poel

I didn't say that. I said that I rather keep Richards than to sign Backes. Richards may not be the better player but he'll be cheaper and has the better hands. We need skilled possession players and Backes is the exact opposite of it. He wouldn't help us in our situation and is gonna get overpaid. Just remember that we have to replace Datsyuk and even though we all know that that's not possible we still need a similar type of Center. Richards comes closer to what we need than Backes, is cheaper and already knows the system. And no, that doesn't automatically make Richards the better player even if you for some interesting reasons want to see me to write exactly that.

My biggest fear this offseason is that we miss out on Shipachev and that Helm doesn't get a contract. As Holland doesn't like big trades he probably wouldn't trade for a Center and just spend all remaining Cap on resigning Helm longterm. Hopefully I'm wrong but I just can't see anybody signing Helm. And Holland absolutely would sign him even if nobody else would. He's done it with certain other players...same thing over and over again. I'm all for loyalty but sometimes it's just too much.

Pittsburgh's defense is even worse than ours and they just won the Stanley Cup. While I do think that possession is overrated it's still a real problem for us. We were chasing the puck all season long and that's why there was that much pressure on our D. This pressure made them look worse than they actually are. Problem is that we got many forwards who are bad at puckhandling or just too stupid to keep it. Even the Datsyuk-line never seemed to have the puck despite Pavel still being one of the best possession players in the world. If we get so sign puck hogs like Staal, Shipachev, Radulov or Okposo it likely would also help out our defense. If we only sign guys like Lucic, Backes, Nielsen or Boedker it would really worry me as we have to replace our best possession player. The only guy I still want outta those would be Boedker...simply because he's a sniper and because of his speed.

Something isn't right here. Firstly you don't want stupid contracts but then you talk about signing Backes or even Nielsen longterm. Really hoping that Holland learned from mistakes like Legwand, Weiss or partly Richards. I'd rather have Richards back than to sign Nielsen or Backes even short term. They wouldn't help us at all but we'd have to overpay to get them.

Not that I wouldn't like Kucherov, but there are a few very good wingers on the free market now. Radulov, Okposo, Boedker. Unless Holland feels that he cannot sign at least one of them I'd rather make an offer sheet for Trouba.

You never know about european players...how they adapt to the smaller rink and stuff. But surely the best FA-Center out there. I think that Staal would have the biggest impact as of now...but longterm, and I think we definitely should look for a longterm solution, Shipachev would be great to have. Otherwise, if it's true that Chayka wants to move Hanzal, Holland should be all over him to get the guy. We have to replace Datsyuk and sooner or later Zetterberg. Larkin and Athanasiou to me are better at wing and there's no guarantee that even one of them will ever be a top6 center although it's likely that Larkin will sooner or later be able to play as a top6 Center. That said, I'd still like a guy a Staal to help us short term if he doesn't demand too much.

If Staal is available for max 2 years at around 5 millions each I'll be ok with him. He's still easily a top6 centerman and will be for 2 more years at least. Nielsen and Backes aren't top6 centers even though they at times played in this role. We need pure scoring to replace the magic man. Backes and Nielsen aren't good enough and want long term deals, too. Shipachev would be interesting though. I'd love to see the guy play for the wings. By far the best FA-Center. If we miss out on him I'd still suggest to trade for Hanzal.

This poll is useless. Besides Stamkos and Okposo you forgot the best FA's. - Shipachev - Radulov - Boedker

I'd be surprised if he joins the sabres. They got Reinhart and Eichel and Stamkos sees himself as a Center...number one Center surely and not just next season. It's not gonna happen. Still think this isn't about the money but about the power in Tampa and that Stamkos finally is gonna resign. But we'll see.

Okposo may be less creative but he's bigger, stronger on the puck and better against the puck. Would surely be a huge upgrade. Problem is that Nyquist will be difficult to move.

...which isn't true. Only thinking about recent years...DeKeyser improved a lot. Also Smith played an important role under Babcock...he either played terrible or didn't even crack the lineup ever since he left. The best example is Abdelkader. He was a typical bottom six player...it was Babcock who played him with Datsyuk and continued to do so even though he didn't do well at first. I always liked Abdelkader but he took a lot of heat from the fans...at times some didn't even want him in the lineup. He now is by far our best winger. He really does it all. If you ask me it's all thanks to Babcock who believed in him when nobody did.

Nielsen most likely would be just another Weiss, Legwand or Richards. I'd rather resign Richards as he knows the team and, other than Nielsen, isn't overrated. I'd give Nielsen a shot at 1y/4,5 or 2 years 4 each. As he's not gonna accept that Holland would be smart to trade for a Center like Hanzal who's available. You usually don't acquire top6 Centers via Free Agency. And we definitely need top6 forwards only. Our depth is good enough. The only exception to me would be if Hollands gets to sign a solid powerforward like Brouwer for below 4/y. Now we got a unique chance to rebuild our roster. We got assets available and we got cap space. Biggest mistake Holland could make would be to sign old players longterm or to overpay depth players. Free Agents usually get overpaid. So if you acquire one, especially in our situation, it has to be a top guy. The only really interesting Center besides Stamkos to me is Shipachev. Otherwise Holland gotta come up with a trade.

Russell. The guy is rocksolid. But I think he will get overpaid...and we need a righty.

