Anthony Mantha

Detroit’s Uncertain Future

April 24, 2017 at 6:30 pm CDT | by Seth Lawrence 1 Comment

The Detroit Red Wings missed the playoffs for the first time in 25 years in 2016-17. Not seeing the winged wheel on the ice is something deeply unfamiliar to many, and Detroit’s management is hoping that it won’t become a trend. However, there is definitely concern going forward as to what direction the team will head. While the team is technically going through a rebuild, effectively doing so can be quite difficult when you have so many aging players taking up spots and cap dollars. There are also questions as to whether any extended period of failure would be embraced by management, as fan-site Winging it in Motown wondered earlier this month. The strategy for GM Ken Holland is going to be complicated, as fans might need to grow accustomed to losing for a brief spell if the team is to strengthen its core.

Firstly, they will need to decide which players are part of the core and which are accessory pieces. There were good signs this off-season when Holland decided to sell assets, including Thomas Vanek, Tomas Jurco, Brendan Smith, and Steve Ott. This is a solid portent that there will be future moves, but there is room for doubt. For example, the 36 year-old Henrik Zetterberg has 4 years left on his contract at $6.083 MM, while the 33 year-old Frans Nielsen was just signed to his long-term deal, good for another 5 years at $5.25 MM. Justin Abdelkader and Darren Helm still have plenty left in the tank, but at $4.25 MM and $3.8 MM respectively, and years of term, is a full rebuild truly so feasible? Niklas Kronwall is another well-paid veteran at 36 years-old, and he has two more seasons under contract.

Then there is the goaltending situation. Detroit is paying over $9 million dollars in contracts to their two tenders, both of which have had their difficulties. Jimmy Howard had what could be considered a bounceback year, posting a .927 save percentage after the awful .906 dip the season before. The caveat – he only started 26 games. The other half of the duo, Petr Mrazek, received the bulk of the starts – 50 in all. Unfortunately, his stats took a nosedive to a .901 save percentage, as he struggled mightily behind his flightless team. To complicate matters, Howard has a modified No-Trade Clause, under which he can list the 10 teams he would accept a trade. The obvious decision seems to be that they will bank on Howard going forward and try to flip Mrazek to a team in need of help in the crease – he only has one year remaining at $4 MM before he needs his contract re-negotiated. If they are unable to do so, Mrazek would likely be snagged by Vegas in the expansion draft. But management obviously showed confidence in Mrazek’s abilities this season, sticking through him despite his impressively bad statistics. Perhaps Howard is the one on the way out of Motown. But if Mrazek flounders yet again, what does the pipeline hold?

The team as a whole has already allotted $67.09 MM to 18 players (two of whom are now on LTIR), and they need to sign RFAs Andreas Athanasiou, Xavier Ouellet, and Tomas Tatar. Only two players are coming off the books, the moderately paid forwards Joe Vitale and Drew Miller, either of whom could potentially re-sign. In terms of prospects, the talented winger Evgeny Svechnikov is the most promising potential addition. He posted 20 goals and 51 points in his rookie season with the Grand Rapids Griffins and impressed with his size. Anthony Mantha continues to be intriguing, and Athanasiou definitely has the talent to take another step forward. However, there isn’t a ton of help on the horizon in terms of defense. A top-flight prospect here would do wonders for the squad going forward. With 11 picks in this year’s draft, in what is Holland’s last contracted season as GM, decisions with incredible importance lie ahead. Will Hockeytown fully commit to a long-term rebuild, or will they make runs at competing in the relatively weak Atlantic division with a mix of aging and inexperienced players?

Red Wings Notes: Rebuilding, Routines At The Joe, Sheahan

April 8, 2017 at 8:12 pm CDT | by natebrown 3 Comments

ESPN’s Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun give their opinions on how the Red Wings should proceed as they miss the playoffs for the first time since 1990. Burnside takes the approach that the talent in the system isn’t what it used to be and is curious to see if the likes of Andreas Athanasiou and Anthony Mantha are truly the real deal. LeBrun points out that the Wings extension of the playoff streak hurt their stock as they missed out on drafting premier talent should they have embraced changing instead of making the playoffs and getting bounced quickly. Both agree it will be a long road back, instead of a quick fix like general manager Ken Holland believes it can be.

The Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James talked to a number of players and staff about their routines at the Joe. For Holland, he drives between home and the arena during playoff games out of nerves, and looks forward to an office where he will have windows. His current digs are “in the bowels” of the arena whereas his new one will overlook the Fox Theater and Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers. Head coach Jeff Blashill spends his time at the Joe scouting and working out–so he doesn’t yell at the refs “too much.” His days are also filled with meetings–everything from watching tape to fixing the power play. Forward Justin Abdelkader spends his time eating, in meetings, and then going to lunch with teammates. A mid-afternoon nap gets wedged into day before Abdelkader returns for meetings and a game.
In a preview for the Wings-Habs tilt, MLive’s Brendan Savage writes that the final two games of the season are big ones for Riley Sheahan. The Detroit forward is still searching for his first goal of the season. He holds the dubious honor of most shots on goal without scoring, and Savage calls it “baffling” after Sheahan posted double-digit goals in 2015-16 (14), and 2014-15 (13).

Red Wings Notes: Defensive Replacements, Mantha

March 13, 2017 at 8:19 pm CDT | by natebrown Leave a Comment

The Detroit Red Wings don’t plan on calling up any extra defensemen, unless injury beckons writes the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James. General manager Ken Holland will revisit the decision before they leave Tuesday for a game with Colorado on Wednesday, but as it stands, Detroit can wait and see. With back-to-back games with Colorado and Arizona on Wednesday and Thursday respectively, Detroit can call up an emergency defenseman if needed. Detroit leads the league in man-games lost, as injuries have crippled Detroit all season long. Without roster limitations and the Wings close to being eliminated from playoff contention, Holland may call up younger players to see how they compete when the pressure is off.

Anthony Mantha was a healthy scratch again Sunday evening, but the Red Wings didn’t fare nearly as well without him in a 4-1 loss to New York. Mantha, scratched for not showing enough effort, should find himself back in the lineup. Interestingly, the Detroit News’ Gregg Krupa wrote about the errors several Red Wings made in the loss to New York.. The young goal scorer, who boosted Detroit’s offense since being called up, has been seen as a scapegoat by many fans when it was announced that he would sit against the Blackhawks on Friday evening. Though Detroit won 4-2, many were still angry when it was announced he would sit again Sunday, especially after the Red Wings made mistake after mistake in the loss to the Rangers.
MLive’s Ansar Khan reported on the Mantha kerfuffle, writing that the youngster is taking a “chip-on-the-shoulder” approach to his benching. Despite having 33 points (14-19) in 50 games, he’s found himself a healthy scratch for two games due to head coach Jeff Blashill saying it was a “lack of competitiveness” and citing an inability to back check during Detroit’s 6-1 loss to Boston. Blashill has been complimentary to Mantha despite the benching, but it’s still curious since Mantha hasn’t been the only Red Wing to struggle this year. Riley Sheahan, who has yet to score a goal this season, has rarely seen his playing time cut while defenseman Danny DeKeyser has struggled mightily at times. Regardless, Mantha should see playing time on Wednesday unless the Red Wings brass still believe he hasn’t learned his lesson.

Red Wings Notes: Mantha, Howard, Russo

March 10, 2017 at 11:53 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The Detroit Red Wings are firmly in the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and losers of four straight games. They’ll look to shake things up tonight when they take on the Chicago Blackhawks for the last time in the Joe Louis Arena. Anthony Mantha is being held out of the lineup according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, and he was extremely frustrated when he first heard the news. After a few hours to settle down though, Mantha is taking it as a learning experience.

