SwedeLundin77

Drew Miller was a silver-haired ice god!

I could have sworn I read somewhere that he played some really solid defense at the worlds.

Please, enlighten me to who will be cheaper than 1 million and be as reliable as Nick Jensen? I'm not saying that I am completely against trading Nick Jensen, but if they do it only to re-sign Mike Green and not promote Hicketts, Hronek, Cholowski, Sulak, or our #6 pick, then it's pure stupidity in a rebuild.

Let's fix this for you: Zetterberg, Abdelkader, Nielsen, Nyquist, Helm, Glendening, Kronwall, Ericsson, DeKeyser, Daley, Howard. * Green is unsigned Bertuzzi, Mantha, and Larkin have already pushed vets out of playing time. Svechnikov and Rasmussen should vie for some top 9 minutes. Witkowski has already been relegated to our extra forward/defensemen. Frk hasn't shown he belongs in the top 9 outside of some powerplay duty. Turgeon has health issues right now. Booth is no longer on the team. They've already said that Ouellet will not be with the team. So we are drafting Hughes, huh? Yes, Hicketts, Hronek, Cholowski, Sulak, and possibly our #6 pick (maybe Bouchard, Wahlstrom, etc) will be competing for a spot in the lineup, maybe 2. If you're going to share your usual b****ing and moaning, at least have your facts straight and understand the whole picture. I'm not apologizing for Holland, but I'm also choosing to understand that more open competition for playing time is a good thing in a rebuild. Yes, Holland has saddled this team with bad contracts (Abdelkader, Nielsen, Helm primarily) but he hasn't done anything yet this offseason outside of what you assume he will.

A right-handed 3rd pairing defensemen making 1 million and under 30 is perfectly fine for this team. What we have no need for at this point in time is a 33-year-old injury prone defensemen who isn't nearly as good offensively as he's given credit for (anymore) and will cost them 4.5 million for each of the next 2 seasons.

Right. I like Jensen and with a good defensive core, he's a solid 5/6 guy, especially for his cap hit. What they NEED to NOT do is re-sign Green and leave a spot open for Hicketts, Hronek, Cholowski, Sulak, or possibly our #6 pick to compete for. Ouellet will be gone, one way or another. One of those guys will be called up because you know one of Kronwall, Ericsson, or Daley will get hurt at the very least. I like the idea of having Sulak in the lineup as a true shutdown D, since we don't have one right now, although I'm not entirely sure how effective he will be at the NHL level. They need to package Athanasiou for a young D-man, if possible. I'm not worried if he stays, but I think a lot will depend upon who we draft. I understand trading Ouellet because they decided, for one reason or another, to crap on developing him anymore or giving him a true opportunity. Jensen on the block makes sense but when your D is mostly closing in on the mid-30s age range, it'd be nice to keep the players under 30.

He seems to be a true steward of Todd Nelson's philosophy of coaching, so in that, I am perfectly fine with the choice. They want to hold on to the atmosphere that Blashill started and Nelson put his stamp on.

Anyone else pay attention to the Griffins promoting Ben Simon to head coach this morning? Can't see this posted anywhere else on the boards.

