Confirmed with Link: Holland signed to 2-year extension

[Invictus12]

That works be a great way to go...if I thought this regime could identify and develop a good defenseman by picking outside the top ten of the draft. But the last 15 years kinda say otherwise.

Fair enough on the draft but there's still trades and free agency. I'm pretty sure I saw a few post on here where folks were actually arguing against getting Tavares if we could. That's ludicrous. There's no sure way to build a cup contender and there's certainly no certainty in doing it through simply tanking either. Nor are the proponents of this 'no other way but' mentality are even consistent in their reasoning and often see a lock not realizing that it's attached to the door.

 

[Heaton]

I feel a little sad for you. I have hundreds of great memories from the Wings in my life.

So do I, but the playoff streak is near the bottom.

A few of the best are from cups, sure, but there is so much else. It seems very american to only care about cups or "playoff success" (I'm guessing you define that as at least being in the final 4). If that was all I cared about I wouldn't even watch the regular season, would just tune in for elimination games in the playoffs. That's all that matters, right?

It's not all I care about, just the most important thing. Pretty sure most teams who've never won the cup would trade all of their regular season memories for 1 Stanley Cup memory.

And for the record, the regular season is meaningless in every sport except football. The season is too long and too forgiving. You shouldn't be able to go on a 10 game losing streak and still make the playoffs. It will never happen, but the league should reduce the regular season to like 65 games, it would make it way more important.

With that said, there's plenty of great regular season memories, I think you were taking my statement as too literal. I was respsonding to a person who was trying to prop the playoff streak up to the level of winning Stanley Cups, it's not even close.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Do you have a crystal ball that warps space-time and lets you know ahead of time what happens? Vegas sure wasn't projected anywhere near the playoffs at the start of the season. Thats pretty well documented on here. Nor was the Washington team projected to make a deep run while were at it.

In that metaphor, instead of trying to seize opportunities that are presented in front of was, a good portion here would rather we wait for the right year for the right 'one'. And then what happens if we don't even get the lottery pick? We tank until we get one?

I'm not sure what you are trying to argue with regards to my opinion on the Red Wings hypothetically losing in the first round next season.

 

[jkutswings]

So do I, but the playoff streak is near the bottom.



It's not all I care about, just the most important thing. Pretty sure most teams who've never won the cup would trade all of their regular season memories for 1 Stanley Cup memory.

And for the record, the regular season is meaningless in every sport except football. The season is too long and too forgiving. You shouldn't be able to go on a 10 game losing streak and still make the playoffs. It will never happen, but the league should reduce the regular season to like 65 games, it would make it way more important.

With that said, there's plenty of great regular season memories, I think you were taking my statement as too literal. I was respsonding to a person who was trying to prop the playoff streak up to the level of winning Stanley Cups, it's not even close.

+1 to all of this. Sports get handicapped by finance in all sorts of ways. A 60-65 game NHL season on Olympic size ice would be a much better product, but sadly, it'll never happen.

 

[WingedWheel1987]

Do you have a crystal ball that warps space-time and lets you know ahead of time what happens? Vegas sure wasn't projected anywhere near the playoffs at the start of the season. Thats pretty well documented on here. Nor was the Washington team projected to make a deep run while were at it.

In that metaphor, instead of trying to seize opportunities that are presented in front of was, a good portion here would rather we wait for the right year for the right 'one'. And then what happens if we don't even get the lottery pick? We tank until we get one?

Detroit's roster is awful. Awful teams don't win. We also have a very large sample size when it comes to the DRW roster. There is no opportunity to seize with the current Wings roster.

I personally thought Vegas had a better roster than Detroit when they did their expansion draft. I didn't think it was Cup Finals good, but certainly better than the dumpster fire in Detroit.

 

[Ezekial]

+1 to all of this. Sports get handicapped by finance in all sorts of ways. A 60-65 game NHL season on Olympic size ice would be a much better product, but sadly, it'll never happen.

That is the most debatable absolute you've ever posted.

 

[Dotter]

I don't see it being the progress we need considering what I have stated are major deficiencies in the roster.

Isn't that what Red Wings are drafting to fix? I mean they could get Dobson or Bouchard with their #6 and are instantly a better team. Not to mention the gazzilion other picks they have in this draft what diamond they could get. I would declare Wings are now officially on an upswing. Enough to win a cup in the next 5 to 8 years? Nobody can know. But I do like the direction they are headed. Espcially with all the picks they have this next month.

 

[Pavels Dog]

It's not all I care about, just the most important thing. Pretty sure most teams who've never won the cup would trade all of their regular season memories for 1 Stanley Cup memory.

