CarterHud

Ilitch (middle) with Stanley Cup.

  Today we mourn the death of Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers owner Mike Ilitch. Ilitch was born on July 20th, 1929. In 1952, he became an infielder for the Jamestown Falcons, a Tigers affiliate. While playing for Single A Charlotte (an affiliate for the then Washington Senators), Ilitch injured his knee, ending his career. In 1959, he founded Little Caesars Pizza, making him a billionaire. In 1982, Ilitch acquired the Wings, and did the same with the Tigers 10 years later in 1992. The Wings currently have a 25 year streak of making the playoffs, lifting the Stanley Cup four times. The Tigers made the playoffs 5 times with Ilitch as owner, but no matter how hard he tried, Ilitch failed to bring a 5th World Series to the city of Detroit. \”I worked for Mr. I as both a player and as a manager. I can honestly say it was an honor to work for a man who made winning the priority,\” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. \”Baseball is a business, but Mr. I was a baseball player who became a businessman. He loved baseball, and my memories will always be centered around the passion with which he talked about.\” Many Red Wings and Tigers players tweeted out their condolences to the Ilitch family. The Red Wings are going to play in a new arena next season – Little Caesars arena. Ilitch was 87 years old.

  The Washington Capitals have been rolling this season. They are first in the NHL with 82 points. They have a 11 game home winning streak, and have scored 5 or more goals in the last 10 of those 11 games. But in their 6-3 win against Detroit, LW Andre Burakovsky was hit in the hand from a slap shot by Wings defenseman Brendan Smith, and left the game and never came back. Coach Barry Trotz confirmed that Burakovsky will be out until late March, or 4-6 weeks. \”It\’s part of the game,\” Trotz said. \”It\’s part of the process. You can\’t control that. People get hurt in this game. We\’ve been very fortunate not to have a lot of injuries. It will be a good test.\” Burakovsky, who turned 22 Thursday (the day of the injury), has 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points in 52 games this season. He is a +15 this year also. After being a healthy scratch for 3 games in December, Burakovsky has 19 points in 25 games.
    The Wings also had an injury in the game. Defenseman Jonathan Ericsson will miss an approximant 6-8 weeks after center Niklas Backstrom hit him.
     Rookie Zach Sanford will get the chance to play Saturday vs Anaheim. He has 1 assist in 20 NHL games this season and 14 points (9 goals, 5 assists) in 24 games with Hershey (AHL). Trotz also said it\’s possible that the Caps will recall rookie Jakub Vrana from Hershey. Vrana has 1 goal and 2 assists (3 points) in 13 NHL games earlier this season.
         

The Detroit Red Wings\’ streak of 25 consecutive playoff appearances looks to be coming to an end. With 54 points, the Wings are in a 3 way tie for last in the Eastern Conference (and in the Atlantic division) with the Buffalo Sabres and the Tampa Bay Lightning. D Jonathan Ericsson will also miss the next 6-8 weeks with a fractured wrist, head coach Jeff Blashill said. \”I don\’t have a total timetable, but I know it\’s a fractured wrist so to me that would put him in that frame,\” Blashill also said. Ericsson was injured in the Red Wings\’ 6-3 loss to the Washington Capitals on Thursday on a boarding hit from Center Niklas Backstrom. Ericsson has 1 goal and 8 assists for 9 points and is a -2 this season. The goon also has 63 PIM in that span.
    Good news for the Wings did occur Friday, though. Goalie Jimmy Howard was rehabbing for Grand Rapids (AHL) on Wednesday, when he tweaked his sprained right knee (which was the original injury). Luckily for the Wings, he is listed as just day to day currently. \”I don\’t think it\’s anything serious. It\’s still day to day right now. We\’ll see where it\’s at,\” said Blashill after Howard was re-evaluated Thursday. He hasn\’t played for the Wings since December 20th, vs Tampa Bay, where he injured the knee.  

   Every year on NHL trade deadline day, we see many, many trades league wide. You might see guys who you expected to be dealt change sweaters, but also players who you didn\’t expect to be swapped traded. These players are guys who scouts track a lot, and if they like that specific player, they\’ll give the club who they work for feedback. Here are some sneaky trade targets for the next couple of weeks.
  
    1. Devante Smith Pelly. The 24 year old winger was traded both in 2015 AND 2016 deadlines, going from the Ducks to the Canadiens, and now with the Devils. The Devils are in that wild chase for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with 56 points, but if the club drops off, GM Ray Shero should consider trading DSP, who is owed $1.3 mil at the end of this year and next year.
    2. Patrik Berglund. The Blues seem to be sellers, and if they are, Berglund should be dealt. A Berglund trade is overshadowed by the rumors of all star defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk leaving town. Berglund is owed about $3.7 million this season, and can fit nicely into a contender\’s lineup, like the Columbus Blue Jackets.
     3. P.A. Parenteau. Like Smith Pelly, the only reason this trade would be a thing is if the Devils drop off. Parenteau signed with the New York Islanders on July 2nd, a 1 year deal worth $1.25 million. Shockingly, the Isles placed him on waivers, where New Jersey claimed him. Since then, he\’s had a good season. Like Berglund, a contender can trade for him.
     4. Ron Hainsey. The Carolina Hurricanes are last in the Metro division, but are still in the playoff race. If they drop off even more, they can deal the 35 year old. When Hainsey signed a 3 year deal with Carolina in 2014-15, the deal included a modified NMC, which had Hainsey submit a list of 15 teams he could be traded to. If you think the Hurricanes couldn\’t pull a deal off, they did ship off 36 year old John Michael Liles to Boston last deadline.
      5. Jordan Martinook/Michael Stone. This one includes 2 Coyotes, because I think they could be packaged in the same deal. Martinook will be a RFA on July 1st, and could be solid depth for another team. This deal can work out like the Shane Prince deal worked out for the Islanders last season. Stone can be a solid top 4 defenseman for any team, and a solid rental player, as he is a UFA this July. He can be moved to the 3rd d-pairing if his team is good enough.
       6. Tyler Johnson. The Bolts are suffering a disappointing season, and Ben Bishop, their no. 1 goalie for many years, will probably be gone soon. Johnson is a UFA this July, and could win a different team a Cup. The Bolts can get some solid prospects in return. Johnson can fit well in Nashville.
    
       March 1st is only about 3 weeks away, so if these players are traded, it will be soon. (I\’ll probably write about the trade, if there is one).

   The Arizona Coyotes have apparently toured new arenas in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington, according to the Glendale Star. The Coyotes have faced criticism for being an ice hockey team in the desert ever since the Winnipeg Jets relocated there in 1996. In 2015, the Glendale City Council voted to end their lease agreement with the Coyotes at Gila River Arena, their home since 2003. Arizona State University tried to move the team to Tempe, stirring up more relocation rumors. \”Recent reports by the Glendale Star that the Coyotes ownership group has explored arena options outside the Arizona market are completely false,\” team president and CEO Anthony LeBlanc stated Wednesday. \”The Star referenced an anonymous arena source and an anonymous Coyotes source, and these are a fabrication. The Coyotes are focused on creating one of the most taxpayer-friendly facilities in the country here in the Valley. This new arena will pay for itself, create jobs and generate millions of dollars of revenue for the state, county and municipality where it\’s built. We are fully committed to Arizona.\” The Coyotes are second to last in both the Western Conference and the National Hockey League (they are dead last in the Pacific division) with 40 points (and a record of 17-28-6).