Sopel signs with Chicago & game recap
I talked about Brent Sopel’s signing with Chicago and posted a brief recap of tonight’s game against Toronto over at Winging It In Motown.
Be sure to check out Saturday night’s game against Toronto as it is the only time the Maple Leafs will visit the Joe all season. I’ll be there working from 10am to 11pm so no posting for me tomorrow.
Round up of season previews
Here’s a round up of the many different season previews by my fellow bloggers and other media pundits. Update (4:30pm EST): I finished posting all the season previews I found for the Red Wings. If you catch one that I’ve missed, feel free to drop me an email.
Aside from a thorough look at the players here and here, Abel to Yzerman has its prediction for both the Central and the Western Conference. Yep, IwoCPO has the Wings winning both.
The Central? It’s done. It’s 24 September and the division’s been locked up already. By now you know that has less to do with the talent in Hockeytown than it does with the complete lack of it throughout the rest of The Division That Gary Built. The Central is garbage. The second-best team has been gutted. The third and fourth best teams are respectably improving but not quickly enough to come within 25 points of the Wings and the Blues will finish last only because I want them to. It’s hard to hate Columbus and Chicago. But St. Louis? Screw them and screw their bitter fans.
The West? That’s ours too, thanks. If not for a fluttering puck from hell last May the eleventh Cuppeth would have runneth overith. Zero chance Hasek would have lost to Ottawa. And the Wings have improved. Has Anaheim? San Jose has, I guess.
Dave at Gorilla Crouch has his Red Wings preview as well as point projections for the Wings roster.
Jiri Hudler’s breakout campaign? Possibly the biggest debate amongst Red Wings fans last season was diminutive forward Jiri Hudler’s role on the team. He played a limited number of minutes, typically on the fourth line, but still managed to score 15 goals. He is slated to play on the second line alongside Henrik Zetterberg and Mikael Samuelsson. My guess is he will have a breakout campaign; I’m guessing he will score 25 goals and will tally 20 assists.
George Malik wrote the most thorough piece on the Wings yet over at Kukla’s Korner and while it’s a long read, I highly recommend it.
I’m technically in the business of making predictions, but as to the Wings’ fate, and the real and honest outcomes for their players, well…Ask me next June. Subjectively, I believe that the Red Wings should finish in the top half of the West, despite what will constitute “surprising†competition from the Blues and Predators to most people, and I believe that, especially if Kenny Holland can strengthen the team in the middle of the season with a power forward and/or centre (NO Horseface Forsberg, please), the Wings can make a couple-round dent in the playoffs, but that’s as specific as I’ll get.
Steve at Gloveside gives his preview for this year’s squad.
Optimism abounds on this year’s Red Wings squad. The bitter defeat at the hands of the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Ducks had many people who don’t normally say If Only saying If Only…the Wings were close enough to the Cup they could smell it. It hurts to lose to someone you know you can beat, and the Wings will be hungrier.
They might not stockpile points as Wings teams have done in the past, as for many players this will be a season of higher expectations and learning. Perhaps playoff jockeying will help jell a young team together a team; as in the recent past Wings first round playoff opponents have tended to already be battled hardened and seemed to raise their playoff game quicker and smoother than the Wings, who had sealed a playoff spot weeks previous.
If the kids step up, and the geezers stay healthy, the Wings will contend for the Cup.
Eric McErlain of Off Wing Opinion fame wrote a Western Conference preview for Deadspin and here’s what he had to say about the Wings:
Ho-hum. Another year, another division title. Leave it to the Red Wings to respond to their one major personnel loss (Mathieu Schnieder to Anaheim) by picking up Brian Rafalski, who’s a Michigan native to boot. Expect him to enjoy the best season of his career playing on a blue line with Nicklas Lidstrom. Anyone else who left town, in particular Todd Bertuzzi, Kyle Calder and Robert Lang, is simply a matter of addition by subtraction. And while there will always be questions raised about Dominik Hasek, Chris Osgood is more than good enough to plug the gaps as long as “The Dominator” isn’t on the shelf for too long. As for the playoffs, that’s another story entirely, where nothing but bad luck kept the Wings from advancing to the Finals last season. For the inside scoop, try Abel to Yzerman (part of the Kukla empire), or if that isn’t your style, check in with everybody’s plucky little sister, Christy Hammond, at Behind the Jersey.
Thanks for the link Eric, but I’m not really sure what “everybody’s plucky little sister” is supposed to mean!
The Puck Stops Here blogger predicts the Wings will finish first in their division over at Fox Sports.
