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Central Scouting released its preliminary rankings on Tuesday and surprisingly Taylor Hall of the Windsor Spitfires was not their top ranked prospect in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
That honour belongs to Tyler Seguin of the Plymouth Whalers. Cam Fowler also of the Spitfires is the top ranked defenseman in the OHL and ranked third overall.
However, TSN analyst and draft expert Bob McKenzie polled seven scouts and five said they would select Hall first overall.
International Scouting Service (ISS) agrees with the scouts as they had Hall ranked first overall on their November rankings followed by Seguin and Fowler.
Other Spitfires making the CSB list include right winger Austin Watson, ranked eight, and left winger Justin Shugg, ranked 11th. Former Spitfire Andrew Yogan is ranked 10th.
Seguin, a 6'1" 186-pound center, has risen to the top very quickly on the strength of his performance in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and his play so far this season. He is fourth in OHL scoring with 36 points in 18 games while Hall leads the OHL with 21 goals and 45 points in 25 games. Fowler is the top scoring defenseman with 29 points in 25 games and ranks second in the league witha plus/minus of plus-25.
Hall and Fowler have been considered top prospects since The Hockey News (THN) included them among the top five players to watch for in the 2010 draft in their annual Future Watch special issue published in February 2008.
Hall assumed the status as the top ranked prospect later that season in THN's 2008 Draft Preview Special Issue which was published in April 2008. Fowler was ranked fourth overall. Hall has often been compared to Pavel Bure because of his blazing speed and knack for scoring goals. Fowler is compared to Scott Niedermayer of teh Anaheim Ducks as both players are smooth skating defenseman who can control the game at both ends of the ice.
Hall maintained his number one status through 2009, while Fowler saw his stock drop and was not included in THN's top 10 prospects in the 2009 Draft Preview.

To place your vote on who should be ranked #1 please go to: Central Scouting drops Taylor Hall from top spot, scouts still think he's No. 1

The Detroit Red Wings seemingly never ending depth has finally been exhausted, at least at forward, as indicated by the team claiming Drew Miller on waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Miller is in the final year of his contract and has a salary and cap hit of $525,000 (according to HockeyBuzz.com).

Long-term injuries to Johan Franzen, Valtteri Filppula and Jason Williams and the previous promotions of Ville Leino, Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader have left the Red Wings with no NHL ready prospects on the team’s minor league affiliate in Grand Rapids.

Prior to Thursday game, Miller played 14 games for Tampa Bay this season without a point. He was originally a sixth round pick by Anaheim in 2003 and played 53 games scoring 15 points with the Ducks. He also played in 16 playoff games with the Ducks over three seasons.

By contrast the most experienced forward in the Red Wings organization playing in Grand Rapids is Kris Newbury who played 44 games for Toronto before the Red Wings signed him as a free agent this past summer. Newbury has three goals and six points in the NHL. He is followed by fellow former Maple Leaf Jeremy Williams who has scored nine goals in 31 NHL games also with Toronto.

Patrick Rismiller, a veteran of 182 games with San Jose and the New York Rangers, was recently reassigned from Hartford to Grand Rapids by the Rangers but remains property of New York.

Further attrition to the forward ranks could force Detroit to either acquire NHL talent or call up prospects such as Newbury who has 11 points in 13 games in Grand Rapids, Williams (nine points) or perhaps Cory Emmerton (eight points).

Red Wings Waiver History

The last time the Red Wings claimed a player off waivers was 1998 when they acquired Todd Gill from the St. Louis Blues.

Related Articles:

For post game audio from Drew Miller please click on this link: Examiner

The Hockey News proclaims Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings, the best defenseman in their November 16th "Defenseman Issue."

The weekly magazine polled six hockey experts to rank the NHL defenseman in 11 categories and Lidstrom was the winner in four and received votes in two others.

Lidstrom was selected as the best shutdown defenseman, as having the best point shot, making the best first pass, and as the top mentor. He also received votes as the best skater and best corner man.

