- The Red Wings announced that they have recalled goaltender Magnus Hellberg from his conditioning stint with AHL Grand Rapids. The 31-year-old had a 2.50 GAA and a .932 SV% in four starts with the Griffins. He’ll be Detroit’s third-stringer so this might be the last game action he sees for a little while.
Red Wings Rumors
Detroit Red Wings Activate, Re-Assign Elmer Soderblom
One of the interesting storylines for the Detroit Red Wings this season has been the emergence of Elmer Soderblom, who went directly from the SHL to the NHL and didn’t look out of place. After suffering an injury, though, he has missed the last several weeks, and will now have to face the grind of the AHL to get back on track. After activating him from injured reserve, the Red Wings have loaned Soderblom to the Grand Rapids Griffins to get back into game action.
Standing 6’8″ and towering over most of his opponents, the 21-year-old forward was part of the biggest line in the NHL earlier this year, along with Michael Rasmussen and Oskar Sundqvist. It was an impressive trio to see move around the ice, even if it failed to result in a ton of offensive production. The Swedish rookie scored just two goals in his 13 games before going down and is still looking for his first NHL assist.
Now healthy again, he’ll get his first taste of the AHL and try to replicate the scoring touch he had for Frolunda last year. In 52 games, Soderblom managed to score 21 goals at the SHL level, good enough for seventh in the league. As the rest of the hockey world marvels at a hulking, lanky forward in Buffalo that relies more on skill than physicality and is setting the NHL on fire, Red Wings fans can only dream about the flashes of potential that Soderblom has shown. While he will likely never match the kind of all-world production that Tage Thompson is providing, there should be a lesson of patience to be learned from the Sabres superstar.
Often, very large players take a little while longer to develop, as they figure out how to best utilize their massive frame against NHL opponents. Soderblom is just at the very beginning of his professional journey, and will be back with the Red Wings before long.
Detroit Red Wings Place Tyler Bertuzzi On Injured Reserve
Dec 2: Bertuzzi underwent successful surgery this morning and will be out for six weeks.
Dec 1: Despite being activated less than a month ago, Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi is headed back to the injured reserve list. Detroit announced today that they have placed their star forward on injured reserve.
In a corresponding move, they have recalled forward Austin Czarnik from their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.
This is not Bertuzzi’s first run-in with injury struggles. A back injury caused Bertuzzi to miss most of the 2020-21 season. Earlier this year, Bertuzzi was sidelined with a broken hand, one that he sustained after just two games played.
During Wednesday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, Bertuzzi’s left hand was struck by a point shot from teammate Ben Chiarot. It’s another moment of poor luck for the 27-year-old power forward, and one that will come as bad news for the Red Wings overall.
When healthy, Bertuzzi is an important part of Detroit’s offensive attack. He scored 30 goals and 62 points in 68 games last season and has four points in nine games so far this year.
Bertuzzi’s replacement on the roster, Czarnik, is also a centerpiece offensive contributor, albeit for AHL Grand Rapids. So far this year Czarnik has 14 points in 12 AHL games, and he has 46 points in 146 career NHL games.
With Bertuzzi out of the picture, Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde will have to decide whether to deploy Czarnik in Bertuzzi’s vacated spot on Michael Rasmussen and David Perron’s line or to give that opportunity to someone lower on the depth chart.
Despite their injury troubles, the Red Wings are off to a strong start this season and will look to weather Bertuzzi’s absence as they build toward a possible playoff berth.
Magnus Hellberg Sent On AHL Conditioning Assignment
It’s been a whirlwind season for Magnus Hellberg, who started the year with the Seattle Kraken, was claimed by the Ottawa Senators, reclaimed by the Kraken, and then nabbed by the Detroit Red Wings a little over a week ago. At the time, it was something of a curious move, given the Red Wings already had two goaltenders – Ville Husso and Alex Nedeljkovic – at the NHL level, but Detroit had shown interest in Hellberg since bringing him back to North America last season.
A few days ago, Sean Shapiro of EP Rinkside posited a theory about what the Red Wings could do with their three-headed goaltending monster. It included conditioning stints in the minor leagues for Hellberg and Nedeljkovic, which has now partly come true. The former has been sent to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins for conditioning, allowing him to be assigned to the AHL without clearing waivers.
This doesn’t completely solve the issue, as a conditioning stint can only be two weeks in length. The idea, perhaps, is to basically swap the two by sending Nedeljkovic for a stint when that two weeks is up. The trick is that a conditioning stint does not remove a player from the NHL roster, meaning the Red Wings would be dedicating three spots to goaltenders either way.
