Do we need a trade to get our offence going ?

[rick zombo 3,739]

Do I think Holland would pull something like this off? Back when he had fire and drive for sure...the current Holland would hardly do it.

I mean other than Mantha, Larkin and obviously McKee I'm sure other teams do have their own Pulkinnen, Athanasius, Ouellette... So none of them alone will return much

[krsmith17 7,191]

frankgrimes, Holland is not "in dire need of defensive help"... Could we use help on the back end, especially in the puck moving variety? Absolutely, but we are one of the top defensive teams in the league, sitting one point out of first with a game in hand... Try harder to make it seem like "the Red Wings suck" or "their nowhere near as good as the standings show"...

Back when Holland had fire? You mean when he had unlimited money to spend on whatever free agent he wanted... pre salary cap?...

Mantha, Larkin and McKee? Seriously? Why am I not surprised to see you put McKee in the same category as those two...

[PavelValerievichDatsyuk 1,935]

Three months ago, I might've said we should wait until next year to make a big move. But this team has exceeded my expectations and is performing about as well as it possibly can without that elite defenseman. And with Eastern Conference supremacy being up for grabs (if the Isles win the East becaue they landed Boychuk and Leddy, I will s*** bricks), and, again, Datsyuk and Zetterberg (and Kronwall) having only so many postseason runs left in them, and with things being so crazy that Don Maloney has come out and said that every Coyote not named Shane Doan is available...I don't really get how someone could say, "Pulkkinen, Smith, and a 1st for Yandle? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Sure, we might win a Cup, but at what cost?!" Like, again - Quincey and a couple months of Legwand cost us two first-round picks and one of our better prospects. And if we want to talk about prospering in the present but suffering in the future, Suter and Parise would've been the ultimate Cup-or-bust signings. You think two or three good pieces for Yandle is insane? Parise and Suter would've made it very, very, very hard to hold on to all of Nyquist, Tatar, DeKeyser, Sheahan, et al. past their first or second contracts. We would've been handcuffed for years.

But, at the end of the day, the Cup is everything. You're either rebuilding/retooling, or you're scraping and clawing for the Cup. If there's a chance Holland can get a top-pairing defenseman at a price he can live with, he needs to consider it. And I've no doubt that he is, in fact, making calls and weighing his options.

It was a 3rd round pick in the Legwand deal.

I agree with a lot you said. We do have pieces that could be moved for that high end D man and we will definitely be looking at the options, but it does have to be the right deal and I'm not sure that it's available. I feel if it's not a home-run we should wait until free agency. Yandle's a great player, but how would he fit with our D corp. He plays the left side - are you going to make Kronwall or Dekeyser switch? Will Dekeyser be forced onto the 3rd pair? I think those two are our building blocks on the back end and I think we should be trying to build around them not forcing them to to change. Also, where would get the RH shots from with Yandle, DK, Kronwall, Quincey, Smith, Kindl signed? As for Myers, There seems to be a lot negative opinions on him, so that doesn't feel like a homerun either. It would be with the hope that he returns to his earlier self with a better team. It could turn out great, okay, or a be burden. I think the players we really want are Greene, Franson, Erhoff. All lined up to be UFAs. We are contenders, but realistically, next year we seems more likely to damage - I hope we don't get the itchy trigger finger and make an okay deal. Especially since there is chance our own prospects could be the answer to our needs in a couple of years.

Edit: sounds like wings4thecup06 beat me to my own thoughts while I was writing.

Edited January 31, 2015 by PavelValerievichDatsyuk

[Jesusberg 1,256]

I think you guys are underestimating Mike McKee's ability to photobomb a "Red Wings of Tomorrow" photo shoot.

[yztheman 29]

Didn't think too many people cared so I didn't make a new post, but just thought I would mention that Pierre Lebrun tweeted on espn site that Brain Lashoff cleared waivers. Not meaning to hijack thread.

[TheXym 2,606]

What if I get by a bus tmrw? Take the payout man!

Take the payout and you could get some sweet rims for them there Wheelz.

[joesuffP 1,746]

The one thing I notice about Franson everytime I watch him is how bad his defensive coverage is

[DickieDunn 2,571]

Nobody is advocating trading prospects for a 30-something pending free agent. I fail to see how picking up a guy who hasn't hit his 25th birthday hurts the future of the team.

