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Detroit Red Wings Sign NCAA Top Scorer Taro Hirose

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The Detroit Red Wings have added a local product, who also happened to be the highest scoring player in the NCAA this season. The team has announced a two-year entry-level contract with Michigan State standout Taro Hirose. The talented winger led the college ranks in assists, points, and multi-point games this season and now he joins Princeton’s Ryan Kuffner, also signed today, as two top collegiate talents heading to Detroit.

Hirose, 22, is a Calgary native who first started garnering attention as a top scorer in the BCHL back in 2015-16. Many considered it a surprise that Hirose was never drafted, though others have pointed to a lack of size and strength as deterring NHL teams from taking the risk. Hirose has defied the skepticism, taking his talents to Michigan State and excelling, despite a lack of equal ability around him. Hirose has led the Spartans in scoring in each of the past two years, this season taking his game to the next level with an NCAA-best 50 points in 36 games.

Hirose is a strong skater with both straight ahead speed and great quickness and also makes decisions at a fast pace. A high-end play-maker with good vision, Hirose was undoubtedly one of the most creative offensive players at the college level this season. However, the 5’10”, 161-lb. winger is undersized and wouldn’t be the first game-breaking talent out of the NCAA to struggle with the adjustment to the bigger, stronger NHL. He’ll need to continue working and exceeding expectations if he is to keep up his scoring prowess in the pros.

Despite Hirose’s best efforts, Michigan State was bounced early from the Big Ten Conference tournament and he immediately became one of the top targets on the college free agent market. Clearly, there was a draw to staying in-state with Detroit, but there may have been another incentive. It’s unclear as of yet whether Hirose will report to the Red Wings right away and burn the first year of his contract or if he will instead play out the year with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, but the former is more likely. Hirose is capable of contributing right away to a Detroit team with little left to play for this season and both sides could benefit from an early look at how he fits at the highest level. Even if his debut is held off until next season, Hirose will enter camp as an intriguing candidate for a top-nine role with the Red Wings next year.

Three Princeton Free Agents Sign NHL Contracts

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Princeton Tigers head coach Ron Fogarty may be disappointed with the way his hockey club’s season ended, but today he’ll be proud of several of his players. Three Princeton free agents have signed entry-level contracts. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports on each, tweeting that Max Veronneau has signed with his hometown Ottawa Senators, Ryan Kuffner is heading to the Detroit Red Wings, and Josh Teves will sign with the Vancouver Canucks.

Veronneau, 23, signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Senators after nearly the entire league expressed interest in him. That two-year deal is all he could sign at his current age, but the Senators have offered him the chance to burn the first year immediately by joining them for the rest of the season. Veronneau will be in Ottawa in time for practice on Wednesday. GM Pierre Dorion explained the process of signing another prospect:

We are very excited to have Max join the Ottawa Senators. We aggressively pursued Max, whose talents made him one of the highly sought-after college free agents available this year. He plays the game with tremendous pace and has terrific offensive instincts. Max will be given the opportunity to compete to be part of the Senators team, both now and in the future.

The talented forward had 37 points in 31 games this season after trailing only Adam Gaudette in 2017-18 with 55 points. He had previously attended development camps with several teams, and has been on the radar as a potential college signing for years. Veronneau will become a restricted free agent after the 2019-20 season.

Kuffner meanwhile actually led Princeton in scoring this season with 44 points and is certainly another sought after talent. The 22-year old forward is also from the Ottawa area and was a star in the CCHL before heading to college. In four years at Princeton the 6’1″ winger recorded 152 points in 132 games, and will join a Red Wings organization that is slowly rebuilding their talent pool after many years of Stanley Cup contention. Like Veronneau, Kuffner has signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Red Wings that will start this season, making him a restricted free agent in the summer of 2020.

Teves, the lone defenseman of the trio is also the oldest at 24 but has had great success as a puck-mover over the years. The Calgary-born Teves has signed a one-year entry-level deal with Vancouver given his age, and if it is for this season—which Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet has heard it is—it would make him a restricted free agent in just a few months. He’s certainly familiar with the area, given he attended Canucks development camp and played much of his junior hockey in British Columbia.

