Jesusberg

Honestly, I don't think it's an overpayment - just about everyone on the team had an "off" year. Guys like Shawn Matthias, Lars Eller and Colin Wilson all produced around the same as Riley last season and are making from 2.3-3.9M per. Sheahan was ranked #87 in the entire league last year in lowest cost per point. The deal will give both parties two years to see what kind of player he turns into, and he's still RFA after it's done. It's not a bad signing at all, IMO.

I was skeptical that it was even put out there at all, but WiiM tweeted about it and they can't stand Khan (so I can't really see why else they'd lie about/discuss it). Ansar usually plays it pretty close to the chest, too - he doesn't like to ruffle feathers within the DET organization at all. Weird.

Things can change from now until the expansion draft, but some reputable sources have already discussed the proposed rules. General Fanager added a tool to their site, which includes exempt players and players who meet the 70-game criteria (although, they didn't include the option to protect eight skaters and one goaltender, for some reason) - http://www.generalfanager.com/teams/expansion Here's a breakdown of the reported rules, too: Based on the rules reported to date (from Chris Johnston of Sportsnet and James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail), the following rules apply to what each of the existing 30 NHL teams can protect entering the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft: Players with two years of professional experience or less are exempt from the process. Players with NMCs must be protected, but may be exposed if the player agrees to waive his NMC Teams can protect 7 forwards, 3 defensemen and 1 goaltender Teams must expose 2 forwards and 1 defenseman that play 40 games in the 2016-17 season or 70 games between the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. Players that have already exceeded the 70 game threshold are denoted as 70, players projected to exceed either the 40/70 game thresholds are denoted as 40/70. Teams must expose one goaltender who is either under contract for 2017-18 or an RFA in the 2017 off-season.

I'm not saying it's impossible for a deal to benefit both parties equally, but in most of these "cap dump" situations the team trying to shed a contract had to add something. The Capitals had to add a 2nd rounder and Connor Carrick to get rid of Laich (they received Winnik and a late-round pick). The Flyers retained half of the salary on both Lecavalier and Schenn's contracts (they received Jordan Weal and a 3rd). In other cases, it's been about taking on an unwanted contract for someone who will never play ahain (Horton for Clarkson, Pronger and Grossmann for Sam Gagner), and I don't think Detroit wants to take on the salary of an underperforming player. More often than not, the team shedding the contract has to give something extra, retain salary or take on a bad contract. The only situation I know of (and I had to look it up) where the team shedding "won" is when Tim Thomas was moved to the Isles for a 2nd rounder. I could be forgetting or missing a similar trade (and feel free to mention any), but it seems to me like most of the time the team moving the contract is losing.

It's not necessarily doing the Red Wings a favor, but who does the deal help more? The general managers in the league understand Detroit's current situation, and that there are a limited number of teams willing/able to take on the contract. It's helping them get to the floor/not pay out actual dollars, but I'm sure they'll want the Wings to sweeten the pot a bit. I think it's probably somewhere in the middle. Detroit isn't going to have to give up a solid prospect and pick to the contract, but I'm not sure just attaching a 4th rounder will do it, either. I'm sure it varies from team to team - not everyone has the same asking price. Hopefully someone will take it in a reasonable deal. Karmanos is in deep (financially) right now, but I still can't see him doing Ilitch any "favors". I think Arizona might be the Wings' best chance to unload the contract.

I mean, call me a pessimist, but I'm not sure it's "official" just yet. I definitely think Richards is gone, but... I'm having flashbacks of July 2014, where Holland struck out on Stralman, Niskanen and Boyle, then decided to lock-up KFQ on July 2nd. If Holland's targeting guys like Yandle, Goligoski or Campbell and strikes out, I hope he just allows Ouellet/Sproul to join the roster. In fact, I'd rather Ken not sign any of those guys, considering we've already got 15M tied up in Green, Kronwall and Ericsson as it is...

From what I've gathered from various sources, a lot of players who would be completing their 2nd pro season next year have been labeled as exempt from the draft - ie: Larkin, McDavid, Ehlers, etc. I think it's a case of playing 2 full seasons or fewer and not needing protection. I'm not sure there's any concrete information on whether it's "you've played two full seasons, so now you're eligible" or "you've only played two full seasons, you're exempt". If this is correct, I'm wondering how that applies to players who may have played a some pro games at the end of the 2014-15 season. Teams like to bring their junior players up to their AHL teams on tryout contracts once their respective junior teams are eliminated. It doesn't impact their "rookie" status, but I'm curious how it might be applied here.

