Today on lock on Red Wings Max boltman of the athletic joins for a midseason check-in your locked on Red Wings your daily podcast on the Detroit Red Wings part of the locked on podcast Network your team every Day welcome back to the lockdown Red Wings podcast we are your hosts Brian fiser and Scotty Bentley a podcast producer for the daily J A WWJ News Radio podcast while Scotty’s host over at locked on tigers as well as a freelance journalist for the Detroit news and today’s episode is brought to
You by FanDuel make every moment more right now new customers get $150 in bonus Bets with any winning $5 money line bet that’s 150 bucks if your team wins visit fanduel.com lockon to learn more Scotty we are very happy to be joined once again by our favorite and most frequent fre frequent frequent
Guest don’t know how to say that word apparently Max boltman of the athletic Detroit Rings beat writer Max how you doing I’m doing good great to see you guys and uh should be an interesting show today given where uh where things have gotten to right I mean timing was
It was it good timing though Scotty like we were talking about this before we started recording would the better of timing have been has having Max on when the team was playing well I think there’s an argument this is the best timing uh to be honest and there’s also
An argument it’s the worst but I think there is an argument that it’s that it’s the best timing actually yes so it’s going to be interesting to say the least Red Wings going through all kinds of injury woses they finally look as if they get healthy and then as we
All know uh whoo Goes Down lion goes down the game before that Coston goes down and then very suddenly your goal tending situation is very different C to the IR zarnik recalled Michael Hutchinson signed to a one-year deal league minimum $775,000 two-way deal uh so max I guess we’re going to start
There the goaling situation already wasn’t great before the injuries now that your depth has been tested and eviscerated where do we stand in terms of what this gending has to do to just I guess survive and what’s your take on the Michael Hutchinson signing yeah okay
Lots unpacked so the the terms of the goal tending situation big picture right I I actually think the toughest thing about the timing of this is that I think prior to I guess he really wasn’t very good in the first period against Anaheim but the previous three outings before
That were probably the best we’ve seen him over a three appearance stretch this season and Alex lion has I think had uh up until the injury pretty well asserted himself as the deserving number two if not borderline number one or or true tandem mate there so the toughest thing
About this you mentioned like the go tending already wasn’t great and like from like a from a team safe percentage that’s absolutely true I think the tragedy in this for the Red Wings is that it was just coming together like you might have finally had the bones of
This kind of workable tandem whoo is getting it into gear about a month after the birth of his kid I think when you consider that factor I I kind of understand maybe that there there could be some uh correlation there Lions getting in gear um I thought I thought
It was coming together and I think that’s what makes these two injuries in was it consecutive games I think they were consecutive games yeah uh so tough because James Rymer had a nice start to the season his first few appearances but I have not been especially uh inspired I
Guess I’d say by his performance recently um it’s been more limited usage recently and I think that’s been the correct choice now it’s going to ramp up significantly and the Red Wings have to hope that he can recapture what he was doing at the start of the year he’s he
Is the reason that they signed him he is a very well seasoned NHL goal leag and while I know you know that he’s getting toward the end of that career and and whatnot he is still a guy who has been able to carry a load that’s where you
Can get a little bit of Confidence from him is even fairly recently he has been uh the kind of goalie that you can give 30 40 plus games to in a season and expect to you know kind of hold serve there last year the save percentage
Dipped a good bit but the year before that at age 33 he he played 48 games and had a 911 save percentage like that’s you’ll take that all day can he get back to that I’m skeptical but what they need is him to just get close to that 904
Mark which is the league average now which that’s another thing that I we could take this in a whole other conversation League goal tending is on a big downward Trend right now there is I think a supply crisis there are not enough goalies in a 32 Team league to
Handle um especially the surge of offense that has come into this league um you can look at it 904 this year it was 904 last year if you go back to just 201920 uh it was 910 like that’s that’s a meaningful dip in just the last five
Years so um already in crisis that’s why the Red Wings were carrying three goalies they knew that they got burned by depth last year they overworked who so it was all a problem um and that’s a long way of saying here they are and that depth is the only thing that stands
