The Daily: Red Wings Build Goalie Room; Happy Matthew Tkachuk Day

Adding two NHL-caliber goalies to a team which already had two under contract, some people believe that Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman was overplaying his hand in terms of his goalie crease. However, the data suggests that Yzerman is ahead of the curve.

According to a report from TSN, instead of seeking out a No. 1 netminder, NHL teams are now building goalie rooms similar to the quarterback rooms compiled by NFL teams.

Last season, only three NHL goalies – Nashville’s Juuse Saros, Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck and Colorado’s Alexandar Georgiev – played more than 60 games. There were 32% of games started by backup goalies – the highest number in five seasons – with an additional 9% of starts going to depth netminders.

UPDATE: The #RedWings today signed goaltender Jack Campbell to a one-year contract with an AAV of $775K. pic.twitter.com/mrz2uxnfr8

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 1, 2024

That means 41% of all games during the 2023-24 NHL season were not started by a team’s No. 1 goaltender. So when Yzerman was adding NHL-experienced UFAs Cam Talbot and Jack Campbell to a goalie room already populated by NHL veterans Alex Lyon and Ville Husso, he wasn’t acquiring too many puckstoppers. He was adapating to the current trend in the game.

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

Adding big winger Vladimir Tarasenko is serving to upsize the forward lines in Detroit.

Both Albert and Anton Johansson are making strides in the Red Wings organization.

Leaving Detroit as a UFA, forward Daniel Sprong took a big pay haircut when signing with the Vancouver Canucks.

The Red Wings wound up paying center Joe Veleno exactly what the market suggested he was worth.

Red Wings Offseason

Forward Trenton Bliss, who has split his pro playing career between the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins and ECHL Toledo Walleye, is signing with the Walleye for the 2024-25 season. He was accounting for 72 points last season.

Offseason signings for the @ToledoWalleye so far:
Brandon Hawkins (RW)
Sam Craggs (LW)
Conlan Keenan (C)
Trenton Bliss (LW/C)
Brandon Kruse (LW)
Darian Pilon (LW)
Casey Dornbach (F)
The 6 who have re-signed accounted for 48 percent of the team's goals scored last season. pic.twitter.com/d45qIepZjQ

— Mark Monroe (@MonroeBlade) July 22, 2024

The 112 points compiled by Bliss in a Walleye uniform place him 10th overall in franchise history.

Hockey Now Network

Pittsburgh: Trying to make sense of the latest Tristan Jarry trade talk. Pittsburgh Penguins

Buffalo: Could defenseman Bown Byram be poised to thrive under the tutelage of new Sabres coach Lindy Ruff? Buffalo Sabres

Florida: Monday was another day of celebration for the Stanley Cup champs. It was two years to the day that the Panthers acquired Matthew Tkachuk from the Calgary Flames. Florida Panthers

Montreal: Ranking the top prospects in the Habs pipeline. Montreal Canadiens

New Jersey: Where does Jake Allen fit into the Devils goaltending picture? New Jersey Devils

Philadelphia: What are reasonable expectations for Matvei Michkov’s first season in Philly? Philadelphia Flyers

Colorado: The hype only continues to grow for Avs goalie prospect Ilya Nabokov. Colorado Avalanche

Chicago: Blackhawks star Connor Bedard is the class of an impressive class of impending NHL sophomores. Chicago Blackhawks

San Jose: Former Sharks star Joe Pavelski was the other Joe who took to social media on Sunday to officially confirm that he was done. San Jose Sharks