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Ken Holland "not overly optimistic" he can trade Datsyuk's contract

If we're going to give them Jurco or Pulkkinen, we might as well see if there isn't an actual hockey trade to be made. I'm already on record as saying Martin Hanzal ought to be one of our top trade targets. I also like Michael Stone.

Fun fact: Wayne Simmonds grew up a Red Wings fan. http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/flyers/2014/01/26/wayne-simmonds-philadelphia-work-ethic-racial-taunts/4916239/ He's awesome. And the Flyers know this better than anyone. But I don't think he's untouchable, nor do I believe the asking price would be too hard to stomach.

http://mynhltraderumors.com/nhl-rumors-islanders-trade-bait-sami-vatanen-ryan-nugent-hopkins/2016/06/03/ Meanwhile, in Red Wings Land, Khan and HSJ are already managing expectations, preemptively justifying/rationalizing the Wings' all-but-inevitable inactivity on the summer trade front with the usual "There's not much out there, and all the GMs want [insert our best young player at the moment], which is a total no-go." We hear this refrain a dozen times every year. Now it's "Dylan Larkin is the asking price for Shattenkirk/Trouba/Hamilton/[insert the player you would want the Wings to pursue]." Alas! If only the CBA allowed GMs to negotiate with each other!

Looks like a soccer (football) crest. (Someone mentioned Arsenal.) I imagine this is intentional. "Make it look like anything but an NHL logo and we'll see better sales, guaranteed." Can't really argue with that logic, tbh. (Then again, the Panthers' logo never really looked like *An NHL Logo*. And I always kinda liked it for that.)

Eh, I'm not so sure. I mean, yeah, if there's a bad situation then maybe you kind of have to switch captains and maybe that does end up having a positive effect on the team -- and maybe that's what we're seeing with this Sharks team. But, honestly, I don't think the Sharks' success this season should be viewed as compelling evidence that "changing your captain works (i.e. dramatically improves your team)." They stripped Marleau of the captaincy years ago and it didn't seem to help them in any meaningful way. The bottom line, for me, is that the Sharks finally put it all together this season. They're as deep and balanced and motivated and imposing as any team in the league and -- speaking of changes in the leadership group -- they have a new voice behind the bench who seems to be a great fit.

Does anyone know if Damien Sandow can skate?

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nhl/red-wings/2016/05/26/wings-trade-pick-sharks-prospect-dylan-sadowy/84992442/ Like I said, I'm all for this kind of thing. Drafting isn't the only avenue for acquiring young talent. (Granted, our pipeline is pretty crowded as it is. But that's no reason not to seek out top talent.) Now let's take a run at a couple older, more NHL-ready, higher-tier prospects. Possibilities include the three defensemen I mentioned above -- Madison Bowey, Julius Honka, Anthony DeAngelo -- and Josh Morrissey, Shea Theodore, Rasmus Andersson, Oliver Kylington, Brett Pesce, Ty Rattie, Brendan Perlini, Alex Tuch, Kerby Rychel.

Earlier this season, Darren Eliot did an FS-D intermission bit on why the Sharks were pretenders, as opposed to legitimate contenders. I cringed through the whole thing. That Brent Burns guy is pretty good. It's a shame that players like him are never traded. (No, I will never let this go.) Food for thought: (Link)

I'm reminded of something Dave Tippett once said... The best defense is a good offense. So we're going to continue to hold the likes of Mantha and Athanasiou back because "They gotta be better without the puck" and then turn around and throw crazy money at the likes of Radulov and Okposo? I think the Wings have to acknowledge and embrace the reality of their situation: we have, essentially, no proven top-end talent, and we play a self-defeating brand of hockey that emphasizes all the wrong things. We need to bring along the young talent (which is, at present, the only thing we have going for us) and figure out what our new core is going to look like and if we can win Cups with it. Anything short of that is a dying team on life support fighting to...stay on life support a little longer. I do think we should be looking for someone who can be an adequate 1C for a couple years while Larkin and/or Athanasiou grow into the role. I'm thinking someone like Martin Hanzal or Jordan Staal, maybe David Backes. And, of course, we have to consider multiple options re: our D group. But we have to be thinking long-term. We have to build something new. Now, if we want to accelerate that process by trying to land a Madison Bowey or a Julius Honka or an Anthony DeAngelo, I'm all for that.

EDIT: Whoops!

Multiple concussions and the natural consequences thereof. (Not unlike Franzen's situation.)

