Apparently, the Islanders have called the Wings to offer them Jason Blake. I wouldn’t be opposed to that at all, if the price was reasonable. He’d certainly help generate offense.
Archive for February, 2007
St. James: Wings “have been offered Jason Blake”
GameDay: @ Chicago (23-30-9, 55 Pts) 8:30 ET
Update (2:47 PM): Ansar Khan writes that Chris Chelios will be a healthy scratch tonight in favor of Andreas Lilja. Apparently, they just want to give Cheli a rest. - Matt
Update (10:40 AM): I should have read the Freep article more closely, but I was in a rush to get to work at 6:00 AM. According to Helene St. James, Valtteri Filppula will play on the top line with Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Holmstrom. Okay, but I suspect Fil will share time with someone else on the wing there, since the line won’t be as static as it is when Zetterberg’s playing, and he won’t be getting 18-19 minutes.
Babcock’s apparent decision to play Johan Franzen with Robert Lang and Kyle Calder kind of leaves Jiri Hudler as the odd man out. Assuming the three Grand Rapids call-ups play together on a line, Jiri could play with Kirk Maltby and Kris Draper, where he wouldn’t really fit in, or on the other two lines on rotation. I think we’ll see him rotate, as he’d be a good fit with Lang and useful for giving Fil a break on the top line. - Matt
Tonight is the fifth of eight games between these two Central Division teams this season. The Wings lead the series 4-0, with wins November 2nd (2-1), December 14th (3-2), January 13th (6-3), and February 21st (4-2). They will play again on Friday in Detroit before a home-home series April 5th-7th.
The Hawks are 1-1-0 since losing to the Wings last week, raising their February record to 5-3-2. On the 22nd, they were shut out at home by the San Jose Sharks, who had also played the night before, a 3-2 shootout win in Washington. They rebounded three days later with a 5-1 win over St. Louis, riding a three-point night for Martin Havlat. The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Hawks, whose last win had come February 11th.
The Chicago roster has changed a bit since the last time we saw them. Bryan Smolinksi is no longer a Blackhawk, as they traded him to Vancouver for a conditional 2nd round pick yesterday, and Jason Williams will be dressing for his new team tonight, a day after being traded by the Wings for Kyle Calder.
Martin Havlat continues to be dangerous, having put up 17 points in his last 12 games. He was a troublemaker in the last game between these two teams and will be doing the same tonight, I’m sure.
You can expect to see Nikolai Khabibulin in net for the Hawks tonight.
The Wings have lost their two games since beating Chicago, albeit both of them came in extra time. The first, a 4-3 shootout loss to Edmonton, came on Friday at home. The second came the next night in Nashville, a 4-3 overtime loss to the Predators in a Central Division showdown. With that win, the Predators took the lead in the Division, though both teams had the same number of points. The Preds won again the next night in Columbus and stand two points ahead of the Wings now. A win tonight wouldn’t put the Wings ahead because Nashville has more wins through the same number of games played.
Dominik Hasek will be in net.
Kyle Calder is expected to make his debut as a Red Wing tonight. The Free Press reports that he’s probably going to play with Robert Lang and Johan Franzen.
Henrik Zetterberg will sit out after having back spasms in practice yesterday. Matt Hussey was called up from Grand Rapids to fill in for him. It will be interesting to see how Babcock mixes up the lines in Hank’s absence. Perhaps we’ll see Kris Draper move to the top line.
Dan Cleary is out with a knee sprain, with Matt Ellis filling in for him.
It’s important that the Wings get back on track tonight after dropping their last two games. It’ll be emotional to see Jason Williams on the other side of the ice, but they need to take care of business and work out a win in order to keep pace with Nashville.
Zetterberg Out Tomorrow; Hussey Recalled from GR
Helene St James reports that Henrik Zetterberg will miss tomorrow’s game due to back spasms. Apparently he hurt himself at practice this morning. MRI results were good and he is expected to return Friday.
Matt Hussey got the call to fill in for Zetter tomorrow. He’s been doing quite well in Grand Rapids of late, with 16 points in his last 14 games. He impresses me more every game. I doubt he’ll get much ice time, but I’m confident he won’t waste it. Hey, if you’re bored, you can check out his new blog on the Griffins website.
