Ansar Khan: Khan thinks the vets will have a short leash.

[Pavels Dog]

It's crazy that Ericsson would continue to play professional hockey with this many ailments. I also question management for allowing him to play. Kronwall's case is not much better. They must be experiencing tremendous chronic pain throughout the season. The game is only getting faster and these guys can barely skate anymore.

"they can barely skate anymore"

*both play 18+ minutes in the best league in the world on a playoff team*

 

[njx9]

"they can barely skate anymore"

*both play 18+ minutes in the best league in the world on a playoff team*

As if those are somehow mutually exclusive.

 

[Z40]

Would you willingly give up 4+ million per year? Unless he is about to be wheelchair bound for the rest of his life or a chance at death there isn't even a chance that it would come across his mind.

In the immortal words of ESPN "Come on man".

Health is more important to me than money. I wouldn't want to significantly diminish my quality of life just to play a few extra years. Both Ericsson and Kronwall need surgery that would likely be career-ending. That tells me everything.

"they can barely skate anymore"

*both play 18+ minutes in the best league in the world on a playoff team*

Clearly, I'm speaking in terms relative to the NHL. They can skate circles around me, but that's not what they are paid to do. Anyone who watched the Wings last season can see the struggles they had with skating. I expect their minutes to be reduced this season.

With the overall speed of the game increasing, skating is more important than ever. When your wheels are gone, your career is likely to follow these days.

 

[HockeyinHD]

Spend the off season signing 540 vets, but vets will be on a short leash.

Everyone knows the best time to sign rookies is in the offseason.

 

[HockeyinHD]

Would you willingly give up 4+ million per year? Unless he is about to be wheelchair bound for the rest of his life or a chance at death there isn't even a chance that it would come across his mind.

In the immortal words of ESPN "Come on man".

A) Brian Rafalski.

B) Kronwall 'only' makes 3.5 in 17-18 and 1.5 in 18-19.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

A) Brian Rafalski.

B) Kronwall 'only' makes 3.5 in 17-18 and 1.5 in 18-19.

Rafalski was by far the exception.

Honestly I don't think it's just about money for these guys. Hockey has been their whole life and they're playing in the top league in the world. It's not surprising most of them don't want that to end.

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

Spend the off season signing 540 vets, but vets will be on a short leash.

Basically this.

 

[jkutswings]

Everyone knows the best time to sign rookies is in the offseason.

*cough* strawman *cough*

If they would have not signed so many vets, and essentially made it obvious that guys like AA and Mantha were definitely getting significant minutes, then a comment like "the vets are on a short leash" makes more sense, because it shows a clear direction of youth taking over.

With the approach they used this summer (and have been predominantly using for several years now), those vets "on a short leash" likely will not only have ample leash to work with, but will most likely be replaced by other vets if they do get benched.

Detroit overvalues high-floor, low-ceiling guys. (In other news, water is wet.)

 

[Run the Jewels]

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2016/09/ask_ansar_on_competition_for_j.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

So will we actually see Blashill sit Ericsson if he continues his mediocre play?

Like what I'm hearing about cutting minutes, but I'll believe it when I see it.

Blashill played Kindl and Smith heavy minutes at the start of last season. That worked out so well we were one of the absolute worst teams in the league and had to ride the vets hard just to back our way into the playoffs. The vets are more or less breaking down. Datsyuk is gone, Ericsson has a persistent issue that will never be resolved until he retires, Kronwall has a knee problem that will prevent him from ever being more than a bottom 3 d-man at best, and Zetterberg is fading fast.

It's fairly clear Holland is expecting Vanek and Neilsen to carry that top line along with Zetterberg. If/when that fails there are literally no more answers. You can throw Larkin to the wolves and make him your #1 center but that's pure desperation. Better to have him as your #2 center and let the chips fall as they may.

 

[njx9]

It's fairly clear Holland is expecting Vanek and Neilsen to carry that top line along with Zetterberg. If/when that fails there are literally no more answers. You can throw Larkin to the wolves and make him your #1 center but that's pure desperation. Better to have him as your #2 center and let the chips fall as they may.

