kliq

Sucks that Svech got hurt again, I'd like to see him play for an extended period of time.

I'm sorry, but this is laughable and such hyperbole. Every team in the NHL had Zadina anywhere between their #2 -#7 on their draft boards. I'm just so sick of this tired false narrative that everything Holland did was awful, the way people spin things to force this BS is exhausting. Two damn teams passing on him is not "free falling". Hockey Writers had him going #2: https://thehockeywriters.com/2018-nhl-mock-draft-round-1/ Sporting News had him going #3: https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nhl/news/nhl-mock-draft-2018-picks-order-projections-rasmus-dahlin-sabres-canadiens-blackhawks-rangers/1wwd425dls1km1pjod5zbjj4sc Sportsnet had him going #5: https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/2018-nhl-mock-draft-fascinating-highly-skilled-first-round/ Pronman had him ranked #3: https://theathletic.com/342438/2018/05/21/pronmans-2018-nhl-draft-board/ There is no point, some people just wear blinders when it comes to anything Holland is responsible for. He could have drafted McDavid and they would be saying there is something wrong with him. See this is fair, I totally get the mindset that we should have gone D. With that said, and I'm not talking about you, just because we possibly should have gone D, does NOT mean that Zadina is a bust like some try to push.

The kid is 21....even if you assessment is correct today, the idea that he can’t become a star is ridicules. Give him a couple years, kids looked good this year.

I definitely see what you are saying, but when your friend is the best option out there, you are doing a disservice to the team by not hiring him. This isnt a situation where Yzerman is hiring a no name to coach simply because they are friends.

Normally I would agree, but these two were literally line-mates, and from my understanding good friends. I have always thought this to be the case. I do think Gallant will be our coach in 2021/22.

I know your joking, but he’s not actually going anywhere. They are just able to put him on the taxi squad now. Saves a bit of cap space, and gives a bit of roster flexibility.

You have to remember though, winning more games isnt exactly the main goal this year.

I hope so, we need him in this lineup. Larkin has really struggled since he went down.

I will say this, if I were Steve Yzerman I would inquire and see what it would take to get him, and then I would do a face to face with him and just get a read. If Yzerman truly believes that they as an organization can keep him in check (ie. Randy Moss in New England) I wouldn't hate the move. If he gets the vibe that it would blow up (ie. TO in Philly) I would pass.

Unfortunately those are the bad breaks in sports. You can make the best deal in the world, but the player you acquire can get injured the next day. Sucks, but it is what it is.

I feel like we’re just arguing semantics, I don’t even disagree with that.

I disagree and here is why. When you are a rebuilding team, you just dont sign guys to 7 year contracts unless they are young and a part of your core. Holland giving Abby that contract was because he wanted him around in short term, and he was willing to pay a price long term to do it. Either way, I dont think you and I are really that far off with where we stand on Holland. Any disagreements seem to be more semantics. I was a fan of Holland and he made a lot of great moves, but I won't deny the bad moves he made. You're right about Nielsen. It was a bad move IMO, but it definitely was streak/ownership related.

Some were, some weren't. I can't praise the Abby, Helm, or Nielsen contacts, they were all bad deals, and not just in hindsight. The Legwand trade I get, we were running Andersson as our 1C, we needed to fill that hole. The Weiss signing was a good one, you can't blame Holland for the fact that his body fell apart. Some point to his injury the year before, but that was a wrist injury and had no bearing on what happened to him. As for the Zidlicky and Cole trades, go to threads from that day, the majority of fans loved those trades. It wasnt until our first round thrashing that fans decided they were bad.

Come on man, this fan fiction has been debunked. Jimmy D himself has said that he and Holland pitched a re-build to Mr. I and they were turned down. When DD tried to start a re-build with the Tigers, Mr. I fired him. Some of the specific moves are definitely on Holland, but you can’t blame him for the direction given to him by ownership.

I wish him the best. Clearly the best move for him as he sucked last year, but over the years he was definitely an underrated player.

I dont want him. Even though I dont agree with him, I dont care so much about his political views, but the guy just seems like an awful teammate. He needs to go to a team with a strong leadership (think the Wings in '02 with Yzerman, Chelios, Hull etc.) as we saw how it worked with Avery. Putting him on a team with Larkin as the leader is just asking for issues.

LOL! That's the first thing I thought of as well.

Is anyone watching live?

For me I protect: Forwards - Larkin, Mantha, Bertuzzi, Fabbri, Rasmussen, Svechnikov, Smith Defensemen - Hronek, Lindstrom, Cholowski Goalie - Griess (unless Fulcher shows some promise this year)

No thank you. A first rounder that could realistically be #31 is essentially a second round pick. I’m not taking on all of that term for a second round pick. If I’m Yzerman. I don’t even think I’d take on Johnson alone for that pick.

What do you mean by “we”? Are you a spitfires fan lol? Or are you thinking this is NHL?

Lidstrom was also one of the top 2 d-men of all time. You take that away from any roster and you are going to be f***ed. If you have a good D (ie. not elite D), I do think you can win if you are elite down the middle. See Pittsburgh as an example of that, wasn't Letang out when they won the cup a few years back?

Oh I didn’t say it was smart lol. I really do think they are banking on an injury, or of course there could be a move in the works. Like Kip said above, I could see a Dermott trade.

You don’t have to have a 21 man roster. I’ve seen teams over the years start the season with a 19 or 20 man roster. My guess is that this is what they will do, or they are banking on an injury.

I think they have a bit more as they can still send down Robertson & Sandin. If they do that, then they are looking at around 3.2mil in space. Still tight though. They are probably banking on a injury, and based on probability, they will probably get one.