3 Way Trade Yields Kyle Calder for Jason Williams
Update (Matt, 27. Feb, 12:03 AM): One last thing tonight: what number will he wear? He can’t have #19, which he had in Philly, nor can he have #16 or #9, both of which he has worn at different points in his career. He wore #25 his first year in Chicago, but I would think that’s also untouchable. Hopefully he won’t go fo #91 or else I’ll be pissed. He’s worn #32 before and could wear it again, even though it seems like a goalie’s number. Steve Thomas wore it during his time in Detroit so it actually might be fitting for Calder to take it. Anyway, it’s all speculation. We’ll find out tomorrow. (thanks to Sarah for doing the detective work on the numbers). - Matt
Update (Matt, 11:48 PM): Here’s what Ken Holland has to say about Calder, via the Freep:
“He chases the puck, he’s a forechecker. Come playoff time, that’s an ingredient you need. He’s not pretty, but he’s a gritty, greasy type of player.”
Sounds good to me. I’m very interested in seeing Calder play and it looks like we’ll get our chance tomorrow night as he’s expected to be in the lineup. - Matt
Update (Sarah, 10:53PM): Just a little more info on Calder for those (like me) who weren’t too familiar with him. He’s a 28-year old forward currently making $2.9 million a season. I spent a little time reading over his stats page on TSN and was pleased to read that he, “Provides his team with a bundle of energy every shift. Has a propensity to step it up in key situations. ” Sounds pretty good to me. Most sources seem to feel that he’s a gritty player (something there has certainly been a major outcry for…). One thing that stood out to me is that the guy hasn’t missed a game due to injury since October of 2005. Durability – there’s something to add to your list of pros. As for cons – well, this season’s stats top that list. +/- has never been stellar (though -31 is far below the norm). Personally I’m feeling pretty good about it at this point. I think once this guy gets on a winning team and starts having some fun, he could start putting up good numbers again. I bet Ken Holland does too. -Sarah
Update (Matt, 10:14 PM): Okay, the more I read about Calder, the better I feel about him. The general concensus seems to be that he’s a good player who’s just having a bad year. And if he’s a grittier player than Williams with a strong work ethic and good hands, I’m thinking he’ll fill the Wings’ need pretty well. Of course, we’ll have to see how he actually gels with the team, but I’m optimistic. - Matt
Update (Matt, 10:05 PM): Here’s James Mirtle’s take, plus the tidbit that the Wings are rumored to be close to getting Bill Guerin. I still find that hard to believe, but I could be wrong. Can the price have gone down that much? - Matt
Update (Matt, 10:00 PM): First of all, I’m unsure about how I feel about this deal. I know very little about Calder except that his stats are probably deflated from having been on a bad team, as Sarah pointed out below. I’m not sure what we gain by the trade, but perhaps Calder will be jumpstarted by a change in scenery. We’ll just have to see.
It’s a little hard to believe that Williams is no longer a Red Wing. It had to be awkward tonight when he got the call in Chicago. It will be strange if he’s on the ice tomorrow night for the Hawks, that’s for sure.
No comment from the Wings yet, but Jason Williams had a parting shot that struck me as a little odd, via the TSN article:
“I’m happy to be going to a team that wants me and I’m looking forward to helping the Blackhawks.”
From that I’ll assume he means he was Mike Babcock’s boy, not the front office’s. Interesting. Well, good luck in Chicago, Jason. - Matt
I’d be surprised now if anything else happens for the Wings on the trade front.
Paul Kukla is reporting a three way deal between the Blackhawks, the Flyers and the Red Wings
Apparently Chicago dealt Lasse Kukkonen and a third round pick to Philadelphia for Kyle Calder. Then Chicago traded Calder to the Wings in exchange for Jason Williams.
Hey, now we don’t have to worry about Babs putting Willy on the point anymore! That alone makes the trade worth it in my eyes (sorry Jason…).