Last few games, I haven’t really played the game I wanted. Winning a few battles one-on-one and being more intense in general, I think I can do that. That’s the message he’s sending me right now. I need to prove him wrong and be better the next few games.

Mantha has been a nice bright spot for the Red Wings in this otherwise gloomy season, with 33 points in 50 games and showing at times the immense potential that made him a first-round pick. At just 22-years old, he looks like a building block for the rebuilding Red Wings and a core piece of their top-six for the foreseeable future.

Jimmy Howard will be back in net for Detroit for the first time since December 20th as he works his way back to full strength. The former all-star netminder was off to the best start of his career before getting injured and needing almost three months to return. Several setbacks and a team struggling to make an impact in the playoff race let the medical staff and Howard be slow and steady with his return, and he’ll now have at least a handful of games to prove he can still compete at this level. The Wings will almost assuredly shop the goaltender around this summer, looking for a taker for him and his nearly $5.3MM cap-hit for the next two seasons.
Despite coming into a tough situation, Robbie Russo is showing that he should be in the plans for next year’s NHL team. The 24-year old defender hasn’t looked out of place on the Red Wings’ blueline, and has had good possession numbers through his first two games. Obviously more of a sample is needed to determine his future with the club, but after racking up points in the AHL the last two seasons he looks ready for the next challenge.
The fact that the salary cap is in fact increasing next season will be a big one for the Red Wings, who currently only projected to have about $6MM to spend next year. That wouldn’t go very far after raises to Tomas Tatar and Andreas Athanasiou, not even considering their other restricted free agents. If they can move Howard, and perhaps move out Mike Green for a package of picks or prospects, they could be in fine shape this summer.

Red Wings Notes: Vanek, Larkin, Mantha, Holland, Howard

February 17, 2017 at 5:55 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The Red Wings have had a few discussions with Thomas Vanek’s agent Steve Bartlett regarding a possible contract extension, reports ESPN’s Craig Custance (Insider required). However, it will take a no-move clause for Vanek to consider signing prior to the trade deadline.

The reason for that is the upcoming expansion draft. Bartlett wants to avoid a scenario where he signs now and then is left unprotected in that draft, creating the risk that he could wind up with the Golden Knights; a full no-move clause would alleviate that but also force Detroit to leave another forward exposed. From the Red Wings perspective, that may not be the best move especially considering they appear to be heading towards selling at the deadline. With that in mind, Custance argues that GM Ken Holland would be wise to move Vanek now even though he has expressed a willingness to remain with the Wings beyond this season.

[Related: Vanek’s trade candidate profile]

Other news and notes from Detroit:

Skating is an area of focus for a pair of young players but for entirely different reasons, writes Dana Wakiji of the Wings’ team site. Head coach Jeff Blashill noted that they’ve been working with center Dylan Larkin to stop more often instead of just playing with speed at all times. While Larkin’s speed was a major weapon early on last season, he has been guilty of trying to play too quickly at times this year which have contributed to some struggles. On the flip side, Blashill noted that they’re working with winger Anthony Mantha to skate more frequently instead of stopping and watching or slowing the play down.
In a reader mailbag, MLive’s Ansar Khan suggests that Holland is likely to retain his job beyond this season. With the team set to miss the playoffs for the first time in a quarter-century, some have wondered if the timing would be right to turn the team over for someone else to build; Holland has held the GM title since 1997. Khan also doesn’t expect a decision to be made regarding Blashill’s future and the rest of Detroit’s coaching staff until after the season.
Goalie Jimmy Howard was on the ice today but won’t be available to play before the Wings hit their bye week on February 22nd, reports George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Howard suffered a setback earlier this week as he continues to recover from a sprained MCL. It’s expected that Howard will return to Grand Rapids of the AHL during the bye week with the hope that he’ll be able to get into another game down there.

Deadline Primer: Detroit Red Wings

February 13, 2017 at 9:12 pm CDT | by natebrown 2 Comments

With the trade deadline now just weeks away, we’re taking a closer look at each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?