Once the season was finished, I immediately thought of Oates as an option for an assistant coach and found this piece on what he's doing these days - http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/30-thoughts-adam-oates-responds-critics/ He seems pretty content in putting his role as a coach behind him, but I suppose anything could happen. I recalled him visiting Detroit during this season, but it just appears part of something he was willing to do as a consultant.

FWIW - http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2016/05/red_wings_reassign_assistant_c.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Here's an up-to-date version of that Waiver Schedule. Just scroll to the far right to see it, along with the current contracts. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HrNkrJx215MOeOThLvHvyOqz-bzcx04dgWohyYIbLBg/edit#gid=702761773

No thank you, sir. Good day.

It comes down to coaching style. I feel like Blashill was kind of set toward utilizing the strengths of younger, offensive players at the beginning of the year, but as time went on got spooked and went the safe route. He seems committed to the latter now, which is unfortunate. Every situation is different, but he's going to have to let the kids play eventually, and not all of them are going to be the dependable, two-way skaters he's looking to create. I remember reading some quotes from Larionov awhile back (I think he was discussing Yakupov) about how coaching in today's NHL is sucking the creativity out of the game. Coaches are trying to mold every player into the same style of skater, which doesn't translate with the offensively-inclined guys, obviously. I think this is a good take on how Dave Hakstol approached Gostisbhere in Philly. I'm not saying Blashill should let Smith, Mantha, Athanasiou, etc roam free, but I think he should be more receptive to it. You can have guys who take chances and compliment them with dependable partners/linemates. When you watch Gostisbehere, he's going to make mistakes, but he's also allowed to be a dynamic player. It's a double-edged sword.

With the news about Pavel, this is the first thing I thought about. It has Ken Holland written all over it. The triumphant return of Brad Richards: second-line center/fourth-line right winger. For the record, I think he's played well down the stretch, too.

Right. And I get where you're both coming from, and why Holland sent him down. I may not agree with some of Holland's roster moves, but if the situation is 6-10 minutes a night/healthy scratch or playing in the AHL, I get why Kenny chose the latter. They wanted him in a top-six role on the team, and they don't feel like he's done enough to earn that role. He's not a 6-10 minute kind of player. What I don't get is referring to one of your top prospects as a "spare part", and asking why anyone would think he'd be "the answer". I wonder if Kenny knows what the answer is...

Which is whatever, if Holland feels that way. People may disagree, but it's management's call. Management throwing him under the bus (again - Devellano), however, doesn't feel like it's conducive to Mantha's growth. Don't see how the jab was necessary or helpful.

This line from Holland. Just... wow: http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nhl/red-wings/2016/04/10/wings-opt-andersson-over-mantha-start-playoffs/82866748/ I don't get the thought process behind saying something like that. At all.

The more I think about it, the less likely I think Holland is to move the contract. Although, he just lost his top center, so I think he's crazy if he doesn't take a run at Stamkos here. Doesn't feel like a Kenny thing to do though, does it? When you combine the way he views loyalty, and how the move might impact the perception of Pavel (at least in his mind), I can see him standing pat and eating the cap hit. Also, Detroit's most likely going to have to cough up a prospect/draft pick to get someone to take on Pavel's contract.

3 years. I've seen the 2M penalty floated around, but I'm not sure if that's the balance between the cap hit (7.5M) and his salary (5.5M), or if it's just a penalty the team incurs for moving a 35+, retired contract. Not to dismiss the WingsNation link Huskies posted, but I'd like to see something concrete. Either way, Holland saying he won't try to move the contract (Albom article) is asinine. In the same article, Pavel says he'll do whatever the Wings need to help out the situation. At the very least, Kenny has to consider it.

Honestly, if the Wings can't win against a team giving them the opening the Rangers are, they don't deserve to be there. The Rangers want to avoid the Penguins as much as the Red Wings want to make the playoffs, it would seem.

