[size=18px]Joseph appears headed to Grand Rapids [/size]
Monday, October 20, 2003
By Ansar Khan
MONTREAL -- Curtis Joseph is about to become the highest-paid player in American Hockey League history -- at least temporarily.
The Detroit Red Wings plan to alleviate their logjam in goal by assigning Joseph to the Grand Rapids Griffins for a few games, maybe longer.
Joseph began practicing on Sept. 30, six weeks after undergoing surgery to remove bone chips from his right ankle. The Wings believe he is ready to play, but not in the NHL.
Having not played in any intrasquad scrimmages or exhibition games, the best place to showcase Joseph for a trade is Grand Rapids. The Wings don't want a goalie who hasn't played a game since April to step right into an important regular season NHL game.
Wings general manager Ken Holland wouldn't confirm this plan but said he will speak to Joseph in the next couple of days.
"Everything I've seen and heard from the training staff and coaching staff has been positive," Holland said, regarding Joseph's progress.
Joseph accompanied the Wings on their trip to Pittsburgh, where they lost 4-3 on Saturday, and Montreal, where they play tonight. But the team's plan is to continue playing Dominik Hasek in the majority of games, occasionally mixing in Manny Legace, who has yet to play.
Joseph is clearly upset about the whole situation and isn't saying much.
"I have no idea," he said, when asked when he'll be ready to play. "I have no idea what their plan is either. You have to ask them that question."
The Wings have no idea if Joseph will be receptive to going to the AHL, but he has no choice. When Joseph went unclaimed in the Oct. 3 NHL waiver draft, he cleared waivers, meaning the Wings can send him down for as long as they wish.
The Griffins play three games in three nights next weekend. The Wings hope Joseph excels in Grand Rapids and draws interest from an NHL club that needs to upgrade its goaltending.
Joseph has two years and $16 million remaining on his contract, but if next season is washed out because of a lockout, the club that acquires the 37-year-old will only be obligated to pay him for this season. And the Wings might need to assume a chunk of his $8 million salary for this season to move him.
The first thing Red Wings coaches stressed to players during their annual pre-training camp meeting was to do a better job of protecting third-period leads.
The message hasn't been fully absorbed yet. A problem from the last few seasons has resurfaced quickly. The Wings have squandered a lead in the third period in two of their four games. They recovered against Ottawa, winning in overtime. But they couldn't do the same in Pittsburgh, when the Penguins scored two unanswered goals in the third.
"Once we get the lead we have to do everything in our power to protect it," Wings coach Dave Lewis said. "We have to do a better job collectively and individually."
"We pride ourselves in being a difficult team to play against and there were times last year when we got a lead or it came down to late in the third period and we didn't shut teams down," Brendan Shanahan said.
This problems isn't reflected in last season's 38-1-4-2 record when leading after two periods. But on several occasions they were able to regain a lead they squandered or win in overtime (7-3-10).
"That's been a troublesome thing for us the last couple of years," Steve Yzerman said. "We've won a lot of games in overtime. We're all excited about the victory, but we should have shut the other team down in the third period and not have it get to overtime."
The Wings held the Penguins to three shots in the third, but Pittsburgh capitalized on two defensive breakdowns.
"We should hold teams without shots (in the third)," Yzerman said. "Teams that have won the Stanley Cup (in recent years) -- New Jersey, Dallas, Colorado -- they didn't just allow you not to score in the third, they didn't allow scoring chances."
Curtis Joseph
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