Always an attractive idea to trade past failures for success. Reality works differently and all you can really ask for is a team that has the chance.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Isn't that what Red Wings are drafting to fix? I mean they could get Dobson or Bouchard with their #6 and are instantly a better team. Not to mention the gazzilion other picks they have in this draft what diamond they could get. I would declare Wings are now officially on an upswing. Enough to win a cup in the next 5 to 8 years? Nobody can know. But I do like the direction they are headed. Espcially with all the picks they have this next month.

Good for you. I don't buy that they are on the up and up just because they may grab a player who makes them better. The team in general is full of holes, and we are still waiting for the youngsters currently in the NHL to fill those holes. So far Larkin is the only one close.

 

[jkutswings]

That is the most debatable absolute you've ever posted.

You wouldn't like fewer injuries, more scoring (per game), and more creativity on offense?

 

[njx9]

Meh, I suppose for some, the memories from February 18, 1994 are just as good, vivid and wonderful as memories of May 16, 1996.

After all, Yzerman scored a goal both days. Though, to be fair, only one of those days helped extend The Streak.

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

You wouldn't like fewer injuries, more scoring (per game), and more creativity on offense?

?

Fewer injuries I can see in terms of total numbers... but in terms of actual effective games lost? The overuse type injuries that tend to happen in March and April are nagging ones that are played through. The vast majority of regular season hockey injuries that adversely affect the quality are the acute ones not the chronic ones.

More scoring per game? How so? I'd wager that there wouldn't be much of a change as defense teams would be more fresh with fewer back to backs. I think this would affect scoring much less drastically than you think.

More creativity on offense? Why would this boost creativity on offense? Because guys aren't as tired? If anything, it would probably kill creativity, as the grinder type guys would be able to play closer to their playoff intensity mode for more of the season. You'd have fast teams dumping and chasing and skating hard.

Anything that keeps skill guys fresher keeps the hard charging bottom sixers who play like made fresher and more able to keep up with them.

E: I overlooked the Olympic sized ice part. It is nice for a little break during the olympics, but it's not NHL hockey.

 

[Ezekial]

You wouldn't like fewer injuries, more scoring (per game), and more creativity on offense?

I wouldn't want to watch the nhl on Euro ice, and I don't want to watch less hockey.

Big ice = more perimeter play. No thanks.

Edit: to be clear, I'm not saying you're wrong, it's just debatable.

 

[ricky0034]

I feel like if anything bigger ice would result in less scoring not more,it would slow down the game at any rate

 

[Winger98]

I still like the idea of the ice being slightly bigger, but not euro big. I think it was the Salt Lake Olympics that had ice that was somewhere between the NHL and Europe. It made for slightly more space, while not leaving so much space that players just sort of got lost. It's something the Wings have planned for, too. I thought I read somewhere that LCA was built to easily remove the first row or two of seats to accommodate a larger ice surface.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

I would love for the NHL to reduce the number of games. I don't care about the "oh I want more hockey" take, because I think the product would improve with a condensed schedule, and the stakes would be higher for me as a fan.

 

[Tomas W]

Why? Detroit need a change at this point, try something new.

 

[Hen Kolland]

Good for you. I don't buy that they are on the up and up just because they may grab a player who makes them better. The team in general is full of holes, and we are still waiting for the youngsters currently in the NHL to fill those holes. So far Larkin is the only one close.

Seeing this discussion go back and forth, my guess would be this is a disagreement on perspective. You are sitting here in the here and now and saying "look at all the holes, any addition to the team can't fill all the holes and making it to the playoffs would not be representative of the state of the team at this moment" and the counter is looking at it from the perspective of "if we are making pick ups that make the team better and we are slotting in our new players along with the continued improvement of the current (young) roster players, then we are finding ourselves pressing to make the playoffs, regardless of how far we can get." Both are potentially valid scenarios.

If we fall into a trap year where Abdelkader becomes a 40-45 point guy and Nyquist finds a new gear to score 30 and Nielsen regains his offensive ability to the point where Holland makes the decision to hold the course at the deadline instead of selling, then we are looking at probably the former scenario. One year where we are playing way above the expectations would just throw a hurdle in the middle of acquiring better prospects, via deadline deals and the draft.

If we have a year where we see Larkin put up 70+ points, and Mantha score 30+ goals, and Rasmussen acclimates himself to the pro game quickly, and Hronek can break in effectively and we find our way into the playoffs, we are going in a completely different direction, and we are 100% on the upswing looking for those select pieces, a Tavares, a Doughty, a Karlsson, that one big name to fill a hole, along with our draft pick from this year, to push us closer to contending.

All that being said, I think anyone sitting here and not hoping for the latter scenario is batshit crazy.