Lidstrom beat Sheldon Souray of the Edmonton Oilers and Mike Green of the Washington Capitals for the best point shot. He beat Scott Niedermayer of the Anaheim Ducks and Chris Pronger of the Philadelphia Flyers for the best first pass. Pronger was runner-up to Lidstrom as the best shut down defenseman and Robyn Regehr of the Calgary Flames was third. Niedermayer was again runner-up to Lidstrom in the best mentor category followed by Rob Blake of the San Jose Sharks.

Brian Rafalski of the Red Wings was selected as the NHL's best small defenseman. Small is defined as under six-feet tall and under 200 pounds. Rafalski edged Kimmo Timmonen of the Flyers and Dan Boyle of the Sharks.

Pronger won a couple of categories including best corner man and nastiest and most intimidating player. Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators was second to Pronger as best corner man and Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins ranked third. Chara was runner-up to Pronger as the nastiest defenseman and Dion Phaneuf of the Flames was third. Niedermayer was selected as the best skater ahead of Jay Bouwmeester of the Calgary Flames and Brian Campbell of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Drew Doughty was selected as the best defenseman under 22 ahead of Zach Bogosian and Tyler Myers.

Phaneuf was selected as the best open ice hitter ahead of Niklas Kronwall of the Red Wings and Anton Volchenkov of the Ottawa Senators. Volchenkov was selected as the best shot blocker followed by Regehr, and Zbynek Michalek of the Phoenix Coyotes.

Please submit your Red Wings or hockey questions to drwexaminer@gmail.com for a new mid-week column this season, Detroit Red Wings Examiner's Mailbag coming soon.

The Detroit Red Wings wrapped up their five game road trip going  2-0-1  through the NHL's version of the Bermuda Triangle this week, beating the Vancouver Canucks and the Calgary Flames while losing in a shootout to the Edmonton Oilers.

While it did not salvage the trip in terms of the won-loss record the team set for themselves, they did get the desired number of points and it did provide hope is some areas of their game.

Prior to departure Red Wings general manager Ken Holland told Ansar Khan, of mlive.com, the goal for the trip was to win three games of five for six points. Well the team picked up six points in the five games, although they did leave two points for their opponents by going 2-1-2 as opposed to 3-2-0.

In positive news, the team regained their offensive touch scoring five goals in two of the games and 13 goals overall this past week. Also 13 different players got at least one point in the last three games as well indicating a return to a balanced attack that makes it difficult to defend against the Red Wings. Pavel Datsyuk led the resurgence with six points in his last three games. That kind of involvement throughout the roster and a pseudo successful trip has lifted the team's spirits about themselves as Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press wrote in this story: Red Wings' spirits high after long road trip

Unfortunately along with the good comes some bad news and lingering issues in the Red Wings game. First the bad news, Valtteri Filppula suffered a broken wrist in the game against Edmonton and will be out six weeks. Also Brad May suffered an eye injury off the stick of his teammate Jason Williams and is expected to be out of the lineup for one week, and is seeking a second medical opinion, as reported by George Sipple of the Free Press.

And while the Red Wings scored 13 goals they also allowed 11, and weak goaltending was a major reason. Chris Osgood was pulled just seven minutes into the game against the Canucks after allowing two goals on four shots. Jimmy Howard came in and played well to earn his first NHL win since 2005. Howard started the next game against Edmonton and was shaky, giving up three goals in the opening period while the team dug itself a deep hole. The Wings trailed 4-1 and 5-2, but rallied in the third period playing perhaps their best 20 minutes of hockey before finally losing in a shootout. The game was broadcast on Canadian cable outlet TSN, whose analysts were very critical of the Red Wings play this season and the goaltending in particular.

Osgood and the Wings bounced back with a well-played convincing win over the Flames to salvage the trip.

