Jason_R

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.

This guy’s write up is worth a read. I said in another post that the front office looks like a DRW dynasty museum. This guy said something that serves as a counterpoint. He mentioned when a young player asked about Vladdy, “Who’s in the wheelchair?” This guy‘s point is that the young players don’t seem to have any understanding of the culture that made the Red Wings dynasty what it was. They might see some of these guys around the building but not understand the competitiveness that made them great. I don’t know what that means, but who is Draper competing against to keep his job as an executive the way he was competing to anchor the Grind Line? The front office seems like the place Wings greats have gone to take a victory lap.

Wut?

The example from above was a trade with the Devils. Would he go to the Wild and play with some of his Team USA bros? Maybe. But he is a Detroit kid. Grew up with the Wings. I have a hard time seeing him go voluntarily.

I think Larkin has a full NTC through 2027-28. I think the chances of moving him before then are less than one percent.

Yes, something is wrong with the culture. I don’t know what it is but the front office seems to function too much as a museum of the Red Wings dynasty. Ironically, short of a complete obliteration of the front office, Stevie is the only one who has a hope of managing this dynamic. I feel like he needs to bring in a hockey lifer from outside the franchise who can do the dirty work of holding some of the former Wings accountable. I wonder what Keith Tkachuk is up to these days. 😂

Not promising that Buium and Wallinder are the third pairing.

I think Larkin still has significant trade value but then who is your #1 center?

Agree. On Danielson, I feel like I saw some speculation earlier in the season that there was interest in him but Yzerman wanted to keep him. When he got injured closer to the deadline it was not likely he was going anywhere.

We must never stop blaming Kenny! His failure was abject and complete and will still be felt for another five years. If anyone other than Yzerman was responsible for cleaning up the nuclear waste dump Kenny left, Hockeytown would have chewed them up and spit them out a long time ago. I haven't said a word about trading for Matthews. Not sure where that is coming from. Their best trade option is probably Edvinsson, once they sign him to an extension. I'm not sure I'd want to part with him now that he and Seider are the on the way to being the best pairing in the league. Would I consider trading him for Brady Tkachuk if he told Ottawa I'm not re-signing here and if we could get him extended? Now that would be interesting.

I agree it is unlikely. But they traded DeBrincat to us. They traded Perron to us. Sure, different situations, but every situation is a different situation. If Ottawa doesn't think they can re-sign Tkachuk or doesn't want to re-sign him because he's American, he's exactly the kind of player Yzerman should be in on, especially if Yzerman does not intend to trade Larkin. Larkin needs someone to do the dirty work on the ice and in the locker room.

Yes and one of his seventh round picks was the best player on the ice yesterday. And he brought in the team’s best forward through a trade. And he signed Gibson who covered up for a full season of weak offense and almost dragged them to the playoffs. And he made a trade at the deadline like the players asked for last season and they still wet the bed. I don’t claim he is perfect, but yes, when we could have had Quinn Hughes and Kenny picked Zadina, when we could have had Martin Necas or Nick Suzuki or Robert Thomas or Jason Robertson and Kenny picked Rasmussen… you can go on and on down the list and see that good franchises still have players contributing and even leading their teams from draft picks made ten or more years ago. Any one of those players would have made this a playoff roster. Firing Yzerman is not going to help. In fact he is the only one who has the credibility to rebuild this franchise from the depths that Kenny left it in. Do they need more money in analytics? Do they need more help in scouting? Player development? I don’t know, but I think Yzerman should be on the phone to his peers across town who are leading franchise turnarounds. I think he needs to buy out Compher. I think he needs to let Mac call up some kids who will allow him to bench bottom six vets who aren’t playing with an edge. And I think he needs to listen to trade offers for Larkin, Raymond, Edvinsson, or a goalie prospect.

Don’t forget Stevie drafted Mo Seider, well ahead of when everyone thought he would go, and he is now the team’s cornerstone and a Norris Trophy contender. Raymond is a legitimate scorer and the second-leading scorer of his draft year. Edvinsson and Seider are by some measures the best defensive pairing in the league. Some of the prospects are TBD, but they are getting their chance. If just one of Kenny’s first round picks other than Larkin had been a good one, this team would have been in the playoffs three years ago. And go back and look at how much talent Kenny overlooked, including several players the Wings were looking to trade for this year.

I know the first part of that tweet is wishful thinking. I’ve been saying for months that the rebuild doesn’t end until CCR contracts are up. The second part of the tweet is true: if you aren’t scoring, you better be hitting. This year’s bottom six hasn’t done either.

Yes, if you aren’t scoring, you need to be hitting.