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Why Cholowski to Grand Rapids Makes Sense |
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Dennis Cholowski is a Grand Rapids Griffin today, which has Red Wings fans in an uproar, and that’s why it’s a good thing that fans aren’t the ones calling the shots.
Right now, the best place for Cholowski to be is Grand Rapids and it’s likely had it not been the rash of injuries that crippled the Detroit Red Wings defense for a time, this is a move that would have been made a while ago.
Cholowski was the bright spot in an otherwise bleak launch to the Red Wings’ 2018-19 NHL campaign, displaying impressive puck skills. Through his first 22 NHL games, he posted solid 4-8-12 numbers. But the bloom soon came off the rose.
As he was assigned to Detroit’s AHL affiliate, Cholowski had posted 2-1-3 numbers in the previous 21 games and 3-1-4 totals over 30 games. For a skilled defenseman to collect one assist in that length of time was, and should be alarming. On top of that, Cholowski was minus-six in his past six games and minus-17 since Nov. 21, adding up to a team-worst minus-20 rating.
But it wasn’t just about numbers. The optics were there for all to see. Cholowski was making horrendous decisions with the puck in his own end of the rink and unwise choices in terms of positioning without it. His confidence was clearly in free fall.
Why keep veterans to play in a hopeless situation when kids like Cholowski and Hronek could be gaining valuable ice time in the NHL. Well, it’s exactly because the situation is hopeless.
This Wings team is going nowhere the rest of the season, and veterans like Jonathan Ericsson, Niklas Kronwall and Trevor Daley aren’t going to get any better than they are right now. Cholowski and Hronek have the chance to be very good, much better than they’ve already shown.
Let them go down to the minors, play a ton of minutes and excel, develop a confident swagger so that when next season begins, they are ready to assume prominent roles with a team that should be heading in the right direction.
We’ve already seen it happen with Hronek. He was out his element, playing scared to start the season in Detroit. But a trip to Grand Rapids emboldened him and he was much better in his second stint as a Wing, playing as an injury replacement for Mike Green.
Hronek has 23 points in 27 AHL games this season. If Cholowski goes down and shows similar productivity and Grand Rapids makes a playoff run, but figure to come back to Detroit next fall exuding confidence.
There’s no sense in leaving both in the lineup of a faltering NHL team that is playing out the string, allowing their confidence levels to take further hits.
In retrospect, perhaps it’s what the Wings also should have done with Filip Zadina. Let him go back to junior and dominate, play in the Memorial Cup with Halifax and come to camp next fall with a swagger.
Lengthy stints at a lower level didn’t hurt the development of guys like Tyler Bertuzzi, Anthony Mantha, or Gustav Nyquist.
Start counting the number of impact 21-year-old defensemen in the NHL and you’ll be done quickly. An AHL stint won’t hurt Cholowski or Hronek. But leaving them in the NHL to fail could set them back significantly.
Bertuzzi Back
Forward Tyler Bertuzzi will return to the lineup for Saturday’s game at Philadelphia against the Flyers.
“Tyler is going to be ready to play tomorrow unless I hear anything different,” Wings coach Jeff Blashill told Mlive.com. “My understanding is he’ll be ready tomorrow.”
Bertuzzi has missed the last seven games due to a concussion he suffered in a game at Edmonton just prior to the NHL all-star break.
AA Doubles Up
Tallying his second penalty-shot goal of the season in Thursday’s 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators, Wings forward Andreas Athanasiou joined a select group of Detroit players.
He’s the fifth player in franchise history with multiple penalty-shot goals, joining Steve Yzerman (3), Ebbie Goodfellow (2), Gordie Howe (2) and Valtteri Filppula (2).
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