Red Wings 2017-2018

[adams2001 54]

Maybe I should put this in the venting spot....

Does anyone think the Wings are going to be good this year?

Do we continue to watch as Ken Holland attempts to band-aid (rebuild) on the fly?

I for one was all in on this year's draft class and watched in horror as the wings choose size over skill and left many players that could help in a couple of years (the over ripening system is still very much a thing) on the board. I would have loved to see Gabe Vilardi picked but that's just me. 

My thoughts are with the Wings moving to the LCA they are going to try to compete for a bottom seed playoff spot, they are not going to sell any assets at the deadline unless it is clear they are out of the playoffs. If there is a slim hope of a playoff spot I feel the wings won't do the right thing and sell. 

Does anyone think that this model is going to have to continue until the Wings need a complete tear down? 

[IPv6Freely 2094]

I was hoping that the playoff streak ending would make them finally accept that the goal is to win the Stanley cup, not just to extend the streak.

[Kgbeast 195]

Hard to say. They have plenty of skill to get it done. They just need to put it together somehow. I like watching wings. I hope they bring new enthusiasm into the new arena.

[IPv6Freely 2094]

18 minutes ago, Kgbeast said:

Hard to say. They have plenty of skill to get it done. They just need to put it together somehow. I like watching wings. I hope they bring new enthusiasm into the new arena.

To get.. what.. done? 

[adams2001 54]

I think being a bubble team is not the proper course of action. 

Getting into the playoffs to lose in the first round is not the type of success I want to see as a lifelong Wings fan. I've seen my fair share of cups hoisted (4 in my lifetime so far...) and some of the greatest players to ever play the game suit up  for the wings.

We need to accept that we had a great run and are and always will be one of the model franchises in the NHL. If we don't adapt to the cap era and restock our prospect pool properly we will be a middle team for the foreseeable future. 

I know it's not the most ideal way to see Hank's career wind down but the moves the Wings should make in my opinion are to get younger, faster, and more skilled. 

Drafting hulking centers who put up most of their goals on the PP in the WHL is not the way to do this. Michael Rasmussen may be the answer for a team that needs someone to stand in front of the net on the pp, they signed Abby to do that a couple of years ago. I feel the wings could have addressed definsive concerns and made out better with liljegren  

As a Wings fan I can't help but feel disappointed with the front office's direction. That being said I would gladly eat crow with extra tobasco if the 2017 picks turn out the next Hank or Pav but I won't hold my breath. 

[Jamarquan 201]

13 hours ago, adams2001 said:

I think being a bubble team is not the proper course of action. 

Getting into the playoffs to lose in the first round is not the type of success I want to see as a lifelong Wings fan. I've seen my fair share of cups hoisted (4 in my lifetime so far...) and some of the greatest players to ever play the game suit up  for the wings.

We need to accept that we had a great run and are and always will be one of the model franchises in the NHL. If we don't adapt to the cap era and restock our prospect pool properly we will be a middle team for the foreseeable future. 

This is absolutely true, and it's something that teams like the Leafs have finally come around to understanding.

 

13 hours ago, adams2001 said:

 I know it's not the most ideal way to see Hank's career wind down but the moves the Wings should make in my opinion are to get younger, faster, and more skilled. 

And that's why it won't happen.

[adams2001 54]

48 minutes ago, Jamarquan said:

This is absolutely true, and it's something that teams like the Leafs have finally come around to understanding.

 

And that's why it won't happen.

The Leafs are definitely in a great spot right now, they have the talent predicated on a lot of lottery luck. I don't necessarily want the wings to tank that hard and rely on the NHL to rig some lottery balls for them (haha). 

I would like to see a better infusion of the young talent by making roster spots available to players who need some time in the NHL to develop a pro game (Bertuzzi, Sarijarvi, Svechnikov all come to mind). Instead we are chasing after an 8th seed year to year and spinning our tires on a lot of prospects. These prospects getting a good shake in the NHL will cost us games but will help us in the future (and our rigged lottery ball chances), this does not seem like the direction the Wings care to take. They want to keep veterans that cost us games and burn through the prospects without thinking of building a championship team.

