Armchair GMs: What moves would you make to maximize the roster?

[PelagicJoe]

Trade bait: Howard, Helm, Q, Miller, Kindl, Ericsson

Waive: Joker (worthless) Kindl, and Cleary (even more worthless)

Acquire one or two good stay at home D like we did in the 90s, then pair Kronwall and Green.
I wouldn't mind seeing Blashill shifting the focus towards offense after that.

 

[jkutswings]

While I understand that it would never actually happen for multiple reasons, would do you think the Wings could get, theoretically, for trading either Datsyuk or Zetterberg? They each have a certain amount of talent, but age and injuries have definitely taken a toll.

So just for giggles, who's the best defenseman we could get for one of the Eurotwins, straight up? Faulk? Buff? Shattenkirk? Even better?

Part of my curiosity is based on the split opinions thus far, whether Detroit has several valuable young players and/or prospects, or if they overvalue their own significantly.

 

[SirloinUB]

While I understand that it would never actually happen for multiple reasons, would do you think the Wings could get, theoretically, for trading either Datsyuk or Zetterberg? They each have a certain amount of talent, but age and injuries have definitely taken a toll.

So just for giggles, who's the best defenseman we could get for one of the Eurotwins, straight up? Faulk? Buff? Shattenkirk? Even better?

Part of my curiosity is based on the split opinions thus far, whether Detroit has several valuable young players and/or prospects, or if they overvalue their own significantly.

No. We won't get the value you expect for those players.

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

I think the only viable trading partner for the Wings at this point is the Carolina Hurricanes. They have a slew of young defensive prospects both currently on their team (Faulk, Murphy) as well as in the pipeline (Hannifan, Fluery, Carrick, Slavin, Pesce), but are painfully weak in star power and prospect depth up front, specifically at wing.

Obviously, the blue chips of Hannifan and Fluery will be the cornerstones of their defense for years to come if they reach their potential and would most likely come at the steepest price.

The player that I constantly want on the Wings, is Justin Faulk, who I believe is a very solid Top Pairing Right Handed D and is under a very competitive cap hit of $4.8M for the next several years. This is a kid who is criminally underrated as being the backbone of Carolina's defense, who has seen his point production increase year over year (topping at 49 points this last season) and is entering his prime for the next 6 seasons or so (currently 27 years old).

The Wings have a glut of young wingers and prospects that could certainly improve Carolina's Top 6, and since they are in full rebuild and looking for youth, draft picks would probably look particularly desirable for them.


I suspect if they could flip Faulk for a Top 6, young Forward or Blue Chip forward prospect, another quality prospect, and a draft pick - I'm guessing that they would bite on something like that.

Assuming Pulks proves himself to be a legitimate scoring winger at the NHL, that would give us Tatar, Nyquist, and Pulks as quality young 25+ goal scoring wingers. One of those, alongside a Bertuzzi or Holmstrom prospect, and a draft pick could land us Faulk who would immediately be a Top Pairing, RHD to go with Dekeyser as what would be the future of our D corp and use the

next three years to try to continue to develop and acquire more defensive prospects.

Trading Pulks for Faulk is pretty laughable. Also Faulk is 23 he is not 27, the deal would start and end with Dylan Larkin

 

[The Zermanator]

I think the big wildcards in all this talk of acquiring a top pairing dman are Pulkkinen and Jurco. They take the next step and become offensive threats they gain real trade value. No more 'potential'.

Trade one or both, or it even potentially makes one of Nyquist/Tatar expendable (though I detest the thought of dealing either one.

Obviously, the performances of Mantha and Athanasiou this season will also determine what we can afford to give up to acquire our #1 dman. But Pulkkinen and Jurco's performance this season could actually make a big trade possible as early as the trade deadline.

Or, you know, Sproul can put it all together defensively and we get that #1 from within.