Detroit Plans To Return Filip Zadina To AHL Before Ten-Game Mark

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  • The Red Wings plan to return winger Filip Zadina to the minors before he reaches the ten-game mark this season, notes Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News. The 19-year-old has held his own in five games since being recalled but while he could certainly benefit from remaining in Detroit down the stretch, sending him down before he reaches that threshold means that he wouldn’t burn the first year of his entry-level deal this season.

Strength Of Schedule And The Eastern Conference Wild Card Race

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The Tampa Bay Lightning had a chance to clinch a playoff spot last night on the first Thursday in March. While it didn’t go their way, the Bolts are undoubtedly going to be the top seed in the Eastern Conference and are well on their way to a President’s Trophy with a 15-point lead on the next-best team in the league. That next team up is the Boston Bruins, who are second only to Tampa in both the NHL and within their own Atlantic Division. Riding an 18-game point streak, the Bruins’ playoff position is also in little doubt. The Toronto Maple Leafs, currently holding a top-five record in the league, are on pace to finish third in their own division and without home ice in the first round of the playoffs. Boston and Toronto seem destined to meet in that opening round, with the winner likely getting Tampa Bay as their reward for moving on.

As frustrating as the current playoff format may be for the Leafs – as well as the Bruins and Lightning – at least the three teams know where they stand in the postseason structure with a month to go in the regular season. The same can’t be said for the rest of the Eastern Conference contenders. Just eight points separate the New York Islanders, the current Metropolitan Division leaders, from the Columbus Blue Jackets, presently in ninth in the East and on the outside of the playoff picture, in the standings. Between the two are three more Metropolitan teams, as well as the Atlantic’s Montreal Canadiens. With all six of these competitors struggling to pull away from the rest of the group, it could be that each team’s schedule down the stretch determines where they end up by the end of the regular season. Three divisional spots and two wild card spots are up for grabs; who has the luck of the schedule on their side?

According to the strength of schedule numbers released by the NHL this morning, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ opposing points percentage of .555 is the most favorable of the group. That’s not to say the Pens face an easy slate, though. Pittsburgh faces eight current playoff teams in their final 15 games, not including tomorrow night’s tilt against Columbus, but end the year with a nice stretch that includes a home-and-home against the lowly Red Wings and a final match-up against the Rangers. The experienced Penguins team is a safe bet to stay in the playoff picture, especially if they can get healthy on the back end.

The Montreal Canadiens have a similarly easy schedule, a .575 opposing points percentage, but with a dramatically different ending. Fighting for just one of two wild card spots, the Habs will face eight current playoff teams themselves, again not including a game against the Blue Jackets, but only three of those contests are within their next nine games. Montreal may get a nice boost over the next couple of weeks, but face a daunting final stretch; Columbus, Winnipeg, Tampa, Washington, and Toronto await them in their final five games. How they fare against those Cup contenders could determine whether they make or miss the postseason.

With just seven current playoff teams on the schedule from here on out, not including two run-ins with Columbus, the New York Islanders are in good shape with a .567 opposing points percentage. The team also avoids any road trips of longer than two games for the rest of the season. While a regular season finale against the Capitals could prove critical, the Islanders look as if they should be able to hold on to their playoff spot. The health of Robin Lehner could be a game-changer, though.

Things have not gone as expected since Jarmo Kekalainen and the Columbus Blue Jackets went all out at the trade deadline. The team sits outside of the playoff picture currently, two points back of the final wild card spot, and there is no guarantee that things will get better. The Jackets have a .581 opposing points percentage, including ten games against current playoff teams, and play just six of their final 15 games at home. Perhaps the one saving grace will be trips to Buffalo, the Rangers, and Ottawa in three of their last four games, but Columbus has their work cut out for them.

The Carolina Hurricanes have a similarly tough schedule, but benefit from having a game or two in hand on their playoff berth competition. In their final 16 games, the ’Canes will face opposition with a .586 points percentage, ten of which are playoff teams. They also have three sets of back-to-back games remaining. However, with the cushion of extra games and dates with the Devils and Flyers to round out the year, the red-hot Hurricanes are on pace to erase their league-worst nine-year playoff drought.

