National Hockey League

Videos- Post Practice Interviews

Alex Nedeljkovic up first, below find David Perron.

Czech Government Doesn’t Want Russian NHL Players Playing In Prague

I tweeted about this yesterday, but in case you missed it. from The Athletic, Russian players who are scheduled to participate in NHL games in Prague next month will not be welcomed by the Czech government because of its stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to a report from The Associated Press. The Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks are slated to face off at the Czech capital’s O2 Arena on Oct. 7 and 8. While rosters are still to be set, Russian forward Yakov Trenin plays for the Predators while forward Evgeny Svechnikov is a member of the Sharks. San Jose defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov is injured. “We can confirm that the Czech Foreign Ministry has sent a letter to the NHL to point out that, at this moment, the Czech Republic or any other state in the (visa-free) Schengen zone should not issue visas to the Russian players to enter our territory,” Deputy Foreign Minister Martin Smolek said in a statement, according to AP. continued ($)

What can we expect from the 2022-23 NHL season?

Although summer can be a glorious time in many ways, it is often a period which hockey fans do not look forward to. This is because the NHL takes a break every summer, so the league can reset for a new season. The good news for hockey fans is that the wait for the 2022/23 season to start is almost over! With the first game scheduled for October 7th, 2022, there really is not much time now until the action begins again for another year. To make the time pass a little quicker until your favorite team is back on the ice, it can be fun to look ahead to the 2022/23 season. But what might we expect to happen?

The Latest Broadcasting Talk

from Sean Shapiro of The Athletic, The NHL’s ever-changing broadcasting landscape is potentially on the verge of another shift in direction. As first reported by the New York Post and confirmed by The Athletic, the NHL, MLB and the NBA could soon purchase the right to broadcast local games on regional sports networks (RSNs) owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group. “Everything is on the table now,” a league source said. “It’s a space you have to be proactive in now, before you get left with a worse solution.” Sinclair, through its Diamond Sports subsidiary, owns the local broadcast rights to 12 U.S.-based NHL teams, with games appearing on Bally Sports-branded networks. Diamond is struggling financially and could be headed for bankruptcy, which in turn could lead to teams losing out on the massive rights fees they’ve negotiated with the company. NHL teams, on average, make around $25 million per season from those agreements, according to one source with knowledge of the situation. “The model is changing, slowly, but team rights fees are still one of the biggest drivers of revenue for an individual team,” a team executive said. “That’s a financial pillar for the finances of an NHL club and, thus, the league.” If the NHL were to purchase the rights to these broadcasts from Sinclair (possibly through creditors), it would be another step down a path of teams gaining better control of their local television and streaming space. continued ($) plus more topics...

Stream- First Day Of Practice From Traverse City

The stream is embedded below. Good Morning, everyone!????We will be live from day one of @DetroitRedWings training camp starting at 10:30am today! Tune in on the Red Wings website, YouTube, & Facebook. #LGRW — Daniella Bruce (@daniellabruce_) September 22, 2022

More Offense Needed From The New York Rangers

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post, Because though the Rangers rolled to 110 points, good for seventh-overall in the NHL, they were too dependent on Vezina winner Igor Shesterkin, who recorded a .935 save percentage, after flirting much of the season with Jacques Plante’s record .944. The Blueshirts were 28-3-1 when Shesterkin posted at least a .925 save percentage., but just 7-10-3 when he did not. That was largely a function of a stalled five-on-five attack. The Rangers scored a sum of two goals or fewer 28 times, more than a quarter of the season. They ranked 20th in five-on-five goals per 60 minutes at 2.35 per while 31st (that’s next to last) in shot attempts and 30th in shots on net. They will have to improve in these areas to take some of the burden off their all-star netminder and incoming backup Jaro Halak. They’ll need more even-strength production from Zibanejad, who registered only 12 goals, as compared to his 19 in 57 games in 2019-20. And they will require a meaningful contribution from Kravtsov, getting the opportunity for a top-six slot a year after the winger had said that he foresaw no path to that before skedaddling back to Russia. Gallant joked (I think) when asked if the Rangers could rely on Shesterkin putting up similar numbers this season. Now that I think of it, I never had asked then-head coaches Tom Renney, John Tortorella or Alain Vigneault whether any could count on Henrik Lundqvist to duplicate his previous work any given season. Of course, the Blueshirts were too reliant on the King. “Yes, because I expect Kreider to get 52 goals …,” he answered the question with a smile. “I do expect the team to be better in all areas.” You know what? That is an expectation the Rangers should be able to meet. more