 

[Marky9er]

I'm probably going against the grain, but Smith is the first asset I try to move. I think he could be an attractive "change of scenery" target for some poor GM. I think he has more value in trade than in the lineup, essentially. More value than Kindl or Quincey in that regard. I would gladly have Marchenko or Oullett take his spot. Of course a dman would be high on my shopping list, if not the only thing. I really like Jurco and Pulkkinen, I don't deal them yet I think their value will rise. Same with Mantha, I think the scoring depth on the wings is strong and we should not sell low on it, instead price it high and be patient.

 

[Frk It]

Svechnikov wasn't even a center when the Wings drafted him. I would hold off on lumping him in with Larkin.

Yes he was.

 

[GoAwayDanCleary]

I would implement more youth into the lineup. Open up some cap space and make a move for an impact defender like Big Buff. So Larkin and Jensen/Ouellet in the lineuo at least.

 

[Claypool]

Yes he was.

He primarily played Wing before moving to Center towards the end of last season.

 

[odin1981]

Been busy at work this past week so haven't had time to be in here much. That being said what I would do:

Smith traded at the deadline (hopefully he rebounds to have a little bit of value) no tool box has a box of rocks for a brain enough said. Kindl I would hold on to for this year as he can be stashed as a #7 and hope to flip him next year for a Hakaan special (6th or 7th rounder). This allows Jensen, XO, and Chenko to get games in and grow there NHL game to see what we have in them. Sproul is a ****ing bust who is even more of a moron than Smith no chance he has any value. KFQ hopefully is a deadline trade as well granted he is only on term for one more year but I would like a middle round pick for him preferrably a 3-4th rounder. That takes care of the defense.

I am still of the opinion that 1 of Tats, Nyq, and Pulks will be moved but it won't be this year but in 2-3 years one of them won't fit with all the forwards coming up. Miller would be nice to move for a 6th or 7th rounder but I doubt Kenny trades him. He would fit in fine as a 13th or 14th forward with true vet exp for bottom 6 grinders (**** off danny ****ing cleary). I would offer Joker a 1 way AHL deal next year to replace one of the vet deals like him or not he is Detroit bred system wise and he is a more than capable AHL top 6 center who can show the ropes to prospect centers/wingers. I would look to move Helm if he wants more than 2.5 million per year so around the all star break I would begin contract talks with him to get a feeler on him. We have a bunch of high flying prospects coming soon that have much much more off potential then he does.

The LOL portion: (paging Gm Sweeney please)

Because there deals suck. Howie, DFC, Franzen, Big E. I would move them. However with big rig I only move him if we can get Byfuglien and ink him to a extension. Franzen is too much of a injury risk but he is a safe bet to be LTIR'd so whatever he is a career wing and a good man I can live with not moving him. Howie has next to no value and is getting beat out by a min contract rookie but more than likely because the goalie position is overcrowded at the NHL level he would more than likely get claimed at the expansion draft. And I refuse to mention he who will not be named.

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

Wow Seabrook just got a 8 year deal worth $54.8 million, $6.85 million AAV Stan Bowman locking up his star players. Buff will be looking for a big pay day now.

 

[Henkka]

No chance to fit 6.85M Byfuglien to our cap. Just impossible. all Ericsson, Smith and Quincey would have to go to make room. And helm and Abdelkader would walk at summer.

Big Buff would only work as a rental for this season after the deadline with 50% reduced salary.

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

No chance to fit 6.85M Byfuglien to our cap. Just impossible. all Ericsson, Smith and Quincey would have to go to make room. And helm and Abdelkader would walk at summer.

Big Buff would only work as a rental for this season after the deadline with 50% reduced salary.

Yep with Seabrooks big pay day Byfuglien days in Winnipeg are numbered and I agree if we were to trade for Buff he would just be a playoff rental.

 

[Marky9er]

Yep with Seabrooks big pay day Byfuglien days in Winnipeg are numbered and I agree if we were to trade for Buff he would just be a playoff rental.

Maybe we can offer Chicago some cap relief and take Hjalmarsson off their hands?

