marcaractac

I'm not so sure Kenny doesn't throw the bank at him. He threw the bank at Suter as well, he just chose to go to Minny. Holland will pony up the cash for the right player. Niskanen is the right player. He is EXACTLY what this team needs. Responsible in his own end, can move the puck, put up points, is young, and is a much, much needed righty. Holland will go after him hard. If he doesn't end up here, I do not think it will be because Holland was afraid to offer money. Agreed. Adding him, Then ridding Kindl and Lashoff makes the Wings D sooooo much better. Niskanen along with a reliable vet to play on the 3rd pairing fixes a lot of problems. Most of the problems up front can be fixed just by cutting dead weight and getting more experience. I won't fret if all that is done up front is bringing Alfie back. It would give management time (if healthy) to see what the team is made of, and if they are good enough, missing pieces can be added at the deadline. Of course if the chance to land a guy like Moulson is there, Holland obviously shouldn't pass it up. I just don't think it would be the end of the world. On top of that, give M-raz his chance to be the backup and I think we see a much improved team next season.

I like that Niskanen is tearing it up in the playoffs thus far. Pricing himself right out of Pittsburgh.

This game is nuts. Rooting hard for cbus to make the comeback. Gaining a lot of respect for that team. they are easy to like once you get passed them kicking the wings ass all the time

Truth. I do hope Alfie sticks around. With the guys getting conditioned this summer, it would lead to a lot less stress next season as long as the right moves are made in July. Giving Alfie rest during the season (like on back to back games and what not) to have him ready for the playoffs would be huge. He is a leader and can still get it done when healthy. It also never hurts to have someone like him around to try and win it for.

You are looking at things from an absolute worst case scenario. There is enough youth in the system to keep the team competitive. More than enough. When the time is right and guys are far enough developed at the NHL level, the time will be right to make moves to add any missing pieces for a run. Tanking a season and losing our best players is not the answer. That would be becoming the Edmonton Oilers. I know people like to use Colorado as an example of why the Wings should tank. But Colorado had to suck for a long time to get where they are. Sucking for one year didn't get them there.

Problem is, they didn't make it to the dance. This team is in sooooo much better shape than Calgary has been in years.

Nice to finally see reason and logic in a post! People also forget hoe dominant the team was starting to become before Z went down with a bad back the first time. There was a stretch of games right before that where the team was looking fantastic (and this was without Pasha). There are a lot of positives to be taken from this season. It is a shame that so many only look at the big picture and predict doom and gloom. A feast of crow will be had for many soon enough.

Exactly. They had that run to the finals, and they tried to squeeze every last bit they could out of that team for quite a few years following. On top of those aging vets, they had little to no depth in the prospect pool to develop. The Wings have the luxury of having loads of depth in the prospect pool. Along with having guys like Dats, Hank and Kronwall around for them to learn from.

Their big problem was having zero depth in their prospect pool. It is not an issue the Wings have. You think the likes of Hank, Dats and Kronwall are gonna sit by and accept tanking a season?

Calgary is a team that was getting old all around, with absolutely no youth ready to come in because they either traded them all away or just flat out sucked at drafting. So please continue to tell me how the Wings relate to that. The team is loaded with young talent. They aren't gonna become impact NHL'ers over night. You, along with many, are wanting a knee jerk quick fix to get the team at the top of the league. Quick fixes do not work in the cap era. You know what? People might take the time to debate things with you like an adult if you didn't keep conducting yourself like a child in these forums.

Tanking a season for a draft pick is even more of a joke.

I love how +/- is your only argument on deciding whether Kronwall is a top pairing or second pairing defenseman. This is just one of many reasons why nobody is taking you serious. The idea of tanking a season for a draft pick is sickening

Good luck fitting your dream defense under the salary cap! And yes, lets trade all of the youth so the team can be good for 2-3 years and then be absolutely screwed. Genius plan. Smelling a dynasty already. Seriously though. I'd love to know what magical team(s) is gonna give up 2 top dmen that are better than Kronwall, considering there might be only about 10 of them in the entire league. You know what that means? Kronwall IS a #1 dman. Yoo know what would happen in your dream scenario? There would be no depth because all the cap would be tied up in too few players. If you want the 3rd pairing and 4th line to always be players making league minimum, I guess that works. The problem is, teams in such situations never win. Sorry to burst your bubble, but NHL 14 doesn't work in the real world.