While on the trip Holland offered some insight on his team's play and some measuring sticks to use to grade the team as the season progresses. Holland shared with St. James that he is the least bit surprised by the team's start of the season based on the roster turnover during the summer and the fact that they have been hit with some unexpected setbacks. He is also not willing to judge his team based on the first 10 games of the season (4-4-2) but rather will make his assessment of the team based on their play in games 11 through 25. At the same time he pointed Thanksgiving as an interim measuring stick in this article by Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province: Holland helps keep his team on top of league.

The week ahead

The Red Wings return home for a couple of good matchups against two of the best teams in the NHL last season. The Boston Bruins visit Joe Louis Arena Tuesday night, and the San Jose Sharks are in town on Thursday. The Bruins were the top team in the Eastern Conference last season and like the Red Wings have struggled with injuries early in the year and it is reflected in their record of 6-6-1. For more on this game and the Bruins be sure to read: Pre-game hype: Boston Bruins at Detroit Red Wings, and Boston Bruins Examiner Mark Marino

Thursday night against the Sharks is also the first of many sponsored giveaways in the month of November as all fans in attendance will receive a Budd Lynch bobblehead doll courtesy of Bank of America.

Other giveaways in November include, November 12 against the Vancouver Canucks is Steve Yzerman plaque giveaway night courtesy of Fifth Third Bank, and November 25th against Atlanta is team wall calendar giveaway night.

Related Articles:
Pre-game hype: Boston Bruins at Detroit Red Wings
On this date in Red Wings and NHL history, November 3
Filppula injury forces Red Wings to shuffle roster for 11th straight game
TSN analysts brutally honest about Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings prevail over Canucks in Wild third period
The Detroit Red Wings weekly report, October 26
The Detroit Red Wings weekly report, October 20

For more on the Red Wings be sure to check out my Red Wings coverage at examiner, and please check out my new page at examiner on the Windsor Spitfires

If you follow the Red Wings with rose tinted glasses, last night's TSN (Canadian cable network) broadcast of their game against the Edmonton Oilers would have a been a shock to your beliefs in the team.

You would probably say they were over-critical of your favorite team, but in reality they were simply being brutally honest.

Chris Cuthbert does the play-by-play with color commentary provided by former player Ray Ferraro. Ferraro's son Landon was the Red Wings first pick in the 2009 Entry Draft. Between period analysis is provided by host James Duthie, and analysts Bob McKenzie, and former Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish.

The Oilers had not scored a goal in their last seven periods heading into last night's game, but found themselves up 1-0 just 42 seconds into the game and ahead 3-0 by the 13-minute mark. They stretched the lead to 4-0 with another first minute goal to open the second period, and it was 5-2 after 40 minutes of play.

During the broadcast Ferraro had some biting comments about the goaltending in particular but also had some observations about the play of the defense as well. His comment just prior to the second period was particularly insightful and the timing of the comment was incredible. He pointed out that from a player's perspective when your team is not getting good goaltending you play with a lack of confidence because your worried that every turnover or giveaway you make will end up in your net, and that's how it appeared Detroit was playing. One minute into the period Todd Bertuzzi made an ill-advised pass to a flat-footed Brian Rafalski at the Oilers blueline that the Oilers turned into a turnover and scored on the ensuing breakaway.

Later, Ferraro noted that the Red Wings defense has become a giveaway machine, and moments later Jonathan Ericsson was weak on clearing pass and the Oilers were able to generate a couple of opportunities off the turnover. Ferraro was also fair in his analysis, as he astutely pointed out that the Red Wings had found and exploited a seam in the Oilers neutral zone coverage with long breakout passes resulting in two goals during the Red Wings furious comeback in the third period. He also noted that the Oilers were unable to withstand the comeback because the Red Wings had returned to their game plan and did not allow the Oilers to have the puck for much of the period.

