frankgrimes

Defensive help

Exactly and I think they could be packaged up in a nice deal

Forgot Mantha but if necessary for defensive help I would do it yes.

worst thing is this edition is near the cap, so even if a trade presents itself they have to take that into accounting for fixes. Like I've said many times everyone not named Larkin, Dekeyser, Nyquist/Tatar, Z (deserves to retire as a wing) as does Kronner can go. Green, Vanek should each net a second time trade deadline and maybe a contender becomes desperate and wings could get a first for someone.

I would go as far and sad he has been the best player this year.

Crash the net, finish every check instead of just trying to shoot for the sake of shooting would go a long way. But the caps aren't doing much either so the perfect cocktail for a boring game

wow this team is so boring to watch zero intensity, all the caps need to do is wait for their chance and strike. I envy the Jets, Oilers, Sabres they are bad now but their future is bright.

As long as there is a CBA there will be lockouts. So I would bet on it

Hardly you don't get a high end center for that contract. Nielsen is exactly as advertised a small, soft, non physical second line center tasked to play over his capabilities that's not his fault. He could do his stuff with the Islanders because the opponents where focusing on shutting down JT..so he didn't face the best defenders the other teams have to offer nor their top lines for most of the game. In short a Player you sign if you want to put your team over the top not someone for a team that should be rebuilding and stay away from long term contracts for veterans.

It's far from a joke Mrazek hasn't shown the consistency needed to be the number 1, period. As soon as other teams started to figure him and his overly aggressive style out his performances dropped of. Howard has been the better goalie this season so if Brazen wants to be the started he has to show it simple as that.

Maybe the reason Glendening is there is him creating space for other players ? I think Blashill had him in GR so there must be something he sees in him. I mean, Blashill for sure has seen that things aren't working so he is trying to fix it via try a a error. Hardly anything wrong with that.

Like which guy? If there were so many better options Blashill would use them. It's not a secret that this team needed a sniper since an eternity, Mantha could!become that guy but first he needs NHL experience and not get sent down and only called up when the injury bug happens AA has speed but lacks size and his defensive game needs work. Nielsen oh well let's wait and see but so far it's sadly exactly as advertised I honestly fail to see where all these "hidden gems" are? It is what it is and Blashill has to work with it. Will he make mistakes of course the guy is in his second year, so that's to be expected. But the guy responsible for this roster should face some not so nice questions for his reluctance to do what's necessary which is play the kids and try to trade the veterans. Also name me a guy who would walk away from 30 million remaining on his contract so the hope that Z retires soon isn't a realistic one...he will retire as a Redwing

Options 2 but this needs to be done right. A guy like McDavid doesn't come along in every draft and a team has to be very lucky to get someone of that caliber but you can still draft very good players in the top 5 range. The key part is developing them the right way. Someone like Monahan is a great example, he might not be elite but he is close to it, Mark Scheifele would be another one. Anyhow since sooner or later a rebuild needs to happen option 2 for me.

Howard is paid like an average/above average goalie and that's exactly what he is, I really do see nothing wrong and so far wheter people like it or not he has outplayed Mrazek.

I used to think that way too but actually I've long moved on from the 2009 loss against them and don't consider them a rival anymore. But when every coach, expert and executive is praising a guy for tremendous work ethic and being an even better person of the ice than on the ice there must be something true about that, so yeah I now like Crosby a lot more. The sad fact is, every player in a contact sport especially (MMA, NHL or NFL) is one wrong hit away from retirement. I know a lot of guys think McDavid is just pure media hype but the truth is, that guy is unbelievable, he can do thinks at full speed I couldn't even dream of pulling of in Slowmotion. Also McDavid has that sixth sense of knowing where the puck is going to be, it seems like his brain is always thinking ahead. In think in 2 years he will be able to take over the crown from the Crosby by then he might be at 210 lbs and be able grind his way to the net. It's crazy to think about it but I believe once Ovie starts to slow down (in 3 years that freak of nature), I think Laine will be ready to takeover as a goal scoring machine this shot is just unfair for goalies.

nice win let's see if they can create a winning streak now

That's why I said I'd hate to do that but I'll doubt anythiing else gets it done. Maybe Cheveldayoff surprises us all and trades him for Rielly from the Leafs

He was supposed to be a 4 th line guy you don't need to be McJesus to play on the fourth line. Some patience, time and hardwork and I'm sure he would have surprised some guys. Why draft him if you ******* never give him a chance?