Just a guess on my part, but I think it comes down to Blashill swapping Richards for Mantha, and now deciding to use Sheahan on the 2nd PP unit. That leaves Mantha with limited minutes on the 4th line, and no usage on special teams. Unlike Athanasiou, Mantha doesn't strike me as a guy who's going to have much of an impact playing 6-8 minutes. The fans might not like it, but it's the way Blashill's positioned him for the time being. That said, I don't get why Blash seems so insistent on double dipping with his players. Now it's Abdelkader and Sheahan playing on both the PP and PK, with Abdelkader ranked 2nd in SH TOI/GP for over a month now. In that span, the team's PK is 25th overall in the league. You can attribute the issues to any number of things, but I can see how overusing Abdelkader might be one of them. It's not like this team is void of dependable PK guys - use AA a little on the 2nd PK unit. Heck, at the very least, use Helm more. He's proven to be a capable penalty killer over the years - he has that "resume". It's probably the biggest gripe I have with Blashill - he seems to try to "play it safe" too often, and goes back to the same well over and over. Hopefully that changes as he and the team adjust to each other. Edit: It took Abdelkader being in the box, but...

I read this last night, and I agree with several points throughout the article. I also disagree with quite a few. - I agree with the idea that Blashill panicked and leaned on the vets far too much. He rode Pavel and Z into the ground during the month of February. - I also agree with the idea that the next time this team is going to contend, it's going to be because of the younger guys and not Datsyuk and Zetterberg. They should have leaned on the younger guys earlier in the year, though. - He talks about the Wings getting chewed up by the Caps, but they have a better chance of playing against Florida or Tampa Bay. - I feel like the article's a little late in the season. What's the point of "transferring ownership" of the team at this point? If Blashill hadn't panicked and turned to the vets in the New Year, I might agree, but that time has passed. At this point, the Wings have a better shot at making the playoffs with the veterans, than putting the younger players in unfamiliar roles (arguable, but it's how I feel). Getting booted in the 1st round in 4-6 games > letting the kids take the reigns for the remaining 4 games. Also, I think the premise of the piece is flawed. Missing the playoffs isn't going to change Holland's process, IMO. One season of "failure" is going to alter a guy's "tried and tested" method. I think there are quite a few issues in regards to player deployment, bad contracts, etc., but none of that is going to change because the Wings miss the playoffs by (at worst) a few points. Just my take.

The Leafs are starting Sparks tonight. Bernier had a 1.92 GAA, and .938 Sv% in March, which includes his shutout against Detroit. It sure feels like Babcock is throwing the Wings a softball here.

Honestly, it doesn't matter where Athanasiou and/or Mantha slot in. Their ice time is going to stay the same because of how Blashill utilizes them in relation to special teams. Mantha gets a few minutes more because of the power play. Glendening's minutes are where they are because spends far too much time on the penalty kill, and because Blash decides to use him when he shortens the bench late in games. Edit: Looks like Dubnyk's in for the Wild tonight. I expect them to have a lot of jump after last night. Wings need to survive early.

This is my concern, too. Hoping they go with Kuemper tonight, since Dubnyk played last night (and he played unreal during the month of March). Really, if this team can't muster up the motivation tonight... I don't even know. There are storylines in nearly every remaining game. Suter and Parise (mostly Suter) spurned you, and chose Minnesota instead. Babcock spurned you. He sleeps on his mattress full of cash and potential. Philadelphia and Boston stand in the way of the streak. The Rangers... have Chris Kreider? He hates goalies. You have two of those. Get motivated. At least head into the Flyers game after earning four points this weekend. Make it interesting.

I think I'll just conserve my energy for next season. I'm less than thrilled with the team, but there's no quick fix to the situation. The only real changes I see next year are letting Quincey (Ouellet on roster) and Richards go (UFA or someone from within for the fourth line - Nosek, possibly?). Depending on where the salary cap is, I could see them bringing Helm back into the fold. He's likely to be overpaid for his role on the team, though. Outside of that, most of the changes need to come from within. Blame Holland, Blashill, Ferschweiler, whoever you want - it doesn't really make a difference, but it probably feels good to do it. I'd wager that at the end of the day, they're going to attribute missing the playoffs to the league being really tight, and the poor power play numbers. I don't think missing the playoffs is going to be the wake-up call some fans believe it could be. Am I upset? Yeah. Do I have ideas about what I'd prefer to see over what's going on now? Absolutely. Neither of those have any impact on what's going to happen with this team, and to be honest, I think we're in for some frustration for the next 2-3 seasons.