stevkrause

Never going to happen. Ducks want a sheet that would blow them straight out of the water. We can't afford to give the assets it would require to acquire Ryan.

They'd be smart to trade him for a reasonable return before he demands a trade and threatens to sit out, because that's almost the direction I see this going... and the day that occurs, the offers go down...

Anderson is a slower Abby who is not as good on faceoffs. Helm needs more ice-time not less, he is possibly our 4th best forward and definitely one of our 6 best. Putting Fil on the 3rd line would almost guarantee losing him next year.
Kindl is actually very mobile


Bouwmeester is way overpayed

Although Andersson has made great strides, there's zero chance he earns a spot on this roster, unless we are ravaged by injuries, he's simply too far down the depth chart, as he should be currently, due to all the reasons you already stated... Fil is top 6, no doubt....

As for Boumeester, he is WITHOUT a doubt overpaid - luckily, we have a ton of cap space and nothing to do with it... for the right price, I would gladly take him on here, as I think he would thrive here... with that said, I still think signing a big, shut down d-man for the 3rd pairing (Vandermeer or Jurcina) is the better choice... give some of the young guys a chance to prove themselves, including Kindl (I also think he's a lot better than most give him credit for) and see where it takes us, I think people would be pleasantly surprised...

well i know were not supposed to make personal attacks anymore lol, but ur quite the stickler aye?

Haha, sorry, the lack of quality posts/rational posts on here have me in a VERY literal sense on this board lately... I'm fed up with people being ungrateful turds towards the best GM in professional sports, just because the last year + hasn't gone as well as his previous 15...

Preds fan coming in peace

I think Detroit will be just fine.  Holland will make the right move when the time is right.  No need to spend just to spend or trade just to trade.  He did his diligence with suter and Parise, but they made a decision to go elsewhere.   A couple of dumb moves right now before a new CbA is announced could severely hinder a franchise moving forward.  No need to take such risks when you have a solid team at this moment in time, and yes IMO, the wings are solid

if only some of our own on this board were this salient...

Ha!

Semin took less to play in Pittsburgh because of the discussion forum politeness.

Ha, he hasn't signed anywhere yet, that's irrelevant to this topic and your continued desire to do nothing more  on this board, than agitate, is getting old...

Holland thinks way more than most GM's. Not sure if you've noticed but Holland DOES NOT TRADE. So an NTC doesn't really matter, it just makes the player feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Slava Kozlov says hello, as does Anders Erikson... Let's not even get started on the players Holland acquired via trade (Hasek, Larionov,  Murphy, Stuart, etc, etc, etc)

But let's not let facts get in the way...

I understand what you are saying but from what I have seen on these boards lately most of the personal attacks are in reference to some posts that in themselves could be considered trolling.  Obviously some personal attacks are random or unjustified but just as we should all refrain from making personal attacks in our posts there are some posters, in my opinion, who should refrain from pretty evident trolling.  

Personally, I would like to see those trolling posts disciplined just as personal attack posts will be.

Agreed completely

Darn.  Had I known that he would sign with a team for only 1 year then I would have been on board.  I feared a long term contract.

This hasn't been confirmed yet that he's signed with them and until it is confirmed by a valid source, it is still nothing more than a rumor...

I would take a flier on a one year deal too by the way, even with his INCREDIBLY questionable character...

Why are we even talking about this? We just ran a guy out of town in Hudler, who (although less gifted) gave more effort and played with more grit than Semin ever has, and that doesn't say much... yet he took SOO much flak for being lazy and soft... if you don't like lazy and soft, your head would explode with Semin here... he is the exact type of player we don't need... and before anyone even says it, points only count when you actually score them, want to look at that stat sheet and remind yourself the last time he put up 40 goals and/or a 60+ point season? Oh yea, and lets not forget the stunning playoff performances he's had the last few years as well...

This board is so bi-polar sometimes it's mind blowing....

99-01, 2nd round loss, 2nd round loss, 1st round loss...
03-07, 1st round loss, 2nd round loss, 1st round loss, 3rd round loss...
Hawks 11-12, 1st round loss, 1st round loss...
Wings drafts from 95-97 (Scotty was director of player personnel), 27 players picked, 8 played at least 1 NHL game, combined total: 415gp, 17g, 47p

We were perfectly capable of some "poor" stretches even with Scotty.

It's a team game, and that goes for the front office as well. I'm sure Scotty was a positive factor, as many others in scouting and management are. All deserve thier fair share of credit, and all their fair share of blame (which IMO is none). You can't say "everyone else" deserves all the credit, but Kenny alone gets all the blame.

One thing all the Kenny bashers seem to be ignoring is the fact that what the Wings are going through now is exactly what the "parity rules" were purposely designed to cause. The draft, the cap, lowering the FA age, etc...all of that designed specifically to prevent teams from being as good as the Wings have been for as long as we have been. In Holland's tenure as GM, every single other team has missed the playoffs at least once. The Wings weren't the only good team in 98, nor were they head and shoulders above the rest of the pack. Colorado, New Jersey, Dallas...all have rebuilt (or are still trying to) since then. Other teams have come and gone.

In 08 we had Hank, Mule, Flip, Hudler, Sammy, Cleary, Stuart, and maybe more that I'm forgetting contributing at a level above thier cap hit. Then we had to start paying people. We lost some guys, and couldn't afford top FAs. When we got some cap space, long-term contracts and/or more competition for 27yo UFAs limited the players available.

