Griffins update

Just wanted to make a little note to everyone alerting you that I am alive. Devastating as that may be to some, it was mid-terms week so blog posting took a little break. On the bright side, pretty much all I missed was Detroit getting destroyed by Colorado. I left after the second period, so conveniently I missed the meltdown. They’d been playing well up to that point, I understand but it looked like the same old story with Osgood letting up a questionable goal, but Detroit making an inexcusable mistake leading up to it. So it’s nobody’s fault; everybody sucks equally.

Datsyuk seems like he’s playing tomorrow, but the way there’s been no official word makes it seem like one of those things where we don’t find out until game time that he’s going to miss another five games. Because that’s just how it works for Detroit. I’d like to be proven wrong. We need him, so there are no excuses when the team lays an egg against the Colorado Avalanche. That said, Craig Anderson is a great goalie.

I just wanted to touch on the Griffins really quick. After winning the first game of the year and losing the second on a last minute goal, last weekend they headed into Texas for a game against the Texas Stars, and the San Antonio Rampage. They lost to Texas rather dramatically, with Thomas McCollum stopping every shot he faced until 1:33 left in the 3rd when Sergei Korostin beat him. The next night, things went bad.

Let me preface that I was extremely interested in the games verse the San Antonio Rampage. As some of you might know, I cover prospects over at the prospects web site Hockey’s Future. I wrote for Phoenix up until last month, and now I write for Anaheim. San Antonio is Phoenix’s AHL team, and Anaheim doesn’t have a team, so they’ve sent most of their players to San Antonio as well. So last month when I had to write the San Antonio AHL preview, all I wanted to write was “holy eff this team is stacked,” but that’s very unprofessional and I likely would have been terminated. San Antonio was pretty bad last year but not terrible, but this year with the likes of Kyle Turris, Mikkel Boedker, and Viktor Tikhonov, in addition to some of the best and brightest from Anaheim’s system, I thought they might be one of the best teams in the league. I thought Grand Rapids would be good, too. Both contenders in my mind, I was interesting to see how they would stack up, as I don’t follow any other AHL teams closer than these two.

Well, the stacked factor I talked about really came into play. San Antonio scored on five of their first six shots, chasing Daniel Larsson to the bench. McCollum came in and did what he could, but San Antonio took the game 7-4. The next night, McCollum got the start and things didn’t go much better. In fact, the Griffins lost 7-2. McCollum went the distance and made 23 saves, but still, I can’t imagine you can take a lot of positives out of a weekend like this. On the bright side, Tomas Tatar finally made his season debut and was on the ice for both goals the Griffins scored, finishing with an assist and a +1. UPDATE: It was finally revealed that Tatar’s debut was delayed by immigration issues. But he impressed Curt Fraser, as mLive’s Michael Zuidema notes.

So it was interesting today when it was learned that Michael Nylander is being loaned for two weeks on a conditioning assignment to Grand Rapids. Yes, the Michael Nylander of 679 NHL points and 920 NHL games, who was essentially a point-per-game player from 2003-04 to 2006-07, is now a Griffin. Funny, kind of.

The Nylander saga has become a rather sad one. He was a player I always randomly liked, and I definitely recall demanding the Wings make a push for him before the 2007-08 season when he signed a four-year deal with Washington worth $4.875 million  a year. There was a rather funny moment to file under the “everyone hates Edmonton” category when this happened because his agent apparently had him agree to a deal with Edmonton, and they reported this accordingly, but then Nylander pulled out when it was being finalized and signed in Washington.

Nylander was coming off of his two best seasons ever, with 79 points in 81 games and 83 in 79 the following year. The first year under his contract, where he should have been playing with Alexander Ovechkin, he got hurt, missed out on the opportunity to play with Ovechkin, and was limited to just 37 points in 40 games. Then last season, banged up and 36 years old, he scored just 33 in 72 games and was barely used in the playoffs.

On the hook for such a disappointment for two more seasons, things turned ugly between Washington and Nylander. He sounded banged up last season, but Washington mostly scratched him for the playoffs. They basically told him not to report to camp this year, but he did, and expressed his desire to play for the Caps. The Caps, meanwhile, were trying to reach a deal to get a European club to take Nylander off their hands. He hasn’t seen a minute of pre-season or regular season time thus far.