Trouba for 6 million for 2 years is an absolute steal. I'd HATE to lose him but I'd pay Larkin for that.

Too big and tough for pussyhockey that this club loves from top to bottom Gets drafted but never got a fair chance altough he would be exciting to watch, just enjoy his youtube clips guy is a machine on skates

Not surprised Cheveldayoff just set a way too high asking price. Hopefully it's a sign and trade

Well I've had that mentality because I was (wrongly) convinced Sutter and Parise could be wearing the Winged Wheel after that failed...I thought okay time for some rebuilding it would have been the perfect time. Kenny could have retired as a god here and the captain who brought the Wings back to their rightful place should have taken over...but we all know what happened. That's not hindsight it's the reality. 2. Well you believe they have, I think Larkin has star potential let's see who is going to be right. Where the f*** am I hard on Mrazek? The way some people are talking about him makes it sound like he's a future vezina winner till he shows that he can handle the number 1 job with consistency I don't think so (maybe I'm wrong but so far this season Howard has been the better goalie there is no denying that). Also I'm not putting them down I have realistic expectations and if they exceed I'll be very happy but if not I'll still be happy because I wasn't crazy about them. Best examples are Nyquist and Tatar, always thought I would be happy if they can produce 20 to 25 to goals on annual basisand so far they've delivered so that makes me happy. Just to be perfectly clear I think McDavid has superstar potential (the guy may already be one) and Eichel isn't far behind but I don't think the other guys (including Matthews) are going to reach such levels. 3. The problem isn't so much that the Wings may or may not fail, it's the construction of this roster and the contracts constantly given out in a panick move because of the streak. Nielsen would have been an awesome signing for a team that's ready for a cup run but you just don't sign guys like him to 6 year deals when you are heading towards a rebuild. It's the same with the Eriksson signing in Vancoucer those 2 deals are just bad. The best signing was Ott at 800k he adds a bit of grit and has seen it all. But whoever the next GM may be has to do a ton of house cleaning. I get it, it's not up to me, you or really anyone else because we aren't running this team. But I really do believe Holland has become complacent and is happy with the status quo which is fine but then have the guts and let someone else do what's needed. Do I have the answers? No, but I'm also not paid millions of Dollars to run a hockeyteam while making statements we try to marginally improve our team and hope that some prospects might turn out great. I mean what type of plan is that? Sorry, but this sounds a lot like the BS that's going on in Vancouver they've lost like 7 in a row and still believe they can compete...of course they can for the first overall. 5. Getting top picks is just part of the story you also need to develop them and be patient with each individual. I mean wouldn't you like to see what the Wings development team could do with a guy like Patrick, Foote or Vilardi? Arizona is not a good example because they are a budget team, I've said it before and I'll say it again I would have liked to see what Maloney can do with a blank check because he did one heck of a job there given all the difficult circumstances. 6. Yeah should be a nobrainer they are unbelievable at developing defenseman and goaltenders. as for Babcock I think he is the best coach in hockey that doesn't mean that guys like Quennville, Trotz, Sutter, Cooper and the koala are a level below him. Heck I'd be very happy with each one of them. Still can't believe Nashville did let Trotz go. Heck I would even add Boudraus for the regular season. I'm sure if the Oilers ever win another cup people will put them down and say oh well but they did tank, got lucky and whatever but at the end of the day nobody cares because it's part of the system now wheter fans like it or not. If teams want to increase their odds of a succesful rebuild they'll need to be bad to become godlike again. I mean what Chicago did has been unbelievable and they might win another cup before Toews and Kane are done To Hell maybe we are both wrong and Kenny finally pulls of some trades who knows but I think we can all agree that this is a very bad hockeyclub by Wings standards.