Unless you're picking in the top of the first round, you can't expect recent draft picks to add anything. 25 players drafted in 2010 or 11 have played in the NHL. 17 were picked 14th or earlier. Of the other 8, only 3 have played more than 10 games. 3 out of 393. Even the 2009 class is mostly just starting to break in to NHL rosters. 49 of 197 picked 15th or later have played in the NHL, only 15 have played 40 or more games. Average contribution from the 49 so far is 37 games, ~3.8g, 11p. We also haven't had much contribution yet from the 06, 07, or 08 drafts, when Scotty was still here. And there's a lot more NHL regulars from those years now.

Much of our long-term success strategy has been reliance on veterans. That, and lacking top prospects, limit our trade options. A couple years with no cap space limited them further. This last year, when we had space and some assests we could trade, almost no one was on the market and prices for many that were rumored to be were apparently too high for anyone to pay, given the lack of trades.

In short, this is how it's supposed to work. If you think Scotty, or anyone else, would have made any real difference, you're not being reasonable.

SPOT ON.

go to espn under who's left half way down the page you'll find Brian Campbell ufa.

He's signed until like 2016... espn is about as credible for hockey as a crack head for financial advice

Can we get some people on record calling Cleary dead weight, so when he bounces back and has another 20 goal year, you can all eat crow? The guy is a warrior who gives it his all night in and night out and was still one of our best forwards come playoff time DESPITE playing on knees that were basically held together by twine and bubble gum... He had successful surgery and will come back with a bang this year, mark my words, and you can even bookmark this post.

First off, everyone get off the ledge.

We didn't lose out because we're falling apart, or because Kenny didn't do his job, we didn't get the key FA because THEY chose to play together and WHERE they wanted to play and were going there regardless of what everyone else offered them, or because someone gave them an OBSCENE contract, with way too much term (*cough* Carle *cough*) that they did not deserve, that we do not need killing our team in the short, or long term... especially with a new CBA coming, that could freeze the cap. This is not an eternal ceiling that keeps going up and will continue to go up, nor should it be.

Once the top FA were gone, the market this year falls off... drastically. When this happens, a good team, with a good GM, does not panic and then reach and sign unnecessary contracts, to marginal players, that hurt their team in the short or long term. They stay the course.

Holland is a damn good GM. period.

Now, we're all allowed to be upset, dissapointed and even downright pissed that this off season didn't go the way we all wanted and NO one hates the Tootoo signing more than me... but TRUST your GM. You got the best there is in the game and you should be god damn thankful you do and stop being a spoiled, pissy little brat who doesn't appreciate everything they have gotten, or have, because they didn't get the toy they wanted that year... there will be new toys and you'll probably get those too, so get the f' over yourself and stop telling daddy you hate him and he's the worst dad ever, just because you didn't get a unicorn that never existed in the first place.

Now, things didn't go the way we wanted, so you formulate an action plan... you don't trade away half your roster for a primadona who is goverened by a nutjob that doesn't even realize that 7 draft picks > 1 draft pick, or reach for a replacement to arguably the best (and unarguably top 2) defenseman to ever play the game and trade away too much looking for something you'll never find. There is no replacement to Nick. Probably ever. You do the best you can to adjust, not replace...

Holland is a damn good GM. period.

With that said, we have some young players who are ready to show what they have... there may be some growing pains, but if there was ever the time, it's now.

Once Quincey signs, that will put us at 6 NHL dmen, you sign a big, shot blocker (Jurcina or Vandermeer) as the 7th to a one year deal and let them battle it out in camp for the spots and you give Smith, Ericsson and Kindl ALL a chance to put that extra body in the press box when everyone's healthy.

As for forwards, unless a trade that ACTUALLY makes sense comes across, you stand pat and have faith in the system and, once again, the young guys. Let Nyquist, Brunner, Tatar, Shehan and even Brunnstrom (he's in the process of signing according to reports) come to camp and PROVE they belong, then you give them the spot and give them the faith, without having to look over their shoulders, or going to camp knowing they don't even have a chance to make the team. You put your faith in them, give them the responsibility and the confidence and most importantly... the ice time.

Finally, by doing all of this, you don't handcuff yourself for one year, while in panic mode, when you have a season coming up, in which Iginla, Perry, Getzlaf, Horton, Weiss, Clarkson, Weber, Timonen, Whitney, etc, etc, etc... may be free agents (some may re-sign, but others certainly will not)... oh yea, not to mention several of your own that need to be re-signed and will probably be commanding raises...

This is not a sprint, it is a marathon, have faith and always remember... Holland is a damn good GM. period.

The thing that concerns me is the lack of D prospects that are anywhere near ready... If the DeKeyser rumors are true (NHL ready, already picked the Wings as his destination) that makes me feel a little better, but Lashoff needs to take a big step in his development this year and we need Sproul, Nicastro, Oulette and even Backman to take big steps in their development... As for forwards, I feel we're in fantastic shape (Pulk, Jarnkok, Shehan, etc, etc, etc) and as far as goalie, we got a STUD in our system as far as I'm concerned, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Mrazek was pushing Jimmy for the starting gig in 2 years, and although this may sound crazy and even a little reckless, I wouldn't have had a problem with him getting a shot in camp this year to take the backup job from Joey, obviously the signing of Gus changed that, but I genuinely believe Mrazek will be GR's starter sooner, rather than later, and force the Wings hand to bring him up at some point, plus, if Gus does well, we could have a HELL of a good problem to have and some great trade assets in a goalie starved league...

This place is downright comical right now...