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I get the frustration, but I personally think the Nielsen signing was needed. We couldn't go into the season with Zetterberg / Sheahan / Larkin as our top 3 centers. Zetterberg needs his minutes cut, Larkin isn't ready for number one center duty, and while Sheahan can play 2nd line center in a pinch, I think he's better suited in the bottom 6. I'm one of the few that wanted Helm back, and while it may be half a mil too high and a couple years too long, I think it was a good signing. Vanek is a low risk, high reward signing, but I would have preferred to see a kid get that spot. The Miller and Ott signings are a complete joke... Without the latter three signings we could have had a few more spots open for the kids, who are mostly deserving of spots anyway... Of the players that you mentioned though, I only think Athanasiou and Mantha are ready to be full time NHLers. I'm completely fine with Bertuzzi spending another season in Grand Rapids, and honestly, I don't see Nosek as a high quality NHL player anyway. He might be a decent 3rd line center, but I'd much rather have Helm or Sheahan fill that spot...

I say we draft the next Russian we find with a V_ _ _ _ _ _vich middle name.

I'm actually on board with Larkin, though I think I voted for Abby originally. I think the team's at the point that the young players need to be taking over the load and it would be a good message that the team is yours based on your present contribution rather than a hierarchy of experience. DK would be a good option for that message as well, but Larkin is more of a lock to be an elite player on the Wings for a long while.

I'm not going to defend the Quincey situation, that was definitely a black eye for the organziation, but that one player (I did forget about him). My point is more so about when guys like Nestrasil or Jensen get put on waivers and people act like its a big deal when its not.

We haven't lost anyone of significance due to waivers. I know you have complained about Nestrasil being lost, and you always talk about Jensen possibly being put on waivers, but players like this have no value and are put on waivers every single year by every team. You can't give every young kid a chance, some just arent good enough, or are a dime a dozen. I would much rather have a Helm who you listed then a random young guy or Nestrasil. Some guys definitely are left down too long, but some guys are brought up to quickly (Jurco), hindsight is always 20/20. You take out Howard and E, and our contract situation IMO is fine. If those 2 contracts didn't exist, I don't think people would even be talking about the Helm contract.

TBH, I wouldn't have minded seeing him back. I know I'm in the extreme minority when it comes to that. Congrats on a great career.

Right on. It just seems like we're in the same situation again where we might end up losing a "Kyle Quincy" and keeping the "Derek Meech" of the group. But yeah for the most part, our loses through waivers have been very minor. Some guys I'm sure it'd have been nice to keep them, especially when you see they are doing well for whoever picked them up, but they weren't going to get a chance to play here anyway if they couldn't make the roster (Though who the Wings have decided to keep on their final roster in recent years has been a head-scratcher when you've got guys ready to step in and continue their development)

... Or if say, I really hated Darren Helm (for whatever reason...) and I made the conscious effort to bash him in every single thread whether it's related or not... Who should get the A? Not Helm, he sucks... Should we retire Datsyuk's and Zetterberg's jerseys? No, because Helm sucks... Pulkkinen re-signs... Yeah, but Helm sucks... Tampa re-signs Stamkos... Helm SUCKS!

When has this every happened other then Babs? Our best players never leave us outside of maybe Fedorov 13 years ago. Creating narratives, and saying the same thing over and over and over again in an effort to make it seem true has pretty much become the norm around here unfortunately. It's like if I thought Drew Miller was the greatest PK'er of all time (which I dont, just making a point) and I said it in every post I wrote, with the philosophy of some it would then become true.

