The pressure is building in Philadelphia, and the Flyers are already hearing about it after a rough start. Darren Dreger said on TSN that four straight losses, leaving the club at 0-2-2, have started to heat things up around Rick Tocchet and his staff.
Tocchet has already acknowledged the weight of the results, and Dreger said the coach has made it clear he knows the scrutiny comes with the job. As Dreger put it:
“But again, you’ve got a white-hot head coach in Rick Tochett who is going to do everything he can to continue to push the buttons. Couple of games back-to-back where we heard the coach talk about, ‘Hey, this is on the coach too. I’ve got to find a way to figure this out.’
But he elevated the temperature. So I think that you’re going to see accountability dispensed here in Philadelphia and most definitely the demand for attention to detail because we have not seen that from the Flyers early on.”
In Detroit, the picture is just as unsettled, and maybe even more complicated. Dreger said there have been no fresh developments on restricted free agent defenseman Simon Edvinsson, even though the Red Wings want to keep him and view him as a possible foundational piece.
The wrinkle is Dylan Larkin. His situation remains fluid and has stretched into the early part of the season, which has the organization weighing its options. Dreger said Kris Draper has shifted into the pro scouting department, and that role could matter if the Wings find themselves looking at major moves.
“He’s the director of pro scouting. And what that means is Draper will now be essentially going through all the ranks of professional hockey, targeting pieces that maybe interim general manager Sean Horcoff feels that they can work with in a trade scenario that pops up for either Dylan Larkin or, if they get to a place where they’re willing to cut bait on Edvinsson and revamp the organization with two massive trades, Larkin and Edvinsson. Well, Kris Draper is going to have to put eyes on the pieces of that puzzle.”
For now, Detroit is still talking with Edvinsson’s agent, J.P. Barry, but Dreger said there has been no movement. The Red Wings are also listening to other teams and comparing outside offers to what it would take to sign Edvinsson themselves.
In Other News...
Red Wings Have Two Very Different Roster Battles Unfolding
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard is already drawing a different kind of attention in camp than he did as a rookie, and it is the sort of early sign Detroit likes to see from a young forward trying to carve out a lasting role. Todd McLellan has pointed to a player who looks more confident, more assertive and more willing to engage physically, with his positioning also showing up better as he works through his second NHL season.
Carter Mazur, meanwhile, is fighting a much more immediate battle just to keep himself in the mix. The winger has been trying to prove he belongs after uncertainty around his roster status, and his first NHL point in the win over the Ottawa Senators was a useful reminder that he can contribute when given the chance. For a team sorting through lineup decisions, the two forwards are presenting very different cases at very different stages. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Fans Got A Response That Only Deepened The Frustration
The first few nights of the season have already left the Red Wings with a restless fan base, and Chris Ilitch tried to meet that mood head-on with a letter posted on LinkedIn. After a 1-2 start, the noise around the team has gone well beyond the standings, with chants to sell the team and boos directed at captain Dylan Larkin reflecting how quickly frustration has seeped into the building.
But the response only widened the gap between the organization and its supporters, because the letter did not address the biggest questions hanging over the hockey side of the operation. While the team also leans on promotions in an effort to steady attendance, the situation around top defenseman Simon Edvinsson adds another layer of unease, with the young blueliner training in Sweden and reportedly seeking a move elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Rasmussen Is Suddenly Carrying A Bigger Red Wings Burden
Michael Rasmussen has quickly moved from a useful depth piece into a much bigger part of the Red Wings early-season picture. The second-longest tenured player on the roster is getting more responsibility because of both his strong puck-possession numbers and the teams need to lean on him in the grindier parts of the game, especially physical play and penalty killing. Todd McLellan has made it clear that those are the kinds of jobs Rasmussen has to help anchor if Detroit is going to steady itself.
The odd part is that the increased burden has come without the payoff on the scoresheet just yet. Rasmussen has not scored this season, but his 5v5 expected goals percentage has been encouraging in a small sample, which gives the staff reason to keep trusting him in a larger role. For a player whose value has always been tied as much to the hard, unsung work as to the numbers, this stretch feels like an early test of how much more he can handle. [Read more 🡒]