 

[Chex LeMeneux]

I think the big wildcards in all this talk of acquiring a top pairing dman are Pulkkinen and Jurco. They take the next step and become offensive threats they gain real trade value. No more 'potential'.

Trade one or both, or it even potentially makes one of Nyquist/Tatar expendable (though I detest the thought of dealing either one.

Obviously, the performances of Mantha and Athanasiou this season will also determine what we can afford to give up to acquire our #1 dman. But Pulkkinen and Jurco's performance this season could actually make a big trade possible as early as the trade deadline.

Or, you know, Sproul can put it all together defensively and we get that #1 from within.

I absolutely agree with this. I could potentially get behind trading one of Tatar or Nyquist for a defenseman of Faulk/Shattenkirk caliber, but I need to know what Pulk and/or Jurco bring first. Right now we only have two future top 6 wingers and a bunch of unknowns. It's probably unwise to part with a known commodity at this point, at least in regards to our young forwards.

As is, given the amount of unknown variables at the moment, I'd do nothing until at least the trade deadline.

Also, I know it goes against the spirit of this little thought experiment, but I think some of the suggestions made so far are a little unrealistic. A perfect example would be Ericsson or Helm. I'm kind of shocked to see those guys omitted from most future rosters, because I can guarantee the organization views them very differently than we do. Then there are the rosters that are almost exclusively comprised of 1st-, 2nd- and 3rd-year players. We will never in a million years see a roster like that. You need to keep a certain amount of veteran experience on a young team or you end up looking like the Oilers.

That said, this a very good topic OP. It's just nice talking about hockey again and knowing it's only a few weeks before we start seeing meaningful games again. I have to take a hiatus in the summer cause it's depressing discussing hockey when it's still months away. Plus this place can get a little morose in the summer

 

[TheMule93]

We don't just need any #1D.. we need a young one that will share his prime with Larkin's. We need them to be the cornerstones for our next cup. I don't want a guy like Buff who is already 30+ and will be too old by the time larkin is ready.

Faulk would be the dream, but that is realistically not happening. Maybe now that they have hanifin they may consider trading faulk for something they are in need of. As far as I know they aren't exactly swimming in good forward prospects, and their coach has connections w/ Detroit. (but that's probably irrelevant)

Hopefully our prospects and younger guys make big strides this year so we can have a lot more to offer in exchange for a franchise defenseman.

People say "our future is so bright!!" but the fact that we have no real future 1D is always in the back of my mind and makes me uneasy. I'm willing to trade anyone other than Larkin and Mrazek to get one.

Unfortunately Holland will probably just ride out Dats and Z until theyre broken, then dick around with a ****** dcore for the next 10 years and waste Larkin's prime on a team that's going nowhere. Holland will be wanking his dick and saying "at least we made the playoffs, and signed cleary again" which is going to get really ****ing old when the cup drought reaches 20+ years.

tldr; trade anyone necessary other than Larkin and Mrazek to acquire a #1D. Build around them, Because right now we're just praying dekeyser miraculously starts putting up 40-50 points a season

Maybe DDK can be the guy, but I'm not betting on it

 

[SpookyTsuki]

We don't just need any #1D.. we need a young one that will share his prime with Larkin's. We need them to be the cornerstones for our next cup. I don't want a guy like Buff who is already 30+ and will be too old by the time larkin is ready.

Faulk would be the dream, but that is realistically not happening. Maybe now that they have hanifin they may consider trading faulk for something they are in need of. As far as I know they aren't exactly swimming in good forward prospects, and their coach has connections w/ Detroit. (but that's probably irrelevant)

Hopefully our prospects and younger guys make big strides this year so we can have a lot more to offer in exchange for a franchise defenseman.

People say "our future is so bright!!" but the fact that we have no real future 1D is always in the back of my mind and makes me uneasy. I'm willing to trade anyone other than Larkin and Mrazek to get one.