At the very least, this should allow Hellberg to actually see some game action. The 31-year-old has played only once all season, a start for the Senators in which he stopped 29 of 31 shots.
Dan Belisle Passes Away At 85
Former Detroit Red Wings front office member Dan Belisle has passed away at age 85. The team released a statement announcing his passing Wednesday night.
While his name may not be well-known across hockey circles now, Belisle helped put together one of the greatest modern-day dynasties we’ve seen in the turn-of-the-century Red Wings. While Belisle last served as an assistant coach for the Red Wings in 1987, he stayed on with the team’s front office as a pro scout. He was vital in adding players via free agency that bolstered the 1997, 1998, and 2002 Stanley Cup-winning teams.
Belisle was also the head coach of the Washington Capitals for 1978-79 and part of the 1979-80 season. He also suited up in four NHL games, all in 1960-61 with the New York Rangers, scoring two goals.
PHR sends its best wishes to the Belisle family during this time.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Detroit Red Wings
As American Thanksgiving and the holiday season are upon us, PHR is taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2022-23. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Detroit Red Wings.
Who are the Red Wings thankful for?
The answer to this question isn’t all that original or innovative as Yzerman happened to be who the Red Wings were thankful for in 2020 and 2021. But, take a look at Detroit’s place in the standings, their offseason, and their recent draft history and it’s not too difficult to see why Detroit is thankful for Yzerman and his “Yzer-plan.”
Considering Yzerman was covered in our previous two iterations of this series, we’ll take a look at what the legendary player turned legendary executive has done in the time being. Looking back at last year’s trade deadline, the then-promising Red Wings looked to be turning a corner in their rebuild, but still weren’t in contention for a playoff spots. Yzerman dealt Vladislav Namestnikov and Troy Stecher for later-round draft picks and executed a blockbuster deal including one of the deadline’s prized assets: Nick Leddy.
In exchange for the UFA-t0-be and Luke Witkowski, Yzerman brought back a second-round pick, defenseman Jake Walman and forward Oskar Sundqvist. Walman and Sundqvist have dealt with their share of injuries since arriving in Detroit, but both have fit in nicely and have proven to be part of the solution. While they’re not superstars, the pair of players in addition to a second-round pick in a deep 2023 draft class represents incredible value for a pending UFA who was, at the time, struggling.
Fast forward to this summer, the Red Wings ready to finish the rebuild and playoff aspirations on the mind, Yzerman made himself one of the busiest executives of the offseason. Detroit first acquired the rights to goaltender Ville Husso, who has been fantastic thus far, and signed him to a three-year contract. The team followed the Husso acquisition with a free agent spending spree that included the likes of Andrew Copp, Dominik Kubalik, and David Perron up front and Ben Chiarot, Olli Maatta, Robert Hagg, and Mark Pysyk on defense.
The recent additions, combined with Detroit’s established stars like Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi, along with a young wave of talent like Lucas Raymond and reigning Calder Trophy winner Moritz Seider, as well as a few breakouts helped propel the Red Wings to an 11-5-4 record thus far, putting them in playoff position. Detroit has plenty of people to thank for the turn-around, but sitting at the top is the boss in Yzerman.
What are the Red Wings thankful for?
Breakouts and Rebounds
Three seasons ago, winger Dominik Kubalik finished third in Calder voting, seemingly coming out of nowhere as a 24-year-old rookie, scoring 30 goals in just 68 games with the Chicago Blackhawks. That was the last Chicago team to make the playoffs and as the team regressed, so did Kubalik, who hadn’t yet come close to matching his rookie production since.
Things seemed to hit an all-time low for Kubalik in the NHL last season, putting up just 32 points in 78 games, a far cry form his 30 goals (and 46 points) in fewer games just two years prior. The rebuilding Blackhawks opted not to qualify Kubalik and he hit the free agent market this summer, picked up on a two-year deal. Now, Detroit appears to have one of the best value contracts in the entire sport.
The organization seems to have that rookie version of Kubalik, or maybe something better. Now 27, Kubalik has 21 points, nine goals and 12 assists, in just 20 games thus far. Coming into today, Kubalik ranks second on the team in points, behind only Larkin. Whether or not Kubalik can maintain this level of production is a good question, especially being that the team is only through 20 games, but what he has done has played a major part in the team being in a playoff spot at American Thanksgiving, a team that also ranked just 17th in the NHL in goals-for coming into today.