There's certainly another answer. If you can LTIR Ericsson or Howard or someone, you can trade Mantha/AA for a rental in a last, desperate bid to keep the ship afloat. I can't imagine any way the team 'let the chips fall as they may', as much as they probably ought to.

 

[Run the Jewels]

There's certainly another answer. If you can LTIR Ericsson or Howard or someone, you can trade Mantha/AA for a rental in a last, desperate bid to keep the ship afloat. I can't imagine any way the team 'let the chips fall as they may', as much as they probably ought to.

Mantha cannot make this roster that has so little talent. With that being the case his value cannot be anywhere near where it was when we could have traded him for Tyler Myers. AA doens't have much value at this point although I have been a big Athanasiou fan since the day he was drafted. I do think once he is given a chance he will show he has the skill to be a legit middle six forward. He's hampered by the fact we are forced to play dead puck hockey to try to remain competitive, same thing with Ryan Sproul. I hope Sproul gets picked up off waivers by a team like Dallas, he would thrive in that organization.

 

[Shaman464]

There's certainly another answer. If you can LTIR Ericsson or Howard or someone, you can trade Mantha/AA for a rental in a last, desperate bid to keep the ship afloat. I can't imagine any way the team 'let the chips fall as they may', as much as they probably ought to.

LTIR isn't a bottomless ocean that you can sink every bad contract into. It's more like a toilet, you can only fill it with some much **** before it backs up and is useless.

 

[Ezekial]

You also can't LTIR players just to do it, what excuse does Howard have?

 

[njx9]

You also can't LTIR players just to do it, what excuse does Howard have?

LTIR isn't a bottomless ocean that you can sink every bad contract into. It's more like a toilet, you can only fill it with some much **** before it backs up and is useless.

Both of your comments were really confusing until I realized I'd listed Howard for LTIR instead of trade or whatever. Total brain fart on my part. That said, my understanding is that we're a bit screwed early in the season with Franzen/Vitale having to go on immediately (and so not getting the full possible relief), but that if E, for instance, was put on it during the season, we would get the full $4.25m (or whatever) to spend on a replacement.

Mantha cannot make this roster that has so little talent. With that being the case his value cannot be anywhere near where it was when we could have traded him for Tyler Myers. AA doens't have much value at this point although I have been a big Athanasiou fan since the day he was drafted. I do think once he is given a chance he will show he has the skill to be a legit middle six forward. He's hampered by the fact we are forced to play dead puck hockey to try to remain competitive, same thing with Ryan Sproul. I hope Sproul gets picked up off waivers by a team like Dallas, he would thrive in that organization.

I don't disagree on their values being low, but I think they're the only pieces we have left to trade with any value (in my make-the-playoffs-at-all-costs scenario; clearly guys like Tatar and Nyquist would also have real world value), and I think Holland would sell them both for below-market prices in an instant to try to eke out another playoff appearance. I doubt we'd get much at the TDL, but a poor man's Legwand might be seen as the guy to put the team over the hump, if there are other injuries/issues at the top of the lineup.

 

[Vatican Roulette]

I don't disagree on their values being low, but I think they're the only pieces we have left to trade with any value (in my make-the-playoffs-at-all-costs scenario; clearly guys like Tatar and Nyquist would also have real world value), and I think Holland would sell them both for below-market prices in an instant to try to eke out another playoff appearance. I doubt we'd get much at the TDL, but a poor man's Legwand might be seen as the guy to put the team over the hump, if there are other injuries/issues at the top of the lineup.

Sell Vanek.
Sell Smith.
Sell Miller.
Sell Ott.

All UFA's. Trade them for whatever a GM can get.

 

[njx9]

Sell Vanek.
Sell Smith.
Sell Miller.
Sell Ott.

All UFA's. Trade them for whatever a GM can get.

If the team is faltering, it seems unlikely to me that Vanek has any value at all, as he's probably part of that. Miller and Ott wouldn't return future considerations. And if we're that bad, it's hard to imagine Smith has more than 7th round pick value. Which is fine if you want to open a roster spot, but none of those guys are going to return anything worth having.