This is actually the scenario I like as I feel Wahlstrom can probably step right in, so they can move some current pieces for later picks and D needs. As far as Dmen available with our other picks (assuming we don't try and package a couple to move up into the 18-20 range: Alexander Alexeyev - WHL - 45gp, 7 goals, 30 assists - 6'3" 200 lbs, shoots left "Alexeyev does a lot of things well. There are a couple of things he can work on, but most aspects of his game are good. The difficulty here is finding one skill where he will be elite. There is a collection of good tools here, but no great one. Alexeyev projects as a potential second pairing defender, who can play in all situations. In terms of style, Alexeyev’s game is reminiscent of Jonas Brodin." Jacob Bernard-Docker - AJHL - 49gp, 20 goals, 21 assists - 6'1" 181 lbs, shoots right "Bernard-Docker will need time to develop, especially with the jump from the AJHL to the pros. Expect to see him spend a couple of seasons at North Dakota before being ready for the pro game. As he faces higher competition and gets better coaching, his defensive game should improve. It is sometimes tough for a player who doesn’t face top competition to improve defensively as he is not challenged by strong opponents game in and game out. Bernard-Docker can also improve his strength. His game is reminiscent of Jeff Petry." Mattias Samuelsson - USDP - 58gp, 11 goals, 20 assists - 6'4" 217 lbs, shoots left "Samuelsson has the unique combination of size, physicality and skill that NHL teams covet on their blue line. He may not have the offensive game to be a top power play unit player, but could contribute to a second unit. Samuelsson will need to work on refining his skills, cleaning up his skating, and improving discipline. As he is headed to the NCAA, there is plenty of time for him to improve. Samuelsson’s game is reminiscent of a left-handed Brent Seabrook." Jakub Adamek - Czech U20 - 42gp, 1 goal, 4 assists - 6'6" 200 lbs, shoots left Can't find any scouting info on him Calen Addison - WHL - 68gp, 11 goals, 54 assists - 5'10" 179 lbs - shoots right "The lack of size and strength will likely prevent Addison from ever becoming a shutdown defenceman, playing on the top pair. However, his skating, puck-moving, and offensive abilities still show him to be an intriguing prospect. He likely needs more time in juniors, to bulk up and play a bit more disciplined with the puck. If things go well in development, Addison has the potential to be a first unit power play defender and second pairing player at even strength. His game is reminiscent of Tyson Barrie." Axel Andersson - SuperElit - 42gp, 6 goals, 25 assists - 6' 174 lbs, shoots right "A long-term developmental defender who needs to add better habits and less gambling in his end and more grit. Strong on the puck and able to hold it in his end, with losing possession. Needs better awareness and presence in his end and bit more grit. Very skilled skater and puckhandler with flash and dash, and a high patience when under forechecking pressure. A long-term developmental right-hander who needs to continue to build his overall game." Aleksi Anttalainen - QMJHL - 61gp, 4 goals, 18 assists - 5'9" 182 lbs, shoots left No information If we trade into the 15-20 range: Adam Ginning - SHL - 28gp, 1 goal, 1 assist - 6'3" 196 lbs, shoots left "Ginning has the potential to be a defensive defenceman in the top four, however he must continue to improve his skating. He will likely never be a big offensive contributor, but can still keep the puck moving. He will need some time to add muscle to his growing frame as well. Expect Ginning to spend at least another season or two in Sweden before coming to North America. His style is comparable to Johnny Oduya." Ty Smith - WHL - 69gp, 14 goals, 59 assists - 5'10" 174 lbs, shoots left "Smith can be an excellent offensive contributor at the next level. He has all the skills to transform a team’s transition game and to run the power play. It is not clear if his defensive game will be good enough to take on top pairing minutes at the next level. Continued work on getting stronger will be key. He likely needs another year of junior, possibly two. Stylistically, Smith's game is similar to Shayne Gostisbehere." Jared McIsaac - QMJHL - 65gp, 9 goals, 38 assists - 6'1" 195 lbs, shoots left "McIsaac has all the upside and skills necessary to be a top-four defenceman at the NHL level. While he is not NHL ready yet, another year or two in junior, rounding out his game will serve him well. He should continue to play big minutes, and in all situations. This is something that will serve him well in his development. McIsaac’s game is reminiscent of Drew Doughty." Bode Wilde - USDP - 61gp, 12 goals, 29 assists - 6'2" 194 lbs, shoots right "Wilde has the potential to become a number one defenseman in the NHL, but he is more likely to slot in as a number two or three. He plays a solid two-way game and can be an important part of a team’s defensive core, playing both power play and penalty kill minutes. He has to continue to refine his game and will need some time before he will be NHL ready. Wilde’s game is reminiscent of a smaller version of Dustin Byfuglien."

And how do we know which selections he had and did not have input on?

Hey, you can't win them all. It's more likely than not that these late picks won't pan out. I wouldn't say Hakan sucks, just that he's human and he isn't always going to find a diamond in the rough like Datsyuk.

Julius Vahatalo has until June 1 to sign with the Red Wings or become a free agent, with the latter scenario being the most likely. It doesn’t appear Alexander Kadeykin will be coming over from the KHL anytime soon. He hasn’t exactly set the world on fire there, so he’ll remain on Detroit reserve list until something changes.

I'd say it's a good thing. Players that are serious and want to succeed in the league will have to appreciate that we are serious about the rebuild and finding the right piece to help bring the team back to it's winning ways.

I feel like if we trade up and get Zadina... you'll know Holland has changed a little (not a typical move by him). I also feel like they are correct in their assessment of those 4 defensemen. It's also tough since Hughes is just so dynamic and fast (literally like having another Larkin on defense).

I have always wanted them to trade for OEL... I hesitate now when thinking about it. He'll be 27 this summer and we may not be back in the playoff picture for 2-3 more years (minimum). Then you're talking about a 30-year-old OEL when we are just starting to turn the corner but still probably being bounced in the first or second rounds... I just wonder if we need to skew younger at this point (with bringing in outside defense). I would be aiming to trade for someone like Trouba (24 and an RFA) or Hanafin (21 and an RFA). Both will cost less in the immediate future, as well.

I'm obviously no expert, but it seems like he could step right in, too. Then they have the option of making some moves for a good young D. Perhaps we can finally put a package together and get Trouba, for example. They also have the option of getting a good solid D prospect late in the first or early in the second. I like the D prospects that are available, but I have this nagging feeling that Bouchard may not live up to the hype (since that seems like our #1 option).