They’ve now chosen to loan him to Grand Rapids. Doesn’t Washington have an AHL club, you ask? Yes they do, and they feel so strongly that they don’t want Nylander around that they loaned him to Grand Rapids so he won’t be in the way of Caps prospects. Ouch.

But make no mistake — this is no audition for Detroit, although Ken Holland did have a hand in agreeing to let Nylander join Grand Rapids. His contract is bigger than Franzen’s and he’s under contract until next season. It’s completely unmovable. From the sounds of things, they’ve contacted a few European clubs (Russian and Swiss), but these clubs are concerned because he hasn’t played since April. Nylander contends that he’s playing 10 pounds heavier than ever which means he either sat on his ass since April, or he’s in the best shape of his life. He says the latter. We’ll see. So this is more of an audition to show the world he can still play. Then he’ll be loaned out to Europe, most likely.

It will be interesting to see what happens, he does have a lot of skill, but I have seen very little of him since his last season with the Rangers. He’s joining the Griffins tomorrow and will play the home opener on Friday against Abbotsford. As I’m going to the home opener, this means I’ll get to see Nylander skating on the same ice as Tomas Tatar, which is a strange and outlandish thought.

So there’s your up-to-the-minute Griffins news. I’ll be around after the Coyotes game with a recap, hopefully. And hopefully soon, you’ll all be ready for my super-exciting blog announcement (the blog is day-to-day with a lower body injury oooh, whatever could it be?)

Agent: Johan Ryno to AIK

Tap on the pads to Matte at Hockey in Swenglish for bringing this story to my attention.

It appears as though I was wrong in thinking Detroit could get Ryno to stay in Grand Rapids, because according to this Aftonbladet article, he’s basically already gone.

Here’s what my Firefox add-on made of the translation:

Lent from the Red Wings to AIK
Ryno returning to Sweden
Johan Ryno, 23, chose to be on loan from the Detroit Red Wings – again.

He continues season of AIK.

- “Johan knows that he is a way to go to the NHL,” said agent Peter Wallen.

AIK get a nice reinforcement for the continuation of the Allsvenskan.

Detroit’s Johan Ryno choose to be loaned to AIK .

- “He can play on Wednesday if he goes into the team,” says Peter Wallen.

Ryno belonged to Detroit in three years, but chose not to play a full season with Detroit or farms team Grand Rapids. He has requested to be loaned to Sweden and now has two seasons in succession belonged to AIK.

Matte tells me that the quote in bold means that he has a ways to go before he gets to the NHL, and not that he has a way to get to the NHL. But I’m sure a few Ryno-bashers will choose to ignore that.

The Ryno saga — is this the chilling end?

Ryno was a true Hakan find — drafted out of the third-tier Swedish league Division-1, a men’s league, opposed to the Swedish Junior league where most 18-year-old Swedes reside. Hakan has never been shy about dipping into it, because it’s not a well-scouted league. That’s where he found Jonathan Ericsson, and most recently, Jesper Samuelsson. Ryno moved to the second-tier Swedish Allsvenskan, the league he’s in now, and posted pretty good numbers his first year. This led to quite the bidding war in the SEL for his services, with Frolunda winning. Ryno saw almost no ice time there on a veteran lineup, no points in 14 games. He ended up being loaned to the Allsvenskan again and transferred to Timra before the season ended. He put up 11 points in 25 games in a league where it’s very hard for a young player to see the ice at all, let alone a raw player two year’s removed from third-tier.

This was enough, and Detroit signed him following the season. He came to camp extremely lanky, as probably one of the worst skaters I’ve ever seen. He led a surge of Detroit prospects into Grand Rapids, putting up 7 points in 12 games. This was a bunch more than anyone else — Ericsson ended up leading Detroit prospects with 34 points, no one was scoring like Ryno as the season started. He had some family issued rumored around his girlfriend, and he went back to Sweden. He rejoined Timra in the SEL, but his spot in the lineup had been filled so he was relegated to the fourth line.

