News Article: Friedman says Detroit is "open for business"

[Dotter]

I think you misunderstood my position. Kronwall and Ericsson are terrible defenseman. They will help ensure the Wings finish towards the bottom of the standings next year.

Smith isn't good, and locking in another mediocre/bad defenseman for multiple years just doesn't make sense. With the state the Wings are in, a draft pick is far more useful than three more years of Brendan Smith.

The other defenders making mistakes are locked in for another 3, 4, 5 years no matter what we want done. Dekeyser just signed a 5 year deal, Ericsson is singed until 2020, Kronwall is signed until 2019.

No one is taking Kronwall or Ericsson off our hands. I'd love to have someone else take the Dekeyser contract, but you know Kenny isn't moving a Michigan kid when the rest of our defense is a mess.

So yeah, we don't want another guy getting overpaid who doesn't create much offense is just kinda there.

How long will the rebuild take? I suspect it's calculated out to start seeing an upswing by the end of Zetterberg's contract.

Honestly, signing Smith for 3 years or trading him for a 3rd/6th rounder really means little (if anything at all) to the overall rebuild. If KH can't get a decent return, might as well plug him for the next 3 years.

Now if KH refuses to trade Smith for offers of a top 15 overall pick and opt's to re-sign him to 7 years with a full NMC instead, I'd get your point.

 

[InjuredChoker]

How long will the rebuild take? I suspect it's calculated out to start seeing an upswing by the end of Zetterberg's contract.

Honestly, signing Smith for 3 years or trading him for a 3rd/6th rounder really means little (if anything at all) to the overall rebuild. If KH can't get a decent return, might as well plug him for the next 3 years.

Now if KH refuses to trade Smith for offers of a top 15 overall pick and opt's to re-sign him to 7 years with a full NMC instead, I'd get your point.

trade smith for pick(s).

use the cap space in offseason to sign an undervalued/reject player who has talent to a 1 year deal. if the team sucks again, trade him at the deadline for pick(s).

rinse and repeat.

 

[Syckle78]

Like Winger said, that's just an excuse. Is Holland really working it and giving up, or does he truly believe these guys are better, at 2-3x the cost as well? THAT is the concerning part.



E should have been dumped years ago.



Exactly. We had "interesting" stats on this forum too, mostly designed to figure out why Smith's stats weren't as bad as many on this forum claim him to be. He's actually a decent mid-level guy and he COSTS A HECK OF A LOT LESS than the brain surgeons Kenny loves. Ken needs to clear out the contracts that won't let him really do anything substantial. With guys like Mantha, Athanasiou, Larkin, and Tatar needing contracts soon, why would you blow that up by keeping E, Abby and even Helm?

How do you come to the conclusion it's just an excuse? Who do you think is taking our garbage players on bad contracts? You'd have to attach assets to E to move him probably the same with abby. The reason we're talking about trading younger guys with better contracts is because they don't have negative value. The point is to garner assets not give them away just to free up cap space. We don't need cap space at this point..the priority right now should be selling off whatever we can to gain as many futures as possible.

 

[lhsgolf19]

Looks like Burrows to Ottawa

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

Obviously we have two more days, but Holland's track record leaves a lot to be desired and it sure is difficult to imagine him doing more of anything.

 

[Syckle78]

Well if nothing else at least we didn't trade for burrows with a two year extension.

 

[lhsgolf19]

Аrpon Basu @ArponBasu

Habs acquire Jordie Benn from Stars for Greg Pateryn and a 2017 4th round pick

 

[Pavels Dog]

Obviously we have two more days, but Holland's track record leaves a lot to be desired and it sure is difficult to imagine him doing more of anything.

I'll be pretty shocked if he doesn't move Vanek. Smith is a maybe and I could see him keeping Sheahan unless he gets a 1st or equally strong offer.

 

[Zetterberg4Captain]

I think he will sell two more assets

but i wouldnt be shocked if he didnt do anything else either

I dont thin he has any cle whatsoever what he is doing anymore in the grand scheme of things

 

[HIFE]

How long will the rebuild take?..

Hard to say when "the rebuild" hasn't even begun. Sucking at the bottom of the league after signing over 10 contracts in the summer with the purported goal of making the PO's is not rebuilding. Nor is selling off meaningless players who are healthy scratches most nights. Holland said last year only after missing the PO's 2-3 times would he consider an authentic rebuild. This OS will be a re-tool.

A rebuilding team states their situation to the public and makes aggressive trades to tear down a failing core. Like when Calgary finally got rid of Iginla and Bouwmeester (moves that were way overdue)- the statement was made the team accepts its pitiful state of mediocrity and are moving in a fresh direction.

 

[Reddwit]

The more I think about it, the more I think the Wings won't consider themselves rebuilding until they miss next year, assuming they do. I expect we'll hear a lot of this in the season-ending interview/conference:

1. Parity
2. Injuries
3. "Off year for our goaltenders."
4. "A lot of players better than they showed this past season."
5. Emergence of AA/Mantha/XO

In other words, a boatload of excuses as to why we'll be "right there" next year, without addressing the actual roster problems.

In the off-season, we'll likely see a couple more Vanek/Ott signings and maybe even an expansion/draft-influenced deal. Then Holland will stamp the team as competitive and roll on.

 

[Ezekial]

The wings will not be considered as "rebuilding" until Ken Holland is no longer the GM.

 

[gretskidoo]

Looking at trades around the league, if Vanek doesn't get at least a 1st, it's without any doubt Holland's fault.

