Follow me on Twitter Follow @TheJeremyLaura
Update - we’ve talked about this for a few weeks but someone is at least putting out a “balloon… that Berggren may be available after rejecting Detroit’s last offer. I’ve gone back to the Chycrun rumors a few times and Ottawa would be a club where JB could get a bigger role if they really do want to reconstruct. No clue who is in on Berggren but Detroit is said to have spoken to Ottawa about Chycrun. Again, could have been a quick call and move on.
The Detroit Red Wings are dangling Jonatan Berggren as trade bait after he rejected a contract offer, as per @TheFourthPeriod.
— Jacob Stoller (@JLStoller) February 22, 2024
Berggren, 23, is a high-end AHL talent who registered 15G & 28 PTS in 67 NHL GP last year.#LGRW pic.twitter.com/8eLaRBl45b
The analytics community is trying to find out why a team with a top 10 penalty kill, a top 10 powerplay, and the best penalty differential in the league are winning hockey games.
— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) February 25, 2024
Currently the leading theory seems to be that they are "just lucky". https://t.co/qr560TFENs
A big thank you to H2 for posting the link to this in the comments section. We’ve talked about the surprise in the conversations surrounding this year’s Red Wings team. There’s also been some unhappiness. During a tough stretch, a comment was made by a fan of an “underperforming… team that Detroit was a group of “clowns…. More than subtly indicating that the post season was simply out of reach for the Wings. So, what’s the issue?
Keep in mind that the following is speculation on the writer’s part, and does not necessarily reflect the views of Hockeybuzz or its affiliates.
There seem to be multiple issues at play. Clubs that are outside of the playoff bubble currently in the East (New Jersey, Washington, Islanders, Pittsburgh and Ottawa in particular). Then, there are teams with new ownership that expected much better results and are talking about a potential tear down and rebuild in Pittsburgh and Ottawa. Finally, a sentiment that Detroit is just inferior and wasn’t picked to be where they are. Some in Toronto aren’t happy that the Leafs haven’t had more post season success and unless a high dollar contract can be moved, defensively the playoffs haven’t been overly kind to the club.
About a month ago on one of the “non Bally… broadcasts, Kevin Weekes reiterated that both wild card spots would be held by Metropolitan teams. “There’s just too much talent over there…. The Islanders, Devils and Penguins would be battling it out for those slots all the way to the end of the season. Currently, there’s a 7 point gap between the final Wild Card slot (TB) and the next contender (New Jersey) as teams are at or around the 60 games played mark. Pittsburgh sits at 55 so they hold 5 games in hand over Tampa and 3 in hand over Detroit. Winning all 5 with a bad losing streak for TB could reverse fortunes as the Pens sit 9 points behind the final slot.
Detroit struggled with in net performances and team defense from the season’s opening until almost January. Then, Lyon started getting games in with an injury to Husso. Patrick Kane also started late in the season and is a point per game player. Reimer has done well in the backup spot, and yesterday’s game in Chicago was a fine example of that. There are certainly factors at play, but you still have a team that is improving under Yzerman and even within the season. The defensive structure and goaltending have been a huge difference maker.
We don’t know how all of this is going to pan out, but the team is winning games. Yzerman seems to be constantly on the lookout for upgrades and deals seem to materialize fairly quickly without being in the rumor mill for months on end. That’s probably a credit to a front office that is in sync with keeping business in house.
Rumors are still going to happen as it was noted by Josh Erickson that the Wings are speaking to Perron about an extension. It’s an interesting read, and Perron’s stats have fallen off. This is still a player I like to see on the ice who can create space but we’ve had the back and forth of where you have to eventually move on if it’s at the cost of extending Sprong or potentially a hurdle in bringing up some other talent (Berggren’s name has been mentioned).
The Berggren situation isn’t getting any clearer. Currently the points leader in Grand Rapids, while Edvinsson sits 2nd in overall points. Many of you want to see both in Red next season, there’s a part of the Berggren scenario that just isn’t adding up. He’s shown he can play, he’s leading the team in the AHL, but you can find clips of rumors that JB turned down a contract offer. This feels a lot like the Zadina situation.
Former first round pick Anthony Mantha seems to be drawing some trade interest. Washington has had some rough runs with the Captain potentially failing to eclipse for just the 2nd time in his career. The last time was the 20/21 season where he had 24 goals in 45 games. Though things have picked up for Ovi in the new year, the Capitals may be selling at the TDL.
That’s it for now. Let me know your thoughts on Detroit’s success, where you think they’ll land etc. If 96 points is the cutoff for the Wild Card spot then the team will have to win nearly half of the remaining 24 games. It could be tough sledding but right now this is a team that seems determined to make it happen.