Nowhere in my post do I claim that we haven't been transitioning. what Cool straw man, bro! (I'm beginning to remember why I'd taken a break from posting here...)

My two cents: The Wings need to grow, change, reinvent. Datsyuk's early retirement represents an opportunity -- and an excuse -- to do so. The Powers That Be (mainly Ken Holland) must embrace it. If losing the magical crutch called Pavel Datsyuk means the team must crawl on the ground and learn to walk again, so be it. The team must be allowed to crawl so that it can learn to walk again and allowed to walk so that it can learn to fly again. The team must be allowed to struggle, must be allowed and encouraged to find a new, post-Euro Twins identity. The team must get younger, faster, harder to play against. I firmly believe Larkin and Athanasiou are our new franchise centermen, that they can one day match the Euro Twins in greatness. I believe Mantha can be a force as early as next season -- hell, as early as these playoffs. I believe Svechnikov is going to be a beast, someone a bit like Tomas Holmstrom in that he'll allow us to get to our forechecking game (which, like many things, we're going to have to rebuild from the ground up) -- but owning better size and skill and and skating ability and an incredible shot. I don't believe Tatar and Nyquist have taken a step back this year, I think -- and the numbers bear this out -- they've seen a reduction in ice time this season and that this alone can explain the drop in their production. Similarly, I don't think Jurco and Pulkkinen's "struggles" are indicative of what they truly have to offer. All of this is to say, I think our head coach and/or general manager has/have to come to understand and appreciate what many fans already know: Joakim Andersson and Jonathan Ericsson are not The Answer. Limiting Athanasiou to five minutes of ice time in big games is profoundly foolish, especially with Datsyuk leaving in the summer and an enormous void opening up at the top of our depth chart. The priority this season and next season has to be transitioning to a younger core, not trying to squeeze one.more.playoff.berth. out of our veterans' butts. By all means, try to land a Martin Hanzal, someone who can play against the opposition's best players, allowing Larkin and Athanasiou to develop their game against weaker matchups. But don't cage creativity. Don't stifle scoring ability. Don't preach defense for the sake of "learning how to defend real well." I don't even want our defensemen worrying about defending. I want a precise, relentless quick-strike transition game. I want the game to be played on the opposition's half of the ice, because we always have the puck and we're always forcing the other team to play without the puck and "defend real well." Suggested Reading 1. Darryl Sutter: 2. Dave Tippett: 3. Ken Hitchcock and the Non-Stop Blues 4. Ken Hitchcock's Reliance on Rookies Is Paying Off

Well, sure. I'm right there with you on that point. But, in all likelihood, Holland isn't able to move Datsyuk's contract and Stamkos signs elsewhere (whether it's Tampa or somewhere new).

There's a loophole that would, in theory, allow the Wings to free themselves of Datsyuk's cap hit. Ken Campbell explains: I wouldn't count on this happening. In all likelihood, we're stuck with the cap hit next season. The other ~$10M in cap space could be freed up by simply not re-signing Helm ($2.125M), Richards ($3M), Quincey ($4.25M), Andersson ($815K). In all likelihood, though, at least one of these players will re-up with the Wings. Which is fine. (Provided it's Helm and he gets paid like a bottom-six winger who could spend an entire season on a line with Pavel Datsyuk and still fail to crack 35 points.)

Don't stop believing.

What's to stop Chris Chelios from replacing him?

There's no issue with Jensen; he has all the qualities you'd want in a modern NHL defenseman. Sublime skater. Moves the puck exceptionally well (whether skating it or passing it). Positionally sound and responsible. Sees the ice well, reads plays at a high level. Competes harder than most, especially on the defensive side of the puck. Can run a power play and kill penalties. Shoots right and has a great shot. This is a good player. The problem is the logjam and Kenny's refusal or inability to alleviate it. (He's a hoarder.) Ouellet and Marchenko were NHL-ready a year and a half ago. By this point, each of them -- and Jensen -- is a better defenseman than Ericsson, Quincey, Kindl.

Our three best defensemen are Green, Kronwall, DeKeyser. So, Quincey is, at best, our #4 defenseman.

I dunno that increasing the size of the net really solves anything. We'd see more goals, but do we want more goals for the sake of having more goals, or do we want more offense, more open ice, more displays of skill - more scoring chances?

Rick Nash Nikolai Zherdev Derick Brassard Jeff Carter Jakub Vorachek Marian Gaborik Ryan Johansen