2015/16 Red Wings Thread

[Guest]

Year 1 of the Blashill Era


What will Red Wings do with logjam on defense?

As the summer progresses, the Detroit Red Wings will explore moving a defenseman. At worst, they'll go into the season well-stocked.

The July 1 signing of Mike Green brought the number of Detroit-slotted defensemen to seven, as he joined Niklas Kronwall, Danny DeKeyser, Jonathan Ericsson, Kyle Quincey, Brendan Smith and Jakub Kindl. Teams usually carry that many blueliners - six who play, plus a spare - but the situation is made interesting by the prospects pressing for jobs.

Alexey Marchenko, Xavier Ouellet, Nick Jensen and Ryan Sproul are all entering their last year of waiver-exempt status, so the Wings have to figure out who is NHL-caliber this season. All four won't be up at the same time, but ideally they'll each be able to get auditions at some point.

[Guest]

Datsyuk: I won't be ready for start of Red Wings' season

Pavel Datsyuk says he'll be with the Detroit Red Wings when they begin the regular season Oct. 9.

But whether he's on the ice is a different story.
Datsyuk, recovering from a June 26 surgery to repair ruptured ankle tendons, indicated to SVT.se's Marie Lehmann today in Yekaterinburg, Russia, that he won't be ready for the start of the NHL season.

"They say 4-5 months," Datsyuk said of his recovery time. "We'll see how this goes. ... I'll be there, but they not start me. I hope I miss (only) a little bit, the beginning of the season."

This isn't a surprise. In late June, Datsyuk's then-agent, Gary Greenstin, told the Free Press that Datsyuk would be ready for October, but the Red Wings aren't expecting Datsyuk back before November.

Despite that, Datsyuk didn't seem worried, telling Lehmann that the rest of the Wings should step up in his absence.

[SpartanInNH]

Datsyuk: I won't be ready for start of Red Wings' season

Pavel Datsyuk says he'll be with the Detroit Red Wings when they begin the regular season Oct. 9.

But whether he's on the ice is a different story.
Datsyuk, recovering from a June 26 surgery to repair ruptured ankle tendons, indicated to SVT.se's Marie Lehmann today in Yekaterinburg, Russia, that he won't be ready for the start of the NHL season.

"They say 4-5 months," Datsyuk said of his recovery time. "We'll see how this goes. ... I'll be there, but they not start me. I hope I miss (only) a little bit, the beginning of the season."

This isn't a surprise. In late June, Datsyuk's then-agent, Gary Greenstin, told the Free Press that Datsyuk would be ready for October, but the Red Wings aren't expecting Datsyuk back before November.

Despite that, Datsyuk didn't seem worried, telling Lehmann that the rest of the Wings should step up in his absence.

Datsyuk had been bothered by the ankle as the season closed, but hopes had been that rest would do the trick. It didn't. Team trainer Piet van Zant talked to Datsyuk last Saturday, after Datsyuk had returned from vacation.

"Pav said his ankle wasn't getting any better," Holland said, "so we put this together for him to come over, see the doctor, and the decision was made today to have surgery, so he had surgery."

The injury stems from a shot Datsyuk blocked in the last month of the season.

Pavel Datsyuk has ankle surgery, could miss start of season

[SpartanInNH]

Okay, not purely Red Wings (or at all, really), but the thought of Babcock working with Lamoriello makes me

Lamoriello will be Babcock's GM in Toronto

[beal99]

Year 1 of the Blashill Era


What will Red Wings do with logjam on defense?

As the summer progresses, the Detroit Red Wings will explore moving a defenseman. At worst, they'll go into the season well-stocked.

The July 1 signing of Mike Green brought the number of Detroit-slotted defensemen to seven, as he joined Niklas Kronwall, Danny DeKeyser, Jonathan Ericsson, Kyle Quincey, Brendan Smith and Jakub Kindl. Teams usually carry that many blueliners - six who play, plus a spare - but the situation is made interesting by the prospects pressing for jobs.

