Archive for the 'Brett Lebda' Category

The shaking-out

Published
by
Matt Saler
on July 2, 2008
in 2008-2009, Aaron Downey, Andreas Lilja, Brett Lebda, Chris Osgood, Dallas Drake, Derek Meech, Jimmy Howard, Jonathan Ericsson, Justin Abdelkader, Kyle Quincey, Marian Hossa, Mikael Samuelsson, Opinion, Roster Moves, The Team, Valtteri Filppula and Ville Leino
. 4 Comments

Update (10:18 PM): Of course, as soon as I write that I’d like to see Mac take a two-way contract, the Windsor Star comes out with a report indicating he may not be willing to do so. Come on, Mac! I thought you loved GR. - Matt

Updated @ 10:00 PM - see end of post - Matt

The Lilja, Stuart, Conklin, and Hossa signings raise questions about the final makeup of the Wings’ roster. Here’s how I’m hoping it all shakes out:

To start, the Valtteri Filppula question. If anyone offers him $3+ million and he takes the offer, the Wings’ can’t stop him leaving. However, I like to think Fil would relish the thought of playing for the Cup again, particularly with a winger like Hossa. Maybe I’m naive, but I don’t see a problem there as long as he’s willing to accept $2.5 million or less from Detroit.

On the way out should be Dallas Drake, who ought to retire in order to make way for others. All indications seem to be that he’s going to hang them up while he’s on top. It’d be great to have him back, but there’s not a lot of room.

I’d love to see the Wings convince Darren McCarty to take two-way contract. It would be a move aimed at bringing in a physical presence if needed for the playoffs and would go a long way in boosting the popularity of hockey here in West Michigan. Mac can still bring it and would be valuble to have available.

I’d prefer they keep Aaron Downey around the main squad, but if it’s he who goes to GR, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. By all accounts, the guy is so good in the lockerroom that I don’t hesitate to overstate his role in the Cup win when I talk about the guy. If nothing else, I think they should make Downey Director of Team Morale or something.

Assuming Fil re-signs, Drake retires, and the enforcers split as outlined above, the Wings would end up with 12 forwards with settled statuses: Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Holmstrom, Johan Franzen, Valtteri Filppula, Marian Hossa, Dan Cleary, Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby, Mikael Samuelsson, Jiri Hudler and Aaron Downey/Darren McCarty (with this guy sitting out more often than not).

I’ve seen a lot of reports stating they want to carry 13 forwards, so there’s a spot up for grabs. Personally, I’d love to see Darren Helm take it over Tomas Kopecky. The kid certainly earned it during the playoffs and would make the fourth line killer once again. However, his ability to return to the AHL without having to clear waives could mean he’ll be headed back to GR, unfortunately.

Another option for this spot is Ville Leino. Apparently, they want to bring the Finn over this season and not to play for Grand Rapids. He would face the very difficult proposition of beating out a Babcock favorite (Helm) and a good, skilled grinder (Kopecky). I can’t see that happening.

I’ve seen some talk about Justin Abdelkader, but I can’t see him cracking the lineup. He should go to Grand Rapids and get acclimated to professional hockey before he makes the leap. He’s going to be really fun to watch in GR this year, if that’s where he ends up.

On the defensive side, as I stated in the Hossa post, I think Kyle Quincey’s days as a Red Wing are over. There are a lot of fond memories of the kid from the 2007 playoffs floating around, but the fact is he’s not a very good skater and is not much on the offensive side. In other words, he’s not the prototypical Red Wings defenseman. He lacks the size to make up for those skill deficiencies in the way that Andreas Lilja does. He’s also got an apparent attitude problem. He’s got to be the odd man out in this situation. If they can’t swing a trade for picks or something, waive him.

As for Chris Chelios, as I wrote before, he’s going to have to decide for himself whether or not the very reduced role he’s facing will be acceptable. I’d love for him to come back because he brings so much to this team, but he’s certainly slowly being ushered out. I have a hard time seeing him doing anything but come back, though.

