Category Archive for ‘Kris Draper’ at On the Wings

Archive for the 'Kris Draper' Category

4/8 Notes

Published

on April 8, 2008

in Brad Stuart, Hockey Media, Injuries, Kris Draper, Mikael Samuelsson, Playoffs and Scheduling

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Update (2:34 PM): Helene St. James reports that Stuart told her he has “recovered enough that he can shoot and pass like he wants to.” That’s good news. - Matt

Update (1:12 PM): MacLeod has updated now that practice is over. The two most interesting bits of information:

First, Brad Stuart (broken finger) told MacLeod that he’s still looking at a Game 1 return, though he apparently still has trouble shooting the puck. As far as I’m concerned, as long as he can play a sound positional game and pass with authority, he should be in the lineup.

Second, Justin Abdelkader will skate on the wing of a definitely returning Kris Draper in the opener with Jiri Hudler. That’s quite a turnaround for the kid.

Also, Mikael Samuelsson skated and still think it’s possible he’ll return Thursday. I’m very skeptical about that. Kirk Maltby did not skate. - Matt

Update (11:42 AM): Bruce MacLeod reports from practice here.

Apparently, neither Kirk Maltby nor Mikael Samuelsson are on the ice. Sammy’s absence is a definite sign that he will not be back Thursday.

Also, neither Darren Helm nor Jonathan Ericsson have made an appearance. My guess it they have been returned to Grand Rapids for the duration of the week as they prepare to finish their season on Saturday.

MacLeod also provides the practice lines:

Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Holmstrom
Cleary-Flippula-Franzen
Hudler-Draper-Abdelkader
McCarty-Hartigan-Downey
Drake

Expect the Eurotwins to see a lot of time together when the Wings are at home and a lot of time apart when they are on the road. - Matt

I plan on adding to this post throughout the day, so check back. I’m short on time at the moment so I can only pass along a couple thing nows:

… The Tennessean has the times for Games 3 and 4: 7:30 ET and 9:00 ET respectively. Game 3 presents a problem for me as I have a class until 8:40 that night and missing time is very much frowned upon. Hmm.

… According to Helene St. James, Brad Stuart (broken finger) is no longer the lock for Game 1 he was expected to be. Ken Holland told her “It’s how he feels.”

Obviously, the sooner Stuart can make it back, the better, but whatever it takes to get him healthy.

… Kris Draper, on the other hand, is expected to be back from his groin injury.

… Mikael Samuelsson (groin) is unlikely to play in Game 1 because the team would prefer he go through a few practices first. If he can make it through the full practice today, I believe that would be the first time since he went down with the injury March 25th.

… If you read nothing else this morning, read this post by George Malik. The hockey media is really making itself look silly these past few days.

… Lastly, I’ll have a series preview up Wednesday evening or Thursday before 1:00. I have some school things I have to take care of before I can devote energy to that. Sorry.

4/5 Notes

Published

Matt Saler

on April 5, 2008

in Brian Rafalski, Darren Helm, Injuries, Justin Abdelkader, Kris Draper, Lines, Mikael Samuelsson and Playoffs

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Update (2:12 PM): Helene St. James notes that the playoff schedule given below is not yet official. It’s just what the team is anticipating.

Also, I’ve added a sidebar section with first round info and links. For some reason, it’s not showing up on the main page, but it’s there in the post pages. I hope to get that fixed, but because it’s tied to a conflict between the new version of Wordpress and the k2 theme I use, I can’t do much aside from wait for a fix to be posted. - Matt

Update (2:06 PM): For those wondering why the Wings signed Abdelkader when they could have just called up a Griffin or two, here’s my thinking (posted as a comment over at Abel to Yzerman in response to IwoCPO calling it a panic signing):

I think it’s a matter of timing. Abdelkader decided just this past week that he was going to forgo his senior year at MSU. When he told the Wings, they had two routes they could take: 1) sign him by the Saturday deadline and have him available for the playoffs, or 2) let him hang out for a summer and sign him by the August deadline so that he could join the organization next season.