I could have sworn I saw Wahlstrom listed as a C/RW. If so, I have to hope he's considered at the very least.

Not going to lie, I know we need a top D more than anything right now, but I would be freakin' ecstatic about having the Svech brothers, especially Andrei.

There is only one forward I'd like to take with that first pick and that's Wahlstrom... any other forward scenario would be if we traded up to 2 or 3 and grabbed Svech or Zadina. Otherwise, you have to go with the best D available (Bouchard, Hughes, Dobson, Boqvist). You hope you have: 1C - Larkin 2C - Rasmussen 3C - Nielsen (for now) This could eventually go to Turgeon or Holmstrom or a player we draft with this years late first or early second rounders 4C - Glendening or Turgeon (if he can get healthy)

Trade up and draft Zadina, screw positional need.

Right, I'd rather they go for a winger at that rate. Kotkaniemi is good, but I feel he's just another player to logjam the 2C position. Larkin could develop into a solid 1C and Rasmussen has that potential as well, so between those 2, you should have your 1C and 2C players. Turgeon, if healthy is your future 4C. That leaves 3C which goes to Nielsen for a few more years.

Abby - 35 points in 75 games is not a 2nd line scoring pace... that's 3rd line at best (and that's where he belongs post-Datsyuk). I'll give you Nyquist belongs on the 2nd line but has been, unfortunately, playing on the 1st line. Nielsen - I was where you are in describing the Nielsen signing (at the time). I have gained perspective since, however. That off-season they had Zetterberg (1C), Larkin (2C), Sheahan (3C), Glendening (4C). They also re-signed Helm (3C) and had Athanasiou (3C or 4C). They just needed to give Larkin the shot at 2C... worst case (at the time) they could have easily had Sheahan take the 2C responsibilities. Even Helm could have stepped in. I just think that signing was reactionary. It's a trend Holland has had with not preparing properly for when Rafalski, then Lidstrom left and then the same thing with Datsyuk (which I understand was sudden) but he still should have better prepared for it. It all comes down to not letting the kids play and learn and, yes, make mistakes. It's a problem with the coaching staff right now and why they aren't getting as much as they could out of these players.

He's played 3 full seasons with the Hurricanes to start his NHL career: 15/16: 79 games, 4 goals, 18 assists, 22 PIM, -14 16/17: 81 games, 4 goals, 25 assists, 26 PIM, -19 17/18: 79 games, 10 goals, 22 assists, 21 PIM, -20 A dynamic two-way defenseman who has no holes in his game. An exceptionally strong skater who isn't afraid to take the puck himself and move it up-ice. The confidence that he has in his abilities lets him thrive under heightened competitive levels. The skilled defenseman's undeniably high level of hockey sense is showcased whenever he touches the puck in the offensive zone. Defensively, he is aggressive, constantly pushing for puck possession and a quick transition to offense, but at the same time steadfast, reliable, and patient. He is poised beyond his years and mature in his decision making. All-in-all, Noah Hanifin is the ideal all-around defenseman who leaves no area of his game untended. (Curtis Joe, EP 2015)

Nielsen was a dumb move, not because I don't like the player but because he's overpaid and was given too much term. Helm is also overpaid and was given too much term. Abdelkader got an inflated salary because he was a 20 goal scorer and, for whatever reason, the top brass couldn't see that Datsyuk was the primary reason for his inflated stats. I didn't mind the Daley move as much but do agree that it seemed unnecessary. Much like the road we're seemingly walking down right now with re-signing Green when we really don't need him and he's an injury risk. I could see them keeping Daley after his contract is up since we should, hopefully, at that point have a D consisting of DeKeyser, Hicketts, Hronek, and Cholowski so I would understand the desire to have another veteran who has been through it and is reliable (although we could probably find someone better). Howard's contract was fine for when he signed it... couldn't have known he'd have all the injury issues and inconsistency partly because of them. If Howard stays healthy, he should net us a return at the deadline so it is imperative that we find a reliable backup who can play 40 games (Carter Hutton or Jonathan Bernier are my favorites). What's going to give me hope with Holland is if at the draft he either moves up to snag Svech or Zadina or if he stays put at 6 and gets us a solid D prospect or Wahlstrom. If he trades back only to pick Kotkaniemi it's going to feel like the same old same old and that's the last thing they need right now.

Yeah, I agree with you on both guys. Both had good freshmen years and both improved in their sophomore years. It's good to see Pearson earned the C, too. Interesting on Marsh, too, as he hasn't played very many games (only 68 over the past 2 seasons and only 27 this past season). Has he had injury issues?