During the second intermission Duthie asked if it was too soon to question what's wrong with the Red Wings, to which McKenzie responded that is not too soon, after all this is a team that has competed for the Stanley Cup the past two seasons, and the expectation should be that they would play better than they have. McKenzie pointed out two factors for the slow start, the first being that the goaltending has not been good, and they have had injuries to significant players such as Johan Franzen who is out of the lineup, Henrik Zetterberg who missed all of training camp, as did Darren Helm, and Pavel Datsyuk has also missed games. He also factored in the large roster turnover from last year. MacTavish was far more blunt stating that the Red Wings have not played well enough to overcome "mediocre" goaltending.

Injury Update
Valtteri Filppula did not play the third period last night and has been diagnosed with a broken wrist. He is expected to miss six to eight weeks.

For some photos of last night's game be sure to check out the slideshow at: TSN analysts brutally honest
For more Red Wings articles by Mike, check out his examiner page at: Examiner

The Detroit Red Wings managed to display their multiple personalities last week while going 1-1-1 against the Buffalo Sabres, Los Angeles Kings, and Colorado Avalanche.

The week began with an absolute stinker against the Buffalo Sabres, who have transformed their game and become the mirror image of what Detroit is supposed to play like. Coincidentally, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff is an assistant coach to Red Wings coach Mike Babcock on Team Canada in the upcoming Olympics. Perhaps Babcock has revealed too much of the Red Wings system at Team Canada meetings.

The Sabres dominated the faceoff dots winning 62% of the draws and then played keep away from Detroit for most of the night with an effective puck possession game. The Sabres who lead the league in shots on goal per game, much like Detroit has for years, then outshot Detroit 37-25, and outscored them 6-2. Buffalo had struggled offensively and were winning because goalie Ryan Miller, from  East Lansing, had been stingy since the start of the season. Unfortunately for Detroit the Sabres offensive struggles came to an abrupt end on Tuesday. Perhaps Ruff can repay the favor of taking the Red Wings system by providing secrets to beating Miller, who is a candidate to play goal for Team USA, to Team Canada, and by default the Red Wings. Then the coaches can call it even.

The Los Angeles Kings came into Detroit riding a modest hot streak, winning four of their last five games, and their top line of Ryan Smyth, Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams had combined for 25 points in six games. The Kings were also getting solid goaltending on nights when the offense struggled. Detroit's team defense, that was scorched in Buffalo, delivered a gem, limiting the Kings top line to just one goal, and two points. Chris Osgood rebounded from his dud in Buffalo and was the game's second star stopping  24 shots. The highlight of night and the week was Nicklas Lidstrom's second assist of the game which was his 1,000th NHL point. He is just the eighth defenseman in league history to reach the milestone.

"It feels great and it's something I'm proud of to reach that milestone, with the other players that are in there with 1,000 points, especially the defensemen," said Lidstrom.

"He's obviously is a spectacular player and he has been for a long long time, and you have to be really healthy and you have to be fortunate to play on a good team, and then you have to be an absolute star," said Red Wings coach Mike Babcock on Lidstrom's milestone. "For a d-man to reach that milestone is very very special."

And then there was Saturday against the Avalanche. The Red Wings were definitely two different teams in this game. They opened a 2-0 lead through two periods and had outshot the Avalanche  23-13, hardly allowing them to touch the puck. The Avalanche started the third period by killing off a  double minor and then took it to the Red Wings the rest of the way. They scored three straight goals to take the lead capitalizing on turnovers (Red Wings lead the NHL with 91 turnovers) and a terrible line change. Valtteri Filppula scored to give Detroit the lead again but the they were unable to hold on as Colorado scored late to force overtime and finally a shootout which was decided when Milan Hejduk beat Osgood with the exact same move to the backhand that Marek Svatos beat Osgood with on the previous shot.

"I just felt it was one of those games that you have everything going your way, you should bury them," said Babcock. "We didn't bury them, we let them stay in the game, and instead of putting a knife in them, and it came back to haunt us. It's a point that we let get away that we should never let it at home."

