Son of a Wing

Playing on a budget team? Yeah it was really tough playing with Getzlaf and Perry for all four 30 goal seasons... Ryan is a very good player but lets not act like he was fighting that kind of adversity...

Not done yet... lol Link

I don't think anyone is arguing we don't have the pieces to make a big trade or two. But what teams are willing to give up "elite talent" for just prospects and picks? They're going to want young proven talent or an elite player back. Almost every team believes they have a shot at the playoffs and the ones who don't, don't have elite talent. Who are these "elite players" you see as potentially available who wouldn't cost an elite player in return?

Well... he was discussing the concept of us tanking and who the "competition" might be and stressed people to keep in mind that even settling for the 2nd pick would be a win.

Luke Schenn makes pylons look quick.

I completely agree but we need those guys in the top 6/9 not the on 4th line playing 6min a night.

1. Compared with what? Other GMs during the same span or Holland before the cap? Because aside from one team (Minnesota), I don't see any teams stealing the show with free agents. 2. We currently have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL and develop more of our picks than almost anyone. How many top players do you expect this team to develop?? 3. Considering our prospects take about 5 years to develop, it's no surprise none since 2010/11 have proven top 4/6 status since most of them have barely even played in the league.

You seem to think that having a 4th line of enforcers makes you a "tough team". I can assure you it doesn't. Boston is considered tough because their best players either are very physical or play with an edge. (Chara, Lucic, Bergeron, Marchand) Nobody's talking about Boston being any weaker since they lost Thornton.

They would fix the hole left by Lidstrom?......Really?

Great. Pay him that and we're still under the cap. Still don't see why this is our "worst nightmare".

Dekeyser can take 2.5m on a short deal and Alfie can have an incentive-based contract (like Iginlas this past season) with a base of 1-1.5m plus bonuses. Definitely FAR from our worst nightmares...

Oh the irony...

Wow OK Frank I can read your (now-edited) statement. The original read... Zombo quoted you a page back if you forgot... Besides the fact that Pulkkinen isn't a center so "center prospects after Pulkkinen" doesn't make any sense. Ehrhoff and Niskanen are overpaid middle-tier players. Valuable but costly. You mention the swedish connection yet ignore Niskanen's connection to Washington....

Seriously Frank? Whether people like to admit it or not Alfie and Weiss were two of the biggest guys last year. Oh you meant a player of Hossa's stature? Yeah they don't hit UFA status anymore. Parise and Suter were the last ones and 1 team out of 30 got them for hometown reasons. Who exactly are these Hossa-calibre players we're missing out on?? Also, you couldn't be more wrong about our prospect pool. Nothing past Pulkkinen?? My god man.... I can't tell if you're trolling or just that blinded by your pessimism. Mantha, Athanasiou, Janmark, Nosek, Nastasiuk, Larkin, Turgeon, Bertuzzi If that's nothing then I want a whole lot more of nothing...

Yes because the team he inherited won all those games....It obviously never changed....we never acquired or drafted anyone good....oh right let me guess....someone else gets all the credit for that...

In Kenny We Trust™

Gretzky would have helped and made this team better up till the mid 90s. No doubt. Past that in into the cup years....I have my doubts. In regards to the later years, once Yzerman developed his defence and Wayne started to slow (a bit), I think our viewpoints basically come down to this... Both: Detroit was the best puck possession team. No one else was close. Kip: Gretzky, the best possession player of all time, would thrive in our system because of this and make us even stronger despite sacrificing Yzerman's defensive game. SOW: We were already top of the league for possession...by far. Why sacrifice other areas to further strengthen that area even further? The difference in outcome would be negligible. Fun to think about...

But you said it yourself.. Those teams are stacked offensively. So much that they inflate numbers considerably. So I don't see how sacrificing defence for MORE offence makes us "WAY" better. For the record, I do agree with you that mostly anyone would make that trade in '88 and that it would make us a better team leading up to those cups. I just disagree that it would have made the difference that you were implying for those later cup years.

Well of course we don't know and that's possible...that's why people are speculating... but that's not even what Hoon was talking about... He was addressing the effect that trade would have on the cup winning teams(97,98,02) and how it might not be as positive as some stated...which is a legitimate concern for those years. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills...

You're twisting his words. I think Hoon had a very valid point. He refuted your statement.. ...by addressing the fact that Gretzky was nearing retirement for 97/98 and actually in retirement for 2002 and in comparison, Yzerman was in his 2-way prime. A very valid point.

You mean how you act when anyone mentions Tatar being traded? I kid I kid...

They also win "Best Band Name Ever"

He had a breakout year this past season and isn't mentioned in any rumours nowadays. He was before but so is everyone in Toronto at one point or another when they struggle. Among most of their fan-base, he's one of the few untouchables now. He does not seem like a "Carlyle-type player" and that's where most of the rumours stem from.

Gardiner? He plays in every situation, ranked 2nd among his entire team in minutes/game and is relied on heavily for his offense and puck moving ability. Dekeyser is a good player who we need but Gardiner plays a much larger role on his team.

As I remember you took some heat for that opinion...lol