Between them and having have Michael Hutchinson be their number one goalie for at least the next little bit whoo is going to be week to week for a while was the terminology by Derrick alone we’ll see what that means doesn’t sound encouraging little more um positive on Alex lion he’s out through Christmas
Which is really only a handful of games here three three more games here they got to get through um not a lock he’s back after that but it sounded honestly pretty encouraging that he will be so I think they’ll be at lion Rymer by that point so what you’re really looking at
With Michael Hutchinson is probably one start and I think he can give you one start strategically placed obviously uh this upcoming schedule is not especially forgiving this weekend yes play three games in four days we have a back to back right like so you’re probably looking for one from him you’re probably
Gonna go with Rhymer tomorrow in Winnipeg and I’d expect that you’re gonna see Rhymer on Saturday I think they’re in New Jersey and so it’s just that one other game between that who who is that is that Minnesota Philly yes that’s right yeah so Philly so you’re
Probably going to look at maybe maybe Philly is his game and um you know he he’s not been career like starter but he has some history you know he was playing 30 games or so with the Jets in the mid-2010s and giving you decent enough save percentages he’s had kind of more
Recently spot Duty um it’s one game you got to give him a lot of help in front of you um he’s your you’re not your number four goalie that’s just what it is it’s you know but I think you have to respect the career that he’s had to
Think he can give you one game when you really really need it and right now you really really need it well I I kind of want to unless Brian you have anything else about like the goalie situation a vacuum I kind of want to go big picture
But stay in net like the rest of the season you know we brought up that and you just brought up obviously the huge dip in save percentage around the league and that’s something Brian and I have talked about a lot I mean even like I
Want to say two two and a half weeks ago was under 900 so like that’s 9004 and it’s gone up dramatically lately like it it’s been it’s been just plummeting this year and so for a team like the wing who the fan base and and like obviously uh writers media people whatever everybody
Is kind of looking at the goal tending situation going like somebody is gonna have to like step up here and obviously lion was really good in limited time before the injury like how I I guess what I’m trying to ask in a weird way is like is is the rest of
The league struggling in net almost a weirdly good thing for the wings who are also struggling in net just because of like supply and demand like is that so is that flawed logic is that like somewhat reasonable like I’m just trying to figure out the rest of the way I
Guess the the general confidence you have in that for the wings yeah I think that is the the way you have to look at you look at all these things by you know relative to the rest of the league right like you know the Red Wings all these
Guys it’s the for the same reason that you can look at you know the average skater today and say that they’re they’re more skilled than the average skater 10 years ago okay but every team has those guys so just because your roster might have more skill it doesn’t
Mean that you’re a more skilled team relative to the rest of the league than you once were and I don’t think they are really I mean maybe more than the last couple years um but the same applies in goal and so the good news is if you’re a
Team that’s like well I don’t know if we can realistically think we’re g to get nine10 goal tending the good news is most of the teams aren’t going to get nine10 goal you can probably count on two hands the teams that you really expect to get nine 10 goal tending over
The course of a season and they’re the teams with the with the studs with the hu with the vasilis with the soses Soka churk and tinger how many more even are there than the ones I just rattled out vasileski did I say I don’t know so all those Eastern Conference in Atlantic
Division teams yeah go figure some of those names like I mean even some of those names are having like AER got off to a rough start too like even some of those names are like not even up to par yeah right so it gives you you know but
What I think that the Temptation there might be to say well you’re just going to have to play a bunch of shootouts I think what it actually means is you’re going to have to really take care of your own end and put your goalies in the best possible position to succeed you
Can’t go into any game thinking going to score six goals because we think we’re going to give up five you can’t do that you got to go and try to make life as easy as possible for your goalies and and trust that if you are you know the
The the more Dynamic offensive team that you think you are and more skilled in past year that that will show up in the moments you needed to show up case Point Edmonton Oilers yeah yes fantastic uh Buffalo Sabers last year anyway right true uh great points we’re gonna take a