This team is almost a lock to win this division. Not because they are the most dominant team in the NHL, but because they have no talented rivals. Detroit has the best defenseman in the NHL in Nicklas Lidstrom, who along with Brian Rafalski, Niklas Kronwall, Chris Chelios and Brent Sopel will make a talented defense core. They have a good set of forwards too led by Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Holmstrom.
Dominik Hasek is a top goalie, even at age 42, but he is a serious injury risk given his history of groin problems. Should Hasek stay healthy, Detroit could win the West Conference. If they are stuck with Chris Osgood or Jim Howard in goal for long periods of time, it will be much less likely.
David at HockeyAnalysis.com analyzes the Central Division and likes what he sees in Detroit’s team this season.
The Red Wings arguably have the best mix of players in the NHL with some quality veterans, some players in their prime, and some younger players ready to take their game up a level. They also have a good mix of offence, defence and goaltending. All-round they are a very good team and once again should compete for top spot in the west as well as for the Stanley Cup. Possibly the best team in the NHL.
Barry Melrose Rocks Wings preview is up and to quickly summarize it…
Detroit will win the Central easily, and challenge for the Western Conference Title and President’s Trophy. By March, Detroiters should have only Octopi-related thoughts on their minds.
Kevin Dupont wrote in a MSNBC column that he believes the Red Wings will win the Cup this season despite having the oldest average age roster than any other team in the league.
Top ‘tender Dominik Hasek, who will be a grizzled 43 years old in January, made it through last season without a hint of the groin problems that plagued him for years, to the point of forcing his retirement. Even better news: ex-UMaine standout Jimmy Howard showed in September’s training camp that he could make life easier for the Dominator, perhaps allow the two-time MVP to cut his workload back from 56 games to a more manageable 45-50.
Spector’s Hockey believes Detroit is once again one of the top teams in the NHL, much less the Central Division.
Detroit Red Wings. Last season’s anticipated decline of the Red Wings never occurred, and as their performance in the 2007 playoffs indicated they’re still very much a Stanley Cup contender. The rise of young Wings like Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Valtteri Filppula, Johan Franzen and Nicklas Kronwall combined with established vets like Nicklas Lidstrom, Dominik Hasek, Chris Chelios, Tomas Holmstrom, Kris Draper and new Wing Brian Rafalski should keep them among the elite of the league this season.
The Hockey News polled their correspondents on who would win the Stanley Cup. How did the Wings do? They received one vote that they would win, 28 votes that the Wings would win the Western Conference in the regular season, and just four votes that the Wings would be Western Conference champs in the playoffs.
Yes, we know, the Anaheim Ducks are our pick to win it all in the 2007-08 Yearbook, but in a poll of our 30 NHL correspondents, six Globe and Mail colleagues and THN editor Jason Kay, senior writers Mike Brophy and Ken Campbell and online columnist Adam Proteau, the Sharks came out on top with 30 per cent of the popular vote.
ESPN the Magazine predicts the Wings will win the Central Division (see a common theme yet in this prediction?).
Key acquisition: D Brian Rafalski is a complete player who contributes in all situations. He’s a playmaker from the point in the power play. He’s been a big part of two Cup winners. Adding a right-hand shot makes the Red Wings more balanced and dangerous at the same time. It definitely eases the load on Nicklas Lidstrom.
Key to the season: Gray Wings Nicklas Lidstrom (37 years old, plus-40, fifth Norris), Dominik Hasek (42, .913 SP) and Chris Chelios (45, 20:06 mpg in the playoffs) nearly helped Detroit to another Cup. Of course, those geezers complement the club’s new stars: W/C Henrik Zetterberg (26, 1.08 ppg) and C Pavel Datsyuk (29, 1.1 ppg). GM Ken Holland got younger on D, replacing Mathieu Schneider (38) with FA Rafalski (34). Up front: F prospect Igor Grigorenko, 24, disappointed in camp, but C Valtteri Filppula, 23, continues to impress. He’ll get more ice time and join their good young core.
Key stat: 9.2. Per-game shot differential between the Wings and their opponents last season (33.8 and 24.6), largest in the NHL.
NHL.com picked one player for each Western Conference team as the one to watch this season. Which player was it for the Red Wings? Jiri Hudler.
This is why there is always playoff hockey in Motown — because the Wings always draft well. A second-round pick in 2002, Hudler scored 15 goals for Detroit in his rookie season, helping his club earn the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Four of those goals last season were game-winners — and he’s still only 23.
Wings 6, Rangers 1
I posted a game recap up on Winging It In Motown.
Whenever I find some free time tomorrow, I’ll be sure to post links to the other Wings bloggers season previews.