The benefits of Option 1 are obvious: you can bring in a highly-touted prospect who would be idle otherwise. He brings a fast, physical style as well as buckets of motivation to play for his home team. If nothing else, he can join the group of young guys the team will be calling up at the end of the Griffins’ season and give the Wings a heck of a practice squad.

So, they signed him to an amateur tryout in order to whet his appetite. He then signed the entry level contract and now has the chance to play hockey in real life this summer instead of on his Xbox.

Not a panic signing at all. Just a realization that an idle Justin Abdelkader is a waste of talent.

- Matt

Ansar Khan has an update from practice:

… Tomas Holmstrom (abdomen/groin) is definitely going to play tomorrow. He’ll skate on Henrik Zetterberg’s wing with Pavel Datsyuk.

… Kris Draper (groin) is out tomorrow, but claimed he’ll be back for Game 1. So, the 10-14 days claim from the FSN broadcast Thursday night was incorrect. Draper implied that he’d be playing through pain by telling Khan he would play tomorrow if it were the playoffs.

… Mikael Samuelsson (groin) was on the ice but not for long. No return date has been set yet.

… The team recalled Darren Helm from the Griffins, apparently to give Babcock more options.

… The practice lines:

Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Holmstrom
Filppula-Franzen-Cleary
Drake-Hartigan-Downey
Hudler-Helm-McCarty

… Justin Abdelkader was the odd man out in practice, but Babcock told Khan he’d dress 13 forwards prior to the game and decide who sits after warmups.

… Brian Rafalski will be rested tomorrow, which means Derek Meech will be on the blueline.

… Lastly, Khan provides the first round schedule. Not times yet, but Game 2 will be an evening game, apparently:

Game 1 — Thursday in Detroit
Game 2 — Saturday in Detroit
Game 3 — April 14 in Nashville
Game 4 — April 16 in Nashville
x-Game 5 — April 18 in Detroit
x-Game 6 — April 20 in Nashville
x-Game 7 — April 22 in Detroit

x-if necessary

4/1 Injury Notes

Published

Matt Saler

on April 1, 2008

in Brad Stuart, Injuries, Kris Draper, Lines, Mikael Samuelsson and Tomas Holmstrom

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Update (2:54 PM): Ted Kulfan has a slightly different take on Holmstrom’s situation:

The status of Tomas Holmstrom (abdominal strain) will be determined by Wednesday’s morning skate in Chicago. If Holmstrom doesn’t play in Chicago, he’ll likely play Thursday against Columbus.

Makes sense. If I had to guess, though, I’d say they keep him out tomorrow night no matter what. - Matt

Update (2:12 PM): Ansar Khan also has more, but about the only new piece of injury-related information is that Holmstrom said he expects to play Thursday night.

Khan also astutely suggests that Babcock may break up the Eurotwins on the road, but keep them together at home, when he has the last change. - Matt

Update (2:05 PM): George Sipple has some more on Draper’s injury, with quotes from Mike Babcock. Apparently, it is a recurrence of the groin issue that kept him out earlier this month, though it does not sound that serious. The team is just being cautious. - Matt

… Bruce MacLeod has some bad news: Kris Draper skipped out on nearly the entire practice today due to tightness in his groin. He definitely will not play tomorrow or Thursday, and probably won’t return for the home game Sunday. MacLeod says he likely won’t be back until the playoffs begin on the 10th.

As MacLeod points out, Draper only recently returned from a groin injury that sidelined him for five games. Here’s hoping this goes away with some rest.

… It looks like Tomas Holmstrom (abdomen) won’t return tomorrow after all. The team is looking at a possible Thursday return date for #96, who has missed 11 games. Just as long as he’s good and ready. There’s no rush.

… Mikael Samuelsson (groin) did not skate and does not appear to be close to returning.

… In an earlier post, MacLeod reported that Brad Stuart (broken finger) took part in practice, but did not participate in 5-on-5 drills.

… MacLeod also provided the practice lines and pairings:

Filppula-Datsyuk-Cleary
Hudler-Zetterberg-Franzen
Kopecky-Hartigan-Maltby
Downey-Drake-McCarty

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Chelios
Lebda-Lilja

It’s interesting to see the Eurotwins split up again. Obviously, that’s preparation for the playoffs, when keeping them together (and matched up against the opposition’s shutdown players) would be less productive than splitting them up.

