In Red Wings Land
31 Thoughts: Where NHL’s Olympic participation stands as off-season begins
7. Don’t know if it still works, but Toronto liked Tyler Bertuzzi this season — moving elsewhere when it became obvious he wasn’t going to be healthy. Barring a major change, Zach Hyman won’t be back with the Maple Leafs, a big loss for them. It’s expected Detroit will be among his pursuers, although the Red Wings won’t be the only ones.
This has been discussed in yesterday’s comments, but it’s interesting. When I watched Game 7 between Toronto and Montreal, Hyman was the most noticeable forward for me. That’s pretty impressive. I think the issue will be Hyman’s upcoming contract. I will be very surprised if someone doesn’t massively overpay him, and I would like for it to not be us.
Bertuzzi makes a lot of sense for Toronto, but the return would have to make sense for Detroit. If I’m Yzerman, I’m only pulling the trigger on that deal if I get something like a first and a very good prospect. Since people use the term “very good prospect” differently, I mean something like a defenseman who would jump ahead of everyone except Seider in our defensive prospect pipeline and who would be in the NHL lineup next season at the latest, preferably this season.
Also, while the names Hyman and Bertuzzi may have been linked at the trade deadline, the current discussion is on two separate tracks. A Bertuzzi trade would make no sense if Hyman was one of the pieces coming back because he’s a UFA.
Red Wings could have shot at another Hughes brother — D-man Luke – mlive.com
Luke is a 6-2, 184-pound left-shooting defenseman who played for the U.S. National Team Development Program in Plymouth and is the third Hughes brother who likely will be drafted in the top 10. Quinn was selected No. 7 by Vancouver, a year before Jack, a center, went No. 1 overall to New Jersey.
“(Luke) Hughes is a dynamic defenseman who takes control of the play with his exceptional skating and smarts,” Dan Marr, director of NHL Central Scouting, said. “He has a quick read-and-react game and moves ultra-quick to gain the advantage and be on top of plays. Competes with his size and contributes responsibly in any situation. Capable of being a difference-maker.”
It’s the last chance to draft a Hughes brother! (I think). I don’t really want to draft a defenseman at 6, but it’ll depend on who’s available.
Around the NHL
Blackhawks sexual assault scandal: Motion to dismiss lawsuit from Michigan student filed – Chicago Sun-Times
The Hawks argued that since Doe 1 was not a minor, not disabled and not in a care facility — the “three categories of individuals protected by mandatory reporting requirements under Illinois law” — it therefore “cannot be alleged that [the Hawks] had a statutory duty to report allegations of Aldrich harassing an adult hockey player to a government entity.”
(Content warning on the article, it goes into some detail on some of the allegations)
There’s a difference between a legal obligation and a moral obligation, and while the lack of the former may help the Blackhawks get this lawsuit dismissed, it shouldn’t absolve the team in the court of public opinion. I don’t see how anyone can argue with a straight face that the team did not have a moral obligation to make sure this didn’t happen again.
It’s bad enough that the team allegedly covered up the original abuse, but they then allegedly not only didn’t report it, they gave the abuser a recommendation for a future employer. The team denies it, and they could be telling the truth, but what credibility do they have at this point?
