Draper or Hudler?

[Guest Hatethedrake!]

Who is more valuable to this team right now?

[evilzyme 769]

Easy, Draper. Great center, awesome mentor, outstanding speed. Both can finish chances if given them most of the time. Penalty kill, draper is huge on winning key face-offs and huslting to bench. Hudler, well... gets thrown around.

[SwedeLundin77 460]

Hudler... still has potential to be traded and possibly could improve in a contract year. We could technically benefit off of him playing stronger this season, but i'm not counting on it.

I like that Draper is leaving and we have Mursak coming in. I think Mursak will be a great player with us. He's pretty much Helm with better hands...

[stevkrause 1,247]

I have a feeling this thread is going to take a bad turn and I have a feeling eva will be involved...

I voted Hudler.

For all the Hudler haters on this board, he still has offensive tools and can add a scoring touch, as well as go on hot streaks, which Draper does not, simple as that - I love Draper and everything he's contributed to this team and if this was a Draper in his prime, it might be a different story, but he is 40 and we already have plenty of "energy" guys that have speed and disrupt teams and kill penalties and it is a VERY important role, but that is not a big a need of ours as scoring is...

Say all you want about Hudler, but he still has great vision and one hell of a shot, he just needs to work on his consistency and effort level night in and night out... the guy is still pretty young too and only had one year back from the minor league that is the KHL (I don't think the KHL teams could even beat a lot of the AHL teams) - he still needs some adjusting and I think he will have a bounce back year this year.

[InKennyWeTrust 126]

I'm not as down on Hudler as several people here, but of course it's Drapes. It's very possible that Hudler doesn't mesh well within the locker room, not to mention his sometimes questionable play on the ice. Draper has been an important part of many Red Wings teams and has a lot to teach players like Mursak and maybe Emmerton about conducting themselves in high pressure situations. Draper is also still competent defensively on a fourth line.

[Guest stinky fish taco]

really tough choice. both are awful and need to be gone.

kudos on a challenging poll creation.

[Guest echos myron]

I feel compelled to vote on this.

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029]

really tough choice. both are awful and need to be gone.

kudos on a challenging poll creation.

Draper's awful? Still fast and a decent penalty killer? Good on draws?

[vladdy16 2,154]

Draper's awful? Still fast and a decent penalty killer? Good on draws?

These are the exact reasons I voted Draper. Really the only thing Hudler has going for him right now is some possible minor trade value.

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029]

These are the exact reasons I voted Draper. Really the only thing Hudler has going for him right now is some possible minor trade value.

Exactly. I feel if he is given a change of scenery, he could find his game. Some players just don't work out here.

[Number19 159]

Draper, hands down. Put it this way I'd rather have a lineup of all Drapers than a lineup of all Hudler.

Edited July 21, 2011 by Number19

[mmamolo 287]

I honestly don't understand how any one here could choose a 40 year old Draper over a 27 year old Hudler. This isn't mean tto knock Draper what so ever but the blind hatred of Hudler is ridiculous. Look at team needs versus roster players. Not to mention that if Hudler even has a decent year he will most likely be re-signed and continue to provide something to this franchise. Draper is on his last legs and although he brings a lot to the franchise in terms of morale, experience etc. it just doesn't make sense in my mind to give up on a 27 year old with one bad season in favour of a 40 year old who would most likely play about 40 games next season and then retire.

People on this board weren't happy about losing Ritola last year in favour of keeping Draper. People still hold a grudge about Holland losing Quincey in favour Chelios. Those were two players who, at the time, were completely unestablished at the NHL level. Now this poll is asking if you'd rather a last-legs 40 year old Draper over a 27 year old established player in Hudler. That's absurd...the people on this board (come the end of this season) would be calling Holland and idiot and quoting Quincey and Ritola as prior evidence of a growing trend.

[wingnut40 176]

Draper for sure. He may be older, but he knows his role, does it well, and does it with confidence. The same can't be said with Hudler.