Finally, there are the defending champs. The Washington Capitals not only have the most difficult remaining schedule in the East’s wild card race, but in the entire NHL. At a .599 opposing points percentage, the Caps are about to go through the ringer in their final 15 games. Ten playoff teams are on the docket for Washington, including three games against the powerhouse Lightning and five playoff teams among their final six competitors. Fortunately, the team does play more than half of their remaining match-ups at home, but there’s little else to find comfort in. If any team in this race is at risk of a dramatic fall from their current playoff position, it is the Capitals, especially if the extra work of last year’s Stanley Cup run starts to catch up to them down the stretch.

Atlantic Notes: Zadina, Holmstrom, Steen

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When Detroit Red Wings rookie forward Filip Zadina takes the ice tonight, it will mark his fifth NHL game. More importantly, it means he is halfway toward burning the first year of his entry-level contract. Under the NHL CBA, an 18- or 19-year-old player may have their entry-level contract “slide” if he does not play a minimum of 10 NHL games in a given season. For the first-year pro Zadina, this looked like a likely outcome for much of the year. The No. 6 overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft had played exclusively in the AHL this season until late last month, when he was finally recalled by the Red Wings. Now Detroit has a decision to make.

With 14 games remaining in the regular season for a team that is well beyond any playoff hopes, the Red Wings brass must decide if they want to limit Zadina to less than five more games down the stretch, thereby extending his rookie deal by one year, or instead continue to provide NHL experience to an elite young player who is likely to be a regular contributor beginning next season. Zadina, a talented forward who had recorded 31 points in 45 AHL games prior to his recall, projects to see a major raise in his next contract given his draft pedigree and expected production over the next few years, giving Detroit all the more reason to extend his affordable entry-level deal if possible. However, to both appease the young core player and further his development, they may just opt to keep Zadina in Detroit for the remainder of the season at the cost of burning a year off the deal. Either way, Zadina is bound for a return to the Grand Rapids Griffins for a postseason run, so the only question is simply when he is sent back down. Two other players who risk losing their “slide” status are Boston Bruins defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and Carolina Hurricanes forward Martin Necas, both of whom are presently in the AHL and have played a handful of games in the NHL this season and would be near the top of the recall list if their team was to suffer injuries down the stretch or in the postseason.

  • One Red Wings prospect who looks like he may never suit up for the team is Axel Holmstrom. All season long, there has been rumors that the 22-year-old Swedish forward was eyeing a return to Europe when his current contract expired at the end of the season. Although Holmstrom will be a restricted free agent, Detroit can do nothing to keep him in the system if he wishes to leave and can only retain his NHL rights moving forward by making a qualifying offer. The doubt about Holmstrom’s longevity in North America even prompted his KHL rights to be traded this season. However, a new report from Swedish news source Kvall Posten has turned up the heat on the Holmstrom rumors and makes it sound as if the NHL and KHL are both out of the running already. The article states instead that Holmstrom has become a hot commodity back home in Sweden, with several SHL teams reportedly already bidding for his services. In fact, it is stated that two well-known teams have already been priced out. Skelleftea AIK, the team Holmstrom played for prior to coming to North America three years ago, and the Vaxjo Lakers HC, another top contender in SHL this season, are both expected to be out of the running. The remaining bidders are thought to be current league leader Lulea HF, whose GM recently met with Holmstrom in person in Grand Rapids, and HV71, who are believed to have made the highest offer. With this kind of bidding war going on among teams in his home country, it is very unlikely that Holmstrom will be back with Detroit next season. The young forward has been consistent if unspectacular in two full AHL seasons with the Griffins and does not seem all that close to pushing for a regular role with the Red Wings. He is bound to land a greater role and a raise on his current salary of less than $700K if (when) he returns to Sweden.
  • One player looking to make the opposite move – a jump to the NHL – is Boston Bruins prospect Oskar Steen. A sixth-round pick in 2016, Steen immediately looked like a steal for the Bruins. The small, but skilled forward played 47 games in the SHL as an 18-year-old in 2016-17 and then followed it up by making the Swedish World Junior team last year while again playing in 45 SHL games and doubling his previous point total. However, this year he has shed his role player status and blossomed into a top scorer for Farjestad BK. Still just 20, Steen has nevertheless posted 37 points in 44 games to lead all forwards in scoring and help the team to a top playoff seed. His play has begun to garner attention outside of Sweden. The Providence Journal’s Mark Divver notes that Steen is being considered for a spot on Sweden’s entry into the upcoming World Championships, while adding that he is expected to sign with Boston this off-season. Steen will likely have to spend some time in the AHL at first, but is yet another young forward who will push for ice time with the Bruins next year.

