Jimmybigrigs69

Yeah - there just isnt much out there to grab in that dept

I whole heartdly agree. Austin Watson was a VERY welcome addition late in the seasin. There seems to a lot of debate out there about adding Sam Bennett this offseason. Not a tradional tough powerforward or grinding enforcer like Shanny or DMac... but the guy is VERY physical despite not being big, and will put up 40+ pts. My issue is he will likely just be another Copp/JTC here. And this team needs to aim MUCH higher at this point. I'm not sure I can stomach spending the cap space on a player like this at this crossroad... Rags want Kreider off the roster (2 more seasons at $6.5) and have to re-sign RFA Rempe this summer. I would be exploring a trade that brings us both players and picks for taking on Kreider. Send them Ras or Berggren or something, or make it a bigger blockbuster if Mr Larkin truely wants gone...

Thanks for bringing it up. I've been meaning to rant about it! If anyone hasnt seen it, Larkin seems to be a bit disillusioned with the yzer"plan" as well: >When asked about what he thinks about the young guns being added and coming up: "I'm not going to play with some of these draft picks. Like guys drafted in the 4th round this year, by the time they develop... theyre going to be good players and its good what we got, but yeah..." I'm not going to play with some of these draft picks is a BOLD statement to say the least. Larkin is about to turn 29 this summer and has 3 seasons remaining on his contract. He references the late picks from this draft, which take 5+ years to develop. He's not going to be here at 33? 34? 35? Does he not plan on re-signing? The obvious reading between the lines here is that he is no longer interested in this teams future building. He has 3 years left on his contract. Get something thats going to impact in those 3 years, because after those 3 are gone, well, who knows... >When asked how its been missing the playoffs again 9 years in now "Its been difficult. Yeah it's probably... *very long pause*... something I think about everyday. For a long time during days. It's something I go back and forth in my head about... but that doesnt do you any good, you just gotta go out there and play and win, and we came up about 5 or 6 wins short this year" *record scratch* going back n forth in his head about what??? Whether or not he wants to make the playoffs? That doesnt make much sense. Of course he wants to make them. So what is he mulling over in his mind so much about when he thinks about this team missing the playoffs again...? >When asked about the teams struggles in March "It was hard. We didn't do anything. And then I felt the group, we didn't gain any momentum from the trade deadline, and guys were kinda down about it. It'd be nice to add something. To bring a little spark onto the ice, and maybe a morale boost as well." In polite hockey interview language this is akin to a straight up call out of his GM. He didn't like Yzerman's inaction at the TDL very much... The combination of these three answers is pretty damning. He' making it clear he doesnt like the direction SY is taking the current group, and if the plan is still that we are years away, then he's not going to be around for that. I have been a Larkin "hater" for much of my time on this board. I don't hate him, but I've always questioned his 1C status, leadership, and his defensive acumen. However I gained a ton of respect for him as a leader, and as a person/athlete after this interview. I have a helluva ton of respect for a guy who stands up for his career and commitment to a team, and for the group he is leading, and says enough is enough. Management needs to get their s*** together and give us what we need otherwise.... well, the threat is implied. Lastly, I posted this in another thread, but there is a semi credible rumor out there that Larkin threatened this team with a trade demand after enjoying 4nations and being angered by the TDL. This interview is making that rumor seem much more believable. And when he says he's "going back n forth in his head a lot" about something in reference to missing the playoffs, it very much suggests to me that that something is whether or not he wants off this team... GET YOUR FUQQING MIND RIGHT YZERMAN

Last year was a trainwreck of an offseason. And I was happy about it at the time! Gus was sold to us a Ghost replacement, with a tad less offense but more defense (what we wanted), plus he had experience running a PP with Dcat and Kane in Chicago. GUSTAFSSON IS SO FUQQING USELESS ITS WILD. Meanwhile Ghost looks like a PP machine competeing for a cup right now... Tarasenko same thing. Former top sniper. Coming off a cup win. The leadership we need. JUST BAD. Meanwhile Perron is also competing for a cup right now. BUT! These are the types of mistakes I can live with... mistakes where I can see what the vision was... but they just didnt work out. These TDLs I cannot see the vision, and therefore I do not forgive the mistake. And TDLs have a very direct impact on our offseason. Trading Ghost Walman Fabbri Perron away at the TDL wouldve gained us futures and saved us the crap panic trades. Orrrrrr acquiring a Gus or Tarasenko at the TDL wouldve given us the morale and personel boost we needed for a playoff run WITHOUT a multi year contract for crap players. Ill stop ranting now.