On top of Kubalik’s rebound, the Red Wings have seen an impressive breakout from homegrown defenseman Filip Hronek. Now 25, Hronek made his debut back in 2018-19 and has shown to be a capable puck-mover on the backend. Hronek hit a career-high 38 points in 78 games last season, around his average point-per-game total for his career. This season, however, the defenseman has turned things to another level, netting six goals to go with 12 assists for 18 points through his first 20 games.
As helpful as Hronek’s offensive boost has been for Detroit, he’s also taken the next step in his defensive game. The defenseman had compiled a career -95 plus/minus rating, which included a -29 last season. Now in 2021-22, Hronek has improved his rating, registering a +10 so far. Those numbers could be attributed to team performance in many instances, and though the jump in Red Wings performance from Hronek’s first four years to this one is significant, the stark difference in Hronek’s own numbers is telling nonetheless. On top of his plus/minus, Hronek’s possession metrics have jumped modestly as well, including Corsi and Fenwick ratings above 50 for the first time since his rookie year.
What would the Red Wings be even more thankful for?
Health
As successful as Detroit has been this season, the team has had to do it without a number of players for fairly significant periods of time. Notably, Bertuzzi missed 13 games, Sundqvist seven, and exciting rookie Elmer Soderblom has missed seven and counting too. Winger Filip Zadina, who was injured November 5th is expected to be out long-term as well. Robby Fabbri, who has yet to play this year, as well as Matt Luff and Mark Pysyk are currently on IR
Sure, Bertuzzi and Sundqvist are back now, and Soderblom and Zadina combined for two points in 22 games, both from Soderblom, however the constant shuffling of lines and players in and out of the lineup does still serve to hamper team chemistry on the ice. On top of this, although the team didn’t expect to have Fabbri to start this season, Detroit could stand to have more offense and losing a player such as Fabbri, who had 30 points in 56 games in 2021-22, is felt.
Worth noting to this end is forward Jakub Vrana, who has played just two games this season. Vrana is not injured, but is instead participating in the Players’ Assistance Program. Of course, the organization’s first priority is to get Vrana the help he needs and to have the 26-year-old take as much time as he needs to get it and be comfortable returning, however Vrana’s missed production, in addition to the Red Wings’ bulk of injuries, serves to compound the injury and offense issues.
What’s on the Red Wings holiday wishlist?
A Larkin extension in place
Like Yzerman in the first question, this seems a bit easy, but it’s hard to imagine the front office, the players, and the fans want much else more than signing their superstar captain to a long-term extension.
The last time the Red Wings made the playoffs, Larkin was a rookie fresh off a 45 point debut. That was 2015-16 and since, Detroit and Larkin have failed to make the playoffs. In that time, the team has gone through a meaningful and much needed rebuild, with Larkin patient throughout. For his career, Larkin has diligently worked on his game to become an all-around contributor and roughly a point-per-game player now, currently on pace for his best season yet with 23 points in 20 games.
The Red Wings have plenty of talent on their team besides Larkin and have even more coming, however his presence as a Michigan native, team captain, and well-rounded player on the ice cannot be understated for Detroit. There’s no indication Larkin wants to leave and given his status in the locker room and Yzerman’s reputation as an executive, it wouldn’t be surprising if the two sides are intentionally not focused on negotiations at the moment with plenty at stake on the ice. Still, getting Larkin signed would presumably give both team and player peace of mind and allow the team to continue to build as they see fit, without worrying about Larkin’s future, and whether or not that’s in Detroit.
Elmer Soderblom Still Not Practicing Due To Lower-Body Injury
- Detroit Red Wings forward Elmer Soderblom is still not practicing, reports Michigan Live’s Ansar Khan. At last report on November 21st, Soderblom was still listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, though head coach Derek Lalonde then said Soderblom’s return could take “some time.” The rookie has two points, both goals, in 13 games this season, but has not played since November 8th due to the injury.
Red Wings Sign Alex Chiasson To AHL Tryout
Veteran winger Alex Chiasson is no stranger to going through tryouts to get a contract. It’s a process he has gone through a couple of times in the NHL already, sometimes successful, others unsuccessful. Now, he’ll attempt to convert a tryout in the minors into a full contract as AHL Grand Rapids, the affiliate of the Red Wings, announced that they’ve signed the 32-year-old to a PTO agreement.
Chiasson played with Vancouver last season after spending the previous three years with Edmonton. He had to go through training camp on a tryout but received a full deal and gave the Canucks a reasonable return on their investment as he notched 13 goals and nine assists in 67 games while being particularly strong on the power play with six of his goals (plus four helpers) coming with the man advantage. However, he wasn’t able to secure a guaranteed deal with anyone over the summer and went to training camp with Arizona on a PTO, one that proved unsuccessful.