[jimmyemeryhunter 2,747]

Harumph

Edited January 31, 2015 by jimmyemeryhunter

[number9 3,297]

Holland said no rentals or depth moves. Either a big move or sit tight.

http://kuklaskorner.com/tmr/comments/riger-dont-expect-a-depth-move-from-holland-or-the-wings?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

So looks like we're sitting tight.

[Dabura 12,207]

It was a 3rd round pick in the Legwand deal.

Brain fart on my part. Point still stands, though.

I agree with a lot you said. We do have pieces that could be moved for that high end D man and we will definitely be looking at the options, but it does have to be the right deal and I'm not sure that it's available. I feel if it's not a home-run we should wait until free agency. Yandle's a great player, but how would he fit with our D corp. He plays the left side - are you going to make Kronwall or Dekeyser switch? Will Dekeyser be forced onto the 3rd pair? I think those two are our building blocks on the back end and I think we should be trying to build around them not forcing them to to change. Also, where would get the RH shots from with Yandle, DK, Kronwall, Quincey, Smith, Kindl signed? As for Myers, There seems to be a lot negative opinions on him, so that doesn't feel like a homerun either. It would be with the hope that he returns to his earlier self with a better team. It could turn out great, okay, or a be burden. I think the players we really want are Greene, Franson, Erhoff. All lined up to be UFAs. We are contenders, but realistically, next year we seems more likely to damage - I hope we don't get the itchy trigger finger and make an okay deal. Especially since there is chance our own prospects could be the answer to our needs in a couple of years.

Interestingly, Holland was just quoted as saying he'll either add a major piece or stand pat. (Source.) With Pulkkinen and Ouellet and Marchenko and maybe Sproul and/or Jensen getting looks, and Holland watching Griffins games in person, and that decision to hold the midseason scouting meetings very early, and the understanding that Babcock wants right shots on the blue line (a longstanding desire, dating at least as far back as the day he told the media he was "pissed off" that the Sharks succeeded in landing Brent Burns), and the fact that this team is a legitimate contender that's one or two key pieces away from being a truly elite team...I get the sense Holland has been looking very hard for The Right Deal. And I totally agree with you - it has to be The Right Deal.

I love Yandle. He is a phenomenal hockey player, an incredibly rare specimen, and pretty close to exactly what we need. Handedness might be an issue there, but I'm assuming we'd be sending at least one left-shot defenseman (e.g. Smith) to Arizona, so we'd essentially be upgrading one of our existing lefties. I don't think Kronwall and DeKeyser is really enough to build on; we need an outstanding top three, preferably along the lines of what we had back in Lidstrom, Rafalski, Kronwall. Maybe Yandle isn't right for us, but if we could boast a top three of Kronwall, Yandle, DeKeyser? That'd be great. Maybe DeKeyser has to play on the right side, but I don't see that as a strong argument against bringing Yandle aboard. If we pass on Yandle, I want it to be because the price is simply too high and there's a sense that he likely wouldn't re-sign with us.

To be clear, though, I'm not saying it has to be Yandle. He's right at the top of my list, but there are 20 other names I like.

Edited February 1, 2015 by Dabura

[mvanpop 98]

Let's all stop debating and realize that KH should put all of his effort into changing Arizona's mind and acquire Doan for Tatar. It's going to put us over the top for sure.

[frankgrimes 1,836]

Yandle would be nice for sure guy would greatly improve the defense. But if people and Holland believe he would come cheap they are wrong. Obviously Mantha and Larkin (don't trade Michigan boys) shouldn't be on the table for him but other than that let Maloney choose a prospect the difficulty is, Yotes are having so many needs right now.

I believe in a big trade deadline day when I see it not getting my hopes again

Edited February 1, 2015 by frankgrimes

[Rivalred 630]

Crossing everything I can we get an upgrade from a Renault to a Diesel Mack

[Bannedforlife 403]

Holland said no rentals or depth moves. Either a big move or sit tight.

http://kuklaskorner.com/tmr/comments/riger-dont-expect-a-depth-move-from-holland-or-the-wings?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

So looks like we're sitting tight.

OEL or bust

[Jesusberg 1,256]

At least he's exploring bigger names and not just a band-aid. I hope he's aiming for Yandle or Green.

As much as I want OEL, I think the price would make me shudder.

[e_prime 1,936]

I'd just like to remind everyone that's suggesting that we stand pat at the deadline and try to sign a big name D-man in the off-season

You mean the same way we had a chance at landing Suter in 2012...

