Confirmed with Link: Bertuzzi signs two-year deal

[Revenge of Gru]

The plan, as far as I can tell, has not changed. Shed bad contracts, evaluate who is part of the long term plans, and work the draft accordingly.

This summer had the greatest emphasis on goaltending and defense. Next year it would be logical to skew towards forwards, and particularly centers.

Having the worst record in the league by a large margin yielded the 4th pick. Who was a forward. So there's no guarantees, and you can't just tank forever until you recycle every last player and prospect into a #1 overall (who might end up being an Owen Power instead of a Connor McDavid).

So I'd expect one of two things to happen for the Wings to address the 1C:

Either they luck into a lottery pick when a great center prospect(s) is there, or they continue to take BPA at other positions until they trade a surplus of them for said center.

Shane Wright happens to be my favorite solution to the problem. But having a good GM means that it's far from the only workable option.

I think you try to get better with growth. You don't try yo get better trading 2nd round picks for 30 year olds with 1 year on their contracts. That literally makes no sense at all. There are always free agents you can snatch up to put around your kids. Trading for Leddy was just a bad move. It makes you very marginally better for one year so all that you gain is worse lottery odds. Yzerman quite literally paid for worse lottery odds and nothing more. That's not smart asset management no matter how you slice it.

 

[Revenge of Gru]

Grand.Rapids.Griffins?!

Obviously

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

He's got great playoff stats like Pulks had a great shot. Obviously it translates, right?

Brett Hull 2.0

 

[jkutswings]

I think you try to get better with growth. You don't try yo get better trading 2nd round picks for 30 year olds with 1 year on their contracts. That literally makes no sense at all. There are always free agents you can snatch up to put around your kids. Trading for Leddy was just a bad move. It makes you very marginally better for one year so all that you gain is worse lottery odds. Yzerman quite literally paid for worse lottery odds and nothing more. That's not smart asset management no matter how you slice it.

Leddy will ultimately do one of three things here:

1) Become such an incredible fit that he ends up signing another contract to stay in Detroit;
2) Play well enough that he gets traded at the deadline (likely for a better price than the second round pick he was acquired for); or
3) Have a season that is uninspiring enough that he either gets a meaningless return or walks for nothing.

You seem intent that #3 is inevitable. I think #2 is most likely, but that #3 is far and away the least likely outcome, and I'd call either #1 or #2 a net win.

 

[TheOctopusKid]

I think you try to get better with growth. You don't try yo get better trading 2nd round picks for 30 year olds with 1 year on their contracts. That literally makes no sense at all. There are always free agents you can snatch up to put around your kids. Trading for Leddy was just a bad move. It makes you very marginally better for one year so all that you gain is worse lottery odds. Yzerman quite literally paid for worse lottery odds and nothing more. That's not smart asset management no matter how you slice it.

I agree that growth is certainly the key driver of long term success in this franchise. However, to your second point that a "2nd round picks for 30 years olds with 1 year on their contracts. That literally makes no sense at all.". I would argue that it does make sense, at least from my perspective.

It was obvious, sometimes painfully so at times, the last two seasons just how poor our defense has been. And not just "defense" as our ability to prevent pucks from being scored, but truthfully, our ability to gain possession of the puck, and successfully transition the puck out of our zone in a reliable and consistent manner. I know it's often bounded about that you toss the kids in there and let them play, but what are they really learning at this point with the defensive play and basically all having to scramble back deep into their own zone to dig out every puck? They are learning how to survive with substandard talent are much of our guys development is being stunted by the fact not all the facets of the team are operating correctly. There is an emotional and psychological shot to doing that year over year with little progress. If the only game situation you put these kids in to develop is a substandard one with little to no support, what hope you do have for them to build skills that they rarely have the opportunity to practice?

If I take a highly touted, and really incredibly skilled prospect like Raymond for instance, and I played him on last years team. Really after seeing a puck in his own defensive zone be retrieved by..Marc Staal, he should be off to the races, moving up to the neutral zone looking for a breakout pass. Except it never comes, or if it does, it's off the mark, or he has to slow his stride down and lose momentum to wait for the puck. Now repeat that 20 times a game over 82 games - a really good player like Raymond who plays a complete game is going to start cheating back to provide puck support because he knows his defense can't get him the puck. Now he's way more focused on back checking, and potentially pulling himself out of rhythm or position that he can't get anything going because there isn't a good breakout because the defense just can't cut it. Repeat that enough times, it becomes a habit, or undermines their confidence, or makes me start way behind on the offensive possessions and time to develop the other half of their game.

