Duffer’s Dabbles: The Rumor That Won’t Go Away – Alec Martinez To Red Wings

While Tom Callahan of VegasHockeyNow has pointed out how vital it would be for the Vegas Golden Knights to get the name of defenseman Alec Martinez on a new contract, the grist of the rumor mill continues to churn out a concoction that connects the 33-year-old impending unrestricted free agent to the Detroit Red Wings.

As DHN cohort Kevin Allen made note of recently, the Martinez-Michigan connection has been somewhat overplayed. He spent the majority of his formative youth hockey days skating for teams in California. Yes, he was born in Michigan. Wings coach Jeff Blashill recruited Martinez to Miami and coached him with USA Hockey. There was similar speculation last summer about Torey Krug, another Michigan-born defender who played junior for Blashill. Opting for the St. Louis Blues, evidently Krug wasn’t searching for a homecoming.

The Wings will have plenty of cap space, something few NHL teams will be able to say this summer, so they’ve got that going for them.

Then again, at 33 Martinez still has much to offer a contender. He’s a two-time Cup winner and scorer of a Cup-winning goal in overtime. He led the NHL in blocked shots in 2021 and his analytics were all top-notch. The Wings are seeking a veteran for mentoring of their young rearguards. Is Martinez ready to go to a rebuilding club just to get paid a little more money?

Strange Bedfellows Not Unusual In NHL

• Those who find it odd that ex-Avs forward Alex Tanguay will be coaching with the Wings next season seem to forget that Brad Park went from the Bruins to the Rangers and Phil Esposito from the Rangers to the Bruins – or that Chris Chelios went from the Blackhawks to the Wings. I remember walking into the dressing room the day of Chelios’ first practice in Detroit to find his new teammate Darren McCarty studying Chelios’ choice of weapon in the stick rack. “Never seen one before that wasn’t being broken over my head,” McCarty told me.
• Those old Wings-Avs games were absolutely war. In fact, CHN’s Adrian Dater wrote a best-selling book on them – We can probably get you a signed copy.

Will Fleury Stay Or Will He Go?

• Vegas: Marc-Andre Fleury remains a popular topic in trade talk. Will winning the Vezina keep Fleury in Vegas?
• Colorado: What’s going on with Philip Grubauer and the Avs goalie situation?
• Philly: Edmonton’s Adam Larsson is the latest defenseman being linked to the Flyers. It looks as though a lot of GMs are waiting for that resolution or to make an offer. 
• Boston: Last week, the Boston Bruins signed former first-round pick and potential power forward Trent Frederic to a “show me” contract. Frederic says, “I’ve got a lot more to give.”
• NYI: As the Pittsburgh Penguins discovered in the playoffs, Ilya Sorokin make significant steps in his first NHL season. 
• San Jose: Are the anti-goalers in the first round of the NHL Draft going too far?
• Washington: Are the Washington Capitals going to give Henrik Lundqvist another shot?
• Pittsburgh’s Zach Aston-Reese is an RFA again. What is the winger worth? With a little inside help and a little math, we’ve got answers. The Penguins will have to work to re-sign him, as the numbers are strong.