mackel

Larkin is a really good 2C or a platoon 1C with, well another Larkin type. We need a dynamic player or two. We have alot of 2nd and and 3rd liners in our rebuild we NEED elite skill... which is why sliding to 4th was such a kick in the nuts... we'll probably get a good player but we'll only know in 3 years time. I'm in.

Vernon played the majority of his career before the DPE, Cujo played 70% on the DPE and Ozzie played almost entirely in the DPE. Of those 3 I Think Vernon and Ozzie are hall worthy, in that order, Cujo not so much... He may get some kudos for the 1996 World Cup and Championships but he didn't win anything.

Of course you'd argue, that's your default setting... however Vernie was right there numerically with the guys of his era and was out conn smythe winner. He also played against those stacked Oilers teams more than say Patty Roy... his numbers are as good or better than guys like Fuhr. If Vernie wasn't elite he was what every comes just before it.

Mike Vernon is the most underrated goalie of his era, he should be in the HOF. I'm with you on Osgood though.

Thank god we have that rigged draft lotto to prevent teams from tanking... https://www.nhl.com/news/blackhawks-crawford-ruled-unfit-to-play/c-317401792

Good talk.

I was referencing Shawshank.

With the current "leadership" in the NHL the Wings getting screwed is a foregone conclusion.

I think the Vancouver pick is lottery protected... Well since we got screwed in 2020... https://detroitsportsnation.com/2021-way-early-nhl-mock-draft-red-wings-selecting-no-1-ranked-prospect/apowell/detroit-red-wings-news/07/07/2020/228671/

It'll take 20 years, a poster and narration by Morgan Freeman...

I have a theory that @ChristopherReevesLegs and @krsmith17 are two competing personalities trapped in the same body and use the same device to unknowingly argue with each on here.

^^^Literally all of this! We need so many picks that the league can't work out how to f*** us in the lotto. The only UFA we should sign is a goalie... and at this point it might as well be Howard, or Ayers (remember that guy) why not? Just a warm body to spell off Bernier.

What I find interesting is just how many of us expected it... not just that we would drop, but drop the max. I was telling the guys at the golf course this would happen in early June and they thought I was nuts... I handed out the "I told you so's" lol

Keep dreaming... we're way closer to a rebuild reset than being a rising team. At this point we have to commit to stripping it down; going the UFA route only makes us average.

You're more positive than I am... I think the drop to 4th has really hurt this franchise and IF that is combined with an already good team within our division getting the 1st pick that's going to really hurt. IF Toronto gets that pick for example, it gets them out of cap hell... they get a star player on an ELC and can trade a player or two for futures, extending their window.... not to mention we play teams within our division 4 or 5 times a season. Seeing Lafreniere in a visitor jersey 4 or 5 times a season would be such a kick in the nuts.

People may interpret this a a good thing but for me it's a huge RED flag... it screams late 90's/2000's Oliers good old boys club to me.

Leaving the bait on the line... NICE

All that does is accelerate our path to forever .500, in the absence of "luck" in the lottery we need to double down and strip this thing down to the studs. Adding UFAs makes us a bit better in the short term and worse in the medium/long term. Yzerman preached patience and with our "luck" in (rigged) drafts we need as many picks as we can get. Ideally over the next 3 seasons we should trade or otherwise let go of all but a small handful of our current full timer roster (3 or 4 guys)

If only.

Realistically, we're in a bad spot... in our division, Boston, TB and Toronto are all good teams and will be for 5ish more years... Ottawa already has a better group of prospects than we do AND will add 2 really good ones this draft. Now if the NHL completes part 2 of the rigged draft and Lafreniere ends up on a team in our division we're really f***ed. I'm predicting that (some of) our prospects become our new core and that (most of) of our current core ie. Larkin, Mantha, Bertuzz, Fabbri etc. are traded in a rebuild reset. I think this process got a minimum of 3 years longer and maybe 5+ years longer if Lafreniere ends up with Montreal, Florida, Toronto, etc

The "but that is what it is" attitude and those 'classy' comments from Yzerman are part of the problem... we need more Brian Burke's calling out this 2nd rate league and their made for TV rigged draft.

I know I'm done... I will not watch or consume anything NHL "league" related atleast until the Wings play again and maybe not for some time... if Lafreniere ends up on a team in our division, a team that is, by default already far better that we are... well never say never but it'll be EFFING close if I engage with the league outside of this board again.

People will call you crazy BUT you're 100% correct! Who'd watch the 2nd lottery if the 2nd or 3rd pick were at stake? Answer: Far fewer than having the the 1st overall pick and a borderline generational player hanging in the balance. In hindsight the 1st pick was NEVER actually available to the bottom 7, I'd not be surprised if we didn't even have any balls in the machine... LA won the bottom 7 lottery once the 1st overall pick was set aside. I can't prove this... but I'll never believe otherwise, it fits the gimmick they setup "too perfectly" to not be a setup.

I'm so depressed I can't even address the Zadina in the room.

This disaster made thar all the more true!