Friday Funbag: The Red Wings slide since Kane, why NHL Network gets World Juniors, and more
Plus thoughts on the Stars defensive core and its usage.
When the Detroit Red Wings signed Patrick Kane on Nov. 28 they were in third place in the Atlantic Division and surging, having won three straight.
Things felt good, the Yzerplan was turning the corner into playoff contender and all was right in Detroit.
Since that signing things have gone drastically different, in the eight games Kane has played the Red Wings are 1-6-1. They’ve allowed four goals or more in six of those games.
Kane becomes an easy scapegoat in all of this.
What changed in Detroit?
Well, they signed Patrick Kane and then it all went to shit.
It’s an easy line for Kane’s critics to parrot, and because of his off-ice history, he has more critics than most.
But what’s really the problem in Detroit? What’s really happened in the past three weeks?
For starters, it’s impossible to ignore the injury context. Since Kane’s joined the Red Wings the team has been rocked by injuries, most notably the scary incident with Dylan Larkin and now both competent goalies taking knocks at the same time.
Another thing, which isn’t Kane or any players fault, is management’s unwillingness to address a problem it could fix rather easily.
It’s become clear the Red Wings need another competent defender on the back end who can relieve pressure out of the back and handle the rigors of an NHL forecheck. Jake Walman and Moritz Seider have been emotionally tasked with carrying the defense more, while the veteran core has been middling at best.
Recalling Simon Edvinsson wouldn’t fix everything, far from it, but at least acknowledging and upgrading a pairing from a puck movement perspective would do wonders for the entire lineup.
A similar thing could be said about how Steve Yzerman has treated Jonatan Berggren at forward.
Berggren, by my view, has earned his spot in Detroit but has only been a Red Wing when injuries have necessitated it. When healthy, the Red Wings have decided they are better with Berggren in the AHL.
It’s wearing on the player, his body language shows it, and there have been numerous reports about how the young Swede is ready for a trade and a fresh start.
This isn’t Kane’s fault, but his signing only added to the logjam that blocked Berggren.
The good news for Detroit, on multiple fronts, is that the Kane experiment has both time and has already slightly worked.
There’s time, even with the current slide, for Detroit to re adjust itself in the Eastern Conference. Tonight’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers feels like a big one in that regard.
Kane is also more than a player for Yzerman, he’s also a flippable asset. The Red Wings are far from that spot, yet, but Yzerman could always use Kane to buy an additional draft pick with a deadline move like he made last season to sell off Tyler Bertuzzi to the Boston Bruins.
Kane has a no-trade clause, but that’s more about control for the player and his agent. He wants to win, that’s why he picked Detroit, and if the Red Wings aren’t that team this season, he could help pick his destination in February and get Yzerman a pick or two in the process.
Hope that all makes some sense, let’s get into your questions.
Adam W. Not a great question because I doubt you can't answer it but why does the NHL continue to put the World Juniors on NHL Network... A channel that just isn't available on most cable/stream options. It certainly doesn't help grow the game.
I’m going to put together a full viewer’s guide to the World Junior Championship for paid subscribers out next week, on either Monday or Tuesday, so keep an eye out for that.
In the meantime, let’s talk about NHL Network and the TV situation.
Here is why NHL Network gets World Juniors — no one else in the United States TV space is willing to make a substantial offer for the rights.
I know the rights fee NHL Network pays isn’t high, it could easily be surpassed by a major network or streaming service, but they simply don’t have the want or need for the inventory.
ESPN, for example, is highly invested in the college football bowl season. It’s the same reason ESPN had no interest in the Winter Classic and was basically gifted to Turner.
ESPN and ESPN+ would gladly take the IIHF games, and they take some overflow, but they aren’t willing to pay to get the rights and outbid what NHL Network marginally gives.
It’s a classic example of follow the money. NHL Network sees World Junior as way to make money, it’s about the only time many of us actually watch the channel, and it’s such small potatoes in the greater sports landscape that no one else feels the need to swoop in.
Sarah Hayes Does the Department of Player Safety or the league call players on certain plays even if no supplemental discipline is planned? I believe I've heard it mentioned they keep a file on players even if they have never been suspended. Just thinking about the sudden rash of bad hits from behind that occurred the last couple weeks and the limited number of those players that have been suspended. I hope someone is calling to discuss avoiding those kinds of plays, but from the outside it doesn't look like much is happening at a higher than game level from a discipline standpoint..
I also had a question about embellishments. There was a pretty egregious embellishment by Kris Letang that resulted in a call on a Wild player last night. Is there a way to fine a player after a game for that? Do referees or someone at a higher level monitor players that seem to do that more frequently to try and squash it? Or does that fly under the radar?
Some good questions, let’s go in order.
NHL Player Safety keeps an eye on things on a nightly basis, there are folders and observations. But unless a player has done something that is formally fined or suspended, it can’t be used as past precedent or history of punishment.
There are informal conversations from time to time, a “hey, don’t do that,” type deal, but unless a player has a formal offense that goes to level of discipline, the league nor the player have to discuss what happens on the ice.
On the Kris Letang embellishment against the Wild, he’s done this multiple times before and has a reputation of doing so.
The league can and should look at it after the fact. In fact, the league can go and fine players for diving later and there is a “diver’s list” the NHL keeps — Mason Marchment, for example, is on it — and fines get larger each time a player is caught.
I think they don’t do enough, however, when it comes to the gamesmanship embellishment that isn’t a superman dive.
This also brings me to a flaw in the rules. It’s ridiculous to me that in the NHL a high-sticking penalty can be doubled because a player was cut. Last week in Detroit I’m pretty sure Christian Fischer picked a scab and found blood on his finger to show the officials and “earned” Detroit a four-minute power play because of it against the Anaheim Ducks.
A high-stick should be a high-stick, sometimes a play that doesn’t induce a cut is more dangerous and violet than one that actual does. When Dylan Larkin was injured, he didn’t bleed, for example.
Matthew Martin From the eye test, it looks like Lindell and Hankapaa are on the ice a lot when the top line is out there. Do you think the Stars are trying to raise the floor of that D pairing and do you think it lowers the ceiling of that top line?
According to Natural Stat Trick the defensive pairing one Jani Hakanpää and Esa Lindell have been on the ice 42 minutes, and 42 seconds this season with the line of Joe Pavelski, Jason Robertson, and Roope Hintz.
By comparison, Miro Heiskanen and Ryan Suter have been on the ice for 104:19 with that line.
So I don’t see a problem with Lindell and Hakanpää’s usage with the top line. In fact, of their shifts with that line, the majority come in the defensive zone — they are stealing offensive zone shifts from Heiskanen.
Davis Dunkleberger Do we give Harley enough praise? He’s been on a tear right now
We are not. I wrote at length about this last week in D Magazine actually.
All aboard the Harley hype train! He and Duchene have been huge for the Stars this season.
That Duchene shows more energy and outright dogged-ness (new word?)... should make his age irrelevant in the consideration to resign him. He is our best forward, right now, and is significantly responsible for helping Seguin and Marchment to be successful. Top 3 scoring line in the league.
Move whoever needs to be moved... ask him what he wants, and go get the cap to do it. Faska for a bag of pucks? Do it. Delandrea for stick tape? Do it.