In Red Wings Land

As Anthony Mantha nears return from fight injury, was it worth not looking soft? | Freep

This is the second straight year Mantha has missed time after deciding a teammate needed his help. Last season he missed a month after injuring a hand fighting Patrik Nemeth (now a teammate, but then with Colorado) after Nemeth hit Dylan Larkin. Mantha missed the last five games of the 2016-17 season after injuring a finger fighting Tampa Bay’s Luke Witkowski, who challenged Mantha because of a hit in a prior game on Gregg McKegg.

Asked if he second-guesses his decision, Mantha didn’t hesitate to respond: “No. No.”

The headline for this article is dumb. Anthony Mantha is not soft. However, I do want Mantha to stop thinking he’s got to fight other players. I know this time it was a slew foot by Jake Muzzin that caused the injury and not a fight, but the Red Wings need him to be healthy if they’re ever going to turn all these losses into wins.

Around the League

Coyotes’ trade for Taylor Hall a cautionary tale with deadline on horizon | Sportsnet

Naw. Shoot your shot.

I enjoyed seeing the Blue Jackets go all in last season and I’m happy to see the Coyotes try to make a run too.

Gritty cleared by Philadelphia police after investigation finds no evidence mascot assaulted young fan | CBS Sports

Well, we can all rest easy now.