If the plan is "tinker around the mushy middle" then I agree there is a plan. Otherwise I dont. For two seasons in a row now we have rolled into the TDL on our last legs, and in both instances the decision from SY has seemingly been "im praying too hard for playoffs too sell, but i also need my futures/prospects to build" so nothing. "The price of inaction is far greater than the cost of making a mistake" - some semi intelligent german Ahole >buying (even minimal purchases) = morale boost for the lockerroom = morale boost for the consumer (at least you tried) >selling = pressure off the lockerroom (no longer expected to win and therefore no longer your troops fault) = consumer at ease (looks to the future) >doing nothing = lockerroom in shambles (you believe in them... but not really) = consumer confused by lack of direction and doubt about org competance begins creeping in I know Ive been raging about this in in every thread. But its sooo fuqqing incompetant... im almost hoping someone will posit an argument that makes me see the silver lining. But to date ive found none. Unless there are some clownishly good moves up SYs sleeves this summer, this roster will be much the same next year, with much the same result. I could even see wheels falling off in Fall again, and we fire McClellan mid season. That reality is on the table right now. I wish Scott would come back already because his takes are always bizarrely ahead of everything - like the Alex Jones of LGW. >HES PULLING AN YZERSCAM, DONT BELIEVE HIS LIES. HES KEEPING PLAYERS ON THE ROSTER TO TURN THE TEAM GRAY. >we laugh >1 year later... wait... there is no plan and our team is gray...??? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Hope you had a nice Easter Left. Well done on the rundown, I agree with about 99% of it. Caveat, I'd make... Since rejoining Detroit SY has dominated the trades in which he appears to have been able to sit back and work the tradeblock. Not so much when he's NEEDED to get something done and forced it. To use Fabbri as an example... I highly doubt SY originally coveted Fabbri or had his eye on him. But when he found out the underutilized player could be had cheap, he took a swing. However, when all of the sudden he felt he needed to move on from Fabbri ASAP, suddenly he's tripping over his own shoes. Staying with Fabbri, besides the reactive trade for him being good, and the proactive trading him away being bad, the timeline of events surrounding the former trade alludes to the lack of a grandiose plan. Surely SY would have known that guys he wanted to make plays for, like Stamkos, would have more than likely been available in the offseason, and that he needed to clear space to make a bid for them. If he didn't, that would show a level of incompetence, and would prove their isnt a grand stradegy at play... So if we give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he indeed had the foresight to see that coming, his decision ultimately was to not clear that space at the oppurtune time to do so (The TDL) and instead reluctantly give Fabbri away for nothing a few months later... only to lose out on the asset (Stamkos) he made that move to acquire. Sure... he wanted to make the playoffs... but if he wanted to make it that badly, he shouldve added to his roster at the TDL instead of doing nothing. And I'll support that by saying...look at what Kane and Larkin just said in this years exit interviews. The team was stumbling, getting hurt, but still fighting, and then the shot-in-the-arm/support at the TDL didnt come... and it continued to falter from there. Said in not so many words by our own leaders. Back to Fabbri, one could argue he didnt know he'd have to sell so insanely low on him in the summer, or that maybe there was no market for Fabs at the TDL. But there was a market for plenty of players like him, and its beyond obvious to everyone that there isnt the same market for players in summer as there is at TDLs. To add insult to injury, its rumored he could not get the stamkos deal done bc he did not get prior approval from Illitch. Indicating more lack of planning. And in the case of Walman, he did not even attempt to waive him - and Grier and other GMs indicated that they wouldve claimed him if done so - indicating another rash unplanned decision. And as a sidenote you had the agents in the agent pole this year literally stating there is no "plan" in Detroit. MY POINT IS THIS There is no plan. There is no grand stratedgy to what he's building. Yzerman is any fan with an Xbox playing GM mode. He's reacting often in the moment without much thought to whats to come. Is this terrible horrible bad news? No. But we do need to put the "yzerplan" narrative to rest. He's been exceptional at trades when he can sit back, take his time, and evaluate the block/market. He's been bad when he buys into his own teams hype, sits back and does nothing, and then feels forced to make panic trades later because of his own inaction. Not giving him a pass. I would like to see more and better planning, and a clearer direction. Its precisely his LACK of trades as of late that have been our downfall, not his wins and loses.

