The Hockey Writers Daily - July 29, 2023
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In today’s edition we have an analysis of the Red Wings’ prospect pool, motivation for the Maple Leafs’ Morgan Rielly, the Rangers’ successes with fourth-round draft picks, the Flames and their expiring contracts, and much more.
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Red Wings Top 25 Prospects: Post-2023 Draft
The Detroit Red Wings’ prospect pool has evolved quite a bit since Steve Yzerman and Kris Draper began calling the shots in their roles as general manager and director of amateur scouting, respectively. Their pool has been considered one of the deepest since the turn of the decade, and that remained true as they approached the 2023 NHL Draft. They entered the festivities in Nashville with 10 picks, but left Bridgestone Arena with 11 new prospects after they made a maneuver to add an extra fifth round pick.
That influx of talent has created a level of nuance in their prospect pool that simply wasn’t there before. There are multiple players throughout their pool that could fill similar roles at the NHL level. If one prospect doesn’t work out, there’s another one waiting to prove that they will. It creates internal competition that Detroit should feel the effects of over the next five years and more as their pool begins to yield NHLers year after year.
Maple Leafs’ Rielly Should Be Fuelled by Klingberg Signing
When the Toronto Maple Leafs signed defenseman John Klingberg, there were questions in regards to bringing in another puck-moving defenseman when the team already had Morgan Rielly.
Klingberg has seen a gradual decline in production after a 67-point season in 2017-18 with the Dallas Stars. While the offense has dwindled, he does provide some upside, especially on the power play. Klingberg finally gives them a defender who can consistently shoot with power from the blueline. But what does that mean for the longest serving member of the Maple Leafs in Rielly?
Bruins News & Rumors: Swayman, DeBrusk, Lindholm & More
In this latest edition of Boston Bruins News & Rumors, the Bruins and Jeremy Swayman have set their arbitration filing numbers, and they are quite far apart. In other news, the Bruins may need to part ways with Jake DeBrusk if they want to acquire Calgary Flames star center Elias Lindholm. Let’s discuss this and more in this latest Bruins News & Rumors column.
Rangers Have Reaped Major Successes From 4th Round of Draft
Brody Lamb, Kalle Vaisanen, Talyn Boyko and Noah Laba might not know it, but they’ve got a tradition to uphold.
The foursome represents the New York Rangers’ “haul” of fourth-round draft picks taken since 2021. Based on team history, it would hardly be surprising if a future NHL star or two emerges from that group of players, none of whom were drafted any higher than 104th overall.
That’s because the Blueshirts, for all of their follies when it comes to higher-round selections, have been able to minimize their myriad of misses in the first and second rounds over the years by curiously unearthing some impressive gems in the fourth.
Flames Can’t Enter 2023-24 With 8 Players on Expiring Deals
The Calgary Flames are in a very difficult spot as an organization. They currently have seven returning players (Mikael Backlund, Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, Nikita Zadorov, Oliver Kylington, and Dennis Gilbert) entering the final year of their respective contracts. They also have recent signee Jordan Oesterle on a one-year contract.
If he hasn’t yet, general manager (GM) Craig Conroy needs to quickly make a decision here in terms of what direction he wants to take the organization. He can either do what he did with Tyler Toffoli and choose to trade his pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) now in order to bring back younger players under contract, or he can look to work out extensions. What he can’t afford to do, however, is sit around and wait.
Canucks Top-15 Prospects Heading Into the 2023-24 Season
The 2023 NHL Draft is in the books and seven new prospects have been added to the Vancouver Canucks’ pipeline. That means seven new names to be considered for the top-15 prospects list. While the overall pool has ranked near the bottom of the NHL in recent seasons (my colleague Logan Horn had the Canucks’ farm system 30th in his mid-season rankings), there are several intriguing players in my top-15 that could potentially make it to the big leagues and surprise some people.
More stuff from THW and around the NHL:
NHL News & Rumors - Canadiens, Penguins, Blackhawks, Sharks, Senators
Winnipeg Jets - Top 10 Prospects for 2023-24
Edmonton Oilers - Revisiting the Foegele for Bear Trade After 2 Years
From TSN - Coyotes sign 2022 No. 3 pick Cooley to entry-level contract
From Sportsnet - Fantasy Hockey Mailbag: Who will replace Bergeron as Bruins' top centre?
From the NHL - Global Series rink parts arrive in Australia for Kings, Coyotes games
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