The Big Story

Connor McDavid denied by NHL in fastest skater request | Puck Daddy

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah :’(

Boo hoo Connor McDavid didn’t beat Dylan Larkin’s record. Bummer. Larkin is still the king of speed (at least until Andreas Athanasiou gets a trip to NHL All-Star weekend).

P.S. Thanks for the link in the post.

In Red Wings Land

Weeks ahead will determine how Detroit Red Wings assess future | Detroit Free Press

It’s Helene St. James’ turn to chime in on the Red Wings being sellers at the deadline.

Shockingly… there’s a lot in this article I agree with. No as shocking… there’s a lot in this article I roll my eyes at. Let’s start with where St. James actually makes sense in what she’s saying.

The Wings are capable of rising in the standings, but it will take better performances from nearly everyone, including the coaching staff. Playing Riley Sheahan, who has yet to score a goal, in overtime in Boston while benching Anthony Mantha does not make sense.

Being critical of the coaching staff and how they dished out ice time in Boston is not something I was expecting to read. Well done, Helene. She also mentions that if the Wings are out of it they need to trade Thomas Vanek. Obvious, but correct.

And then we get to the part of the article where we come to a screeching halt.

If a reasonable offer emerges for Mrazek, there’s another trade to make. Mrazek, 24, has been good in spurts in his career with the Wings, but he has been outplayed this season both by Jimmy Howard and Coreau. Coreau will be the guy to protect in the expansion draft this summer, and Howard is unlikely to be claimed by the new Vegas franchise, so the Wings can go forward with those two in goal.

Annnnnnnd you lost me.

You lost me at “Coreau will be the guy to protect.” I know it was written by the beat writers earlier this month and it’s still as stupid now as it was then. I understand Petr Mrazek hasn’t played well. Hell, he’s played downright poorly this season, but one poor season does not make a career. You don’t give up on his potential now. Of course, not protecting Mrazek in no way guarantees that he’s gone. There will be plenty of goaltending available for Las Vegas in the expansion draft. It’s just not something you risk. Jared Coreau’s ceiling is not as high as Mrazek’s.

Helene goes on to mention the Wings should consider trading Gus Nyquist or Tomas Tatar. That’s not a terrible idea if you can get a good haul for them. Both Nyquist and Tatar will be out of their primes by the time the possible 5-6 year rebuild is over. If you can move them now to accelerate the process by a year, you have to do it, right?

And finally…

If the Wings don’t see themselves making the playoffs, they need to accumulate assets, and if that proves feasible, then the next step is to commit to playing the young guys to give them experience. Play Tomas Jurco, and figure out if he is an NHLer or not. Ditto Ryan Sproul. Give Coreau more starts. If the roster situation allows, bring up Tyler Bertuzzi and Robbie Russo.

I’m on board with almost all of that. Overall, not the worst assessment by St. James. When she misses the mark, she misses it badly. However, this was one of the better ‘Wings need to sell’ articles from a member of the Wings beat crew that we’ve gotten so far this year.

Let’s Go Red Wings.