That's what Leddy is. He is a very good LD, which we are short on at the moment, who is still in his prime years, who has consistently been a two-way, reliable 40pt professional and leader. He has tons of experience, in different systems, and playing different roles. He is as good as a defensive leader that isn't a Norris Caliber Captain from another team as we could've hoped for this in this point of the rebuild. He can play in all situations, he can act as a reliable partner to any of our young RD's (Seider, Hronek, Lindstrom, etc) where he can play and mentor and they can feel like the have a fallback to make mistakes because there is a good partner to help pick up the slack. He can play the PP and PK, he uses the body and can generate offense - he can provide meaningful advice and leadership to all aspects of our young D's game as opposed to...Marc Staal trying to help Seider develop his budding offensive instincts. And above all else, him being here means we spend less time chasing pucks, and more time making clean transitions out of our zone given guys like Zadina, Raymond, Suter, Larkin more time to work and build offense and confidence.

Yzerman got all of this in Leddy for a 2nd (and a cap dump). Now, even in the unlikely scenario that you agree that Leddy brings all of this, why not go grab a FA? Why spend our precious draft capital for him. Fair. You know the top LD available in this offseason by order of points scored last season?

Nick Leddy - 31pts - 29 years old - 1x $5.5M - Reference (really it's 4.2M since Panik was a cap hit going the other way but that's splitting hairs)

Alec Martinez - 32pts - 34 years old - 3x 5.25M AAV
Alex Goligoski - 22pts - 36 years old - 1x 5M AAV
Michael Del Zotto - 12pts - 31 years old - 2x 2M AAV
Derek Forbort - 12 pts - 29 years old - 2x 3M AAV
Erik Gustafsson - 11pts - 29 years old - UFA
Jordan Oesterle - 11 pts - 29 years old 2x 1.35M AAV

THAT is why Yzerman traded for Leddy. Outside of the fact that Detroit is obviously in a pure rebuild which would limit our attractiveness to pending free agents or at the very least cause us to have to add more in salary or term to sign one of these defenders, literally none of these guys are better than Nick Leddy is right now, or more versatile, and maybe Martinez as the exception, brings more to the table and even that's debatable. So the "just grab a UFA", it's not that simple.

As for the last bit, "not smart asset management". Leddy's contract, cost and term, is what makes this the best possible scenario. Leddy is exactly the kind of defenseman teams crave to add at the deadline to help bolster their Top 4 before they make a serious push. Historically, he should return back some significant assets if we chose to go that route given this being his last year and being quite affordable for such a quality D (even more we could retain on him and get his cap even lower to 2.65) raising his value even more. Looking back over the last few years of Top 4 D in this age range and offense - its Martinez for 2x 2nds, Savard for a 1st, Skjei for a 1st - it's reasonable to assume Leddy could return as much as well. Another scenario, he likes it here, performs well, and wants to be a part of our defense for the next 3-4 years; awesome! We got a Top 4 D who can eat 20 min, be a leader, knock in 30-40pts, and hold the fort until Edvinsson is ready to take over. Having quality teammates, professionals, and mentors for young developing prospects to learn from is never a bad thing. Leddy is excellent asset management because he is already worth more than that 2nd, is not taking any ice time or blocking the development of someone, and could result in a greater draft pick return or even a long term position.

I am still not sold on many of the picks we took this year - I am at peace with the Edvinsson pick only because I think he has a certain floor that is valuable to us, even if his ceiling is murky. But the one trade I came to like more than any this offseason is the Leddy trade especially after seeing how the Expansion Draft and Free Agency went.

 

[deca guard]

I agree that growth is certainly the key driver of long term success in this franchise. However, to your second point that a "2nd round picks for 30 years olds with 1 year on their contracts. That literally makes no sense at all.". I would argue that it does make sense, at least from my perspective.

