Dabura

Well, Bill Peters joined in July of 2011 (i.e. he arrived post-excellence) and his services were much in demand this summer. Not to mention, we've lost about 40,000,000 other key people over the past two or three years. The Wings might not be the class of the league anymore, but I think that, on the organizational level, being a Red Wing still means a lot, even if you weren't around for any of the glory days.

Fancy stats suggest the deal is a steal: Why the Tomas Tatar deal is a win for Detroit Red Wings [Prashanth Iyer, The Washington Post]

I think if anything the Wings have probably been ahead of the curve for some time now. Many of the things the Wings have been valuing for the past 20 years are being validated by the advanced stats, e.g. that possession is all-important. I have to think they've been using their own system, their own metrics, and now they're going to try to assimilate the Dellow way of thinking, which shouldn't be too hard.

I might disagree with the notion that "it has to be this way, and we just have to be patient, and that's exactly what Ken Holland is doing, being patient and keeping his eye on the big prize no matter what." I think that's true, but I also think what makes retooling so hard is, in theory, you've already got a pretty competitive team, one that's probably only a key piece or two away from being a true contender. For that reason, you don't shut the door to possible quick fixes and shots in the arm and all those temptations. If something good enough comes along, you go for it. I'd say that's where Kenny tends to get into trouble, at least with the fans. We say, "Well, it's either win now or wait. We can't have it both ways." And Kenny himself says time and time again that free agency is no longer Where It's At. But, truth is, it's sort of fluid. It has to be. The main priority is building up an army of very good young players to surround and complement our core, but, as we're retooling and not rebuilding, we should always be open to the possibility of acquiring a big-time player and switching gears to Win Now. We should be playing both sides. That way, if we strike out in free agency, it's ok - we're still following "The Plan." Not that this is necessarily standard protocol for a retooling team. We're in sort of a unique position: we have to rebuild in the sense that we didn't have an especially good group of futures a few years ago and that needed to be addressed, but we're still making the playoffs and we might be a solid top-four defenseman and/or a 35-goal-scorer away from making some real noise in the weak Eastern Conference. It's a tough balancing act. Of course...let's be completely honest. If Kenny could have his way, this youth thing probably wouldn't be happening the way it's starting to unfold. Oh, sure, we'd be building up a good pipeline, but we'd have Suter, we'd have Parise, we'd have Samuelsson and Bertuzzi and Cleary and Sami Salo and Ray Whitney. The team would be a veteran team for as long as possible. One could definitely argue that the only reason we're going young is that the universe is forcing it to happen through incredible injury woes and baffling free agency strike-outs. I guess what I'm saying in all this is that the Wings' situation is a tricky one, and that Holland doesn't necessarily know what he's doing at all times but I don't necessarily fault him for that. Going from having been a legit contender for two straight decades to knowing 1) you kinda need to suck a little for a few years so you can get some better picks than you're used to and 2) oh, but at the same time, you're probably only a good defenseman and a good forward away from being a contender again --- that's tough. "Winning Now" is in this organization's blood. So, I do give credit to Kenny for walking that tightrope and assembling an impressive prospect pool. But I do think the universe also deserves credit for "course correcting" here and there. About our futures and young guns - I love them. I haven't always been very kind to them, but, maybe not unlike Kenny, I know that every day gone by is another day closer to a time when they're going to be The S***. (Or, at least, that's my belief and hope.) That's largely why I posed that question about what an elite 2017 Red Wings team might look like - we're starting to get an idea of what we have and how it might unfold and where it might take us. I worry about our D corps and what we're going to do about the 1C spot when Datsyuk is just a couple years shy of 40 and Zetterberg probably isn't up to snuff. People say Larkin, but the kid's gonna be a freshman in college next year; he's not going to be our top centerman in 2017. But, the wingers? Man, there's the potential for some crazy-good depth at wing in a few years, especially if Z and D switch over to the side. Nyquist and Tatar are probably good for 20+ goals right now, and they're not even in their prime years. I've gotta think Mantha will good for at least 20-25 goals a couple years from now, when he'll be all of 22 years old. Pulkkinen - pure goal-scorer. Jurco - goal-scorer, maybe a power-forward in the making. Athanasiou - goal-scorer with flash and size and amazing wheels. Janmark (who would probably be moved to the wing) - goal-scorer, radioactive. If we could maybe swing Nyquist and Smith for Evander Kane, I would cry. Then we'd have the makings of one hell of a forward corps, like what Chicago and LA have right now.