Quick break and when we return we’re going to continue the conversation um I I feel like I have maybe have one more Michael Hutson question if not we can go into the defense because you kind of transitioned nicely into talking about the defense and insulating those goenda Red Wings stay tuned for
That a new NHL season brings all sorts of possibilities Patrick Kane he’s got four points in six games he’s on Pace for a nice little season with about 60 that he can play and the Red Wings despite the fact that they’re on a little bit of a lull they can still make
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Wings podcast you know Max you brought up the insulation that you’re going to have to do with the goal tending in Detroit and that is something that Scotty and I have talked about a lot uh this Red Wings team to get into those shootouts and at one point when they
Were playing hot I did equate them to last year’s Buffalo Sabers they’d score a lot they’d give up a ton of goals and they would just to hang on to survive and the more I watch this team the more I come to the conclusion personally and whether or not you agree
Is you know it’s everyone’s own opinion but this team does not possess the puck at all they kind of stink at five on five when you’re looking at defense and how to improve this defense for me it’s Puck possession but for you what is the one thing that this team really has to
Do to help insulate the goalies and just play better team defense yeah I mean that question is always so chicken or the egg for me right because I think every person around hockey you know this very well everyone wants the puck so is is the question of how do you possess the
Puck more that you just hold on to it well that means you’re not shooting that means you’re what like you’re just going to stick handle on a phone booth around everybody like it’s easier said than done to me the answer to how do teams up their Puck possession is they go get the
Puck back when they don’t have it they kill plays in transition they do not let um plays drag out when when you get the puck in your defensive Zone um you are able to break the puck out cleanly and these are the things that I think the redings have struggled with especially
That last one my I don’t know if I have a stat for this so maybe I’m wrong but I felt like especially the first 20 to 25 games of this season I thought the reding’s transition defense was really good and I think uh Jake wman especially
Was was a horse in that regard and and I I know that uh that pair of of him and cider of late had has not been quite as impressive very recently but I think on the on the whole they’re still two really really good players that’s one of
Their strengths both of them it’s the reason that the shat Petri thing I know fans have a lot of opinions there um I was shocked to see and I think it this is a good gut check that their defensive goals expected goals against and even real goals against numbers are really
Impressive League wide I hate it why is this because they’re good at killing plays right they’re they’re good Defenders this is what they do and and I know that it doesn’t always translate into the offensive end but so be it so I think that’s an okay that they’re they
Generally gr out okay there you know I couldn’t tell you if there’s something that’s changed there but I think it’s just been given up odd mans in the recent stretch Carolina and Philly they did a decent job of containing it but by and large um where I’ve seen them really
Struggle I feel like is just getting the puck out and it’s been the defense goes to the boards and the boards whether they turn it over or whether they can’t get to it or whether they got to throw it back down low it just seems like it
Takes them longer to get out of Their Own Zone than most other teams that I’m watching them play against on most nights there it’s not the case every night um this is the part of the show where I say they have a player whose whole thing is he is a tremendous Puck
Transitioner and breakout artist in Grand Rapids and that’s Simon Edinson and I have no idea why he’s not on Detroit Redwing right now but he’s not and and I think that you know that is the the the number one area that I see uh that that I think is holding them
Back defensively is is being able to get the puck out of their Zone and end those sustained offensive possessions for their opponents quicker Max I feel like we could do like 35 minutes alone on the defense shirat and the shirat and the Petri thing because that is something
That Scotty and I have noticed recently like we obviously are part we were pretty CR critical of the Season shirat had last year coming into the season we were like Petri and shat together like what is going on and then as you know pointed out there they’ve been doing
Really well of late and I cannot figure them out as a pair as to why they’ve seen so much success and wman and cider have struggled and I think part of it might be deployment um but a lot of it I think is I I think wman and cider have
Gotten really tough minutes but I also just think you you’re looking at the older you get in the NHL the the more you know how to defend NHL players and wallman’s not Young but he’s still really in his third full NHL season maybe even you could really almost say
