The Captain Returns - NHL19 - Detroit Red Wings

[SeattleBattleCat]

2019 NHL Player Entry Draft
23rd June 2019

The Result:
The Red Wings 1st Draft under Steve Yzmeran was mixed with both poor & good fortune. Time will tell if this year’s class were full of gems or busts.

Detroit Selects:
Round 1, Pick 8 - C Kirby Dach 18yrs CAN 50%Grinder (75% Med Elite)


Detroit Selects at pick #8:

Quote:

Red Wings Pick Kirby Dach @ no.8 Young Tall Center will provide punch in Wings attack in years to come. 23rd June, 2019

Round 1, Pick 14 - C Emanuel Comrie 17yrs USA (100% Med Top6F)


Round 2, Pick 36 - D Brandon Mestre 18yrs USA (100% Low Elite)


Round 2, Pick 41 - G Viktor Chistov 18yrs RUS (50% Med Elite)


Round 2, Pick 53 - D Victor Hadfield 18yrs CAN (50% Med Elite)


Round 3, Pick 67 - G Dmitri Semin 17yrs UKR (75% Med Starter)


Round 4, Pick 109 - LW Anthony Gilroy 18yrs USA (100% Med Top6F)


Round 5, Pick 129 - C Logan Stafford 18yrs CAN (100% Med Top9F)


Round 5, Pick 137 - C Nikita Alexandrov RUS (25% Med Top9F)


Round 6, Pick 160 - RW Cole Stewart 17 yrs USA (50% Med Elite)


Round 7, Pick 191 - C Nikolai Zikov 18yrs RUS (50% Low Elite)[/size]


Trade News:

Quote:

Trade News: Red Wings Trade Abdelkader & Saarijarvi to Hurricanes for De Haan Wings trade veteran wingman to improve defense. 23rd June, 2019 Detroit’s 1st trade of the 2019 Player draft did not include picks, instead today’s trade, during the 2nd round, sees a career Red Wing head for Raleigh, North Carolina. The details of the trade are as follows: Detroit receives Defenseman Calvin de Haan from Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Left Wing Justin Abdelkader & Defenseman Villi Saarijarvi. Abdelkader, 33 was drafted by Detroit in 2005 at pick #42 in the 2nd round. He played 10 full season with the Red Wings, eventually becoming an Alternate captain in 2016 on the departure of Pavel Datsyuk. 22 year old, Finnish Defenseman, Villi Saarijarvi , has spent the last 2 seasons with Detroit's AHL Affiliate Grand Rapids. Calvin de Haan, 28, was drafted at pick #12 in the 2009 Draft by the New York Islanders, where he played 5 seasons, before being traded to the Hurricanes last year. “No doubt we we’re here to strengthen our position in the draft & in the years to follow. We saw that the 'Canes had de Haan on the trade block, of which we really do need some experience in the defensive zone. It was hard giving up Abby, he was part of our leadership group, however we believe we made the right choice given the surplus of 3rd & 4th line wingmen we have.” Said Steve Yzerman during todays draft. Yzerman later made one more trade during the Draft, trading picks 123 (4th round) & 143 (5th round) to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Pick 109 (4th round), in order to select 18 year old, Left Wing prospect, Anthony Gilroy. All the trades on Draft Day: Only 3 trades made, Detroit involved in 2.

The Top 5 NHL Draftees:
Pick #1 – Buffalo Sabres (2nd no.1 pick in 2 seasons)

Pick #2 – Philadelphia Flyers

Pick #3 – Colorado Avalanche

Pick #4– Edmonton Oilers

Pick #5 – Calgary Flames


Detroit's 1st pick - Kirby Dach


NHL Draft Wrap Up:

This was my very 1st attempt with the new scouting system. Whilst I really liked the changes that NHL 19 brings, as you can see here, there are big holes in the players profiles that I failed to scout such as play style, skills & potential. Additionally, with Fog of War option on, they all have ??? as their overall ratings that carry into the next season. I am guessing I will learn these skills & attributes as the season goes on(?) Nevertheless this was certainly a learning year for me, so hopefully I might get better as the seasons roll on.
Player Selection:
Overall generally satisfied, however a lot of the player’s potential is quite unknown.
Kirby Dach was definitely not my 1st choice however he was the last Elite potential (hopefully, only 3bars) available in the top 10 @ pick no.8. And I have a feeling that his play style isn’t a Grinder, which I should get to learn during the pre-season. Dach will get an entry contract immediately, though I would say he will finish his time in the WHL with the Saskatoon Blades, then go through the AHL system. Detroit do not have a true 1st line Center so it is exciting to have someone to potentially fill that void, eventually.
Other players I am excited to see how they turn out, are the 2 defensemen picked in the 2nd round, Brandon Mestre & Victor Hadfield, also the goalie we selected in the same round, Viktor Chistov, though the potential of all of those guys could change substantially. Then perhaps what might become the gem of draft is our pick 191, Center Nikita Zikov who is a confirmed low elite.
Time for free agency, ideally I need a 1st/2nd line left winger & another experienced top4 defenseman – so let’s see how we go.

