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In with the young, out with the old. I'm just looking forward to the "Official 2021 Offseason Rebuild Thread"... That's when things should really start to get interesting.

First Bold: Those prospects have never played an NHL game, there is nothing to indicate that they are better then Larkin, Mantha, AA, Zadina, etc. Also, you realize Trouba has not signed an extension yet...right? He filled for arbitration, I am not sure why you are talking as if he has already signed a long term deal. Second Bold: Truthfully, there is nothing realistic about your posts, you are overly pessimistic. Saying things like "Trouba would have been the perfect fit " and " You really think a Panarin type free agent would come here ? Cause I think there’s a 0% chance at the moment" are not "realistic" comments. You want realistic, read my posts. Optimistic would be saying "UFA will come here" Guarantee we sign Trouba next year" etc. Realistic is what I am saying, that being that we have a chance due to the multiple variables that players take into consieration when choosing a team to sign with. If you are under the impression that i am saying we are the favourites to land a top UFA, then you misunderstood me, because all I am saying is that we have a chance and that I believe if Yzerman really tried, he probably could (not definetely could). Third Bold: Define a "star"? Outside of JT and Panarin, name a "star" who has signed anywhere in free agency over the past 5 years. Here is a quick glance at free agency over the past few years: 2013: Top 5 UFA were Horton, Filppula, Clarkson, Riberio and Weiss. We signed Weiss, sure he busted, but who else here is a "star" Alfreddson was also a top UFA that year who the wings signed. 2014: The top UFA's were Stasny, Ryan Miller, and Vanek, none "stars" 2015: I remember watching TSN on July 1st and they had Mike Green ranked as their #1 UFA, We landed him. Would I consider Green a "star" ? no, but he was the best guy available that year and the Wings got him. 2016: The top UFA's were Okposo, Backes, Lucic, Ladd, Ericsson, and Nielsen (Stamokos never hit UFA), none were stars and all of those guys were busts for what they were paid. 2017 on the re-build started, so we never went for any. So to make it seem like stars dont want to come here is fan fiction.

I really hope he plays in Grand Rapids this season.

I'm not overly concerned about our attractiveness in 2020. We'll have a solid young forward group Money to spend on improving the D And an aging goalie group All it would take really is giving one or two good Dmen the payday they want and Howard at least holding up or Larsson emerging for us to suddenly be a decent looking team again. I think a smart Dman would look at our team and think: "I could be on an original 6 team and immediately be one of their most important players who could entirely reverse their fortunes" I think Mike Green probably thought this to some extent when originally joining us. Not to mention players knows that the team is in the hands of Yzerman now.

To answer your question in the bold, 100% yes I do. I believe that hockey players are motivated by different things. Some players simply want to win and will only go to a team that is in "win now" mode. Will those players come here right now? No, but lets not pretend that every player is motivated by this and this only. Some players are motivated by family (ie. Suter/Minny), and if there is a player who grew up close to Detroit and wants to "come home", do I think that player would sign here? Yes. Some players are motivated by money, they dont care about anything else. To be honest, this is what I believe motivated Panarin. Guy went to a Rangers team that is pretty much in the same boat as us. Sure there is some buzz right now, but if we are talking pre July 1st, landing Kakko and acquiring Trouba for one year doesn't make you a playoff team. Rangers didn't get Panarin because they look like a team on the rise, they got him because they made the 17th(ish) best player in hockey, the #2 highest paid player. Do I think we could sign a guy who only cares about money if we threw the bank at him? Yes. (though you admit that). Some players are motivated by history/ownership/management etc. At the end of the day the Detroit Red WIngs are the second most successful franchise of all time, and the most successful franchise of the past 25 years. A lot of current player were likely fans of the Wings growing up, and you hear over and over again that "wearing the winged wheel" matters to certain guys. Then when you throw in the fact that we are now being run by quite possibly the most respected GM in the business, we have a leg up in this category. Now do some guys give 2 s***s about this, sure. But do I think some big names could sign here for this reason? Yes. Your "0% chance" statement is 100% wrong because neither you or I have a clue of what motivates any particular player. I just listed a few motivators, but there are still many more. Everyone is different, but I do believe that if we made a legitimate push for a UFA, we have a chance, I would even argue a strong chance.

Did Peter Chiarelli take over ?

oh lord we've become the oilers

Offer sheets don't work. I know I say it every year, and I know no one will ever accept it, but I have to say it anyway: Offer sheets don't work. If a team would be willing to let a player go for the compensation, they'd also be willing to trade said player, and that would be much better for both teams.

See that statement I am totally on board with, that is a "realistic" statement.

Yeah. Like I said, I do think there's something to the notion that the Wings generally aren't seen as a top destination right now. But I don't think we can safely conclude that no Panarin-caliber UFA would have any interest in signing with the Wings at this time. You've got to evaluate these big signings on a case-by-case basis. And you have to realize we're not especially interested in signing a Panarin unless the GM feels it makes all the sense in the world for the organization. I remember fairly early on in this past season it was reported that Panarin had a short list of around 4-6 teams, including but not necessarily limited to NYR, NYI, FLA, DAL. While Panarin's apparent lack of interest in the Wings could be taken as a slap in the face and an indictment of our rebuild, it's gotta sting even more for a team like COL. They're a team on the rise, a team with a ton of cap space, a team with a need for a scoring winger, a team that reportedly tried to crowbar themselves into contention for Panarin's services...and they didn't get anywhere with him. The heart wants what the heart wants. Tavares wanted to be a Leaf, Stamkos wanted to stay in Tampa, and Suter wanted to settle down in Minnesota. Maybe Trouba wants to come home and maybe that's a good enough fit that Yzerman does something he's basically never done as a GM and brings in a top UFA from outside the organization.