Interesting tidbit from Freidman... Apparently the ask from the Sabres for Dylan Cozens was Marco Kasper, which SY routinely rejected. Sabres ended up shipping Cozens to Ottawa for Josh Norris. Reading mixed reactions from Sabres fans on this, but those who seem to be in the camp of Kasper wouldve been a better grab, are even saying they wouldve given up more than Cozens to snag Kasper. Though a homer, I tend to agree. Norris is a goal scoring nightmare, but he's older and has had significant injury issues. Kasper hasn't yet reached his peak and already plays a better 3 zone game. Big motor. Chippy. Can slot in anywhere in the lineup. Glad Stephen held back on that one.

This team is VERY setup to sign a Marner this summer. To the point where, if we do, pundits will literally go "this was always a goal of the yzerplan" and "the true goal of the yzerplan is revealed" i dont wanna get ppls hopes up. But this play seems very much on the table to me. Detroit is in Marners backyard, can pay him, and he'd be joining a roster loaded with young talent just about ready to push for glory... theres a lot to like about this landing spot for him.

How have we not develoved a new Holmstrom in the last 15 years???? Are all our draft picks really this soft? Why is manlet Debrincat the only one brave enough to flirt with the front of the net? I fuqqing hate what this franchise has become. Holmstrom wasnt even big. 6ft. Yet he stood where he was supposed to, didnt complain, and took the cross checks and the punishment like a man... for 15 FUQQING YEARS. Ras is 6'500" and he cant be bothered to setup a decent screen for even 1 shift. Fuq you. Get traded. Get off this team. Im so tired of poosy bs hockey.

More on Rudy The GOAT Guimond... Looks like he's leaving the Q and has committed to Yale for next year. Odd choice for him because Yale SUCKS absolute dog dick. They've gotten hammered by opponents and they dont have any drafted players on their roster. And not any draftees coming in either, EXCEPT Guimond. The silver lining is this is going to be an exceptional test for him. If he can hold up that team he may very well be the real deal. He will most likely certainly win the starting job as well. There are some older goalies on their roster, but of course they suck. FUN FACT: Red Wings currently have the most players in the NCAA (15) with Boston trailing us (13). Most teams only seem to have about 5-7 NCAA prospects.

"Goalies are voodoo and you shouldnt spend high picks on them cause there are broduers, haseks, rinnes, nabokovs, khabibulans, etc etc hiding in the late rounds" Except the ONLY decent goalie the wings have drafted in like 40+ years are Howard and Ozzy. Both average guys to boot... But did we actually finally do it? Checkout Rudy Guimond's stats in the Q. Our 6th round pick from last year. His numbers are insane. Especially for the Q, which is traditionally high scoring and doesnt produce good goalies. Best yet hes only getting better in the playoffs. It's gonna be hillariously ironic if we finally spent major draft capital to nab Cossa and Augustine... and then in LITERALLY the same year Trey is drafted this rando 6th rounder - Rudy lol im the next fuqqing hasek Guimond - comes in and steals the show. In other news, I officially disavow my allegiance to Augustine in the Cossa v Augustine net war. GuimondGuyz lez fuqqin go

Dang Left, you know your arb and buyout rules well lol At EOD I think you and I are jerking ourselves off a bit on buyouts. I think it's way more likely SY will perform zero buyouts... let alone 3 of them. The logic will be we need the depth (especially at D) so better to just let the contracts playout. If a guy like ASP forces himself onto the roster the team will just waive guys like Holl, as we've already done b4. Assuming that's the most likely scenario... we then have roughly $15-17 in cap to work with if Patty Kane leaves. I think you have to throw all of that at Mitch Marner. With the Cap going up salaries will increase, therefore offer him $14x7 and make him the highest paid player in the league. He can come tell tales about how he got Babcock fired and be his own legend to guys like Lidstrom lol. Why it's okay to finally throw mega cash at this level of player = 1. All of our big contracts are already done (Larkin Seider Raymond) and 2. Big contracts start to roll off the books next year (Tarasenko Chiarot Holl Gustafsson Mrazek Talbot) leaving us plenty to get Edvinsson done long term when that time comes. If we can't get Marner done... then circle back and on any remaining vets (like Kane) and hand out some short term deals and continue to bide our time.