I don't like the make the playoffs and anything can happen approach. It doesn't work in a cap system where every mediocre team is in parody of one another and the few elite teams win every year.

In my opinion, I believe the best use of Hank's twilight years is to teach the youngsters how to be great pros. 

[Jamarquan 201]

29 minutes ago, adams2001 said:

The Leafs are definitely in a great spot right now, they have the talent predicated on a lot of lottery luck. I don't necessarily want the wings to tank that hard and rely on the NHL to rig some lottery balls for them (haha). 

I would like to see a better infusion of the young talent by making roster spots available to players who need some time in the NHL to develop a pro game (Bertuzzi, Sarijarvi, Svechnikov all come to mind). Instead we are chasing after an 8th seed year to year and spinning our tires on a lot of prospects. These prospects getting a good shake in the NHL will cost us games but will help us in the future (and our rigged lottery ball chances), this does not seem like the direction the Wings care to take. They want to keep veterans that cost us games and burn through the prospects without thinking of building a championship team.

I don't like the make the playoffs and anything can happen approach. It doesn't work in a cap system where every mediocre team is in parody of one another and the few elite teams win every year.

In my opinion, I believe the best use of Hank's twilight years is to teach the youngsters how to be great pros. 

I think I was a little ambiguous with my wording. The leafs spent years chasing the eighth seed with bad veteran contracts that ruined or ran out of town the actual good prospects they had. But I don't think the Wings management are going to want to miss the postseason in the final few years of Zetterberg's career - a similar position to the Canucks with the Sedins.

[Kgbeast 195]

18 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

To get.. what.. done? 

To be the conference champion and have a real shot at the Stanley Cup in 2018.

[adams2001 54]

1 hour ago, Jamarquan said:

I think I was a little ambiguous with my wording. The leafs spent years chasing the eighth seed with bad veteran contracts that ruined or ran out of town the actual good prospects they had. But I don't think the Wings management are going to want to miss the postseason in the final few years of Zetterberg's career - a similar position to the Canucks with the Sedins.

That is a good point, the Wings are kind of in a similar spot as the Canucks.

[Stewie 721]

2 hours ago, Kgbeast said:

To be the conference champion and have a real shot at the Stanley Cup in 2018.

no. we're not even close.

23 hours ago, adams2001 said:

Maybe I should put this in the venting spot....

Does anyone think the Wings are going to be good this year?

Do we continue to watch as Ken Holland attempts to band-aid (rebuild) on the fly?

I for one was all in on this year's draft class and watched in horror as the wings choose size over skill and left many players that could help in a couple of years (the over ripening system is still very much a thing) on the board. I would have loved to see Gabe Vilardi picked but that's just me. 

My thoughts are with the Wings moving to the LCA they are going to try to compete for a bottom seed playoff spot, they are not going to sell any assets at the deadline unless it is clear they are out of the playoffs. If there is a slim hope of a playoff spot I feel the wings won't do the right thing and sell. 

Does anyone think that this model is going to have to continue until the Wings need a complete tear down? 

Personally, I think the wings need to get more size in their lineup. if you look at their skilled younger players its something that's definitely lacking on their roster. We need guys who can clog the front for the likes of Larkin, AA, Nyquist, Tatar, Mantha (even with his size, someone screening the net for him could be valuable), Svech, and whoever else comes up in the system. Size is something were lacking, and I'm glad to see them address that. We didn't just draft a player in the first round who is big, he skates and handles decent as well. I don't feel they passed on anyone franchise altering to address the need so I'm ok with it.

as far as this over ripening thing goes, its not really an issue anymore. Everyone wants to see the young guys up, but so many of them are not really ready. From this years Griffins, its pretty much just bertuzzi and maybe Frk, svech getting close. Saarijarvi isn't close yet. he just this year got some ECHL experience, and will need at least a season in GR before hes ready to make the jump. 

as far as the future goes, I feel the wings are some years from contention now. they will likely obviously focus on getting younger, and hopefully just let some of the expiring contracts go as the years go on. maybe a splashy all star becomes available that can reboot us, but right now detroits a tough sell unless their young talent takes big steps and quickly. I cant complain too much, I was 9 the last time they weren't at least competitive. Their issues stem from just this, going this many years without a top 5 pick takes its toll. 

