PavelValerievichDatsyuk

HAHAHAHAHAHAHHA

Nielson!!!!

Really great start. Mrazek, Smith, and of course Vanek were the standouts for me.

Excited for this one! Blash should switch Sheahan with Nyquist and then I'd be fine with the lines. Except, of course, AA should be in, but I expected that from him saying AA wasn't good enough in the last pre-season game.

1. Tatar and Larkin both score 30+. 2. Mantha will score around 18 in the AHL before Christmas and LGW.com will be going crazy that he's not on the team. Then he'll be on the team after Christmas. 3. The NHL's Concussion lawsuit will be resolved with a settlement suspiciously close to the expansion fee that the Las Vegas Knights will pay.

"Banged on the table..." I would suggest Francis find a different phrase... Maybe every GM is required to have their own version of this phrase for trying to get a player. Holland's just kickin' the tires. Wonder which is the more persuasive method.

I'm sure they're always reviewing the draft strategy and they did go away from smaller skilled guys in recent drafts recognizing the team's needs. I would more challenge when you said our scouting staff didn't pick the right guys in the 2010-12 drafts. We have Mrazek and Sheahan on the team from 2010. I don't know anyone could consider that a bad pull. From 2011, we have Jurco, Marchenko, Oulette and Sproul. I think all will develop to greater heights (Though 1 of XO or Sproul will probably, and unfortunately, be waived and Jurco's future is murky). Then we have AA from the 2012. As someone commented earlier, teams can really only hope for about 2 keepers in each draft. We got that and some very good guys in the bunch (Mraz+AA). Compare to some other teams. I looked at the Habs and they pulled less NHL players in those years. Only Galchenyck, Beaulieu, Gallagher in those 3 years vs. our 5-7. (Jarnkrok +Janmark makes 7-9, if you want to include players on other teams)

I'm not sure it's all that uncommon. Pens, BJs, Canucks, Ducks, Blackhawks, all lost 2 players like us last year. The previous year, Pens lost 3, Blackhawks lost 2, Kings lost 2, Source: wikipedia waivers list Those teams are mostly more competetive, though, so it makes sense for them more than it does for a team rebuilding through the draft Anyway, I agree with the spirit of what I'd guess you're thinking, which is: we should keep these players and give them a shot over signing vets (Ott, Miller, etc) You could read the number of waiver pickups as a credit to our drafting, but I think it's that combined with signing vets that block fringe/lower line players from getting a spot.

Right after the "Suter wanted to play here" part he says Suter's girlfriend didn't want to come to Detroit and that was the deal breaker. Unless you're thinking that Holland should have sabotaged Suter's relationship, I don't see how you can connect it as a fault of the GM.

Disagree with the thinking on this part. Frk and Pulkkinen were a 2nd round player and a 4th rounder respectively. Picks often turn to nothing. Both had marks against them when drafted - as any player outside the top 10 - you gamble/try to develop those shortcomings out of their game. If scouts are only looking for players with a complete NHL skillset, they won't find many. Losing players to waivers is not uncommon, though. Only way you get something for Pulkkinen is as part of a package or back when he was touted at the top scorer in the AHL.

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2016/10/red_wings_jeff_blashill_on_tee.html#incart_river_index This article says "Blashill confirmed that either Andreas Athanasiou or Anthony Mantha will start the season on the NHL roster," That's good to hear, but I don't see how it makes sense. They say they have to be playing to stay so that forces someone from the lineup that kickazz posted to be an extra forward. Would love if it was Miller or Ott, but comments from Blash seem like that 4th line is set in stone. I'll be mad if Sheahan's a scratch over one of those 2. Waiving Pulkkinen was a big shock and I think is a really bad move. I don't Frk was ever going to make the team - He had a good camp, but he only had the one good year in GR so I expected it to happen. Still would have preferred him to Miller/Ott, but don't think it's a huge loss.

Sorry that I was rude, but I did make those points in my first post. I've bolded them below in the original post. Only part I didn't really specify was Mantha and AA as replacement, but those 2 aren't waiver exempt after this year, so they have to be on the team. But, to be fair, you were also condescending to me: Your response to me was "So are we just not replacing those players or do their replacements intend to play for free..." We were talking about freeing up capspace for youngins - Unless you're counting on the possibility of us signing another 5.29 mill goalie to backup Mrazek and add another 10.750 in defenders, it seemed unreasonable for you to question the notion that these contract being gone would create significant space and I guess I was annoyed to have to go into the specifics. Apologies, though, my post was a bit rude. Anyway, truce. This conversation is too far in the future for anyone to know for sure.

With my previous calculation, I think I forgot to consider that Vitale's going to LTIR and that we're over the cap. Hmm, it is closer than I thought with the current cap and would maybe force Smith out in the unlikely situation that the cap stayed the same, but still do-able: 10,708,333 for 7 roster spots that capfriendly has open next year: -5 Tatar -.863,333 Mantha (already signed for next 2 years) -1.450 XO (marchenko's deal - I think it's a bit generous) -.9 AA (not sure what he gets on his next deal - all depends on how much he plays this year) -.9 Jurco (RFA) -.9 Pulk (RFA) -.625 Sproul (already signed for next 2 years) =.070 left over But the cap has gone up at least 1.75 mill the past couple years so there might be room for Smith or Vanek or a UFA. If the cap goes back to a larger increase - like 09-12 - then there would definitely be room. Also, we don't know who will be claimed by Vegas. Sheahan?, Howard? Anyway, that would clear up cap space.

