the one goal coming late in the 3rd.
The Predators, who before tonight had only won 1 game from 7 however they managed to shut down the Red Wings – at times – lethal scoring threats, locking them out altogether.
Pred’s Goalie Anthony Dixon was solid for the Predators tonight, stopping all 35 of Detroit’s shots, deserving much of the praise for the victory.

3 Stars of the Game:


26th October, Detroit @ St Louis

Another bad night for the defending Stanley Cup Champs on the wrong side of another big loss. Tonight the Red Wings go down to the St. Louis Blues 7-3 on the road.
The Red Wings must tidy up their game in the defensive zone if they are to go far this season, with Husso allowing 7 goals for the 2nd time in 3 starts.
With the game sitting tied at 2-2 during the 2nd period, the Blues then found another gear, putting on a 5-1 run to the finish.
Anthony Mantha scored twice & Larsson once in tonight’s loss, with Larkin tallying assists in all 3 of the visiting teams goals.

3 Stars of the Game:


Griffins News....

Quote:

Wells expected to miss 2 months with shoulder injury Griffins lose Goalie Dylan Wells from Shoulder Injury mid-way through 3-2 OTW against Wild 26th October 2022

28th October, Detroit @ Anaheim

Claude Giroux steadies the ship for the Red Wings, scoring twice to lift team from 2 goals down, guiding his team to a 4-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks.
Giroux’s 2 goals late in the 1st period came in response to an early lead taken by the Ducks after goals from Pontus Aberg & Ondrej Kase.
Callan Foote scored in the 2nd period to put the Wings in front, then Dylan Larkin scored the steadier to give the Wings a 4-2 lead.
The Ducks staged a late comeback with Rickard Rackell scoring with only 46 seconds remaining in regulation to make the dying seconds interesting. However the Wings held out and take the win.

3 Stars of the Game:


29th October, Detroit @ Los Angeles

The Red Wings pile on 4 goals in the final period to finish out October with a 7-3 victory over the LA Kings.
Kirby Dach & Jeff Skinner both put on a show, each scoring twice, with single goals coming from Larsson, Foote & Veleno.
Veleno was awarded 1st star of the game from a brilliant performance from the young center, scoring a goal & tallying 2 assists.

3 Stars of the Game:


Wrap up:
We barely lifted our heads above .500% after the first 10 games of the season, however I’m not worried just yet. Despite taking some thrashings, where we had 6-7 goals scored against us by opposition teams (Rangers, Bolts & Blues), we also had games where we scored freely & had big wins also, which to me, shows signs that the team is heading in the right direction of sorts.
Where we really need to work on is our defense. Both when having even numbers on the ice and particularly on the Penalty kill. I’d like to see some consistency out there – in a few of our games, our goalies have had to stand against way too many shots on goal.
Which brings me to what we need to take control of – and fast – which is our terrible Penalty Killing percentage. Currently we have the worse Penalty Kill % in the league at a woeful 69.0%. Coach Blashill will be reviewing & toggling the lines & pairings to improve on that stat & to get us off the bottom before our next game against the Penguins at home.
Once we steady the ship, hopefully we can steer on the right course to hopefully defending our Stanley Cup Champions title. Next month will certainly put the team to the test, however I am confident we can build up from here.

Jake Muzzin not happy at Detroit

Since the commencement of training camp in September, we began to notice something not quite right with Jake Muzzin. We know he’s not happy here & there isn’t much I haven’t already offered to make the guy content. He leads the league in plus/minus at the moment, so even being on the ice, when most of the goals are being scored, is not working.
If the situation does not improve, I believe we might have to start shopping around for some trade partners.

Injuries:
8th October - RW Filip Zadina - Mild Concussion - Missed 4 games

Contract Extensions:
C Kirby Dach – signed 8 Year Contract Extension @ $7.9M per season.

Call Ups/ Assignments:


Projected Lines – 1st November, Pittsburgh Penguins @ Detroit Red Wings

[Funkycorm]

Just got caught up. Congrats on the Cup!

[Lumpjaw]

Very impressed with the ammount of detail you've put in to this story, especially with the stuff about other team during off season. I also habe Dach and Zadina in my franchise mode.

Good luck going forward!

[m1a2lt]

Quote: Originally Posted by SeattleBattleCat

Pre-season Press Releases:

Awesome sign for you buddy; in real life, I'd be cursing the gods of hockey.

Detroit remains my fourth most hated team (Chicago and Toronto (old Norris Division) lead); though Washington (aka Tom Wilson) is raging on; ironic because I live in Northern Virginia.

Hope you take them all down in simulation and not real life!

[SeattleBattleCat]

Quote: Originally Posted by Funkycorm

Just got caught up. Congrats on the Cup!

Thanks! Appreciate it!

Quote: Originally Posted by Lumpjaw

Very impressed with the ammount of detail you've put in to this story, especially with the stuff about other team during off season. I also habe Dach and Zadina in my franchise mode. Good luck going forward!

Thanks! I'd love to put in more opposition team info if I had time to.
I really like Kirby Dach, he has a big future ahead of him. What is even more cool is, I'd say the Red Wings are a good chance to select him (amongst others, probably a D-man) in the real 2019 draft, if they finish around the bottom end of the league this season which is highly likely.
Zadina has been pretty solid in my franchise but unfortunately he lives in the shadows of Mantha most of the time. Who knows, he may get his chance to shine. He's had a much slower progression in real life than I would have thought but he should make a fine hockey player, just needs time.

Quote: Originally Posted by m1a2lt

Awesome sign for you buddy; in real life, I'd be cursing the gods of hockey. Detroit remains my fourth most hated team (Chicago and Toronto (old Norris Division) lead); though Washington (aka Tom Wilson) is raging on; ironic because I live in Northern Virginia.

Thanks, it took me 2 days to finally decide on putting in an offer for Giroux - I didn't want to unbalance the team or most importantly, make the signing too unrealistic. That was also why I stayed away from adding another elite d-man which I had more than enough $$$ for. As it turns out with the team's performance so far it doesn't look like they will be astoundingly great in 22/23.

The teams I can't stand these days is Pittsburgh & Toronto (though I do respect the Leafs), oh & Florida, yeh I've never really liked them at all, especially since the division re-alignment.

Quote: Originally Posted by m1a2lt

Hope you take them all down in simulation and not real life!

haha thanks, I think the Wings will comply to your hopes for this season at least.