TSN says Calder has 9 goals and 12 assists in 59 games with a +/- of -31
I was a little stunned by the -31 at first but then I remembered he’s been playing for the bottom-feeding Flyers. I expect that will improve playing with the defensive-minded Wings. We’ll see how he does in Willy’s spot on the 2nd line. Hopefully he’ll provide the offensive spark we’ve been looking for.
NHL.com feature on Brett Lebda
John McGourty has a great piece up at NHL.com on Brett Lebda, who I think is the Wings’ most underrated young player. Be sure to check it out.
On the trade situation
Ansar Khan reports that the Wings are only likely to be in the running for a “second-tier” player at the deadline, given the ridiculously high price at which the Thrashers bought Keith Tkachuk yesterday. It’s hard to disagree, especially as that seemed to be a foregone conclusion as far back as the Stars’ acquisition of Ladislav Nagy. Like Khan, I think it is very unlikely the Wings will be able to swing a deal for Bill Guerin or any other top choice without putting a serious dent in their plans for the future.
I’ve never really bought in to the hysterical rhetoric that the Wings need a top-six forward or else they’re doomed, because, for the most part, I’ve been impressed with the team as it is. I believe such a forward, if attainable at a reasonable price and if he fits in the system, could be useful and helpful, but I hesitate to say that such an acquisition is imperative.
Over the past few weeks, there has been a widespread sentiment in Hockeytown fan circles that Ken Holland needs to go after someone to jump-start the stagnant second line. Why is that? No one was saying such things a few months ago when the second line was tearing it up and the first line was relatively dormant. The Wings have a possible solution on their roster and that is to promote Jiri Hudler and Valtteri Filppula to Robert Lang’s line and to demote Jason Williams to the fourth line with Josh Langfeld and Matt Ellis. Give the kids the kind of ice time they’ve earned and maybe then we’d see the second line start producing.
Even without that mixing of the lines, the second unit’s trouble is not from a lack of talent. It’s called a slump, folks. These things happen and there’s no reason to panic in February about it.
As far as a trade goes, it’s time to give up the idea of the Wings making a big acquisition. Ken Holland may be throwing up a smoke screen on his intentions, but it is clear that he is not going to sell the farm for success now. I believe the team wants to win the Cup this year, of course, but they also want to be in a position to win it down the road. I would not be surprised if they acquired a lesser-known player in the hopes that they turn into a Mikael Samuelsson or a Dan Cleary – i.e. a scorer nurtured by the team’s system.
Holland is not known for making big-name acquisitions at the deadline, but the three names that stick out, Chris Chelios, Mathieu Schneider, and Robert Lang, did not, with the exception of Schneider, cost the team much in terms of its future. A big name player this year will, however, and it is very likely that such a player, especially if you’re talking about Bill Guerin, will be a rental player only. You’ll notice that Chelios, Schneider and Lang are all still with the team. The Wings’ investment has paid off in each of their cases (though there is some argument on that with Lang) and with a rental this time around, they won’t get a fair trade-off without a Cup.
My point here is that I expect the Wings, if they’re able to make a move at all, they are less likely to trade for a big name player than they are to trade for a lesser-known, and thus less satisfactory to the majority of fans, player.
I was skeptical of it when it happened, but I’m now convinced that the Wings made their big push for the Cup when they signed Dominik Hasek over the summer. They are pinning their hopes on him and I actually believe they have a pretty good team surrounding him as it stands today. A defensive forward may actually suit their needs better as they go into the playoffs with a defensive emphasis. I do think they’ll go after a scorer, but don’t be surprised if it’s someone out of the blue and lacking top-tier credentials. I won’t be disappointed in any case, because, like I said above, I’m comfortable with the team the way it is, but I’m willing to admit an addition could be helpful.
Maybe a move that would harm chemistry, which is overall good, the second line’s slump notwithstanding, and disrupt this team’s greatest asset, its defensive prowess, would not be a good thing. One added player probably won’t make the team, but he could break it.
Overall, I’d be more surprised if the Wings get someone than if they don’t. And I’d be more angry if the Wings threw away top prospects for a rental than if they did nothing at all.
Gorilla Crouch on trade possibilities
Dave at Gorilla Crouch has been looking at possible trade partners for the Wings, including Philadelphia, LA, and Columbus. Today, he profiles Phoenix.