Second he was really sheltered in St Louis before coming here and he just didn’t get that much opportunity there right so I they’re both young players I think in terms of games and I think sherro and Petri obviously the opposite end of that Spectrum they’re extremely seasoned they know how to defend they’re
Also big physical guys that’s also true of cider and wman but I think you just put those two together and some of it’s deployment some of it’s they kind of have this Savvy KN how to kill plays I still am taking the Wallman pair ahead of course that’s the reason that they’re
Getting the tougher matchups but I think it’s it’s the reason I say I’m surprised to see the status because of you hear this discourse around it but they’ve actually been excellent at their role which is keep the puck out of your net you’re not counting on those two guys to
Get your offense although Petri did score the other night um you’re counting on them to handle their minutes and keep the puck out of the net when they’re out there and they’re doing that so um anyway that’s a long tangent but yes sorry you were saying like I said we
Could go 40 minutes Scotty you had one no yeah well obviously something that again that Brian and I have talked about a lot is not only like defense from the Blue Line perspective but defensive forward play and how it feels like pretty consistently you can correlate like a really successful and aggressive
For check by the forwards to like the good defensive periods that this team has but also they can’t do it for three full periods and they’ve proven that like Time and Time and Time again so I guess like obviously you bring in Kane not a very like not going to help you
Too much on the defensive side of the puck obviously but he had he actually had a couple of nice plays defensively in the last game but like I I just from uh like we we broke down the blue line but just talk about you know from a team defensive like schematic I guess
Perspective um a like what how do you how do you help your goalie out more from like a whole unit rather than just the blue line line and B is there any way shape and form that this team can actually play like consistent three full periods of good defensive hockey ever
Because it’s very frustrating yeah so okay so I think it starts in in the recent skid I think you cannot emphasize enough that the redings have been without their two top centers 100% And I think when I think of the center position one of the biggest things I think about is the defensive
Responsibility that it carries so you subtract two guys like Lin and especially J2 Comer who is their best defensive forward and no surprise that the defense is going to look good that being said the team defense hadn’t looked good for a few games before that either they had gotten out to these big
Four-goal leads and they were letting teams walk back into it and that I think speaks to Scotty’s point about 60 complete minutes which is there some part of me that thinks that the complete 60-minute effort is a total myth because every time you’re trailing in a game you
Somehow find your way to that 10-minute sustained pressure stretch and whether you score or you don’t usually decides that game game but like you know everyone will always talk about oh you’re sitting back in the third period And there’s truth to it I think it’s human nature that when you have a you
Know Brian I know you you play hockey like you have a three-goal lead you’re not g to be chasing that hard in the third period because you know that if you overp pursue something it’s this huge mistake and you gave up an odman rush and that might cost you the game
There were moments in on Sunday when we were playing together I was actively avoiding the puck uh but continue yeah you’re staying high right like and that’s I I don’t think that’s even wrong but there’s is also this fine balance to be struck where you can’t let that mean
You’re getting lazy you’re easing off you’re scared anything like that like you you have to still find a way to play it’s why it’s a hard game so honestly there’s a part of me that feels that the 60-minute effort is actually kind of a myth like because the the team that’s
Losing in the third period is always GNA make a push and it’s just whether or not you can stop it right um and sometimes that’s not even totally within your control so um what will it take I think it’s going to take them really just kind of locking
In on it and I think everyone got really excited they’re a top five offensive team in the league right now like that’s something that when was the last time you could say that about the Red Wings and and that was exciting but I think what what it is going to take you know
Lone made this comment the other day he was like we don’t have any Cy winners on the roster and it’s kind of funny because I feel like we’ve had so many conversations on this beat in the last five years about how the Red Wings only emphasize these two-way players and now
The coaches sitting there saying like there’s no you know Sky candidates on his roster right uh and he’s in a way he’s kind of right they they’ve they’ve gotten a little bit of you know kind of this they address their problem of not scoring enough and now you wonder do