I know many fans can’t stand Lilja, but I’m a little more “eh” about the guy. He’s got an upside as a shot blocker and PKer. The guy is not here to carry the puck and make two-line passes. He’s not your typical Red Wing defenseman, but his size and physicality are meant to compensate. Obviously, his downside is that he has all-too-frequent and very visible gaffes. Still, I’m inclined to buy the argument of his few defenders that these mostly happen when he’s left out to dry by his more offensively-minded partners. If anything, he needs to improve his recovery skills. Anyway, unless he’s majorly beaten out in camp and the Wings look to trade him, Lilja’s one half of the third pairing, with Brett Lebda likely making up the other half.

I think Jonathan Ericsson is ready for an NHL job, but it won’t be this year unless he “pulls a Filppula” at training camp and forces his way onto the roster by being so good. The potential for him to be a hugely dominate AHL defenseman and the confidence that would arise from that makes sending him back to GR an attractive idea. I think he’s stronger mentally than Quincey in that it doesn’t seem likely he’ll have an off year as a result of coming down from the high of being a part of a long playoff run.

With Lidstrom, Rafalski, Kronwall, Stuart, Lebda, and Lilja under contract and assuming Chelios signs, the Wings would be up to seven defensemen with an apparent interest in carrying eight. Unless Ericsson tears it up in camp, that spot should go to Derek Meech. Meech is NHL-ready and is out of options. I’d hate to see him forced off the team, so I hope they make a point of keeping him around. He, like Ericsson, is the future of the Detroit blueline.

Now to goaltending. Chris Osgood is the starter at this point, there’s no question. He’s arguably playing the best hockey of his career, so it’s his job to lose. The job of back-up is a little more up in the air, though not too high. Jimmy Howard is going to have to be stellar in camp to pass Ty Conklin in the depth chart. Or Conklin will have to be awful.

Personally, I’d rather Conklin be the guy on the bench recording faceoffs while Jimmy gets actual ice time in Grand Rapids. Howard needs to have at least one strong year in the AHL before he’ll be ready for the NHL and if he can play the majority of the season with the Griffins, he should have the stability necessary to do that. Conklin is a great insurance policy, as his record this past season for Pittsburgh indicates.

So to me the 2008-2009 Wings roster would ideally look something like this:

Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Holmstrom
Franzen-Filppula-Hossa
Cleary-Draper-Maltby
Samuelsson-Hudler-Helm ( or, more likely, Kopecky)
Downey

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Stuart
Lilja-Lebda
Chelios
Meech

Osgood
Conklin

GR:

Leino
McCarty

Ericsson

Howard

That’s my take on the situation. We’ll see how much of it happens!

One last question that obviously needs addressing at some point is who is going to replace Todd McLellan.

In any case, the Wings are poised to have another great season. Like last summer following the loss to the Ducks, I’m fully confident in their ability to go all the way. They appear to have all the tools in the right places once again.

Update (10:00 PM): I should add here that I think the chances of a Red Wings post-Cup hangover are slim. This team is too well-coached and too focused for that. They certainly aren’t counting their chickens before they’re hatched, you can bet on it.

So, my fellow fans, feel free to do some harmless counting of poultry while the team takes care of business like group of professionals they are. There’s no harm in our being excited about their chances. - Matt

I really can’t wait for hockey to start up again!

3/8 Injury Update

Published
by
Matt Saler
on March 8, 2008
in Brett Lebda, Chris Chelios, Darren McCarty, Injuries, Nick Lidstrom and Valtteri Filppula
. 0 Comments

… Helene St. James, Ansar Khan, and Bruce MacLeod all have Tomas Holmstrom out tomorrow with a groin/abdominal injury. Apparently, Homer has dealt with such pain before this season, but it’s more severe this time around. According to Khan, he’ll have an ultrasound on Sunday.

The absence of Holmstrom means Mark Hartigan will be in the lineup.

… All three beat writers say Nick Lidstrom (knee sprain) is still scheduled to play tomorrow, though his status won’t be finalized until after the pre-game skate.

