Wings Make Waves On Day 1 of Free Agency

Hockeytown fans have woken up to a very different-feeling team.

With only a pair of moves and a pair of departures, the Red Wings have, in almost all eyes, become a much more legitimate playoff threat compared to last year.  They lost Valtteri Filppula who sought richer soil in which to plant his roots, which the under-achieving forward found in Tampa Bay.  The Wings also effectively lost Swiss forward Damien Brunner, who snubbed the Red Wings' 2 and 3-year offers, also looking for those greener pastures.  No deal has been signed for Brunner, but the writing is basically on the wall that he will land elsewhere.

What the Red Wings gained, however, far exceeded what they lost.


Detroit was targeting Florida forward Stephen Weiss from the very start as a potential replacement for Filppula should the team not be able to retain him.  Detroit sealed that deal and inked Weiss to a 5-year contract just under what Flip would have commanded.  At $24.5 Million over 5 years, the Wings get a better 2-way player and a somewhat more consistent scoring threat out of Weiss than what they had with Filppula.

The second acquisition for the Red Wings yesterday was much more of a surprise: Detroit, with promises of greater chances to win his first Stanley Cup, managed to lure away Daniel Alfredsson from the Ottawa Senators on a 1-year, bonus-laden $5.5 Million deal.  The former face of the Ottawa franchise and formerly the longest serving active NHL captain had told his former team on a call that he would not be rejoining them next season, which was as much a shock to them as it was the rest of the hockey world, but the Red Wings gladly welcome his leadership and skills into the locker room.

With RFAs left to sign and little cap space left still available, we may not see much more movement from Detroit this offseason, but what we HAVE seen has at least been very interesting and exciting to watch unfold.  Who knows? Maybe Kenny Holland has one more trick up his sleeve before next season...

2013 NHL Draft and the Red Wings

In a year where we saw Tatar and Nyquist blossom, it has become apparent that we have to grow our team from the inside. Before the boom of the internet, all you had were sporadic NHL scout reports, notes on a napkin or ''I heard that...''. Now, thanks to Twitter and other social media, text messaging and email on your smartphone, the information on prospects is available faster.

How is this year’s Red Wing draft looking to shape up?

The Red Wings are looking to draft some forwards, as per Joe McDonnell, the team’s head scout. “We'd really like to get a forward, unless there's a defenseman that's too good to pass up,'' he said. “If we feel there's two players (at different positions) that are even we'll lean toward the forward. … If we can add a little size up front, it would be beneficial.''

So here’s the top-3 draft-eligible players the Red Wings should look at from the 18th pick overall.

Alexander Wennberg – Center – Djurgarden (SWE)

EliteProspect

This relatively big center (6’1’’, 190lbs) has all the tools to be a playmaking center. ‘’Wennberg is an offensive forward with smooth hands and terrific puck-handling ability. He has great vision and patience with the puck on his stick.’’ (source) He’s more of a finesse player though, he might not be exactly what the Red Wing’s brass is looking for, but he’s been playing with men the past two seasons and has excelled, amassing 32 points in 47 games with Djurgarden. Plus he’s Swedish, a known commidity for the Red Wings.

Ryan Hartman – Right Winger – Plymouth Whalers

Pictured here on left (Tumblr)

He’s the type of player every coach would like to have on his team. Strong, versatil and a deceptive goal-scorer, Hartman was a part of the World Junior squad that won the Gold for Team USA. The 6’ 185lbs player from Illinois would be just what the Red Wings’ ordered, playing a Ryan Callahan / David Backes type of game, a player that’s no fun to play against. Had 60 points in 56 games in injury-shortened season, so he can rile up players and add points in the meantime.

Bo Horvat – Center – London Knights

TSN

The best faceoff man available at this year’s draft is Horvat. In the mold of Mike Richards, he excels at every aspect of the game, as much defensively (+29 this year) as offensively (61 points in 67 games, including 33 goals). In addition to his size, the 6’, 205lbs center from Rodney, Ontario is agressive in his forecheck and is always finishing his checks, something that Babcock would like more of his players.