THANK YOU Good god, maybe a league without fighting like NCAA was the wrong path for him? Though it may actually be a fuqqing disgrace to allow him to whoop the pizz out 17 year old CHLers lol The thing about him too is that he is SKINNYYYYY. Or at least was on draft day. His listed height/weight hasnt changed at all since then, but I suspect that those just havent been updated yet, and probably won't be until he joins the Griffins. However a lot of guys try not to get heavy these days to stay lean and mobile. I guess I don't care which way he goes as long as he can play. This team needs grit, fight, attitude in the worst way... Sounds like both will play Friday

Brady Cleveland is on an interesting career path. We drafted him in the 2nd round in 2023, right after Andrew Gibson (Gibson has looked like poop since being traded to Nash btw, and that trade bringing back Kiiskinen now looks like SY fleeced Trotz) After we drafted Cleveland out of the US dev program he went to U of Wisconsin... but got prolly half the playing time he wanted. So this year he transfered to Colorado College. Got his reps finally, but Colorado didnt exactly have a great program or season.... Well, he's just entered the NCAA transfer portal again to leave Colorado. Which is super quick, meaning he probably already has a destination/offer from another (better) school lined up. I would not at all be shocked if he is on his way to WMU, MSU, or UofM... all of which are coached by former Wings assistant coaches, and can therefore be closer to the team in more ways than one. Regardless, this kid bets on himself and I like that. Badgers wont play me? Fine, ill go to a worse roster and prove myself. Thats done, perfect, now I'll move to a better roster. He's a 6'5" 220 lb nasty violent Dman with zero scoring ability. Prolly projects as a 15 min a night bottom pairing... but could end up a fan favorite bottom pair. The exact type guy you want in that role. And he's a 2nd rounder unlike former picks like this we've had like Mike McKee, so the team likely expects more and has more invested in him. Wish I could find the clip... but theres some of him absolutely wrecking ppls shop. Youtube search algorithim sucks these days.

Im thinking throw the bank at Marner. Sign a cheaper RHD like Perbix. Get a quality vet leader like Marchand into the room. And overpay (if we have to) in a trade for a guy like Olivier or Rempe. We need grit and rat protection as much as anything. Debrincat - Larkin - Marner Marchand - Kasper - Raymond Rasmussen - Copp - Compher Soderblom - Danielson - Olivier Extras: Mazur Use Berggren as the trade chip that brings in Olivier. And Tarasenko is bought out (we need the cash). Kane and Motte can hit the road. And Danielson also needs to come up. We need his PK abilities desperately. The top6 looks excellent if Marchand and Kasper can keep up. The 3rd line an excellent shutdown line - which I dont want to move away from - Copp going down this year hurt this team more than most realize. And the 4th is for our specialists. Soder on the PP. Danielson on the PK. And Olivier our fighter to get this teams nuts to finally drop. Chiarot - Seider Edvinsson - Perbix Johansson - Tuomisto/ASP Tuomisto and ASP can split time to shelter and not overwhelm both rookie players. We will need the savings their ELCs provide. Holl and Gus both bought out. Petry retired. PP1: Marchand - Larkin - Marner Debrincat - Seider PP2: Soderblom - Kasper - Raymond Edvinsson - ASP PK1: Copp - Compher Chiarot - Seider PK2: Rasmussen - Danielson Edvinsson - Perbix Run the all Swedish PP2 or GTFO. Kasper is Austrian but he speaks Swedish. And as you can see need Danielson to take Motte's spot the PK... heaven forbid Todd gets ideas about putting Larkin and Raymond on the PK again...

Ive been listening to a lot of local detroit sports talk recently to get their takes on the Lions upcoming draft, not even for Wings stuff. But boy when they talk about the wings its not good - and I would call the radio heads casuals when it comes to hockey. But when the casuals and media are even starting to turn on you... you got a serious problem. I dont think SY is in a contract situation - or personel situation - where he can reasonably make the moves to rectify this, this summer... unless by a long shot he lands Marner. And boy o man its gonna get bad if we repeat this season a 3rd time. Chris Illitch is going to feel forced to fire him or "promote" him, and let someone else take over. I honestly believe that. Hes put himself in a situation where hes going to have to overspend bigly on Marner or pull some other genius move. That would buy goodwill for another season or two.

How do we feel about Kane at this point? I think I'm over it. Leadership is a problem for this team, and it needs a shake up. Unless we are going to trade Larkin, Kane is the guy I would subtract. He's aging and his contract is expiring. He doesnt bring any physicality or defensive acumen to the team (like at all) but will score a big goal here and there. Further, I didnt like him quiting on Lalonde. Say what you want about Derek, but that's not a behavior I would tolerate or want near our young players. This team needs lots more grit and leadership. Kane doesnt bring that. Id swap him out for someone like Marchand.

