Archive for the 'Valtteri Filppula' CategoryPage 2 of 3

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.

Thank You Ansar!

Published
by
Sarah Baker
on April 20, 2007
in 2006-2007, Flames, Mikael Samuelsson, Mike Babcock, Playoffs, Robert Lang, Todd Bertuzzi and Valtteri Filppula
. 8 Comments

Thank you for validating everything I’ve been thinking for this entire series. Khan has a great little piece on his blog today (of which I am not the only fan) highlighting the Wings’ struggles against the Flames and providing a number of helpful suggestions. Let’s just hope he sent Mike Babcock a copy.

Suggestion #1:

He should insert Jiri Hudler back in the lineup. Hudler played with a lot of energy in the first two games.

Jiri played so well in the first two games, only to be dropped with the return of Todd Bertuzzi. Now Bert has earned his keep, but there’s no reason Hudler shouldn’t be out there in place of one of our underachievers. I’ve been hoping Huds would get the call over Samuelsson.

Suggestion#2:

Or he might take out Samuelsson, who has just one assist in 10 playoff games the last two years. If he leaves Samuelsson in, he should at least stop playing him on the point on the power play. It isn’t working. Brett Lebda would be a better option.

Every time I bring up the idea of scratching Samuelsson, somebody says “Oh, but he’s playing the point on the power play.” Here we go again. Babcock is a great coach, but what is his obsession with putting forwards on the PP point?! Now, Samuelsson is no Jason Williams - he’s not a total liability there. But he’s not producing either. It just is not working. Oh, and if I had a dollar for every time I’ve told somebody that Lebs would be a better choice than Sammy for the PP point in the last two weeks, I’d be watching the next game from The Joe instead of my living room. Brett is a great skater and he’s got tons of offensive ability. He’s practically a forward anyway with the way he’s always wheeling around in the offensive zone. Babs should be all over this.

Another thing that I’ve had a hard time understanding is the fact that, despite being one of our hardest working players, Filppula can not manage to get decent ice time - instead it continues to go to guys who are simply wasting it. The thing that really gets me is that Babs admits that he should be playing him more.

“He probably wonders why the coach doesn’t get him on the ice more and the coach wonders that himself,” said Detroit coach Mike Babcock. “My son told me after Game 1 that I didn’t play Fil enough.” (via USA Today)

Even his kids know it! Is Babcock aware of the fact that he’s the coach and he’s actually allowed to make these changes himself? If he thinks he deserves more time, why doesn’t he give it to him?

Suggestion #3:

Valtteri Filppula needs to play more. I’d also try to find a way to work him in on the struggling power play.

Power play time? Now there’s an idea. That would give Fil more playing time AND change up our miserable power play. No, I think that would make too much sense…

Despite Babcock’s stubbornness regarding lines, he has done more this year than last and for that I am most greatful.

Coach Mike Babcock’s reluctance to change his lineup or even his line combinations proved costly in last year’s first-round loss to Edmonton. He made a good move by replacing Kyle Calder and Mikael Samuelsson on the second line with Todd Bertuzzi and Johan Franzen.

Darn right, Ansar. I just want to know what took him so long. I think everybody and their brother knew that Todd needed to be on that second line with Lang the day he returned to the ice. Sometimes I think Babcock is just a little too reluctant to make changes. It scares me. When you’re afraid to make changes, then sometimes you don’t do it until it’s too late. Hopefully that won’t be the case in this series.

Oh, and for anyone who didn’t think Babcock was completely insane for putting Lang out for the last faceoff of game 3 (I’m sure there is no such person, but you never know):

Robert Lang has won only 17 of 54 face-offs.

For those of you without calculators, that’s about a 31% win percentage. That means he loses them 69% of the time! I bet every time the opposing center sees that he’s facing off against Lang, he throws a little party in his head. “Freebie faceoff win! Coach will think I’m good at those! Yay!”

Suggestion #4:

Maybe Franzen should start taking the draws for that line. It couldn’t be much worse.

Sure it could, Lang has actually made an improvement from his game 1 faceoff win percentage - a whopping 20%.

Basically, I think Babs has made some unfortunate decisions up to this point. Maybe he’s overcomplicating things. To put it simply, the players who are playing the best should be playing the most. Makes sense to me. If someone’s not cutting it, they should be replaced, whether it be on the PP, in the faceoff circle, or on the lineup completely.