Notable events
Justin Abdelkader scored his first regular season goal in the NHL against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. He scored two goals in the playoffs last season. In off-ice news, Pavel Datsyuk was out of the lineup against Los Angeles and Colorado with an upper body injury, but is expected to return to the lineup on Thursday night against Phoenix. Johan Franzen underwent successful surgery on the ACL in his left knee and will be out of the lineup at least four months. Andreas Lilja, on long-term injured reserve, continues to suffer headaches and is not close to returning to the lineup.

Red Wings leaders
Filppula and Tomas Holmstrom had two goals each last week, Henrik Zetterberg had four assists and five points. Todd Bertuzzi elevated his play and was named the second star in the games against Los Angeles and Colorado.

Red Wings three Stars of the week
First Star - Zetterberg - Having missed most of training camp with a sore groin, Zetterberg is slowly catching uyp to his teammates in terms of conditioning and it is reflected in his production with one goal and four assists in three games.
Second Star - Filppula - He has been the Red Wings player on most nights so far this season playing a complete game providing offense and defense. No one has drawn more praise from Babcock for their play than Filppula this season.
Third Star - Bertuzzi - Bertuzzi has responded well to playing on a line Zetterberg and has also drawn praise from Babcock for his improved play.

Next Week
The Red Wings begin a two week road trip with a visit to the Phoenix Coyotes on Thursday night and Colorado on Saturday. The Coyotes played the Red Wings tough last season losing at home in a shootout, and twice at Joe Louis, once in overtime and the other on a last minute goal on a controversial penalty call. The Avalanche have already upset the Red Wings this year.

Check back next Monday, October 27 for the next edition of the Detroit Red Wings weekly report. Also, please submit your Red Wings or hockey questions to drwexaminer@gmail.com for a new mid-week column this season, Detroit Red Wings Examiner's Mailbag coming soon.

For more Red Wings articles please click: Examiner

The Red Wings announced that Johan Franzen will be out the lineup a minimum of four months with a torn ACL in his left knee.

Franzen suffered the injury in the Red Wings home opener Thursday night against the Chicago Blackhawks, in which Franzen scored the game-winner in a 3-2 game.

With  departure of Marian Hossa, the Red Wings were relying on Franzen to become their go to scorer this season. He had a goal and an assist in three games this season and scored 37 goals for Detroit last season.

Patrick Eaves who has not played yet this season is available to get into the lineup, or the team may elect to call up Justin Abdlekader who was sent down to Grand Rapids yesterday. Darren Helm who is recovering from an injury to his clavicle has not been cleared for contact yet, but is expected to be ready soon.

For more Red Wings coverage by the Detroit Red Wings Examiner please click DRW Examiner

The Detroit Red Wings have never needed Chris Osgood more than they do now, and he may never have another opportunity to prove he is as great as his numbers.

Throughout his career Osgood has been dogged by the perception that he has benefitted from playing behind a great team.

The Red Wings are still a very good team, but not as good as they have been in the past, and Osgood has the opportunity to make a difference. A difference so many experts have said he wasn't required to make in Detroit in the past. His job was not necessarily to win games for Detroit but rather not lose games for them.

Last year Osgood struggled through his worst season as a professional, and has vowed that there will not be a repeat this year. The Red Wings can't afford another season like that from Osgood, they don't have Ty Conklin to pick up the slack as he did last season, and new backup Jimmy Howard is in Detroit simply because the team has run out of options on the fifth year pro.

Howard's best season as a pro was four years ago as a rookie in Grand Rapids and since then his play has dropped off. Since being drafted in 2003, Howard has been considered the goalie of the future in Detroit and just needed some time to develop consistency in his game. The Hockey News annually ranks each team's top 10 prospects in their yearbook, and since being drafted the skinny on Howard every year has been that he needs to be more consistent while his ranking within the organization has risen from seventh in 2004-05 to second in 2007-08. This season he was ranked as the sixth best prospect in the Red Wings organization with the comment that it's now or never, and to top it off he has been passed by 2008 top draft pick and fellow goalie Thomas McCollum who was ranked second.