[mmamolo 287]

Exactly. I feel if he is given a change of scenery, he could find his game. Some players just don't work out here.

I'm not saying Hudler will turn it around and magically become a superstar but you claiming he 'just doesn't work here' because he had a poor year last season is a tough pill to swallow. Hudler is a player who has worked here in the past (prior to KHL) and was effective for some stretches last season. If 2010 wasn't packed with injuries and room under the cap had to be made for Franzen's return I bet Holland never would have traded Leino at that point despite him 'just not working here'.

[vladdy16 2,154]

I honestly don't understand how any one here could choose a 40 year old Draper over a 27 year old Hudler. This isn't mean tto knock Draper what so ever but the blind hatred of Hudler is ridiculous. Look at team needs versus roster players. Not to mention that if Hudler even has a decent year he will most likely be re-signed and continue to provide something to this franchise. Draper is on his last legs and although he brings a lot to the franchise in terms of morale, experience etc. it just doesn't make sense in my mind to give up on a 27 year old with one bad season in favour of a 40 year old who would most likely play about 40 games next season and then retire.

People on this board weren't happy about losing Ritola last year in favour of keeping Draper. People still hold a grudge about Holland losing Quincey in favour Chelios. Those were two players who, at the time, were completely unestablished at the NHL level. Now this poll is asking if you'd rather a last-legs 40 year old Draper over a 27 year old established player in Hudler. That's absurd...the people on this board (come the end of this season) would be calling Holland and idiot and quoting Quincey and Ritola as prior evidence of a growing trend.

I have no Hudler hatred whatsoever. If I had to pick between the two, I'd choose Drapes for reasons already discussed. Hudler's age is no guarantee or indication whatsoever of his contribution to the team. I'm basing my decision purely on what they've brought to the table recently, and IMO, Draper brings more. Choosing between Hudler and Draper has nothing whatsoever to do with Ritola, Chelios or Quincy. That's a completely different discussion.

[Guest echos myron]

Draper hasn't done much PKing these last two seasons. His sole purpose was to win draws and jam the puck against the boards for 5 minutes a game.

[Guest CaliWingsNut]

Draper.

Still great at faceoffs, can still skate, grind, and contribute.

Draper's off ice work ethic is amazing. It's been stated he was the hardest working wing last year (at least off ice, maybe on ice Dats did more), and I'm betting with a chance to come back he hasn't slacked this off season either. He doesn't co-own core fitness for the fun of it. His locker room humor is well known. I don't see Hudler pranking guys on their birthday. The difference between Draper and Hudler off ice is like night and day.

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

Two words: work ethic. Draper has always had it; Hudler hasn't found it yet, nor has he shown that he wants to try to devlope one.

[mmamolo 287]

I have no Hudler hatred whatsoever. If I had to pick between the two, I'd choose Drapes for reasons already discussed. Hudler's age is no guarantee or indication whatsoever of his contribution to the team. I'm basing my decision purely on what they've brought to the table recently, and IMO, Draper brings more. Choosing between Hudler and Draper has nothing whatsoever to do with Ritola, Chelios or Quincy. That's a completely different discussion.

I didn't jsut quote his age (I also mentioned his previous production and role) but it definitely has merit to the comparison. I didn't say it was an indicator of his future contribution but it at 27 he still has room to grow and surpass his previous levels of play. Again, I didnt say that it would happen I simply said it could happen.

Even if Draper could bring more this upcoming season to choose Draper over Hudler is short sighted in my opinion especially seeing has there are numerous players on the current roster than can do all the same things that Draper can (including providing leadership and experience). If you were to keep Draper this season over Hudler at the end of the upcoming season you end up with zero assets as Hudler would already be gone and Draper would retire. You keep Hudler and at worst, sooner or later, you get a pick. Only way you end up with nothing is if Hudler absolutely tanks to the point the Wings wouldn't bring him back next summer which is unlikely. Even if that were to happen, I'd much rather take the risk that he returns to being a decent to solid contributor because you have assets moving forward.