 

 

[adams2001 54]

1 hour ago, Stewie said:

no. we're not even close.

Personally, I think the wings need to get more size in their lineup. if you look at their skilled younger players its something that's definitely lacking on their roster. We need guys who can clog the front for the likes of Larkin, AA, Nyquist, Tatar, Mantha (even with his size, someone screening the net for him could be valuable), Svech, and whoever else comes up in the system. Size is something were lacking, and I'm glad to see them address that. We didn't just draft a player in the first round who is big, he skates and handles decent as well. I don't feel they passed on anyone franchise altering to address the need so I'm ok with it.

as far as this over ripening thing goes, its not really an issue anymore. Everyone wants to see the young guys up, but so many of them are not really ready. From this years Griffins, its pretty much just bertuzzi and maybe Frk, svech getting close. Saarijarvi isn't close yet. he just this year got some ECHL experience, and will need at least a season in GR before hes ready to make the jump. 

as far as the future goes, I feel the wings are some years from contention now. they will likely obviously focus on getting younger, and hopefully just let some of the expiring contracts go as the years go on. maybe a splashy all star becomes available that can reboot us, but right now detroits a tough sell unless their young talent takes big steps and quickly. I cant complain too much, I was 9 the last time they weren't at least competitive. Their issues stem from just this, going this many years without a top 5 pick takes its toll. 

 

 

Good points for sure, I completely agree with you on letting expiring contracts go. 

[IPv6Freely 2094]

6 hours ago, Kgbeast said:

To be the conference champion and have a real shot at the Stanley Cup in 2018.

I think you may be confused. We were talking about the Red Wings.

[Kgbeast 195]

Watching a handful of games last season, I am actually surprised that they did this poorly. That said they have won both regular season games against Pitsburg in which by the way they scored a what I would call the most beautiful regulation time goal of the 16/17 season. They are fast as a team. They create some great plays. If anything, they probably need a different coach. I would say a bit too fancy in creating plays and that looses lots of opportunities for them. Wings doing something about their defense, so hopefully that will be a different game this time around. 

I am not saying that Red Wings are favorite for Stanley Cup, not even close. I am saying that they have what they need to get there. How many of you thought of Nashville as a favorite for the cup year ago? How many thought that Blackhawks will not get even one game in playoffs? You can have the names and the pedigree, but what you need is the heart and a little help from upstairs. Who am I to say that Wings will not get that?

[adams2001 54]

59 minutes ago, Kgbeast said:

Watching a handful of games last season, I am actually surprised that they did this poorly. That said they have won both regular season games against Pitsburg in which by the way they scored a what I would call the most beautiful regulation time goal of the 16/17 season. They are fast as a team. They create some great plays. If anything, they probably need a different coach. I would say a bit too fancy in creating plays and that looses lots of opportunities for them. Wings doing something about their defense, so hopefully that will be a different game this time around. 

I am not saying that Red Wings are favorite for Stanley Cup, not even close. I am saying that they have what they need to get there. How many of you thought of Nashville as a favorite for the cup year ago? How many thought that Blackhawks will not get even one game in playoffs? You can have the names and the pedigree, but what you need is the heart and a little help from upstairs. Who am I to say that Wings will not get that?

I think you are on track with the defense being an issue. The way the Wings break the puck out definitely needs to change this season and I think coaching is definitely one of the problems. With Todd Nelson likely not going to Arizona Blashill may be on the hot seat this year. 

The Wings are a very proud organization and that is a great point. 

[Stewie 721]

4 hours ago, Kgbeast said:

Watching a handful of games last season, I am actually surprised that they did this poorly. That said they have won both regular season games against Pitsburg in which by the way they scored a what I would call the most beautiful regulation time goal of the 16/17 season. They are fast as a team. They create some great plays. If anything, they probably need a different coach. I would say a bit too fancy in creating plays and that looses lots of opportunities for them. Wings doing something about their defense, so hopefully that will be a different game this time around. 

