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?

Game Theory: Defending a 5 on 3

Defending a five on three is inherently difficult. Not only does the opposition have two more players they also have their most talented offensive players on the ice. In this situation the defending team must acknowledge that the offense will create some offensive opportunities. Instead of aiming to prevent all offensive chances, the goal for the defense is to force the offense to score with their second option.

Don't Expect Jimmy Howard To Leave Town

After being pulled for the second time in as many games, much of Red Wing nation has seen enough of Jimmy Howard. Although Howard has been solid this season, Petr Mrazek has been better and it is time to hand the reigns over to Petr full-time. When Mrazek becomes the starter, it makes no sense for the Red Wings to pay 5 million dollars for a backup goaltender. Despite the trade discussions on twitter, I don’t think we should expect to see Jimmy leave anytime soon.

Jimmy Howard Does NOT Have A Rebound Problem

Recently, there has been a growing sentiment that Jimmy Howard struggles to control rebound. Despite being the Red Wings’ starting goaltender for six seasons, I had only recently noticed this complaint. Although past analysis found no such evidence for this claim, the critique gained momentum as Howard battled Mrazek for the starting role. Today the hockey community uncovered new evidence that may get us closer to evaluating the truth in this critique.

Organization's Offseason Made Playoffs A Must

For the last ten seasons, the Detroit Red Wings were led by the greatest coach in the NHL, Mike Babcock. Because of his abilities, when Babcock decided to move on this summer it was inevitable that the Red Wings would take at least a small step-back, Although a devastating blow, it was the decisions of Ken Holland and the Red Wings management that could turn this inevitable slow start into a lost season.

Dylan Larkin’s Play May Not Last…And That’s O.K.

Dylan Larkin is going to be a superstar in the NHL. Taken with only the 15th pick in the draft his improvements last year were remarkable. After dominating college hockey and the World Junior Championships, he made impressive showings in the World Championships and the AHL playoffs. This season he is starting on the top line in Detroit and, on occasion, has been the best Red Wing. In addition to scoring 4 points, he has been a dynamo on the ice and is making the rest of the Wings better. Although his start has vaulted Larkin into Calder consideration, I believe we need to manage our expectations as this strong start may begin to fade.

Predicting the Eastern Conference

It has been a long summer, but hockey is almost here. Last year at this time, I gave my predictions for the Eastern Conference. I had some good picks (Tampa, Detroit, Islanders) but also had some huge misses (New Jersey, Boston, Washington). With such obvious room for improvement and another season coming up, I am back to try again.

Two Kids and an Old Goat: How Larkin Can Get In the Lineup

With the signing of Brad Richards, the Red Wings have a surplus of top 9 forwards. Based on his quotes, Holland sees Datsyuk, Richards and Sheahan as the top 3 centers meaning Zetterberg, Tatar, Nyquist, Franzen, Abdelkader, Helm, Pulkkinen and Jurco are competing for the remaining spots in the top 9. With so much competition, there is little opportunity for the Red Wing’s super prospect Dylan Larkin to crack the lineup. However, Red Wing history has shown us a possible blueprint for getting Larkin into the lineup despite the aforementioned players.

Red Wing Free Agency Guide

This year's class of free agents could be one of the worst in recent memory. With every team signing stars to long-term extensions, the remaining free agents are complementary players at best. However, these complementary players still get big paydays on July 1st as General Managers scramble to improve their squad. Despite the lack of depth in this years class, there are a few players that fans have suggested signing to deals to improve the team. Most of these suggested targets are overvalued and should never be seen in Detroit, and while I would consider others, there is only one player that I believe Ken Holland could and should sign to become a member of the Detroit Red Wings.

Do NOT Buyout Stephen Weiss…Yet

Last year we saw glimpses of what the Red Wings expected after signing Stephen Weiss. His 25 points in 54 games provided the depth scoring the team desperately needed. However the points did not always outweigh his other deficiencies. On March 9^th he committed 2 ugly turnovers that resulted in shorthanded goals for the Boston Bruins and cost the Red Wings valuable points in the playoff chase. He played only one game over the next three weeks, and although he was in the lineup on a consistent basis to end the regular season he was benched after Games 2 of the playoffs and never returned to the lineup.

Way Too Early 2016 Stanley Cup Betting Guide

Last night we saw the Chicago Blackhawks complete an incredibly 6 year run by winning their 3rd Stanley Cup in that time frame. But before they have even cleaned the confetti off the ice, bookies have started looking ahead to next season. Today the online gambling site Bovada released Stanley Cup odds for 2016.  This early on the odds are dictated more by recent media attention and popularity than true potential. As a result, there are a number of cases where the odds over and underestimate the team's potential to hoist the trophy next season. Using the team's current roster and expected off-season moves, I compared Bovada's odds to how I expect the team will do next season.

Why Goal Scoring Isn't the Problem

The continued improvement of NHL goaltending culminated in record high save percentages this season. Many NHL executives see this improvement as a cause for concern as goal scoring drops towards pre-Lockout levels. Desperate to combat the growing size and skill of goaltenders, changes to increase offense are everywhere. While good intentioned, I believe many of these changes are doomed due to the failure to recognize the problem behind the lack of excitement.

Detroit’s Draft Philosophy: How Chicago & Tampa Built Cup Contenders

As we watch Chicago and Tampa Bay face off in the Stanley Cup Final, much has been discussed about how these teams were built using the Red Wing blueprint. Like the Red Wings, both teams have excelled by finding game changing players in the later rounds of the NHL draft. Many critics would suggest finding these diamonds in the rough is lucky and unsustainable, however the teams get these players due to their willingness to gamble at the draft table.

Development & Depth: The Future of the Wings

The incredible ability of Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Kronwall to maintain a high level of play led the Red Wings into a crossroads. With limited time before the inevitable decline, the Wings were torn between making one last run with their stars and committing to the reload. However, the expected hiring of Jeff Blashill has forced the organization down the path of rebuilding and development. Now we will learn if the young guns are able to fill the aging stars’ shoes or if the Euro twin’s decline will be too much to overcome?

Temper Expectations for Teemu

With 45 goals in 53 games, Teemu Pulkkinen is tearing up the AHL. With those numbers he looks destined to become an impact scorer in the NHL and after two years in Grand Rapids he will be a full time Red Wing next season. However, we should be hesitant to place high expectations on Teemu right away. Despite his success in the minors I believe he has been a victim of circumstance and the Red Wing’s development model has actually prevented him from immediately succeeding in the NHL.

Off-Season Checklist

Like Mike Babcock, all of Red Wing nation took the full 24 hours to get over what had happened in game 7. But after a week we have, mostly, moved on and started looking towards the future. After such a great effort against aTampa Bay team that is cruising in to the Eastern Conference finals, the onus is on Ken Holland to push this team over the top. With that in mind I made a checklist of the moves and decisions, in order of necessity/importance, that Ken Holland needs to make in the coming months for the Red Wings to return to contention.