To me, it doesnt seem like he wants to target other teams young players anymore. And I generally agree - this team needs vets. Steady presences who can finally get this team over the hump and stop wheels from constantly falling off... Like Tarasenko was honestly the right move, and we all celebrated it at the time of signing, but it just didnt work out. That's okay - but now move on from him and get someone else. At EOD I wouldnt be surprised if SY continues down this boring path he's been on... or if there is a major shakeup this summer. He may feel we need a major shake at this point.

Idk if you've noticied, but SY has become increasely more chippy and irritable in his EOY media availbities each year... IMO. And I get it... same fuqqing questions. Same fuqqing answers. And last year I was mad he fence sat, but I still had sympathy for him. I could at least rationalize why he did that. We were close... This year I have no sympathy. And if he cops a fuqqing attitude with the media again then fuq him. He doesn't seem to have a pulse on the morale of his team, and he's also quickly losing the narrative with this city. Folks are turning on him in a big way. The tigers and pistons and lions are all excelling in big ways... and its making the wings look like a joke more than ever. Weve waited for the wings and folks are done waiting. In the 90s classic hit film Toy Story, human character Andy famously says: "i dont want to play with you anymore" And that's the current sentiment about the Wings. Yzerman - you no longer have enough rope to act like an arrogant genius. We want some humility and some sorrys at this point. Otherwise, the bashing from woodward sports, 97.1, podcasts, boards, is going to drastically increase. And when it finally goes silent it will be bc we stopped tuning in. Get ur fuqqing crap together and do something.

I would buyout all three of Tarasenko, Holl, and Gustafsson. Giving us an added savings of nearly $7 million. Now we have close to $30 million to spend in UFA this summer. At D, go and get Pionk, Ekblad, or Perbix... or even Burns or Savard on shorter contracts if you dont wanna commit to the others. At F, go and get Marner, Ehlers, Donato, or Boeser... again if we dont wanna commit get Matt Duchene, Tavares, Jamie Benn, or Marchand. We can afford to get 2-3 of any of these players. I doubt SY feels like he's ready to move a 1st rounder for anything.

THIS. Add or sell. No in between. It infuriated me last year, and weve done it again, and there's again nothing to show for it. Adding at the TDL would have been a huge morale boost for our players. It doesnt even have to be a major meaningful pickup. We could have traded a 7th to bring back Sprong... a guy our boys know... a guy who sucks in his own zone but is talented at scoring and could have provided a boost when Ray and Larks are snake bitten. And it wouldve cost us a measly 7th... a pick SY has shown he already values so little that he wasted one on Kienan Draper. Want to do more? Pickup Brad Marchand for a 2nd. And then send off Berggren for a 3rd. Now we have no 2nd rounders... but we have three 3rds to make up for it. And now we have a proven vet leader and cup champion in Marchand. A guy who can steady a mentally weak team. A guy who can play top 6. A guy who brings the sand paper our team lacks... If we want these players to fight to make the playoffs, management has to be willing to show them they believe they can accomplish that. And you do that by adding. Even with a small gesture like Sprong. If we are not even willing to do that... then sell. Berggren and Ras are not the players we'd hope they become, but there are playoff teams who would overspend on them at the TDL bc they still have youth, are cheap, and they hope their superior team can fix them. I do agree with you when you basically said SY wants this team to pull itself up by its bootstraps b4 he's going to do anything. That's so fukt IMO. And this team is becoming a losing culture. At least if you sell it becomes obvious to the team and city that we are not expected to win this year, and that takes the pressure off the boys. Instead SY didnt remove that pressure, but also didnt help them, and they feel like an utter dissapointment to themselves and the city again. Yzerman does not understand the morale of his team. And for the past two seasons he has not done a good enough job.

Im pretty checked out at this point. 6-7 years in, 8-9 if you consider Holland started rebuilding before SY even jumped in...... and still no playoffs? Not even anything to be proud of? Like at least the crap 90s panthers had pavel bure to be excited about. We have NOTHING. Our best player is a 2C. Seider has been castrated by our coaches. Raymond dissapears as much as Larkin. Edvinsson is an overgrown poosy who can hardly stand up for himself. And our GM who is 6+ years into a rebuild is about to tell us "just 6 more my guys" lol Id bet money this team is stripped down and restarted all over again b4 another cup is delivered. Welcome back to the dead wings.

To be fair to stevie, im not convinced anyone else could do better. Hes hit on his 1st round picks (the ones you NEED to hit on) and his trading ability is actually very good. But i am seriously confused by, and disagree with, his lack of direction. As well his coaching choices. You can be the Scotty Bowman of GMs, but an inability to acquire the right personel or lead this team in a distinct direction will sink even the best. So basically i dont think hes a bad GM/hockey brain, but I do think he has made serious mistakes at this point. Mistakes he may come to regret.