Also, yes comparing Draper to Ritola from last off-season and Chelios to Quincey from a few years ago does factor into this. Both of those situations have the Wings keeping a player on the brink of retiring over a young player. I'm not even saying those were wrong decisions but it's the same thing only this time it's worse because Hudler is estbalished. You can ignore it all you want and claim it is irrelevant but it's true, it's very similar.

[ogreslayer 1,069]

Who is more valuable right now? I'm taking that to mean who would I rather have in the 2011-12 season and for me that's Draper. You know what you're going to get night in & night out with Drapes. He has a specific role on the team, as others have mentioned, and he fills that role to a "t". He clearly doesn't have the "potential" & possible ceiling that Huds has, but you just never know what you're going to get with Huds game to game, in my opinion.

Granted though, this poll was kinda like being asked if you would rather take a bowling ball to the junk or a steel-toed boot.

Edited July 21, 2011 by ogreslayer

[GMRwings1983 8,803]

The question is hard to answer, since both players are expendable at this point.

Draper will only play a year longer at most, and Hudler is just taking up roster space. So is Draper for that matter, when I think about it.

[Motown4013 350]

I voted Hudler for most of the reasons people have mentioned BUT I would also like to mention that although Huds had a VERY disappointing season last year, it was a transition year for the guy. The KHL and the NHL are very different leagues and it is impossible to compare them. The year before he left for Russia the guy was the most productive member of the team (having the most points with icetime given)

He has been able to elevate his game with 57 points in 2009. I think if Huds can get into shape and develop some chemistry, 57 points is not unattainable again for him

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029]

I'm not saying Hudler will turn it around and magically become a superstar but you claiming he 'just doesn't work here' because he had a poor year last season is a tough pill to swallow. Hudler is a player who has worked here in the past (prior to KHL) and was effective for some stretches last season. If 2010 wasn't packed with injuries and room under the cap had to be made for Franzen's return I bet Holland never would have traded Leino at that point despite him 'just not working here'.

Leino had 7 points in 42 games in 09/10 before he was traded. He was given top 6 ice time. Guy wouldn't play any defense, forecheck, or show any hustle at all. I think that defines "just not working here". If he was playing solely on the 4th line without any chances of playing with our top dogs, that would be one thing. He, as Hudler, was given opportunity after opportunity here. Draper knows his role, and he's good at it.

[WorkingOvertime 536]

The question is hard to answer, since both players are expendable at this point.

Draper will only play a year longer at most, and Hudler is just taking up roster space. So is Draper for that matter, when I think about it.

Agree.

Unless Hudler has a major turn-around, I don't see him with the Wings in 2012-2013. Draper, if signed, would likely ride the bench for 25-50% of the year as other forwards rotate with him and retire after the season. Draper has a locker-room presence, which is valuable, but he is certainly less-skilled than Hudler.

[mmamolo 287]

Leino had 7 points in 42 games in 09/10 before he was traded. He was given top 6 ice time. Guy wouldn't play any defense, forecheck, or show any hustle at all. I think that defines "just not working here". If he was playing solely on the 4th line without any chances of playing with our top dogs, that would be one thing. He, as Hudler, was given opportunity after opportunity here. Draper knows his role, and he's good at it.

Wow, I'm glad you understood what was said. I didn't say that Leino was working here or that he eventually would. I didn't even say that Hudler would eventually work here again. What I did say was that had cap space not been an issue in 2010 I dont think Holland would have moved Leino because he wasn't working here. The Wings exhaust every avenue to make it work with palyers they feel have skill and hockey smarts. It doesn't make sense to move Hudler now, when his value is rock bottom just as they did with Leino, only to see him flourish elsewhere when it's still possible for him to flourish here - especially not at the expense of a 40 year old who will surely retire next summer. Even if Hudler falls flat on his face this season it's still worth the gamble. That was the point...hopefully you get it this time.