Unfortunately Holland will probably just ride out Dats and Z until theyre broken, then dick around with a ****** dcore for the next 10 years and waste Larkin's prime on a team that's going nowhere. Holland will be wanking his dick and saying "at least we made the playoffs, and signed cleary again" which is going to get really ****ing old when the cup drought reaches 20+ years.

tldr; trade anyone necessary other than Larkin and Mrazek to acquire a #1D. Build around them, Because right now we're just praying dekeyser miraculously starts putting up 40-50 points a season

Maybe DDK can be the guy, but I'm not betting on it

I would trade Mantha 100% for a Guy like Faulk or Ekblad or someone like that. Also a 1st round pick + Nyquist probably

 

[TheMule93]

I would trade Mantha 100% for a Guy like Faulk or Ekblad or someone like that. Also a 1st round pick + Nyquist probably

Mantha will have to have a good year. If he has a 2nd mediocre one his value will plummet. It already has a bit.

 

[Anchor Town*]

Just trade Pulkkinen and a 2nd/Ouellet/Marchenko/Sproul/Jensen for Parayko. Fixes a lot of problems

 

[Birko19]

I think we're at a point where we have a lot of good young players that we're ready to dish out quality for quality to address our future needs, in this case it's straight forward, we need future top defense.

Players not to touch
Zetterberg
Datsyuk
Kronwall
DeKeyser
Tatar
Mrazek
Larkin
Bertuzzi

Players that should only be available if it's really worth it
Nyquist
Abdelkader
Sheahan
Howard
Mantha
Helm
Pulkkinen
Glendening
Jensen
Ouellet

Open to trading
Smith
Franzen
Jurco
Athanasiou
Marchenko
Ericsson
Miller
Ferraro
McCollum
Sproul
Nosek

Get rid of
Andersson
Kindl
Quincey
Cleary

If I did not mention any other names among the above it's either because they're new comers and I'd like to see what they got (Green and Richards), or they're still in the minors and are not significant enough to challenge for a role yet.

 

[sean3250]

Unfortunately Holland will probably just ride out Dats and Z until theyre broken, then dick around with a ****** dcore for the next 10 years and waste Larkin's prime on a team that's going nowhere. Holland will be wanking his dick and saying "at least we made the playoffs, and signed cleary again" which is going to get really ****ing old when the cup drought reaches 20+ years.

Holland only has 3 more years left on his contract. He will be 62 by the time that contract expires. I could easily see him walking away after his contract is up.

 

[Probie]

I think we're at a point where we have a lot of good young players that we're ready to dish out quality for quality to address our future needs, in this case it's straight forward, we need future top defense.

Players not to touch
Zetterberg
Datsyuk
Kronwall
DeKeyser
Tatar
Mrazek
Larkin
Bertuzzi

Players that should only be available if it's really worth it
Nyquist
Abdelkader
Sheahan
Howard
Mantha
Helm
Pulkkinen
Glendening
Jensen
Ouellet

Open to trading
Smith
Franzen
Jurco
Athanasiou
Marchenko
Ericsson
Miller
Ferraro
McCollum
Sproul
Nosek

Get rid of
Andersson
Kindl
Quincey
Cleary

If I did not mention any other names among the above it's either because they're new comers and I'd like to see what they got (Green and Richards), or they're still in the minors and are not significant enough to challenge for a role yet.

Any reason you are open to trading AA? He seems like a keeper, he may not be a 30-30 guy but he's going to be a better version of helm IMO. I agree with everything else.

 

[Pavels Dog]

I don't know why anyone would say Tatar is untouchable and Nyquist expendable. Is it just because Tatar produced more 5-on-5 last season?

Nyquist has been more productive both in the AHL and NHL, and his attitude in general is pure Red Wing caliber (not even a hint of bitterness about being sent down to the AHL and always talks about how much he loves playing here), while Tats is more of a rockstar that will never, ever give us a hometown discount.

