Ken Holland Was SMART!

[Frozen-Man 144]

I think he is smart but it maybe that he and Babcock decided that they had no further needs to fill after the signing of Stuart.

However, you generally do not want to have 5 million in cap room after the trading deadline as it becomes wasted cash. 5 million in unused money will not score goals, provide good defense, or hard checks at the blue line.

No I agree but neither should you just waste the 5 million just because you have it, especially when you will also have to give up draft picks, prospects, and/or players. Furthermore, we would have had to spend it on either someone that would be a free agent that we might not resign or on a player that after this run we might not want as much as some of the free agents this summer or guys that we need to resign.

[sdogg1m 3]

No I agree but neither should you just waste the 5 million just because you have it, especially when you will also have to give up draft picks, prospects, and/or players. Furthermore, we would have had to spend it on either someone that would be a free agent that we might not resign or on a player that after this run we might not want as much as some of the free agents this summer or guys that we need to resign.

I can agree with this.

[Rice 42]

However, you generally do not want to have 5 million in cap room after the trading deadline as it becomes wasted cash. 5 million in unused money will not score goals, provide good defense, or hard checks at the blue line.

The nice thing about saving that cap room is it can be applied to this year's bonuses so they won't carry over to next year.

[Frozen-Man 144]

It's like these same four people don't realize that the 5 mil not spent isn't money that's magically disappearing into some great void, but money that's being saved for the stockholders and can go towards the new arena, new paint in the visitor's locker room, a new toilet paper brand, whatever.

Nevermind the fact that you don't just have to take a hit in your cap to bring in, but trade stuff away, too.

Hmm..

I spend 5 extra mil, I trade away 2 draft picks and a potentially dangerous prospect. I win the cup.

I save the 5 mil, I keep the picks and the prospect. I win the cup.

Which is better for the team and stockholders?

:clap: :clap:

Edited May 27, 2008 by Frozen-Man

[Drimo 0]

I was waiting for this thread, also thought about maybe starting it myself. I admit, I was disappointed at the trade deadline when we didn't make a big deal. But after a day or two it became clear that Holland and the Wings were not willing to "sell the farm" and trade away young talent like Flip and Huds.

Bottom line is this: Holland didn't give up the future for the present, he didn't disrupt the chemistry of the team, and he strengthened the defensive core of a team that is built around defense. Those seem like smart moves to me.

[SnipeShow 0]

just want to say i was one of the people defending holland at the deadline. i argued against getting hossa because he has historically been a playoff underachiever. i will say i was wrong because i said he wouldnt do much this year if he was on detroit (will never know how he would have done on the wings) but he has played admirably for the penguins. and i also will say i was wrong when people argued with me about datsyuks production this postseason.. i said he would not shine but play overall an average game (i think i said something like 15-20 points total in the playoffs). i did however say all we really will get is a solid addition, not a monsterous gamble on someone like hossa who would have cost an arm and a leg. i was thinking realistically for something like stuart and prospal, or stuart and sundin if i was lucky. we stuck with our forwards and got stuart. i guess somewhat luckily Helm and McCarty have proved worthy this postseason as depth forwards. anyways, just wanted to say that Holland has done a great job and people who slandered him saying they cant believe he still has a job here blah blah, were being terribly unfair to the guy and to argue against this whole thing by saying well we didnt know franzen was going to be a monster this postseason... thats not even valid because holland drafted him and obviously put stock into his play.

peace and love!

[WingsRock1371 0]

I still don't agree. Being 4-5 million under the cap when you're trying for a cup is stupid. Are you telling me that a rental player wouldn't have filled in nicely for the two weeks that Franzen was injured?

Yup, would have fit in well for 2 weeks then we would be regretting it for 5 years!

This team had great chemistry all year and you don't mess with that becasue of mid season injuries that won't nesessarily effect you in the playoffs.

I am glad Holland doesn't think like you.

Sorrrrrry, just admit it Holland was right and he has a cup to prove it!

[WingsRock1371 0]

You're right. My bad. Hossa is a rental. I offer my sincerest apologies.

I never once said the Wings should trade for Hossa. I wanted some cheap, depth to help in case of injury.

Federov would have been "cheap" and only played in case of injuries?

This is about as dumb as the "Hossa signed and extension" comment!

Where do you get your news?

[WingsRock1371 0]

All I said was I think he missed on a chance to improve the team at the deadline.

And by "improving the team" he would have had to mess with the chemistry of a Stanly Cup team. Thats now a fact, admit it was unessessary. And admit that not making that move was the SMART choice becasue there is no reason we won't once again have a Stanly Cup team next year. If we trade for a rentel, who knows what our team looks like next year.

It takes a big man to admit he was wrong.

Guess thats not your thang

[WingsRock1371 0]

I don't think it was because Holland was smart at the deadline, it was because he's been smart getting young talent, signing them long term to reasonable salaries,

-and not trading them away for rentel players!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So Holland is smart for drafting them but not smart for refusing to trade them away for rentle players?

I don't think you know what you are talking about, sorry.

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

Federov would have been "cheap" and only played in case of injuries?

