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Henrik Zetterberg

Henrik Zetterberg To Miss World Cup

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Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg will miss this month’s World Cup of Hockey, the NHL announced.  Zetterberg, who was also expected to captain the Swedish team, suffered a knee injury during offseason training although he should be ready to go when the regular season gets underway on October 13th.  It would have marked his 13th appearance in an international tournament for the Swedes.

Zetterberg is the second Detroit player to withdraw in recent days as defenseman Niklas Kronwall dropped out last week as he continues to rehab from knee surgery.

Calgary’s Mikael Backlund has been named as Zetterberg’s replacement.   He is coming off the best season of his NHL career so far after scoring 21 goals and 26 assists in 82 games for the Flames last year.  Speaking with Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Herald, Backlund acknowledged that he knew there was a chance he’d be added if an injury were to arise:

“I had a little bit of a heads-up. (Head coach) Rikard Gronborg had called me the day they announced the team in the morning and told me that I was on the list if anybody got hurt. So I knew it could happen. But at this point in time, I wasn’t expecting it.”

Backlund is no stranger to international play having suited up in four World Championships previously as well as several junior tournaments.

[Related: Updated Swedish Roster]

Red Wings Notes: Shootouts, Kronwall, Zetterberg, Smith

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MLive’s Ansar Khan answers a number of Red Wings questions from readers as the regular season inches closer. Khan begins by analyzing the Red Wings’ dismal shootout record over the past four seasons (13-29), a record that included shootout wizard Pavel Datsyuk. With the Magic Man and Brad Richards gone, Khan figures that Frans Nielsen, Thomas Vanek and Gustav Nyquist will be the ones to step up and score the timely goals. Nielsen is a sparkling 52.6% in his career during shootouts while Vanek and Nyquist are 48.4% and 33% lifetime respectively. Khan adds Tomas Tatar and Andreas Athanasiou as other possible options for the shootout. Other topics Khan covers:

  • When asked about the future of Swedish stalwarts Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall, Khan predicts that both have a couple seasons left in them. Further, Khan writes, he doubts the two would retire early, causing the Wings salary cap recapture penalties. Khan throws out a couple figures should both retire early: Kronwall at a tune of $2.125MM for two seasons and Zetterberg’s figure would near $3MM for four straight seasons. Khan believes the LTIR is a more likely scenario should both players truly hang up their skates for injury purposes.
  • Khan also touches on Little Caesars Arena, reporting that the sight lines will be good for fans while the slope of the stands will make it feel as if they are over the ice, pumping up the noise level. As for the fate of the Joe Louis Arena, Khan cites an article stating that the Joe will be demolished and most likely replaced by a residential high rise.
  • Ryan Kennedy of the Hockey News writes all about Detroit’s 2016 second round Givani Smith, who quoting Wayne Simmonds, calls Smith a “tank.” Simmonds goes on:

“He skates well, he shoots well, he thinks the game the right way. Detroit got a great pick there in the second round. He’s sure of himself but not cocky. That’s good for a young kid.”

Though his days in Detroit may still be down the road, Smith has earned a reputation as a tough forward who isn’t afraid to drop the gloves when he’s not scoring goals. With Guelph last season, Smith had 42 points in 65 games (23-19). Kennedy writes that the 18-year-old winger believes he can be a top six or bottom six forward, depending on what the Red Wings need.

Atlantic Notes: Kulikov, Kampfer, Ceci, Zetterberg

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Former Florida defenseman Dmitry Kulikov said he was ‘surprised’ that he was dealt to Buffalo at the draft, writes George Richards of the Miami Herald.  Kulikov knew there was a chance he could be moved but hadn’t heard that the Sabres were one of the teams that was interested in him.  Kulikov told Richards that he was excited for the move and also noted that there were times in the past he wanted to be traded:

“I’m excited to change the scenery a little bit, go on to a new team. It felt right for some reason. After being here so many years … There were times I wanted Florida to trade me, then we drafted some good players and the team started to turn around and it was fun, so, at that point, I wanted to stay. But when the trade came, it felt like a good opportunity for me to step up my game.”

Kulikov is entering the final year of a three year, $13MM contract he signed back in the 2014 offseason and will undoubtedly be pushing to improve upon a one goal, 16 assist effort from last year.  He’s likely to start next season in a top four role with the Sabres.

Other tidbits from the Atlantic Division:

  • Also from Richards’ column, Panthers blueliner Steven Kampfer is fully recovered from offseason knee surgery. Kampfer noted he had been playing through pain since December and is now pain free.  Kampfer will likely be in a heated battle for a roster spot at training camp as Florida has nine defensemen that could conceivably make a push for a space on the opening night roster.
  • Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports that talks continue between the Senators and RFA defender Cody Ceci and that they are looking at two and six year deals (Twitter links). Ceci had a career high 10 goals and 26 points in 75 games with Ottawa while averaging 19:18 per game.
  • NHL.com reports that Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg has been named captain of Sweden’s entry into next month’s World Cup of Hockey. It will be Zetterberg’s 13th appearance internationally for his home country.  As their depth chart currently stands, he will likely be in a battle for a middle six spot in Sweden’s lineup.

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