Now, he’ll look to catch on with Detroit the long way, starting out in the minors and hoping for a promotion from there. Chiasson is a veteran of 631 career NHL contests over parts of 10 seasons and with the Red Wings currently having four forwards on injured reserve at the moment, there are certainly spots that could be available both with them and with the Griffins. It’s a nice no-risk pickup for Detroit who should get some help in the minors at a minimum and, if all goes well, a possible recall option in the coming weeks.
Hellberg Claimed As Injury Insurance With Heavy Schedule Approaching
- When the Red Wings claimed Magnus Hellberg off waivers from Seattle earlier this week, the move raised some eyebrows considering that both Ville Husso and Alex Nedeljkovic are healthy. Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press indicates that GM Steve Yzerman’s idea for the claim was to simply give them some insurance knowing that their schedule starts to get a bit more compressed in the coming weeks (they have 28 games over the next two months even with the holiday break). If something happens, they’re more comfortable with Hellberg over pulling someone up from AHL Grand Rapids. While Hellberg will get to stick on an NHL roster for a little longer now, it appears as if he’ll still be waiting a while to have a shot at making his second appearance of the season.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Detroit Red Wings
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2022-23 season and beyond. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Detroit Red Wings
Current Cap Hit: $78,240,646 (under the $82.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Jonatan Berggren (two years, $925K)
D Moritz Seider (two years, $863K)
F Elmer Soderblom (three years, $878K)
F Lucas Raymond (two years, $925K)
F Joe Veleno (one year, $894K)
Potential Bonuses
Raymond: $2.5MM
Seider: $850K
Soderblom: $82.5K
Veleno: $425K
Total: $3.875MM
Raymond made an immediate impact on the Red Wings last season, quickly establishing himself as an impact scorer, something that has carried over in the early going this year as well. GM Steve Yzerman has typically been hesitant to commit long-term contracts off of bridge deals but the winger is a candidate to be an exception. A bridge deal could push past the $5MM mark while a long-term agreement could come closer to the $8MM range if he progresses in the second half of his contract. His ’A’ bonuses are likely to be reached ($850K in total) while the others are less likely. Veleno has locked down a regular role in the lineup but in a limited role. Assuming that continues, he’s someone that will likely receive a short-term second contract that should fall around the $1.75MM to $2MM mark.
Soderblom broke camp with Detroit and immediately became the tallest player in the NHL. When healthy, his role has been limited so far which makes it difficult to project his second contract. Assuming he remains in the bottom six for the next couple of years, he should check in close to what Veleno’s next deal will be. Berggren has done well in his limited action so far while being up on injury recall but is a candidate to go back to the minors as others return. As such, a short-term deal for close to the minimum (with a higher two-way salary or even a one-way pay) is his likely outcome.
Seider made quite the impression last season, quickly becoming Detroit’s top defenseman while taking home the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year. He’s off to a bit of a slower start this year but is still doing quite well all things considered. His contract is another case where Yzerman may have to deviate from the usual standard of going with a bridge deal. A short-term pact could resemble Rasmus Dahlin’s three-year, $18MM pact (likely higher with the salary cap being higher in 2024 than it is now) while a longer-term deal could put him in the range of Miro Heiskanen’s $8.45MM AAV (again, to be adjusted to the cap percentage at that time). He’s a safe bet to hit his four ‘A’ bonuses as well.
Signed Through 2022-23, Non-Entry-Level
F Tyler Bertuzzi ($4.75MM, UFA)
F Adam Erne ($2.1MM, UFA)
D Robert Hagg ($800K, UFA)
G Magnus Hellberg ($750K, UFA)
F Dylan Larkin ($6.1MM, UFA)
D Gustav Lindstrom ($850K, RFA)
F Matt Luff ($750K, RFA)
D Olli Maatta ($2.25MM, UFA)
G Alex Nedeljkovic ($3MM, UFA)
D Jordan Oesterle ($1.35MM, UFA)
D/F Mark Pysyk ($850K, UFA)
F Oskar Sundqvist ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Pius Suter ($3.25MM, UFA)
D Jake Walman ($1.05MM, UFA)
Decision time is fast approaching on what to do with Larkin. The captain seemed like a logical candidate for an early extension back in the offseason but clearly, the two sides are far enough apart that such a move couldn’t be reached. He’s a strong candidate for a max-term agreement (eight years with Detroit if he signs before free agency, seven years elsewhere) with an AAV that should push him past the $8MM mark. Bertuzzi is another player they have to decide on but staying healthy has been an issue already this season which complicates things. When he’s on, he plays at a 30-goal level which is worth upwards of $6MM on the open market on a long-term deal. But if he can’t stay in the lineup, his market won’t be as strong. While a short-term contract in unrestricted free agency isn’t ideal, it’s an option he might have to consider if things don’t go well this year; such a deal would likely come with a small raise from what he’s making now.