Also, with Draper’s injury, it looks like we won’t get a reprieve from Hartigan any time soon.

Ritola, Helm returned to Griffins

Published

Matt Saler

on March 17, 2008

in Aaron Downey, Darren Helm, Darren McCarty, Injuries, Kris Draper and Mattias Ritola

. 1 Comment

Update (3:15 PM): I was wrong about Holmstrom.

Bruce MacLeod reports that Kris Draper is a “maybe” for Wednesday, while neither Tomas Holmstrom nor Darren McCarty are expected to be ready. Downey, however, is able to return.

If Draper (or Holmstrom or McCarty) is not able to make it back, the team will recall Mattias Ritola or Darren Helm. - Matt

According to Griffinshockey.com, the Wings have returned Mattias Ritola and Darren Helm to Grand Rapids. As pointed out by George Malik, that should mean two of Aaron Downey (flu), Tomas Holmstrom (abdominal/groin), Kris Draper (groin tear), and Darren McCarty (ribs) will be back Wednesday night.

My guess? Downey, who should be over his flu, and Holmstrom, whose injury seemed less severe than Draper’s. That would make the forward corps look like this:

Filppula-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Franzen-Zetterberg-Samuelsson
Maltby-Kopecky-Drake
Hartigan-Hudler-Downey

Of course, that’s just speculation. It’s also possible that McCarty could make his return debut at the expense of Downey, though I’d be surprised if Draper plays.

Red Wings TV: Latest “Birthday Bandit” Strike

Published

Matt Saler

on January 4, 2008

in Jiri Hudler, Kris Draper and Video

. 0 Comments

Here’s a hilarious video of Kris Draper doing his usual birthday thing to Jiri Hudler. Gotta love Draper’s strategy of hiding behind the biggest player on the team.

I’d embed it here, but, for whatever reason, it wrecks havoc with the page. Sorry about that.

12/18 Update

Published

Matt Saler

on December 18, 2007

in Dominik Hasek, Henrik Zetterberg, Kirk Maltby and Kris Draper

. 0 Comments

… Ansar Khan reports that Dominik Hasek will start tomorrow night versus LA, while Chris Osgood will start Thursday. While that goes against the rotation policy, it’s not an unusual move as the Wings prefer that Dom go through the same day-long warm up process before every game he plays and that’s just not possible on the second day of a back-to-back, particularly when they have to fly to another city.

… Khan also says Kris Draper will return to the lineup tomorrow night. I’m guessing that will mean Aaron Downey will sit, but Mike Babcock wouldn’t reveal anything to the media.

… Khan’s final update is on Kirk Maltby, who doesn’t see himself returning until New Year’s Eve at the earliest. Via Red Wings TV, here is the interview from which Khan got his quotes from Malts.

… Lastly, be sure to check out the NHL’s Frozen Moment (alternate link) today. (via Snapshots)

12/12 Notes

Published

Matt Saler

on December 12, 2007

in Dan Hamhuis, Injuries, Kirk Maltby, Kris Draper, Mark Hartigan, Mike Babcock, Tomas Holmstrom and Video

. 1 Comment

… I apologize for not posting on the Predators game. Finals came first and now I’m done. I don’t have much to say about the game, though, except that the Wings were fortunate they had a fresh Chris Osgood in net, as they totally ran out of gas and barely weathered the storm.

Also, I think Dan Hamhuis should be added to the Enemies of Hockeytown list. Why? Because he tried to take out Nick Lidstrom’s knee from behind when he came out of the penalty box late in the second period. That’s pure bush league.

… Speaking of knees, Tomas Holmstrom evidently hurt his against Carolina on Sunday and missed practice today after playing through pain in Nashville. It’s all but certain he won’t play tomorrow against Edmonton. Apparently, he has not undergone any tests and does not know how he injured it. The team has called up Mark Hartigan to take up the vacant spot on the roster.