They have enough defensive forwards and it’s an issue but I think it just comes into locking in on the details alone made this point today to talk about players kind of looping back and not stopping on pucks and um that I think is an area you’ll see them emphasize into
The into the Christmas break here is uh do not take those wide turns and circle back lazy you stop on the puck and you you you skate back and that goes back to minor hockey basically but it’s it’s always true right it’s you take these inefficient routes back to the play and
It’s going to cost you time and it’s probably going to cost you on the scoreboard awesome uh we’re going to take another short break and we return Scotty brought up Patrick Kane uh I wanted to of course ask Max what your first impressions on him or six games
Into his tenure as a Redwing of as well as uh talk about your biggest surprises and biggest disappointments individually uh with these Detroit Red Wings so stay tuned to segment three got to talk to you guys today about FanDuel as the weather gets colder the NFL offers stay hot right now new
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Spread spreads player props over unders and more so visit fanduel.com lockon and kick off the NFL season FanDuel official partner of the NFL segment three lockdown Red Wings podcast we’re joined by Max boltman Detroit Red Wings beat writer of the athletic uh and Max Scotty had brought
Up Patrick Kane in segment two just kind of talking about the overall offense in general but I wanted to know what your thoughts on Patrick Kane have been now six games into his tenure one goal three assists coming off a multi- assist game in the loss to the
Ducks that’s it how how you think how you how you feel on him I’ve been impressed I I you didn’t know what to expect coming off the hippers surfacing surgery yes you know I think as as we alluded in the last section he is not a
Sulky winner he’s not going to be a real positive defensive impact guy by in large but he’s such a smart player you’ve seen him have some takeaways that lead to scoring chances I I think looked dangerous basically from his first game he could have had a multi-point game
That night dude and yeah I just think I I think as this continues to go on as he gets more comfortable with with his teammates and crucially as his teammates get more comfortable around him I think he’s going to turn into a real net positive I put this in my story for
Today though I I don’t know about you guys I feel like it you know people have have tried to draw this parallel that they’re whatever one and six since Kane joined the lineup and I get that that’s literally true I think the injuries have
A whole lot more to do with it but I will say if there’s been any thing that’s taken a little bit of time as he’s joined I really think it’s that that his teammates have seemed like they need to try to feed him the puck at all
Times every time they’re out there with him it’s it’s throw puck right yeah and receiving passes like he makes such creative passes that people are like oh I don’t know that I’m getting the puck pass to me right now when they turn the puck over that’s like happened three or
Four times already since he’s joined yeah yeah and I I feel like even you know on the power play he’ll get the puck and he’s not the hardest shooter so I don’t think like he needs to be the guy that you’re feeding for shots but it
Kind of seems like the puck gets to him and then everyone just stands still and freezes like what’s he gonna do with it and that’s not going to really work I you know I think I I’ve actually asked Kane this question about like you know
In the past has it happen that guys kind of defer to you that you know whatever and how long does that kind of take and he said you know he’s actually someone who he kind of likes to see how his teammates play his Lin mates play and
Kind of work in around that and see how he can kind of make make them better off of that I just think that’s a tricky thing it’s human nature that a guy like Patrick Kane who is the greatest American Born hockey player of all time uh joins your team and you’re like oh
Well that’s who I need to give the puck to and I just need to you know let them cook and I think realistically the kind of player Patrick Kane is he kind of wants to mold his game around what you do well because he can do a little bit
Of everything to help whoever and I think that is going to take a little time but I am a little surprised at at uh some of the instances of it like I I think you just want to see that that adjustment I think it’s coming I think
The multi-point game the other night’s a good sign um I I think he’s really good though and I I actually think he will not Shock me if he does become a point per game forward here in The Fairly near future well and that’s just it right like he historically has been such a
Good hockey player I mean he still is but there’s just this and I’m getting off into a little bit of a tangent here but there’s been like this narrative like you were saying online where people are like cherry picking his expected goals 4 percentage and whatnot to try
And say like Patrick Kane’s actively making the Red Wings worse and it’s like not if you watch the games every single shift he’s out there he’s so dangerous but you’re spot on that like and even as a Red Wings fan myself like I find myself going okay now give the puck to