We draft Quincy late in the 4th round. We spend 3 years developing him in Grand Rapids (He play in 13 games for the Wings during that time). Then... when he's out of options, we lose Quincy to waivers (While keeping Derek Meech and Brett Lebda). Fine, whatever. As you said guys get put on waivers all the time. But the story doesn't end there. The Kings pick him up off waivers and that same season he led their team's defense in scoring. He does well for Colorado too. Then... He gets traded to Steve Yzerman and the Lightning. Moments later, Yzerman traded Quincy to Detroit (who originally lost him for nothing through waivers) for.....A 1st round draft pick! Losing him to waivers (and then getting him back on the team) cost us a 4th round pick, 3 years of development AND a 1st round pick. Losing a 4th rounder and 3 years development sucks Losing a 4th rounder and 3 years development sucks when you keep Derek Meech and Brett Lebda on top of it. Losing a 4th rounder and 3 years development sucks when you keep Derek Meech and Brett Lebda on top of it, and then on top of that have to spend a 1st rounder to get the 4th rounder back! Suffice it to say I'm a little worried about Hollands ability to make the right decision about who gets waived and who stays on the team (for now). Of course all that could have been avoided if the Wings didn't bury guys in the minors and wait til 5 guys all lose their waiver eligibility at the same time to make a decision. I know hindsight is 20/20 but this kind of incompetence really pisses me off I was gonna say something about this and now I don't remember what it was....

This is a pretty good assessment of him. He played elite at times, but didnt play at that level IMO for a long enough time to be in the HHOF.

Personally I didn't think he was overall. But I didn't even pay attention to the guy until he came out of nowhere in Tampa and had a crazy good season or two when they won the cup. Then sort of fell off the radar. If he was top it was a short lived time imo, not as consistent as some of our past players.

To be fair, D men (which he was with the WIngs, but not the Leafs) are much less likely to receive the Hart - especially after the Norris was introduced in 54. He was a runner up one year, though, and won the Norris and 3 Byngs. But you're right - Fed's Hart, 2 Selkes, and Leaster B. probably wins out, though the later 2 weren't around during Kelly's time (so it's comparing a Hart to a norris). ...and Feds is my all-time favourite so I'm not going say he wasn't the better one.

I'd like to see him back in GR tbh. I think he'd make a great leader with that squad.

LOL at him being in the HHOF. Even the Hall wouldn't stoop that low. Richards/Weiss/Modano. Who are we going to retire next?

I'm facing my own job review this week and I find myself thinking, "Gee this would be so easy if Holland was my boss!" Big raise and long term security for mediocre results. Fortunately my boss and I have higher standards. Unfortunately the Wings standards of individual performance are going to pile up and hurt our future. If only the playoff streak had been broken last year, where would we be now...

This guy will probably help this small market team grow some more. Preds really were the winners in this trade. For both on-ice and off-ice reasons.

I live about 45 minutes from Nashville, for the fans and the community, be it a seemingly small one, I hope he does well here and it draws more fans to the sport. It may even get me out to my first Preds game, I've lived here 3 years, maybe it's about time. I'm personally a big fan of the guy, he has a big heart, a big personality, and was overwhelmingly charitable for his community when playing in Montreal. He's good for the sport, plain and simple. I hope he's well received in Tennessee.

"a game or two"... That's the problem... Just like Jurco never really got any more than a game or two with any consistent linemates all season...

If I were the Leafs I would definitely want Anderson over Howard, but I wouldn't say he is "much" cheaper. Anderson's caphit is 5million per year, Howard's is 5.3. Elliot is much cheaper though, but he is also a UFA in 1 year.

Getting Fowler would require Uncle Kenny to trade one of his boys, he'll never do it.

Again, what buds??? People are trying to create this narrative that Larkin is buddy buddy with all these Leaf players when it's not true at all... Why? Just to be negative? There's not enough negativity around here lately?... If Larkin were to leave the Wings to play with a buddy, it would be Columbus with Werenski, and if you believe he's going to leave Detroit to play in Columbus, whatever...

inspired by FlashyG, here's my first gif

Ya, I'm not sure why Holland thinks that Jimmy is so valuable that he won't trade him and he feels he'll get snagged off the expansion wire. I wouldn't be surprised if he traded Mrazek just so he could protect Jimmy.

I say... Welcome to the United States!