It was obvious, sometimes painfully so at times, the last two seasons just how poor our defense has been. And not just "defense" as our ability to prevent pucks from being scored, but truthfully, our ability to gain possession of the puck, and successfully transition the puck out of our zone in a reliable and consistent manner. I know it's often bounded about that you toss the kids in there and let them play, but what are they really learning at this point with the defensive play and basically all having to scramble back deep into their own zone to dig out every puck? They are learning how to survive with substandard talent are much of our guys development is being stunted by the fact not all the facets of the team are operating correctly. There is an emotional and psychological shot to doing that year over year with little progress. If the only game situation you put these kids in to develop is a substandard one with little to no support, what hope you do have for them to build skills that they rarely have the opportunity to practice?

If I take a highly touted, and really incredibly skilled prospect like Raymond for instance, and I played him on last years team. Really after seeing a puck in his own defensive zone be retrieved by..Marc Staal, he should be off to the races, moving up to the neutral zone looking for a breakout pass. Except it never comes, or if it does, it's off the mark, or he has to slow his stride down and lose momentum to wait for the puck. Now repeat that 20 times a game over 82 games - a really good player like Raymond who plays a complete game is going to start cheating back to provide puck support because he knows his defense can't get him the puck. Now he's way more focused on back checking, and potentially pulling himself out of rhythm or position that he can't get anything going because there isn't a good breakout because the defense just can't cut it. Repeat that enough times, it becomes a habit, or undermines their confidence, or makes me start way behind on the offensive possessions and time to develop the other half of their game.

That's what Leddy is. He is a very good LD, which we are short on at the moment, who is still in his prime years, who has consistently been a two-way, reliable 40pt professional and leader. He has tons of experience, in different systems, and playing different roles. He is as good as a defensive leader that isn't a Norris Caliber Captain from another team as we could've hoped for this in this point of the rebuild. He can play in all situations, he can act as a reliable partner to any of our young RD's (Seider, Hronek, Lindstrom, etc) where he can play and mentor and they can feel like the have a fallback to make mistakes because there is a good partner to help pick up the slack. He can play the PP and PK, he uses the body and can generate offense - he can provide meaningful advice and leadership to all aspects of our young D's game as opposed to...Marc Staal trying to help Seider develop his budding offensive instincts. And above all else, him being here means we spend less time chasing pucks, and more time making clean transitions out of our zone given guys like Zadina, Raymond, Suter, Larkin more time to work and build offense and confidence.

Yzerman got all of this in Leddy for a 2nd (and a cap dump). Now, even in the unlikely scenario that you agree that Leddy brings all of this, why not go grab a FA? Why spend our precious draft capital for him. Fair. You know the top LD available in this offseason by order of points scored last season?

Nick Leddy - 31pts - 29 years old - 1x $5.5M - Reference (really it's 4.2M since Panik was a cap hit going the other way but that's splitting hairs)

Alec Martinez - 32pts - 34 years old - 3x 5.25M AAV
Alex Goligoski - 22pts - 36 years old - 1x 5M AAV
Michael Del Zotto - 12pts - 31 years old - 2x 2M AAV
Derek Forbort - 12 pts - 29 years old - 2x 3M AAV
Erik Gustafsson - 11pts - 29 years old - UFA
Jordan Oesterle - 11 pts - 29 years old 2x 1.35M AAV

THAT is why Yzerman traded for Leddy. Outside of the fact that Detroit is obviously in a pure rebuild which would limit our attractiveness to pending free agents or at the very least cause us to have to add more in salary or term to sign one of these defenders, literally none of these guys are better than Nick Leddy is right now, or more versatile, and maybe Martinez as the exception, brings more to the table and even that's debatable. So the "just grab a UFA", it's not that simple.

As for the last bit, "not smart asset management". Leddy's contract, cost and term, is what makes this the best possible scenario. Leddy is exactly the kind of defenseman teams crave to add at the deadline to help bolster their Top 4 before they make a serious push. Historically, he should return back some significant assets if we chose to go that route given this being his last year and being quite affordable for such a quality D (even more we could retain on him and get his cap even lower to 2.65) raising his value even more. Looking back over the last few years of Top 4 D in this age range and offense - its Martinez for 2x 2nds, Savard for a 1st, Skjei for a 1st - it's reasonable to assume Leddy could return as much as well. Another scenario, he likes it here, performs well, and wants to be a part of our defense for the next 3-4 years; awesome! We got a Top 4 D who can eat 20 min, be a leader, knock in 30-40pts, and hold the fort until Edvinsson is ready to take over. Having quality teammates, professionals, and mentors for young developing prospects to learn from is never a bad thing. Leddy is excellent asset management because he is already worth more than that 2nd, is not taking any ice time or blocking the development of someone, and could result in a greater draft pick return or even a long term position.

