In Red Wings Land

Steve Yzerman says he expects Red Wings to stay course during trade deadline, free agency – Detroit News

“Depending on where we are in the standings you have to make some decisions,” Yzerman said. “But regardless, I don’t see us being really aggressive at the trade deadline and in free agency (this summer). I’ll take the same approach. If there’s a player that can help us and might be with us in a few years and be a contributor in a few years, we’ll try to spend our money and be aggressive when we think it’s appropriate.

“Nothing has really changed on the aspect of what we are trying to do and we’ll stick with it and try to be patient, and ultimately, try to make good decisions whether it’s short-term or long-term contracts.”

That’s appropriate for where the Wings are.  There’s no benefit to short-term spending on this team and it’s not necessary to tell the Detroit press in early January if you intend to sell some guys (because all that can do is stress the guys who may be feeling like they’ll be sold).

I like Steve Yzerman, folks.

Around the League

Tuukka Rask signs one year, one million dollar contract with the Bruins – Stanley Cup of Chowder

Rask had previously been out with a Labrum Tear he was infamously playing on, and for a good long while he was as unofficially signed with the B’s as you can get, signing a PTO recently to play with Providence…before several games in the AHL got canned. Whoops. So now we’re here!

I had fun with the reactions to the AHL PTO he signed from people joking about how it’s nice of the Bruins to finally give a prospect a chance and even more fun with the jokes about him being released from his PTO.

Former NHL off-ice officials file lawsuit against league after firings – Sportsnet

Walowiak and Watkins say they were fired in late February 2020 — almost two months after their supervisors Ron Brace and Pat DeLorenzo were terminated.

Walowiak and Watkins say they were fired for alleged involvement in a group message thread about DeLorenzo years earlier. Walowiak says the NHL refused to provide a copy of the message.

Watkins, who started working as an off-ice official in Tampa in 1998, and Walowiak, who began in 2005, say DeLorenzo repeatedly made racially offensive comments about African Americans.

Yikes.