I am not saying that Red Wings are favorite for Stanley Cup, not even close. I am saying that they have what they need to get there. How many of you thought of Nashville as a favorite for the cup year ago? How many thought that Blackhawks will not get even one game in playoffs? You can have the names and the pedigree, but what you need is the heart and a little help from upstairs. Who am I to say that Wings will not get that?

watching nearly every game last season, and the last 30 + seasons, I am not surprised at all they did that poorly last season. We have no top line, and essentially no defense. Without the resurgence of Jimmy Howard, we were even further from the playoffs than we ended up. 

I don't think coaching is the issue in the slightest. The team was in the downswing with Babcock, and its no different now. the issue with the Wings isn't coaching, its the toll being a contender/playoff team for 25 straight years takes on your organization. your star players get older, your resources to replace them dry up, and free agents see this, making you less of a destination. We have had to overpay for free agents for years now. Our defense is an aging Kronwall without knees, Ericsson, who is twice the size of kronwall and 1/8th the physicality, Green, who although skilled offensively and valuable on the team, isn't the strongest defensively, DeKeyser, who maybe they extended a little too quickly based on early results. Daley signing will help a bit, but the aforementioned guys outside of DeKeyser are just going to be older as the season starts. Nashville had Josi, Subban, Ellis in back and a solid enough front side to make the playoffs, were a younger team coming up, and rode a hot streak by Rinne to get as far as they did. I don't even see how the situations of Nashville and Detroit are remotely comparable. 

That said, despite their position, I think Holland has done a pretty good job with the draft the last 5 years. Because of this, and I think their realization to sell what assets they could last deadline, I feel we can rebuild into a strong position, but I feel that's at least 3 years away now. They need to lose some contracts, and make some strong free agent signings when the time is ready. Grand Rapids winning the AHL title was encouraging, but you have to step back and realize although our prospects played a good part in it, some of it was also the strong contributions of guys like Street, lorito, tangradi and Callahan, who will likely be strong career AHL players. 

[IPv6Freely 2094]

I agree with you Stewie. It’s also nice for you guys that your older guys are aging out and you’re not stuck with a ton of bad contracts and the Wings scouting/drafting has always been pretty good. 

A couple years of pain will be worth it. I just hope the team and it’s fans will agree, instead of thinking they have even close to what it takes to be in the conversation for a championship, thinking they’re just a few pieces away. 

The last thing they should be doing is trying to hover around the 14-16th overall spot. Yes we all know about teams that were a bottom seed that either won (LA) or came close (Nashville), but that’s not the model to aim for. Those were teams that were young and either underachieved in the regular season, or overachieved in the playoffs, or some combination of both. 

[Stewie 721]

6 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

I agree with you Stewie. It’s also nice for you guys that your older guys are aging out and you’re not stuck with a ton of bad contracts and the Wings scouting/drafting has always been pretty good. 

A couple years of pain will be worth it. I just hope the team and it’s fans will agree, instead of thinking they have even close to what it takes to be in the conversation for a championship, thinking they’re just a few pieces away. 

The last thing they should be doing is trying to hover around the 14-16th overall spot. Yes we all know about teams that were a bottom seed that either won (LA) or came close (Nashville), but that’s not the model to aim for. Those were teams that were young and either underachieved in the regular season, or overachieved in the playoffs, or some combination of both. 

that's a huge problem here with the fans. I think everyone just assumes that they should always be in contention, but the league isn't built that way anymore. Fans here need to find scapegoats for everything. In some cases, they may be right, but in terms of the Red Wings, I don't think its Holland, or Blashill, or zetterburg being a bad leader, or any other thing I hear some know it all exclaiming on sports radio, I just think its the system taking its toll. Pavs retirement, Kronwalls rapid decline, the core is gone and one must be rebuilt. Pre cap era the Illitches could've just opened the money bags and had a big offseason but that doesn't happen this day and age. there will be no more "hey lets go out and get 3 future hall of famers today" moments.

