Jason_R

He won the game for them last night, despite having a 405 foot bomb robbed from him on a highlight reel catch. Amazing.

Already the best hitter on the Tigers.

That’s how you ice a game with playoff implications. Trade a few chicklets for a double minor.

This isn’t really 2026 NFL draft but the story is messed up. Dysfunctional Washington franchise picked a guy who has played safety through college, nobody knows where he should play, they end up playing him at MLB, he gets a concussion that messes up his vision and he is out of the league in just a few seasons. Tough deal. Can’t remember if Martin Mayhew was in their front office at that point but I’m too lazy to look it up.

I appreciate lord Stanley in here keeping watch. 😊 Hopefully tomorrow, and especially by the end of the weekend, we can all step back from the ledge a bit. 😂

What I said (or have been purported to say) is irrelevant. The players from Team USA all said they liked playing with Larkin. I said it was good for Detroit to have Larkin, Raymond, and Seider at the Olympics. On top of everyone on Team USA raving about Larkin, Seider was an assistant captain for Germany and Raymond was Sweden’s top scorer and third in the Olympics. Other teams may have had more players at the Olympics but the Wings were well represented.

I’m not sure what this is supposed to mean but the best chance for getting a Hughes brother to Detroit was when Ken Holland picked Filip Zadina instead of Quinn Hughes. Yes, it is conceivable that Yzerman could have traded for Hughes but most observers thought the trade assets given up by Minnesota were pretty substantial with only a season and a half left before UFA. And if you are Steve Yzerman are you going to bet that you can trade for Quinn and retain him when he has two brothers playing in New Jersey?

Does anyone in their lifetime as an MLB fan remember a better debut than what McGonigle had today?

Knucklehead

I don’t agree with the sentiment that nobody wants to come to Detroit. Detroit is the 12th largest media market in the NHL and an original six team. It is also home to many NHL players. It is a town known for an intensely supportive fan base. If you are a free agent and your choice is between Detroit and Ottawa does anyone really think that players will flock to Ottawa? Columbus? Calgary? Raleigh? Buffalo? Winnipeg? Maybe some prefer NYC, Vegas, LA. Maybe some prefer no tax states. But these guys want to get paid, they want to play, and they want to compete. Detroit wasn’t competitive five years ago or even three. They are on the cusp now. Also, maybe I’m forgetting someone but the only player I remember using a NMC to veto a trade to Detroit was Tyler Myers who apparently has a child with special needs, who was born and has family in Texas, and who ended up in Dallas. Faulk had a 15-team no trade clause, so either Detroit was not on it, or he willingly waived it.

“Brad Holmes, do you or do you not affirm this to be your official list of draft priorities?”

It is a tough business, pro sports. Everyone is clawing for every inch. You need to have some luck. Stevie got lucky that DeBrincat forced his way back home but that is really the only luck he has gotten. In retrospect, maybe the worst thing that happened to this franchise was letting Jim Nill leave.

I have been assuming the rebuild is over when Copp and Compher come off the books. Copp has the 2026-27 season left, for Compher (and Rasmussen) it is 2027-28. That is a much longer timeline than fans want to accept, but that is probably the timeline Yzerman annd Ilitch are operating under. One way to handle this is to tread water until those contracts come off the books. Those three contracts equal $12 million annually. Assuming some of the kids can step in to fill these slots for cheap, that leaves a lot of room to sign a big ticket free agent center. In summer 2028. I’m getting impatient though and would love it if Stevie could package up Compher, a goalie, and a few prospects/picks for a bona fide center this offseason.

They appeal to a certain type of fan. Brad has always done a good job of adjusting the roster going into the draft to minimize any glaring needs. He has done that this time also. He isn’t forced to take a tackle at 17. And no, he doesn’t owe it to fans or to interviewers to give a full or final account of his draft or roster plans. He is even entitled to lie or use smokescreens if it suits him. He can, will, and should do and say anything he thinks will improve his competitive situation. I still think they will take an OT in the first round, and I hope they will have the opportunity to trade back in the first round to do so.

Yzerman hasn’t been perfect. But he has had almost nothing to work with and no margin for error. ButI think just like this year was the trade deadline when he was obligated to make a move, this off-season will be the one where he is on the clock to make a franchise altering deal. He has to get a proven scorer this off-season.