— x - Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) March 28, 2024
Congratulations to the Griffins who are headed for the playoffs. You can go to Yesterday’s entry and see a video that was put together by Detroit. The team came together after Christmas and rolled their way into this position. I’m sure more than a couple of you will be taking in the good times at Van Andel!
On the other side of the state, Detroit is fighting for a playoff birth. It’s not going to get easier tonight as they face Carolina. While Detroit managed to stay near the bubble, they are on the outside and best estimates seem to indicate that 7 of the final 10 games have to be a “W”. The team derailed with the loss of Larkin for 7 games, his return saw a win but losses in Nashville and the OTL against Washington followed the excitement. Walman has been out of the picture for health reasons, but many of you are looking to see Sprong be allowed to return. The offense is needed.
More than anything, the team has to play their best hockey and leave it all on the ice. Even short mental lapses are costly right now. This is the group that Yzerman decided would decide their own fate (minus Kostin) and that’s playing out down to the wire. It isn’t easy to feel “comfortable” about nearly any tilt, but it’s also a step forward to be so close to the playoff picture. Last year’s departures of Bertuzzi and Hronek saw the team essentially shut down. That leads to the interesting discussion around Hronek right now.
Filip Hronek is looking for a raise and the numbers being floated are in the high 7s or even 8 million dollar raise. We talked about league finances yesterday, but the same voices are saying the 8 million for Hronek should be no problem with the cap raising over the next few years to a point that it will not be an issue. I’d love to see their crystal ball, because the paper ledger isn’t looking quite so hot. I’m not revisiting all of that, but you can look at the post and decide for yourself.
With Seider being the bigger raise this summer, it’s a bit easier to handle the loss of Hronek. It hurt, but 2 defensemen looking at similar raises (potentially) would further exacerbate the scrutiny over some of the current deals on the books. The numbers being bandied for Hronek aren’t what I was expecting to see, but it seems like the press is on board with putting those out into the stratosphere.
Let me know your thoughts. Does the success in Grand Rapids have you any more excited about some of the prospects in the pipeline? Where do you think Detroit will land tonight? Finally, would you be on board with the salary numbers being mulled over right now?
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
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