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F*** that! I don't want to trade Mrazek at all, but if that's the return, no way...

That's fine, but we shouldn't be trading low on any of these players either. Retaining half of a players salary and trading him for a 3rd round pick would be the type of deal you make just to get rid of the player. I know some do just want to get rid of Mrazek, but I think that would be a mistake. I agree that that's probably what Holland is thinking, and if that is what he's thinking, I also agree that getting something, anything for him now is the best course of action. I just disagree with that line of thinking. I do still think Mrazek could be a quality goaltender in this league. I'm with chaps in that I do want to keep him, but at the same time, I'd like to see him given a fresh slate with another team, to see if he can turn things around (I think he could). Unfortunately, if we're not careful, we could find ourselves in the same situation with Athanasiou down the road...

I think Holland has decided that Mrazek has no future in Detroit. If he trades him and retains some salary then at least Holland's getting something for him as opposed to not qualifying him this summer and losing him for nothing. Plus, as kliq said the salary retention does nothing to effect the cap after July 1st. It's actually a smart move if Holland's not planning on re-signing him. But I can see how you would disagree if you want to keep him.

It's sad. Sometimes we as fans tend to believe that these guys live wonderful lives, getting paid millions of dollars to play a sport they love at a level the rest of us can only dream of. What we so often overlook is the sometimes brutal honesty of life for some NHL players. So frequently forgotten is the physical, mental and emotional sacrifice that these guys make on behalf of their teams and us, the fans, in a sometimes gladiatorial occupation. Johnson's is only one such story, among many others, that remind us that playing this sport, in this league, isn't always a dream come true. No matter how famous, how wealthy, how idolized they become, these guys still suffer from the same life problems, the same traps, vices, and anxieties as the rest of us. And no matter how successful they might become on a 200' x 85' sheet of ice, they still deserve the same dignity, respect and sympathy as the rest of us. Just something to remember (myself included) when we are so often quick to ridicule them for their mistakes and meet their struggles with hostility or indifference.

Quite a read this one... http://longform.tsn.ca/searching-for-matt-johnson

This is the most twisted interpretation of events I think I have ever seen on here. You make it sound like Mrazek is owed start, and Holland/Blashill not handing them over to him is "treating him like s***". Guy unexpectedly stole the reigns from Howard in 2014/15, he played great. In 2015/16 he was given the role and outstarted Howard 54-37, but had a late season collapse starting January 2016. EVen with that collopse he was still given the role back in the playoffs. In 2016/17 he out started Jimmy 50-26 and had one of the worst season in the entire NHL. His numbers were garbage compared to the rest of the league AND compared to Jimmy. Summer 2017 - Mrazek is left exposed in the expansion draft and Tomas Nosek is chosen over him. If this doesn't show how little he is regarded in the NHL right now, I'm not sure what does. This season Jimmy is healthy and after 2 years of what appears to be a failed experiment with him, Jimmy got the job back because he has outplayed him for 2 straight years. If the Wings leaked all the rumors about him in the summer, I'll give you that one. But otherwise Mrazek has been given all the opportunity in the world, kid isn't owed anything. As far as retaining salary goes, that one is simple. Teams are ALWAYS more willing to retain salary on an expiring contract. We did the same thing with Vanek last year. Don't twist this into a vet/loyalty thing.

Edmonton could dig up Terry Sawchuk, recover some of his DNA, splice in some Roy and Brodeur chromosomes, and the frankenstein clone that results is still not winning them a cup.

LOL, I think we'd still be ranked 29th. And it would still represent "animal cruelty".

I've never been personally but I know people who have gone and it's been a blast so if you have a chance then go.

Just out of curiosity, who do you consider "more deserving kids"? I can't think of one NHL ready prospect who is not on the Wings roster except for maybe Bertuzzi. And his being reassigned to GR might have more to do with conditioning following his return from his wrist injury than anything else. Bringing up kids and throwing them to the wolves before they are ready is never a good strategy. It will only damage their development. I want to see Hicketts, Rass, and Svech in the D as much as anyone else, but I don't believe they're ready yet (although HIcketts is close). And IF they aren't ready yet, why rush it? It's a rebuild, let's do it right. I mean, if we're talking about the Cleary situation, or keeping Nyquist down longer than he should have been, I totally agree. But that was during "the streak"- different circumstances. The Wings are in rebuild mode now. It is no longer necessary to keep the kids down in favor of veterans anymore. And I don't think they are. Larkin and Mantha are perfect examples of that. They were never "overripe", they made the team because they were ready. They weren't held back by any "undeserving" player. Neither is anyone else that I can see.

Based on the title and the timing I thought this thread was going to be about Episode 8. I've never been either unfortunately, but it sounds like it would be fun. After you go, make sure to let us know how it went, so that the rest of us know.

Sorry man, I would have responded by I've never gone.

Jenny Blasholland: "I like our team, but we really just need them to trust the process. We're kicking some tires on some different strategies and gameplans that we think can make us a playoff team."

Not to mention the team was trying to maintain the streak at the time IIRC. They needed Howard to do that. That is not the case now. I agree, no bias, just different circumstances.