So was Lidstrom the year he won his last Norris trophy. That was in just 1 season. By plus/minus logic, I guess Lids wasn't a legit #1 dman that season either. It is the bottom pairing on this team that needs work. Not the top. Smith will keep getting better, as will DeKeyser. Along with Kronwall and E, that is gonna turn out to be a very good top 4. Improve the bottom pairing and the defense is suddenly good, with a nice blend of vets and young guys who will keep getting better. This is why you don't trade all the young players. They will continue to improve. To say guys like Goose and Tatar have to become the next Datsyuk and Zetterberg to justify staying with this team is absolutely foolish. Dats and Hank are world class players and became that way because of their work ethic. Very few players ever get to become as good as they are. The Wings may or may not have players in the system that can eventually replace what they bring to this team. But what they definitely have is a lot of young players that can and will become very important pieces of this team. It isn't going to happen over night. There are no quick fixes in the cap world. Trading all the kids for great players isn't gonna happen. And even if it did, the Wings would become the Rangers. 2 decades of trading and signing big name players only to lead to 2 decades of mediocrity. Why? Because their management weren't patient. This isn't 2002. Holland can't go out and buy or trade for missing pieces anymore.

I don't think using common sense will work

The only one here who can't handle other people's opinions is you. Of course people call you out when you say nonsense like Kronwall is a 2nd pairing dman and that they should trade all their young players because they didn't meet your unrealistic expectations in their first full NHL season. Name calling. Nice. I figured you were a child. As for Kronwall, he is on an NHL team, not an allstar team. On no team would he be 3-4 on the depth chart.

I love how just because I live in Newfoundland I'm suddenly from here. But guess what? NO defenseman in the entire league is Lidstrom. He was in a class of his own, and it could be a long time before there ever is another dman at that level. The guy was a machine for the team this year. A leader. Take Kronwall out of the picture and this team this season would have been a lottery pick team. But please. Continue to judge me by where I currently live. I obviously know nothing about the game because of the town I have lived in for a whole 4 years.

Truth. No team in this league has 2 dmen that are better than Kronwall. Most teams don't have 1 dman better than him. All of a sudden if someone doesn't look like Lidstrom out there they aren't good enough.

I now know not to take anything you ever say seriously. Kronwall a 3-4 dman? Please. I guess when a team does so much winning, some fans expectations get absolutely warped. If Kronwall is a 2nd pairing dman, in your world there are 60 dmen in the league better than him. But have fun continuing to tout your opinions as fact. Makes an entertaining read.

Who is saying changes don't need to be made? You're talking cleaning house and only keeping a few guys who will no longer be playing by the end of the decade. That is not how a rebuild is done. If a team is to be blown up to start over, it is done the exact opposite as what you suggest. Keeping the youth, getting assets for the older guys. Still not a viable option for this team, as the future isn't near as bad as you seem to think it is. Do changes need to be made? Yes. But not to the extent you seem to think. Cutting the dead wight and a couple important editions can have this team making noise once again. Players like Goose and Tatar will continue to grow and improve. They will learn how to win. 10 years ago Hank and Dats didn't know how to win either. People were even suggestion Dats should be traded because he was a playoff no show. See how things can change in a few short years? If you wanna cheer for a team that blows everything up whenever they don't win, perhaps root for the Flyers? The Wings don't get top draft picks. The players they draft have to be developed over time. I'm glad Wings management has more patience than you do. It is the cap era. You don't build a team through trades and free agency. You build a team through the draft, then use free agency and trades to add pieces to make a run when the time is right. This team will get there. A lot sooner than you think.

Doing things your way has this team in the draft lottery a lot quicker than doing anything with any common sense.

Babcock also said Franzen is a vet who will be back next year. As for Alfie, he was playing hurt in the end of the season and playoffs. If he is healthy, he can definitely still bring it.

Would love to see him back. If he does come back, hopefully the Wings have a much more comfortable season when it comes to making the playoffs so he can get any rest he needs if he is banged up to get ready for the playoffs.

Not making an argument for or against Mule here, but most of those contracts are also RFA contracts. Every one of those players next contract will be much bigger.

Totally agree on Dats. I have faith that he'll do what's best to be ready for the season. I'm excited to see what Weiss does next year. I really do think he turns it around. We'll have Dats, Hank, Weiss and Helm who can all finally come into training camp at 100%. That makes this team very strong down the middle even if Hank and Pasha play together. I don't think this team has as many issues as some think. Being healthy is key along with bolstering the blue line so we can avoid Kindl and Lashoff. Up front I say go with the kids, and address any needs at the deadline (unless an opportunity presents itself to bring in a UFA this summer).