I like how we giveth Renney and taketh away Brewer. Take that, Hockey Canada!

Or he's replacing Peters. Whatever. Point is, this is the guy, apparently. And if he's not, Malik looks bad.

http://kuklaskorner.com/tmr/comments/red-wings-midnight-report-little-birdie Sounds like he's big on analytics. I like. https://twitter.com/britkneemcq/status/494340633662746626/photo/1

Good, solid deal. I like that he's still going to be an RFA when it expires.

To be fair, we were saying pretty much the same thing about Sheahan not so long ago.

Good read.

I <3 fancy stats.

Something I've been thinking about: Let's say we do, in fact, win the Cup within the next three or four years (i.e. while we still have Datsyuk). What does that roster look like, realistically?

Saying Tatar's unproven isn't necessarily knocking him. It's just a fact, really. We don't yet know what Tomas Tatar the NHLer truly is, or, maybe more correctly, what he will be. It's a very small sample size. Another concern - and this isn't Tatar's fault either - is that we have a wealth of up-and-coming young talents, any one of whom might be The Next Great Red Wing. Already we've got Nyquist and Tatar and Sheahan and Jurco looking like they might be Players. So, cost controlling is essential, especially if we're thinking about making a run or two at the Cup in the next three or four years.

More advanced stats stuff: Babcock looks to learn more via advanced stats [Dan Rosen, NHL.com]

Ken Holland is my father.

Babs says a few words on advanced stats: http://www.wingingitinmotown.com/2014/7/23/5930979/could-advanced-stats-be-the-key-to-success-in-the-nhl Quoting Dan Rosen, who's quoted in the piece:

There is one team in the Eastern Conference that is unequivocally better than the Red Wings. That team is the Bruins. Otherwise, it's wide open; the Wings, if healthy and humming, can go toe-to-toe with any EC team in a playoff series. If you disagree, you are wrong.

I suggested a first line of Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Callahan in that other thread. That's a running joke I have where if someone's right-handed I pencil him in on the first line with Z and D - but, yeah, the thinking is that Callahan's about as qualified as anyone in our system to be The Next #96, at least on one of the PP units. Good call, kip. (Can you imagine a fourth line of Abdelkader-Helm-Callahan? The Pain in the Ass Line.)

Being a Wing helps your cause, whether you're an AHL assistant coach or an NHL assistant coach or the chief of scouting or in player development. Other organizations want a piece of That Magical Detroit Red Wings Formula for Success. It's true, though - there's been an awful lot of turnover lately, more than even the Wings are really accustomed to. It's too bad we can't get compensation.

I was hoping this would get done. Good add for the Griffins.

This post reeks of sexual innuendo. I approve. *NSFW* !! Back to Mueller ("Mueller? ... Mueller?"), some random guy thinks he'd be a good fit in Detroit: http://www.rantsports.com/nhl/2014/07/22/nhl-rumors-top-5-fits-for-peter-mueller/#slide3 Kevin Hayes, who I've talked up before, might also be an option.

My impression is it's Boychuck or McQuaid, probably the former. Neither is anything special, but Boychuck might be a good fit.

I think the Caps will be an improved team. Certainly they had our number this past season. I'm just not buying that they're "definitely better" than the Wings. They've got a solid blue line on paper (though, Orpik is hugely overrated and will be a buyout candidate soon enough), but they lack depth up front (e.g. no second-line center) and their goaltending is questionable.

He's 26, he's got a pretty good frame, he's a righty, and he'd cost peanuts. He probably doesn't pan out, but maybe he does. Or maybe he plays on the farm and makes the Griffins better, which helps the kids. I don't have The Answers, man, I just work here.

Low-risk high-reward. It's not like we'd have to trade Nyquist to get him.