This is about as dumb as the "Hossa signed and extension" comment!

Where do you get your news?

While Fedorov would've been nice, its now nice that he wasn't brought in simply because now each and every young Wings player know what it takes to win the Cup and will have that knowledge going forward. Feds already had that, and now the Wings will be stronger next year for it.

[WingsRock1371 0]

Even if the Wings win the Cup this year, I'll still be disappointed that Stuart was the only player brought in.

What a sad world yours must be!

Good thing you post on message boards instead of managing the team.

[WingsRock1371 0]

Looking back at the deadline, and the state of the team then, I think it was a bad move not to bring in scoring help.

What place were the wings in scoring at the deadline?

Exactly.

What place did we finish in scoring?

Exactly.

Scoring goals was not a problem, injuries on defense were. Hossa wouldn't have solved that.

[LeftWinger 4,958]

I agree with what you quoted. I can see Osgood carrying the cup around with him on the ice already. However, as a hockey player, I just can't count my chickens before they hatch. I have been on the flip side of a comeback and it hurts bad.

In short, lets hope the Wings make it 31.

As for atoning, I hope that everyone on this board comes out and admits their wrongdoings. You can call it a confession of sorts.

...I am probably the biggest whiner when it comes to Ken Holland. I still wish we could've gotten Fedorov, but, after I heard that Columbus wanted Filpulla, was glad Ken Holland didn't give him up. I am still not the biggest Ken Holland fan, but I cannot argue his hockey smarts. I guess that if I were that hockey smart, I would be a GM too. It was a great job by Holland NOT making the Fedorov deal and I apologize to all the Red Wings faithful on here that I spewed a lot of junk about the non-trade...

...I guess if I want my official Lets Go Wings.com "Fan" status back I have to start new and be on probabtion! I'll take it. I am still hoping Fedorov comes home to finish his career (ala Dallas Drake) and hope that Holland can find room on his Stanley Cup roster for him, but I will not( and this is a promise) whine about it if he doesn't re-sign him. More importantly for me now, I hope Holland finds room to keep Stuart since I believe he was invaluable to this team during this Championship run. Hopefully he doesn't cost too much, for obviously Zetterberg is gonna get top dollar wen he signshis contract. Cheers to Ken Holland and Cheers the Wings and Cheers to ALL OF YOU!!!

....We'll see you on Draft Day!

[WingsRock1371 0]

However, you generally do not want to have 5 million in cap room after the trading deadline as it becomes wasted cash. 5 million in unused money will not score goals, provide good defense, or hard checks at the blue line.

If Hossa was available for 5 mil alone, great. But he wasn't, they wanted players for him. Pittsburgh gave up several young promising players for him and he isn't going to be there next year. Armstrong and Christiansen would have been there, and they will need to find quality role players over the next few years becasue they are going to have cap trouble as all of the stars need to be resigned. But now they better hope they can get those kind of role players back or else they will resemble the Rangers of a few years back, star studded with no depth or results.

Pittsburgh took a gamble and lost but he needed to do something becasue his team was struggling all year. Holland realized that his teams struggles were only recent and the result of injuries so he made a decision not to take that gamble.

And I am saying that was a smart decision and anyone who doesn't admit it is just stubborn even after watching the wings skate around Hossa and the Pens with the cup!

[kozac 10]

And what about Dallas Drake? What a shrewed move that was. I know we picked him up in the offseason, but who honestly thought that he would be such an huge presence for us in the playoffs? He went from being a fourth liner/healthy scratch during the regular season to playing every game in the playoffs and getting solid minutes. I'm so happy for him winning and what i nice touch by Nick giving him the cup first.

[WingsRock1371 0]

That was a nice touch by Nick

[Cruiser008 37]

Kenny is a freakin' genius. A LOT of us have doubted him in the past he's proven to be the best GM in the league and Detroit wouldn't be where they are today without him.

[#19forPresident! 1]

I was just thinking about all of the whining and moaning about Kenny not making a big deadline deal this year. I always thought that we had a great team, we just needed to get healthy, but I know there were a lot of people ready to hand the cup to Pittsburgh when they announced the trade!

I just wanted to say thanks Kenny for not peddeling our promising young stars away for a rent-a-player!

There are more than a few people here that owe him an apology.

The trade deadline is one of the most entertaining times to read hockey message boards. That time of year the armchair GM in all of us comes out, but a guy like Kenny is obviously a professional that has a serious knack for his line of work.

It really reminds me of some freakish x-men like ability, or how some slightly autistic people who aren't burdened with any handicaps from the condition, but they can do a twelve part trigonometry equation in their head in ten seconds or less.

Some people just know what the hell they are doing, after being a Wings fan for so long I've just learned to trust him. While most of the GM's around the league are getting out their magic eight balls, or shooting for the obvious big name high stakes trade at the deadline, there is Kenny quietly picking the diamonds out of the rough, all the while being criticized by everyone from the media to his own fans.

Then three months later he is usually sitting there wearing a grin, and sometimes a shiny new ring, looking pretty damn smart.