I am still not sold on many of the picks we took this year - I am at peace with the Edvinsson pick only because I think he has a certain floor that is valuable to us, even if his ceiling is murky. But the one trade I came to like more than any this offseason is the Leddy trade especially after seeing how the Expansion Draft and Free Agency went.

this post was music to my ears tok . absolutely perfectly put .

 

[19 for president]

Beautiful post. You want to see guys like Ray and JB have a chance out of the gate. You want to see Larkin, Zadina, Fabbri, Bert, Vrana return to form. You have to get them a D that can at least somewhat move the puck.

Getting Leddy was a surefire bet to land a top 4 offensive dman. We needed a vet to pair with Hronek and/or Seider. Leddy is a great option, and if he remains healthy, I can't see him returning less than a 3rd if we opt to deal him.

There was a very high probability that none of the good LD vets where coming here. Most want a chance at a cup and we are probably at least one more year from being a playoff team. A 2nd is a fine gamble to make.

I don't want to be the next Edm, Buffalo, Arizona. Sacrificing a pick or two to give your young studs people to work with is always worth it.

I agree that growth is certainly the key driver of long term success in this franchise. However, to your second point that a "2nd round picks for 30 years olds with 1 year on their contracts. That literally makes no sense at all.". I would argue that it does make sense, at least from my perspective.

It was obvious, sometimes painfully so at times, the last two seasons just how poor our defense has been. And not just "defense" as our ability to prevent pucks from being scored, but truthfully, our ability to gain possession of the puck, and successfully transition the puck out of our zone in a reliable and consistent manner. I know it's often bounded about that you toss the kids in there and let them play, but what are they really learning at this point with the defensive play and basically all having to scramble back deep into their own zone to dig out every puck? They are learning how to survive with substandard talent are much of our guys development is being stunted by the fact not all the facets of the team are operating correctly. There is an emotional and psychological shot to doing that year over year with little progress. If the only game situation you put these kids in to develop is a substandard one with little to no support, what hope you do have for them to build skills that they rarely have the opportunity to practice?

If I take a highly touted, and really incredibly skilled prospect like Raymond for instance, and I played him on last years team. Really after seeing a puck in his own defensive zone be retrieved by..Marc Staal, he should be off to the races, moving up to the neutral zone looking for a breakout pass. Except it never comes, or if it does, it's off the mark, or he has to slow his stride down and lose momentum to wait for the puck. Now repeat that 20 times a game over 82 games - a really good player like Raymond who plays a complete game is going to start cheating back to provide puck support because he knows his defense can't get him the puck. Now he's way more focused on back checking, and potentially pulling himself out of rhythm or position that he can't get anything going because there isn't a good breakout because the defense just can't cut it. Repeat that enough times, it becomes a habit, or undermines their confidence, or makes me start way behind on the offensive possessions and time to develop the other half of their game.

That's what Leddy is. He is a very good LD, which we are short on at the moment, who is still in his prime years, who has consistently been a two-way, reliable 40pt professional and leader. He has tons of experience, in different systems, and playing different roles. He is as good as a defensive leader that isn't a Norris Caliber Captain from another team as we could've hoped for this in this point of the rebuild. He can play in all situations, he can act as a reliable partner to any of our young RD's (Seider, Hronek, Lindstrom, etc) where he can play and mentor and they can feel like the have a fallback to make mistakes because there is a good partner to help pick up the slack. He can play the PP and PK, he uses the body and can generate offense - he can provide meaningful advice and leadership to all aspects of our young D's game as opposed to...Marc Staal trying to help Seider develop his budding offensive instincts. And above all else, him being here means we spend less time chasing pucks, and more time making clean transitions out of our zone given guys like Zadina, Raymond, Suter, Larkin more time to work and build offense and confidence.

Yzerman got all of this in Leddy for a 2nd (and a cap dump). Now, even in the unlikely scenario that you agree that Leddy brings all of this, why not go grab a FA? Why spend our precious draft capital for him. Fair. You know the top LD available in this offseason by order of points scored last season?