Breaking News: Valtteri Filppula leaves game

Published
by
Matt Saler
on March 14, 2007
in Injuries, Links and Valtteri Filppula
. 2 Comments

Update (15. Mar, 12:00 AM):  Helene St. James reports that the injury occured when Filppula took a shot off his foot. Mike Babcock assured the media after the game that he’s fine, that it’s not broken, and that he’ll be back in a few days. St. James rightfully points out on her blog that they thought the same thing about Mikael Samuelsson until they found out a few days later that it was broken. He only just recently made it back, after going down in January. So, take Babs’ words with a grain of salt. - Matt

Valtteri Filppula has left the game with a lower body injury and will not return, according to the FSN crew. The Wings’ injury troubles continue to get worse. Fil’s last shift came about midway through the second period.

Griffins Reveal Clear Day Roster - Featuring Filppula

Published
by
Sarah Baker
on March 3, 2007
in AHL, Griffins, Josh Langfeld and Valtteri Filppula
. 1 Comment

The Griffins clear day roster was released yesterday - the AHL requires that all teams submit a list of 22 players at the deadline (March 1). These are the only players eligible to play in the remaining games of the season and in the playoffs. Players may be added only in case of injury. The only exception is that college and junior players may be added when their respective seasons end.

I was surprised to find upon reading the list that Valtteri Filppula was on it and Josh Langfeld was not. Surely the Griffins aren’t expecting Detroit to send the promising young Filppula down anytime soon. I mean, he’s playing on the top line right now - filling in for Henrik Zetterberg. He’s clearly made an impression on both Babcock and the Wings Organization, so I don’t see them being too eager to demote him. We should have enough roster space to keep him once the team gets healthy - as long as Tomas Kopecky doesn’t return this season, which, Ansar Khan points out, seems unlikely:

Doctors told him he could be ready to play by April. The team will decide in the next few weeks whether it’s worth the risk of having him play this season. It doesn’t sound like he will play. (via Mlive)

So why bother putting Fil on the Clear Day Roster? According to Joe Conklin of the Grand Rapids Press:

The Wings expect a long playoff run, but they want to keep their options open if there’s an early exit. Filppula isn’t subject to waivers, and he’d come back to Grand Rapids the same way Brett Lebda did last year. It also appears Langfeld is with the Wings for the long run.

I suppose that makes sense, especially considering the fact that Langfeld is considered a veteran (played more than 260 games as of the beginning of the season) by the AHL and would put Grand Rapids over the limit of 5 veterans per team. They’re not necessarily expecting to get Filppula back, but he’s on there just in case.

2/10 Notes

Published
by
Matt Saler
on February 10, 2007
in Danny Markov, Dominik Hasek, Flyers, Henrik Zetterberg, Jiri Hudler, Joey MacDonald, Nick Lidstrom, Niklas Kronwall, Pavel Datsyuk, Peter Forsberg, Tomas Holmstrom, Trade Rumors and Valtteri Filppula
. 2 Comments

Update (4:00 PM): Taking a page from James Mirtle’s book, I’ve added a section the sidebar (”Other reading”) that will display links to hockey-related items of interest that don’t get blogged here (or that I haven’t yet had time to mention). It’s through Google Reader and is something I’ve wanted to do for a while, but it wasn’t very easy to implement on WordPress blogs until recently. - Matt

… Chuck Gormley continued his “Forsberg watch” for the Courier Post yesterday with another installment. Nothing very new, though Gormley expands on his idea that Forsberg would like to come to Detroit, saying that it’s because

“two of the Red Wings’ top four scorers, defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and left wing Tomas Holmstrom, are from Sweden.”

I see your point, Mr. Gormley, but three of their top four scorers are from Sweden. Not sure how you missed Henrik Zetterberg.

Anyway, he goes on to say that the Wings may be interested in dealing either Andreas Lilja or Niklas Kronwall as part of the package. Personally, I think that if the Flyers are dumb enough to take a Lilja package (perhaps with Williams), it wouldn’t be such a bad deal. But if they demand someone like Kronwall or Hudler, I’d hope they’d say “no.” There is little use in throwing away two key pieces of the future for a player who may only be with the team until July 1st.

The story that was being reported earlier in this saga was that the Wings would demand that Forsberg sign a contract with them as part of any deal, and that may still be one of their stipulations. However, it doesn’t look like Forsberg would be willing to do so, as there is talk that he’d look to return to Philadelphia after a playoff run with another team. The Wings may decide Forsberg is worth the short-term benefit and hope that they could convince him to stay afterwards, but I think it would be foolish to give away one or more of their future stars in exchange for a player that could retire (if he does sign a long term contract) or bolt (if he doesn’t) at any moment.

