Aston-Reese

[ChristopherReevesLegs 7,022]

Per McKenzie

Quote

PIT, EDM, VAN, SJ, LA, DET in on one of them (Aston-Reese); BUF, DAL, NJ, COL in on the other (Bayreuther).

He's a FA coming out of college. Led the entire NCAA in points this season. From what I've read he plays a heavy 200 ft game. Not sure how he eluded the draft for so long.

[kipwinger 8,494]

He profiles as a classic 3rd/4th line winger.  Reminds me a little bit of a Zach Hyman type.  Useful, but probably not stellar.  I wouldn't mind signing him, doesn't hurt anything.  And if he turns out equal to, or better than, some of our mid-level prospects it will free more guys up to be packaged in trades.  I'm for it, but I don't really expect too much.

Edited March 14, 2017 by kipwinger

[ChristopherReevesLegs 7,022]

27 minutes ago, kipwinger said:

He profiles as a classic 3rd/4th line winger.  Reminds me a little bit of a Zach Hyman type.  Useful, but probably not stellar.  I wouldn't mind signing him, doesn't hurt anything.  And if he turns out equal to, or better than, some of our mid-level prospects it will free more guys up to be packaged in trades.  I'm for it, but I don't really expect too much.

Looks like he can lay some big hits and really has a nose for the net. Perhaps best case scenario he's a top 6 powerforward? Probably a bottom 6 checking line forward though.

[kipwinger 8,494]

Maybe, but he's a little small for a power forward.  I wouldn't count on it.  I think "best case" is someone like Cleary.  Which again, wouldn't be a disappointment or anything, but I wouldn't expect much.  But if it frees up guys like Bertuzzi to be packaged to get rid of bad contracts then I'll be happy. 

[Dabura 12,206]

If I'm him, I have zero interest in signing with the Wings.

[kipwinger 8,494]

2 minutes ago, Dabura said:

If I'm him, I have zero interest in signing with the Wings.

Why?  He was undrafted so it's not like teams are beating down his door.  Plus he'd have a better chance of making a rebuilding team than one that's actually good.

[Dabura 12,206]

Just now, kipwinger said:

Why?  He was undrafted so it's not like teams are beating down his door.  Plus he'd have a better chance of making a rebuilding team than one that's actually good.

I don't see the appeal, from his point of view.

Even if Holland guarantees him a roster spot and tells him the coach can't scratch him, the Wings -- as a team and organization -- are not in a good place. There's virtually zero star power. Everyone's personal stats have taken a hit under Blashill, which could hurt Aston-Reese's chances of becoming a standout player and getting a big second contract. We aren't necessarily committed to a rebuild or any direction in particular, which, to anyone who knows anything about Ken Holland, means there's a good chance that Holland is going to try to sign two or three UFAs this summer, which would, in theory, push an Aston-Reese -- i.e. an inexperienced "kid" who's "got a lot to learn about being a real good pro" -- down the depth chart, possibly into healthy scratch/Grand Rapids territory (assuming he's not a healthy scratch or Griffin in the first place). We have a history of being stupid when it comes to managing young players, and it's very unlikely that Holland or Blashill or anyone in the organization would promise him "special treatment" in that regard. We play boring, stupid hockey. Etc.

It sounds like at least half a dozen teams are very interested in him. We can say the fact that we're "rebuilding" means he has a relatively good chance of making our roster and quickly becoming an impact player at the NHL level...but I don't know if I buy that. Because Red Wings.

[kipwinger 8,494]

Well I certainly didn't suggest he'd be a "standout" player.  In fact, quite the opposite.  But I do think that guys who have the choice tend to pick teams for a whole host of reasons that have nothing to do with whether the team is good or not.  I mean, why would Mike Green have signed here if that was the case.  He would have got a similar deal elsewhere, and on a team that wasn't trending down for the last several seasons.  Parise and Sutter picked a s***ty team that was spinning it's wheels.  Who knows, maybe the Red Wings were the kid's favorite team growing up?  Not much of a stretch considering a few short years ago we were EVERYBODY's favorite team.  We're bad, but I don't think that means as much for guys trying to establish themselves as guys who are established and have a skill they're trying to shop to a team that can win. 

[Dabura 12,206]

I mean, I hope we sign him. But I'm not holding my breath.

[kipwinger 8,494]

Agreed. But hey, Russo picked us a year ago so why not you know?

[Dabura 12,206]

29 minutes ago, kipwinger said:

Well I certainly didn't suggest he'd be a "standout" player.  In fact, quite the opposite.  But I do think that guys who have the choice tend to pick teams for a whole host of reasons that have nothing to do with whether the team is good or not.  I mean, why would Mike Green have signed here if that was the case.  He would have got a similar deal elsewhere, and on a team that wasn't trending down for the last several seasons.  Parise and Sutter picked a s***ty team that was spinning it's wheels.  Who knows, maybe the Red Wings were the kid's favorite team growing up?  Not much of a stretch considering a few short years ago we were EVERYBODY's favorite team.  We're bad, but I don't think that means as much for guys trying to establish themselves as guys who are established and have a skill they're trying to shop to a team that can win. 

Sorry for the confusion. I wasn't saying that you're saying he'd be a standout player. The point, I guess, was that "Is there a good chance that I thrive here (due in large part to the fact that there are some really freaking good players on this team)?" is going to be a consideration. And I don't think the Wings are appealing in that regard. Pretty much everyone on this team has had a miserable 2016-17 campaign. We can barely string simple tape-to-tape passes together.

