kickazz

They don't bench anyone for "one giveaway". They tend to bench players over repeated gaffs. They gave him 27 games last year before his injury. He's already off to a good start in terms of opportunity. I'm already starting to see it. This whole Daley signing is going to be a scapegoat for Sproul. Even though it literally has nothing to do with Sproul or the opportunity he's given overall.

Well, they don't mean anything. That's the truth. Doesn't mean you need to shut the board down over it. Don't need to jump to extreme conclusions over hard truths lol. Problem is people delusionally start posting as thought their opinion is fact.

It is worthless. About the only fact you've actually said in a while. Congrats.

He also made a point that Jimmy is not "old". He's not 37 or 38, still has a lot of good years left in him. I have to agree, some of Osgoods best goaltending came when he was Mid 30s Last year Jimmy played lights out in some games as a 32 year old

That league is something else.

Frustration from fans has turned them into pros and GMs. Delusions of Grandeur is a scary thought.

Lol making up s*** now? Okay whatever it takes to talk down the organization. And no s*** sherlock he was a first year pro, if you're talking about that type of debate then yeah it's obvious they have to debate whether or not he belongs in the NHL. This is something ALL Coaches and GMs do throughout the NHL when it comes to PROSPECTS. Especially a FIRST YEAR one. And you got your answer. Their debate concluded the he did in fact belong in the NHL. Unlike Yzerman who debated Drouin did not belong in the NHL for example. This happens in all orgs.

Lol what? Who struggled on whether Larkin could make the roster?? He played at UM for one year, then became a pro, played in the Griffins playoffs and then went to training camp that summer, showed that he was a good player and he made the roster immediately. Wasn't even a healthy scratch once. There was no debate at all lol. He became a pro and immediately made the Red Wings. I don't even think you know what you are talking about. Larkin had zero issues making the Red Wings and it was never questioned. AA played 64 games last year. 37 before that. He's slowly earned his full time position. Blashill scratched him for being irresponsible on ice. Which is true, he is a bit of a floater. But actually improved upon that towards the end of the season. If you actually watch him play you can see his transition. Hell even I would scratch him for floating around as much as he did at some points of the game. But obviously being scratched helped. He's become better because of it. Additionally, Blashill actually sets AA for success. At one point he gave him some of those most sheltered minutes. As far as not having a defenseman since Lidstrom left. You act as though we're not actively seeking defenseman. We are. We've made pitches to the few defenseman to come here. But they chose other places. On the other hand most defenseman stay with the team they started off with (Cam Fowler just signed a lucrative deal to stay with Anaheim). And which defenseman on the trade block do you see "continually"? You're acting like there's all these D-men out there. Seriously name some. I'm interested to see all the ones we supposedly missed out on. Finally, Mrazek/Howard aren't worth a dam? Then what's your solution? Bring in Carey Price? Quick? Or bring back Hasek out of retirement? This is the exact problem. Lots of talk, whining, but no real volume or justification. I'd hire you as my coach.

Hahah. Ok Larkin played full seasons since he became a pro. When was the last time a Red Wing 19 year old played? And say what you want about AA, he's played in the NHL. He had more of a transition than Larkin did and that's okay. Not everyone grabs the spot like Larkin did. And what big trade do you want oh wise LGW GM? Do tell us how you would specifically pull it off, what assets you would give up and for who? Throwing out generic statements such as "a big trade needs to happen" isn't very convincing. Big trades rarely happen in this league anymore. Everybody wants a defenseman. Supply and demand is a problem in the NHL.

That is complete and utter bulls***. To think these guys, who do this job for a living don't see "the big picture". How many interviews do Holland, Blashill have to do where they talk about the godam big picture. The guy spent a godam one hour on July 1st in an interview talking about the stupid big picture to fans; but people are deaf ears because they refuse to listen. For the record, I'm not a Blashill fan and I don't agree with all of Holland's approach. New perpective, new views, fresh start, trade or two. Such superficial words. First of all, people wanted Babcock gone "because of his stale voice". 2 years later, that's not good enough. Holland changes his view from keeping kids in GR till they're 23+ years old to bringing up Larkin when he's 19, Mantha when he's 20 and Svech when he's 19. Apparently not good enough. Holland makes deadline aquisitions with Cole and Zidlicky, everyone is happy, but then Tampa beats us and then everyone says the aquisitions were terrible. Then, Holland trades players at deadline to get picks this past season, literally something he hasn't done like ever and apparently still not good enough. For pete's sake the guy is actively trying to draft bigger players and offensive defenseman. That's a miracle. After years of the Red Wings been called "soft", "too small", and been criticized for forcing offensive defenseman play too defensively, this GM goes and does the complete opposite in the draft of 2017. If these two things don't strike people as a significant change in view, then holy cow. This guy just signed a literal goon to a 2 year contract (Witkowski). So much of the philsophy has changed since Lidstrom left, it's scary. For years we stayed away from big players, powerfowards. The views have changed. Trades have happened, perspective has changed. For better or for worse, I don't know. But they have.