Kane in the offensive zone um I wouldn’t mind seeing him shoot the puck a little bit more because there are times where I think he passes up on good shooting opportunities to make a pass but that’s true for many Red Wings like Joe valeno and Lucas Raymond I’ve noticed do the
Same thing but there’s so much that that’s that’s it right like the chemistry is to come and you drop Patrick Kane in this roster and then two games later one game later you lose half your forwards right so there is just this huge and I think that is such a
Huge part of why they are struggling right now is because of the fact that they’re so they were so banged up for so long that now they’re struggling to find that chemistry as guys get healthy again on top of trying to build that chemistry with a brand new player who’s like you
Said the greatest American hockey player of all yeah well what’s funny is you talked about kind of the the chair picking stats it’s funny because they’re actually I think chair picking around the expected goals for percentage because like the Cory’s bad and the actual goal is four percentage is bad
His expected actual uh expected goals four percentage is almost 52% it’s the fourth best on the team and his expected goals against for even when I say he’s not gonna be a suky winner it is the second best among all Red Wings forwards it’s 2.23 per 60 which is a great number
Right so it’s it’s it’s that they’re kind of cherry-picking around that just go into Cory or or goals for which is you know pretty similar to plus minus and and I’m not saying that those stats don’t matter but I do think people are cherry-picking this mainly just based on the fact that they’re
Losing well they certainly are losing so they are losing I get it it’s not fun for anybody to watch watch the losses but I do yeah your your Pistons beat riter friends and talk about writing about a team that’s losing a little bit I geez I’ve done it too I’ve done it too
Yeah not not fun for anybody there um I mean I’m ready to talk like big picture like just postseason checkin like expectations or maybe maybe we shouldn’t say postseason just season expectations now I know like going into the season a lot of people we we had you on at one
Point kind of got like a gauge for where we were at and where you were at and I know Brian and I were kind of on like the oh you know if they’re one of the best teams in the league to miss the playoffs that’s like probably a good
Step in the right direction kind of a thing and then they got off to obviously the the well really good start then bad start then really good stretch now it’s bad again like with this roller coaster of a season kind of like where are you
Right now as we head into as Brian says American Christmas yeah nice call back Canadian Christmas was last week um that’s a that’s a deep cut Max that’s good um yeah no I I I think I it’s funny cuz I was kind of the I feel like the last one
To really say like okay I believe it’s they have a a real chance at the playoffs and they started losing now and and funny enough I I’m kind of not ready to move off of that I I you know if if the season ends today they’re not in a
Spot but like you can look at the teams that are ahead of them right now and yeah I guess you could say like especially like the Islanders they have uh something the Red Wings don’t which is a great goalie like ilas sokin um to to kind of fall back on but I’m honestly
Not sure that that the capitals are a better team than them I’m not sure that the Hurricanes at this point are even a better team than them I don’t really think the Flyers are a better team than them I think they’re they’re getting the John torella bump and playing really
Good hockey under a really great coach but I I I do believe that over time the Red Wings are the more talented team and and can pass these guys for these Wild Card spots I don’t think they’re going to get an Atlantic you know top three in
The Atlantic playoff spot but I still think they can make the playoffs as a wild card and um I’m gonna need to see them slump with Dylan Lin and with JT Comer before I’m ready to say um that that I think that they’re they’re putting themselves in a in too bad of a
Spot they they sacrificed the entire cushion there’s no doubt about that they had built up this um buffer and lens’s injury and Comer’s injury and pan suspension wiped it out but I still think they can make this I I think they’re a deep team they’re a talented
Team and I think uh you know I I was in a much more uh negative outlook on this team coming out of Stockholm than I am right now and when they came out of Stockholm they won six out of seven now they’ve lost six out of seven but I I
Don’t think it’s curtains yet well and that’s exactly it with this Red Wings team is they if the one thing that they’re consistent at is being inconsistent uh they’re going to go on stretches where they win five games and they’re going to go on a stretch where
They lose three win one lose three more and then they’ll I’m sure in a week or two they’ll have won four games in a row and we’ll just be like back in it this is just how this team operates right now and hopefully they can figure out out
