Welcome to the season of no news and clickbait articles!
Been quiet around WIIM World as of late, and that’s no accident. I’ve been taking some time off of the blogosphere because there’s simply not much to talk about right now. That will obviously change as we get closer to the NHL Draft and free agency.
It’s down to four teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I caught some of game seven between Florida and Toronto, but turned it off due to the Leafs not putting up much of a fight. So now it will be Carolina and Florida in the Eastern Conference Finals. It will be very easy for me to cheer for the Hurricanes. On the other side, it’s Dallas and Edmonton in the West. I think Dallas will take this one, but it should be a great series. I still think it’s incredible that Edmonton makes it this far with the goaltending they have.
Dallas vs Carolina in the SCF would be a real treat I think!
Okay, now some actual Red Wings-related items…
There’s some rumors that Detroit has interest in signing former NHLer Max Comtois. The 26-year-old forward is coming off a season in the KHL with Dynamo Moskva where he scored 21 goals and 29 assists in 62 games. He was also the most-penalized player in the K, with 99 PIM. Not sure if this is a needle-mover for me. Comtois would be an addition for the bottom-six. No harm in taking a flyer on him if he is interested in coming to Detroit, but it sounds like there are multiple teams interested.
Some alumni are on the move — Ken Holland is the new GM for the Los Angeles Kings, and apparently former head coach Jeff Blashill is interviewing for the coaching job in Chicago. Good for them.
I haven’t watched much of the Men’s Worlds, but I’ve been keeping and eye on the highlights. I’ve been most impressed with Marco Kasper, who has been the driving force for Team Austria, it seems. Having just turned 21, it’s amazing to see his growth this year and his trajectory going forward. What initially was viewed as a potential reach at 8th overall in the 2022 Draft is now developing into an important role player for this franchise. As I write this now, Kasper has four goals and one assists in six games. Not bad for the kid.
Finally, the Toledo Walleye continue to make noise in the Kelly Cup Playoffs. If they can care of business against KC then they’ll punch their ticket to the Kelly Cup Final. Great team, worth checking out if you ever find time in Toledo. Go fish.
