Quick hits: the opening week edition

Rumbling of red wings

Good Monday morning people! Red Wings hockey officially starts this week! We talked about it a bit yesterday, but the Wings made some major roster decisions this weekend, including defenseman Justin Holl on waivers and forward Marco Kasper to the Grand Rapids Griffins. One thing I didn’t mention after yesterday’s announcement was that Michael Brandsegg-Nygard was heading back to Sweden to play with Axel Sandin-Pellikka at Skellefteå AIK in the SHL. Thought he had a real chance to stay in North America and play for the Griffins… But he will definitely get plenty of playing time in Europe.

The squad now consists of 28 players: 15 attackers, 10 defenders and three goalkeepers.

Austin Watson appears to have taken the team over Marco Kasper (for now). My opinion on this is that I would love to see Kasper in the NHL, but I understand why the team wants a player like Watson. Ultimately, it’s not something I want to be angry about. It’s a long season ahead.

Something to keep in mind… The Tigers are in the postseason, and if they survive Thursday, it will create some conflict on LCA’s opening night. The first pitch for that game at Comerica Park would be at 6:08 PM ET, just before the Wings drop the puck against the Penguins at 7:00 PM ET. We’ll see how that turns out, but if you’re heading into town for the game on Thursday, plan accordingly.

In other news, keep an eye out for our bold predictions for this season. That’ll be here in a day or two!

NHL News

Swayman Soap Opera is coming to an end

All that yapping for nothing, huh? After much back and forth, the Boston Bruins signed RFA goaltender Jeremy Swayman to an eight-year deal worth $66 million. Good for Swayman getting the bag, and good for the Bruins too, I guess.

Season underway

The NHL is crazy. The regular season started this weekend as the Devils and Sabers played a pair of games in Prague. New Jersey won both games, so HA HA to Buffalo.