… Brett Lebda did not practice today due to an illness and is not going to play tomorrow. Either Jonathan Ericsson or Derek Meech will fill in for him. Babcock did not specify.

… Khan says Chris Chelios (bone chip, right leg) is in playing condition, but the team is being cautious. Apparently we can expect him back Tuesday.

… According to MacLeod, Darren McCarty has his own locker stall now, but he did not practice today due to his rib injury. He will not play tomorrow.

… Valtteri Filppula practiced today after missing yesterday’s with a sore thigh. He’s expected to play tomorrow.

3/6 Notes

Published
by
Matt Saler
on March 6, 2008
in 2007-2008, Aaron Downey, Andreas Lilja, Blues, Brett Lebda, Brian Rafalski, Coyotes, Derek Meech, Jonathan Ericsson, Manny Legace, Stars and Tomas Kopecky
. 6 Comments

… I only caught the first period of the Wings’ 4-1 win over the Blues last night. I was reasonably impressed with what I saw, though it’s obvious they aren’t quite firing on all cylinders yet. Still, it’s a marked improvement over their February play, that’s for sure.

I have to say something about the phantom Pavel Datsyuk call that led to the Blues’ late first period power play. What the heck was that? I’d like to think that the official who called the penalty knows the difference between a trip and a player falling on his own. Apparently not.

In the end, it doesn’t matter, but my confidence in the officiating is waning. What with the missed call in the Sharks game Friday night, the play that was not stopped in Buffalo Sunday, and various phantom calls, how are we expected to trust in the referees? It’s not as though it’s just a problem in Wings games either. Just ask the Philadelphia Flyers.  I hate to complain about the officiating, but to me this is a League-wide quality issue, not a Wings fan-specific gripe.

… I’ve been trying to cut Andreas Lilja some slack lately. I figure there’s a reason he remains in the lineup, despite his more visible blunders. With that change in mindset, I’ve been able to appreciate big #3 more.

On the Blues’ goal, however, I thought his attempt to knock the puck down was a little on the boneheaded side. It turned out to be a perfect redirect. I thought the conventional wisdom was that defensemen leave the puck alone if they can’t outright block it. With Stempniak  right there, I can understand what Andreas was trying to do, but it just didn’t turn out so well.

… It wasn’t  Brett Lebda that Mike Babcock sat in favor of Jonathan Ericsson  last night. It was Derek Meech. I admit it, I was surprised. Meech apparently hit a high point against Edmonton last week, but his play since was still quite good, I thought. I assume Babcock was just demonstrating to Meech that his spot on the roster is not a given. Hopefully it won’t backfire, somewhat like we saw with Quincey.

… Giving Ericsson another game paid off, if only because of a little drop pass  that kicked off the cycle leading to Pavel Datsyuk’s first goal. If Nick Lidstrom does return Sunday, however, last night was probably Ericsson’s last game in the Winged Wheel this season as he’ll be returned to Grand Rapids.

… Since I missed the second and third periods, I didn’t see the hit on Tomas Kopecky or the aftermath.  It didn’t make the cut on the highlight reel, and neither did the Rafalski throwdown or Downey’s coming off the bench. Too bad. IwoCPO says he’ll have video later.

I’m glad to read that Kopecky’s okay. He looked good in the first period and I assume played a strong game in the second and third, as well.

… I don’t know what he looked like in the second and third, obviously, but you get the feeling that Jiri Hudler is finally going to break out of this horrendous slump. I thought he looked strong in the first.

… Where was Manny Legace’s head on Brian Rafalski’s goal? It just blew by him.

… The Dallas Stars lost at home to the Coyotes last night. That’s two home losses in a row for the second-ranked team in the Conference. Much ballyhooed trade deadline acquisition Brad Richards has zero points in both games since posting five in his debut with the Stars. That’s called being brought back to earth.

The Wings’ two consecutive wins have put them 7 points ahead of Dallas and they retain two games in hand.

