Red Wing Rumblings
Your Detroit Red Wings are one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now! Five wins in a row after taking down the Ottawa Senators last night in overtime. Still a ways to go before they’re considered a contender and not a pretender, but safe to say things are back on track for this team.
Here’s something to chew on — According to Elliotte Friedman in his latest 32 Thoughts, Detroit has been kicking the tires on Buffalo center Dylan Cozens. That explains all of the attention Wings scouting has been getting at Sabres games. This is a tricky one for me. 23-year-old right-shot center that has scored 30 goals before, but the contract is, well, ugly. Cozens is signed through 2030 with a cap hit of $7.1 million. Since scoring 68 points in the 2022-2023 season, Cozens has failed to live up to his contract. That makes me nervous. Perhaps if Buffalo was trying to move his contract and willing to “pay” for it, that would make the prospect of acquiring him a little sweeter. However, my opinion would be to pass on this one unless Buffalo was throwing in extra assets to get rid of his contract. OR, if they were willing to take on one of our uglier contracts (Andrew Copp?)
I still think that adding defense should be a priority, but the Wings really do need a viable second-line center with experience yet on the younger side. I just… Don’t know if Cozens is the right guy. I have been wrong before, though! 🙂
Around the NHL
In other news around the NHL, the push to bring hockey back to Arizona is back on. Maricopa County is seeking to establish a Board of Supervisors with the goal to bringing pro hockey back to the desert. Maybe they’ll get it right this time. Maybe not.
The trade rumors for Vancouver Canucks star Elias Pettersson just won’t go away. Pettersson, along with JT Miller are both names in the rumor mill. We seem to do this every damn year, so I’ll believe it when I see it. Hopefully WHEN I see it, it’s Pettersson coming to Detroit for a paltry price.
