In Red Wings Land

Chase Pearson, the sole leftover from Detroit Red Wings’ 2015 draft, re-signs for 1 year – Freep

The Wings had six picks in 2015. They used their first one, at No. 19, on forward Evgeny Svechnikov. Svechnikov struggled to prove he belonged in the Wings’ lineup early in his career, and was set back in 2018-19 when he missed the entire season because of a knee injury.

Pearson is a career AHLer by this point whose ceiling is mayby Chris Conner, that guy who was briefly a Red Wing and who could consistently tear up the AHL but couldn’t stick with an NHL team because he fit too perfectly into the margins between the leagues.

So instead of talking about him, let’s all get back into the topic of how absolutely brutal late Ken Holland draft strategy turned out to be. Svechnikov and Saarijarvi are washouts and everybody aside from Pearson never made it even THAT far.

Woof.

Around the League

The @PredsNHL have signed Nino Niederreiter (@thelnino22) to a 2-year deal! ✍️ #NHLFreeAgency pic.twitter.com/l9Rr7XeD6V

— NHL (@NHL) July 21, 2022

The Preds are an interesting case of a team that’s stuck in what I’d probably call elite mediocrity.  They’re not a bad team, but I’ll have to see a lot more to be convinced they’re a threat beyond the 2nd round.

I hope our trip through that organizational doldrums is a short one.

Civil suit accuses Edmonton Oilers owner of paying teenage ballerina for sex – CBC

This is not the first time that Katz has been the subject of sex-for-money allegations.

I don’t have anything nice to say about Daryl Katz.