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Page 1: Detroit Red Wings Clips 5.5.16redwings.nhl.com/v2/ext/DRW_Clips_PDF/DRWClips050516.pdfDetroit Red Wings Clips! May 5, 2016 Detroit Red Wings PAGE 2 What the Frk? Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings Clips  May 5, 2016

Detroit Red Wings PAGE 2 What the Frk? Detroit Red Wings prospect is turning heads PAGE 4 Wojo: Time for Wings to take page from Pistons, make bold move PAGE 7 Ted Kulfan's top NHL free agents PAGE 9 Red Wings value experience in assistant coaching search, have spoken to

several candidates PAGE 11 Drew Miller hoping to return to Red Wings following injury-plagued season

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What the Frk? Detroit Red Wings prospect is turning heads Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 3:54 p.m. EDT May 4, 2016 As the Detroit Red Wings' top farm team continues its playoff run, one prospect, in particular, is under scrutiny. The Wings drafted Martin Frk in the second round in 2012. After a quiet pro debut -- understandable, considering Frk's linemates in juniors -- Frk erupted in 2015-16 with 27 goals and 44 points in 67 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins. He takes four playoff points into the Griffins' second-round series against the Lake Erie Monsters, which starts Thursday in Cleveland. Wings assistant general manager Ryan Martin called Frk one of the Griffins' most improved players. "Coming into his pro career, he wasn't used to the pro style, wasn't used to not playing with the puck," Martin told the Free Press today. Frk, a product of Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Halifax Mooseheads, spent his final junior season playing with Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin, who were drafted first overall and third overall in 2013. The line dominated nightly. Because Frk is a late birthday (October), he only had one year of juniors left after being drafted. That, along with losing his two luminous linemates, made for a harsh transition. Frk had three goals and 12 points his first year with the Griffins (2013-14). Martin credits the time Frk spent under coach Derek Lalonde with the Wings' ECHL farm team in Toledo as crucial to Frk's development. "The time there was very productive," Martin said. "He knew he had to improve parts of his game, and he did it." In turn, Frk blossomed in the AHL under Todd Nelson, who replaced Jeff Blashill as coach in Grand Rapids last summer. "Marty is a rink rat, wants to get better at his craft," Martin said. "He put in the time to get better. He really responded to Todd Nelson's style. He's very confident in his play." What does that mean for the Wings? That's the intrigue. While Frk has a year left on his entry-level contract, he no longer is waiver-exempt, so the Wings have to figure out whether Frk is part of their future come next season. He's a legitimate 6 feet and around 200 pounds, extremely well-conditioned (Martin said the Wings used to get reports of Frk "running around the streets of Toledo" to push his training) and has a booming right-handed shot. That last asset is one Frk has in common with Teemu Pulkkinen. They are similar in that they rely on their shot to produce offense. Neither are penalty-killing types, but Frk plays a heavier game. "Marty is driven enough that if there is a niche for him to stay, he'll listen to people and try to get better," Martin said. "His goal should be to come to camp and challenge for a spot."

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Frk is making a favorable impression on his potential future bench boss: Martin relayed that while Wings brass watched the clinching game in the Griffins' first round, Blashill called Frk one of the best players of the game. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 05.05.2016