Peter Forsberg certainly has the ability, if healthy, to make a huge impact on the team, as Nick Lidstrom told Ted Kulfan yesterday, but, given the likely asking price, it doesn’t seem to me that the Wings have the organizational depth to pursue a deal without really hurting their future.* Now, if Forsberg works out some kind of Hasek-like deal with Philly (”Don’t take too much from them, I want to be able to win.”) or the Flyers get conned into taking Lilja and Williams, it’d be worth it, if he were healthy. That’s a pretty big “if,” in my mind, even though he seems to have found a solution. My question is: will it last or will it be like the other “solutions”?

… George Sipple reports that Joey MacDonald will get another start in the coming back-to-back series. It will almost certainly be Monday night in Philadelphia as Dominik Hasek ough to be in net tomorrow against Calgary. Joey is still looking for his first NHL win and hopefully his teammates will show up to play this time around. He’s played extremely well in almost all his games this season, but hasn’t gotten the support he deserves from the skaters.

… Sipple also says that the Wings are concerned about their slow starts in the last nine games. I am too, though I have been impressed by their comeback ability and determination not to give up. Still, they’ll have a much harder time pulling off such comebacks in the playoffs, so hopefully they’ll find motivation to play hard from the first drop of the puck to the buzzer at the end.

… There is some variety to the reports on the nature of Danny Markov’s injury: The Freep calls it a “contusion in his middle back” and claims Piet Van Zant’s authority; the News calls it a “sore shoulder, ribs”; and TSN just calls it a shoulder injury. All three say he’s listed as day-to-day.

*There are those fans who dislike Niklas Kronwall, Jiri Hudler and even Valtteri Filppula for mistakes they make and for their lack of production. This is because we were spoiled by Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg making an immediate impact. We have forgotten that most young players need years to develop and that they aren’t likely to be stars right off the bat. Kronwall, Hudler, and Filppula are very likely to be big names in the League in years to come, but they aren’t going to be that immediately, though I personally think they’re pretty good even now. So, that’s why I say the Wings would be mortgaging their future if they trade any of them away, even though they might not seem so valuble now.

1/27 Injury Update

Published
by
Matt Saler
on January 27, 2007
in Chris Osgood, Dominik Hasek, Injuries, Jimmy Howard, Joey MacDonald, Kris Draper, Mathieu Schneider, Matt Ellis, Matt Hussey, Robert Lang and Valtteri Filppula
. 2 Comments

Ansar Khan reports the following:

… Chris Osgood broke a finger on his right hand during warmups last night and played through it. Apparently, it’s not serious, but it could keep him out of the action for a while.

… Fortunately, both Joey MacDonald and Dominik Hasek, who were down with the flu, are expected to dress tomorrow for the Colorado game. Megan points out that if MacDonald, Hasek, and Osgood end up not being capable of playing tomorrow, the best goalie the Wings have available is Stefan Liv, who will have played two games in a row after tonight (Jimmy Howard is out with an ankle injury). Not a good situation, though I’m sure Dom and Joey will be able to suit up, since they did practice today.

… Kris Draper, Valtteri Filppula and Robert Lang are also expected to be ready to go tomorrow after practicing today. Khan, though, is right to say that Matt Ellis and Matt Hussey should keep their cell phones on because they very well may have to drive out to Detroit tomorrow before the game.

… Apparently, Mathieu Schneider feels “great” and could possibly return tomorrow. Khan says that he’s more likely to sit out one more and return Tuesday, but says Chris Chelios hurt his shoulder in practice and if he can’t go, the Wings might insert Schneider earlier than planned. Chelios finished practice, though, and should play tomorrow.

… Mikael Samuelsson hopes to begin skating in a week, but there’s no further news about when he’ll be back in the lineup.

11/07 Notes

Published
by
Matt Saler
on November 7, 2006
in Evgeni Malkin, Injuries, Mathieu Schneider, Notes, Pavel Datsyuk, Steve Yzerman and Valtteri Filppula
. 0 Comments

… Update (9:30 AM): The Free Press’ Steve Schrader points us to a quote by Evgeni Malkin in today’s paper:

“Always I was following for Pavel Datsyuk. I was following his game, the way he’s playing. I’m not trying to copy him, but I’m trying to be same leader as Pavel Datsyuk.”