For the second year under his contract, Detroit allowed him to stay in AIK, back in SWE-2 where he was promised more ice time and special teams time. He broke his leg in the fourth game of the season, missing about four months. He scored well when he came back, but missing those four months were just devastating for his development.

They said last season he’d be in Grand Rapids this season, but a few strange news articles suggested he might not. I was thinking the Wings would have a good idea of what he was doing, and they wouldn’t be playing him in all of these exhibition games if he was going back to Sweden. It looks right now like that’s not the case — I’d say his agent has a pretty good idea of where his client is going to play.

I hope it’s clear to Ryno he’s unlikely going to get another contract. If he really has these aspirations he needs to stay in Grand Rapids, and as Keith said in the comments the other day, go through the motions and buy into the system like everyone else. Detroit’s not going to keep wasting a contract on their reserve list on somebody who disobeys their wishes. Supposedly, they’re still really high on Ryno, but I don’t know if they’re high enough (ha!) to keep this guy around any longer.

Ryno looked like an entirely different player this pre-season than he did two years ago — I was really hoping he’d stick around. He has absurdly good hands and pretty good vision on the ice, and he’s an infinitely “cleaner” skater, much better suited to scoot around the ice with his long strides. He is a little more aggressive than he used to be, but he needs to get stronger and meaner. You get that more in North America than Sweden. I’m sure when this story gets out there, there will be a lot of “good riddance,” but I’m bummed because this is a legitimate prospect who has something in his game that people complain Detroit lacks in: size. Ryno’s Swedish endeavors have left him to be a laughingstock on a lot of internet message boards — he’s a baby, he’s a prima donna, he’s useless, etc., but I’ve come to realize a lot of people have never seen him play. I watch a Swedish stream from time to time and it’s really hard to find second-tier Swedish games. But I’ve seen him, and I’ll defend him — the Wings picked a good player. He’s not a prima donna, but he just doesn’t “get” it.

The Wings have had outstanding luck that the only real arsehole they’ve ever uncovered is Sean Avery. The roster right now is a collection of all kinds of talent — first round busts, late round gems, players who were once broken, players who have been given a second chance, etc., — all of whom accept their role, wait their turn, and buy into the system. They haven’t had any young player say “man, I’m definitely an NHL player, but I’m not getting my chance here.” Ryno does not understand that unless you’re a freak superstar, you need to pay your dues in Grand Rapids before you wear the winged wheel. By all accounts, he wants to play in the NHL, and where better to play than Detroit, but he seems to think the Wings will eventually accept him if he plays enough in Sweden. There isn’t much difference between the AHL and Sweden, even tier-2 really, but he needs North American exposure before he makes the jump, not this.

Oh well. This is a stupid decision on his part, so I suppose the ripping he’s going to receive is deserved. My point is he’s a talented player, hardly a dime-a-dozen grinder that teams are able to find in bulk. Size with skill is the hardest thing to draft. Detroit found something along those lines, so “good riddance” is really something I can’t say. He’s still raw, in a year or two I can see him being a force in the SEL. Or maybe he’ll stay lanky and just stay with AIK forever, who knows? I wouldn’t be shocked if another NHL team comes calling for him within a few years, because these players are just that rare. But I understand completely why Detroit will most likely let him go next July, if this article has any merit, and I don’t blame them. It’s a shame though, but on the bright side, this almost ensures that Tomas Tatar will stay on the Griffins all season.

Farewell, Johan. At least you left us with fond memories.

Wings trim roster to 33, Ryno might bolt

This news was before last night’s game but I wanted to keep it separate. The Wings cut a few more players, waiving five. They’ve announced it, it seems, but most of these guys are playing today so it looks like all demotions will go into effect after the weekend.

Here are the cuts, according to Khan:

Jeremy Williams (waived)
Kris Newbury (waived)
Andy Delmore (waived)
Doug Janik (waived)
Evan McGrath (waived)
Brad May (will tryout with Griffins before Detroit makes a decision)
Cory Emmerton
Johan Ryno
Logan Pyett
Jordan Pearce (could end up in ECHL, but won’t for now because Detroit’s bringing Larsson to Sweden)

No surprises. There have been a few big names (relatively speaking) on the waiver wire already but nobody’s been claimed. Detroit’s got five guys now and any of them could be claimed. Janik was claimed on waivers twice last season. Delmore was claimed the first time Detroit had him, but he’s older now. Newbury cleared a few times last year. McGrath and Williams are each on their first time going through waivers. McGrath has long been considered to be a good prospect buried in a deep system. Does someone take a chance? Unlikely, he’s a risk, but with so many teams still looking at a handful of guys for only a few roster spots, you could see a bottom feeder team who have no clear front runners for a 4th line job take a chance on a former 100-point junior player like McGrath or a big time shot in Jeremy Williams.