Howard has started 10 games for Detroit since being drafted because he hasn't developed as expected in the minors and hasn't played well when called up, winning just once. That is not a mix that inspires confidence that he can carry this team if Osgood falters.

Meanwhile despite the lack of recognition Osgood has won 389 games in his career, tied for tenth all-time in wins with Dominik Hasek, and is 34 wins shy of tying Tony Esposito for seventh at 423 wins. The interesting statistic in relation to the wins is that Osgood reaches these milestone wins in fewer games played.

He has a lifetime goals-against average of 2.47 which, among the 10 goalies he is chasing in wins, ranks fourth behind only Hasek (2.20), Martin Brodeur (2.21), and Jacques Plante (2.38).

He has led the Red Wings to two Stanley Cups as the starting goalie, and in 2008 led the NHL in goals against average in the regular season (2.09) and the playoffs (1.55). 

Osgood led the 2001-02 New York Islanders to a winning record and the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons in his only full season with the team posting a record 32-25-6 and a goals against averge of 2.50 and 2003-04 in his only full season in St. Louis Osgood won 31 of St. Louis' 39 wins and had an overall record of 31-25-8 and a goals against average of 2.24.

Many experts have picked the Chicago Blackhawks to end the Red Wings eight year reign over the Central Divsion this season. Perhaps leading the Red Wings, as opposed to the Islanders or the Blues, to a better than expected finish is the accomplishment that will finally get Osgood the recognition his numbers suggest he deserves.

And finally he has the opportunity to do so, and the Red Wings have never needed him to do it more than this year.

For the complete article please click: return to form
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Anytime the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs play against each other it has a special feeling to it, even it's the preseason.

This weekend's home and home series is no different.

The atmosphere at Joe Louis Arena is always supercharged when these two teams meet as fans from Windsor, both Red Wings and Maple Leaf fans, pour across the border to support their team louder than the other guys fans.

This kind of rivalry spills over to the water cooler chats in the office too. I am cursed blessed to work with three Maple Leaf fans who take delight in every Red Wing mishap. What makes the rivalry special is that history means nothing and memories are short when it comes to discussing our favourite teams and the failings of our rivals. 

The Maple Leaf fans quickly became Columbus, Anaheim, Chicago, Pittsburgh Penguins fans last spring as they rooted for the Red Wings to lose, to which we quickly pointed out that it's quite an accomplishment on Pittsburgh's part, an expansion team no less, to make it to the Final four times in the same time period that Toronto hasn't made even a single trip.

For the entire article please click: Red Wings vs. Maple Leafs, doesn't feel like preseason anymore

Todd Bertuzzi reached a few milestones in 2008-09 while playing with the Calgary Flames. He played in his 800th NHL game on October 21st against the Nashville Predators. He scored his 600th NHL point with an assist against the Detroit Red Wings on December 10th, and he scored his 250th NHL goal on January 3rd against the Predators. Bertuzzi started the season quickly scoring five goals in four games, but then cooled off considerably going 20 games without a goal from November 4 - December 17. He had a season high four-point game against the Phoenix Coyotes on February 14, recording four assists in a 7-5 win. Bertuzzi missed eight games with a hip flexor injury from January 8 - 18, and another 10 games with a knee injury from March 1 through 26.

Since the lockout, Bertuzzi has become a nomad playing for five different teams in four seasons, including a brief stop in Detroit in 2007. Unlike last time, he is healthy upon this return to Detroit, but he is not the player he once was. Over the past two seasons, which have been very similar statistically he has roughly averaged 67 games, 42 points and 85 penalty minutes. He still has great hands and his primary scoring zone chart indicates he doesn't have a great range, but that is more a reflection of his ability to stickhandle his way to the front of the net before shooting. He does have a hard snap and wrist shot that allows him to score from all over the offensive zone, which will be of benefit to the Red Wings on the powerplay. Despite his lack of foot speed the Red Wings believe he can score more than the 15 goals he scored last year and will give him the opportunity to do so by playing him on the second line with Henrik Zetterberg and Dan Cleary. He will also play on the powerplay a fair bit. The Wings also hope he brings a bit of his snarl and nastiness to the top two lines. 

