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Zadina and Kotkaniemi, taking a couple days off |
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Keith Petruzzelli signed with the Marlies. that’s the reality of drafting 7 or so players each year. Most of them are likely not going to be part of the organization. It’s a rarer case that you want to bring one in and they decide to move on. While there is still some speculation, it seems like KP wanted to go his own way. The NHL is a big dream and it is incredibly hard to make it. Yzerman has done well to bring 2 new exciting goalies into the system this summer.
Here’s a quick look at the 2018 draft. I’ve done a lot of “revisiting” this summer. The offer sheet to Kotkaniemi made me want to do a quick comparison on his development vs Zadina. The third overall pick hit the ice as an 18 year old, and his first season held a lot of promise. He’s since faced some demotions and was a healthy scratch in the finals. After the Hurricanes made their offer of 6.1 million, several GMs were surveyed. A “consensus” value for KK was around 2 million on a 1 year deal. The center is listed as having played 171 NHL games and scoring 22 goals and 40 assists. Zadina, in 86 games played, has 15 goals and 22 assists.
As much as writers (and some fans) have quit on Zadina, comparing those two sets of numbers was an eye opener. Zadina has played in 85 fewer games and is only 7 goals behind. I’ve said before that I think this is an important year for Zadina. Hopefully, with some line stability and a team focus on scoring, he’ll pick up the pace. As far as it looks for Kotkaniemi, if I’m Montreal I’d let him go. Get over the fact that you picked him 3rd and use assets to get another center.
With the news cycle being at a “crawl” while we wait for training camp (apart from the offer sheet excitement) I’ve decided to take a couple of days off. It’s a good opportunity for me to reset and get ready for the preseason. There’s been a lot of storms out my way, and my head injury issues have been through the roof. I’ve been going through Frolunda HC (formerly Indians) articles with the translator programs and that didn’t help. (Quick tip. If you’re shopping their online swag, unisex translates as “Mr. Lady”. So the unisex bbq apron is the “mr. lady” apron. Not actually a reference to a Michael Keaton movie).
Hoping you are all enjoying the last of the summer. I’m looking forward to another step forward for the rebuild. If something big breaks, I’ll probably chime in. Other than that it’s time to rest and reset. See you in a few days!
Check out my previous posts:
Montreal got offer sheeted.
Would you experiment with the top line?
Filip Zadina is my breakout candidate this season.
Hakan Andersson pounded the table for Liam Dower Nilsson
Thoughts on preseason games
Prospect to watch - Alex Cotton
recapping the 2020 draft
Fedorov jersey retirement puck seen online
Svechnikov signs AHL deal, PTO with Jets
Nielsen is being bought out
Seider vs Nedeljkovic for Wings rookie of the year?
The 2019 draft
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
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