Mrazek has 1 year left, Howard had about 3 at that time. Completely different situation as retaining salary will not effect anything moving forward. Im pretty sure they did the same thing with vanek last year. No bias.

Funny how kenny is willing to retain salary to trade mrazek snd yet a couple seasons ago when howard was awful holland refused to retain salary to trade him. I hate how bias the red wings managament has been with howard.

I want to see a defensive pairing with Witkowski and Cholowski.

Agreed, but if Larkin can develop into a 1C, then really as long as Rasmussen develops into a top 2C we should be fine. Cholowski on the other hand is crucial to our club moving forward as there is nobody else in our system with his upside.

This is just wrong. Plenty of elite goal scorers go on droughts. The difference is they usually have other elite talent around them to make up for it and distract from their slump. Also, most elite goal scorers are playing with other elite player which increases their probability of scoring. That's not "an excuse" just fact. Our guys should be playing better, no question. But to ignore the fact that we are a team filled with 2nd/3rd pairing D-men and top 6/9 forwards is ignoring reality. We need elite players. Do yourself favor, when Blashill comes on...press mute lol.

Yup, this exactly. Larkin has been snake bitten, and he's not the only one. Nyquist went on a streak of about 6-8 games where he could have had one or two every game, but had nothing to show for it. For the most part, outside of a few games, I actually think we've played well. Even the 6-1 loss to St. Louis, I think we were the better team for the majority of that game. But again, we couldn't bury our chances, and seemingly every shot the Blues took found the back of our net. And no, I'm not saying if it were for a few bounces going our way, we'd be a playoff team, but I don't think we've been quite as bad as our record indicates either. But yeah, I'm quite content with the "process" if it gets us a top pick in next year's draft. Isn't that what most fans want at this point anyway? I know the same old clichés from coaches and players can get annoying, but like others have mentioned, what do you expect them to say? That's why hockey interviews are so boring. The reporters / beat writers ask the same boring questions, and the coaches / players respond with the same boring answers. It's rare to hear an interview (pre-game / post-game) where a coach / player goes off script and says something interesting, unless your name is John Tortorella...

I have always been rather pro both goalies. Jimmy is a genuine starting goaltender who goes through bad patches and a bit injury prone. Mrazek is a young pretender who has shown patches of brilliance and patches of not being up to snuff. At present Jimmy is the more reliable guy, and (until the last fortnight) less likely to lose you a game. I still vote Mrazek simply because he's shown more by now than Jimmy had at the same age, and when he's in the zone he's better than JImmy, though we've only seen it occasionally over the last year. Were the team in danger of a playoff run, I'd go with Jimmy. But the team is going nowhere with a mediocre roster and a worse than mediocre coach, and the accidental tank is in full effect. So what's the point on marginalising the young guy who still has time to turn things back around simply to overplay a guy who isn't going to get any better and isn't likely to be around as a starter by the time we are competitive again, particularly when the last few years his body hasn't held up to being overplayed. If we are going to have a goalie deathmatch, at least give them an equal chance.

I'm with you on the bolded. I've been a Mrazek supporter, but never really bashed Howard, and certainly never hoped he'd fail. I've always hoped both would play at a high level. As a fan, why wouldn't you? I've never understood why some people hope certain players on the team they cheer for to fail. As for the "neither being long term options" and "Mrazek never being a regular starter", I'll agree that it may appear that way right now, but that can still change. I still have hope that Mrazek can turn it around. It is beginning to look a little bleak, but if he can manage to get in some consecutive games, and get back to a split, or maybe even steal back the starter, if he could get that confidence and swagger back, I think he could be a legitimate starter in this league. I don't think he'll ever be elite, like some of us once thought, but I still think he has it in him to be a very good goaltender. We'll see.

Agreed. What coaches/GM's etc. say to the media means nothing to me. It's a choreographed answer given to balance keeping the media/fans/players happy. Doesn't mean its actually what they think, or reflective of what is actually going on. I find it funny when fans/members of the media get so worked up about it. Local radio guys are the worst, they just eat that s*** up.

Way too early, but can't help but love the sound of Nando Eggenberger...

Mrazek has been treated like s***, honestly. Guy signs a contract to be the team’s starter after Holland decided Howard was the past in Detroit, and expendable. OK, done deal. Only Howard was never moved. Seemed like Holland didn’t even actively shop him much. Definitely was not retaining salary! So Mrazek has a bad season overall while Howard plays well overall in the games he gets in. OK, it happens. Not a huge deal in the goalie world. But after that one bad season, he's not able to resume his starting role given to him the previous season when signing his deal. Instead, he’s relegated to backup duty behind Howard, and now he’s expendable? In a contract year when he’s got a $4.1 million qualifying offer coming if he earns it? Yet he’s barely played and Holland WILL retain salary to trade him? Only vets get the preferred treatment package I guess. Damn, after writing that, can’t see how anyone could blame him if he doesn’t care and wants the hell out of Detroit! And hopes the rumours are true. Sounds like real quality treatment of a player. First class.