3/4 Injury Update

Published
by
Matt Saler
on March 4, 2008
in Brett Lebda, Brian Rafalski, Chris Chelios, Dan Cleary, Dominik Hasek, Injuries, Jonathan Ericsson and Nick Lidstrom
. 0 Comments

Update (5:40 PM): Bruce MacLeod has more now that practice is over.

It looks like Lidstrom could be back as soon as Sunday against Nashville.

Chris Chelios is feeling better and could be returning soon as well.

Brian Rafalski will play tomorrow barring a setback at the morning skate.

Now for the surprise: Jonathan Ericsson will play tomorrow, even if Rafalski does, Babcock told MacLeod. No word on who will sit in Ericsson’s place, but my guess is Brett Lebda. He could use a kick in the pants and I wouldn’t be surprised if Babcock gives him one here. I don’t see Andreas Lilja getting scratched because he looked strong Sunday in Buffalo, in my opinion.

Lastly, Dominik Hasek will start tomorrow night against the Blues. It’ll be his third consecutive start. - Matt

Bruce MacLeod has an update from practice posted.

He says Nick Lidstrom (sprained knee) skated for the first time since sustaining his injury. Nick and Chris Chelios participated in non-contact drills and then left the ice. As MacLeod points out, it’s good news that they’re skating, even if they can’t participate in the whole practice.

With today marking his first time back on the ice, Lidstrom is a little behind schedule, as reports early last week had him skating by the weekend. However, there’s no indication that he won’t be back in a week or so. That’s a little over the original estimate, but pretty good considering what his recovery time might have been.

Also, Brian Rafalski (groin) is still scheduled to return tomorrow and participated in practice. In case he has a setback, though, the team has kept Jonathan Ericsson in town.

Lastly, Dan Cleary (broken jaw) skated again, with a full mask protecting his face. In other news, he and the Wings have agreed on contract length: five years. Still no agreement on amount.

On the defense

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 8, 2008
in Brett Lebda and Derek Meech
. 9 Comments

I was only able to watch the first period last night, so I did not see the collapse that resulted in an embarrassing loss to the League’s last place team. However, you can read all about it over at Gorilla Crouch, where Dave suggests the game was further evidence that the team needs to acquire a top four defenseman at the deadline.

I have to disagree. The Wings are set as far as the top four is concerned. Nick Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski, Niklas Kronwall, and Andreas Lilja rank among the better top fours in the League. The temporary second paring of Lilja and Brett Lebda is just that, temporary, and will be broken up when Kronwall returns toward the end of the month. They don’t need a top four guy.

Say they do go after a top four guy. What would the defense look like with a new guy of that caliber?

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-new guy
Lilja-Chelios

Tell me that third pairing isn’t a little scary. Both players are strong defensive defensemen, but they are two of the slowest Red Wings. What about this?

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Lilja-new guy
Kronwall-Chelios

So, the team’s best young and third-highest paid defenseman would be relegated to third pairing minutes.  Great. How about this?

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Lilja-Kronwall
new guy-Chelios

What’s the point of acquiring a top four guy if he’s playing on the third pairing?

None of the above scenarios do much for me.

You’ll notice the absence of  Brett Lebda in those mock-ups. That’s because a call for a top four defenseman is an attack on #22. I think Brett’s been something of a disappointment this season because he’s not producing offensively. However, he is a great asset to the team and the argument can be made that he has been underutilized. The last thing the Wings need going into the postseason, where team speed is essential, is to push one of their best skaters out of the lineup.

You might say they’d take Lilja out instead. But if the goal of getting a top four guy is to get larger and more physical, dropping Lilja would make little sense.

This lineup argument is one thing. But the key is the fact that acquiring a top four guy like Rob Blake (who is likely headed to Anaheim) or Brad Stuart would cost far too much. They don’t need a top four guy and they can’t really afford one anyway.

A depth (i.e. a 7th or 8th man) defenseman may be affordable, however, and is something Ken Holland should consider, given Derek Meech’s inexperience.