The bigger news coming out of this, is that AIK’s General Manager says he expects Ryno will report to AIK. Translated article:

Ryno en route to reinforce AIK

There will be no games for the Detroit Red Wings. Johan Ryno has been sent to farms team Grand Rapids and is on its way to reinforce AIK in the hunt for a place in Kvalserien.

- It’s likely that he plays with us, “says sports manager Anders Gozzi to HockeyExpressen.se.

Johan Ryno is on the final year of his three-year contract with the Super Club Detroit. He played and trained with AIK in the preseason, but went over to North America to make a new attempt to take a seat on the NHL team. Detroit now says that Johan Ryno is one of the players from training camp that will not fit and therefore sent to farms team the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL.

Johan Ryno is registered by AIK and under swehockey.se jersey number 16 waiting for him. “will be even better ‘ – We have talked several times in the last week. We’ll see what happens. But it’s likely that he comes home to us again, “says Anders Gozzi, general manager of AIK.

He continues: – Johan has played with us during the preseason and he enjoys great at AIK, and it is a reason that he wants to come back. And that means we get a more skilled hockey players on the team and we will be even better.

Detroit is coming to Sweden next week and the trip is goalie Daniel Larsson, as a third goaltender behind Chris Osgood and Jimmy Howard. Larsson will not be included in the official legislative arrangements. When Detroit returns to the United States will be playing in Grand Rapids Daniel Larsson.

Other than the great phrasing of “Super Club Detroit,” this is a very disappointing article. I’ve seen enough out of Ryno where I think he could make a difference for Grand Rapids. He’s a decent enough skater. An NHL future after that just depends on how he evolves his game on the North American ice surface. In the last year of a three-year deal, all but 12 games of which have been spent in Sweden, there’s no way Detroit would keep him in the fold. They said earlier this summer they expect he’ll play in Grand Rapids, but Ryno himself raised doubts about that before camp. He said he would “think about it” if he was sent down.

True or not — who knows? Ryno is in the lineup tonight, I don’t think Detroit would even bother if they knew right now that he’s going to Sweden. But it could happen after this weekend, we’ll see.

A sad day for Brad May?

Coming straight out of left field today, in continuation with what seems to be the pre-season of hilariously strange tryouts, I’ve learned via Bruce MacLeod this morning that Brad May has been signed to a tryout.

The reason for the terrible pun in the headline is because Brad May appears to be auditioning with the Griffins, but he’s played 1,001 NHL games without one in the AHL. Granted, he hasn’t been a regular for some time, but he gathered shockingly mostly positive reviews from his most recent stop with Toronto. It might be worth having him in the organization for when Brian Burke inevitably calls him up. Burke had May in Vancouver on two stints, then traded for him in Anaheim and brought him with when he went to Toronto this past season. It’s only a matter of time until he comes calling again.

From what I’ve seen, May isn’t a great fighter, but he’ll do it. If the pre-season has been any indication with how easily a lot of the Wings prospects have been pushed around physically, I’d say having someone to drop the gloves is necessary. I think Doug Janik will do it, but by all accounts May is a great guy and a big locker room presence. I think a guy like May would really help out the Griffins.

And honestly, I could see the Wings burning a contract on him. They’re at 46 or 47 depending on what they do with Tomas Tatar, because plays sent back to junior don’t count towards the cap. The Wings definitely liked having Aaron Downey around, but it just sucked for Downey (who was recently cut by Phoenix) to have to waste away the end of his career in the AHL. May’s kind of in the same boat, but I figure with the extra contracts on hand they might take a shot on a class act. Obviously they would keep him in the AHL, but it might not be a bad idea for them to keep a fighter on payroll the way they did with Downey, to be used whenever they see fit. And I think Brad May is definitely a guy worth having around for the playoff run. UPDATE: Bruce just put the kibosh on this idea via Twitter. May will not be offered a contract before the Wings go to Sweden. He’ll tryout for the Griffins instead. I’m not sure if that means they’re not offering him a contract period, but they might if he plays well for the Griffins, or if it’s just Griffins or nothing. But it doesn’t sound like he has much of an NHL future in Detroit.