Alexey Marchenko, Xavier Ouellet, Nick Jensen and Ryan Sproul are all entering their last year of waiver-exempt status, so the Wings have to figure out who is NHL-caliber this season. All four won't be up at the same time, but ideally they'll each be able to get auditions at some point.

Find a way to dump Quincey and Kindl for something, give Smith and DK a very short leash, I'd put Big E there too because he's a pylon, but Kenny loves him. I want to believe like Fox Mulder that Marchenko and Oullet are ready. Also, I enjoy the term 'logjam'

[SpartanInNH]

Find a way to dump Quincey and Kindl for something, give Smith and DK a very short leash, I'd put Big E there too because he's a pylon, but Kenny loves him. I want to believe like Fox Mulder that Marchenko and Oullet are ready. Also, I enjoy the term 'logjam'

Went to YouTube and typed in "logjam."  

[beal99]

[GRR Spartan]

Okay, not purely Red Wings (or at all, really), but the thought of Babcock working with Lamoriello makes me

Lamoriello will be Babcock's GM in Toronto

WOTS is Toronto threw so much money at Lou Lamoriello that leaving New Jersey was an easy decision. There are a lot of people inside the NHL who are scratching their heads and wondering what Shanahan was thinking when he made the hire.

[Guest]

Fun article that allowed me to re-live the Wings/Avs rivalry.....

The Heavyweight Belt of NHL Rivalries

The Championship Belt is one of my favorite recurring Grantland features, having covered everything from NFL quarterbacks to MLB pitchers to action movie heroes. But we’ve never broken it out for hockey, even though it feels like a natural for the sport. That ends today. After all, it’s the offseason, which is one of the times during the year that hockey fans like to argue with each other.¹
But for what? We could go with the obvious, like handing out a championship belt for the best player or top goaltender, or maybe best team. We could even do the championship belt of the actual pugilists, from Dave Schultz to Bob Probert and beyond. In fact, let’s be honest, we’re absolutely going to do that last one someday. But that day is not today.
No, today we’re going to crank up the degree of difficulty with something a little trickier: the heavyweight belt of NHL rivalries. Hockey has always been made for inspiring hatred between teams; it’s practically why the game was invented. But at any given time in league history, which one rivalry reigned supreme?

[Guest]

Training camp preview: Ten issues facing Wings

Detroit — As the Red Wings open training camp Friday, it’s hard to see much difference from last season.
But there is.
There are two additions on the ice — free agents Mike Green and Brad Richards.
But the biggest change is behind the bench as Jeff Blashill replaces Mike Babcock as coach after Babcock left for Toronto.
What makes this transition easier than most coaching changes is the fact Blashill has coached most of the Red Wings — in Detroit or Grand Rapids.
“We’re certainly ready to get going,” Blashill said. “We’ve gone over the same stuff over and over. Now it’s just time to get going.”
But just as quickly as the Red Wings — and the rest of the NHL — open camp, they’ll begin exhibitions. Detroit opens its slate Tuesday in Chicago.

[SpartanInNH]

Ken Holland:  "Now we want to kick Mike Babcock's ass"

Dang. Thanks, bruh bruh.

[Other Teams Pursuing That]

Fix that link bruh

[Guest]

Red Wings counting on Nyquist, Tatar to step up

Traverse City — Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg have carried the Red Wings through several situations.
But they're not getting any younger.
Datsyuk is 37 and will miss the opener recovering from ankle surgery.
Zetterberg will be 35 on Opening Night, Oct. 9, and is coming off a slump-ridden second half.
Which forces the need for young players such as Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar to progress and take steps forward — beginning now.

[Guest]

Wings camp: Abdelkader poised for breakout year on top line

TRAVERSE CITY – Justin Abdelkader has graduated from a fear of failing to an expectation of scoring.
As the Red Wings transition from training camp to exhibition games as preparation for the upcoming season, Abdelkader is back where he has demonstrated he belongs, on a top line. His name is penned next to Henrik Zetterberg and Gustav Nyquist, adding physicality and net-front savvy to the trio.
Abdelkader is coming off a career season with 23 goals among 44 points, mostly playing on a line with Pavel Datsyuk. To those who know him, the numbers bear evidence of what type of player Abdelkader is and will continue to be.