Is it possible he picks the Wings because of some personal reason? Sure! Maybe he's a lifelong Wings fan and it's always been his dream to wear the Winged Wheel. But, like, assuming he's not a lifelong Wings fan and that the Wings aren't going to look at him or treat him like a Mike Green (i.e. an established pro who offered things we flat-out did not have on our roster or in our pipeline).......ehhhh. I'm trying to look at things from his perspective and check off boxes, things that really sell "me" on this team and this organization. And...I'm not checking many boxes. But then, I'm not him. Whichever team he chooses, he'll have his reasons and they might be totally different from what I'm thinking.

Edited March 14, 2017 by Dabura

[Dabura 12,206]

26 minutes ago, kipwinger said:

Agreed. But hey, Russo picked us a year ago so why not you know?

True, true. Different players and situations, though. Russo was drafted and then later discarded, and we kind of scooped him up on the d-low. Aston-Reese is coming off a very impressive campaign and it sounds like a number of teams are aggressively courting him, two of those teams being the Pittsburgh Crosbys and the Edmonton McDavids. Even just an outside shot at playing alongside Crosby or McDavid has gotta be pretty tempting, right?

I guess we'll see what we see!

Edited March 14, 2017 by Dabura

[kliq 3,755]

1 hour ago, Dabura said:

True, true. Different players and situations, though. Russo was drafted and then later discarded, and we kind of scooped him up on the d-low. Aston-Reese is coming off a very impressive campaign and it sounds like a number of teams are aggressively courting him, two of those teams being the Pittsburgh Crosbys and the Edmonton McDavids. Even just an outside shot at playing alongside Crosby or McDavid has gotta be pretty tempting, right?

I guess we'll see what we see!

Didnt Russo not sign an entry level contract? I dont think the Ducks discarded him.

[ChristopherReevesLegs 7,022]

14 minutes ago, kliq said:

Didnt Russo not sign an entry level contract? I dont think the Ducks discarded him.

Islanders drafted him, didn't sign him.

[Dabura 12,206]

2 minutes ago, kliq said:

Didnt Russo not sign an entry level contract? I dont think the Ducks discarded him.

Drafted by the Islanders, didn't sign an ELC with them. Isles felt they were deep enough on D. Maybe "discarded" isn't the best word for it, but the point was that I don't believe Russo was ever really in the position that Aston-Reese is in (coming off an outstanding season and 6+ NHL teams are trying to woo him). So, Russo signing with the Wings doesn't necessarily mean anything re: the possibility of Aston-Reese signing with the Wings.

[PavelValerievichDatsyuk 1,935]

I think a player like Aston-Reese could look at our team and see opportunity. If he wants a spot where he'll compete for big minutes, he'd be better served coming here or somewhere else with roster holes rather than a place like Pitsburgh.

Edited March 14, 2017 by PavelValerievichDatsyuk

[Dabura 12,206]

32 minutes ago, PavelValerievichDatsyuk said:

I think a player like Aston-Reese could look at our team and see opportunity. If he wants a spot where he'll compete for big minutes, he'd be better served coming to here or somewhere else with roster holes rather than a place like Pitsburgh.

My question, though, is does he actually see opportunity? If he wants to be guaranteed a spot, would we guarantee it? Knowing how things work in Detroit (either he knows already or someone close to him is going to tell him), does he conclude that this is a place where he can step right into the lineup and hold down a top-nine spot and compete for big minutes? I hope the answer to all of these questions is "Yes!" But, I dunno, I have my doubts. This is the Red Wings. The Red Wings do Red Wings things, because old people. Though, I suppose the fact that he plays a "heavy" game and a "200-foot game" would score him points with Blashill and Holland.

Not sure why I'm harping on all of this and being such a downer. I guess I'm just generally cynical about the state of the Wings and will probably remain so until I see some meaningful change in the way we do things.

tl;dr I'm venting.

(Watch, he signs with us and makes me look like an ass.)

Edited March 14, 2017 by Dabura

[germanwing 154]

Pittsburgh Penguins‏@penguins  

 

The #Pens have signed college free agent Zach Aston-Reese to a two-year, entry-level contract. Details: http://pens.pe/2mGRdnN 

[ChristopherReevesLegs 7,022]

4 minutes ago, germanwing said:

Pittsburgh Penguins‏@penguins  

 

The #Pens have signed college free agent Zach Aston-Reese to a two-year, entry-level contract. Details: http://pens.pe/2mGRdnN 

Boo

[krsmith17 7,191]

We may have missed out on the Anton-Reese sweepstakes (F*** that guy anyway...), but we (the organization - Griffins) did manage to snag college free agent, Dominik Shine today...

[ChristopherReevesLegs 7,022]

11 minutes ago, krsmith17 said:

We may have missed out on the Anton-Reese sweepstakes (F*** that guy anyway...), but we (the organization - Griffins) did manage to snag college free agent, Dominik Shine today...

He's from Pinckney. Thought they were only good at running and being near Ann Arbor.

[kliq 3,755]

2 hours ago, ChristopherReevesLegs said:

Islanders drafted him, didn't sign him.

That's right it was the Islanders, my bad. Didn't the same thing happen the other way around? We had a kid that they signed after not signing a ELC with us?

[krsmith17 7,191]

24 minutes ago, kliq said:

That's right it was the Islanders, my bad. Didn't the same thing happen the other way around? We had a kid that they signed after not signing a ELC with us?

Similar situation. We drafted Alan Quine in the 3rd round back in 2011, decided not to sign him, and he re-entered the draft in 2013, where he was selected by the Islanders in the 6th round.

[ChristopherReevesLegs 7,022]

28 minutes ago, kliq said:

That's right it was the Islanders, my bad. Didn't the same thing happen the other way around? We had a kid that they signed after not signing a ELC with us?

Alan Quine, they actually re drafted him though

Edited March 15, 2017 by ChristopherReevesLegs

[LeftWinger 4,936]

3 yrs in the USHL and 4 yrs NCAA. never drafted? Late bloomer?