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Albert Johansson won’t be competing for a spot in North America this season. Yzerman’s process in deciding the best spot for development has many layers, and seems to really focus on the player. We can hope that AJ will have a fantastic year and possibly get a glimpse of the defenseman at the end of next season. In mentioning defense, Eemil Viro and William Wallinder were both selected for the world junior showcase for Finland and Sweden (respectively). Niederbach is Detroit’s lone forward representative for Sweden (though several think Eklund will be a future asset). Raymond is curiously absent from the roster, though it may be due to availability. Congratulations to the Detroit prospects who have been selected.
Mlive did a piece on Detroit’s search for a power play coach. For the sake of being candid, on ice personnel is as culpable for the failures as the off ice training. However, Detroit improved in a few key areas last year but the power play wasn’t one of them. To Yzerman’s credit, he’s making a change. Again, he is offering some sort of upgrade each year and giving players (and coaches) a chance to achieve more success.
The early season losses of Bertuzzi, Fabbri, Zadina (Ryan later on) disrupted some unique chemistry that was coming together. However, the coaching staff is tasked with finding success with the available players. A fresh face behind the bench isn’t a bad idea at all. Though it may never happen, I’d love to see Lidstrom brought in as a consultant or coach for special teams. He still works with the organization to some degree. In his final seasons he became more vocal with the coaching staff regarding some thoughts and theories for special teams. Should the “perfect human” ever decide to dip his toe behind the bench, it would be really exciting to watch. But, that’s a bit of a pipe dream.
You may have seen a wave of new rumors hit the mill in the last few days. Teams are really gearing up for the expansion draft and entry draft, both just over a month away. Dougie Hamilton is on the open market, and it sounds like Zach Hyman is as well. When I suggested his moving on last year, I was hit with some fairly nasty Torontonian wrath. His team friendly deal was way too friendly, and the cap is far too stagnant. Full disclosure, I’d love to see Hamilton in Detroit and I wouldn’t mind Zach either. The hiccup in the market, though, could see both hitting pre-Cap freeze deals. There is a breeze coming from the west, and it smells like the Kraken are ready to spend money.
Last season saw Pietrangelo leave St. Louis when the management couldn’t give either the dollar amount or signing bonuses he was looking for. Instead they brought in Krug whose 6.5 was higher than Boston wanted to pay. After that, players like Athanasiou and Duclair turned their backs on 3 and 4 million dollar deals feeling like the market would provide 5+. They were very, very wrong. The bottom dropped out and all the GMs were playing hardball. This summer, Seattle is not only starting from zero in dollars spent, but they can offer max term deals. So, what if Hamilton’s 7.5 estimated get jumps to 8x8 or higher? Hyman is reportedly looking for 5+. At 29 and with nagging knee troubles, he could find himself a bit limited. However, as a “character” guy with grit, Seattle could pay what he wants. Reinhart is a UFA with arbitration. Seattle could make an offer that teams would be loathe to match. Maybe they don’t mind spending picks on an offer sheet (yes I know how rare it is).
The point being, last year’s iron grip on the market by 31 GMs is being thrown off a bit by the new kid who doesn’t have any contracts on the books. In NHL terms, it’s a young player at the start of a 2 week road trip who just got his per diem envelope. Hello $500 steak house splurge!
The ripple will be limited, as Seattle can only build one roster. But, they can plan around the fixed cost players available in the draft and pay a premium to grab the top free agents. I don’t know if they’d part with their first round pick. Normally, absolutely not. But, with Vegas-type aspirations, they could build a younger team and at the very least trade back to get a good piece.
Part of me really enjoys what I’m seeing. 31 GMs had complete control of the market last year. Agents were shaking their heads as players they deemed as being worth 5-6 million were getting offers of 2 to 3. Once Seattle has built their team (and assuming 31 GMs walk away from the table once prices hit pre-COVID values) the market will probably freeze up once again. The next big commodity is draft picks. Teams are really focused on grabbing first and second round selections for this year. Yzerman has some wealth in the second round, but he is shrewd. Those first 5 selections (2 in the first and 3 in the second) have so much more potential with scouting thrown all over the place this past year. Europe and Collegiate programs that weren’t shut down garnered much more attention from central scouting. As far off as they’ve been in Yzerman’s first couple years, they could be that much further off in general. (See Yzerman busting Ansar Khan’s chops).
Seattle is going to control things for a little bit. Calls are going to Seattle and then out to everyone else. If deals can’t be made with the Kraken, they’re going to be explored as to how to avoid losing an asset for nothing. There is a lot more motion than normal with the playoffs still in full swing. It remains to be seen if or when the blockbusters will hit, but more than a few people “in the know” think they’re coming. Part of me hopes they do, if only to see some big shakeups.
Check out some of my previous posts
Albert Johansson won’t be competing for a spot in North America this season
I will be featuring the writings of Kevin Allen for a summer reading program this year. It’s tough to break up the summer months, and the one on one formats that Kevin has perfected is not only a pleasure to read but gives insight that isn’t easy to come by. I’ll be starting with Chris Chelios “Made in America”. Head to
Triumphbooks.com and you can find this and several other titles by Kevin Allen. Digital formats are also available.
Colorado is out of the playoffs.
Isle be darned, Boston is out
(M)Over Achiever - Seider getting accolades
setting the limits on trades
Moritz Seider reminds me of Jiri Fischer
Mo Seider is getting good ice time at the IIHF Worlds Championship.
There may be some blockbuster deals coming.
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
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