For the complete Bertuzzi profile, please click: scouting report

For more scouting reports adn articles by the Detroit Red Wings Examiner, please click: Examiner

Jimmy Howard had a bit of a bounce back season, statistically in 2008-09 while playing with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League. After two seasons of declining numbers after a stellar rookie season, Howard saw his workload reduced last season and his numbers bounced back up. He finished the season in Grand Rapids with a 21-18-4 record with a goals against average of 2.54 and a save percentage of 0.920. He dressed for two games with the Detroit Red Wings and played one, giving up four goals in a 5-2 loss to Minnesota on February 21st.  

The anticipation of the arrival of Howard in Detroit has been a long road for many. He was collegiate star at the University of Maine, and was named the goalie on the AHL All-Rookie Team following his first season in Grand Rapids. In his rookie season he posted a 27-6-2 record and a 2.58 goals against average. Over the next two seasons his numbers started to slip in the wrong direction, posting a record of 42-49-5  with a goals against average of 2.77, however last season, as his workload was reduced his numbers improved. Over the past four years Howard has seen very little action in Detroit and has just one win in nine games. This season being his fifth year as a pro, and with just two years left on his contract the time is now for him to make the big club or risk being passed by Daniel Larsson and even Thomas McCollum in the next two seasons.

For the complete profile, please click: scouting report

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The National Hockey League announced that Hall of Fame center Mark Messier, former New York Rangers goalie Mike Richter and Detroit Red Wings senior vice president Jim Devellano are the recipients of the 2009 Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to hockey in the United States.

Devellano is entering his 43rd season in the NHL and his 28th with the Red Wings and continues to play an integral role in the team's continued success.

He was the first person hired by Mike and Marian Ilitch after they purchased the Red Wings in June 1982. He served as general manager for eight years before moving into his current position. The Red Wings success in drafting European players is the result of Devellano's pioneering efforts to develop a strong European scouting staff, which has been a major factor in the team's four Stanley Cup championships since 1997. He is also responsible for bringing the NHL Entry Draft to the United States for the first time when the annual event was held at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on June 13, 1987. Prior to his four Stanley Cup championships with Detroit he won three as the assistant general manager of the New York Islanders

For more from the Detroit Red Wings Examiner please click: Examiner

Chris Osgood would like to forget the 2008-09 regular season from a statistical point of view as he recorded the worst goals against average (3.09) and save percentage (0.887) of his 15-year career. His struggles prompted the team to give him a 10-day break at the end of February to rediscover his game and his focus. And despite his poor numbers Osgood still managed to post a 26-9-8 record and moved into a tie for 10th place on the all-time wins list with former teammate Dominik Hasek. During the season he passed Tom Barrasso, Andy Moog, John Vanbiesbrouck and Mike Vernon on the career wins list. And while fans and the media fretted about Osgood's play, he preached all season that he would be fine when the playoffs began, and he backed up his faith in his abilities with a brilliant post season, reducing his goals against average by more than one goal a game (2.01) and raising his save percentage to 0.926 compared to the regular season.

Osgood often mentioned the "Stanley Cup Hangover" as part of his difficulties last season, finding it hard to manufacture the intensity and the urgency experienced en route to winning the Cup in 2008, for the grind of an 82-game regular season. This season the "hangover" is no longer an issue and Osgood has vowed that there will not be a repeat of last season in an article written by Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press
The Red Wings will need a bounce back season to the form he displayed in 2007-08 when he led the league with a goals against average of 2.09, as the team does not have a proven back up to pick up the slack should he falter as he did last year. Jimmy Howard and Daniel Larsson are likely to battle for the spot through training camp with Thomas McCollum a long shot to become the backup.
Osgood has often maintained that winning is all that matters and he should have plenty of motivation in that regard this season. With 389 career wins, he can pass Grant Fuhr, and Glenn Hall and move up to 8th all-time with 18 victories.