Detroit Red Wings season preview
Today is the Detroit Red Wings season preview as part of the Central Division bloggers’ efforts to preview each team before the start of the season. Dave @ Gorilla Crouch is the brains behind this project. I’ll be sure to post links to what the other Red Wings’ bloggers have to say once they are posted.
Losses
Over the past summer, the Wings bid farewell to four former players. Kyle Calder and Robert Lang were told to look elsewhere and they signed with the LA Kings and Chicago Blackhawks respectively.
The other two players turned down Wings offers to go for the bigger money in Anaheim. Todd Bertuzzi signed a two year deal worth $8 million that paved the way for the Edmonton Oilers to snatch restricted free agent Dustin Penner.
The bigger loss for the Wings was that of veteran defenseman Mathieu Schneider. The Wings certainly felt his loss during the playoffs when he suffered a broken wrist. He signed a two year deal with the Ducks and will be making a total of $11.25 million. Unfortunately for the Ducks, Schneider broke his ankle and will miss the first 4-6 weeks of the season so it looks like a smart decision by Holland to look for a younger replacement.
New Faces
The Red Wings have a few new faces on the roster for the upcoming 2007-2008 season. The biggest signing came on July 1st when the Wings picked up offensive defenseman Brian Rafalski. While he doesn’t have the offensive numbers Schneider earned over the last couple of years with the Wings, Rafalski should see a jump in his numbers while playing for a team that will encourage him to play as an offensive defenseman. Rafalski will be wearing #28, which was previously worn by rookie Tomas Kopecky (he’ll wear #82).
The Wings then added veteran forward Dallas Drake, who should play on the fourth line. If you recall, Drake played for Detroit back in 1992-1994 before being traded to Winnipeg. While some fans may not approve of Drake getting a spot that a younger up and coming forward could’ve taken, I like that we added a physical veteran for only $550,000. Not too shabby. Drake will be wearing #17, formerly worn by Kyle Calder and Brett Hull.
Before training camp, I would’ve said to look for rookie Igor Grigorenko to earn a roster spot during training camp. He doesn’t have the speed he once had before a life-threatening car accident, but he’s a physical player who will be welcomed by many fans on the roster. He has spent the past six years since the accident in Russia trying to regain his form after suffering broken bones in both legs and a fat embolism in his lung while at the hospital.
Unfortunately for Grigs, he came to camp out of shape and his conditioning has prevented him from showing off the skills he does have. It looks like he may very well play in Grand Rapids to start off the season, which is disappointing for us fans and I’m sure management who had high hopes for him.
How will the Wings do this season?
Last season, the success of the team heavily depended on the health of veteran goaltender Dominik Hasek. The Wings are going with the Hasek-Osgood goaltender duo this season so the same question remains. Can he stay healthy for another season? If he doesn’t, will we be able to get another goalie at the trade deadline? If it’s after the deadline, can Chris Osgood rise up to the challenge? If Hasek stays healthy and plays like the crazy Czech that he is, the Wings will be all set in the net.
I would expect goaltending prospect Jimmy Howard to see some play, but Osgood should be the backup goalie this season. If Howard has to step up to the backup goalie role, he should do a better job than he would’ve last season. Howard came to camp after losing a fair amount of weight and has played pretty well during the preseason games he has played in.
Do I think the Wings have drastically improved from last season? No, but they did lose deadweights Lang and Calder. Admittedly, Lang had an incredibly critical goal against San Jose in the playoffs, but the rest of the time he spent on the ice gave Wings fans ulcers and a reason to yell at the TV.
While the Wings have only picked up a veteran forward who will spend most of his time on the fourth line, he is another physical body to make the Wings an even more physical team. We all had our doubts on how the team would play in the playoffs and they proved to be physically and mentally tougher than all their opponents (until they met Anaheim and I still blame the series loss on Andreas Lilja’s boneheaded play).
Certain players like Johan Franzen and Valterri Filppula will have to step up their play to fill the offensive void left by Lang, but there is no reason the Wings can’t win the Central Division and be one of the top Western Conference teams once again.
Unless the Wings are able to re-sign defenseman Danny Markov (which is unlikely and TSF predicts he’ll be playing in Pittsburgh), the team will give a defensive roster spot to a fresh face. While there are quite a few players who could earn the spot, it’ll probably go to Derek Meech. Why? Meech has to pass waivers if he’s to be sent down to Grand Rapids and another team would pick him off and the Wings would get nothing in return.
Another possibility is Kyle Quincey, who played solidly in the postseason when defenseman Niklas Kronwall and later Schneider were injured. The biggest defensive prospect is Jakub Kindl, who will play for the Griffins in the AHL this year. However, I believe he will have to wait another year or two before jumping to the big league.