I'm not saying Holland is right or wrong. What I am saying is people here think that they are ONLY right and know better than management of the Red Wings (including Holland, scouts, etc) But that's expected, that's what happens to a former successful franchise spoiled fanbase when they start seeing adversity; people become toxic and negative in every single way. Honestly, it's sad to watch.

People are in MAJOR denial. "He's not doing the rebuild correctly" , "Signing Daley is stupid if we want a top 3 pick", "Signing Daley screws Sproul over" People need to snap back to reality. There is no rebuild, Holland is not looking to tank (any type of variation), he's aiming for playoffs while maintaining picks, and he certainly does not consider the young defensemen to have the ceiling that some of the posters here do. People here act like they know more than pro-scouts, GMs, coaches. Except that most people here are average joes working regular jobs while the people who made it are running the team. Why? Because they are better than any of us at their job, that's way they made it up there and that's why we're down here behind our keyboards, monitors and a 12 oz pepsi bottle thats flat.

Holland has "been in talks" with his agent.

Holland is like Krillen, afraid of the unknown. Yzerman is like Gohan. A pure hearted hero.

dead.

That's the same thing. Call it whatever you want, they are not going to set themselves up for failure whether it is refusing to skate on ice or shooting at their own goalie and losing games or if it's icing a roster that would be inferior to the opposing team and lose. It is tanking. A different style of tanking but tanking nontheless. You basically want them to end up having the top 3 pick. A means to an end. They're not doing what you want them to. You're setting yourself up for a lot of disappointment if you want to continue to be a fan of this team.

They are not tanking. When will you start living with that fact? Has frankgrimes taken over your account? Please do tell me how many of the worse 3 teams ended up with the top 3 picks last year?

Or because he doesn't play on the top line with Zetterberg and Nyquist anymore like he did between 2014-2016

What? His 23 goal season came when he didn't play with Datsyuk. Which was in 2013/14. That year Datsyuk played with Helm and Tatar ; aka the Helm - Datsyuk - Tatar line when Tatar scored 29 goals.

The odds of winning cup are terrible, but odds of making playoffs (which also nets revenue) is better. From a managerial perspective, I'd rather make the playoffs. From a fan perspective, obviously I'd want to win the cup. But Holland is a hired man, and I'm just a fan, and we both have different perspectives. And yeah, I think Daley makes this team better. Maybe enough to make the playoffs. But not him soley, with the right pairings he could provide DK or Green a good partner. I think he'll also be good for the younger D-men to learn from. Don't think this signing hurts the team at all. It's low cost and possibly high reward. We just got a top 2/ top 4 defenseman for 3 million something, that's a good deal.

Did mention that he's still talking to Vanek's agent though. But believes the younger forwards have done their dues and taken the slots (Mantha, Larkin, AA)

I don't think you are comprehending what I'm saying so I'll say it again for the third time. Trevor Daley, can kill penalties, play on the PP, play top 2 minutes. He brings more to the team than Sproul does. And he's more versatile. Having someone who can do all those things generally goes a long way. Secondly, there's 30 whatever teams in the NHL and only one wins the Stanley Cup. But 16 teams get to make the playoffs. The odds of making the playoffs and making a crap ton of money FAR higher. Have you never gambled? You always play your best odds if you want to win your money. Holland is obviously going with the better odds, which believe it or not, is what a smart GM would do. You don't tank for 10 years and hope someday you might have the 1/30 chance of winning the Stanely Cup (MAYBE).

Yes I do think having a defenseman that can kill penalties is better than having one that can't. I do think a defenseman that can play a top 2 role is better than one that can't. That's common sense. Making the playoffs does help the organization. It's called money.

Well I'm glad you're not the GM then... Being worried about some possible career AHLer or bottom pairing defenseman that MIGHT become a top 4 and risking it for possible playoff contention would be the worst managing strategy. Especially when you're expected to bring revenue through ticket sales and playoff contention not only for the franchise but also for the city of Detroit. The second highlighted sentence, Daley was one of primary penalty killers for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He also quaterbacks the PP and plays top 2/3 defenseman minutes. Sproul isn't a Pker, he can play on the PP and he definitely is not even in the top 2 minutes range. It's apples and oranges. Daley is way more versatile, brings more to the team than Sproul does. If you honestly think Daley doesn't make this team better then you must not know Daley.. He's easily about to be one of our main penalty killers (something we definitely need with the possible Kronwall injury) and that is something Sproul CAN'T bring; like ever. The third higlighted sentence. We're not rebuilding. I think you're in denial bro lol. We're retooling. A team with 8+ long term contracts isn't a team that's rebuilding. They're looking to make playoffs in April 2018.

Remember when The Great One tried coaching?