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I'm reading posts from forum members about how dumb Ken Holland was for making that deal.
Are you guys serious?
Let's hop in the “way-back machine” with Peebody and Sherman and take a look at the Wings team that was gearing up for the 2007 playoffs.
First, I recall very clearly every Wings fan begging Holland to get bigger and grittier for the playoffs. What does he do? Exactly that. And at the cost of a mid-round pick and a B-level prospect. Holland was praised. People were planning his ticker-tape parade for making such a great deal. The Wings finally have their much-needed grit. They didn’t win the Cup, but they got closer to the Finals than any past season since 2001-02.
Secondly, you know what teams win the Stanley Cup? The ones that take risks. No doubt the Bertuzzi trade was a roll of the dice, but so what? Holland had to do something and he got creative.
When you consider the return of the deadline deals for Ryan Smyth, Keith Tkachuk, and Bill Guerin, the Bertuzzi trade upgraded the team without giving up much future — if at all.
Now, a year later, yeah, the deal doesn't look too good. But, you win some and you lose some. I guess Holland is a bigger idiot for not trading Kindl instead? He probably can't even get a 4th-liner for Kindl right now.
Maybe Matthias turns into a perennial 50 goal-scorer with Florida, but you know what? It wouldn't have happened in Detroit anyway. Even if this team still had his rights, he wouldn't even get a sniff at the top two lines for quite some time.
What's even more hilarious than the Holland hate is the talk of trading for Mats Sundin or Rob Blake.
If you guys hated giving up Matthias (which, at the time, none of you did) you don't even want to know what this team will have to give up to rent Sundin or Blake for a month or two.
So do you "fans" want to win now? Or are ya'll too worried about what Hockey's Future will rank the Wings' prospect pool?
Sincerely,
Jim
1 Improved season 1 Very good WJC 2 NHL goals on a mediocre Florida team doesn't equal anything as fact.
Matthias may become a 1st or 2nd liner on Florida but the odds he would've done the same on Detroit is slim to none. When he was traded he wasn't our best junior prospect or top 3, I sure as hell feel the same way when I was 100% sure that it was Kindl instead of Matthias, the uproar would've been legendary.
The past is the past, and it doesn't make to much sense to dwell on a trade. That's what fans of teams that suck do. Our team is in fine shape and can afford to give up a guy like Matthias if it means instant success. There's so much talent in the Wings Organization, so it won't hurt us in the long run, because there's more talent coming.