FunkedUp 29 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 After a whirlwind of an offseason, and losing 4 free agents, it would be in the Wings best interest if we stayed put until the trade deadline. I was a propenent of going after a few free agents, but they were scooped up or ended up being out of our price range. I think Holland has been smart and his cautious approach and patience are what keeps us contenders every year. There is no sense of picking someone up just to pick them up. I originally wanted Abby to stay down in GR, but I think due to our situation it is within the realm of possibility to see him crack the roster come training camp. I also think that we can wait to see what our needs are come trade deadline time, and make our move based off of that. Maybe we need some more depth, or maybe we try to find a sniper. Also, we could pick up a rental 4-5 million dollar player at that time instead of getting a couple of 750k'ers at the start of the season. The thing is that I don't know what prospect to bring up. Maybe Ouhalen, Ritola, Mursak, or Ryno.... Z-Dats-Cleary Mule-Fil-Leino Abby-Helm- Holmstrom Maltby-Draper-(Prospect) Meech Lidsrom-Rafalski Kron-Stu Lebda-Ericsson Lilja (replaces Lebda if he's healthy) Ozzie Howie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trapt1307 81 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 (edited) I agree 100%. There's nobody worth throwing money at just for the sake of signing a free agent. Roll with what we got and wait until the trade deadline and get more bang for your buck. As it stands right now, this team still competes for the Presidents Trophy. Edited July 12, 2009 by Trapt1307 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RedStormRising 7 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 I agree 100%. There's nobody worth throwing money at just for the sake of signing a free agent. Roll with what we got and wait until the trade deadline and get more bang for your buck. As it stands right now, this team still competes for the Presidents Trophy. I agreed with you up until that point... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drake_Marcus 890 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 After a whirlwind of an offseason, and losing 4 free agents, it would be in the Wings best interest if we stayed put until the trade deadline. I was a propenent of going after a few free agents, but they were scooped up or ended up being out of our price range. I think Holland has been smart and his cautious approach and patience are what keeps us contenders every year. There is no sense of picking someone up just to pick them up. I originally wanted Abby to stay down in GR, but I think due to our situation it is within the realm of possibility to see him crack the roster come training camp. I also think that we can wait to see what our needs are come trade deadline time, and make our move based off of that. Maybe we need some more depth, or maybe we try to find a sniper. Also, we could pick up a rental 4-5 million dollar player at that time instead of getting a couple of 750k'ers at the start of the season. The thing is that I don't know what prospect to bring up. Maybe Ouhalen, Ritola, Mursak, or Ryno.... Z-Dats-Cleary Mule-Fil-Leino Abby-Helm- Holmstrom Maltby-Draper-(Prospect) Meech Lidsrom-Rafalski Kron-Stu Lebda-Ericsson Lilja (replaces Lebda if he's healthy) Ozzie Howie I've scratched out the prospects that aren't even close to being ready for NHL time. I'd choose Ouhalen if push comes to shove. I still have my money on Holland picking up two FA's to fill out the roster. He just won't be comfortable with a roster that rookie heavy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drake_Marcus 890 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 I agreed with you up until that point... I think that's unfair at this point. The core of this club is a team that's been among the top 2 teams in the league the last three years. Why assume they aren't contenders still? If they're destined to fall they'll have to do it on the ice (*knocks on wood*), not this summer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soonboomer 31 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 I agreed with you up until that point... It's not such an outrageous statement at all. Who in the west is so good they'd be favored over the Wings in a 7 game series? Chicago? lost their goaltender.....Ducks? losing Pronger is a bigger loss than losing Hossa......Calgary? better this year than last but always finds a way to lose......Vancouver? see Calgary.....and finally, San Jose? loser mentality. Fact is, the Wings are still favored in Las Vegas to win the west, and winning the west definitely makes you a President's trophy contender. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheOwl 77 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 The Wings don't have a chance at the Presidents trophy. So many teams have gotten substantially better, while Detroit is simply replacing it's UFA loses with rookies. I'm not saying that's a horrible idea, and obviously Holland is right up against the cap, but still Detroit's goaltending will be extremely shaky next season. We all saw how Osgood performed through the majority of the regular season. He was awful mentally, but obviously still had it in him through the play-offs. Good on you. I could care less if he has the same performance next season, as long as he shows up in the play-offs. But the other guy we got who's going to be playing 1/3 or even half of the games is Howard. A huge down-grade from Conklin. Helm, Abby if possible, Leino and Ericcson will pick up a lot of slack offensively. I wouldn't be surprised if Detroit scored 90% of what they did last year. But goaltending wins a lot of games. And Detroit won't be able to score it's way out of trouble like they did this year. Howard is no good, and even if Detroit's defense is top notch through the regular season (which it wasn't last year), Howard will be murdered. The only up-side is, only the Ducks, Blackhawks and Calgary got significantly better in the west. Maybe Dallas will get it's act together. But teams like Nashville, Wild, LA, Columbus, all staid about the same. The big teams in the west like San Jose, Vancouver all got worse. We'll make the top 4 for sure, but winning the west will be difficult. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FunkedUp 29 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 I've scratched out the prospects that aren't even close to being ready for NHL time. I'd choose Ouhalen if push comes to shove. I still have my money on Holland picking up two FA's to fill out the roster. He just won't be comfortable with a roster that rookie heavy. Like Who? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Detoxified 0 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 Brendan Shanahan, for sure. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RedStormRising 7 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 I think that's unfair at this point. The core of this club is a team that's been among the top 2 teams in the league the last three years. Why assume they aren't contenders still? If they're destined to fall they'll have to do it on the ice (*knocks on wood*), not this summer. It's not such an outrageous statement at all. Who in the west is so good they'd be favored over the Wings in a 7 game series? Chicago? lost their goaltender.....Ducks? losing Pronger is a bigger loss than losing Hossa......Calgary? better this year than last but always finds a way to lose......Vancouver? see Calgary.....and finally, San Jose? loser mentality. Fact is, the Wings are still favored in Las Vegas to win the west, and winning the west definitely makes you a President's trophy contender. I'm not saying they aren't Stanley Cup contenders. I just think they don't have a real chance at winning the President's Trophy. I think the Wings' goaltending will be a big factor in them not being at the top come playoff time. Unless Osgood plays playoff-style hockey during the regular season and the defense steps up I just don't see them being the top team in the league at the end of the season. And soonboomer the trophy is a regular season award so I don't really get your reasoning there. Who cares who they can beat in a series, this is a whole season award. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RedFX 48 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 The Wings don't have a chance at the Presidents trophy. So many teams have gotten substantially better, while Detroit is simply replacing it's UFA loses with rookies. I'm not saying that's a horrible idea, and obviously Holland is right up against the cap, but still Detroit's goaltending will be extremely shaky next season. We all saw how Osgood performed through the majority of the regular season. He was awful mentally, but obviously still had it in him through the play-offs. Good on you. I could care less if he has the same performance next season, as long as he shows up in the play-offs. But the other guy we got who's going to be playing 1/3 or even half of the games is Howard. A huge down-grade from Conklin. Helm, Abby if possible, Leino and Ericcson will pick up a lot of slack offensively. I wouldn't be surprised if Detroit scored 90% of what they did last year. But goaltending wins a lot of games. And Detroit won't be able to score it's way out of trouble like they did this year. Howard is no good, and even if Detroit's defense is top notch through the regular season (which it wasn't last year), Howard will be murdered. The only up-side is, only the Ducks, Blackhawks and Calgary got significantly better in the west. Maybe Dallas will get it's act together. But teams like Nashville, Wild, LA, Columbus, all staid about the same. The big teams in the west like San Jose, Vancouver all got worse. We'll make the top 4 for sure, but winning the west will be difficult. With all do respect, I really don't see how you (among others) can make predictions such as these this early. I can see that other teams have bolstered their lineups, and Detroit has seen an exodus of players. But to say we won't contend at the President's Trophy? We still have the majority of a team that went to two consecutive finals; We haven't lost anybody major that we were seriously expecting to keep; And we haven't even seen what this team looks like on the ice. There's so much that can happen. Last year, Pittsburgh lost Hossa, Malone, Sydor, Conklin, Laraque, Ruutu, Roberts, and Hall.....we all saw how that turned out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 I'm perfectly fine with the team as it is. Sure I'd love a Mike Peca or a... come to think of it, he's the only worthwhile FA grinder available. There will be a couple of gritty top 9 forwards at the deadline that could be had cheap if there teams are out of it (Nolan and Tucker come to mind) so Holland will definately have options, but who knows. I doubt he'll have a team go into the season so rookie heavy. (Not that it is a bad thing by anymeans however.) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingsownnhl43 14 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 I could see us signing a grinder type for the forth line with a cap hit of no more than 1 mil. Other than that, I agree. Let's wait for the deadline. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soonboomer 31 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 I'm not saying they aren't Stanley Cup contenders. I just think they don't have a real chance at winning the President's Trophy. I think the Wings' goaltending will be a big factor in them not being at the top come playoff time. Unless Osgood plays playoff-style hockey during the regular season and the defense steps up I just don't see them being the top team in the league at the end of the season. And soonboomer the trophy is a regular season award so I don't really get your reasoning there. Who cares who they can beat in a series, this is a whole season award. My reasoning is that they have the best team in the west.....period......and logically.....now follow me closely here........the best team figures to win the most games. Osgood realizes he wasn't prepared at the start of last season so I doubt he makes the same mistake this year. I for one would have no problem scoring 60 less goals this season if we could give up 50 less. I think the defense reverts back to "normal" this year, Holland waits til the deadline to plug any minor leaks, and come playoffs the Wings are right back where they usually are. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peleshob 0 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 I pretty much agree 100% with this line-up... the only difference I would make is adding a gritty type player to the 4th line, and having Oulahen/Ritola as the spare. Mursak had, by all standards, a terrible season in the AHL and Ryno is just coming back from Europe. Both of those guys need an adjustment period. I'd take any of the following on the 4th line for a low cap hit: Niedermayer, Axelsson, Yelle, Gratton, Kostopoulos, Nichol, Hilbert or Betts (shot blocking/PK for the last two) Two guys who I think Detroit could really re-vamp would be Taylor Pyatt or Mark Bell. Both guys have had a rough time as of late, and I think they could really find themselves in a decent role on Detroit. I would take either of these above the others, as they are project players and would come cheap as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soonboomer 31 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 The Presidents trophy is overrated; so you have the best record during the regular season - great...Just ask how the Sharks are enjoying their summer with the Presidents trophy. As long as the Wings are in the top 8 of the Western Conference, and make the playoffs; anything can happen from there. Never heard that one before. