Jason_R

From the Bultman article. I agree 100% that this roster doesn’t have nearly enough players who are hard to play against. Todd seems to agree. He doesn’t control the roster, so it will be interesting to see whether he can persuade Yzerman to bring in a few more players to serve as irritants on the ice and in the locker room This year, the only forwards who registered 100 hits for the Red Wings were Kasper and Finnie. The division-rival Ottawa Senators had seven such forwards. The Boston Bruins had five. Those were the teams that earned the Eastern Conference’s wild-card bids. It’s a problem in the bottom six, where there was no consistent identity throughout the year. J.T. Compher entered Wednesday’s game with 22 hits all season while also putting up only 28 points. Michael Rasmussen went from the 120-140-hit range in the past four seasons to just half that this year (64) — while also at the lowest per-game point production rate of his career (0.22). Free-agent signing Mason Appleton had 89 hits, more than he had a season ago with the Winnipeg Jets, but considering he had 3 points in his final 34 games, there wasn’t enough overall to move the needle. This is not to say the Red Wings should fill their bottom six with nothing but fighters or mindless body-bangers next season. But they have too many lineup spots being filled by players who aren’t finding enough ways to contribute, and there is value in adding at least one of that bruising style of player — even just as a deterrent to the liberties opposing teams take with Detroit’s stars.

Worth a read.

Yeah that was ugly. Mac has seen these guys long enough to know who the problems are. And he’s been around long enough to be able to shoot straight with Stevie. It will be a real bad sign if all of CCR are on the roster next year. It will be a good sign if they can figure out how to move on from two of them.

Maybe they need a little depth there. Maybe they turn over some of Anzalone’s role to a big nickel. But I don’t feel like they are courting disaster going into the season with their current room.

Oh I know Seider won’t win it but he deserves a lot more consideration than he is getting.

I agree Soderblom flashed skill before leaving Detroit, but did he flash passion or energy? That’s what so many of Detroit’s forwards have lacked. And it is possible his performance will fall off, but he’s already put together a stretch of effectiveness that I don’t think he ever had as a Red Wing. Mantha is a bit of a different in gone for a while, but still he found another gear playing in Pittsburgh. When did he have 30+ goals and 60+ points before joining the Penguins? Never. When did he get close? Never. Did it take 13 years for him to hit his stride, or is Pittsburgh's coaching or system or environment just better than Detroit’s? Stevie and Todd need to do some soul searching.

All hail Noritz Seider.

It will be at least three years and several strokes of good luck with respect to the development of their prospects before they might be a top team in the conference. Until then they will scratch and claw to be in playoff contention.

Not a good look for the Wings. What is the disconnect between front office and coaching staff that has led to some players coming to the Wings looking like duds then leaving and looking like studs?

What do they need going into the draft, in my sense of the order of importance: OT Safety Edge RB DT if they do not get players capable of contributing at these positions this year, I feel like they are going to regret it. Edit: If Arnold is facing jail time, CB probably vaults to the top of the list.

Kane is not toast. He is still a highly skilled and creative offensive player. The rebuild has not failed. When Stevie got here, the team was dead last in goals scored and last in goals allowed. Now the team is average in both categories. The team also has arguably the best defenseman in the NHL, one of the best young defensive pairings in the NHL, a top-ten goal scorer, and two promising goaltender prospects. They do not have to get worse to get better again. They might get worse but one could foresee a season where Edvinsson becomes more polished offensively and cuts out some of his defensive lapses; where a full season of Faulk allows ASP to play sheltered third line minutes and develop physically; where Kasper has a bounce back from his sophomore slump; where some of the slow, old, and uninspired bottom six forwards are replaced by young and hungry prospects; and where Cossa gives them a more reliable option at #2 than Talbot was. It is not out of the question that some, if not all, of these improvements occur, and the team improves marginally enough to make the playoffs. I would still like to see Stevie find this team’s Shanahan, and I’d like to see him make some changes in the front office (and no, I don’t want him to find this team’s Shanahan by hiring Shanahan to the front office). But I don’t think it is a terrible strategy to hold on until the CCR contracts are off the books and then plan to bring in one or two high end UFAs.

They have to bring Kane back. It would be an offensive disaster if they lost him, and they have to do everything they can to keep DeBrincat happy as he goes into the final year of his contract. Even if they do bring back Kane, and leave Mazur and MBN on the roster, they still have to fill spots for Perron, JVR, and Shine. Danielson better be ready, Lombardi too? Then who else? That would be roles for five kids, without even talking about CCR. Copp is serviceable, though he finished the year snakebit to say the least. Offload Compher or Rasmussen if you can, but now you’re talking about a sixth kid to bring up, unless somehow you can sign another short term free agent. They are treading water for two more years unless Stevie can pull a rabbit out of his hat this offseason. What could he get for Edvinsson and/or one of the goalies?

Yes, Detroit will take a tackle in round one. Yes, Borom is capable of starting and providing an equivalent level of performance to what Decker provided last year. No, Holmes is not saying he will start. No, Holmes is not obligated to reveal his plans to the press.