...or whomever we coveted in 2013 (I certainly can't recall looking at the sad UFA list -- we were probably all clamoring for a trade.)

...or Niskanen or Ehrhoff or Boyle or Strahlman last year.

Look. Certainly. We have a chance at Franson in free agency. ...or Green... or Ehrhoff (AGAIN) or Boychuk... and it won't cost us a thing other than cap-space. ...but we enter into that situation AGAIN where someone has a REAL chance of outbidding us with either term or dollars.,, and THEN we'll still have 8 NHL defensemen (I'm including the re-signed Smith and Lashoff -- he cleared right?)
PLUS this new signing,

PLUS all of our prospects that some of you are unwilling to part with for THE FUTURE through one side of your mouth, while admitting that many of them may not pan out as NHL regulars from the other.

I'm just a trade *****, okay? I'm willing to admit it. I want a nice big juicy trade that makes this team look like they want to win NOW.

For the fans, for the guys that are getting long in the tooth, for Free Agents that might sign here if only it seemed like we were looking to go all in.

Trading some of these "maybe/maybe not" guys now is not going to hurt us SO BADLY down the road, because Tatar, Nyquist, Sheahan, Dekeyser, Mrazek will be our new Pav, Z, Franzen, Kronwall, Howard.

In Yandle and other coveted and not-so coveted D-man news:

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: They want two pieces and a draft pick for Keith Yandle.

“

If you can get Yandle at this deadline you can get him for two playoff runs

,” noted a league executive. “This isn’t an easy move but you’re getting a guy who can play 20-plus minutes and is pretty good offensively.”

Can expect the Ducks to step up their efforts for Sabres

Tyler Myers

. Ducks GM Bob Murray has held regular talks with the Sabres.

The Avs have also looked at Myers.

Talk that Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin is looking for another defenseman. They would be interested in

Mike Green

and Myers.

Scott Lewis of Sportsnet:

Elliotte Friedman said that Cody Franson and Maple Leafs have been unable to agree on a mulit-year deal at $4.6 million per season.

Franson rejected the offer. The Leafs are going to be tight up against the cap next season and they still have to deal free agents in Jonathan Bernier and Nazem Kadri.

EDIT: lmao at all these (crack) pipe dreams of Oliver Ekman Larsson somehow landing in Detroit.

Edited February 1, 2015 by e_prime

[Jesusberg 1,256]

While I wouldn't hate landing Myers, I think I'd hate the assets we'd have to part with for him. I'm actually rooting for the Ducks to get him.

I wonder what the "two pieces and a draft pick" for Yandle are. If those pieces are Smith and Pulkkinen, I pull the trigger. If they're something like DeKeyser and Nyquist/Tatar/Mantha, I show Don Maloney that .gif of himself and laugh at him.

[rick zombo 3,739]

I doubt the pieces include Smith, or any roster players. Phoenix have busted out their full rebuild tool kit. Maloney is probably asking for something insane like Larkin/Mantha + Ouellet/Sproul + a 1st. Pure speculation on my part, of course.

[e_prime 1,936]

While I wouldn't hate landing Myers, I think I'd hate the assets we'd have to part with for him. I'm actually rooting for the Ducks to get him.

I wonder what the "two pieces and a draft pick" for Yandle are. If those pieces are Smith and Pulkkinen, I pull the trigger. If they're something like DeKeyser and Nyquist/Tatar/Mantha, I show Don Maloney that .gif of himself and laugh at him.

At least the Sabres have been scouting GR lately and might possibly understand that they're not getting high-end roster pieces for Myers.

After some of kipwinger's comments on Myers, I've forced myself to look past his handedness and his big frame and to watch some Buffalo games and see what the kid is doing and it's not pretty. Not much of what the Sabres are doing is... but he's really shaky.

I do think he would benefit from a change in scenery, but I'm not so high on him as I used to be.

With any trade, it all comes down to price. I desire a trade, but I'm not calling for a clearing of the house.

Yandle for Smith, Pulks, and a pick. In a heartbeat, but I think it might be more costly than that.

[Jesusberg 1,256]

I doubt the pieces include Smith, or any roster players. Phoenix have busted out their full rebuild tool kit. Maloney is probably asking for something insane like Larkin/Mantha + Ouellet/Sproul + a 1st. Pure speculation on my part, of course.

