The Left Wing Lock

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Playing four rookies in a season is unheard of for a team like the Red Wings. Extensive injuries have forced Detroit to call up the likes of Jan Mursak, Tomas Tatar and Cory Emmerton. First year defenseman Jakub Kindl made the Wings out of training camp as the seventh defenseman and up until the recently ad been a regular healthy scratch.

Mursak was the first rookie to earn a call-up and the 23 year-old forward has filled in admirably in his 17 game stint. The Maribor, Slovenia native has made an impact with his speed and stick handling ability playing on … Continue Reading

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The pressure is on Andrej Nestrasil. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound forward is under the gun to show the Detroit Red Wings he is worthy of an NHL contract before the June deadline.

The Czech native was the 75th overall selection in the 2009 draft. At the time of the draft, Detroit was ecstatic to pick him citing his size, strength, and puck control as his strengths. Nestrasil’s biggest question mark continues to be his skating which lacks speed and explosiveness. While he has been working hard to improve, it’s still remain a weakness and could cause the Wings to pass on … Continue Reading

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Goalie Rick DiPietro was looking to spark his New York Islanders teammates when he squared off Pittsburgh Penguins netminder Brent Johnson. Unfortunately one punch to the head will sideline Dipietro for four to six weeks with broken bones in his face.

The Islanders, who are the worst team in the Eastern Conference, have little chance of making the playoffs. Now that Dipietro is sidelined and Dwayne Roloson traded to the Tampa bay, the Isles have little chance of gaining ground in the standings. Evegeni Nabakov, who the Red Wings signed two weeks ago but lost on waivers to the Isles, … Continue Reading

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With the 2004 NHL playoffs about to start, General Manager Ken Holland expressed a desire to add a top six forward to their depth chart. The Red Wings were depleted due to injuries which forced them to use career minor league players like Mark Mowers (52 games), Darryl Bootland (22 games), and Jamie Rivers (50 games) while players like Steve Thomas, Henrik Zetterberg, Jason Williams, Derian Hatcher, Jason Woolley, and Darren McCarty were out with long term injuries.

As the trade deadline approached that season, Holland worked the phones in the hopes of improving the depth heading into another long … Continue Reading

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The NHL will try and capitalize on the success of the Winter Classic when it hosts it’s second outdoor game on February 20th. The Montreal Canadians and the Calgary Flames will face off in the Heritage Winter Classic in Calgary’s McMahon Stadium less than two months since the Winter Classic.
The NHL has attempted to differentiate the games by focusing this years Winter Classic on American audiences with a game featuring Washington and Pittsburgh. The Heritage Classic, on the other hand, will focus on the Canadian audience.That being said, two games in a season is too much, too soon.

The league … Continue Reading

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It’s not all Jimmy Howard’s fault. Matter of fact much of the Red Wings below average goals against – 20th in the NHL – has more to do with a lack of adequate defensive zone coverage than the Red Wings goaltending.

Howard, who is in his second year as the Red Wings starting goaltender, is ranked fourth in wins this season with 38. His .904 save percentage ant 2.87 goals against are well above his sparkling record from a year ago, but overall Howard’s play as not been the issue.

Turnovers have been Detroit’s downfall this season. The Red Wings have … Continue Reading

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The Red Wings surprised many in 2004 making Johan Franzen their first pick in the draft that year. Detroit had to wait until the 97th overall pick after trading away their first two picks in trade deadline deals. At the time of the draft, Franzen was 24 years-old and had been passed over in multiple drafts causing some to question the selection.

Hakan Andersson, the Red Wings top European scout, pushed for Franzen because of his size and defensive game. When Detroit picked him, they projected the 6-foot-3, 220-pound winger as a defensive player who could fill out their bottom … Continue Reading

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When the Hockey Hall of Fame inducts it’s 2011 class, Eddy “The Eagle” Belfour may be the only the only member in his first year of eligibility. Belfour, who led the Dallas Stars to a Stanley Cup Championship in 1999, has the credentials with nearly 1,200 NHL games, a Stanley Cup Championship, and two World Cup titles. Although “Crazy Eddie’s” career was sometimes marred by his arrest record and occasional angry on-ice outbursts, Belfour’s career should still justify his selection to the Hall.

The other first year eligible players are highlighted by Trevor Linden, Glen Murray, and former Red … Continue Reading