1. This team needed a rebuild since ******* 2012, when sanct Nick retired and it has only been downhill since then that's a fact 2. Since you keep bringing up these guys which one of them has true star potential? Larkin (maybe), Sproul might turn into a solid third pairing guy with the occasional second pairing time again far from star or even top pairing potential. Mantha needs to get a real chance I think we can all agree on personally I believe he could be a great sniper with great size in a top 6 role down the line. AA has tremendous speed, good hands but lacks I would be very very surprised if he ever turns into a top 6 center. I'm sorry but Larkin alone won't lead this team back into contention. Mrazek ? A guy who still hasn't figured out how to be a consistent starter let's see it first shall we? And now compare that to the young guns on Toronto: Matthews, Nylander, Rielly, Marner (again all top 10 picks) and a few complementary players like Zaitsev, Hyman that's a pretty good start for a rebuild and why did they do it? Because Burkes rebuild on the fly failed and Shanahan knew the team needed a new vision. Will the Leafs make the playoffs? Of course not but their fans are excited about the future as they should be with a lot of highend talent. 3. Put yourself into the shoes of the PR gurus for this team what's easier to sell for the new building. 26 years of playoff hockey with a future that (maybe) has one star or a future with a guy like Patrick, Lilejegren, Foote or Vilardi. How can I say that the rebuild on the fly has failed? Well instead of improving and giving the young guns the chance to sink or swim, Holland priortized the streak and kept signing veterans that don't help in the longrun and still the team got annually worse. If that's not an indication for a failed rebuild on the fly what else is? 4. I agree with the bolded part and it's way too early to make any predictions but the truth is this: 6 Wins against 7 losses right now that's not a good start. Again way too early but it should be a t least a bit concerning for Holland because he is the guy that build this roster. Also I've mentioned going through a win streak, then a losing streak repeat is the definition of an average team but once L > W every team should start thinking about the draft instead of the playoffs. Do I like that system? Well obviously no because it awards being bad but it IS the current system and the only way to build a contender. 5. I know you don't like real rebuilds nobody does but when there are no other options, there isn't much a team can do. This time the Wings don't have the luxury to throw the bank at a superstar (if they become available), nor are they the prime destination they once were...so hoping for a pick in the 15+ range to turn out better than expected because they always do right? is like taking part in high frequency trading you could cash in but in most cases you are going to lose a lot of money. 6. Said it before and say it again the Predators do a tremendous job finding and developing top defensive players why just throw the bank at their scouts and bring some of them in?

At least the debate about the starter for now should be settled and his name is hopefully Howard.

Buffalo, Winnipeg, Toronto, Edmonton what do they all have in common? They are bad but fans LOVE watching them because they have (super)stars and one even a generational McJesus on them. McDavid 1st overall, Nurse (always wanted to have that guy) 7th overall, Hopkins 1st overall, Adam Larsson 4 overall...that's nowadays the range top 10 range where you have to pick because there is no more hidding gems in Europa by being the only team that has their scouts there for the full year. A basement finish and then getting Nolan or Liljegren is exactly what this team needs. Sure, it's not a given but even a 4 overall is still much better than all the positions the Wings have drafted before. There is no shame in admitting the rebuild on the fly has failed. That Nielsen contract is of to a great start *lol* BUT it still to early for any predictions it's not even the 20 game mark right now. But yeah watching the Oilers play is like watching a sleeping juggernut getting closer and closer to wake up and when that happens watch out NHL. Wings need to have something better to sell before going into the new arena than a meaningless streak so a great pick would be a start.