Minor Transactions: 03/07/19

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The NHL has a busy schedule this evening with 11 games on tap, including an all-important battle in the Metropolitan Division. The Pittsburgh Penguins will welcome in the Columbus Blue Jackets in a game that could finish with the two part of a three-way tie with the Carolina Hurricanes at 79 points. Columbus pushed all their chips to the middle at the trade deadline by acquiring Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel, Adam McQuaid and Keith Kinkaid, but are still at risk of missing the playoffs altogether. As teams prepare for tonight’s action, we’ll be here keeping track of all the minor moves.

  • The San Jose Sharks have recalled Dylan Gambrell from the minor leagues as several players deal with the flu. Gambrell has been up and down several times this season, but is dominating in his first year of minor league action. In 39 games for the San Jose Barracuda, the former University of Denver standout has 38 points. The Sharks are in action against the Montreal Canadiens tonight.
  • The Boston Bruins have recalled Karson Kuhlman under emergency conditions, giving the team an extra option for tonight’s game against the Florida Panthers. Kuhlman made his NHL debut earlier this season and has two points in four games overall.
  • With Dylan Larkin missing tonight’s game against the New York Rangers, the Detroit Red Wings have recalled Christoffer Ehn from the minor leagues. The 22-year old center is up under emergency conditions, meaning he’ll likely go back down when Larkin is able to return to action.

Mike Green To Miss Remainder Of Season

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It’s been a long frustrating season for Mike Green, who has dealt with a virus attacking his liver at points throughout. Though he was only supposed to miss seven to ten days for the latest ailment, the Detroit Red Wings have now announced that Green will be out for the rest of the season as he tries to regain his health. The veteran defenseman saw a specialist who recommended several weeks off, which means he won’t get back on the ice this season but there is no long-term concern.

Green, 33, was re-signed last June to a two-year $10.75MM contract in order to stay with the Red Wings, but will end his season with just 43 games played. Amazingly even after missing 22 games he still leads all Detroit defenders in scoring, something he’s become used to over his career. The offensive-minded Green has 490 points in 830 career NHL games, including consecutive 70+ point years in Washington as a younger player. That puck-moving ability is exactly what Detroit hoped to retain in Green, but his future is certainly now up for debate.

Heading into the final season of his contract Green could be a potential trade chip for the Red Wings once again, though it likely wouldn’t happen until the deadline next year. Green’s full no-trade clause relaxes quite a bit on February 1, 2020 at which point he may be an appealing rental option. The Red Wings meanwhile have a few other young defensemen pushing for more minutes, with Dennis Cholowski and Filip Hronek both showing off their capabilities this season.

Mike Green Out Seven-To-Ten Days

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It has been a rough year for Red Wings defenseman Mike Green.  He missed the first three weeks of the season with a virus that was attacking his liver while also missing 13 games due to a lower-body injury.  Unfortunately for Green, the virus is back which will cause him to miss the next seven-to-ten days, the team announced.  Despite missing 22 games already, Green still leads Detroit in scoring from a defenseman with 26 points in 43 contests.

The Red Wings won’t need to make a corresponding roster move to take Green’s place, however, as veteran blueliner Trevor Daley will suit up tonight against Colorado after missing the last two games with an upper-body injury.  He has also had issues staying healthy this season and has only suited up in 38 of their 65 contests.

Ted Lindsay Passes Away At 93

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The hockey world is in mourning to start the week, as Detroit Red Wings icon Ted Lindsay has passed away. Lindsay was one of the league’s earliest superstars, but was perhaps even more important to the game off the ice as a labor leader for players. He was 93.

