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Wings preparing for life without Datsyuk |
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They knew it was coming but now that it’s here, the reality is really hitting home.
The Detroit Red Wings are preparing for life without center Pavel Datsyuk.
“It's a big loss for us,” Red Wings defenseman Danny DeKeyser said. “It will be a little bit different for sure.
“He’s been in the league for long so long, doing so much for our team, for the Red Wings. He’s a superstar. You’re not going to replace a guy like that.
“It's just going to be guys that are going to have to step up and try to play bigger roles on the team.”
DeKeyser already thinks he knows who a couple of those guys will be for the Wings.
“I think (Dylan) Larkin will take another step this year, and (Petr) Mrazek in goal,” DeKeyser said. “We have just, I think, depth guys that can step up as well.”
Best Player Available
It’s a tired, worn-out saying but that’s exactly what the Wings will be looking for when they step up to the podium to make the 16th overall pick Friday in Buffalo at the NHL entry draft.
“It’s the cliché that the general public doesn’t like to hear but it really is, you take the top guy on your draft board at that position, whether it’s a forward, D or goalie,” Detroit’s director of amateur scouting Tyler Wright said.
A guy the Wings are reportedly considering is Calgary Hitmen defenseman Jake Bean, a 6-0, 173-pound puck mover currently rated 15th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
“Somewhere along the line we’d like to start to draft a few more defensemen,” Detroit general manager Ken Holland confirmed. “We’ve had lots of forwards who are on the team or coming, and not as many defensemen.
“If the best player available that’s there is a forward we’ll take him, but somewhere along the line here we have to start to draft some D.”
A Deal In The Works?
Traditionally the Wings don’t like to trade their first round pick on draft day but they seem to be more open to the possibility this year than ever before.
Three first-round playoff exits in a row have a way of impacting a team’s philosophy.
If someone like say Windsor Spitfires defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, currently the No. 8-rated North American skater, were to slip a bit, the Wings could be convinced to move up in the draft in order to grab him.
They’d also be willing to consider going in the other direction.
“If we get to our pick and philosophically we think there are a few players that are close and somebody wants to move up, we’ll see,” Holland said. “We’ve traded back down before to get some extra seconds. That’s how we got Tyler Bertuzzi and we went back two picks and got Anthony Mantha. It’s like getting a free player. The more spins at the wheel the better it is, but if a player slides and we’re excited and we might have to pay the price to move up.
“Right now I’m working the phones and seeing who’s got interest in moving up and down and we’re telling them what we’re thinking so when the draft unfolds you’re ready to go in either direction.”
With such a deep pool of draftees this season, the Wings don’t see it as a bad thing to trade down in the first round.
“I think the quality is definitely there,” Wright said. “I think after 10 to 30, I think it’s pretty interchangeable.
“If you took the other 29 teams’ lists and compared them after the draft was done, there would be wide variety on how teams ranked it, even from 7 or 8 back.
“I think there’s definitely going to be some guys that are going to go higher than we thought.”
Schedule Released
The team that opposed the Detroit Red Wings in the first home opener at Olympia Stadium will also provide the opposition in the farewell home opener at Joe Louis Arena.
The Ottawa Senators will be in town to face the Wings Oct. 17, just as the Senators were in Detroit Nov. 22, 1927 to launch hockey at Olympia Stadium. Ottawa won that game 2-1.
Detroit’s home schedule features a slate of 23 weekend games (six Fridays, nine Saturdays, eight Sundays). Detroit will host all Original Six opponents at least one more time at The Joe and will play a total of 18 games against Original Six clubs, including five games against the Montreal Canadiens and four games against the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Camp News
The Wings will again hold their development camp at Center Ice Arena in Traverse City, Mich. from July 6-10. The camp roster will be determined after this weekend’s NHL entry draft.
All practice sessions are open to the public. Tickets are available in-person only at Centre Ice Arena for $5 per day on each day of the event.
The Wings’ annual rookie fall rookie tournament will also return to Traverse City from Sept. 16-20.
Besides the Red Wings, participating teams this season include the Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues.
Detroit’s main training camp will once more be in Traverse City, running from Sept. 23-26.
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