Nick Leddy - 31pts - 29 years old - 1x $5.5M - Reference (really it's 4.2M since Panik was a cap hit going the other way but that's splitting hairs)

Alec Martinez - 32pts - 34 years old - 3x 5.25M AAV
Alex Goligoski - 22pts - 36 years old - 1x 5M AAV
Michael Del Zotto - 12pts - 31 years old - 2x 2M AAV
Derek Forbort - 12 pts - 29 years old - 2x 3M AAV
Erik Gustafsson - 11pts - 29 years old - UFA
Jordan Oesterle - 11 pts - 29 years old 2x 1.35M AAV

THAT is why Yzerman traded for Leddy. Outside of the fact that Detroit is obviously in a pure rebuild which would limit our attractiveness to pending free agents or at the very least cause us to have to add more in salary or term to sign one of these defenders, literally none of these guys are better than Nick Leddy is right now, or more versatile, and maybe Martinez as the exception, brings more to the table and even that's debatable. So the "just grab a UFA", it's not that simple.

As for the last bit, "not smart asset management". Leddy's contract, cost and term, is what makes this the best possible scenario. Leddy is exactly the kind of defenseman teams crave to add at the deadline to help bolster their Top 4 before they make a serious push. Historically, he should return back some significant assets if we chose to go that route given this being his last year and being quite affordable for such a quality D (even more we could retain on him and get his cap even lower to 2.65) raising his value even more. Looking back over the last few years of Top 4 D in this age range and offense - its Martinez for 2x 2nds, Savard for a 1st, Skjei for a 1st - it's reasonable to assume Leddy could return as much as well. Another scenario, he likes it here, performs well, and wants to be a part of our defense for the next 3-4 years; awesome! We got a Top 4 D who can eat 20 min, be a leader, knock in 30-40pts, and hold the fort until Edvinsson is ready to take over. Having quality teammates, professionals, and mentors for young developing prospects to learn from is never a bad thing. Leddy is excellent asset management because he is already worth more than that 2nd, is not taking any ice time or blocking the development of someone, and could result in a greater draft pick return or even a long term position.

I am still not sold on many of the picks we took this year - I am at peace with the Edvinsson pick only because I think he has a certain floor that is valuable to us, even if his ceiling is murky. But the one trade I came to like more than any this offseason is the Leddy trade especially after seeing how the Expansion Draft and Free Agency went.

 

[odin1981]

Good deal that we can flip for assets if the right deal comes along.

 

[jaster]

It's less that I think he'll be on a third pairing and that I'm wary of just assuming he'll step into the NHL and be good on the top pairing. Or if he is that he won't run headlong into a wall about 40 games in.

I don't remember what number it is, but I do believe there is a pairing in between the 1st and 3rd

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

I don't remember what number it is, but I do believe there is a pairing in between the 1st and 3rd

Not to Detroit fans.

Just like if you're not on Larkin's wing you're on Glendening's wing or in Grand Rapids. And since we no longer have Glendening it automatically means you're in Grand Rapids because we know that Larkin's wings are going to be Nielsen and Gagner.

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

I don't remember what number it is, but I do believe there is a pairing in between the 1st and 3rd

ha, good call.

moreso though, I don’t want to just assume that Seider is going to come in and be a huge positive right away… or that if he doesn’t come in as Detroit’s best D right away that it doesn’t mean he is a bust. Bring him in and support him and understand even playing against men in other leagues that joining the NHL is gonna be another step up.

 

[jaster]

ha, good call.

moreso though, I don’t want to just assume that Seider is going to come in and be a huge positive right away… or that if he doesn’t come in as Detroit’s best D right away that it doesn’t mean he is a bust. Bring him in and support him and understand even playing against men in other leagues that joining the NHL is gonna be another step up.

I'm with you. My expectations for him are more just my best guess, and less "if he doesn't reach them then he has failed!" kinda thing. I just hope he stays healthy and continues his current trajectory. Learning and improving (and exciting us with flashes at least). The exact amount of "struggles" he has this season isn't really important to me in terms of expectations.

 

[Ghost of Ethan Hunt]

 

[ricky0034]

Not to Detroit fans.

Just like if you're not on Larkin's wing you're on Glendening's wing or in Grand Rapids. And since we no longer have Glendening it automatically means you're in Grand Rapids because we know that Larkin's wings are going to be Nielsen and Gagner.

that's ridiculous

there's also Filppula and Nielsen

....although I guess Filppula is gone now too

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

that's ridiculous

there's also Filppula and Nielsen

....although I guess Filppula is gone now too

I was (mostly) being sarcastic. The comment was more a dig at some of the fans on this board that think that if a rookie isn't dominant enough to be playing 18 minutes a night in the top 6 then they need to fester down in Grand Rapids.