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Storylines And A Mention Of The Playoffs

from Ansar Khan of Mlive, Will Simon Edvinsson make the team? The sixth overall selection in 2021 is big (6-6, 207), mobile, skilled and by most accounts, NHL-ready. Can he beat out veteran Olli Maatta for a spot in the top four (joining Moritz Seider, Ben Chiarot and Filip Hronek)? If not, would the Red Wings be OK using Edvinsson on the third pairing, where his minutes would be limited? Or would they prefer to start him in Grand Rapids, where he would log a lot of ice time and play an important role in all situations? Yzerman indicated Edvinsson would need to play a significant amount and on at least one specialty team to make Detroit’s roster. Injuries to Jake Walman (due back in mid-November) and Mark Pysyk (due back in mid-January) alleviate the logjam on defense, but the Red Wings still have Jordan Oesterle, Gustav Lindstrom and Robert Hagg competing for spots on the third pairing. Will Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi be distracted by their contract situations? Yzerman’s offseason signing spree did not include extensions for two of his top players as Larkin and Bertuzzi head into the season in the final year of their contracts. It’s only a question of when the Red Wings lock up Larkin, who’s headed into his third season as captain and could get an eight-year deal worth more than $8 million per season. Bertuzzi’s ability to play in Canada moving forward could help progress contract talks. It could also make him a more viable trade candidate. Both are coming off 30-goal seasons and could enhance their bargaining power with strong starts. Will a new coaching staff ignite Filip Zadina? more from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

Evening Line -Doug Armstrong

“Obviously as Stanley Cup champions, somebody has to knock ’em off if they want to become champions. “But I think this year’s (Colorado) team is different than last year’s. They don’t have Kadri. Their goaltender’s gone (Darcy Kuemper). They’re starting to feel a little bit of that cap crunch that everybody else is.” “They still have an unbelievably talented team, so I would say they’re still one of the top teams. Last year, I just thought they were light years ahead of everybody else. And I think this year, they’re still a helluva team. Just the salary cap has made them a little bit weaker like it has a lot of teams. But they’re still a top team for sure.” -Doug Armstrong, GM of tje St. Louis Blues. Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has more on the Blues.

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Detroit’s Training Camp Roster And Daily Schedule

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today released their training camp roster and schedule, comprised of 69 players who will hit the ice on Thursday, Sept. 22 at Centre Ice Arena in Traverse City, Mich., for five days of camp before beginning their eight-game preseason schedule with a road game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, Sept. 27.

A Multi-Year Contract Extension For Kevyn Adams In Buffalo

via the Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams has signed a multi-year contract extension, the team announced Wednesday. "Kevyn's leadership and vision over the past two seasons has proven to be invaluable, and I am confident in his ability to continue to move us forward as an organization," Sabres owner Terry Pegula said. "He is respected by players, coaches, staff, and peers around the league alike due to the poise with which he carries himself and the respect he reciprocates to every individual he encounters. He has grown in different roles throughout the organization, providing him unique perspectives that help him perform at the highest level as general manager. "I, along with the fans and community, am happy to see Kevyn continue to build a winning culture both on and off the ice. Additionally, I am appreciative of his communication skills and dedication to the entire organization. I am thrilled to extend Kevyn's contract and have him lead the Buffalo Sabres for several years to come."

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Injury Update Heading Into Camp

from Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now, Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman said Wednesday that Top 6 forward Andrew Copp had offseason abdominal surgery and won’t return to action until the first week of the season. He adds to a Detroit injury list that already includes defensemen Jake Walman (shoulder surgery) and Mark Pysyk (Achilles surgery), plus right wing Robby Fabbri (knee surgery). Michigan native Copp signed a five-year contract with the Red Wings with a $5.625 million annual average value. He is projected to be Detroit’s No. 2 center this season and be a regular on the penalty killing unit. “I don’t anticipate (Copp) participating in the preseason games but I expect him ready to go in roughly a week, if not sooner, into the regular season,” Yzerman said as he met with media to discuss the start of training camp this week. continued

Stream- Steve Yzerman Before Camp

I am late with this but you can rewind. Below, coach LaLonde this morning.

One Big Question

To help get you ready for the next few weeks -- as teams decide on which players make the roster, and how their lines, D pairings and goalie tandems will shake out -- here are the biggest lingering questions for each club, courtesy of Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski. from Kristen Shilton of ESPN, Big question: How good will Detroit be with its new additions? Red Wings' general manager Steve Yzerman came to slay this offseason. He signed Andrew Copp, Dominik Kubalik and David Perron up front, added Ben Chiarot to the blue line and Ville Husso to complement Alex Nedeljkovic in net. Yzerman also made his first head-coaching hire in Detroit, replacing Jeff Blashill with Derek Lalonde. The new bench boss has plenty of fresh talent to start with. Where will it all take the Red Wings? Last season, it was Detroit's defensive deficiencies that stood out. The Red Wings allowed the second-most goals against in the league (3.78 per game) and the fifth-most shots (33.7). Addressing and improving that area will be critical from the outset for Lalonde, and the new guys should be an asset in doing so. Perron and Copp are both solid two-way players who will lead by example on the defensive side. Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin will also want a return to form in that area, after posting a 2.95 expected goals against in 2021-22. Then there's Husso. He was a stud in the regular season for St. Louis last season and now has a chance to be Detroit's No. 1 in a tandem with Nedeljkovic. Detroit had a cumulative save percentage below .900 a year ago (Nedeljkovic was at .901) and Husso should push that number up. If he does, and if those other new players come out firing, Detroit could be flying high. more teams