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Wojo: Time for Wings to take page from Pistons, make bold move Bob Wojnowski, The Detroit News 1:07 a.m. EDT May 5, 2016 Detroit — For those who run a team, it has to be the most vexing question of all: When do you take a risk, and when do you stay the course? The Red Wings and Pistons will spend the next few months mulling it, and should reach different conclusions. The Wings have hit a wall, while the Pistons are still forming one. The Pistons have taken risks because they had to, while the Wings have played it safe because they could. It’s time to flip those mentalities, at least for now. Ken Holland faces a vitally important offseason, with a new arena coming and Pavel Datsyuk going (probably) and the roster in flux. For Stan Van Gundy, who guided the Pistons to their first playoff appearance in seven years with a young core, the primary offseason tasks are to transform Andre Drummond into at least a 50 percent free-throw shooter and find a backup point guard. Van Gundy already made his bold acquisitions of Reggie Jackson, Tobias Harris and Marcus Morris, and so far it’s been high-risk, high-reward. Holland hasn’t made an impactful trade in years, and there wasn’t overwhelming incentive to do so. There’s enormous incentive now to alter a team that’s old at the top, young at the bottom and lacking size and stars. The contrasting perspectives are weird, but understandable. The Pistons were swept in a competitive first-round series and fans were encouraged. The Wings lost a competitive five-game series and fans were dismayed. The strategy shifts should be fascinating. From Holland: “In my opinion, this is probably the first summer since Nicklas Lidstrom retired, and now Pavel, that I’ve got to look at trying to do more than adding to what we’ve got. Maybe we’ve got to shake up the pot a little bit.” From Van Gundy: “We’re not at the time of wholesale change anymore. We’re not making deals just to make deals. We like the guys we have, but we’ve got to add to it.” First-round exits The Wings generally have been very good — 25 straight playoffs, in case you hadn’t heard — but not good enough since 2008, with first-round exits four of the past five years. Holland sometimes gets defensive about what they’ve done, or haven’t done, and he’s accurate in one respect. It’s harder to shake things up when the playoffs always beckon and the owner wants to win now. It gets confusing too when the Wings lose heart-breaking seven-game series to the Blackhawks and Lightning. The playoffs are so tight, a goal here, no goals there, it can provide an illusion of progress. After barely making the playoffs and losing to Tampa Bay again, there’s no illusion. Holland has to do more and probably something big, even if it means dealing prospects — Anthony Mantha, Andreas Athanasiou — and young players.

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“I’m not into a rebuild,” Holland said. “We’re gonna try to win, try to make the team a little bit different, a little bigger, give more responsibilities to some of our younger players and explore free agency. But those (free agents) for the most part are support pieces, not guys that carry franchises. I’m gonna be more aggressive going to the draft this year and exploring trades.” The word “rebuild” is considered a profanity around Mike Ilitch’s teams. A rebuild suggests a tear-down, and the Wings aren’t in position to do that with Little Caesars Arena opening in 2017. But the makeup of the roster — small players, no imposing defensemen — has to change. It’s not a great free-agent market, and Holland hasn’t had much success there lately anyhow. Last year’s signings — Mike Green, Brad Richards — brought the Wings more of the same, experienced pieces but nothing resembling a centerpiece. Development of current players is a necessity, and Holland and Jeff Blashill have to decide if guys like Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar, Riley Sheahan and Justin Abdelkader can take the leap, or try someone else. It won’t be easy and it’s not Holland’s nature, but the Wings are overdue for a bold deal. It’s problematic, especially if he has to unload Datsyuk’s cap space, but it has to be an option. The Lightning’s Steven Stamkos and the Kings’ Milan Lucic could be free agents, and if you really want a blockbuster, find out what it would take to pry defenseman P.K. Subban from the Canadiens (a ton, I know). The Wings always have leaned on stars, but Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall are wearing down and need to lighten their workloads. Dylan Larkin and Petr Mrazek could be stars, but again, progression isn’t guaranteed. “Pavel and Z took the team over at around 28 and 27 — do we have any young players that can take the team over?” Holland said. “I’m not sure. I think we have lots of good players, good prospects. But those players that can put a franchise on their back and carry, they’re hard to find.” Free-agent moves In some ways, Holland sits where Pistons GM Joe Dumars once sat, at the end of long successful stretches, figuring out how to freshen up stale teams. You can’t do it too soon and you can’t do it too late, and you can’t do it halfway. The Pistons reached six straight Eastern Conference Finals under Dumars and it was remarkable. Then the pieces started fading, Dumars’ free-agent moves were disastrous, ownership changed and a new regime took over. Tom Gores’ biggest hire was Van Gundy, who aggressively tore apart the roster. Of course, with the Pistons on a six-year playoff drought, there wasn’t much debate about the rebuild strategy. The Wings don’t have the same no-debate luxury, although if they’re not careful, they will. All five Pistons starters are 26 or younger, and it sure looks like a core that can grow together. If Drummond improves even marginally on his free throws, and the Pistons add complementary pieces or another versatile forward — Al Horford of the Hawks? Ryan Anderson of the Pelicans? — they could be a top-four seed in the East.

