Red Wings Rumblings
The Grand Rapids Griffins are one of the hotter teams in the AHL right now. They are 13-2-2-2 since Christmas, and a recent article about their success fell back on something we’ve heard from coaches in Detroit: It’s all about the trust.
“I think you put guys in certain situations potentially that can help that,” Watson said of his approach to creating chemistry, “but it does have to happen organically. I can’t go make teammates like each other, but they’ve got to have respect. They got to have the trust for each other. They have to understand that everyone’s there for a reason. What that reason is can be different for everybody. But the common goal is we want to win hockey games. We want guys to move on to the NHL. We want guys to be successful at the American League level.”
Big Questions Ahead of the Deadline
Max Bultman penned an article over at The Athletic where he riffed on a few of the biggest priorities for the Wings as the NHL trading deadline approaches. Among the topics were Patrick Kane and a possible extension, and the future of AHL star Jonatan Berggren:
So, what does Detroit see? Is Berggren part of the solution to replacing one or more of their pending UFAs next season? Or do they want to add different skill sets (whether it’s more defensive impact, more size or something else) to their forward group? If it’s the former, Detroit can simply hang onto Berggren and plan to have him in the lineup full time next season.
But if it’s the latter, then it’s better to make that decision soon, rather than waiting until his waiver status restricts their options.
NHL News
Bettman upholds Rielly Suspension
Not surprising news here. What’s really funny is that Toronto sent its top brass to the NHL to appeal this thing and Bettman sent them home whining.
“Although much of the testimony offered by Mssrs Rielly, [Leafs general manager Brad] Treliving and [Leafs president Brendan] Shanahan at the [appeal] hearing concerned whether Mr. Greig’s slap shot was provocative, that discussion is utterly irrelevant,” Bettman wrote. “Mr. Rielly’s actions were not undertaken in self-defense. They were not accidental, and they were not reflexive. They were not simply careless or merely reckless. With plenty of time to think about what he was going to do next, Mr. Rielly approached Mr. Greig from the side then used his stick as a weapon to deliver the kind of blow the League has repeatedly made clear will not be tolerated.”
How about this goal from Quinton Byfield?