Wolverines win & Whalers lose
Yesterday, I attended both the UM-Penn State football game and the Plymouth Whalers season opener. As many of you know, I was a game night intern for the Whalers last season so I wanted to enjoy their season opener and watch them raise the 2006-2007 OHL Championship banner to the rafters of Compuware Arena. Michigan beat Penn State, 14-9, in a close game til the finish. The Whalers lost, 6-4, to the Erie Otters, who had 70 points less than the Whalers last season.
Since I’m short on time, I will leave you photos of my experiences.
First play of the game…
My friend Jenny & I
Watching the banners rise at Compuware…
Wings 1, Penguins 0 (OT)
I wrote a brief game recap of tonight’s game at the Joe over at Winging It In Motown.
9/20 - Quick Links
My most recent posts at Winging It In Motown:
Season ticket holders can attend one of two practices
Kopecky and Draper each change positions
Tonight is the Red Wings first home preseason game and the first Wings game I will work as a public relations intern so I’m a bit excited to say the least. They’ll play Minnesota, who they defeated 6-1 on Wednesday. The game will be shown on FSN Detroit.
Unfortunately, defenseman Brian Rafalski suffered an injury to his hip flexor at practice this week and is unlikely to play tonight.
“All I know is the (trainer) said we’ll look at it tomorrow,” Rafalski said at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, where the Wings held their final practice of training camp. “It just happened on the ice, so I stood down and hopefully it feels better tomorrow.”
NHL wants to change schedule
It felt so good to write that headline. Apparently, the NHL Board of Governors met yesterday and had a little discussion regarding the current scheduling format, which highlights intradivision games and hates playing the other conference. It sounds like most of the teams agree that it is time to change the schedule after giving this format three years (including this season).
“I think it’s clear that there will be a change,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said after the four-hour meeting with owners. …
“After a discussion with the board I have a sense of where we need to be and where I think we need to be,” said Bettman. “I’m optimistic we will get there in December.”
In the past, we’d only hear quotes from Western Conference teams wanting to make a change. Why would Eastern Conference teams want to change when they have so little traveling to do with the current schedule (in comparison to the Western Conference teams)? Well, that attitude has apparently changed and it’s about fricking time.
“We think everybody should play everybody at least once,” said Ottawa Senators president and CEO Roy Mlakar. “Whether that’s home and away, we’ll need to see more evidence that that’s the direction the majority wants to go in. But we’re willing to change.”
Toronto wants to be able to play every Canadian team at least once in a season, which seems like a reasonable request to me. I know I miss playing teams like Toronto, NY Rangers, Montreal, and Pittsburgh every season.
A look at the Columbus Blue Jackets
As part of the Central Division bloggers preview project headed by Dave @ Gorilla Crouch, you can find various viewpoints about the Columbus Blue Jackets and how they should do this season from the Columbus bloggers.
Sarah at The Neutral Trap Zone gives us an in depth look at the team including analysis of each player.
So what constitutes a reasonable projection for the 2007-08 Jackets?
I’d start with the baseline of .500. That’s about where they were last season under Ken Hitchcock. It doesn’t seem unreasonable to expect they’ll at least match that, although over the entire season this time. Also, given that Hitch has had half a season plus an offseason now to instill in the guys what they have to do in order to play his game, and given the new emphasis on conditioning, I would expect that’s maybe worth a handful more points. So I see the Jackets finishing in the vicinity of 90 points. Not quite to the playoffs, but in the race beyond November. I would call that my reasonable expectation for the season.
Drew @ End of the Bench took a look at the new additions to the team as well as the “losses.” Like Sarah, Drew believes the Blue Jackets will be a more competitive team this year and hopes for a chance to be fighting for a playoff spot by the time the end of the regular season rolls around.
I want to look forward to games against Detroit and Colorado, and not simply throw up my hands in futility at the opening face-off because we are a scrimmage team to them. I want to play meaningful games in March (hell, even in January would be a change). When Barry Melrose gets his two minutes each week towards the end of the season to talk about the playoff picture, I want the CBJ crest to be on the screen fighting for that 8th spot. I don’t want to be the laughingstock of the NHL. I don’t want journalists and bloggers in other cities to refer to us as patient fans because we have to put up with the same shit year after year.
I want competitiveness.
I would love to see a more competitive Columbus squad because I’m so sick of playing you guys 8x a year and if you’re better, at least those 8 games would be a bit more interesting.
Lions beat Vikings in OT, 20-17
So the Lions have started off their season, 2-0. Both wins were by no means pretty, but they are undefeated. I did a brief write up of today’s football game over at MVN’s Lions Den.