Nightfall

If anything, this guy will be a force on a very strong Griffins team. Especially if Jurco is playing with the big club.

Since Blashill took over down there, the answer is yes. That hasn't been the case with our coaches in the past who haven't done much with the talent they have been given. A strong farm system is just as valuable as a strong NHL team.

I believe that we should promote from within. Everyone wants to give the kids a shot. We have legitimate defensemen in the system that could play in the NHL. If we don't give them a chance, then someone else will. The "big" move may very well be promoting the kids, which is a change over what we have seen in the past. Everyone wants to see Holland play the kids and stop keeping them in the farm system to over-ripen. Yet, when he puts the kids in a position to take a spot, people get all pissy at Holland. I suppose its a no win situation.

This is very true and it makes sense. In some cases, people make decisions to play for their favorite team. Like Vanek did with Minnesota or DeKeyser did with the Wings. Still, to those people who are not loyal to a team, they want top dollar or a chance to compete for the cup or both.

Well, all I can say is....crap. If you don't agree with the way this team is being run, I recommend that you don't watch them on TV. Don't spend money on tickets. Don't spend money on jerseys. If you want to watch good hockey live, spend money on college and semi-pro games instead. When the lockout happened, I promised myself I wouldn't spend a dime on the NHL and so far, I haven't done that. I still watch the games, but I couldn't care less about anyone who advertises for the Wings games. This year, I won't sit out from watching the Wings, thats for sure. The Wings are my team. I am disappointed in what has happened in the offseason, but I won't cash in my fan card because the team falls on hard times.

It isn't like Edmonton didn't have some good veteran players to help their youth along. Ryan Smyth comes to mind.

Not too late to jump on the Stars bandwagon. Dallas is probably my second favorite team and I really like the moves they have made the last couple years. They are going to make a move to get a higher seed in the playoffs this year.

Just saying that tanking for a season doesn't indicate that we will be instantly better. I don't know what Connor McDavid would do to our team at all. People thought the same thing of first round picks in the past that have fizzled out. I will say this much.... Detroit will find themselves out of the playoff picture in the next few years. May not happen this coming year, but it will once Dats and Z get further up in age and don't produce as much. Then you will get your wish about tanking.

Yup, that works so well for Edmonton with all their high draft picks.

On a side note, I do like what Dallas has done so far this offseason. Just like last offseason, they are picking up where they left off.

That was a fake account.

Through one of the rumor sites, Niskanen was offered 7 years for $49 million by Tampa Bay. My god....if thats true.

Heh, Weiss was considered to be a prime free agent back when he was signed. I guess one season of injury issues deep sixes a player here in Detroit.

Niskanen is going to sign somewhere for $7 million a season. Count on it.

I agree. Bonino isn't a chump player. He had 49 points in 77 games for the Ducks last season. He is also only 26 years old and coming into his prime years. I think the Canucks will find Bonino will produce very well for them.

Very good point. The fans will not be very happy though if Kenny signs this kid for $6.5 million a season and he tanks. Look at Weiss. Everyone celebrated this signing, and it was a risk, and he gets dogged over this move over signing Flip. I am on the fence over this. I think he has a greater upside for sure.

Agree, but the question remains. Can he produce like a $6-$7 million dollar player? Callahan just signed for $6 million a season. Niskanen wants that kind of money for one season of solid production. You know that some club is going to offer him a big contract and he will sign with them. I would be very nervous about signing him for $6 million, much the less the $7 million he is going to get from someone.

After watching him play in Grand Rapids, I can tell you this guy was ok, but not great. Even when the Wings signed Lashoff, I questioned that move. Lashoff and Almquist are what I would consider to be fringe NHL players. They have the skills to crack the lineup for the 4th pairing defense, but thats about it. They will have good games, but they are not NHL caliber defensemen.

When I see Matt Niskanen, I have to wonder if he can produce for more than 1 season like he did. I think he is a great player, but there is part of me that is a little nervous about paying a guy who had one good season $6-$7 million a season. Anyone remember Ville Leino? The guy had a great season, and then cashed in and was never heard from again.

I still like this signing. We should be concentrating on fleshing out the rest of the roster.

Gaborik really did take a discount to stay in Los Angeles. He could have gotten $5.5 million or more on the open market. I guess winning that cup really did bring him around that he didn't want to play for anymore craptastic teams. The deal is $6 million a season before bottoming out to $3 million in the final year.

Rebuilding through the draft really is the key. You are right that we don't have the next Dats and Zetterberg in the system right now. We have some solid talent, but nothing really elite. As for going for broke, I really don't believe that is the best way to run a team. I will say that we are going to have some losing seasons down the road. We can't keep up this playoff streak forever. I would like them to make a couple moves, stay competitive, and get into the playoffs. This season, the #6 and #7 teams made it to the finals. Anything can happen come playoff time.

They want him to play more, and I know I would like to see that as well. Bringing Mrazek up wouldn't change the starting goalie this year. If they chose not to sign Gus, then the savings wouldn't be very much because Mrazek would get more as a result of being called up. Now, if Detroit could save $2 million or more by promoting Mrazek, then I would be ok with it. That isn't the case though.

I found a really good article on ESPN Insider about player development and how teams other than the Wings are reaping the rewards of developing their players a little longer in the minors. I am in agreement that young players should be given more time in the minors to develop before coming up to the big club. Others think we are hurting ourselves for over-ripening our prospects. The article brings up some great points on salary and overall development. Just thought I would post it here and see what people thought of it.

Good point. On the flip side though, these players are going to be demanding more money a lot faster. In the case of the Kings, they reaped the rewards for sure. These players are going to be getting big money in a couple seasons as a result as well too. I suppose you are going to be paying these players sooner or later though.