[Guest]

Tyler Bertuzzi gaining admirers among Red Wings

He doesn't tower over opponents like his famous uncle, but Tyler Bertuzzi is impressing his relative's former teammates with his grit and hardiness.
Bertuzzi is building a fan club within the Detroit Red Wings, even as he took it upon himself to morph away from the type of player the Wings thought they drafted two years ago. Bertuzzi is off to an impressive exhibition season, having pumped four points into Thursday's 6-1 victory over Pittsburgh, which included one goal and one nifty lob pass.
Bertuzzi is only 20 and needs more seasoning in the AHL with Grand Rapids, but he already has impressed veteran Wings and the coaching staff.

[SpartanInNH]

Say what you will about Cleary (SHUT UP!), I'm wondering about Franzen:

Franzen did not factor into the scoring, but that wasn't his primary motivation.

Franzen, playing in just his second game since suffering a concussion last Jan. 6 in Edmonton, wanted to mix it up a bit.

In the third period, Franzen and Bruins defenseman Tommy Cross had a little skirmish that resulted in both players spending time in the box for roughing.

"I made sure I wasn't going to fight," Franzen said. "So I grabbed around his neck. So it was hugging."

Franzen finished with a team-high four hits, which he said was by design.

"I tried to hit as much as possible," Franzen said. "That was on purpose. First game was kind of just feeling it a little bit. Took the next step today, tried to be a little more physical and get in there, get a little dirtier and see how that felt."

Franzen called it "fun" and his teammates were glad to see it.

Franzen mixes it up in OT loss to Bruins

Countdown to Franzen's last game starts here. Really don't want my last memory of him being Piet van Zant next to him on the ice, calling for the stretcher.

[Guest]

Howard stepping up in tight Red Wings goalie race

Jimmy Howard is eyeing opening night, as is Petr Mrazek. Jeff Blashill is eyeing a busy October.
One of the more intriguing aspects of exhibition season for the Detroit Red Wings centers on who will grab the starting goaltending job. Blashill wanted to see if either candidate separated from the other but, in a small sample, they have kept close. Howard most recently was the difference-maker Monday night in Boston, making 31 saves in a 3-1 victory to put his exhibition numbers at 2-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average and .943 save percentage after three appearances. Mrazek, expected to play Wednesday at Pittsburgh, has played one full and one partial game, giving him an 0-0-1 record with a 2.64 goals-against average and .915 save percentage.
"I think both have played really, really well, which is what my thought process was going in," Blashill said. "We have two guys that both have proven at different times to be elite and both can be elite.

[GRR Spartan]

Nothing matters until Blashil sets his roster.
Pre-season NHL is as bad as pre-season NFL.

[beal99]

We played two goalies pretty damn well in the cup runs, do it again.

[Guest]

Ouellet joins Green with Wings' DeKeyser out 3-4 weeks

Mike Green wants to get acclimated to his new team, and Xavier Ouellet wants to grab an opportunity.

The ugly side of getting ready for a season hit the Detroit Red Wings full this morning, when MRI results revealed top-four defenseman Danny DeKeyser will miss 3-4 weeks with a sprained ligament in his left foot.

Most immediately, it meant finding a new partner for Green for the evening game at Joe Louis Arena between the Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs. The Wings opted for Ouellet because he plays a smart, safe game, the kind that is needed opposite an offensive juggernaut such as Green.

[WhiteBoyHatcher]

Jimmy Howard is the starter. Kinda surprised. Opening night on Friday?

Holy fucking square off to start the Flames/Nucks game. That must have been pre-meditated.

[Guest]

Red Wings 2015-16 season preview: Goal is win the Cup

The Red Wings are out to have fun.

They begin the annual campaign for champagne in a Cup with players throwing around such self-descriptors as “hungry” and “refreshed” — and also “tired.”

