Why Stats and Scouts Disagree on Danny DeKeyser

Danny DeKeyser is about to receive a new contract from Ken Holland and the Detroit Red Wings. Preordained as the future of the Red Wing blue line it will probably contain a hefty raise spread out over many years. Scouts and executives believe he is worthy of such a deal and that the big smooth skating defender is a new age defensive defenseman. However the statistics are not so kind to DeKeyser, some making him appear to be more qualified for the press box than the top pairing. With the Red Wings already spending $9 million on aging defenders Ericsson and Kronwall, Holland cannot afford to make another mistake with this defense.

State of the Wings After July 1st

After making a draft day deal to move Datsyuk’s cap hit, Ken Holland had money to burn on July 1st. After accounting for the RFA deals, the Red Wings have about 14 million dollars they could use to upgrade the roster. Holland made a couple of moves and while he missed out on Stamkos on Thursday he also got lucky when a number of other players elected to go elsewhere. Once the dust settled and I had the opportunity to evaluate the team as currently constructed, I am not convinced that the Wings are better off now then they were one year ago today or even one week ago.

Is Stamkos Enough?

It was supposed to be Austin Matthew’s night to shine, but Ken Holland stole the show. Teams had previously been asking for a top young prospect in exchange for Pavel Datsyuk's 7.5 million dollar cap hit. Thankfully on draft night Ken Holland was fortunate  to have Jahob Chychrun, previously the #2 prospect in the draft, slide to the sixteenth pick. Holland took advantage of that luck, flipping the pick and Datsyuk to Arizona for the 20th pick, a second rounder and injured Joe Vitale. Freeing up 7.5 million dollars in cap space made the Detroit Red Wings the front runners in the Steven Stamkos sweepstakes.

NHL Awards: Who Should Win and Who Will Win

Tonight in Las Vegas, hockey's brightest stars will meet to celebrate the accomplishments of another great season. There are a number of deserving candidates for each of these awards; some of whom were not honored as finalists. To give those players and coaches their respective dues here is who I think should win each major award and who will probably win.

2016 Off-Season Game Plan

This week is going to be very busy for general managers across the National Hockey League. A flat cap and upcoming expansion draft have created problems for a number of teams. With only a few days remaining before the NHL Draft a.k.a the second trade deadline, what should Ken Holland be thinking about this summer?