How stupid do you think St.Louis is? Everybody has seen Nyquist play. He's no rookie anymore. No contender is gonna take Nyquist. Not even for free...maybe unless we take another bad contract off them. The only way we could deal Nyquist is if a low budget team like for example the Yotes would be interested. As they got enough cap space, his 4,75 millions wouldn't hurt them too much. There's some real pressure now. His no trade clause will kick in next season. I like Nyquist but with his defensive game and his giveaways those 4,75M are just way too much. If we have to keep him until 2019 that would really hurt us badly unless he finally improves. I was very hopeful after his rookieseason but have long given up on him as he hasn't improved the slightest bit. It's not for a lack of efforts but some players just never seem to get it.

Don't forget that their biggest issue is money. They did pretty well with what they got so far. Whether they're right or wrong on Chychrun remains to be seen. It was a decision based on analytics and maybe other teams didn't look at him that way. It was also based on their need of defensive prospects. They have tons of offensive prospects but are thin on defense.

It's a shame. But what can you do...there are still good players out there.

Or maybe Holland thought that the guy we got is pretty close to Chychrun and that the draft was pretty deep upfront. At least Holland already told Chayka ahead of the draft that he'd be willing to trade his pick. I also agree that it's not sure we would have picked Chychrun but it would have been the obvious choice. And, that's for sure, the deal only happened because Chychrun was still available at 16. Chychrun was the guy the Yotes wanted. If he's not available at 16 there's no Datsyuk-deal. We got a little lucky there.

If we're able to lose Ericsson I'd be ok to play the kids. With Ericsson I'd be concerned. I never really liked him but he was always solid. Last season he was beyond terrible. I'd rather play Ouellet or Smith. To me it's not written in stone that there's no d-man available though. Minnesota wants wingers for a defender. I don't want Spurgeon but I think they're more thinking about Scandella, Brodin or Dumba anyway. Brodin is a rocksolid workhorse similar to DeKeyser, Scandella is a typical stay at home defenseman with a big shot. Dumba still has to learn a lot but he has tons of skill. Sky's the limit for him...and he's a righty. I'd take them all. Problem probably is that Holland doesn't have the balls to give up something significant in a trade. For all three of them I'd happily trade away Nyquist, Tatar plus pick or prospect. Same situation in Anaheim who wants wingers or cap for forwards and therefore seems willing to give away Fowler. Holland should also keep an eye on Trouba. If it's true that he's demanding a lot of money or might doesn't want to resign at all Holland has to have an offersheet ready. Two Michigan top defenders might be available...Holland better doesn't miss out on them if there's the slightest chance...

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2016/06/red_wings_ken_holland_unloads.html#incart_river_index About as expected.

Okposo is a puck hog...he can be physical and he's strong defensively. He'll be just fine with just about any center. Looks like the ideal winger for Zetterberg to me. Will add some size.

I want him and there's surely a certain chance we get him...but it's honestly not very realistic. Normally he'll stay in Tampa. I think for him it's all about success so the question is maybe not about the money but more about Yzerman's plans and Cooper. But I'm sure if it comes down to who stays they'll just fire Cooper. There are also rumours about other players not being happy to play under him. Tampa offers good money and has the advantage of the taxes in Florida. I don't think it's about the money for Stamkos.

I'd happily miss out on Stamkos if we sign Boedker, Radulov and Okposo. Then all we need is to trade for a Centerman for line 1 or 2 and we're contenders. At least if our defense prospects are as good as I think they are. I expect a lot from Marchenko. Ouellet and Sproul appear to be NHL-ready. DeKeyer is a rock anyway and even Smith can do better than he did last season. Just gotta hope that Holland will do everything to get Ericsson off our books be it with a trade (difficult) or a buyout. I'd only add a defender if it's a real top2 guy. Otherwise I'd just play the kids. I even wonder what's wrong with Lashoff. Always was great when he was with the wings under Babcock. Even played alongside Kronwall and did really well. I don't get it.

It would be terrible if we're going to sign FA's like Lucic. We recently signed lots of FA's that only got worse when playing for us. Lucic would be another one of those. He's already declining rapidly. Apart from Stamkos there's no strong center available via Free Agency. I really hope that Holland is gonna trade for one but I fear that he's just gonna sign some crap FA's as he doesn't wanna give up prospects or picks. Holland should be all in for Radulov, Okposo or Boedker...maybe Ladd or Brouwer. Guys like Lucic, Staal, Vanek, Backes, Eriksson, Hudler or Vrbata would be huge mistakes.

Just hoping that if he doesn't get Stamkos, Holland will trade for a Center. To sign guys like Weiss or Legwand wouldn't be smart. I'd rather trade for players like Stepan or Hanzal who aren't already old and declining and who are a sure bet to improve our team. We should have enough assets to trade for these kind of players if they're made available by their clubs.

True. Yotes desperately need some defense prospects as they're loaded upfront. Chayka is an analytics guy and was very high on him. He even considered to pick him at 7. Since that pick he was looking to move up and it didn't work. Most likely Holland asked him about Datsyuk before so it was a no brainer. Still a creative deal. Good for both sides even though not really a hockey trade with likely just picks, salaray and cap included. Will be interesting to see what Arizona does now. They'll probably be as close as ever to the salary cap. Some fans weren't happy about the trade. They still got 22 millions space but just 13 players signed for next year. Doan, Tanguay, Rieder, Stone, Murphy and Domingue probably all want to get paid. Maybe they can bargain Doan and Tanguay but the young ones won't be cheap.