kickazz

Definitely? Probably 2014/15 ish. The window was slowly closing between 2010-2012 as Lidstrom got older, Rafalski retired, Stuart left, Holmstrom got older/retired. Key players that Holland wasn't able to replace which in turn caused the franchise to lean heavily on Dats and Zet. Which leads into the 2013 wlockout season where we surprised people, but we struggled hard to get into those playoffs. If it weren't for Zetterberg and Datsyuk willing the team into the playoffs the last few games; we may have not even made it. Luckily we won the last game of the season against Dallas. I'd say that's about the time Holland coined the whole "rebuild on the fly" terminology as well with guys like Nyquist/Tatar/Dekeyser/Brunner/Jurco becoming prominent roster players the next season.

We may just have to disagree on this one. I just don't think Holland will be able to turn us into a successful contender. And part of my hesitancy comes from the fact that his "rebuild on the fly strategy" with Tatar, Nyquist, Jurco, Pulkinen, Brenden Smith, Mrazek, Sheahan ended up being a waste of time. At least at that point he still had Dats/Zet still as face of the team. Him signing another GM contract could just make him complacent. It wasn't really until last year when he started making some good trades (Tatar to Vegas). I would be cautious about re-signing Holland. Wouldn't mind him being promoted though.

As far as I'm concerned Holland has been dealing with a downturning team for about 5-7 years now and not much has been accomplished/established aside from Dylan Larkin. He failed his "rebuild on the fly strategy between 2013-2016. His current strategy involves drafting through picks and Larkin has been a slam dunk. Cholo, Hronek are still on the fence on their outlook; we'll see how they turn out. Zadina , Veleno hopefully as well and I'm optimistic about them. Holland hasnt turned this team over yet and is still far from it. Too early to tell anything. Yzerman might not be better than Holland yet; but having a new GM might be better for the franchise.

Ye. I think Holland ideology, hell even his presence is getting stale. He has nothing to prove here either. He's won 3/4 cups for this team and he's accomplished what he needed to. Yzerman would have a lot of motivation to prove himself to his fans in a GM role. If a new voice is needed I'd rather it be him than anyone else due to the fact that it's his home and it's a fan base that loves him and he'd want to keep them believing in him. Honestly he would have a lot of pressure on him and if anything that can be a good thing for a GM.

Mike Babcock is so good he turned Sidney Crosby, John Tavares, Patrice Bergeron, Ryan Getzlaf, Drew Doughty, Duncan Keith, Corey Perry, Rick Nash, Carey Price into Olympic champions. Tyronn Lue is the reason Lebron James is who he is.

Mike Babcock has quickly become the most overrated coach in modern hockey. He's won 1 stanley cup and gets paid 50 million for some atrocious contract and has barely put a dent in the playoff run for the Leafs. The Leafs won't win a cup under current dumb contract he's on. They'll probably re-sign him though. And anyone who says "well he won all those Gold medals for Canada". That's like crediting the USA coach for the Basketball team in the Olympics and ignoring the fact that those teams had Kobe, Shaq, Lebron James, etc on them.

Yeah f*** him

With all the tools that we do have in the system, we could get a new GM who is willing to speed things up through trades and free agency and turn the rebuild pretty quick. It’s like the “stale voice” that I mentioned. When a new guy comes in he’s almost expected to do something different just like any new CEO during a company turnover would. We’ve got some pieces available, some promising players, bring a new guy in and let’s get fancy with it.

Really really well is exaggerating though; still no young goalie or top defensive player besides possibly 1 or 2 1B players in sight. Aka the defensive depth outside of Cholo, Hronek, MAYBE McIsaac, is a complete toss up. Larkin is a 2C at best so need a 1 center still. There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done and having a fresh perspective may help. Having said all this were still in a much better position than we were years ago. For instance our wingers are going to be really good. We should be set for 2-4 Center position easily for years to come. Far as Holland, GM tenure gets stale too not just coaches. It’s why Lou leaving Jersey for Toronto was probably a good thing for Toronto and now even the Islanders. Let’s say Holland decided to part ways this summer and we were looking for a new GM, objectively speaking, Yzerman would still be a top candidate even if didn’t have the Red Wing history/nostalgia on his resume. He’s got a good track record as a GM and is a top candidate to fill any teams position at the moment.

Yzerman will sign Hasek.

JYE-nus Mu-HYE-nus

It's bothered the man for years. He practically has PTSD from it. Don't trigger the kip.

AA - Larkin - Zagina

Ain't gonna be around next year.

He must think you’re actually Dabura. But we all know you’re just Krillin and mean no harm.

I think there's a somewhat decent shot at a 1st rounder. Or conditional picks that turn into something significant. But I also wouldn't be surprised if all we got was a 2nd. Unlike Mrazek or any young goalie; Howard is a proven starter with a ton of playoff experience. If a high end starter goes down in a real contender, Howard could be worth a 1st or 2nd rounder. But if it's a lower seeded team looking to make a playoff run; just don't see him going more than a 3rd.

3rd or below, 2nd if lucky The real question is if Nyquist can land us a 1st, 2nd and 3rd like Tatar did

February points are important.

Cup winning squad right there

Can’t wait till we get Yzerman and tank the right way

You forgot Datsyuk I just don’t think Abdelkader has a good chemistry with Larkin anymore without Zetterberg. I put AA there because Nyquist Sucks

Can't wait for next years forward line up. AA - Larkin - Bertuzzi Mantha - Hughes - Nyquist Rasmussen - Datsyuk - Nielsen Helm - Glendening - Abdelkader

What makes you think Hughes might not stay a center

Wow now you took it too far dude....

I bet he’d go back to Caps in a heart beat. They could easily repeat this year.