VM1138

I don't see why we're waiting for Doan, if we are. He won't cost that much. Let's make some moves and just leave some cap room. The more players we get the more attractive we are.

I have to respectfully disagree. The goaltending was not markedly different. I know that's the standard storyline, but I made sure to pay very close attention because Rinne had such a reputation. Most of his saves were very poor shots by the Wings. The reason the Wings lost is because we gave up a ton of 2 on 1s and we only took one perimeter shot and then went back to our zone. Rinne was good with some amazing saves, but so was Howard. If Howard hadn't been good we would've been blown out each game.

"One day, we might be able to bring a player of significance here." Erm...we have 16 million in cap space. We're a legendary team. We should be able to bring a player of significance here this summer, not in the distant future. I really wish he wouldn't say he's content with our roster up front. Yeah, it's servicable, no worse than last year, but last year wasn't good enough. I guess I can see him waiting to see if Brunner will make an impact, but that's risky. But he seems to forget that Quincey did play last year. So we've only added Smith, a rookie, to replace Stuart and Lidstrom.

I hope so, I really hope so. We haven't had a prospect have a major impact their first year since Datsyuk and Zetterberg. Maybe Helm, but not in a super-star way.

It still counts as his "future." It determines if he ever wins a Cup, if he betrays his fanbase, and if he moves away from his family for a couple of years. The fact is, the first deadline he set was for deciding whether or not he'd even field offers (waiting for the GM to explain what's going on in Phoenix and what the future is there). Then he takes a whopping six days to field offers (assuming he decides on the 16th). Not unreasonable.

He started fielding offers on the 10th, and he said he'd decide by the 16th? 6 days to decide your future sounds reasonable to me.

I realize everyone wants something to happen, but let's stop bashing the players, shall we? Parise and Suter took a whopping two days to decide. Doan is considering leaving the team he's been with his whole career and is obviously attached to. If Listrom (before retiring) was considering leaving the Wings through free agency, do you think he'd decide in a matter of days? The truth is, the off-season lasts all summer. It's not a trade deadline. It's an ongoing process, and I don't begrudge Doan waiting two weeks to make a decision. We've got months to go still.

You never know. Parity! Although the lack of work ethic among our players the past two years is troubling, and the roster hasn't been shaken up all that much. Our bottom 6 is better but I was really hoping for a change to the top 6 to spark another year of domination like 2007-09.

I think you're overstating the case or Ericsson. He's become a somewhat solid d-man, but I still would hesitate to put him in the top 4. Maybe 4th place when he's one a roll.

Doan in San Jose would be a great fit, and it would make San Jose dangerous again. A player like Doan isn't valued in goals (although he can score them), it's in his leadership and the way he plays. A lot like Yzerman, he gives 100% and inspires others on his team to perhaps play above their talent level. That's why I wanted him on this team. He opens up a lot of opportunities for others to score with his style of play, as well. Sigh. I know Brunner could turn out great, but we've been burned too many times by overseas signings and prospects. I don't like the entire season hinging on unknown commodities (Nyquist, Brunner, Smith), even though they could very well be great.

Right now, I'm not sure this team is a playoff team. Our offense is slightly better than it was. Sammy and Tootoo are upgrades over Hudler and a bottom 6 player, but not drastically so. Tootoo adds a new element to our play that can inspire Abdelkader and Ericsson, but I'm not sure if that'll result in more than a few wins. The big concern is our defense. It looks godawful without Lidstrom. The only really high caliber player we have is Kronwall. The others we're just hoping will pick up their game. And that's what worries me the most. We're just sort of hoping that these players will suddenly blossom into great NHL players. There's a very good chance Nyquist, Smith, etc. have relatively quiet seasons. It's an unfinished team for sure. Our needs are exactly the same as they were before the season ended: a Lidstrom replacement and a top 6 scoring winger.

I think you misunderstood me. You're actually agreeing with me. I only meant that Holland can't make a trade if another team isn't interested, so we can't blame him for not trading for top line players every trade deadline.