Underneath Derek alone but I want to ask too I mean this was an offseason Max where the Red Wings acquired like what 12 new players through trades or free agency maybe more now that Patrick Kane’s been acquired out of all those guys 30 games into the season you know who is the
Biggest player to stand out to you positively and negatively uh positive it’s it’s close between confer and Gosa spare uh I didn’t know what to make of gosip bear I I don’t typically honestly love that player type the small offensive defenseman but but he’s really been outstanding and I have to recognize that
He’s made a huge positive impact on this team um but I’m going to go with Comer just because I think their dire need at the 2C spot for so long has been so glaring and so limiting and he has really writed a lot of that um and I
Think he’s the biggest reason that you’re able to make the dynamic work where you’re gonna have kind of three you know and Raymond I think has really rounded out his game but but even you know with the brink Kane Raymond like none of those are real like power guys
Although Raymond’s won a lot of battles this year and maybe he’s trending toward becoming that um really impressive but but having Comer there and allows you to to work with all those small smart skilled offensive Wingers and and make it all work and so I would go with Comer
What about uh in the negative Direction who’s the one who has been uh standing out to you the most as underperforming all right so let me just run through this list in my head here so so the the full list of signings there was I mean
The Brink’s been good too um but I still would go for over him I don’t think Justin Hall has been bad I just think you know even like the other night you saw rad kudas and how much more did radal gutus get than Justin Hall I think
I wanted Gus too I thought that was the move as well um I haven’t been enamored with clim c’s game yet either I mean it maybe not the right timing to talk about it he just went to IR it didn’t look like a pleasant injury I I just haven’t
You know he’s brought a little physicality but I think the way that he was discussed you wanted to see a little more to his game so I haven’t been blown away there I think sprong has been good Rhymer just okay but obviously right now if they didn’t have him they’d
Be in a really bad place so probably can’t say that I guess maybe c yeah interesting I actually quite like C’s game personally um I like the heaviness in his game I just haven’t felt like he’s really made an impact with it you know that’s correct yeah I’ve honestly
An underrated one I’ve been really liking Christian Fischer I really like Christian Fisher dog I love him man um it’s fun he only gets like eight minutes of even strength time but he’s always positive and expected goals four and Cory like he’s every single time he’s
Out there I one point yeah with sprong on that Wing too like the Red Wings have like one of the better fourth lines in the NHL it’s crazy um Scotty got anything else buddy um I don’t think so better defenseman Brian fiser or Ben shirat last
Season I still gotta go of shirat I did I ever tell you this the a Kaiser uh drop in story no no I don’t think so my first year on the beat I was um I went to this drop in skate with a guy I knew
It was my first time skating in like five years and um the guy told me come here and play and I was like okay great and so I I walk into the room and the first people I see are Justin ablator and Danny De Kaiser I like I should not
Be here so I I go to the other locker room and I get ready and and I got on the ice and u i it’s very embarrassing the only I was on the white team the only Jersey I had same one I wore on Sunday Brian is like a USA Jersey so I’m
Wearing this USA Jersey against two guys who I believe have both worn this actual Team USA Jersey in in real competition uh and I’m I’m go out there and obviously like these guys are going like 30% and they’re just by far the best guys on the ice I I had I at one
Point I had a two-on-one rush uh with someone against a Kaiser and I try to like saucer a Passover and he just swats it out of the air go away uh that was a real good indication to me that like the NHL player that you’re the most frustrated with at any given moment
Would cook you six ways to Sunday period yeah and sometimes I I say that to myself on the air as like a a reality check and I’m like whenever I’m like I feel like I’m bagging too hard on any individual player I’m like this player is still like 20 times better
Than I am they’re all Elite and and that’s the craziest thing about it is it’s just like to be even like a bottom five percentile player in the NHL you are so Elite at your job which is just it’s the hardest thing to reconcile because it seems like ah I know there
Must be better than this but it’s just that’s that’s what the bar is man it’s crazy um I do have one more question and I did intend to send us off here but you mentioned a name earlier in the podcast that I can’t let you walk away without
Talking about and that’s Simon Edinson yeah um you know going into the season seeing all the Acquisitions the redings were making you know I know they didn’t really know what how healthy he was going to be coming out of training camp it turned out he was 100% healthy and