Who knows though — May is a long way past his days as anything more than a fighter. But his presence would definitely be appreciated on a Griffins team that just looks small and skilled. Only problem is finding room, because as I’ve noted.. Including Abdelkader, Detroit has 12 contracted forwards slated for Grand Rapids. They’ve also got Tatar in the mix, and Grand Rapids has signed John Vigilante, who looks in the pre-season like a guy who will be in the lineup more often than not. It’s a crowded lineup, tough to say where he ends up.

Willie Coetzee wins big

I was almost so close to calling this one. Basically, I noticed through the first round of cuts that nine players were cut. Bruce MacLeod listed them,  and that list included Willie Coetzee. But every other list did not; instead they counted Gleason Fournier as the ninth, even though he can’t be cut because he’s injured right now. So I wondered to myself that maybe Coetzee made an impression, because the Wings didn’t initially cut Brent Raedeke and Brian Lashoff last year and I thought that was an error, but signed them and sent them back. So when I didn’t see Coetzee listed anywhere else, including the Wings’ own press release, I wondered.

But this afternoon it is official that the Wings have signed prospects camp tryout, and linemate of Landon Ferraro, Willie Coetzee to a three-year deal. Coetzee was really hard to track down information on when he was originally invited, and shockingly, I cannot find anything else on him. He was Ferraro’s linemate, and, uh… Red Deer didn’t have a very good team, so apparently there’s no information on the guy. His numbers are slightly more impressive than the Wings’ other free agent camp tryout, but that’s it. He was not named as someone who was impressing at prospect’s camp by Jim Nill or anyone, but hey, he clearly impressed.

Here’s all I dug up on him when Detroit originally invited him to camp:

From what I read on him, he’s a pretty solid all-around player. He was second to Ferraro in scoring on a god awful team, and his +/- was much better. He’s a good skater, has a solid shot, and great vision and playmaking ability. He wasn’t drafted his first time around, but the Wings have a few contracts they can afford to hand out this season. Detroit’s had some luck with undrafted players from bad teams in the past — hopefully Coetzee can make an impression.

Truly ground-breaking reporting, right there. I don’t think he’s anything outside of what Detroit usually likes from the WHL. Speed and a relentless work ethic. Trying to cultivate the next generation of grinders. Coetzee sounds like he might be a little more offensively gifted than the likes of Brent Raedeke and even Darren Helm, but he will need to produce a little bit more so Detroit has faith that he can do something at the next level.

Lastly, I was thinking this puts Detroit at 50 contracts.. but I had a brain fart and forgot that players sent back to junior don’t count towards the roster limit. So with Brian Lashoff, Brent Raedeke, Willie Coetzee and potentially Tomas Tatar, Detroit actually only has 46 contracts. No cloutier no cloutier no cloutier!

Tomas Tatar signs

It’s been rumored for most of training camp, and it’s official now that Tomas Tatar has signed a three-year deal, according to Ansar Khan.

This is most excellent news, in my mind. Tatar has said all the right things about wanting to come to North America. However, he had a contract to play in Slovakia. Given his status as an up and coming star in Slovakia (remember, he’s at the Olympic camp), it might not sit too favorably with the powers that be if Tatar chose to break the last year of his contract to join the OHL. Now that the Wings have signed him, it takes that weight of Tatar and he can come play where he wants.