People always judge Holland in a vacuum, which is ridiculous. We ccan't judge him by signings and trades alone unless we stack him up against other GMs. How many other GMs have made numerous blockbuster trades or signings that have paid off? It seems unrealstic. 2009 was successful, kind of. We lost in Game 7 in a very close game when we weren't even trying. 2010: decimated to a ridiculous degree by injuries. No reason to blow up the team. Holland looked at the roster that made it to the finals two years in a row and couldn't tell what was going on because no one played consistently. Then there was 2011. Team still had some injuries, but it was a bit easier ot get a grasp on where the team was development-wise. The Modano signing was a widely hailed signing but didn't pan out because he ended up being lazy and injured. Had he played healthy and cared he may have done better. So, the only year Holland (or any GM) could really judge the team was 2011-12, this last season, which was an unmitigated disaster. He tried to do somethign about it at the trade deadline, but you can't do a trade with only one partner. The Wings were already in the slide and nobody had any trade value. Come the off-season he tried (and came close) to landing the two most valued UFAs, who chose to go elsewhere for personal reasons. He did all he could and no amount of money was brining them here. And it's been a few days since then. When you consider all these factors it's hard to say Holland just flat out sucks. If we don't spend to the cap, we can say he potentialaly blew the off-season, but not until then.

They have one good defenseman (and one or two borderline ones). Their goalie is middle of the road. These days, that could be good or bad. And their offense looks good on paper but wound up scoring the least in the league last year. They added Parise but I don't see one player transforming their lackluster offense. Specifically, they will have one very good (on paper) top line, a decent second line, and nothing under that. They might make playoffs, but won't make any noise if they get in. Maybe 5 years from now they might have a one and done hot season, but no. They're just a middle of the road team.

I have a feeling the most obvious option is to sign Doan and trade for a defenseman. Then Holland will probably call it a summer.

I'd rather trade. I don't think there are any quality UFA's left for what we need (a #1 defenseman, #2 at the worst), so we're going to have to trade even if it means giving up picks or prospects and a roster player. But we can't afford to overpay to the degree needed to get someone like Suter. Look for a team out of division, maybe even out of conference looking for some offensive help and speed or in need of clearing some cap space.

I don't think it'll happen. These days leaders in politics and business don't get that creative. They go for the easiest route that's been done before, which would be relocation. And I'm not even sure if the league is waking up to that idea yet. But Doan did say he was waiting to figure out what was going to happen to the Coyotes and would make a decision on or around Monday. So could we have an idea what's happening to the Coyotes on Monday?

No, now the Minnesota roster looks almost like an NHL roster. It's still a bad, bad roster, even with Parise and Suter on it. I agree though that the Wings will have to get creative this year and it's going to be an interesting off season.

I think Brunnstrom just means his sole goal is to make the NHL. Showing his determination to make it more than saying he won't play in the AHL I think. He knows he won't get a spot right off the bat.

What happened to the Suter thread? I must keep overlooking it. I just looked at Minnesota's defense, which currently has: Suter, Gilbert, Stoner, Scandella, Falk, Prosser, Spurgeon, Genoway, Foster, Fredheim. Yeah...that team isn't getting near a Cup anytime soon. Their offense contains one good line and one line that could be good for a few stretches. I still can't get my head around their decision.

But I thought the Wings' allure had faded and nobody wanted to come here anymore?

The Red Wings don't have "youth." Smith is our highest end prospect, and realistically he's not going to suddenly be a star rookie. We have decent depth at forward, but no forwards who have shown an ability to take over a game at a high level. Everyone is high on Nyquist but in all likelihood he'll be a Hudler at best. And beyond that, everyone is a question mark. As Wings fans we naturally overrate our prospects, just like everyone does. But there's no way the 6 or so prospects we have that we all like all make the NHL on a consistent basis. If we're lucky Smith, Nyquist and Tatar will become decent stars 5 years from now.

Now that Parise is gone, maybe we do need Semin. Not a priority but if we have money and space leftover after fixing our defense it's better than letting the cap space go to waste. Who knows, maybe he and Franzen will be lazy at different points and it'll add up as if we have one 50 goal scorer consistently. The key is a short-term contract. No way I'd go long-term on a guy like Semin. Bad work effort, questionable loyalty (KHL will always be calling). But if he'd agree to one or two years like a Hossa contract I'd be all for it. Unless something better comes along.

Everyone sees arbitration and labels the player as a villain, but in a lot of cases arbitration is actually a positive. Like others have said, I'm pretty sure it means he's locked into the Wings now. Once arbitration is submitted he is saying he will agree to play with us (or go overseas) for whatever the arbitrator says which could wind up being less than he wants. He just wants to make a case for a higher salary. It's his way of saying he wants to play for us but wants more money. Not quite as douchey as holding up the team in negotiations forever and then bolting for big money elsewhere. And like others have said, Quincey just needs time to adapt. I doubt he'll meet his full potential anytime soon, if ever, but he's still a serviceable #4. And as for Abdelkader not filing, it's probably because he and Holland wrapping up a deal and aren't far apart in what each side is asking for.

I think Tatar is ready. I don't mean that he's going to be great, but I think Holland should take the risk and not go "over-ripe" on a prospect. Bring him up, give him minutes and see what he can do.