It’s been quite the purgatory for the Detroit Red Wings. Mike Ilitch, who transformed the Dead Wings into a four time Stanley Cup Champion, passed away on Friday. As if losing the owner who many current and former players considered to be a father figure wasn’t enough, the Wings 25-year playoff streak may end at a quarter century. Struggling to piece wins together, Detroit has a historically bad power play, a team besieged by injury, and a horrible return on investment from several players inked to expensive, long term deals.

For the first time since the early 90’s, the Red Wings are sellers. And yet, while it looks that the playoffs are slipping away, general manager Ken Holland may “stand pat” instead of selling off assets.

Record

22-24-10; 54 points. Last in the Atlantic; Last in the Eastern Conference.

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

Current Cap Space: $0 ($8.3MM with LTIR relief)

Deadline Cap Space: $0 ($8.3MM with LTIR relief)

46/50 contracts, via CapFriendly

Draft Picks

2017: ( 9 Total) DET 1st, DET 2nd, DET 3rd, TOR 3rd, DET 4th, DET 5th, DET 6th, FLA 6th, DET 7th
2018: 7 Total) DET 1st, DET 2nd, DET 3rd, DET 4th, DET 5th, DET 6th, DET 7th.

Trade Chips

There are a number of players to choose from but topping the list is Thomas Vanek, who has been linked to the Chicago Blackhawks among other teams. Should he stay healthy (he’s currently battling an ankle injury), he could fetch some prospects or a draft pick. Mike Green has been another name, though he seems less likely to be moved as the Wings are trying to upgrade on the blue line–and he has been good for them this season. Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar were also mentioned, targets by the Chicago Blackhawks. Petr Mrazek, though it seems odd since he has struggled and was just signed to a deal in the offseason, could also be shopped. Finally, Brendan Smith, in the final year of a contract, could be moved as well.

Team Needs

1) #1 defenseman. Good luck. Almost every team in the NHL seeks that top pair defenseman, the Red Wings truly haven’t had one since Nick Lidstrom retired. Worse, their young defensemen have regressed while the veterans are broken down versions of their once steady selves (Niklas Kronwall comes to mind). The problem in getting the top pairing defenseman they seek is two fold. First, only a young player with team control could garner the top d-man, be it Anthony Mantha, Dylan Larkin, or Andreas Athanasiou. But those are players the Red Wings aren’t willing to give up. Second, the salary cap situation is a mess being that Holland has handed out expensive, long-term contracts to players like Justin Abdelkader, who hasn’t scored a goal since November. To add and retain a top pair defenseman, a team needs salary cap space. The Wings are in trouble for years to come unless they can shed those contracts. Until the Red Wings fix the blue line, their slide will continue and only get worse.

2) An elite, generational player. In all of the seasons for the Red Wings to fall off, it would be the season where there isn’t a clear cut one and two option. Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine were all clear cut options in the last two drafts. Now? While Nolan Patrick, Nico Hischier, and Tim Liljegren are all great options, scouts are having a hard time agreeing on a clear cut favorite. Holland could trade draft picks and players to go after former top picks, like Matt Duchene, Nathan MacKinnon or Gabriel Landeskog, but that seems pretty far fetched. Plus, Holland has been gun shy during the Cap era when it comes to trades. But this year’s draft is not as certain as in previous seasons, and that doesn’t bode well for a team who desperately needs a top tier talent to get back on the right track. Larkin, Mantha, and Athanasiou are great starts as building blocks, but they are at least one, if not two, generational players away from getting back to the top of the hockey world again.

Eastern Conference Snapshots: Hurricanes, Trocheck, Mantha

January 29, 2017 at 6:15 pm CDT | by Glen Miller 2 Comments

From the outside looking in, the stars seem to be aligned for the relocation of an NHL franchise. The Carolina Hurricanes are up for sale and their attendance figures once again rank near the bottom of the league. And up north, Quebec City, the former home of the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche franchise, has a shiny new arena lacking an NHL tenant. It almost makes too much sense but as Chip Alexander of The News & Observer writes, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says the league remains committed to the “Triangle.”