I remember @The 91 of Ryans mocking me for starting a Truscott thread a while back lol... WELL WE GOT OUR MAN ya dirty lobster fisherman! I don't know that you, I, or the Wings are going to be that impressed with Truscott. Sure he's a former 5th round pick and played a top role for UofM, but that Wolverine program has also fallen off a bit under Brandon Naurato. There's a reason he only got an AHL deal. I suspect he's more of a Lashoff than a Dekeyser... However he seems like a real character guy. Multi year captain at UofM. Got his degree. Is pursuing graduate school. Won the HCA "unsung hero" award this past season. And Naurato talks pretty glowingly about his leadership on and off the ice. I could see him with an A or a C on his chest for the Griffs pretty quickly, but might never win a contract from the Wings. That said, im certainly rooting for the kid. ------------------------------------- I like your idea about Isaac Howard. Howard was a beast for MSU this year. And all the Tampa fans are discussing trading him with their lack of roster spots for him and him not signing his ELC to recommit to MSU for another season. It may be a trade that is easy to work. Brisebois and SY's close relationship... Nightingale being a former Wings AC... his wings teammates in Savage and Augustine at MSU... TBL needs cost controlled RHD and draft picks.... To TBL: RHD Anton Johansson + Detroit's extra 3rd from NYR (TBL doesnt have a 3rd) To DET: The negotiating rights to RHD Nick Perbix + LW Isaac Howard Anton Johansson has impressed since arriving to the Griffs this year with 5 pts in 9 games from the backend. Traditionally a more large (6'4") stay at home Dman. Detroit wont need him with Seider already established and ASP coming up behind him, but he might be perfect for Tampa. A prospect they can actually use, unlike Howard. Perbix has quietly been very good for tampa, but they cant afford to keep him, so hes going to hit the market this summer anyway, and would be a great young placeholder until ASP is ready. And Brisebois certainly prolly wants some draft capital. We have an extra third. They have no thirds. Sure Howard was basically a high 2nd - but thats the price for only negotiating rights. Git er done kenny

I'm just so done with Larkin... the dissapearing act down the stretch is inexcusable. Same with Raymond... but then, Raymond also isnt the captain... how bad is Ray supposed to feel about his performance when his captain, leader, and face of the franchise is right there next to him doing the same thing? Further, both Lalonde and McLellan FINALLY did what I've been begging for for years, and took Larkin off the PK. And his response to that refocus on offense is to completely dry up... not okay. IDK... part of me suspects we broke something in Larkin last year. You could tell how devasted he was to miss the playoffs after battling injury and fighting so hard for it, only to have it ripped away at the last second. This year he just seems glum about it. Like the fight is gone. Another spring of "hello darkness my old friend" There is a user on HF boards who claims to know several agents/scouts, so he often hears insider stuff, and he's been right about a lot of inside info he's presented over the years... well he's posted recently that there is a rumor swirling around the scouting community that Larkin approached the team after 4nations to warn (threaten?) the team that he may want to be traded in the near future. The story being he loved playing meaningful hockey at 4nations and some of his USA teammates got in his ear about joining them on a contender. The user admits he can't verify this (nor the scouts) but it is a rumor that has started and folks are whispering about it. IDK how others feel about this. The story line/arc for the Detroit franchise would suck... the captain trading away our hometown captain bc we couldnt get this ship to sail... but on paper it might be the move. The return for him would be big and Kasper and Danielson are both nearly ready.... and if Larkins confidence in the team is shattered at this point anyway it do more good than harm. --------------------------------- I'm hating what this org is doing to Seider as well. What happened to the violent dynamic rookie with a big personality that we drafted? The team started forcing him to play this more calculated robotic Lidstrom/Rafalski style, and it's like you can see the joy slowly but surely slipping out of him... the infectious smile and goofy swagger is fading. His game is becoming boring and uninspired. It hurts to watch. Its like we drafted a Mike Tyson, but were forcing him to fight like a Floyd Mayweather. Sure Mayweather's style is technicallyyyyy the best, but youre not playing to Tyson's strengths making him fight like that... Seider is a beast you unleash and get the hell out of his way. Weve all seen it. Just let the boy play. If you want more autistic Lidstrom bots go focus that attention and energy on Ajo. You gotta let Mo Pronger do his thing...