I cant fault Holland too much for trying to remain competitive. if things went 100% for us with the signings, we could've still been a contender, but they just haven't. I think he is now realizing that its time to rebuild, as shitty as the timing can be with the new arena. I don't like a few of his signings, but I think most of our bad contracts will be over before its time for us to be competitive again. Rebuilding through the draft is the way to go, and then sign free agents when you are more of a destination and don't have to overpay as much. He might not have the patience of the rest of the fan base, but he has mine.

Maybe its easier for me as a die hard fan to accept some bad seasons for the greater good because I just love hockey so much, and can watch any playoff games. Heck, it was almost somewhat of a relief to not live by the seat of my pants this Stanley cup playoffs after having to for so long. I really just think I am being a realist, however, and can recognize that this wont be just any team, this is how every team will have to go. Teams that started the cap era with top picks like Chicago and Pittsburgh will have to endure the same thing in some years now. There will never be another 25 year streak in the NHL as long as the cap exists.

 

[IPv6Freely 2094]

I know exactly what you mean. See: Sundin, Belfour, Mogilny, Leetch, etc. Who needs prospects when you can buy players?

Obviously Matthews accelerated things here in Toronto but they still hit on draft picks before that. But the radio pundits kept saying before the 15-16 season that fans wouldn’t accept a tank and rebuild. Boy were they wrong. It’s well worth it to see a couple bad years. And we’re going to have the same issue Chicago and to a lesser degree Pittsburgh has had (and look at the Kings falling into irrelevancy) in a few years. 

McDavid got PAID, and I have to wonder how much that’s going to handcuff the oilers too. But it’s the way the system works now. 

I think the Wings are in a good spot though. Not in terms of being competitive but just having a good prospect system (I know nothing of their pool itself though).

[adams2001 54]

11 hours ago, Stewie said:

that's a huge problem here with the fans. I think everyone just assumes that they should always be in contention, but the league isn't built that way anymore. Fans here need to find scapegoats for everything. In some cases, they may be right, but in terms of the Red Wings, I don't think its Holland, or Blashill, or zetterburg being a bad leader, or any other thing I hear some know it all exclaiming on sports radio, I just think its the system taking its toll. Pavs retirement, Kronwalls rapid decline, the core is gone and one must be rebuilt. Pre cap era the Illitches could've just opened the money bags and had a big offseason but that doesn't happen this day and age. there will be no more "hey lets go out and get 3 future hall of famers today" moments.

I cant fault Holland too much for trying to remain competitive. if things went 100% for us with the signings, we could've still been a contender, but they just haven't. I think he is now realizing that its time to rebuild, as shitty as the timing can be with the new arena. I don't like a few of his signings, but I think most of our bad contracts will be over before its time for us to be competitive again. Rebuilding through the draft is the way to go, and then sign free agents when you are more of a destination and don't have to overpay as much. He might not have the patience of the rest of the fan base, but he has mine.

Maybe its easier for me as a die hard fan to accept some bad seasons for the greater good because I just love hockey so much, and can watch any playoff games. Heck, it was almost somewhat of a relief to not live by the seat of my pants this Stanley cup playoffs after having to for so long. I really just think I am being a realist, however, and can recognize that this wont be just any team, this is how every team will have to go. Teams that started the cap era with top picks like Chicago and Pittsburgh will have to endure the same thing in some years now. There will never be another 25 year streak in the NHL as long as the cap exists.

 

I agree with you completely. I do think a rebuild is necessary. I think most fans can see that, I feel like the Wings haven't had a mass amount of casual fans in a while. I have looked at some of the moves that were made the past couple of years was to keep the team in contention. 

The Nielsen contract: good for a team who is in the hunt and needs a strong 2nd to 3rd line center. The Wings got him PAID  

Abby contract: Over payment for inflated numbers form playing on a line with Pav, I like him, Michigan guy can't fault him for taking the money but I fee he could've been talked down for his current aav  

Steve Ott: I guess that 5th round pick worked out but what about Frk or Nosak (vegas) or even Mantha getting his ice time at the start of the season last year. 