From the outside looking in, I sometimes find it hard to see Pavel as a leader, but that’s not the first time I’ve heard him called one so apparently there’s some truth in it. It can’t just be that he’s an offensive force and leads by his skilled example. I’d like to hear a more concrete explanation of his leadership, like whether or not he’s vocal in the lockerroom or on the bench, etc. (via Snapshots) - Matt

… Because he was awarded with the Lester Patrick Award yesterday, both papers have pieces on Steve Yzerman today.

It sounds like his new life as a team vice president is going well. He has a flexible schedule (can arrive at work any time between 8:00 AM and 2:00 PM), goes to most of the home games as well as some road games here and there, gets to read scouting reports, and has input on trades, according to Helene St. James.

His former teammates, apparently, have had trouble adjusting to his new role:

“They don’t recognize me as the vice president of the Red Wings — we’ll leave it at that.”

He does occasionally go down to the lockerroom to see the guys, however, though he apparently wishes there was a little less familiarity from them outside of the lockerroom. Ted Kulfan quotes him as saying,

“But I do think it’s best that if somebody wants to ask me about something, they’ll ask me as opposed to me kind of barging in and saying, ‘This is the way it should be.’”

Kulfan’s piece has some multimedia features in the sidebar that include a slideshow, some audio files, and a video.

… Everyone’s talked about how Henrik Zetterberg hasn’t been scoring enough, but I haven’t seen anyone talk about Niklas Kronwall’s lack of scoring. Until today. The News takes a brief look at Kronwall, who has been getting chances and believes he’ll get it going soon.

The paper also points out that he is #3 among Wings defensemen in minutes with an average of 20:31 a game. Not bad.

… The Freep reports that Mathieu Schneider should return to the lineup tomorrow night against Edmonton after he participated in practice yesterday. I like the quote the paper has from Mike Babcock:

“I thought he was going to be more careful today than he was. He didn’t look like he was careful at all.”

Hey, well, if he feels good, why should he take it easy, Mike?

… One negative aspect of keeping Valtteri Filppula is that he is just one of three skilled rookies on the team all competing for ice time. George Sipple reports that Babcock is set on giving them all meaningful minutes, which will be tough given the fact that one of the three will have to sit out every game.

Based on what minutes they’ve been getting so far, it looks like Filppula (11:21 in 5) is going to be in the lineup more consistently, with Hudler (10:28 in 10) next, and Kopecky (7:02 in 11) perhaps being the odd-man out more often than not.

11/05 Notes

Published
by
Matt Saler
on November 5, 2006
in Dan Cleary, Notes, Peter Forsberg, Trade Rumors and Valtteri Filppula
. 0 Comments

… The Wings beat the Blue Jackets last night 4-1, extending their win-streak to six while at the same time opening up their offense a little. The Wings now have a couple days off before they host Edmonton on Wednesday at 8:00 ET.

… Daniel Cleary scored twice, including a great shorthanded breakaway goal in the second period. It’s hard to believe now, but Cleary was an offensive force in the OHL before he was drafted by the Blackhawks. Obviously, he’s fulfilling a different role now, but it’s good to know he has that burst of speed and a finishing ability.

… The other goals came from Henrik Zetterberg and Mikael Samuelsson. It’s good to see those two scoring. Hank’s was a blast from the left circle and hopefully signals more to come.

… Dominik Hasek didn’t get a ton of work, facing only 17 shots, but the goal he did allow looks like it was through a screen. It seems Dom’s getting on track as well.

… One thing that’s not getting on track, however, is the power play, which George Malik says is still in “‘decline the penalty’ mode.” The Wings were 0-for-7 last night, prompting Mike Babcock to say to the News,

“We’re going to talk about this every day until we get it fixed.”

I hope so. The special teams aren’t all bad, though. The PK unit killed off eight of nine Columbus power plays.

… Valtteri Filppula had a great game last night, according to Helene St. James. He played 13:45, of which 3:10 was power play time. He assisted on Mikael Samuelsson’s goal with a nice play from down low to Nick Lidstrom, who’s shot resulted in the scramble for the puck on which Sammy scored.

Although the Wings could use size and toughness, it’s easy to see why they’re taking Filppula over Brad Norton. Fil is just too good a player and can contribute offensively, something the Wings need probably more than they need what Norton can give. The Wings are a four-line team again, as St. James points out. Couple that with the team’s strong defense and they are still going to be tough to beat.

