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The move of Jeff Petry may well still be in a fluid state. I talked about this the other day and there are mixed reactions as to whether he would be a good fit for Detroit. The above link indicates that the price rollback is on for both Petry and DeSmith. If retention is on the table I wouldn’t mind seeing Petry as a stopgap or even incentive for some of the prospects to pick up their game and force Yzerman to utilize the waiver wire.
The Mantha for Vrana deal has soured on both sides. There’s an appetite to move the big man out of Washington. So, going back to those first round picks, Zadina has signed a “prove it… deal in SJ, Svech is heading back to Russia, and Mantha is being shopped without a lot of success. The pre Yzerman first rounders of Larkin, Rasmussen and Veleno seem to be the last ones standing and Veleno is an unsigned RFA.
Veleno seems to be relegated to bottom 6 at this point, and that may be a talking point. Zadina believed that a change in venue would help him turn things around. Veleno may be asking for more minutes or looking for a fresh start. The once “steal of the draft… hasn’t had the impact that was hoped for. Berggren, picked at the beginning of the second, found some life with the team in a depth role. Before he left, Bertuzzi was scoring and becoming a fan favorite after his initial draft was thought to be “too high….
There’s not a solid reason I can think of that would have Yzerman making calls (unless it is a situation where Veleno wants a fresh start, which I’ve not heard) but he’ll listen if calls are being made. That’s a good place to be in terms of someone reaching out to you, it puts Detroit’s GM in the stronger place of negotiations.
Unless there’s something too good to pass up (or even just seems sensible and cost friendly) I expect we’re seeing the team that will be at camp at this point. We’re almost halfway through August and fall training camp will be here before you know it. I’m very interested in watching the prospects tournament as well as getting a copy of the lineup sheets. There will probably be a decent buzz from the fans at camp around Debrincat and a mountain of interview clips. It’s Christmas in September to hear the sound of sharpened metal on ice and the echo of pucks hitting glass.