Archive for January, 2009

Zetterberg Skips Practice (Updated)

Posted by Matt Saler on January 28, 2009. No comments

Update (2:40 PM): Ted Kulfan reports that Zetterberg will not play tomorrow. He is listed as day-to-day. The team is being extra cautious.

George Malik has more, including news on Lidstrom, Datsyuk, and Stuart. - Matt

Helene St. James reports that Henrik Zetterberg did not skate this morning, likely as a continuation of the precautionary measures that lead to his leaving last night’s game. This puts his status for tomorrow’s game against the Stars in doubt.

Given that he had a week off due to the All Star Break, it’s a little worrisome that his back is acting up, but fortunately it’s just the middle of the season.

Press Conference Streaming

Posted by Matt Saler on January 28, 2009. No comments

Update (12:55 PM): The direct link to the press conference is here. (thanks Shannon) – Matt

According to the team’s press release, the official site will be streaming the press conference live this afternoon. No direct link yet, but the mechanism is likely to be Red Wings TV.

Unfortunately, due to a meeting I had forgotten about last night, it looks like liveblogging it may be a little tough to do. I’ll see what I can arrange, but no promises.

MacLeod on the cap situation

Posted by Matt Saler on January 28, 2009. No comments

Bruce MacLeod makes a nice comeback from two weeks away from the team with a good discussion of the cap situation.

Also, be sure to read this.

Spector on the cap situation

Posted by Matt Saler on January 28, 2009. No comments

Spector’s got a sober assessment of the Wings’ cap situation here. I agree with his conclusions except I think they’ll give Hossa a little more than a “token offer.” Franzen will be the priority since he’s homegrown, but the Wings will pursue Hossa hard. He’s too good a fit here to let go easily.

Khan: Zetterberg for 12 years, roughly $72 million

Posted by Matt Saler on January 28, 2009. One comment

Update (8:06 AM): Helene St. James now confirms Khan’s story, after some early tentative reporting. - Matt

Update (12:51 AM): More on this at FanHouse.

My goal is to liveblog the press conference on a late lunch break. We’ll see if that can actually happen, but I’m going to try! - Matt

That works out to a little more than $6 million a year. Holy crap. (Khan)

This is huge for the Franzen and Hossa talks, folks.

Mixed News

Posted by Matt Saler on January 27, 2009. No comments

So I missed the Lidstrom- and Datsyuk-less 3-2 overtime loss and Henrik Zetterberg’s leaving the game with lower back spasms? Great. That sucks.

But the team is calling a 2:00 PM press conference tomorrow. The reason seems likely to be an announcement on a contract extension for Hank. If that’s true, I couldn’t be happier as a fan.

Game Day Notes: @ Columbus

Posted by Matt Saler on January 27, 2009. No comments

… This is the third time the Wings have faced the Jackets this season. The second meeting ended in a 3-0 Detroit win earlier this month, and the first resulted in a 5-3 Wings win back in November. The remaining dates for the series are Feb. 13 and Mar. 15 in Columbus and Mar. 7 in Detroit.

… Columbus is just 1-2-1 in their last four and 5-4-1 in 2009. They are 10th in the Conference and just three points behind Anaheim for the 8th seed.

… They come out of the All Star Break wih a 5-4 SO loss in Calgary and a three-game Western Canada road trip at their backs. They kick off a four-game homestand tonight.

… As reported by Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch, the Jackets’ injuries stand at

LW/C Jason Chimera (groin), probable; D Rostislav Klesla (foot), LW Nikita Filatov (knee) and C Jiri Novotny (concussion), out

… Steve Mason will get his 16th consecutive start tonight. The young goaltender bailed on the YoungStars game but was not punished for doing so with a suspension.

He’ll be backed up by Wade Dubielewicz, who the Jackets intercepted on waivers when the hapless Islanders attempted to bring him back from the KHL.

… Something of an out-of-the-ordinairy storyline for the game: the relationship between Mike Commodore and Mike Babcock, his former coach, as outlined by the Dispatch’s Tom Reed. Apparently, Babcock gave him a rough time. Commodore was part of that Calgary team that upset the Wings in the 03-04 season, so my sympathy for him for his experience under Babs is zero.

… The Wings will be playing shorthanded tonight, with Stuart (neck or ribs), Lidstrom (suspension), and Datsyuk (suspension) out. The latter two may not have played anyway due to the injuries that kept them out of the All Star Game, but they have no choice but to sit regardless of their actual health.

… Franzen’s return from a sore hip brings the Wings’ skaters up to 17. Thanks to the cap and restrictions regarding demoting injured players like McCarty, the Wings can’t call anyone up.

… It looks like Derek Meech and Chris Chelios will fill in on the blueline while the forwards will play a man short. Expect guys like Valtteri Filppula and Jiri Hudler to get a lot of ice time while Kirk Maltby and Tomas Kopecky see a lot of bench.

… I wrote over at FanHouse this morning that “[t]he holes in the Wings’ roster bring the odds as close to even as the Jackets are likely to see this season. It’ll be up to them to take advantage. They certainly have the skilled personnel to take a game from a depleted Detroit team.” The Jackets prepped for this game with the assumption that Lidstrom and Datsyuk would be in, so they’ll be flying.

The Wings that can play tonight should be able to take care of business, however, and pull off a win.

… Unfortunately, I’m not going to be able to tune in tonight. My college roommate and his wife are coming over and, sadly, hockey is not on the agenda. Believe me, I could use the Red Wings hockey fix.