 

[Henkka]

I was (mostly) being sarcastic. The comment was more a dig at some of the fans on this board that think that if a rookie isn't dominant enough to be playing 18 minutes a night in the top 6 then they need to fester down in Grand Rapids.

Zetterberg started in 15:50 minute role. 4th most IT, as 22-year old.

Veleno is 21, and played +15 minutes at last season. He is a bit ahead of Zetterberg schedule.

Berggren is 21, Raymond is 19.

 

[Frk It]

If he gets traded, any guesses on the return we would be looking for?

2C? Top 4 D? Purely draft picks?

 

[Henkka]

If he gets traded, any guesses on the return we would be looking for?

2C? Top 4 D? Purely draft picks?

I hope Rangers would be idiotic enough to trade Zibanejad for Bertuzzi.

Ziba has sounded like tough to sign, and they have been adding toughness (Reaves, Blais, Tinordi) lately like mad (thanks to Tom Wilson).

We can pay for Zibanejad (who is absolutely great Zetterberg-level Center) if Rangers can't.

Swedish, right-handed, Selke Trophy -styled of Center. can't get any more perfect than that, if Rangers will f*** it up.

 

[Frk It]

I hope Rangers would be idiotic enough to trade Zibanejad for Bertuzzi.

Ziba has sounded like tough to sign, and they have been adding toughness (Reaves, Blais, Tinordi) lately like mad (thanks to Tom Wilson).

We can pay for Zibanejad (who is absolutely great Zetterberg-level Center) if Rangers can't.

I would love that, I would drive to Michigan to find Stevie and throw him a party if he could pull that off.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

I hope Rangers would be idiotic enough to trade Zibanejad for Bertuzzi.

Ziba has sounded like tough to sign, and they have been adding toughness (Reaves, Blais, Tinordi) lately like mad (thanks to Tom Wilson).

We can pay for Zibanejad (who is absolutely great Zetterberg-level Center) if Rangers can't.

Swedish, right-handed, Selke Trophy -styled of Center. can't get any more perfect than that, if Rangers will f*** it up.

Eh...Blashill would find a way to make Zibanejad a 50 point center instead of the 70+ point guy he's been for NYR.

 

[Frk It]

Eh...Blashill would find a way to make Zibanejad a 50 point center instead of the 70+ point guy he's been for NYR.

 

[Henkka]

Eh...Blashill would find a way to make Zibanejad a 50 point center instead of the 70+ point guy he's been for NYR.

If he prevents 30 points more, and scores 20 points less, I'll take it.

 

[Bench]

OK I think Blashill is often unfairly flogged here, but a good meme is a good meme, sir.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

I hope Rangers would be idiotic enough to trade Zibanejad for Bertuzzi.

Ziba has sounded like tough to sign, and they have been adding toughness (Reaves, Blais, Tinordi) lately like mad (thanks to Tom Wilson).

We can pay for Zibanejad (who is absolutely great Zetterberg-level Center) if Rangers can't.

Swedish, right-handed, Selke Trophy -styled of Center. can't get any more perfect than that, if Rangers will f*** it up.

Zetterberg level???

I can even like Zibanejad, at no point whatsoever is he ever going to be a top 5 player in the league in any season. That is insulting to Zetterberg, who also was a top 10 center in the league for a decade. Now Zibanejad might have hit the bottom part of the top 10 in one season thus far.

I wouldn't pay him what he wants. I guess if Stevie can work his magic on him for the right number sure, but you get up around 9 million for him without Panarin, um not worth that coin for me. I know Covid played a part in some of his season, but I think this is a wild over-evaluation of who he is. You want me to push a ton in for Barkov, I have all day for that.

Bert and I still kind of think Hronek will be the last two moved for future assets to select hand-picked Yzerman guys. I guess we will see, but it wouldn't surprise me if both go in the next 12 months, I kind of expect that.

 

[Ghost of Ethan Hunt]

OK I think Blashill is often unfairly flogged here, but a good meme is a good meme, sir.

Well, flogging by the traditional definition is "unfair".