[SeattleBattleCat]

(Re-Sign Phase)
25TH June – 30th June 2019,

Players Released:
LW Jussi Jokinen 77ovr
RW Luke Witkowski 76ovr
D Adam Almqvist 66ovr
G Patrik Rybar 25 57ovr
C Zach Gallant 59ovr - Unsigned Rookie
C Brady Gilmore 58ovr - Unsigned Rookie
D Malte Setkov 20yrs 59ovr - Unsigned Rookie
D Reilly Webb 20yrs 59ovr - Unsigned Rookie
D Cole Fraser 19yrs 58ovr - Unsigned Rookie

For Jokinen, this was strictly a 1 year deal, if he were to remain in the Red Wings organisation, he’d be in the AHL at best. Our younger skaters need more ice time.
Luke Witkowski surprisingly did not want to re-sign, he was quite usable in defense for most of last season. He may have been another player with further limited ice time to make way for younger skaters. Probably best he moved on.

Players Re-signed:
D Niklas Kronwall 38yrs (81ovr Exact Top6D) – 1way contract - 1yr @ $4.5M per yr
D Nick Jensen 28yrs (78ovr Exact 7thD) – 1way contract - 2yrs @ $1.350M per yr
G Harri Sateri 29yrs (77ovr Exact Backup) – 1way contract - 2yrs @ $1.7M
D Dylan McIlrath 27yrs (74ovr Exact 7thD) - 2way contract - 2yrs @ $0.875M per yr

With a number of 2way contracts sorted prior to the season end, plus a few guys released, we only had 4 contracts that needed attention prior to Free Agency opening. We signed Kronwall for one more year. He wanted 2 years but given his age, I am only prepared to work on a year-to-year basis.

RFA - Qualified Tenders:
We have qualified tenders for the following Restricted Agents. All are yet to re-sign with the team.

LW Evgeny Svechnikov 22yrs (76ovr Med Top6F) - RFA
C Dominic Turgeon 23 yrs (75ovr Med Top9F) - RFA
D - Christopher Bigras 24yrs (74ovr Med Top6D) - RFA
LW - Kalle Kossila 26yrs (74ovr Med Top6F) - RFA
D - Joe Hicketts 23yrs (73ovr Med Top6D) - RFA
LW Dylan Sadowy 23yrs (63ovr Med Bottom6F) - RFA

Entry Level Contracts Signed:
C Kirby Dach - 18yrs (???ovr 75%Med Elite) - Signed Entry level contract - 3yrs @ $0.925M
D Jared McIsaac - 19yrs (71ovr Med Top4D) - Signed Entry level contract - 3yrs @ $0.925M
RW Lane Zablocki - 20yrs (63ovr Med Top9F) - Signed Entry level contract - 3yrs @ $0.925M

This years 8th pick, Kirby Dach is signed, I will wait & see what ratings that come through for a couple of the other selections, from this years draft, however the season will have likely begun by then.
We handed an entry level contract to Defenseman, Jared McIsaac, a 2nd Round pick from 2018, who has developed well last season in Canada. He should get a lot of ice time with the Griffins if he doesn’t go back to the CHL.

Up Next: Free Agency Period

[nolman29]

Still following! Pretty decent draft

[johnstone1987]

Great draft.

[SeattleBattleCat]

Quote: Originally Posted by nolman29

Still following! Pretty decent draft

Quote: Originally Posted by johnstone1987

Great draft.

Thanks Fella's, I was pretty happy with it. There are still a few unknowns, but the guys I was guessing that would be quality are looking good so far.

[SeattleBattleCat]

NHL Free Agency 2019
1ST July - 31st August 2019

Top Free Agents available in 2019:
Skaters:




Artemi Panarin, Jeff Skinner & Jordan Eberle head the list of available players.

Goalies:

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

1st July

Quote:

FA Rumour Mill: Sabres, Red Wings, Blackhawks interested in Jeff Skinner Forward could command big pay rise for next contract 1st July 2019,

4th July:
Detroit Signs C Stelio Mattheos (???ovr ???pot) to Entry Level Contract - 3 years @ $0.875M per yr

Taking a wild stab in the dark with this one.. Probably just a 3rd/4th line forward at very best. The roster has space, let’s give this guy a shot.

5th July –
Detroit Signs RW Garnet Hathaway 27yrs (78ovr Exact Bottom6F) to 2way contract - 2yrs @ $0.875M per yr
Detroit Signs C Tanner Fritz (75ovr Exact AHL Top6F) to 2way contract - 2 years @ $0.875M per yr
Detroit Signs G Marek Mazanek 28yrs (75ovr Med Back up) to 2way contract - 2 years @ $0.975M per yr
Detroit Signs RW Zac Rinaldo (76ovr AHLTop6F) to 2way contract - 1 year @ $0.750M
Picked up a number of new 2 way contracted players including Marek Mazanek who will be able to help out Sateri in net at the Griffins.