Or where the Wings want him, rather. Tatar said he likes playing against men in the professional ranks, which is what he took to be the advantage of returning to Slovakia. For this reason, he wants to play in Grand Rapids. However, by my estimation, it’s a crowded picture. Once Abdelkader gets sent down (whenever Helm is healthy), Grand Rapids has 12 Red Wings-contracted forwards in the lineup, in addition to John Vigilante, a serviceable 2nd/3rd liner, who they recently signed to an AHL contract. I would say the injury to Helm and the fact that Detroit might take two or three forwards (probably Ritola and Emmerton) to Sweden with them in case they run into injuries, might open up a spot for Tatar to play in the Griffins’ opener (Oct. 3). Depending on how injuries fall by then, he might have two or three games to sell himself in Grand Rapids, otherwise, they’ll send him to Plymouth.

Either is preferable to me, but ideally if Tatar is going to end up on the 3rd line in Grand Rapids, it’s better to just put him in the OHL because he’ll put up 100 points there. Ken Holland said about the same thing in Khan’s article, that he would prefer Tatar doesn’t end up playing six minutes a night. I can tell you that Plymouth sorely needs on more top flight scorer. If he ends up in Plymouth he’s good for about 22-25 minutes a night, most likely in all situations. The only way I’d like to see him in Grand Rapids is if he can grab a second line spot and get regular powerplay minutes, but even then, with so many rookies and second year players in Grand Rapids, there are a lot of candidates for those spots so it’s doubtful he’d keep those minutes for the whole year.

Mike Babcock tells Khan that he’d like to see Tatar in Plymouth because it’s “two minutes” from his house. Babcock seems to be Tatar fan #1 because Tatar has that high hockey IQ. He definitely was Detroit’s best player at prospects camp, and it sounded like he held his own at Detroit’s training camp, too. He scored on Osgood and everything.

Perhaps the best thing about this signing is that it puts Detroit at 49 contracts out of a possible 50. Detroit will most likely leave one open as they usually do so they can make a deadline move (or maybe earlier, depending on what happens with goaltending this season). This severely reduces the likelihood that Detroit throws Dan Cloutier a two-way deal, though I wouldn’t completely rule out Detroit arranging for him to play under Griffins/Walleye contract. I’d call it doubtful that Cloutier would accept something like that, though.

Worst Player in League Signs with Detroit

Apparently.

This morning it was confirmed, Detroit has signed Jason Williams to a one-year contract. Williams was discovered by Detroit as an undrafted free agent and spent seven years in the organization before heading to Chicago in the three team deal that brought Kyle Calder to Detroit. He passed through Chicago, Atlanta, and then Columbus, and now he’s back to piss in everyone’s cornflakes this morning.

While I understand the gist of the hate, I think a lot of fans are getting hung up on minor details and don’t realize that Williams can play. Is he going to win a Selke? No. Is he a nightmare on the point of the powerplay? Yes. But what else is wrong with him? He’s a decent skater, he’s a great puckhandler, he’s got a quick wristshot, and he knows Detroit’s system.

I still don’t think he’s a lock to end up back on the powerplay. I know Babcock is enamored with having a right-handed shot on the powerplay, but he’s also enamored completely with Jonathan Ericsson. A lot of fans, before and after this signing, have been spreading the theory that Babcock doesn’t even like Williams. If he doesn’t, then why would Williams end up there? Either way, I think with Leino, Filppula, Cleary, and now Williams and even Eaves all as players fit for second unit powerplay duty, you need a shooter. Franzen could be on this line, but he’ll be in front of he net.

But I am concerned if he does end up there. I hate him there, but I think he’s fine everywhere else in the lineup. What I don’t want to hear about Williams is that he whines, and that he didn’t want to come back to Detroit. As I mentioned earlier, the whining incident came when he was in the midst of a slump and he was benched. I don’t like the comments he made either about the way Babcock benched him, but I think it’s just frustration boiling over. No one likes to be benched, in a league full of cliche-spewers and boring interviews, I don’t mind a player speaking his mind. It was just the one time, no big deal to me.

Secondly, if he didn’t want to come back to Detroit he wouldn’t have, simple as that. He did grumble about waiting for other offers, what’s so wrong with that? God forbid not every player in the league wants to immediately come to Detroit on the first offer they receive. Let’s wait until the cap hit comes in to be sure, but I have a hunch that he got lowballed. Everyone gets lowballed, especially players with no other NHL offers. That can’t feel too good. Again, I don’t know how fans can make a big fuss about a player wanting to make a smart career choice.