I love 'em both for what they bring, but if it comes down to it I keep Nyquist. I could legit see Nyquist put up some PPG seasons, but if Tatar ever has more than a 30-30 season I'll be shocked. Two years ago, Nyquist carried us to the playoffs and Tatar was only okay. Seems everyone forgot about that because Nyquist was only one of the league's best powerplay producers last season.

As for the topic at hand, Holland should expolore the trade market but like a previous poster said, we shouldn't be looking too hard at acquiring d-men like Buff. It's time to really set things up for the next generation. A top-pairing quality talent in the age-range of 20-25 is what we should be looking for. If we can't find good value, just focus all our efforts on drafting d-men ourselves. I don't think our current roster has as much dead weight on it as people think (blahblahblah Andersson!.. well, what prospect do you want to carry around as the 13th/14th forward only playing occasionally?) and a lot of our prospects don't have a ton of value until they start proving more.

If Jurco, Pulkkinen, Mantha and 1 or 2 guys on defense have good years we will have a much better trade position a year from now than we have now. Acquiring a true #1 d-man in a trade is a lot harder than most think. Most names talked about are closer to good #2 d-men than true #1s. Buff, Hamilton, Shattenkirk.. none of them are amazing defensively. Justin Faulk would be amazing to get, but the cost would be.. a lot.

 

[Claypool]

I don't know why anyone would say Tatar is untouchable and Nyquist expendable. Is it just because Tatar produced more 5-on-5 last season?

Nyquist has been more productive both in the AHL and NHL, and his attitude in general is pure Red Wing caliber (not even a hint of bitterness about being sent down to the AHL and always talks about how much he loves playing here), while Tats is more of a rockstar that will never, ever give us a hometown discount.

Tatar is making about half as much as Nyquist is right now. His latest deal is pretty generous. I don't get where this perceived attitude problem comes from. Is it because he has tattoos and likes to flex?

As for being bitter, Tatar played 265 games in the AHL compared to Nyquist's 137. That's almost a difference of two extra full seasons in the minors. Tatar had a way longer ride to the NHL than Gus did, and didn't even bring it up until the final training camp where he had to make the team or be waived. Just because Gus didn't say anything about his wait doesn't mean he wasn't thinking it.

Both players have been about equal when it comes to production in both leagues. Not sure what you're talking about there.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Tatar is making about half as much as Nyquist is right now. His latest deal is pretty generous. I don't get where this perceived attitude problem comes from. Is it because he has tattoos and likes to flex?

As for being bitter, Tatar played 265 games in the AHL compared to Nyquist's 137. That's almost a difference of two extra full seasons in the minors. Tatar had a way longer ride to the NHL than Gus did, and didn't even bring it up until the final training camp where he had to make the team or be waived. Just because Gus didn't say anything about his wait doesn't mean he wasn't thinking it.

Both players have been about equal when it comes to production in both leagues. Not sure what you're talking about there.

Let me be clear, I don't think Tatar has an 'attitude problem'. I generally love his personality and think he's a very fun personality to follow both on and off the ice. But where Nyquist seems to be following directly in the footprints of a guy like Z when it comes to how he presents himself and the attitude he displays in interviews, only ever talking about how much he loves it in Detroit and wants to keep playing here, Tatar has been a bit more vocal about stuff like not wanting to play in the AHL or being open to playing on other teams. I don't think it's a big deal, like I said I want to keep both of them if we can. My gut feeling is just that Tatar may be the harder player to keep around, it's pretty possible that he will want to 'test the market' the first chance he gets. And that means the price goes up. Nyquist is on a more expensive deal right now but that has more to do with timing. I have little doubt Tatar becomes more expensive on his next contract.

As for the production, Nyquist has a better PPG in both the AHL and NHL. Difference isn't huge, at least not in the NHL, but it highlights to me the weirdness of saying Nyquist is the expendable one. The fact Gus had 54 points and it was considered an 'off' year for him, while Tatar had 56 points and everyone's raving about his year shows that Nyquist has more potential in him than Tatar has, imo. Imagine if Gus comes close to his 13-14 performance for a full season?