For the most part I’m actually comfortable with the idea of Meech as injury insurance, especially since he’d play with Chris Chelios, but I’d be more comfortable if the team at least had the option of putting in a veteran. Meech is a strong young defenseman, but his lack of playing time at the NHL level is a concern. If he sees the ice more often down the stretch, that concern would be addressed somewhat, but a veteran still may not be a bad idea.

1/14 Notes

Published
by
Matt Saler
on January 14, 2008
in Aaron Downey, Andreas Lilja, Brett Lebda, Dallas Drake, Injuries, Thrashers and Trade Rumors
. 2 Comments

Update (11:05 PM): Be sure to read Pete’s well-thought-out followup post on the Trade Question. Nonetheless, I remain unenthusiastic about trade possibilities.

I guess part of my reluctance in this is due to my belief that too much tinkering (read: any tinkering) would mess up what’s already a good thing. The Wings can always try to “trade up,” I suppose, but why? I’m in basic agreement with HockeyTownTodd on this (from the comments):

I am reluctant to play wannabe GM, and think the Wings should stand pat. The girl should dance with the guy who brought her to the prom.

As long as the Wings are healthy, why would they want to risk screwing up team chemistry for what may only be marginal potential gain? - Matt

Update (10:40 PM): I feel I should clarify my position on the Blake/Lebda/Meech thing. As I said below, I think the argument that the Wings will look to improving their defense at the deadline makes sense, given the consequences of injuries last post-season. That said, I don’t know that a move is really all that necessary.

Derek Meech has played in a grand total of nine games for the Wings this season. In those nine games, he put up zero point. So the kid hasn’t dazzled offensively. But what do you expect? He’s a rookie in the NHL with a precarious spot on one of the deepest teams in the game. It’s perfectly understandable if he plays a conservative game in his position. Heck, it’s probably demanded of him.

He’s minus-2 and that may not be impressive, but this is: he’s taken zero penalties. For comparison’s sake, Kyle Quincey had zero penalty minutes through six games with the Wings in the regular season last year, and just two through 13 playoff games. I’ve frequently seen Quincey touted as a rock-solid young defenseman and part of the reason for that was his conservative play. Why doesn’t Meech get the same credit?

When Meech has been in the lineup, I generally only notice him the first time I see his #14 and think “Shanny…” In my experience, hardly noticing a young defenseman is a good thing. I don’t think Meech is an exception to that rule. There’s no need for him to be flashy or to “show anything.” He just has to do his job, and I think he’s done it pretty well for someone relegated to a practice drone.

There are far worse things than having Derek Meech as a seventh defenseman. A way to improve the situation would be to get him in the lineup more often in the second half. Give Chris Chelios a rest more often. Bench Andreas Lilja after a bad game in order to motivate him. Another “conditioning stint”(I’m told Derek has been “awesome” in his brief return to Grand Rapids, by the way. He should re-join the team late this week.). Whatever it takes to get him some playing time. Then Meech will gain the confidence he needs to stand out more. He’s not going to put up huge numbers, but he’s more than capable of being a solid, steady depth defenseman.

That said, I did write below that, “The team may be better off including Derek Meech in such a trade.” Of course, there I meant relative to trading Brett Lebda, whose upside is greater than Meech’s. I certainly didn’t mean to imply I think they should trade Meech. I’m not a fan of the idea of trading either of them, though if I had to choose, Meech would be the one to go.

My point is this: The Wings can go get a veteran (such as Keith Carney, as suggested by Todd below) if they feel they must and that they can get a good deal. It probably can’t hurt (they’re generally good at finding players that fit with team chemistry). But they also can stick with what they have and probably do okay as well, assuming everyone stays healthy. - Matt

… Bruce MacLeod, George Sipple, and Ansar Khan report that Dallas Drake missed practice today due to a knee injury sustained on the same collision in which Ottawa’s Dany Heatley separated his shoulder. The collision happened around the 3:42 mark of the third period Saturday night and was the last time Heatley saw the ice.

Drake, however, was able to play two more shifts before hitting the bench for the final time at 11:21, finishing with just under seven and a half minutes. Drake has started to get less time since the return of Kirk Maltby, so the low TOI wasn’t necessarily due to his knee. He is, however, questionable for the game against Atlanta tomorrow night, though Mike Babcock told Sipple that he thinks Drake will be available.