What we lost this offseason is offense, and Williams provides that without the price tag Alex Tanguay or Nikolai Zherdev, but he’ll probably outscore anyone who’s left in the free agent pool save for these two.

I think this deal finally puts Detroit into the “cap relief” category as well. With just over $2 million in cap room, and the way Williams felt around for a week before signing, I’d be willing to wager the cap hit will be in the range of $1 million to $1.5 and not a penny higher. Bruce MacLeod just suggested on Twitter that Holland says 22 is the ideal roster and 7 is the ideal number of defensemen, but I think as long as Detroit’s under the cap with this they won’t move anybody. If Lilja’s hurt they don’t even need to worry about it. No trade will come until they know if he can start the season or not.

Line combinations?

Datsyuk – Zetterberg – Holmstrom
Leino – Filppula – Franzen
Cleary – Helm – Williams
Maltby – Draper – Eaves

or

Holmstrom – Zetterberg – Franzen
Leino – Datsyuk – Cleary
Helm – Filppula – Williams
Maltby – Draper – Eaves

I don’t see how Williams will look out of place centered by one of our current centers. I seem to be the only one pointing out that Williams played with Robert Lang when he finally actually got ice time his last two years here. That guy’s a cancer, it was a nightmare. Now we’re loaded with two-way centers and guys like Holmstrom, Hudler when he was here, and now Williams will be allowed to flourish because there isn’t as much of a burden to be spectacular defensively.

Free Agent #1 — Patrick Eaves

Just as I’m ready to head out, my TwitterFox blows up with a bunch of tweets that Detroit’s signed Patrick Eaves. James Mirtle has the press release.

I’m a big fan of this signing, because even more than lazy players with good hands (Zherdev), I have an unnatural obsession with signing former big name prospects. Eaves is just this, having been a 1st round pick in one of the deepest 1st rounds of all time, 2003. However he’s not a complete bust — he scored 20 goals as a rookie the year after the lockout. Anyone who said then that Detroit would snap him up as a free agent in August 2009 was smoking some powerfully good drug.

A product of the US National Development Program, Eaves was a standout at Boston College, totaling 48 points his last year there. He had the Cy Young winning stat line as a rookie of 20-9, and even had 14 goals and 18 assists in 2006-07. The following year, on what was not a great Ottawa team, Eaves struggled, hurting his shoulder and putting up only 4 goals in 26 games. He was traded alongside Joe Corvo to Carolina for Mike Commodore and Cory Stillman.

He wasn’t a big hit in Carolina, it would seem. I don’t think they have the system for a player like him to flourish. Only 7 goals in his 85 games there. He was traded this offseason to Boston, but only to unload his contract. Boston bought him out the day after he was traded.

However, I actually really love the idea of Eaves as a Red Wing — I think this is a system for him. He’s very similar to what Dan Cleary was before he came a Red Wing. A first round pick that hasn’t entirely panned out (Cleary never scored 20 goals though) but has stuck in the NHL as an energy guy. Eaves will be right up there with Helm, Draper, and Lebda for fastest skater on the team, he has that kind of speed. He’s not incredibly skilled but like Cleary, he’s got a great wrist shot and his hands aren’t made of stone. He’ll probably end up on the 3rd or 4th line this year, but if he shows any signs of life offensively, I could see him being kept long-term and eventually moved into a 2nd/3rd line swingman. But I’m getting ahead of myself here.

It’s a one-year deal — no terms yet. I’d be shocked if it’s over $850,000. This still gives Detroit enough room to add a player in the $1.5-$2.0 million max range.

But hypothetically speaking, if they don’t sign anybody, how do people feel about this lineup?

Datsyuk – Zetterberg – Holmstrom
Leino – Filppula – Franzen
Cleary – Helm – Eaves (aka the OMG SPEED line)
Maltby – Draper – Abdelkader

or with the twins split up (and Maltby/Draper split up as an experiment, because I think it makes the 4th line better)

Holmstrom – Zetterberg – Franzen
Filppula – Datsyuk – Cleary
Leino – Helm – Maltby
Eaves – Draper – Abdelkader

Otherwise.. Eaves probably bumps down to the 4th line and we get a scorer for the 3rd line.