“Peter may sell, he may not sell,” Bettman said Saturday. “He may sell all of it. He may sell some of it. He may sell none of it. There’s no formal sale process going on. There’s no imperative for the franchise to be sold on any immediate basis, and the franchise is not moving. I hope that was definitive enough.”

While there is a strong possibility the team will be sold, the NHL sees far too much promise in the Carolina market to abandon it now. As Alexander notes, the Triangle is one of the fastest growing markets in the country and given that the Hurricanes appear to have a bright future with loads of young talent int he pipeline, it may only be a matter of time before the organization turns it around, both on and off the ice.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

First time All-Star Vincent Trocheck is on pace to register a 30-goal season, one year after netting 25 goals and 53 points as a 22-year-old in his sophomore NHL campaign. The former third-round pick has turned heads with his strong offensive production the last two seasons but Trocheck believes he is just scratching the surface of his potential, according to Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel. Trocheck is contributing more than just offense, as Fialkov points out, taking the fourth highest number of draws in the entire NHL. He also ranks second on the team among forwards in hits and shot blocks. Florida felt strongly enough in Trocheck’s future to ink the youngster to a six-year, $28.5MM contract extension this past July and the early returns have proven positive for the Panthers.
The Detroit Red Wings are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in more than a quarter-century and while that won’t make the fans in Motown happy, the development of the club’s young talent this season could represent a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season. Among the young Wings who are coming into their own is Anthony Mantha, the team’s first-round pick in 2013, as Brendan Savage of MLive.com reports. Mantha enjoyed tremendous success with Val d’Or of the QMJHL, capping off his junior career with a 57-goal season and being named CHL Player of the Year in 2013-14. His pro career got off to an auspicious beginning, due in part to a broken leg his first season with Grand Rapids but the 22-year-old winger is finally showing his promise this year in Detroit. Mantha has recorded 11 goals and 22 points in 34 games this season and is tied for third on the club in goals. Even if the Wings fall short of extending their playoff run, the continued development of players like Mantha will go a long way as the team looks to begin its next streak.

Allen’s Latest: All Star Game, Detroit’s Youth, Top 25 Of All Time

January 25, 2017 at 8:00 pm CDT | by natebrown 1 Comment

USA Today’s Kevin Allen wonders if the NHL has found the right formula for the All-Star game. A struggle for many years to make a dent in ratings or generate interest, Allen writes that last year’s shift to a division specific, three-on-three battle was a shot in the arm for the sport and gave NBC its highest ratings for an All-Star game since they signed on with the NHL for coverage. Players also bought into the format, as evidenced by a quote from NBC Sports Executive Producer Sam Flood recalled that one player said, “’I want to be out there. I’m so mad that I’m leaving this building and not playing to win this event.” Flood felt that was “cool” and it showed a turnaround in the perception of the All-Star Game.

Will The Red Wings Be Buyers or Sellers?

January 17, 2017 at 8:22 pm CDT | by natebrown 2 Comments

A couple wins over quality teams may have offered a glimmer of hope for the Detroit Red Wings playoff chances but barring an insane Columbus-like winning streak, all signs point to Detroit coming up short of a 26th straight appearance. Despite roaring back to beat Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Saturday evening, and then shutting out Montreal 1-0 on Monday, the Wings are hardly in the thick of things. If anything, the latest two victories, which put several young players in the spotlight, indicates why the Red Wings must get younger while giving the current young players on the squad a chance to compete.

Despite this, Ken Holland made a comment to TSN 690 that veteran players can have “off nights” because of stock built from previous performance. From the article:

Jeff Blashill and I talk about this quite often — Henrik Zetterberg is an example. He’s built up stock. It’s like you’re in a company,” Holland explained. “When you build up stock and you have an off night, all the stock you’ve built up allows you to have those nights when, as a veteran player, you maybe have an off night. When you’re a young player you can’t have off nights because you don’t have that stock built up, you haven’t done enough to help the team win through time.”