… All three beat writers also note that a possible replacement for Drake in the lineup, Aaron Downey, hurt his knee in practice when he fell and hyper-extended it. He  did return, though, and seemed none the worse for wear. According to MacLeod, he shared time with Matt Ellis skating on the fourth line.

… According to MacLeod, the team “spent significant time” practicing their power play today. That’s good news as they’ve been pretty ineffective with the man-advantage for a while now. MacLeod has a good piece on that topic here.

… Ansar Khan addresses the Trade Question by claiming Rob Blake would be a better acquisition than Mats Sundin. He presents a good argument, though I wonder if Blake isn’t at the end of the road at 38. He would, as Khan points out, be cheaper than Sundin, though. He’d also fill in an actual need (making the defensive corps an experienced seven), whereas the Swede would be somewhat extraneous on a team already full of forwards.

Pete at yzerman is god is all for Blake and outlines a possible trade scenario involving Brett Lebda.

I have to say that I’d hate to see that happen. As Pete points out, that would probably result in a third pairing of Andreas Lilja and Chris Chelios. Whereas Pete considers that an upgrade over Chelios/Lebda, I’d call it a nightmare. The two slowest defensemen in the same pair? One of the reasons Chelios remains so effective is that he has a smooth skating partner in Lebda. The same goes for Lilja with Lidstrom.  Put them together and they’ll both be relegated to pylon status.

Sure Lebda doesn’t have the size. Sure he’s not producing offensively like he should be. But his speed and skating ability alone makes him worth keeping.

The team may be better off including Derek Meech in such a trade. It would go a long way in clearing the logjam and would give the kid an actual chance to play in the NHL.

Who knows, though, whether the Wings will actually look to Blake to fill out their defense? It stands to reason that they’d want to shore up against injuries this time around, as losing Mathieu Schneider while already down Niklas Kronwall was probably the single biggest reason they were eliminated, but Blake may not be their man. Holland likes to go for guys few people were expecting and the more I hear the Blake rumor, the less I’ll believe it.

… Lastly, the Thrashers are pumped to be visiting Detroit tomorrow night.

11/5 Notes

Published
by
Matt Saler
on November 5, 2007
in Andreas Lilja, Brett Lebda, Chris Chelios, Dan Cleary, Derek Meech, Dominik Hasek, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, Lines, Links and Valtteri Filppula
. 2 Comments

Update (2:45 PM): Ansar Khan reports that Johan Franzen will wear a visor at least until the laceration (from taking the puck to his face off Brett Lebda’s stick Thursday) on his face heals, and maybe even after that, “to make his mom happy.”- Matt

… Bruce MacLeod reports that Niklas Kronwall (groin) did not practice today and will not be in the lineup Wednesday against Nashville. The Free Press’ George Sipple quotes Mike Babcock as saying, “He looks like he might be (ready) on Friday” for the game with Columbus.

More from MacLeod:

… Dominik Hasek (hip) has recovered and will be evaluated after tomorrow’s practice to determine the starter Wednesday.

… It looks like Jiri Hudler saw some time with Henrik Zetterberg today. He also practiced as part of the second power play unit with Dan Cleary, Johan Franzen, and Valtteri Filppula. So, his banishment to the fourth line does not extend to practice.

… On top of practicing special teams, the Wings focused on 2-on-2s and 3-on-2s.

… With Kronwall still out, Andreas Lilja will have the benefit of being paired with the smooth-skating Brett Lebda once again and Derek Meech will be paired with Chris Chelios for another game.

… Aaron Downey, Dallas Drake, Matt Ellis and Tomas Kopecky rotated on the fourth line. You have to wonder if there won’t be a change to the lineup with the team preparing to face Jordin “Hit High, Hit Hard, Run Away” Tootoo. Personally, I’d like to see Aaron Downey patrolling the ice Wednesday night.