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ben_usmc 253 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 it sucks because I think everyone loves the idea of change and potential addition of grit or top six scoring. But the reality is we should wait until we can really let the season unfold so we can see what we need to work on for the playoffs, and who needs to be voted off the island. I'm sure we'll at least be in the top 5 in the west. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Probie 7 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 I just want us to win our division again, weve won it ten years in a row right? All i care about is when our team reaches the playoffs Holland has tweaked the roster to give us an excellent chance of winning. It might be a bit of a rocky start, but well find our way. I really feel after losing the cup, we will not have that lazy, no show non defensive attitude that we had last season. If we play the same puck possession defensive system that we did in 07-08, we should be fine record wise until the trade deadline when we can bolster our personal, we can be buyers when desperate teams look to offload players for salary. That puck possession and defensive style mixed in with the hunger will be the biggest difference maker in terms of wins and losses. We have picks, and plenty of prospects we can use to trade at the deadline. I'm confident once the playoffs start we are one of the 6 favored teams to win it all, and we'll have a good shot at it all. Look back to the 07-08 season, when we won. We didnt have Hossa. Now losing Sammy doesnt hurt at all, he is a 40 point guy, who benefited by our system and personal around him. His loss means nothing. With Lieno he more then replaces Sammy and his 3 turnovers per game, and innacurate shot and 2nd pp unit gafs. Losing Hudler is a knock against the 07-08 team in terms of scoring, but he can be replaced by a trade, say Chuck Kobasew whom boston maybe looking to deal. He would have generated about 57 points if he had played the whole season, the same as Hudler, plus hes faster and bigger and under a 2.3M cap hit for the next couple of years. That to me is better then Hudler. Right there with those changes we are slightly better off then we were in 07-08. The season hasnt started, its not like Holland and crew arent going to do anything if the team is lagging midway through the season. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SouthernWingsFan 854 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 Wait until the trade deadline? That won't make a lot of people in here happy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
55fan 5,133 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 Wait until the trade deadline? That won't make a lot of people in here happy. Name one thing that will. With the Hudler case in the air, we won't be doing anything for a while. If I ran the zoo, I'd wait until training camp. If the next generation of prospects below Abby/Helm/E/Leino aren't ready, and if there isn't a FA that looks good, then we will have to do something. I could be wrong and someone could come out of nowhere at camp and be the next Cleary, but I'm guessing that we're going to be raiding the Griffins pretty badly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dimaline312000 51 Report post Posted July 13, 2009 I definetly agree. There is no need to make a move anywhere right now. Let's just stay with what we have. Allow Abs to come up to Detroit and kee everyone we have now until the deadline and than if we need to fill a hole or we need a little more Offense or Defense or even if Howie doesn't work out the way we want him to maybe we will need a back-up goalie. I doubt that we'll trade goalies but you never know. I would just like to see us keep the Cap Space until later in the season and we really need something than use it a the time that it beneifits us the most. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Seraph 240 Report post Posted July 13, 2009 I agree with the OP. Let's see what these young guys can do. Let's see if they can grow a little with a full season and some responsibility on their plate. Then we'll know who to lock up long term at an affordable price. Come trade deadline, we'll address the gaps. But I think a season when we may not be a top contender for the President's trophy may not entirely be a bad thing. As long as we can make the playoffs, that's all that matters to me. The youth movement is here, folks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stevkrause 1,247 Report post Posted July 13, 2009 I've scratched out the prospects that aren't even close to being ready for NHL time. I'd choose Ouhalen if push comes to shove. I still have my money on Holland picking up two FA's to fill out the roster. He just won't be comfortable with a roster that rookie heavy. I know I'm a little late to this party, but Ryno almost made the team out of camp 2 years ago... I definitely wouldn't rule him out... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MaynardJKeenan 1 Report post Posted July 13, 2009 Wait until the trade deadline? That won't make a lot of people in here happy. lol, goofball. The only downside to waiting till the trade deadline is we'd have to give up draft picks to get someone. If we sign someone now, it won't cost anything but cap space. I know there isn't alot out there to choose from, but I trust KH to get a couple role guys that will give us a good chance at another run at the Cup. Like someone said earier, look what the Pens lost last year and it turned out good for them in the end. I'm really excited about the upcoming season and I like our chances alot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
joshy207 156 Report post Posted July 13, 2009 I know I'm a little late to this party, but Ryno almost made the team out of camp 2 years ago... I definitely wouldn't rule him out... ...but within a month, he went back to Europe where he has shown very little if any improvement. He would have been better served staying in Grand Rapids. There are more than a few forwards ahead of him now that weren't in September '07. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