 

[Pavels Dog]

The more I think about it, the more I think the Wings won't consider themselves rebuilding until they miss next year, assuming they do. I expect we'll hear a lot of this in the season-ending interview/conference:

1. Parity
2. Injuries
3. "Off year for our goaltenders."
4. "A lot of players better than they showed this past season."
5. Emergence of AA/Mantha/XO

In other words, a boatload of excuses as to why we'll be "right there" next year, without addressing the actual roster problems.

In the off-season, we'll likely see a couple more Vanek/Ott signings and maybe even an expansion/draft-influenced deal. Then Holland will stamp the team as competitive and roll on.

Even if that happens... so what? Vanek/Ott signings would be GREAT. Load up on 1 year guys that we can move at the TDL if we're bad again. We'll see if Holland wants to tank or not based on whether he keeps Blashill around or not, but by all accounts on this board this team has basically zero good players so I don't see how we will avoid picking in the top 10 again next year. After that maybe our top picks will start to make a difference.

 

[InjuredChoker]

Looking at trades around the league, if Vanek doesn't get at least a 1st, it's without any doubt Holland's fault.

needs to be 1st++ at this point.

dahlen should have value of about late 1st rounder. he was traded for a guy with 20 points, they had to agree to a 2 yr extension to him and the player turns 36 this year.

 

[Leronziia]

1st (pick 25-30) + a nice prospect is the deal we should be gunning for.

Vanek has had a terrific year and would boost any powerplay and put up points.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

I wonder if the Sens considered Burrows a cheaper option for depth scoring on the wing. Pierre Dorion was complaining that certain GMs are trying to fleece him. Might sound like somebody we know...

 

[Mijatovic]

Who even knows if he will do anything. The closer we get to the deadline with more and more deals getting done, I feel he will whiff and thatll be it.

 

[InjuredChoker]

Brad Krysko WWP‏ @BradKrysko 51m51 minutes ago

Pierre LeBrun just reported on TSN that the market isn't really heating up for Vanek.

Take that for whatever it's worth.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

Brad Krysko WWP‏ @BradKrysko 51m51 minutes ago

Pierre LeBrun just reported on TSN that the market isn't really heating up for Vanek.

Take that for whatever it's worth.

I'm not super surprised. Even considering this season, he doesn't have the best reputation. He hasn't been a hard worker or much of a leadership guy so far in his career. He's perceived to have bailed on a couple of teams now. Teams aren't going to want to pay a lot if they consider him a pure rental.

But it's an interesting combo with this:

 

[Henkka]

Brad Krysko WWP‏ @BradKrysko 51m51 minutes ago

Pierre LeBrun just reported on TSN that the market isn't really heating up for Vanek.

Take that for whatever it's worth.

http://stats.hockeyanalysis.com/rat...ards&minutes=500&disp=1&sort=PCT&sortdir=DESC

4th best points/60 of the league. After Crosby, Malkin, and Bäckström.

 

[jaster]

I'm not super surprised. Even considering this season, he doesn't have the best reputation. He hasn't been a hard worker or much of a leadership guy so far in his career. He's perceived to have bailed on a couple of teams now. Teams aren't going to want to pay a lot if they consider him a pure rental.

But it's an interesting combo with this:

Perceived by whom? Fans don't matter.

A rental is exactly what teams are paying for. If you think you have a shot at the Cup and you are looking to add offense, Vanek is a great addition. I doubt any team that is considering Vanek right now is also looking for anything close to a guarantee that he will sign with them.

 

[Reddwit]

Even if that happens... so what? Vanek/Ott signings would be GREAT. Load up on 1 year guys that we can move at the TDL if we're bad again. We'll see if Holland wants to tank or not based on whether he keeps Blashill around or not, but by all accounts on this board this team has basically zero good players so I don't see how we will avoid picking in the top 10 again next year. After that maybe our top picks will start to make a difference.

No one has said anything close to that in serious discussion. Maybe we have zero players who are game-breakers or star players, but otherwise...?

As for whether or not [what I outlined above] happens, I'm not saying that's the worst thing. What I am saying is that its not rebuilding - which was the point I was addressing in my response to someone who was not you.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

Perceived by whom? Fans don't matter.

A rental is exactly what teams are paying for. If you think you have a shot at the Cup and you are looking to add offense, Vanek is a great addition. I doubt any team that is considering Vanek right now is also looking for anything close to a guarantee that he will sign with them.

Perceived by GMs. There was a reason Vanek (1) signed here and (2) signed for less. He wasn't exactly drowning in options.

You say that, but teams as a general rule are going to pay less for UFAs they don't think they can sign. Vanek saying he wants to test the market isn't exactly helping Holland maximize his return here.

 

[Reddwit]

Brad Krysko WWP‏ @BradKrysko 51m51 minutes ago

Pierre LeBrun just reported on TSN that the market isn't really heating up for Vanek.

Take that for whatever it's worth.

"Heating up" doesn't mean much to me quite yet. I'd assume all this means is that teams have inquired about Vanek but there isn't a bidding war on him yet and/or he isn't the primary target. I'd anticipate a guy like Sharp to be the bride but, despite the better stats, Vanek being the bridesmaid. In other words, what has taken place now says little about desperation.

I expect if it comes down to the wire, then Vanek will incur some sort of bidding war as teams look for the guy who will put him over the top and/or the move that will appease the organization and fans. I'd expect that, right now, Vanek isn't the guy you want to bring over as your big acquisition but would be a guy you'd love to have if you thought your organization couldn't/didn't get anything done.