OctoPulse podcast: Patrick Kane more than able, Dave Poulin interview
Ted Kulfan talks about Patrick Kane's debut with the Red Wings, the latest Vegas odds of Detroit making the playoffs — 70% chance including 3% odds of winning the franchise's 12th Stanley Cup and former NHLer and TSN analyst Dave Poulin is the interview guest.
Kulfan on Kane's first game against the Sharks: "I was impressed," Kulfan said on the podcast. "He was moving fairly well. The hands seemed to be there. If he comes as close to what he was even a couple of years ago, that's really going to positively impact this hockey team.
"It definitely felt like the old days back at Joe Louis Arena with one of those Hall of Famers they signed or acquired or whatnot. It invigorated the whole place. I had that feeling on Thursday night and you know what? I think a lot of Wings fans miss that feeling."
On the Red Wings' 14-7-4 record for third place in the Atlantic Division: "Frankly, I'm not that surprised," Kulfan said. "I wouldn't be that surprised if the Wings defeated Boston in a seven-game series. The Bruins might have more elite players but I think the Wings have more depth than the Bruins do.
"As the season unfolds, I think it would be a disappointment or a mild surprise at this point if they didn't make the playoffs. The way it's going, it will be interesting to see if they can challenge to win the division by the end of this season."
Poulin on Moritz Seider's future Norris Trophy candidacy: "He may be a few years away but that doesn't take away from his game, who he is or what he is," Poulin said on the podcast. "If you think of the style of player that is winning the award right now, it's Adam Fox, Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, the offensive-minded defenseman.
"But if you were going to ask coaches about who they would like to build their defense with, Moritz Seider would be one of the first names you'll get. He's physical, he's a pain to play against and I love his investment in the game. He's going to be one of the top defenseman in the game for a number of years and he will get votes. His physical play separates him from a lot of the other names I mentioned. Believe me, the players who play against him know that."
On Steve Yzerman as a general manager of the year candidate: "He's bought his younger players more time with the additions he's made like Dave Perron and Ben Chiarot," Poulin said. "He can wait for the Marco Kaspers, Simon Edvinssons and Nate Danielsons to progress and be ready to contribute when they're ready to contribute.
"If I look long-term at the flexibility of the Red Wings' situation, they've extremely flexible financially. In terms of long-term commitments with contracts that no one would want, they really don't have anything like that. They've invested in players with a one-, two- or even three-year contract to help change the culture in the locker room and they've done that."
Here are other highlights from episode 96 of The Detroit News/Detroit Red Wings podcast:
▶ 1:00: Patrick Kane's debut
▶ 4:40: 70% odds of making the playoffs
▶ 5:20: Steve Yzerman on adding Kane to the lineup
▶ 7:10: Atlantic Division race
▶ 9:00: Dave Poulin interview
▶ 25:00: Nick Lidstrom on the seven-year playoff drought
▶ 26:20: Buyers or sellers at trade deadline on Friday, March, 8
▶ 28:00: Three-goalie rotation
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