 

[Winger98]

If the team is faltering, it seems unlikely to me that Vanek has any value at all, as he's probably part of that. Miller and Ott wouldn't return future considerations. And if we're that bad, it's hard to imagine Smith has more than 7th round pick value. Which is fine if you want to open a roster spot, but none of those guys are going to return anything worth having.

Ask San Jose how much a better fourth line or third pairing is worth to them right now. I think 3/4 of those guys could/should be traded regardless of how well we're doing, though. Ott and Miller are not going to make/break our forwards, and by February we should have seen enough of our prospects in GR to be getting ready to call them up for the stretch. Even if we could only pull in 3rd rounders for Miller and Ott and a 2nd for Smith I'd be all for it.

 

[Wood Stick]

Team will be chasing all year IMO. I got a 10th place finish. They won't sell when they're still in the race.

I also predict E gets healthy scratched this season. Frans Nielsen needs to be the number 1 C. Keep Z on the wing, less on the puck. He drives me nuts carrying possession as much as he does.

 

[njx9]

Ask San Jose how much a better fourth line or third pairing is worth to them right now. I think 3/4 of those guys could/should be traded regardless of how well we're doing, though. Ott and Miller are not going to make/break our forwards, and by February we should have seen enough of our prospects in GR to be getting ready to call them up for the stretch. Even if we could only pull in 3rd rounders for Miller and Ott and a 2nd for Smith I'd be all for it.

Eh, I like Miller, and I still can't imagine anyone taking him as anything other than a waiver pick up. Ott is clearly not very well thought of, given his contract. If someone offered a 3rd for either, at any point in the season, I'd take it in a heartbeat. If someone offered anything for Smith, I'd take it, and I again think he was our 4th best D last year. I just can't imagine there's really any market for the cast offs from our mediocre roster.

I dunno, it's hard for me to imagine that, if this team is in a spot to sell at the deadline, that we have all that many pieces anyone would want. Tatar might be one. Maybe Nyquist. Then a bunch of guys who are, realistically, a dime a dozen.

 

[joe89]

I don't want short leash/long leash I just want the players to get the ice time they deserve based on level of play, regardless of their age.

 

[Run the Jewels]

Team will be chasing all year IMO. I got a 10th place finish. They won't sell when they're still in the race.

I also predict E gets healthy scratched this season. Frans Nielsen needs to be the number 1 C. Keep Z on the wing, less on the puck. He drives me nuts carrying possession as much as he does.

I do think the top line will end up being Neilsen centering Z and Vanek. It's far from ideal but those are the only guys who won't get totally destroyed against top competition. I like Abby on Larkin's line, the only way Abby belongs anywhere near a scoring line is as a plugger ie a forechecker who also sticks up for Larkin. I'd be shocked if Abby ever hits 15 or more goals again in his career. I think Tatar and Larkin on a line with Abby could work out really nicely, Tatar and Larkin could develop some really solid chemistry.

 

[Vladdy84]

Wings signed Sproul for 2 years according to the radio

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

Mantha cannot make this roster that has so little talent. With that being the case his value cannot be anywhere near where it was when we could have traded him for Tyler Myers. AA doens't have much value at this point although I have been a big Athanasiou fan since the day he was drafted. I do think once he is given a chance he will show he has the skill to be a legit middle six forward. He's hampered by the fact we are forced to play dead puck hockey to try to remain competitive, same thing with Ryan Sproul. I hope Sproul gets picked up off waivers by a team like Dallas, he would thrive in that organization.

The odds that Ryan Sproul made it to Dallas is pretty nil no pone intended, Pretty sure that either Toronto or Edmonton would claim him first as both could use a bottom pairing RHD.

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

Wings signed Sproul for 2 years according to the radio

Yup the deal was like 2106/17 600/100 and then 2017/18 was 650. So a 2 year deal around $625,000 per. Per Khan

 

[SirloinUB]

The odds that Ryan Sproul made it to Dallas is pretty Nill no pone intended, Pretty sure that either Toronto or Edmonton would claim him first as both could use a bottom pairing RHD.

Sorry, Ill see myself out.