Losing Homer is a big deal, but it could be worse. It may even turn out to be a positive of sorts, as Mikael Samuelsson skated with Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg in practice today. Although Babcock wouldn’t commit to that unit for the Edmonton game, it’s possible he’ll stick with it. If anyone on this team needs the boost the Eurotwins can provide, it’s Samuelsson. He doesn’t have a goal in nine games (1G on November 21st vs. St. Louis) and only has two points over that span.

… The remaining practice lines:

Hudler-Filppula-Kopecky
Cleary-Franzen-Drake
Draper-Ellis-Downey

… Red Wings TV has a post-practice interview with Mike Babcock here. You may find his his pronunciation of “Filppula” humorous.

… Bruce MacLeod reports that Domink Hasek will start tomorrow, which is in keeping with the official goalie rotation policy for the month.

… According to Ansar Khan, Kris Draper practiced with the team today for the first time since he went down with his knee injury (November 227th). He’s not due back for another two weeks or so. Red Wings TV has a post-practice interview with Drapes, as well.

… Kirk Maltby has not skated since his back became inflamed, though he has been told he does not have any major injury and has been given a shot to reduce the swelling. I’ll believe it’s a minor thing when he’s back in the lineup.

… It’s a couple days old now, but be sure to read this excellent post by George Malik at Kukla’s Korner on the current debate about goaltender pad size, if you haven’t already. Also, IwoCPO’s post on unscrupulous post editing/deletion on the part of the Detroit hockey media is well worth a read.

… The NHL held a brief phone conference with Mike Babcock this afternoon. Abel to Yzerman has the audio here. If you’d rather read it, I have the transcript after the jump.
Continue reading ‘12/12 Notes’

12/6 Practice Update

Published

Matt Saler

on December 6, 2007

in Dominik Hasek, Injuries, Kirk Maltby and Kris Draper

. 0 Comments

Update (2:58 PM): Bruce MacLeod has another update:

… Dominik Hasek and Chris Osgood will likely rotate the upcoming games, with Hasek starting the rotation tomorrow. That would put Chris Osgood between the pipes on Sunday.

… Contrary to what I say below, Kris Draper apparently will skate tomorrow, with a brace, before the rest of the team does. - Matt

Briefly:

… Bruce MacLeod reports that Kirk Maltby (back) did not skate today, which means it’s highly unlikely he’ll return to the lineup tomorrow versus Minnesota. A Sunday return against Carolina is possible, though.

… Kris Draper (knee) also did not skate, but that’s to be expected as he’s not supposed to hit the ice again until later next week.

… Also, it looks as though Dominik Hasek will get his second-straight start tomorrow.

11/27 Injury Update

Published

Matt Saler

on November 28, 2007

in Chris Osgood, Dominik Hasek, Injuries, Kirk Maltby, Kris Draper, Matt Ellis and Tomas Kopecky

. 2 Comments

Update (4:40 PM): It looks like the Wings’ site is ramping up the news updates, even on off days. Nice to see. DetroitRedWings.com’s Bob Roose has more on Draper’s knee injury, including a better description of what happened and on the effect the injury will have on the roster make-up.

Also, a response to this piece by Ryan Dixon of The Hockey News, in which he berates Andreas Lilja for fighting Dion Phaneuf after the latter’s high hit on Jiri Hudler last night. Regardless of the cleanliness of the hit (a somewhat debatable point given the fact that Phaneuf left his feet and used his elbow), Lilja was perfectly within his rights to challenge the Flames defenseman. Like George Malik points out, Phaneuf did not have to accept the challenge and could have easily skated away. Few would have questioned his toughness.

Dixon betrays his true motivations for criticizing Lilja here:

Would the thinking go: “Well, I could give my team a lift by laying somebody out, but is that worth our worst defenseman getting more ice time while I sit in the box for five minutes?”

