The Daily: Datsyuk in, But Why Not Mogilny?; A Case for Larmer

Tuesday was the day to celebrate candidates selected to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Detroit legend Pavel Datsyuk was selected in his first year of eligiblity. Jeremy Roenick received his invitation after an extended wait. Everyone was thrilled for David Poile, one of the NHL’s most gentlemanly executives. The selection of two top women’s players Natalie Darwitz and  Krissy Wendell-Pohl is a good sign for women’s hockey. This is the first time the Hall has taken two women in the same year.

Datsyuk was a one-of-a-kind player. Nicknamed the Magic Man, Datsyuk ran a pea and shell game with the puck. His playing style was pure entertainment.

But today is another day, and it’s a day to discuss others who deserve Hall of Fame recognition and haven’t received the call from the Hall.

In Buffalo, fans want to know why Alexander Mogilny still isn’t in. Nate Brown of Chicago Hockey Now writes that Jeremy Roenick deserved the honor, but why isn’t Steve Larmer in the Hall of Fame. In Detroit, fans want Henrik Zetterberg and Chris Osgood to be strongly considered.

The Reddit board was logjammed with New Jersey fans upset that Patrik Elias still isn’t in the Hall of Fame. Keith Tkachuk (538 goals) is another player whose absence from the Hall.

By contrast: Alex Mogilny won everything there is to win on a team (Stanley Cup, Olympic gold, worlds gold, World Junior gold), won a Rocket Richard and a Lady Byng, was the NHL's first European captain, was a 2x league All-Star, and quite literally changed the sport forever.

— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) June 25, 2024

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

Bob Duff writes that the Red Wings moved defenseman Jake Walman’s contract to gain enough salary cap space to sign one of their free agents, probably Shayne Gostisbehere.

The Red Wings traded prospect Andrew Gibson to gain the second round pick they needed to move Walman’s contract.

Why the Detroit preseason schedule matters plenty to Marco Kasper and Albert Johansson in particular.

Red Wings Offseason

Not every Red Wings fan is on board to trading Andrew Gibson essentially to be able to move Jake Walman’s contract. GM Steve Yzerman needed more cap space to sign one or more of his free agents.  Presuming, the Red Wings won’t be re-signing Daniel Sprong, they have Jonatan Berggren’s goals to replace Sprong’s production. But Patrick Kane (20), David Perron (17 goals) and Shayne Gostibehere (10) contributed 47 goals, plus they were vital to the power play. Who replaces their goals? Yzerman is going to try to land at least two of those players. That’s why he needed more cap space.

Hockey Now Network

Montreal: Marc Dumont writes about the lessons the Canadiens learned from the Stanley Cup Final. Montreal Canadiens. 

Philadelphia: The Flyers acknowledged that Matvei Michkov is coming to Philadelphia for the upcoming season. Michkov officially terminated his KHL contract and spoke out about his situation. Jonathan Bailey has the details. Philadelphia Flyers. 

San Jose: The Sharks took advantage of Detroit’s salary cap issues to land a veteran defenseman and a second round pick. Sheng Peng looks at the deal from the San Jose perspective. San Jose Sharks