The fatigue stems from a recent string of playoff fizzles, which feeds into the hunger. The freshness comes from the first new coach in a decade, the addition of two marquee veterans and the push from the next generation. Injuries already have set in, but still the approach is one of renewed rosiness.

“We have the personnel to be really good,” captain Henrik Zetterberg said. “You will always get injuries, but we have guys that can get the job done no matter what. We are tired of going through the whole season and then when the fun starts, we are only there for two weeks.”

The Wings make the playoffs with a regularity that would make a Swiss clockmaker swoon — 24 consecutive seasons, by far the longest active streak in the NHL — but the equally regular early exits have left players ticked off.

[Wally Fairway]

I'm thinking that LWS must be dead, or in a coma, since he hasn't threadshit on this. Dude is a avowed Detroit sports team hater, with the Wings being the one he hates most.

RIP - Bee

Go Wings

[Guest]

Helene St. James ‏@HeleneStJames 13m13 minutes ago

Detroit 4, Carolina 3: Big third period lifts Red Wings http://on.freep.com/1LnamTf via @freep

[The Pantry]

19-year-old Dylan Larkin leads the league in plus/minus at 6 after only 2 games.  Pretty excited to watch the kid play this season.

Larkin being compared to Yzerman

Pumped to see fellow Finlander Teemu Pulkkinen play, too.

Wings’ Pulkkinen finding his scoring touch

[SpartanInNH]

19-year-old Dylan Larkin leads the league in plus/minus at 6 after only 2 games.  Pretty excited to watch the kid play this season.

Larkin being compared to Yzerman

Pumped to see fellow Finlander Teemu Pulkkinen play, too.

Wings’ Pulkkinen finding his scoring touch

Good. Pity the kid is a scUMmer, but a few years in the Winged Wheel will knock that shit off.

[Guest]

Mighty good Wings game tonight, they beat the Lightning 2-1.

[Guest]

Wings in OT in NBCSports Net right now....11th straight game with a point.

[Floyd Robertson]

Wings in OT in NBCSports Net right now....11th straight game with a point.

Make it 12.  Get Blashill a lifetime contract extension.

[GRR Spartan]

Time for Jimmy Howard to put together some good games so he can be traded.

[Guest]

Other than a poor college choice I love this kid.

Homegrown Dylan Larkin makes impact, Wings' next star?

[Floyd Robertson]

Dana Wakiji ‏@Dwakiji 1m1 minute ago
#RedWings Larkin named Allstate Good Hands Player of the Month. #Sabres

[Guest]

Streak ended.   Blew a 1-0 lead with 4 minutes to go and lost 2-1.   Nyquist missed an open net with about 20 seconds to go.

[Floyd Robertson]

FOX Sports Detroit Retweeted
Detroit Red Wings ‏@DetroitRedWings 2h2 hours ago
Congrats, Abby! - http://bit.ly/1QvXopP 
Justin Abdelkader

[SpartanInNH]

FOX Sports Detroit Retweeted
Detroit Red Wings ‏@DetroitRedWings 2h2 hours ago
Congrats, Abby! - http://bit.ly/1QvXopP 
Justin Abdelkader

WHAT!!??!!!!!!

[Guest]

Red Wings beat Predators, move into first place

[SpartanInNH]

Red Wings beat Predators, move into first place

WOOT!  We really need a Red Wings smilie.  

Ah, fuck it.

[Code_Warrior]

Red Wings beat Predators, move into first place

WOOT!  We really need a Red Wings smilie.  

Ah, fuck it.

Wings played pretty well last night. Did a good job on PK pressuring the man with the puck, however, they didn't get a lot of clears. Nashville did a good job moving the puck on the power play but couldn't really set up anything because the pressure forced them to move the puck quicker than they wanted to. Overall, I thought the Wings did a good job forechecking and grinding in the offensive zone. I thought Murazik played great as well.

[Guest]

Wings lose, Howard pulled from second straight game

[Guest]

Hannah Saunders ‏@FOX2Hannah 21m21 minutes ago
A shot I took from the chopper today showing progress on new @DetroitRedWings arena...opens 2017! @FOX2Sports

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