If you re-read my post, I added up the available cap space for next year and then allotted to players signing - I didn't just subtract those player's caphit One I didn't include, but I thought was obvious was that Mantha will be on the team next year taking up a roster spot with a low caphit. If Miller and Ott aren't back, Jurco could take 1 spot and the other is open for Callahan or Bertuzzi or some other prospect (or that could be where the UFA money goes) If Smith wasn't re-signed, either Sproul takes a spot (if he's not claimed) or maybe Russo (team seems high on him) or that's where the extra UFA money goes. As for Howard, It's been written that the organization plans to have Coreau succeed him as the backup (with a small caphit). As for who is in the place of Green and Kronwall, those are big holes, but - as I said in the previous post - our big re-signees in the next few years (Larkin and Tatar) won't take up the combined caphit (around 16 million) of these 3 big contracts, so there will money to spend on UFA Dmen or some other replacements. Anyway, bottom line is I don't see why there's this fear of a cap crunch. This year, due to Dats contract being gone, we had enough to add 3 UFAs (Vanek, Ott, Neilson). We have big contract coming off for the next few years and that will take care of raises and we're trying to bring prospects onto the team for the next while (Mantha, bert, Svech, Cholowski?) so these smaller caphits will take up the available spots.

Yeah, my mistake. I do think Smith there's a big chance that Smith won't be back, though. I guess it would be through free agency, I'm kind of indifferent about him personally - I just don't think the team has shown much love for him.

Without Ott, Miller, Vitale, Vanek, Jurco & Pulkinen we have 7,254, 167. I think all are questionable to be re-signed. If you add Smith to that (I do think there's a strong possibility that he's not re-signed or is claimed by Vegas) than we would have 10, 004 167. Plus whatever amount the cap goes up... Not a lot to worry about here. Tatar gets 2-2.25 mill out of that for a raise. Jurco and Pulks would be cheap. Then you could re-sign Vanek or Smith and I think you'd still have room for a UFA. It's not really a legitimate concern. In 2 years Green's big contract comes off - That's when Larkin's deal is up and I don't think anyone thinks he's getting more than Green's 6 mill (plus his current .900 - it would have to be) then in 3 year we lose Kronwall and Howard's big contract's so another 10 mill will be freed up for younger players.

it's really hard to understand what this post is saying. (Not putting it down - it's understandable, it's a Friday night and I've certainly had a few) If you're trying to say that having a player picked up and then waved again would cost us, you're forgetting the aspect that we don't have to pay their salary anymore. Even if there's some kind of 50k fee - it's a fraction of the 600 000+ that we'd be paying them, so we'd be saving money in that case. That is, of course, if I understood you correctly (which I probably didn't).

Yeah, I think his window has past - so maybe past ripe e-prime, haha. With the Miller and Ott being signed the team clearly don't have him in their plans. I think the first forward call-ups this year will be Mantha, Nosek and maybe Bertuzzi judging from some of Blashill's comments (assuming AA's on the team).

Well, Callahan did play 1 NHL game and was pretty good from what I remember. I think injury played a role him not getting more of a shot. I think last year was the first time he wasn't waiver exempt. That would make the previous year his overripe stage when we give most prospects a shot in their last entry-level year. He was on a good pace (38pts in 48games), but he saved a goal with his face and was out the rest of the year with a concussion/broken jaw. Maybe some of you remember the picture of his bloody toothless face that he posted.

? Every player not named Larkin passes through the AHL - that's how they earn a spot in the NHL. Solid play in the AHL gets you a call up and the chance at a spot. In his 3rd year in the AHL, Callahan scored 26 there. That's more than Tatar or Nyquist ever scored in the AHL. That's pretty good for a player who would be for a lower line role. For someone constantly criticizing the Glen, Helm deals - Callahan would be the alternative to signing those guys - so I thought you would advocate for him. I would have liked to give Callahan a shot rather than signing either Miller or Ott.

Did you read that link? Is says nothing about a 1st+Tatar or Nyquist, is says from Dreger that they were asking for 2 of our higher level forwards. Since it doesn't say prospects and many of our forward can't be traded due to their NTCs, I assume it's 2 of Larkin, Tatar, or Nyquist. I guess Z could be included in that group, but I doubt he'd be a target for them. I wouldn't give up 2 of that group for Trouba. If it was Tats and Nyquist, there's a chance we could replace them with Mantha and AA, but knocking out 2 main producers from a team that struggled with offence wouldn't be too smart.

Hmm, never heard of Criscuolo. Apparently signed from Harvard, so we'll have some brains in GR

Who scored the first one?

You're living in the past, man!! Or maybe just posting in yesterday's GDT thread.

Penalty killing ability is pretty tangible when you're in close games (which we will be often again this year). Ability to win faceoffs is an essential part of winning in todays game - Helm back at center will supply that. Speed does matter. Forechecking pressure matters. Ability to move from center to wing up and down the lineup is important for finding line combos whenever we need to change things up. And he does produce as a secondary scorer. He's overpayed, but this is not a player like Emmerton we're talking about here. We're not paying him like a core player. I saw someone else say that and it looks like it's caught on. If we could get a core player for 3.8 we wouldn't be worrying about how to fit in Trouba's caphit as earlier on this page