… Lastly, there’s a rumor floating around that has the Wings looking at Philadelphia captain Peter Forsberg. An earlier rumor had the Flyers interested in Andreas Lilja and Mathieu Schneider, and though the rumor mills haven’t officially connected the two into one coherent story, the idea seems to be that a Forsberg-for-Lilja-and-Schneider dea is likelyl. I say: “Bull!” George Malik puts it best:

Maybe I’m crazy, but I find it hard to believe that the Wings would trade their #1A defenceman for a fragile forward.

Malik also points out that even if the Wings traded both Schneider and Lilja, their combined salaries still woudn’t leave space for Forsberg’s, meaning the team would be right up against the cap. That might not be such a big deal if you’re of the persuasion that Floppa would fill in the sniper slot the Wings are supposed to eventually fill this year, but it would mean it’d be a lot harder to get a goalie, should the need come up.

Basically, I can’t see something like this happening. The days where Forsberg would have been an attractive acquisition are long gone. He’s still a great player, but far too injury-prone. Why trade away our best offensive defenseman for a guy who may or may not be able to play a full season? Besides, the Wings already have the next Peter Forsberg in Henrik Zetterberg.

If a Lilja-for-Forsberg trade would work under the cap, I’d say “Do it, Kenny!” but I doubt the Flyers would go for it. They have enough pylon-imitating defensemen as it is.

Norton done as a Red Wing?

Published
by
Sarah Baker
on November 4, 2006
in Roster Moves and Valtteri Filppula
. 2 Comments

Update (11:08 PM): I saw Griffins GM Bob McNamara tonight before their game vs Manitoba (which the Griffins won 5-4 in a shootout!) and he said that Norton “has some issues to work out” but he expects him to report to GR in five or six days. -Sarah

Brad Norton has returned from the IR only to be sent down to make room for the young Valtteri Filppula. He was assigned to Grand Rapids by the Red Wings and cleared waivers at noon today. He may not be willing to report, however, he said after today’s morning skate. Ansar Khan notes he would have the option of playing in Europe, should he so choose. Norton said he would have to talk things over with his wife before making a decision.

The Wings appreciated Norton’s physical game, something they are usually criticized for lacking, but they were too impressed by Filppula’s all-around abilities to let him go. In the end, Norton was the victim of the Wing’s limited roster spaces and their need for offensive talent.

GameDay: vs Columbus (4-6-1, 9 Pts) 7:00 ET

Published
by
Matt Saler
on November 4, 2006
in 2006-2007, Blue Jackets, GameDay and Valtteri Filppula
. 0 Comments

Tonight is the first eight games between these two Central Division teams this season. The Wings won the 2005-2006 series 7-1, with four wins coming in 2005: October 22nd (6-0), October 24th (6-2), December 20th (4-3 SO), and December 31st (5-2); and three wins coming in 2006: January 18th (4-0), April 7th (6-5), and April 8th (4-2). Their only loss to the Jackets came on March 25th, 2006 (5-4 SO), a result of a Wings meltdown in the third period.

The Blue Jackets are coming off a 5-4 shootout win over Calgary last night, thus halting a two-game slide that included losses to Colorado and New Jersey. David Vborny looks to be the player to stop on the team: he has 13 points in 11 games, including two goals in last night’s game. Nikolai Zherdev has five in six, and former Red Wing Sergei Fedorov scored a goal and notched an assist last night. Sergei has just two goals and one assist so far this season, but has only played five games since returning from a pre-season shoulder injury on October 23rd.

The Wings are looking to extend their win-streak to six games tonight. They are coming off a third period-comeback win over the Hawks in Chicago on Friday, the night after they beat Calgary 3-2 at home.

The News today focuses on Henrik Zetterberg, who cracked a nine-game goalless streak Friday night, while the Freep looks at the Wings’ defense, which Helene St. James says is turning out to be one of the best in the league, something I saw coming when the team signed Danny Markov. It’s not just the defensemen, however, as the whole team has been putting in strong efforts defensively. This is definitely a different Detroit Red Wings team.

Valtteri Filppula has been called up from the AHL once again, after a busy night in Grand Rapids. I guess Brad Norton will have to wait at least another game before coming back.

The papers report that Mathieu Schneider and Andreas Lilja should play tonight, so the team will be at full strength.

Tonight’s a good opportunity for the Wings to fine-tune their game before they hit a patch of schedule with games against better opponents such as Edmonton and Nashville. Hopefully they’ll be able to get the power play back on track (maybe by trying someone other than Jason Williams on the point). I may or may not be able to watch the game, so there might not be a game report for this one. Sorry.