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Wings kicking tires on Radulov |
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One Russian is likely leaving but another could possibly be coming to Detroit.
While it would appear almost a certainty that Pavel Datsyuk has played his last NHL game in Detroit, according to an NHL source, the Wings are doing their due diligence on forward Alexander Radulov.
Selected 15th overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2004 NHL entry draft, Radulov has spent the last four seasons with CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental League, the team managed by former Wings center Sergei Fedorov.
There’s no question of Radulov’s ability. He scored 26 goals for the Predators in 2007-08 and was a 20-goal scorer for CSKA the past two seasons.
It’s his attitude that the Wings are concerned about. Radulov, 29, has a history of bad behaviour and the Wings, who have spoken Radulov’s agent, are talking to his friends and former teammates to get a handle on whether he’d be a problem in the dressing room or a bad influence on the club’s younger players.
Those close to him insist Radulov has changed his ways. He’s now a father and has settled down into family life.
Jurco Seeking Move?
Speaking to Slovakian reporters after his first practice with the national team in preparation for the world championship, Wings forward Tomas Jurco expressed his dissatisfaction with the club.
Jurco posted 4-2-6 numbers in 44 games and played in just three of Detroit’s last 16 regular-season games and none of the Wings’ five playoff games against the Lightning.
He insisted no one from the team gave him a valid reason for his absence from the lineup.
“In the club, no one explained why I do not play,” Jurco told the Slovak news service Svita. “After the season on meeting me, general manager (Ken Holland) also could not tell me the reasons.”
While Jurco stated he’d prefer to stay with the Wings, he did not rule out asking for a trade.
“We will see what will happen in the summer,” Jurco said. “I need to play and when it’s not Detroit, it must be somewhere else.”
Andersson To Sweden
Red Wings fans won’t have Joakim Andersson to kick around anymore.
Orebro Hockey is reporting on its web site that Andersson, 27, has signed a two-year contract with the Swedish Elite League team.
“Orebro feels right,” Andersson is quoted as saying. “I want to have a leading role and help the club take the next step.”
Andersson split the 2015-16 season between the Red Wings and their AHL farm club in Grand Rapids. There was consternation within the Wings fan base when Andersson was recalled for their playoff series against Tampa Bay but it was Andersson who set up Andreas Athanasiou for the game winner in Detroit’s only victory during the series.
AA To The A
Athanasiou is another Wing headed somewhere else to play. The Wings assigned Athanasiou to Grand Rapids for the Calder Cup playoffs.
Athanasiou posted 8-8-16 numbers in 26 games with the Griffins before he was recalled to the Red Wings.
He’d gone home immediately following Detroit’s playoff elimination to deal with a family matter, the reason why Athanasiou wasn’t immediately assigned to Grand Rapids.
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