On Sopel

Published
by
Matt Saler
on September 12, 2007
in Andreas Lilja, Brent Sopel, Brett Lebda, Brian Rafalski, Chris Chelios, Nick Lidstrom and Niklas Kronwall
. 3 Comments

Update (13. Sep, 12:22AM): Bruce MacLeod has posted a look at the situation and it’s a good read. He writes that the competition is between Sopel and Meech, not Lilja. At the onset, that’s exactly how it will be, but MacLeod admits that “[Sopel] could force Detroit’s hand into trading or cutting one of its top six defensemen.” If it came down to it, I’d guess that player would be Lilja, which would give Meech the 7th spot. Or the team would just carry 8 defensemen, which isn’t fair to the experienced player (Lebda or Lilja) that gets to share the skybox with Meech. Plus, it would create problems with the forward corps.

What problems? Well, if Grigorenko has a strong enough camp to make the team, and if the Wings want to keep Matt Ellis (a heart-and-soul player in GR ready to be one in Detroit), they’d need to carry 14 forwards (those two, plus Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Holmstrom, Filppula, Cleary, Samuelsson, Franzen, Maltby, Draper, Drake, Hudler, Kopecky). 14 forwards plus 2 goalies plus 8 defensemen equals 24 players, one man over the limit of 23.

So, as already looked at by IwoCPO, if both Sopel and Grigorenko turn out to be good enough to make the team, someone’s on their way out. It’s going to be interesting to see how this all shakes out. Maybe Sopel will be a flop and all they’ll have to worry about is what to do with Igor and Ellis. - Matt

Ansar Khan has a blog post up with a few Babcock quotes on various topics, but one of the most interesting is this one on Brent Sopel, one of the Wings’ free agent camp invitees:

“… I’ve known him since he was a kid, we have a real good feel for him and think he’s a top-four NHL defenseman. Now, just because we think it doesn’t mean anything, he’s got to relax and let his skill come to the forefront and show us what he brings (though the preseason).”

Sopel’s entry into the top four would upset the current projections of the group, which is generally considered to be Nick Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski, Niklas Kronwall, and Andreas Lilja. The first two are locks for the top pairing (or at least, the top four, in Rafalski’s case) and the team isn’t paying Kronwall $3 million to play in the third pairing, or, for that matter, to sit on the bench. And speaking of the third pairing, Chris Chelios and Brett Lebda play too well together to break that up. So, that leaves Andreas Lilja. If Sopel cracks the lineup, it seems to me that Lilja would be the odd man out.

That wouldn’t be a new situation for old Andreas, whose had an up-and-down career in Detroit, ranging from Nick Lidstrom’s defensive partner in 05-06, to seventh defenseman and odd-man out to Niklas Kronwall and Brett Lebda last year. He had a surprisingly good playoffs and still brings the most physical presence of any Red Wings defenseman (relatively speaking), but even in the Mike Babcock era, offensive defensemen win out in Detroit.

Obviously, Sopel is no lock for a contract with the Wings, but the possibility is intriguing.

I realize I’m a little late to chime in on this topic. Others have said their piece already and made some great points. See Abel to Yzerman, Gorilla Crouch, and yzerman is god.

Khan: Post-practice Update

Published
by
Matt Saler
on April 29, 2007
in Brett Lebda, Henrik Zetterberg, Injuries, Kyle Calder, Lines, Links and Mikael Samuelsson
. 0 Comments

Ansar Khan has an update on Tomas Holmstrom, Brett Lebda, Henrik Zetterberg, the top line, and Kyle Calder. Basically, Homer is staying in Detroit until cleared, Lebda won’t be back until Game 5 at the earliest, Zetterberg did not skate, Todd Bertuzzi or Mikael Samuelsson will start on the top line tomorrow, and Kyle Calder is okay.

4/25 Injury Update

Published
by
Matt Saler
on April 25, 2007
in Brett Lebda, Hockey Bloggers, Injuries and Tomas Holmstrom
. 4 Comments

Update (6:55 PM): Ansar Khan responded to my email about the report on the Calder/Samuelsson injuries, saying, “The Wings are denying it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s true.” He goes on to remind us that the team is not exactly going to be free with information on these types of injuries (no kidding, but how did some guy from Columbus find out about it when no one in Detroit mentioned it?). Both are expected to play tomorrow, apparently.