Suter’s per-game numbers aren’t far off what they were in his rookie season with Chicago. While those don’t jump out off the page, he looks primed to hit the market at 27 with a more proven level of production and an ability to play both center and the wing. There’s bound to be a strong market as a result which could push him into the $4MM range. Sundqvist hasn’t been able to crack the top six but has settled in the last few years as someone that can contribute from the third line. He also plays both center and the wing and can kill penalties but the limited production will limit his earnings upside. Even so, he has a good enough track record to add half a million or so on his next deal.
Erne hasn’t quite been able to live up to the offensive upside he showed a couple of years ago although he remains a physical presence in the bottom six. If a team or two thinks they can unlock the production, he could add a few hundred thousand to his AAV while if not, a similar contract to his current one is possible. Luff was injured shortly after being recalled and is a strong candidate for a one-year, two-way deal at the NHL minimum once again.
Maatta came to Detroit with the hopes of rebuilding his value after a few tough seasons. So far, so good on that front as he’s logging a little over 20 minutes a game while being on pace for 30 points which would narrowly beat his career high. Even so, his struggles before that should limit his market somewhat. If he stays at this level of play, a jump into the $3.5MM range could be possible for him. Oesterle hasn’t been able to lock down a regular spot in the lineup with Detroit and barring any changes in that situation over the rest of the season, he’s likely looking at a deal closer to the league minimum next summer.
Walman recently returned from injury and is looking to secure a full-time role in the lineup. If he can do that, a small raise should be on the table for him. Lindstrom is a depth player who can’t crack either special teams role which isn’t ideal. He’s owed nearly $1MM on his qualifying offer and it shouldn’t take much more than that to sign him for next season. Hagg and Pysyk both signed their deals last summer and there’s no reason to think their markets will drastically change for next July, especially with Pysyk having missed all of this season so far due to a torn Achilles tendon.
This has not been a good contract year for Nedeljkovic who has struggled mightily this season to the tune of a 4.33 GAA and a .873 SV%, numbers that are among the worst in the league. His track record is still rather limited (just 94 regular season games) which complicates things. If these struggles continue, he’s likely to land a one-year deal somewhere in the hopes of rebuilding his value. If he can turn things around a bit, a medium-term agreement around this price point isn’t impossible. Hellberg has bounced around this season without playing a whole lot. Those don’t help his cause for his next deal which, at this point, shouldn’t cost much more than his current one. If he can find a way to get into a few games at least and hold his own, that could push him closer to the $1MM mark.
Signed Through 2023-24
D Filip Hronek ($4.4MM, RFA)
F Dominik Kubalik ($2.5MM, UFA)
F David Perron ($4.75MM, UFA)
F Michael Rasmussen ($1.46MM, RFA)
F Jakub Vrana ($5.25MM, UFA)
Vrana’s case is going to be difficult to predict as he has played just twice this season before entering the Player Assistance Program. Last season, he was injured for most of the year. When available, he has been quite effective since joining Detroit, with 22 goals and 10 assists in 39 games. But coming off what’s likely to be two limited seasons, can he realistically command much more than he’s getting now? Perhaps on a short-term deal but there may be some hesitance to work out a long-term agreement. Perron won’t have that question as he’ll be 36 by the time his next contract starts so his will be a short-term deal no matter what. If he continues to hover around the 60-point range, he could garner a small raise.
Kubalik’s hot start might not be fully sustainable but as long as he can hold down a top-six role, he’ll outperform this contract. If he can play near this level for this season and next, he could command more than $6MM on the open market. But that’s a big if based on what transpired over his time with Chicago which makes it difficult to forecast what his next contract will be based on his previous volatility in production. Rasmussen is on his bridge deal now and is very slowly but surely starting to assert himself more. Even if he stays on the third line, he could have a shot at doubling this price tag in 2024 and if he can move up higher in the lineup with some regularity, something closer to the $4MM range is doable.
Hronek’s future with Detroit was in question over the summer although he’s still with them now and is still logging big minutes while being off to the best start offensively of his career. He’ll be owed a $5.28MM qualifying offer when this deal is up while being one year away from unrestricted free agency. If he produces close to the 35-point level he has been at in the past, a long-term deal around $6MM could come his way. If he can sustain his current level of production, however, add a couple million per season onto that.