The logic is faulty in that young players will have off nights-simply because they’re young. Further, without Anthony Mantha or Andreas Athanasiou, it’s a wonder how much further down the Red Wings would be in the standings. Players like Jonathan Ericsson, Riley Sheahan, and Danny DeKeyser have struggled mightily this season, and don’t have the resume of a Zetterberg. Yet their minutes, and presence in the lineup, have remained consistent whereas Athanasiou has been scratched for sins only known to Blashill and Holland.

While Holland still has an eye on the playoffs, despite only an 11% chance of making them, here are a few players Holland may want to dangle at the deadline.

Thomas Vanek

Vanek may be one of Holland’s better free agent pickups in the salary cap era, second only to Marian Hossa back in 2008. Vanek has nearly been a point-per-game player, and could be a missing piece for a slew of playoff teams looking to bolster its run at a Stanley Cup. Winging It In Motown had a detailed write up on what Vanek could garner and why he should be considered a prime piece to move.

In a weaker trade market, and looking at what some rentals garnered at last season’s deadline, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Vanek snares a 1st round pick or significant prospect.

Mike Green

Going back to Winging It In Motown, they target the other valuable asset, defenseman Mike Green. Green (another solid Holland pickup) does have a no-trade clause, but a chance to win a Cup may change his mind should the Wings continue to slip out of playoff range. Green has been better for the Wings this season, already tallying 20 points (8-12) in 36 games. An offensive minded defenseman, Green would be an asset on the power play, and for the Wings, could yield quite the haul, possibly a 1st round pick for interested teams.

The next few weeks should reveal the Wings true standing. But taking a run at “the streak” instead of reloading for the future may be something that haunts the Wings for years to come.

Red Wings Notes: Blashill, Nielsen, Abdelkader, Green

January 10, 2017 at 8:00 pm CDT | by natebrown 2 Comments

Though the Detroit Red Wings have struggled this season, the Detroit News’ Gregg Krupa doesn’t believe the blame all belongs at the feet of bench boss Jeff Blashill. In danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in 26 years, Krupa notes a multitude of reasons for the team’s fall: lack of star power, an aging core, a useless power play, and needing to collect at least 65% of the the points they have available to them in the their next 42 games.

From Krupa:

In the first 40 games, they garnered slightly less than half the points. Amid the maelstrom, Blashill, 43, grapples in his second season with destructive trends dragging down the franchise. Players who won Stanley Cups are largely gone.

Prized free agents have decide to play with other teams. Misjudgments on personnel have hampered “the rebuild on the fly.” A roster with a good supply of support players lacks top stars.Blashill is not to blame. But he should be gauged by whether players improve and play up to their potential.

And, at about the halfway point of the season, those are big issues of concern. Unless there is a marked improvement in the Red Wings performance by April, there is likely to be a harsh review of Blashill’s first two seasons.

Fairly or unfairly, someone will pay for the Wings’ struggles. While the majority of fans and national analysts will point to the team general manager Ken Holland constructed, it will most likely be the end of Blashill’s tenure in Detroit if someone has to go.

In other Red Wings news:

It took a season with a new team for Frans Nielsen to earn his first All-Star game appearance. Nielsen was overjoyed with the news, telling MLive’s Ansar Khan that “it’s something to be proud of.” There are a handful of Red Wings having better seasons, namely Anthony Mantha, but Khan reports that it’s a multitude of factors that go into the selection process, not just scoring.
The Red Wings will receive two crucial players back into their lineup as both Justin Abdelkader and Mike Green are set to return against the Blackhawks tonight. If anything the return of the duo can certainly inject some more talent into an anemic power play, that is failing at historical levels. Though both will be limited to shorter shifts, it’s certainly a step in the right direction for a team beleaguered by injury.

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