I'm sure they are in that mode, but if they're moving out one of Yandle/OEL and Vermette, they need something to reach the floor. It was easier to figure out with CapGeek, but they're at 58.911 million right now, and clearing out about 9 million will put them under the floor. Even adding a player or two from their affiliate, you'd think they have to take on some kind of salary.

Perhaps whoever they bring in on the Vermette deal would get that done, though.

[DickieDunn 2,571]

I doubt the pieces include Smith, or any roster players. Phoenix have busted out their full rebuild tool kit. Maloney is probably asking for something insane like Larkin/Mantha + Ouellet/Sproul + a 1st. Pure speculation on my part, of course.

I'd do that plus another prospect or two with zero hesitation.

Myers is going to cost too much fro the risk he brings unless the Sabres come down on their asking price quite a bit. Since there's no real reason to trade him unless he brings a ton back, they have no reason to do that. Some desperate GM will make a stupid deal to get him though.

[frankgrimes 1,836]

At least the Sabres have been scouting GR lately and might possibly understand that they're not getting high-end roster pieces for Myers.

After some of kipwinger's comments on Myers, I've forced myself to look past his handedness and his big frame and to watch some Buffalo games and see what the kid is doing and it's not pretty. Not much of what the Sabres are doing is... but he's really shaky.

I do think he would benefit from a change in scenery, but I'm not so high on him as I used to be.

With any trade, it all comes down to price. I desire a trade, but I'm not calling for a clearing of the house.

Yandle for Smith, Pulks, and a pick. In a heartbeat, but I think it might be more costly than that.

Not even Godström would like that great on that roster, that's how bad they are and we all know why. The point is Buffalo doesn't have to trade Myers - even if he isn't as good as advertised - they aren't even close to the cap and won't be for a few more years and they know that other teams are desperate for defensive help that drives the price up. I mean if it's Pulkinnen, Jurco and and a pick I'd pull the trigger but not if i t includes one of Larkin, Mantha (one of them should only be on the table if we are talking about OEL).

I'm also wondering why are people so high on Green ? The guy is not a great defender, sadly injury prone and around 30 by the time this team could content again he will be way past his prime. Green will command a big payday and for what he brings I'd rather go after other defenders (including Franson). I haven't watched a lot of Leafs games this season because they are incredible boring to watch with their stupid new philosophy but I think Franson could be a solid signing come July 1 although I'd prefer some bigger name like Boychuck - Isles won't have the money to re-sign him as long as Wang is still at the helm -.

As much as the media is hyping up this trade deadline I think it will be a very boring one with only minor movements...the top teams are close to the cap and the bottom teams will for sure not t rade their first round pick in such a deep draft so all the ingredients for the most boring trade dead line since years are there.

Edited February 1, 2015 by frankgrimes

[kipwinger 8,522]

Not even Godström would like that great on that roster, that's how bad they are and we all know why. The point is Buffalo doesn't have to trade Myers - even if he isn't as good as advertised - they aren't even close to the cap and won't be for a few more years and they know that other teams are desperate for defensive help that drives the price up. I mean if it's Pulkinnen, Jurco and and a pick I'd pull the trigger but not if i t includes one of Larkin, Mantha (one of them should only be on the table if we are talking about OEL).

I'm also wondering why are people so high on Green ? The guy is not a great defender, sadly injury prone and around 30 by the time this team could content again he will be way past his prime. Green will command a big payday and for what he brings I'd rather go after other defenders (including Franson). I haven't watched a lot of Leafs games this season because they are incredible boring to watch with their stupid new philosophy but I think Franson could be a solid signing come July 1 although I'd prefer some bigger name like Boychuck - Isles won't have the money to re-sign him as long as Wang is still at the helm -.

As much as the media is hyping up this trade deadline I think it will be a very boring one with only minor movements...the top teams are close to the cap and the bottom teams will for sure not t rade their first round pick in such a deep draft so all the ingredients for the most boring trade dead line since years are there.

A 29 year old Mike Green is too old to help us, but a 31 year old Johnny Boychuk isn't?

Do you have a fever?

[e_prime 1,936]

A 29 year old Mike Green is too old to help us, but a 31 year old Johnny Boychuk isn't?

Do you have a fever?

...but he's injury prone, and can't defend (although that's not what we need anyway) and not a rough-and-tough former Bruin.

Also, we're not contenders... so there's no reason to go after him.

Edited February 1, 2015 by e_prime