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It’s easier to be bold when you’re bad, and when the Pistons started 5-23 in Van Gundy’s first season, any move looked good. Van Gundy and GM Jeff Bower made a series of shrewd ones, and now the moves must be more precise, including a long-term deal for Drummond and a stronger emphasis on defense. “Generally, we’re happy with the progress we made this year,” Van Gundy said. “Putting it in terms of the mission Tom (Gores) gave us from day one, which was to win as much as we can now without sacrificing the future, we were able to get younger and better at the same time.” The Pistons can play it a bit safer now, while still looking around. The Wings must do more than look, as they sit at the dangerous juncture between contentment and contention, risk and reward. Detroit News LOADED: 05.05.2016

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Ted Kulfan's top NHL free agents Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News 4:59 a.m. EDT May 5, 2016 Go through the gallery above (mobile users can go HERE) to see a breakdown of the top NHL free agents by Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News. Detroit -- When LeBron James hit NBA free agency in summer 2010, it set off one of the most frenzied and speculated-about periods in league history. The NHL might get a taste of that kind of hysteria this year. Steven Stamkos, who scored 36 goals for the Lightning this season, becomes an unrestricted free agency July 1. Stamkos, who is not playing in the postseason because of a blood clot, and the Lightning have apparently not come close to reaching an agreement. If he were to become a free agent, it would lead to a huge bidding war between his hometown Maple Leafs and the Sabres, Bruins, Canadiens, Canucks and Rangers, among others. Like the Red Wings, assuming they can create some cap space. That would become more possible if they can trade Pavel Datsyuk’s cap space if he leaves for Russia, as expected. Datsyuk has one year left on his contract worth $7.5 million. Stamkos, 26, is a rare free agent in the prime of his career. But Red Wings general manager Ken Holland is expected to look over what is otherwise an uninspiring free-agent class. “We’re going to explore free agency like we’ve done,” Holland said. “Those players that are out there on July 1, for the most part, are support players, secondary players, and they’re not players that carry franchises around.” POSSIBLE RED WINGS FREE-AGENT TARGETS C Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay C David Backes, St. Louis C Darren Helm, Detroit RW Alexander Radulov, Russia LW Milan Lucic, Los Angeles RW Troy Brouwer, St. Louis LW Andrew Ladd, Chicago D Keith Yandle, N.Y. Rangers D Kris Russell, Dallas

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D Dan Hamhuis, Vancouver Detroit News LOADED: 05.05.2016

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Red Wings value experience in assistant coaching search, have spoken to several candidates Ansar Khan | May 04, 2016 DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings expect to move fairly quickly in hiring an assistant coach, making a decision in the next couple of weeks, if not sooner, general manager Ken Holland said Wednesday. "(Coach) Jeff Blashill and I have gone over a bunch of names. We've interviewed a couple of people," Holland said. "Jeff Blashill also has talked to a number of other people. Does it lead to an interview process? That's to be determined." The Red Wings are replacing Tony Granato, who after two seasons with the organization took the head coaching job at Wisconsin, his alma mater. Holland said they will hire an assistant with extensive NHL experience. "We lost a guy with a lot of experience in Tony Granato," Holland said. "We want to replace him with someone with a lot of experience." Granato was responsible for the defense and the penalty killing. Blashill indicated after the season they'll keep their options open regarding shuffling duties on the staff. Pat Ferschweiler ran the power play, which struggled for much of the season and in the playoffs. Holland said there are no internal candidates. Chris Chelios, a part-time assistant coach, said late in the season that he is not interested in a full-time position due to family commitments. Some of the candidates the Red Wings are considering are in the mix for a head coaching job. Anaheim, Calgary, Minnesota and Ottawa have vacancies. Holland declined to reveal any candidates. Here are some possibilities: Marc Crawford: The veteran coach wants to return to the NHL following four years as head coach of Zurich in the Swiss League, winning the championship in 2014. He reportedly has interviewed for the Senators head coaching job. He won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 and has a career record of 549-421-100-77 (W-L-T-OTL) in 15 seasons with the Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings and Dallas Stars. He has stated he is willing to serve as an assistant if he doesn't get a head coaching job. Todd Richards: He is the winningest coach in Columbus Blue Jackets history, going 127-112-21 over parts of four seasons before being replaced by John Tortorella on Oct. 21 following an 0-7 start to the 2015-16 season. He is the only Blue Jackets coach to win a playoff game. He also coached the Wild for two seasons and has a career record of 204-176-37. Guy Boucher: He coached SC Bern of the Swiss League for two-plus seasons before being fired on Nov. 18 when indicated his desire to return to the NHL. He was Steve

