LeftWinger

This could be one of THE best tandems in the NHL this season. How does Yzerman fleece these guys this way? Not to compare NHL 2022 to the real NHL, but I couldn't even get this guy for a Detroit 1st round pick!

They had this guy from minute one. This is the reason Ranges signed Trocheck. According to TSN guys, Copp told NYR right away he was going to Detroit. PLUS, TSN felt that not only did we get the better term (5 yrs vs. 7 yrs) we also got the better player. This was a great kick off to what turned out to be a HUGE day for Detroit!

When Seider and Chiarot are out there, is anyone going to get near our goal?

This signing absolutely allows Hronek to go back to being the Offensive D-Man he was supposed to be! All of a sudden I do not want to trade him any longer!

I mean, that very well could be a playoff lineup. I am thinking Edvisson does a season in GR, but it's not like we don't have very serviceable LHD to slot in. Walman and Oesterle were both positives on an otherwise (not including Seider) horrible D last season. That is FOUR very good to great lines! On paper we could very well make the playoffs.

Sheesh! We're back, but dang it sucked not being here during the draft and UFA day! ....anyhow... Trust the #Yzerplan! I was on team Savoie, but Kasper is coming from a men's league, and looks like he'll be playing one more season there. Probably more ready to play when he gets here.

I do not know too much about all these guys (yet, I will do research as the draft gets closer) but if Savoie is there, I do believe Yzerman takes him. But then again, with all the lists out there, he is rarely still available at 8. Outside of Lambert, I will have to start researching Kasper and Nazar, amongst others. Here is McKenzie's Top 32: Here is Button's: Other than the top 3, these two have vastly different opinions on these players. I trust them both when it comes to ranking, but Savoie at 4, then at 17? Button doesn't even have Lambert in the top 32. I would love for Button's to be a the right one, Yzerman could trade down to get Savoie and another 1st then snag another C or a LHD. Either way, I hope this means that Savoie will fall to 8! But either way, I trust Yzerman and support who he thinks is the right player!

New Jersey will be in cap hell in a few years. Arent the top 3 ineligible for another top 3 pick for the next few years now? No matter where they finish? Yzerman will get a stud at 8, or if his guy is more of a 12-15 pick, he'll trade back. Either way he's going to pick one of the best players in the draft. Also, we didn't drop, can't be mad at the NHL. Be mad at the Red Wings for picking up useless unneeded points when it was clear the playoffs were out of the picture. Next up, new coaching staff!

Ya, but within 3-5 years they won't be able to afford to pay all the higher end talent. Yzerman should call Montreal right now. Offer Bertuzzi, Hronek, the 8th and next years 1st unprotected for the #1 OA and take Weber's salary off their hands.

Yzerman will get us a star even at 10.

I don't think they bring Stephens back. I think the only RFA's he signs are Zadina and Walman. BTW, Barry Trotz has been relieved of his duties. What are the odds he's hired and brings Lambert along with him?

So, who are we drafting at 10? Lowest we can fall. Here are some kids in that range, per McKenzie: (C) Geekie, (C,RW) Lambert, (C/RW) Lazar, (C) Kasper, (D) Nemec Or will Yzerman go further down the list (like with Seider) for the player he "wants" to draft?

That may be, but I can't take credit for it. Plus, I know very little about him....

Plus I've never called Yzerman "Stevie" Here's my post from 7:44 am on Friday. Someone is just screwing around.

It's fake news. I never said it, whomever that new user(name) is made it up. I've never once talked about that player.

Ummmm, I said no such thing.

Yzerman worked with Bowman as an executive before he left for Tampa, but nice list though, lots of options.

I don't think he'll go D this time. I sure hope Savoie is there when we pick! (Unless we're picking Wright of course.)

Is there anything out there saying Fabbri won't be ready to Starr the season?

I think 5 years is too long to sign a player from outside the organization. Larkin and Bert (if not traded) will be on their new deals in a year and Raymond and Seider will get star money in two years. Might not want to have too much money wrapped up in those players suggested above at that time. But they'd make our team better for sure!

It's still a few years until that is needed. While we will need to put aside a bunch of money for them, next season and even the next we can spend away, and have to, to get to the floor. Signing two UFA's for $18M for a season or two won't hurt our cap to get Raymond and Seider inked when their contracts are up. Whether it's 3 years or 8. Truth is we have to sign a couple old expensive UFA's thus summer or we'll never hit the floor, which was $60M last season. I could see Yzerman acquiring dead cap, like Shea Weber, but even that is only $7M. We're roughly $15M below the floor, nobody on our team with an expiring contract is going command $8M alone or combined, let alone $15M to get us to the floor. Yzerman is going to have to and can overpay a couple of UFA's at least for 1 season, maybe 2. Or just maybe theres some trades coming... It's going to be an interesting summer.

1 point in 9 games? I think you are looking at his ECHL stats: 26pts in 59 games for the Tulsa Oilers. either way, do the Wings even own his rights any longer? it was 10 years ago they drafted him...

Also, we have to remember that we are far below the cap floor, so there will need to be some big cash handed out this off season in order to even ice a legal team. Especially if Bertuzzi and/or Hronek is dealt. If we dealt those two, we'd lose $9.1M more, that would make us about $25M under the floor. If we acquired Chychrun, that would bring us closer to $20M under the floor, he is at $4.4M. What would you say to Yzerman offering big bucks to Malkin and Letang for 1 year to help absorb some of that deficit? AND help mentor to kids on D and up front? I re-signed Gagner and Staal for the same reason. Waived Smith, brought up Berggren. Re-sign Walman, Mitchell and Zadina. I just gave Malkin and Letang their current salaries because we'll have to overpay to get them to come here, plus to get us above the floor. I gave them both 2 years as well, so they could either be flipped at the TDL with a year left or the next TDL. (Not having to re-sign Bertuzzi allows us to keep them on for more than 1 year.) Lines are not in stone obviously, but this would make us pretty competitive, possibly still give us a shot at a lottery pick too. But really, with a full year of Vrana and hopefully Zadina coming to age with a new coach, who knows where we may end up. This all being said, unless they are looking to make some cash to end their career's, I am not sure Malkin or Letang would sign here, unless there's that "I'll flip you to a contender if possible" agreement. Now unless Edvisson comes in and outshines nearly everyone, I left him in GR for the season. Remember, even Seider spent a season in GR. I hear you, but I feel this season he'll go with a C/W type player to fill a need up front.

If we cannot get the lottory luck and land Wright, I would love to see some luck and move to 4 or 5 and draft Savoie. If we stay around 8-10 I can really see Yzerman drafting Lambert. But what about Geekie? Obviously Savoie is the top C out there, with 90pts in 65 games, but Geekie has 70pts in 63 games on the same team. Who would you take, Geekie or Lambert at 8-10? I would go with Geekie personally. Sure, he's not Wright or Savoie, but I think he is a legit 2C. Larkin Geekie Veleno Rasmussen ...not too bad of a C core moving forward. Obviously if we don't win the lottery this year (top 3) we'll probably still have a chance to win it next year and that could very well move somebody to the Wing if we can land Bedard. What do you think of a top three looking like: Larkin - Bedard - Raymond ...anyhow that's next draft... Here is McKenzie's top 16. Of all the insiders, I trust this guy the most when ranking the draft.

Let's merge in our idea of Bertuzzi and Hronek for Chychrun.