Luke Witawoski: Why?

Trevor Daley: Good deal, it would be better if it was a 2 year contract. It helps the Wings out but one has to wonder how much gas is left in the tank. 

I feel like these contracts were made to compete for a playoff spot more so than to teach the prospects how to play. I get it, the Wings are a proud originization that wants to remain competitive but as far as being a fan since I have been watching hockey I feel like the gripes are legitimate. We have seen this tailspin for a while (1st round exits) and now we can only hope the Wings can stomach being bad for a few years in order to get competitive in the long run. 

All that being said I will always support the Wings and look forward to the season starting so I can watch the mick break it down every game (most games now, Ozzy does an ok job filling in). 

[chk hrd 164]

How about if they can just stay somewhat healthy. Helm was off to a great start then gets hurt again. He is a good 3rd-4th line center and always seems to make something happen when he's out there. If Howard could stay healthy that would help a lot. I like the idea of beefing up the team on the back end. We have a lot of skill up front and some decent size. Some of them need to play a little grittier. Have Homer come in and give some lessons! Some like Larkin need to get their game back. As good a player as Kronwal was you can't play today's game on one knee. If they can't fix it then maybe he needs to bow out gracefully. Early in the season Erikson played good. He needs to use that size and get a little meanness in him. Green will always be an offensive D-man. You either need someone for him to work with or a stay at home D-man so he can move.

Holland and Blashill know what needs to be done.

[Stewie 721]

im in agreement on the abdelkader signing. I feel we definitely overpaid on that one. him and Ericsson I think are two regrettable signings. Weiss ended up a bad one too, but I cant put that on Holland since Babcock was the guy that really pushed for that signing. I still like Nielsen, but maybe agree that it was just a push to keep the streak alive. This mentality will need to end I think.

I kind of like witakowski, adds a lot of grit. I don't think He's going to end up being a defenseman for us, but rather as a forward, using his size and physicality. He's a pretty versatile player, if not flashy. Hes also a local guy, so maybe that helps as well. We will see how he gets along with Mantha now, however ;)

And to the health point, if Howard and Helm both remained healthy like they were in the start of the season, I think the wings squeak in. That said, those two just cant seem to stay healthy for full seasons, and its a shame because they could both be tremendously valuable if they were to.

and to the strength of our prospect pool, the wings definitely have a solid farm system, the caveat being this is only in respect to their draft position. it might not be a top end system, but seeing as though they've been almost exclusively picking from middle or end of rounds for some years now, its pretty dece. We still lack the home run "that guys a future HOFer" prospects, but maybe Mantha or Larkin, or even Svech could develop into something close to that over time.

7 hours ago, adams2001 said:

I agree with you completely. I do think a rebuild is necessary. I think most fans can see that, I feel like the Wings haven't had a mass amount of casual fans in a while. I have looked at some of the moves that were made the past couple of years was to keep the team in contention. 

The Nielsen contract: good for a team who is in the hunt and needs a strong 2nd to 3rd line center. The Wings got him PAID  

Abby contract: Over payment for inflated numbers form playing on a line with Pav, I like him, Michigan guy can't fault him for taking the money but I fee he could've been talked down for his current aav  

Steve Ott: I guess that 5th round pick worked out but what about Frk or Nosak (vegas) or even Mantha getting his ice time at the start of the season last year. 

Luke Witawoski: Why?

Trevor Daley: Good deal, it would be better if it was a 2 year contract. It helps the Wings out but one has to wonder how much gas is left in the tank. 

I feel like these contracts were made to compete for a playoff spot more so than to teach the prospects how to play. I get it, the Wings are a proud originization that wants to remain competitive but as far as being a fan since I have been watching hockey I feel like the gripes are legitimate. We have seen this tailspin for a while (1st round exits) and now we can only hope the Wings can stomach being bad for a few years in order to get competitive in the long run. 

All that being said I will always support the Wings and look forward to the season starting so I can watch the mick break it down every game (most games now, Ozzy does an ok job filling in). 