8th July –
Detroit Signs D Alexander Edler 33yrs (82ovr Exact Top4D) - 2 years @ $4.9M per year.
- I like what Edler will be able to bring to the defensive zone on this team. His addition provides a little more stability to what is still a very average D-core comparative to other teams rosters.

Quote:

Red Wings Sign D-Man Edler to 2 year contract Wings look to another veteran to shore up Top 4 pairing 5th July 2019,

15th July –
Detroit Signs LW Jeff Skinner 27yrs (84ovr Exact Elite) to 2yrs @ $8M per year

- Skinner rejected 2 previous offers from us. However with a final offer of $8M per year we got the player we wanted. Skinner had requested 3years, however given we are offering such a lucrative contract, we counter-offered with 2 years only. I believe it’s a good deal for both parties. Jeff makes nearly the same amount in 2 years as opposed to what he would have got elsewhere for 3 years & we get a solid Left Wing for at least 2 seasons to help in our teams rebuild efforts.

Quote:

Detroit Dangles Big Carrot, Skinner Signs Skinner Holds out for bigger contract, finally signs with Detroit on $16M over 2 years 15th July 2019,

21st July - Nick Jensen Traded to New Jersey:
Detroit accepts offer to Trade D Nick Jensen 28yrs (78ovr Exact 7thD) to New Jersey for NJD 2020 Round 4 Draft Pick.
New Jersey put the above offer on the table & we accepted. Not a bad deal for a player who’s playing time would be more limited here this season.

28th July - Svechnikov Offer Matched:
Ottawa tendered an offer sheet to RFA Evgeny Svechnikov. Their offer is a 1way contract @ $1.125M for 1 year. Detroit Matches offer & Svechnikov is officially re-signed.
- Svechnikov is one of the young players that we are building our plans around moving forward. Signing him to a 1 way contract at only $1.125M for 1 year is well worth it.

31st July - RFA Signing
Detroit Signs RFA – LW Kalle Kossila 24yrs (74ovr Med Top6F) to 1 year 2way contract @ $0.770M
- Kossila was the last RFA holding out on signing. He is officially locked in.

Trades Around the League During Free Agency:
These are the trades made around the NHL during the Free Agency Period (1st July - 31st August):




Detroit signs 3 New Scouts to Organisation:
At the end of Re-sign week, I didn't realise that 3 of my scouts contracts had expired. I have dedicated more of the overall budget and hired the following scouts




Notable Signings Around the League:
LW Antemi Panarin – Signed with Calgary – 7yrs @ $7M
LW Jeff Skinner – Signed with Detroit – 2yrs @$8M
RW Jordan Eberle – Signed with Arizona -1yr @ $5.89M
D Zdeno Chara – Signed with Chicago – 3yrs @ $4.970M (42yrs old!)
D Andrej Sustr – Signed with Dallas – 2yrs @ $4.485M
LW Jussi Jokinen – Signed with Columbus – 1yr @ $0.735M
D Christtian Djoos acquired by Carolina by offer sheet from Washington – 1yr @ $1.210M

Wrap up:
Not a bad Free Agency period for the Red Wings - and we had our players locked in with a month to spare.
I don’t expect the signings of Skinner & Edler to make too much impact, however they are important pieces for this hockey team to remain competitive over the next couple of seasons. Should it not work out, they are at the very least, great trade bait.
Even with the inflated contract we gave Skinner, our salary cap is sitting on $74.392 with the ceiling this year set at $85.715.
During the year, the big task will be locking down Anthony Mantha, whose contract expires at the end of this season. Currently he is set on not wanting an extension, however perhaps a nice meaty short term contract will change his mind. We can not let a player of his quality go right now.
Training Camp & Pre-season is up next.

[Hushroom]

This is awesome!
Crazy that Vegas finished 4th in the pacific with their horrible start to the season. Bummed they barely missed playoffs.

Excited to see how you do this next season!

[SeattleBattleCat]

Quote: Originally Posted by Hushroom

This is awesome! Crazy that Vegas finished 4th in the pacific with their horrible start to the season. Bummed they barely missed playoffs. Excited to see how you do this next season!

Thanks! Yeh both Vegas & Nashville had shockers in the beginning, which surprised me - I know the Preds were missing Johansen for a big patch with injury, I'm not sure what was wrong with Vegas though.
You bringing this up made me go back & have a look through the standings, Vegas finished the last 17 games of the season 13-4-0 which is a huge effort!
I thought the Preds might go all the way to the Cup Final after they beat the Sharks in round 1, but wasn't to be.