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Yzerman's first head coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning, going 97-78-20 in two-plus seasons, including a run to the Eastern Conference finals his first year, losing to Boston in seven games. He also reportedly interviewed for the head coaching job in Ottawa. Mike Yeo: He posted a record of 173-132-44 in four-plus seasons as head coach of the Wild, before being fired on Feb. 13, following a 1-11-2 stretch. His team made the playoffs three times, losing each time to the Chicago Blackhawks, twice in the second round. He was an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins the previous four seasons, including the two years they faced the Red Wings in the Cup finals (2008 and 2009). Yeo also reportedly interviewed for the Ottawa job. Doug Houda: He spent the past 10 seasons as an assistant coach for the Boston Bruins. He was fired on April 14. A second-round pick by the Red Wings in 1984, this journeyman defenseman played in 172 games over parts of six seasons in Detroit. Paul MacLean: He spent six seasons as an assistant under Mike Babcock in Detroit before getting hired as the head coach in Ottawa, where he went 114-90-35 in three-plus seasons and won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's top coach in 2013. He's been linked to the Minnesota and Calgary jobs. He spent this past season as an assistant in Anaheim, under Bruce Boudreau, who was fired after the first-round playoff loss to Nashville. Trent Yawney: He's coached for eight years in the NHL -- parts of two seasons as the head coach in Chicago and stints as an assistant with the Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks and Ducks, where he spent the past two seasons. John Torchetti: The interim head coach in Minneaota after Yeo was fired, he's still being considered for the permanent job. The Wild went 15-11-1 under Torchetti to reach the playoffs, where they lost to Dallas. Torchetti has extensive coaching experience in various leagues, including NHL stints in Tampa Bay, Florida, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Chicago. Michigan Live LOADED: 05.05.2016

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Drew Miller hoping to return to Red Wings following injury-plagued season Ansar Khan | May 04, 2016 DETROIT – Drew Miller expects his surgically repaired knee to be better than ever by training camp and hopes to return to the Detroit Red Wings. The club must decide whether to offer the fourth-line forward a contract. Miller, 32, can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Miller has been one of the team's top penalty-killing forwards and shot-blockers since being acquired on waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2009. He earned $1.35 million this past season. "Right now, for me it's just getting myself healthy and giving myself an opportunity to get another contract," Miller said last week, on locker cleanout day. Miller's season ended on Jan. 10, when he injured his knee in Anaheim. He had major reconstructive surgery on his ACL and meniscus repair. He began skating late in the season but hadn't been cleared to practice. "I think it was right around the first of June, that was the goal to be back skating with the team in the Stanley Cup Finals," Miller said. "Now this goes into the summer, I'll continue to rehab it, so far so good. Everything is on the right path. The knee is feeling a lot better every time." Miller said the ligament has been partially torn for 10 years. He's worn some sort of brace for the knee his whole career. He said he didn't get it taken care of sooner because he never had a problem. "I was able to skate and play, and I was fine," Miller said. "It was just something you deal with. It never hindered me. When I tore my meniscus they went in and fixed both. Now it already feels better than it has." Miller was injured in just his second game back after missing 14 games due to a broken jaw suffered on Dec. 3 on a check from Klas Dahlbeck of the Arizona Coyotes. Miller, who until then owned the longest current games played streak on the team at 190, appeared in just 28 games, picking up a goal and an assist. "One of those years you want to forget it a little bit," Miller said. "The good thing is my knee is going to come back stronger. Definitely motivated." Michigan Live LOADED: 05.05.2016