Two Different Types Of Defensemen Retired Yesterday

from Damien Cox at the Toronto Star, Could you have had two more different characters? That Zdeno Chara and P.K. Subban chose to retire on the same day created common ground between the two superb athletes that for the most part, beyond their shared extreme competitiveness, didn’t otherwise exist. Indeed, 50 years ago, they were characters that would have been unimaginable to North America’s hockey culture. A towering 6-foot-9 defenceman from Slovakia, a country that didn’t even exist back then, and an African-American blueliner from Toronto. The imagination of the sport has surely expanded since the days a tall hockey player was 6-foot-2, only Canadians played in the NHL and black athletes were simply not seen on hockey rinks. Still, even with somewhat more diversity in the sport today, Chara and Subban both managed to leave unusual, indelible imprints on the game in a way most players simply don’t. continued

A Focused Kyle Dubas

from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, Kyle Dubas doesn’t sound like a man on the hot seat. In a rare, wide-ranging conversation on the eve of the opening of Maple Leafs training camp, Dubas comes across as composed and confident — believing in his hockey team that has so many questions; excited, like most of us, for the start of a new season and all that is about to unfold. He isn’t consumed with winning a single round of the Stanley Cup playoffs the way so much of Toronto is after repeated post-season disappointments that have plagued this franchise for far too many years. This is his fifth season as general manager, his ninth year with the club — and some wonder if there will be a next year for him with his contract set to expire. But the team has grown by 15 points in his first four years — just not enough when it matters most in April or May. “You want to win every year, that’s why you do these jobs,” said Dubas, the married father of two, no longer a kid GM. He turns 37 in November. “You’re at that point where that’s our goal. To win. Not just win a round. Our goal is to win the Stanley Cup. Not to win a series, it’s to win the whole thing. That’s what we focus on. continued

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Shuffling The Regional Sports Networks

from Josh Kosman of the New York Post, MLB, the NBA and the NHL may orchestrate a buyout of the nation’s dominant owner of regional sports TV networks, whose shaky finances pose an increasing threat to their teams, The Post has learned. The trio of pro-sports leagues are expected to soon begin talks with Diamond Sports, which operates 21 regional Bally Sports networks that account for more than half the local broadcast markets around the country, sources close to the situation said. A prospective deal is looming as Diamond — owned by Baltimore-based Sinclair Broadcast Group — has been hemorrhaging cash and could be headed for a possible bankruptcy filing if it doesn’t find a white knight in the coming months, the sources claimed. Sinclair in early 2019 won an auction to buy Fox Sports Networks from 21st Century Fox for $10.6 billion, giving it exclusive rights to broadcast the games of 42 teams. These included 14 MLB teams like the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres; 16 NBA teams including the Miami Heat; and 12 NHL teams including the Detroit Red Wings. continued

Tyler Bertuzzi May Be Able To Play In Canada

Huge news for Detroit. This policy change should mean that Tyler Bertuzzi would be eligible to play all Red Wings road games in Canada next season, regardless of vaccination status. #LGRW https://t.co/MAkMqfyjp3 — Ryan Hana (@RyanHanaWWP) September 20, 2022

Addressing The Issues

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News, Yzerman is expected to address the media Wednesday in a pre-training camp address. Here are 10 key issues facing the Wings as they begin camp and the exhibition season: ? Chemistry: A new head coach and new assistant coaches would be an adjustment in itself. But how quickly will the players adapt to the new schemes, new voices, just a new way of doing things? Then, add all the new arrivals and maybe some rookies surprisingly working into the lineup, and you have a big issue of blending all these players into a team. Lalonde, too, has never been a head coach in the NHL. There will be a lot of people getting familiar with one another. ? Team defense: One of the biggest tasks confronting Lalonde is improving a team defense that got progressively worse as the season wore on, and ranked 31st out of 32 teams. Players like Copp, Perron and Chiarot and Maatta, specifically, are noted for their defensive work and should improve the lineup that way. Betting goaltending will also keep more pucks out of the net. But expect the defensive end of the rink to be a main area to be worked upon. ? Joe Veleno: The 2018 first-round pick (30th overall) played 66 games last season but still didn't put his stamp on a regular spot in the lineup. With the influx of new faces among the forwards, and the fact Veleno can be sent down to Grand Rapids without waiver ramifications, Veleno has to have an impressive camp/exhibition season and earn a spot on the roster. seven more topics...

Face To Face With The Media Again

from Joshua Clipperton of the CP at Global News, Now with the league set to embark on what’s hoped will be a normal season without interruption, reporters and television camera operators, recorders and notepads are expected to be back waiting by players’ stalls at the conclusion of practices and games. The way it used to be – and the format moving forward – was news to Zegras. “I didn’t even know that was a thing, if I’m being completely honest,” the outgoing 21-year-old said with a smile. “I just figured you go into that other (press conference room). “That’ll be a nice wrinkle.” A number of of the game’s stars shared their thoughts on locker rooms reopening to reporters at last week’s NHL/NHLPA player media tour just outside Las Vegas. Some were excited at the shift back to the old rules. “It’s great,” Winnipeg Jets centre Mark Scheifele said. “I’m a big face-to-face guy.” more

An Eight-Year Extension For Nathan MacKinnon