gcom007

Again, are you just ignoring the fact that Holland has gone out chasing every big name hard for years now? Did you forget that he had monster deals on the table for Parise and Suter as well? I don't get how people can just go with that "it was the smart thing to do" when he clearly, blatantly has tried to do something different every year now. He just hasn't landed the guys that he was chasing and then had to plug holes with FA scrubs and youth. And don't get me wrong, youth is good and our drafting is great relative to the picks we get, but we are not a complete team. We struggle and fight and will ourselves to more success than we likely deserve if you're just going by what's on paper. The bar is not just free agency and trades, but it's a huge part of the game still. You can't just draft all the players you need, especially when you don't get high picks like we do. You have to be able to augment the team via trade and free agency as well. Holland has not done a good job of that lately, plain and simple. Like I've said for a long time, he gets so caught up chasing the big names that he's missed other opportunities to improve the middle of this team, and he ends up with scraps in free agency. And it's ludicrous to ignore how much money we've spent in the last few years on guys that don't play. Odd circumstances aside, we've been paying a lot of guys way too much money to practice or play in Grand Rapids. That is just plain stupid, and again, in many cases, the result of not being more pragmatic right when the deadline hits.

He's trie to make the big deals every off season though. It's not that he's afraid, he just hasn't been successful. I for one wish he'd stop putting all his eggs in one basket seemingly and targeting the more mid-level "above-average" talent first and forget about trying to land an elite player. That hasn't worked for us for five years now. He should focus on solidifying the core.

If there's one thing I really think Holland has a tendency of nailing, it's finding a good backup at a great price. I'm really not worried about whatever he would scrape up, because historically, he really has done a good job in this area. This is also why I worry less about trading Howard than some might.

This obviously goes without saying.............

I'd also like to see us a little less aggressive in FA with the big names and a little more focused on really solid role players. I'm at a point where I really, fully support the idea of overpaying for more mid-level talent as opposed to chasing big names, getting shut out, and plugging holes with whatever low-end s*** you can scrape up in a sweeping desperation act.

Same as it's been the last 4-5 years... I would like it if we could just find one legitimate 3-4 defenseman. Not some bulls***ty 5-6-7 defenseman that you have to twist and turn in your head to imagine fitting into a 3-4 spot, but someone who's fully deserving of the spot. Someone who on this team could probably then slide into a 1-2 spot the way things have gone. I really don't think this is too much to ask.

I don't think he'd make those comments if he wasn't planning on staying though, to be honest.

Sadly, I kinda get this.

Except I don't think he's a flaming piece of s***, and I think it's absurd to mention him in the same sentence as guys like Lemieux. PK is no angel, and he certainly still has some growing up to do, but I don't think he's quite the ******* some people make him out to be.

The PK hate is really getting old. If he was on our team, this board would be oozing with joy at that fact on a daily basis, as they should.

What's most unfortunate about Holland is that he squandered his opportunity to lure in talent with relatively young superstars. He should've begun retooling when we were at the top of our game in 2009-2010. He had opportunities, and a much more attractive roster to lure guys in with. It's hard to blame him for the last few years struggles when you look just at those years, but he could've set himself up with a much more favorable hand if he'd been more aggressive five years ago. The writing was on the wall with the defense then, but nothing was done. Everything that's happened since is mostly a result of a couple of years of getting caught really flat-footed.

If there was no cap and Howard was happy to be relegated to a backup role come playoff time, it'd be a no brainer to keep him as long as possible. Given that there is a cap though, and that Howard might want to move to a team where he won't have to compete for starts or be a backup come playoff time, things might have to work out differently this time. It'll be very interesting to see what happens. I also wonder how much the coaching situation might influence the goalie situation. I think Mrazek is clearly Babcock's guy at this point, and Babcock was the guy who made Howard a playoff backup. If he's back, which I think he will be, that might influence Howard's decision more. If a new coach comes in, Howard might be more open to the idea of winning back the starting role here for a time. But again, he knows how Babcock roles when he moves on to a new goalie; he was on the other end of it in 2010.

Even if they go 50-50, it's very likely that Mrazek's playoff performance this year is going to get him the nod heading into the playoffs next year. Howard knows this. Guys like Howard want to play all the time, especially in the playoffs. If he doesn't think he's going to get that opportunity here, I think he's likely to ask to be traded. And given how Mrazek played, even if they'd like him to go 50-50 next year, they'll likely be moving him into the starter role full-time the following season. I really think it could go either way, but I wouldn't be surprised if Howard wants to move on sooner rather than later with all this in mind. He's not exactly a spring chicken.

Again, do you really think Howard is going to want to stick with a team that he knows probably won't be going with him in the playoffs moving forward? The guy wants to be the starter, plain and simple. He clearly was not happy with how things went down, and Mrazek did nothing but set himself up to be the new starter when it comes playoff time, even if they were to go A-B next year with Howard. I'll just be a bit surprised if Howard is content with that situation.

Who knows, but Gus is most certainly done here. I like the guy, but he's made of glass. If you're going to go with Mrazek, you need someone a bit more serviceable than Gus at this point. It's a shame, because when healthy, he's a great backup. I still think he was the right move this last year, because Howard typically can play a lot of games, and if he went down, you have a capable Mrazek who can come up and play. It worked out great ultimately this year.

You don't think there's any chance Howard asks for a trade?

He's going to be the playoff starter from here on out, no doubt, and that's what's going to dictate a lot of things I imagine. That said, I think a lot will depend on Howard's thoughts on things this off-season. I wouldn't be entirely shocked if he asks to be traded, and who could blame him? Even if he splits time next year with Mrazek, he has to assume they'll likely be going with Mrazek in the playoffs, and Howard is not a goalie that's going to be content with that situation. It'd be mutually advantageous for us to trade Howard at this point in his career when he's still an above-average goalie in this league (at worst), especially if it could net us a defenseman. If we can't get a decent return for him this summer, keep them rotating in the regular season, wait for a better opportunity to come up during the season. It's likely to happen, especially if Howard plays well, which I'd fully expect him to after a summer to fully recover and reset from his injury. It does us no harm to have Howard around while Mrazek works through his regular season learning curve. But if the deal is there this summer to make this team better, make the deal.

Mike Babcock.

And I really hope you're right.

I just don't think it's as simple as conditioning for him. I'm not saying that to bag on him, as I've been a supporter of his on here at every chance, but I think we have to be realistic about what we can expect from him at this point in his career given his back issues. He's still capable of being a great leader, and he is hardly useless, but he's not likely to be a threat down the stretch like he once was. The later-year Yzerman comparison is apt.

They're not a bad team. They're not a good enough team either. More than ever after this season though, I think it's a colossal shame that we squandered so many of the prime years of Dats and especially Z. I'm afraid that side of things isn't going to get any better.

My heart, my heart...

Real good 1st. If we can keep pushing like that, we're going to score some goals. My heart is still racing like mad though...

Here goes nothing...I feel good about this though.