Dixon’s all wound up because Phaneuf is touted as a star in the League, whereas is Lilja a no-name player who had the gall to challenge him and take him off the ice, away from prospective fans, for a whole five minutes. Mr. Dixon, it’s part of the game and Lilja earned points with his own fanbase for the fight. It’s not all about Phaneuf. It’s too bad for the Flames that it happened in the last 7 minutes, but, again, Phaneuf didn’t have to fight. - Matt

Update (3:22 PM): Red Wings TV has added three post-practice interviews:

- Matt
… Bruce MacLeod reports that Kris Draper will be out 10-14 days with a knee sprain. That’s a big hit to the team’s defensive capablities, especially going into the game against the NHL points leader Vincent Lecavalier and Tampa Bay tomorrow night. It’s not the end of the world by any means, given the defensive talent on the roster, but the third line won’t be as effective at shutting the other team down.

… Tomas Kopecky has been cleared to play.

… It looks like the earliest Matt Ellis will be back is Tuesday night in Montreal.

… Kirk Maltby did not practice today and the reason given is a shoulder injury. MacLeod does not know his status for the Tampa Bay game. If he’s not able to go, the team will carry 7 defensemen or call up a forward from Grand Rapids in order to fill in the empty roster spot. Personally, I hope Derek Meech gets to see some ice time, if Maltby needs a night off. The last thing the Griffins need is to lose a forward, however temporarily.

… Apparently, Chris Osgood will start again tomorrow night. It’ll be his third start in a row. Dominik Hasek is slated to start either Saturday or Tuesday. Babcock says the strategy is to play Osgood more in the first half in order to rest Dom for the second half and the playoffs. Okay, I can believe that, but tell me Dom wouldn’t be starting more often if he were tearing it up like Osgood has been.

10/17 Notes

Published

Matt Saler

on October 17, 2007

in Jiri Hudler, Kris Draper, Leafs and Matt Ellis

. 0 Comments

Sorry for the lack of posting this week. I’ve been otherwise occupied and haven’t been able to put a post together. I missed the game Monday night, but based on what I’ve read about it, that was probably good for my blood pressure. I know the officiating has been wildly inconsistent, so I don’t what the Wings have to do to stop getting called, but they have to find some way to keep the penalties to a minimum as they prepare to face the Sharks tomorrow. It’s going to be interesting.

Anyway, a few odds and ends:

… The Wings have mentioned to Kris Draper’s agent that they’re looking at extending his contract 2 or 3 years, though no actual talks have begun quite yet. Drapes is 36 now, so that timeframe works pretty well, especially given the longevity of other Red Wings. He still brings a lot to the team and is invaluable in the lockerroom. He’s certainly making a case for another contract with the start he’s had!

… The Detroit News reports that Matt Ellis could surpass Jiri Hudler in the depth chart. Apparently, Babcock has been less-than-impressed with Jiri and Ellis has stood out enough to warrant the speculation. The problem with that is Ellis isn’t a replacement for Hudler. He does not have the same offensive upside and wouldn’t necessarily be able to fill the void Hudler is expected to fill in the scoring. I would think that the Wings’ goal would be to get Jiri going, not to demote him. Ellis has looked strong out there and has helped make the fourth line tough to play against, but I don’t see him moving up on the depth chart at Hudler’s expense.

… In that same News article, Ted Kulfan mentions that the November $9 tickets will go on sale Saturday at 10:00 AM. Remember, you can only get them at the JLA box office.

… The League is looking at a revolutionary idea: heated skate blades. The heat reduces the friction between the blade and the ice and will increase gliding speed and make it easier to start skating. The most obvious benefit of these skates would be the reduction in fatigue, which would mean players would have more energy later in games and would be able to play longer shifts.

I’m not really sure I like this idea much. Changes in blade design? Yes. Changes in skate weight? Good. Innovation in arena cooling? Great. Little gadgets attached to skates boosting skating ability? Not a big fan. What’ll be next? HUDs in visors?

For now, only a few players will be given the skates for use in practice. If they work out, they’ll apparently begin to be used in actual games.

… The Detroit News site has been redesigned. It looks pretty good. Their Wings Blog now has permalinks, but still doesn’t have an RSS feed.

… If you’re in to graphs and numbers, check out this excellent post by James Mirtle on NHL attendence.

… Over at Gorilla Crouch, Dave projects the final Central Division standings.

… Finally, some consolation for those of us who are fed up with Andreas Lilja.