 

7 hours ago, chk hrd said:

How about if they can just stay somewhat healthy. Helm was off to a great start then gets hurt again. He is a good 3rd-4th line center and always seems to make something happen when he's out there. If Howard could stay healthy that would help a lot. I like the idea of beefing up the team on the back end. We have a lot of skill up front and some decent size. Some of them need to play a little grittier. Have Homer come in and give some lessons! Some like Larkin need to get their game back. As good a player as Kronwal was you can't play today's game on one knee. If they can't fix it then maybe he needs to bow out gracefully. Early in the season Erikson played good. He needs to use that size and get a little meanness in him. Green will always be an offensive D-man. You either need someone for him to work with or a stay at home D-man so he can move.

Holland and Blashill know what needs to be done.

 

12 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

I know exactly what you mean. See: Sundin, Belfour, Mogilny, Leetch, etc. Who needs prospects when you can buy players?

Obviously Matthews accelerated things here in Toronto but they still hit on draft picks before that. But the radio pundits kept saying before the 15-16 season that fans wouldn’t accept a tank and rebuild. Boy were they wrong. It’s well worth it to see a couple bad years. And we’re going to have the same issue Chicago and to a lesser degree Pittsburgh has had (and look at the Kings falling into irrelevancy) in a few years. 

McDavid got PAID, and I have to wonder how much that’s going to handcuff the oilers too. But it’s the way the system works now. 

I think the Wings are in a good spot though. Not in terms of being competitive but just having a good prospect system (I know nothing of their pool itself though).

 

[adams2001 54]

As a Wings I like seeing the prospects get a shot. Mantha last year was definitely a bright spot. Larkin the year before was a breath of fresh air. I think all of those players will be fantastic to watch develop. With all that said as a fan, I would like to see more prospects getting a look sooner and it seems like the wings are catching on slowly. I was in the crowd for Svechnikov's first (shootout) goal and that was the highlight of the season for me.

On 7/10/2017 at 10:02 PM, Stewie said:

and to the strength of our prospect pool, the wings definitely have a solid farm system, the caveat being this is only in respect to their draft position. it might not be a top end system, but seeing as though they've been almost exclusively picking from middle or end of rounds for some years now, its pretty dece. We still lack the home run "that guys a future HOFer" prospects, but maybe Mantha or Larkin, or even Svech could develop into something close to that over time.

 

 

 

 

[adams2001 54]

The Wings just inked Tatar to a 4 year 21.2 M deal. Great on Ken Holland for not letting this slip into arbitration.  

[joshy207 15]

I don't think this gets fixed until Holland and all of his disciples are gone.  It's really, really frustrating to be a Wings fan right now.  Like Stewie said, the years of success are taking their toll, but Holland's poor signings and lack of player movement have severely hindered this team.  They are more than $3M over the cap (before Franzen goes on LTIR) but have not signed Athanasiou.  Holland plans on going into the preseason over the cap.  He'll weasel his way out of trouble AGAIN because at least one guy will get hurt and go on LTIR, Holland's favorite salary cap lifeline.  And if that doesn't happen, he will have to waive someone to get under the cap, and likely carry a 21-man roster, MAYBE 22.

I can accept being at or over the Cap if the team is good, or close to it.  But this is a bad team.  3rd lowest regulation win total in the league last year.  They only stayed somewhat close to the playoff pack because of their shootout record.  Yes, there were a few injuries, but most teams battle that.  The goaltending was inconsistent, the defense pretty much abysmal, and the offense was AWOL.  Holland puts way too much stock in 3rd- and 4th-liners, and veterans past their prime.  Blashill seems generally lost behind the bench at the NHL level... at least behind this bench.  He may be a good coach, but it isn't working here.  The comfort level is too high for a team that is, at its very best, a bubble team, and on the whole, a near bottom-feeder.  Nobody gets let go, nobody gets traded away.  Ken Holland-issued contracts are pretty much lifetime contracts, and it's gotten to be unhealthy.  Fresh blood is needed in the office, behind the bench, and on the roster.