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Ansar Khan of Mlive released the dates for training camp (sept. 19-22) and also released an odd footnote. There will not be a prospect’s tournament this year. Instead there will be a 2 game series with Dallas for the prospects on 9/14 and 9/15.
To be clear, the first response was one of disappointment. I like the tournament, and like seeing prospects go up against different systems and teams. The altered format seems like one that boils down to (potentially) finances. It’s not cheap for teams to pack up all their prospects and go to Traverse City. There may be logistical issues as well. This may be a precautionary “trimming” after the WHO defined Mpox as a potential global crisis yesterday. It could also be as simple as clubs wanting to stay in their own area and be showcased for fans. Traverse City reaped the benefit of the tournament for years and there may have been some front offices that wanted more in market publicity.
Regardless, if you’ve ever watched the main camp or gone to Traverse City to experience it, the two separate rinks will have a lot going on in terms of drills and clinics leading up to the “Red and White game” on the 22nd. It’s a shorter window (opinion) for Detroit’s rookies to showcase themselves this year and see if any prospect is going to push a vet out of position. It feels unlikely but you never know. At this point we know Sandin-Pellikka is heading back to Sweden and will be teammates with this year’s first round pick with Nygard.
However, Danielson has now been ranked higher by the NHL than Kasper. This was a point we’ve discussed after Danielson saw a pickup in his game after a trade in jr that led to some post season games in Grand Rapids. He looks like he wants to force his way into the conversation and that is nothing but good news. Whether it goes that way or not, he’ll likely occupy a top spot on the “call up list” from Grand Rapids.
Finally, a bit of news hit that adds to the number of NHL teams gathering new ownership. Tampa Bay, after a summer that saw Stamkos head out of town (was personally a bit shocked) the team is closing in on a sale. Add them to the list that includes Arizona, Ottawa and Pittsburgh in the past few years. It’s certainly not unheard of, but this feels like a lot of transactions over a short period. Two teams that were back to back cup winners and two teams that were struggling a bit. Pittsburgh is on the razor’s edge of the wind down, and Tampa Bay altered the lineup looking for another shot at the cup. Ottawa and Arizona were both teams that had a degree of mismanagement and needed fresh energy in the offices.
This mimics rumors and sales of NBA teams. Mark Cuban sold his majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks and it is rumored that the Celtics are being shopped after a championship. For the NHL rumors of teams being created in New Mexico, Texas and Atlanta have been tied to being for new franchises, but part of me wonders if another team may be moved to a different market.
There are some weak rumors of at least one team quietly shopping but it’s lacking in enough substance to even mention. Not worth making a fan base angry at this point. The league recorded revenues high enough to refund escrow this past year, but did the prior years of debt and the changing landscape of sports consumption take their toll? It’s nearly impossible to say until we see the debt revealed by discovery which only comes during the process itself. Ottawa was revealed to have about 500m in debt while Arizona’s was rumored to be more than a billion.
Who cares, right? It’s sports and teams change hands. It’s at least worth looking at and keeping an eye on. The good news for Wings fans is in the sale of season tickets for the upcoming season. It seems like the fan base is becoming more invested again. This newest team sale in TB could just be a blip on the radar. For now, we’re less than a month away from seeing the Red Wings prospects face off against the Dallas prospects. That is exciting news.
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
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