For the complete profile please click: scouting report

Andreas Lilja was having a great season until February 28th when he suffered what was believed to be a concussion in a fight with Shea Weber near the mid-point of the second period of an 8-0 loss to Nashville. It was later determined that, while he had concussion like symptons, he was suffering from a bleeding vein in his brain, and he was unable to return to the lineup for the final 19 regular season games and the entire playoffs. Lilja played in his 400th NHL game on October 11 and was the Carhartt hardest working Red Wing for the month of November. In 60 games Lilja scored two goals and 11 assists for 13 points and was +13 playing nearly 17:00 a game. At the time of his injury he led the team in blocked shots with 92, (finished third on the team for the entire season) and his 66 penalty minutes led the team despite his extended absence from the lineup.

Lilja has not been cleared to participate in contact drills as reported by Ansar Khan of mlive.com on Saturday, September 12th, and is likely to start the season on long-term injured reserve. His playing status has major implications for the Red Wings both on and off the ice. On the ice, I have Lilja in the fourth pairing on my 2009-10 roster because of the uncertainty regarding his health, but the reality is if he is healthy he would likely be paired with Jonathan Ericsson in the third group. They average 6'3-1/2" and 218 pounds and would certainly provide plenty of size and physical play. Goalie Chris Osgood is quoted in Khan's story stating, "We need Lils,'' Osgood said. "We had a lot of guys hurt in the playoffs, but we missed Lils, too. Lils is a great penalty-killer, blocks a lot of shots, he's a big body back there that adds a presence." Off the ice, meaning the salary cap, placing him on long-term injured reserve (out for a minimum of 10 games) gives the Red Wings some relief against the salary cap and defers having to make a roster decision based on finances. His return will push the Red Wings over the $56.8-million salary cap and give the team more players than roster spots along the blueline, similar to the dilemna they face with 13 NHL caliber forwards heading into training camp.

For the complete profile please click: scouting report

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Derek Meech set career highs in games played (42), goals (2), assists (5), points (7), penalty minutes (12) and tied his career high with 44 shots on goal. He also saw his ice time per game drop to 10:02 from 12:08 in 2007-08, but that is due in part to the fact that he played several games at forward in 2008-09. Despite his relatively little ice time he finished with the second worst plus/minus rating (-12) on the team. Meech had little opportunity to settle into a rhythm during the season, never playing more than nine games in a stretch (Nov. 20 through Dec. 6), and never sitting out more than nine games at time (Dec. 10 through Dec. 27). He also saw his ice time fluctuate wildly from game to game, playing as little as 2:46 against Columbus on March 15th, to as much as 23:02 on February 28th against Nashville.

Meech is caught in a difficult position with little power or opportunity to improve matters. He enters into the final year of his contract with Detroit without a real position, and little opportunity available to establish a role for himself. He is at best the Red Wings eighth defenseman, if Andreas Lilja is able to return, having been surpassed by Jonathan Ericsson last season. His position in that role tenuous at best depending on the development Jakub Kindl, and the recent signing of Andy Delmore gives Detroit another option, especially if the powerplay falters at all. Meech showed versatility last season by skating at left wing on the fourth line, and despite the departures of four forwards in the off-season the Wings will promote Ville Leino and Darren Helm, and have signed Patrick Eaves, Jason Williams and Todd Bertuzzi. The result of these moves is there is no room among the forward ranks for Meech. He will have to outplay Kindl and Delmore in training camp to make the team, and if successful will likely once again be a part-time player in Detroit, seeing extended action when others are injured. That being said, over the past three years he has played the equivalent of one NHL season and aside from his plus/minus statistic has decent numbers for a number eight defenseman.

For the complete profile please click: scouting report

And for all my articles please click: Examiner