Khan also suggests we be more concerned with the fact that Zetterberg sat out practice today. Duly noted, Ansar. Still, I wonder if Hank isn’t just sitting out practices the same way Steve Yzerman did in 2002 during their Cup run. The Captain always played, though obviously in great pain, which is the key thing. As long as Hank is playing, I’m not so concerned that he’s not practicing. That said, while Babcock asserts that he’s ready to go in Game 1, it sounds like there’s a possibility he’ll sit. We’ll just have to wait and see. - Matt

Update (6:40 PM): James Mirtle relates a radio report out of Toronto that both Kyle Calder and Mikael Samuelsson are dealing with a broken bone in their hand. James doesn’t say whether or not the report included speculation on the status of the two for Game 1. Given that none of the Detroit media outlets have picked this up, I’m viewing it with skepticism, at least until I read it in one of the papers.

If they are dealing with that type of injury, it can’t be very serious because we know from Bruce MacLeod that Samuelsson and Calder practiced today. I’m therefore inclined to believe there’s little or nothing to that report, especially given the fact that the AHL wire is silent about a call-up, which would be a certainty if either Calder or Sammy (or both) were unable to play tomorrow. - Matt

Update (3:40 PM): Ansar Khan has checked in with his report from practice. After reporting things we already knew about Homer and Lebda, he says that Babcock told him he has not decided who will fill in that winger spot on the top line. Apparently, Khan didn’t notice that Kyle Calder skated with Pavel today because he sticks to his suggestion that Mikael Samuelsson is the most “likely candidate.”

Maybe he knows something Bruce MacLeod doesn’t, because MacLeod’s evidence below seems to suggest that Calder would be the most likely guy. - Matt

Update (2:50 PM): You may have noticed below that Bruce MacLeod wrote Henrik Zetterberg did not skate today, though he didn’t say much about it beyond that. Well, Helene St. James has more. Basically, Mike Babcock told her that Hank didn’t skate because he’s old enough to need breaks now, but she points out that he’s only 26 and suggests that he must be hurt, since he hasn’t skated since Sunday. She goes so far as to say it could be his back again. Could be, yes, but I don’t think we need to be too concerned yet. If he doesn’t skate tomorrow, that’s different. - Matt

Update (2:30 PM): Bruce MacLeod reports now that both Lebda and Holmstrom are out for Game 1. He also provides a list of the lines from practice today:

EVEN STRENGTH
Calder-Datsyuk-Kopecky
Franzen-Lang-Bertuzzi
Cleary-Draper-Maltby
Hudler-Filppula-Samuelsson
Lidstrom-Markov
Schneider-Lilja
Quincey-Chelios
Keep in mind that Zetterberg isn’t on the ice, but is slated to play Thursday, which would obviously bump Kopecky off the top line.

POWER PLAY
Calder-Datsyuk-Bertuzzi
Cleary-Lang-Hudler
Lidstrom-Schneider
Samuelsson-

Nothing all that surprising there, except for the placement of Calder on the top line. Hmm. I really thought we’d see Fil get some big minutes in this situation. Still, I think his role will increase as the Wings’ fourth line will become more important in this series than in the last. As for Calder, playing with Datsyuk and Zetterberg will certainly be good for getting him going offensively again. - Matt

Ted Kulfan reports that Tomas Holmstrom has been “ruled out” for Game 1 because he still has blood in his eye after taking an errant Craig Conroy stick to the face Sunday.

Obviously, that means Jiri Hudler will be back in the lineup, and the situation raises questions about the Wings’ top line. I still believe a Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Filppula line is possible, because Hudler is capable of centering the fourth line at the minutes he’s likely to get.

Kulfan says that it’s looking like Brett Lebda will not be ready to play, either.

Also, Dave has an update on our Wings Blogger Playoff Pick’em Contest