He’s been tearing it up in Grand Rapids eisman’s gone on the record and basically said like if a player’s ready for the NHL they’ll play um and there was a big belief that players wouldn’t get blocked but it starting to feel like Edinson might be blocked from the NHL
Roster there’s just no question I mean like they can say what they want I think that they’re nervous to lose someone on waivers and and I think right now with the goalies maybe you see why but it’s not not just you it’s not just me I’ve talked to other people around the sport
Who are stunned that like like what when are they going to call him up he looks when I’ve watched him on even on you know just on video like you see these flashes of dominance and then it just looks too easy for him and they can say
What they want I don’t I think you’re right Scotty in or Brian sorry uh in in saying that that uh they probably didn’t plan for him to be healthy and they probably didn’t plan for their blue line to be this healthy that’s the only thing I could think of
Because he is ready everyone sees it and I don’t know what more it’s going to take honestly my concern at this point watching it is like he’s been so good for so long how do you keep that level and not get the promotion and maintain
That I I know there’s like some must be some intrinsic motivational thing but it’s like you’re a baseball guy Scotty like they always talk about they want to call these guys up when they’re on a hot streak you want to call the guy up when
He’s on a 12 game streak where he has like two hits per game for two weeks and you’re like okay get him up now as confidence as high let’s go you don’t want to let that run its course and then have to be like well we didn’t call him
Up then now he’s like on a on a cold streak can we call him up now right like I get they got roster issues and that’s the only thing I could think of but s inflicted right like totally when they traded for Jeff Petri and again Jeff
Petri is having a a pretty nice season of late you know in the last 10 15 games he’s he and uh shirat have really figured it out it seems but when they traded for Petri I’m like why like you already had six defenseman and now you’re just now you’re scratching Justin
Hull who you signed to a threee $3 million contract yeah and and and you just extended o Li Ma and I agree I mean it’s almost you know I I think Justin Hall is a good player that’s why I didn’t say him for for the guy who’s
Been the worst it’s just he’s he does qualify as one of the most like really like you you went out and did that and then you went and got Petri and maybe Petri wasn’t have been available I I guess be before the the trade that the Carlson trade and plus he was super
Cheap yeah right I don’t know because of that because there was the retained salary right it he’s blocked I don’t I don’t have any other answer to put it Brian like you’re you’re just dead right they said that they weren’t going to do this and they’re doing it and there’s
Just no other way to view it cool awesome way to end the episode uh I shouldn’t asked the question now I’m sad uh Scotty it won’t be forever I mean it’s the thing is that nobody wants to like watch a game and say I hope someone gets injured so Simon Edinson could come
Up that’s not how anyone’s gonna look at this but it is an inevitability someone’s going to get Hur he’s gonna get his chance and I think he’s gonna run with it whenever it yeah I think that that’s something we’re seeing with the goalie situation and with the the
Forwards too right I mean that’s you know like totally zarck and obviously Burger’s going back and forth and whatnot like I think I don’t know if you would have asked me if if you know the the blue line would have if you would have set the over under for Blue Line
Injuries at 0.5 going into the Year by Christmas I would have taken the over so like it’s just weird that no one like I think it’s great good job guys like no one has gotten even missed a game with injury like it’s I don’t know like it I
Think that that’s they were probably planning on on utilizing the depth a little bit more than they’ve had to so far for sure as we speak speak the monkeyy Paw is curling so yeah exact now that we’ve said this they’re going to have two major
Three guys are going to go down and and you’re going to be have a very thin blue it’s going to be broen rafy up on the blue bring Brian fiser out there yeah let’s do it sign me to a two-way contract I’d love the he’s on a Lee
Prospects page I don’t know if people are aware of that I never bring it up I will be visiting that page as soon as I sign off you should it’s awesome yeah maybe screen who knows the stats are totally accurate anyways uh Max thank you so much
For taking the time to join us it was a a who and AA as the kids say as always I’m pretty sure the kids say that um we we will look forward to having you on later in the season maybe around trade deadline season it be pretty exciting uh
And I look forward to seeing you at my 11:15 hockey game tonight uh I’ll I’ll let you know I’m going to dinner right now we’ll see how I’m feeling as it gets to all right all right all right Scotty final thoughts we all baby we we’ll back with the new
Episode tomorrow same time same place it’s your team every day every day
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