Vrana’s press conference was a worthwhile view. Apart from the awkward obvious questions (i.e. - are you happy to have a contract, etc) the key phrase to this rebuild surfaced. Opportunity. Vrana wasn’t going to get the minutes in Washington that are available in Detroit. The exciting part of this process is watching someone step up and grab hold of a job. Vrana has certainly done that.
Interesting blip on Red Wings TV with Jackson (or Spring Arbor) native Carter Mazur. I can hear the chagrin from a few as they talk about the fact that Mazur was coached by Draper (and a linemate of fellow draftee Kienan Draper). He’s also very good friends with 2nd round defensive prospect Shai Buium and the two will be college teammates in Denver. (Shai FaceTimed Mazur after he was selected).
It’s at least an interesting last thought on the draft which already seems miles away. Every player selected will be somewhere other than the NHL or AHL (which you sort of expect outside of the top 2 or 3 in most drafts). Shai had a lot of praise after the draft, and may end up being one of those picks that breaks through. It’s hard to see what the future holds for Mazur. Before each draft, I reiterate that IF a prospect makes it through the system, it could be 3 to 5 years before we see them in Grand Rapids or Detroit. We were pleasantly surprised by Hronek, and it looks like Seider is more of a “fast track” prospect as well. The fact that Raymond is being brought over to Grand Rapids is also encouraging.
As we move closer to September, it may well be the last time some of the draft picks are really part of the conversation moving forward. I opted to post this because, in truth, I have three or four other posts that I just can’t bring myself to publish. There are topics and players in the league that are so sensitive, it’s not always worth the firestorm.
Last year (and the year before) I had some harsh criticism of the league and the media coverage for a player who was skating by after leaving a trail of carnage which included physical abuse of multiple women. I find myself disgusted to see that the one thing that finally got the league to investigate is gambling. It’s heightened my level of disgust to watch clubs cover for players who assault ,sexually assault, and destroy people and property. It happens again and again. Every now and again, a player or person will be set up as the sacrificial lamb to appease the public, but far more goes on. Especially if the player involved is seen as a “star” or close to it.
Even now I’ve had to delete 4 examples because it’s just not worth the backlash. The hope I “cling” to in all of this is that Yzerman truly seems committed to culture. It’s such an overused word, and an exhausted metaphor. Every other year it seems that a leadership award goes to someone who almost landed in jail the year before. Most of us have come to accept that athletes, while they’re in their prime, are almost immune from consequences. Things have to go pretty far south (or a player not be considered important) for someone to actually have to own up to things that would see most of us wearing orange or at the very least losing everything.
It is still a hope (probably an ignorant one) that someone cares enough about creating something “good”. That they can turn away top talent if the price tag is destroying the organization from the inside. It’s that hope that keeps me pushing, day after day, to try and find something worth writing about. Even if it’s “fluff”, it can serve a purpose. If the day comes when those positives just can’t be found, I suppose I will have hit the wall. For now, there are good things in front of us, and good things on the horizon. My hope is that through effort, preservation of principles, and the ability to walk away from the toxic we can enjoy the game. Too many things have fallen by the wayside because it just wasn’t worth the effort to salvage what was left.
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