Blogger’s pick : Nikita Zadorov – Defense – London Knights

TSN

Even though the brass says they won’t pick a defenseman, if this guy shows up, they should pick him. The 6’5’’ bruising defenseman is just what the doctor ordered for the Red Wings. He has a game similar to Dion Phaneuf, a booming shot from the point and would make a great pairing with Ryan Sproul or Brendan Smith, in the long run. TSN scout Craig Button said that ‘‘he has good awareness with the puck and has a heavy shot that can make it very difficult for goaltenders to corral it.’’

This draft is exciting, not only because it is said to be a very deep draft, but also Detroit gets to pick higher than it has in the last 22 years, picking Marty Lapointe in 1991 with the 10th pick overall, the same year that they took Osgood, Knuble and Jamie Pushor - yeah, that long ago!

The Legend Continues: Pavel Datsyuk Signs 3-Year Extension

The Magician has a few more tricks to perform in Hockeytown.

As per MLive.com's Ansar Khan, Pavel Datsyuk has agreed to, and signed, a new 3-year contract extension that will see him don the Winged Wheel at least until the end of 2016-17.  Datsyuk had recently hinted on Twitter that a deal was close, and he later confirmed it today on his timeline, stating:

"Signed 3 yr. extension. Detroit, glad to be here for 4 more yrs.Thanks to our fans, friends and Ilitch family".

Khan detailed the specifics of Datsyuk's extra three years in his report, stating that #13 will make a cool $10 Million in the first year of the extension, followed by a drop to $7.5 and finally $5.5 Million over the last two years of the deal, coming to a grand total of $23 Million over the extension's full term.

How happy am I? Well...

That is a pretty good indicator.

The fact that we got our boy Dats back for $23 Million over three years is exceptional on both sides: management for swinging the deal, and Datsyuk for being a true Red Wing and not low-balling the team for more cash.  Yes, I know $23M is lots of money, but I could easily see some teams paying him anywhere between $8-9 Million per season, and it wouldn't be overpaying.  Pavel does so many good things on both ends of the ice, and players like him do not come around often.  He's a proven winner, class act, and part of the heart and soul of this team.  With the fresh talent coming up through the Grand Rapids Griffins, the next few years should be kind to Datsyuk, with lots of skilled players to make plays with and big bodies to do play the puck-retrieval game and give Dats room to maneuver--not that he needs much.  The next few years could present one of the most talented Detroit lineups since the 2002 campaign.  It is certainly speculation at this point, but the possibility is there.

And so is Pavel Datsyuk.

Drew Miller Returns, and That's a Good Thing

The Red Wings have a lot on their plate heading into the summer.  The salary cap is dropping significantly and there are more players with the potential to play on the active roster than there are spots to accommodate them.  Detroit confirmed one spot recently, however, with the signing of forward Drew Miller to a 3-year deal.  The reaction I've seen across Red Wings Nation has been divided, to say the least: Some agree with the signing and are glad it happened, while some like Drew's style but don't feel there's room for him anymore, and others downright don't like him and wish he were already gone.

My thought? You can do FAR worse than Drew Miller. I'm glad he's staying.

Miller brings a lot of things to the table.  This isn't a 'devil you know' situation, because there's no devil.  Drew Miller is a bottom 6 forward who brings it every night and is usable in numerous situations.  He's never been on the roster to generate high production numbers, so it's a moot point to say he doesn't have a scoring touch.  Drew gets a goal here and there and helps set up some production, but it's his defensive awareness and his tenacity on the penalty kill that has made him a mainstay in Hockeytown.  As far as I'm concerned, the Red Wings' special teams units are the ones that need the most TLC and attention, and having Drew Miller on the PK makes that task that much easier.

There will be departures, and there will be buyouts.  I think the guys we have available might be a bit thinner than some people expect by the time training camp rolls around.  One thing is for sure, though: Drew Miller isn't going anywhere, and I'm pleased as Punch about it.