I'd pass on Bogosian, Hamonic, and Schultz. Bogo and Hamonic have been overrated for years and I don't think they''d move the needle for us significantly at all. It'd be like adding another Dekeyser. I'd rather just save the money. Schultz is decent if you shelter him. I don't think we are in any position to be sheltering Dmen. For that reason, I'm out. I would add Barrie, Brodie, and Gudas to your list. I actually think Gudas is underrated defensively and it gets overlooked because of all his big hits and thugishness.

First Bold: I'm also taking guys like Panarin as well, I dont want the Gardner's of the world either. Paranin signing with the Rangers is a perfect example of that. Second Bold: You sure you aren't buying into the hype? What kids do they have that look better then Larkin, AA, Mantha, and Zadina? They have Kakko and who? Third Bold: I was quite clear that I was not talking about every player, to dismiss this notion across the board is simply incorrect. The Habs are the most successful franchise is history, but the generation playing now never saw the Habs as a powerhouse considering they haven't been true contenders since 1993. Forth Bold: If Yzermans wants to make a splash, I think he will. The real question is does he want to overpay in free agency. Even in TB, Yzerman mostly developed and traded, he didnt make many massive UFA signings. I get it, you are very down on this roster. What you need to realize is just because you feel this way, doesn't mean every player in the NHL shares your opinion. And for the record, I'm no saying every player shares mine either.

Here are the D from the link provided above: (apologies to cell phone viewers) Players that would make this team better (disregarding salary) Pietrangelo Shultz Krug Bogosian Vatanen Faulk Muzzin Hamonic Note that Trouba is not in the linked list because he is an RFA today and his UFA status rests on the length of his next contract. But obviously if he became UFA he would be an upgrade. I was thinking that if we don't get a shot at Krug or Trouba, someone like Hamonic, Faulk or Vatanen could be a very viable option to lead our D for a few years. They would probably settle for a 2-4 year contract instead of 7, and probably nowhere near top dollars.

If a surprise 2020 postseason berth isn't in the cards, I guess I'd hope for the kind of good fortune the Rangers have had lately. They had a pretty decent thing going with their rebuild/retool, but it wasn't anything special. Larkin and Zibanejad had nearly identical 2018-19 stat lines. If Brady Skjei is a future 1D, so is Hronek. The long-term outlook in net was and remains up in the air. What changed: They lucked into Kakko and overpaid a marquee UFA who'd been credibly linked to them for months. All of a sudden, they're relevant again. I guess the DRW equivalent would be lucking into [insert undisputed #2 kid in the 2020 draft, let's say Lucas Raymond] and signing Trouba -- on top of having shed some more veterans and having seen significant growth in key young players. I'd also like to see us land Gusev this summer.

His last four seasons (all with VAN): 2015-16 -- .915 (33 GP) 2016-17 -- .910 (26 GP) 2017-18 -- .912 (60 GP) 2018-19 -- .912 (60 GP) I'll take it.

Yeah, I've been playing around with some possible looks for our D and the recurring theme is "Hope the kids take quantum leaps forward, or else we're going to need to bring in some stabilizing veteran help." That, and "I have absolutely no idea what we have in Oliwer Kaski and it's both exciting and frustrating." The only concern I have with a 29-year-old guy like Krug is that the kids probably will be ready to drive the bus soon enough, just not within the next year. So, you could be signing a 29-year-old Krug for 5+ years and a lot of money just as the kids are starting to take over. Could be that two or three years into his deal it becomes clear that we didn't really need to sign a past-his-prime power play specialist to a big deal. Admittedly tho, that's nitpicking. You can never have too much depth, especially on D. ...Still, I'd prefer Trouba. He's young enough that he fits with our rebuild timeline -- and it's probably fair to say he's more of an Yzerman guy, i.e. a big-bodied mobile defenseman who can log big minutes. Trouba probably doesn't give us that elusive 1D, but I do think signing him would be a big step forward for the rebuild and organization. Krug, maybe not so much.

I view the whole "(un)attractive UFA destination" thing as sort of a chicken-or-the-egg black box. If an up-and-coming team goes on a deep playoff run and then they sign a couple of big-name UFAs in the summer, is that a sign that top players generally view that team as a very attractive destination...or is it simply the result of the GM aggressively pursuing big names because he believes he's opened up a Cup window? The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. That being said...I doubt the Wings are widely regarded as a very hot destination right now, but, at the same time, I think the biggest obstacle (if you want to call it that) to us signing big names is a simple lack of appetite on our end. Could we have signed Matt Duchene? Maybe. Would signing Matt Duchene have been a smart move? Probably not.

Definitely. I think you can get a sense of the man from the body of work...but even then, we're a few years out from really knowing how we fared in roughly half of his drafts.

So do I!