Born in Ontario in 1925, Lindsay entered the NHL as a teenager in 1944 and made an immediate impact on the Red Wings. Despite his small frame, the 5’8″ 163-lbs forward was determined and feisty, never backing away from a physical challenge and earning the nickname “Terrible Ted.” Eventually he joined Sid Abel and Gordie Howe to form the “Production Line” that dominated the league for several seasons. Lindsay would win the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s top scorer in 1950, and was named a league All-Star nine times. On four occasions he would lift the Stanley Cup over his head with the Red Wings, a key member in each championship team. He finished his career with 851 points in 1,068 games to go along with 1,808 penalty minutes.

Lindsay was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a player in 1966, but he could have very well made it as a builder as well. He was instrumental in the forming of the NHLPA to help players secure higher wages and working rights, changing the game entirely and starting it on the road to the business it is today. He also worked as a broadcaster and front office executive for many years, and saw his number retired by the Red Wings. In 2017 he was named one of the NHL’s 100 Greatest Players.

There’s little doubt that Lindsay’s impact on the game was greater than almost anyone else’s, and he will be sorely missed in Detroit and all across the league. When the Stanley Cup is raised this year and the captain of the winning team skates it around the rink, many will remember that Lindsay was the first to do so—just one of the many moments his influence will be felt for years to come.

Minor Transactions: 03/03/2019

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Yesterday’s slate of games featured several that re-shuffled the playoff picture, including a comeback upset by the Wild over the Flames, an overtime win for the Hurricanes, a disappointing loss for the Blue Jackets, and key victories for the Penguins and Stars against teams they’re fighting with for playoff position. Today, the docket features more of these potential landscape-shifting match-ups, including a battle between trade deadline standouts, Columbus and Winnipeg, and a surprisingly hot Minnesota team facing a cold Nashville squad. Whether preparing for a game today or the coming week at large, expect some moves today by more than a few teams:

  • Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Sun reports that goaltender Eric Comrie, currently on recall while starter Connor Hellebuyck was sidelined temporarily, will be reassigned to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose today. Hellebuyck was a full participant in morning skate and is in fact in line to get the start tonight for the Jets. Comrie got in some work with the team this morning as well, but is unlikely to stick around as a third active keeper. The 23-year-old has yet to see any NHL action this season, but has had a heavy workload in Manitoba with 40 appearances already on the year.
  • Christoffer Ehn, who was recalled on an emergency loan by the Detroit Red Wings yesterday morning, did not suit up for the team last night and has now been returned to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Ehn was called up in case Anthony Mantha, who was battling sickness, was unable to play. When Mantha fought through, Ehn’s emergency conditions were terminated, forcing his demotion back to the minors. Ehn has played in 44 games with the Red Wings this season compared to just 13 games with the Griffins, but for now will have to stick it out in the AHL.
  • Carolina Hurricanes’ project forward Steven Lorentz has again been sent to the ECHL, the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers announced. It’s the fourth demotion of the year for Lorentz, a 2015 seventh-round pick, who has been a victim of the depth in Charlotte. Among all forwards with more than 15 games played in the ECHL this season, Lorentz is twelfth in per-game scoring with 24 points in 20 games for the Florida Everblades. In the AHL, he has five points in 18 games with the Checkers but, despite fair production given his limited role, has been a frequent scratch and reassignment. Rather than being in the ECHL scoring race or a regular in Charlotte’s bottom-six, Lorentz’ season has been torn between the two leagues, making it appear as if he hasn’t made much of an impact at either level. Lorentz still has another year remaining on his entry-level contract, so Carolina has time for more evaluation. An extended stay and regular play time in the AHL in particular could reveal him to be a solid contributor at that level as well.
  • The Anaheim Ducks announced they have recalled forward Kevin Roy from the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. Roy, who had spent most of the year on season-opening injured reserve after undergoing offseason wrist surgery, was activated and sent to San Diego on Feb. 16. The 25-year-old had a goal and four points in five games with the Gulls and looks ready to return to action in Anaheim. He played 25 games with the Ducks last year, posting six goals and seven points.

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