Ansar Khan: Expect Both Ericsson and Kronwall to Play

[Boomhower]

A little Housekeeping.

It has become a popular notion on this board that Kronwall would be LTIR'd due to a permanent/career ending bum knee .
Or Ericsson's back injury would lead to him starting the year on IR.

Every other thread lately seems to have a few posters referring to undertones that these moves were imminent. I never saw any reputable source back these claims.

Just saw this twitter exchange with Khan answering fans questions.
He doesn't mix words. They will both start the 17/18 season on Detroit's blueline... Unless something changes.

Question on Twitter for Khan;

Jamie Zadowâ€Â @jamiezadow 4h4 hours ago
@AnsarKhanMLive what does Detroit plan to do with Ericsson and Kronwall contracts? Possible buyout and LTIR placement?

Khan's answer:

Ansar Khanâ€Â @AnsarKhanMLive 2h2 hours ago
Replying to @jamiezadow
No buyouts. Both expected to be ready to play at start of season.

Go ahead and pencil them in to your projected Lineups for next year folks.

Click to read more...

 

[Ennui]

I anticipate that both of them will be on IR/LTIR two months after the beginning of the season.

 

[HisNoodliness]

Now the Daley signing makes no sense. I'm fine with him as a Kronwall/Ericsson replacement because they're expected to be hurt...but if we're just running a super old, terrible defense I really don't get the point. Our defense is going to be one of the worst in the league and on top of that it'll be super old and have no hope of improving any time soon. Oh well. We're going to back our way into a tank...hopefully we accidentally rebuild while we're at it.

 

[Tatar Shots]

Sure they are 'healthy' now, but give Kronwall 2 weeks skating on that knee and then what? Kronwall has a heart of a lion but his body is just broken down. He's just not going to be healthy going forward. Ericsson I can see staying healthy for longer but he is just bound to get injured. The likelihood of us ever being fully healthy is minuscule

 

[Dead Thing Fan]

Injuries

Given their recent injury histories, we will be lucky if Kronwall, Ericsson and Daley play 40 games each. It is going to be a long, long season.

 

[HIFE]

Given their recent injury histories, we will be lucky if Kronwall, Ericsson and Daley play 40 games each. It is going to be a long, long season.

I'm not sure why we'd put Ericsson in that category. He has a know degenerative hip issue but looked as good as ever last season.

Kronwall I still cannot believe the Wings would trot him out as a supposed NHL defenseman. I have never seen a more crippled, unable player. It's just insanity watching this version of Kronner.

 

[Winger98]

I think this is telling us a combination that Holland really thinks he's pushing us to a playoff spot, and that they think any guy younger than 26 is essentially trash right now and/or not even close to be ready to contribute to the NHL club.

 

[Dotter]

I think this is telling us a combination that Holland really thinks he's pushing us to a playoff spot, and that they think any guy younger than 26 is essentially trash right now and/or not even close to be ready to contribute to the NHL club.

I think what it's really telling is they don't expect Kronwall and Ericsson to each having long, healthy, and prosperous season.

I imagine one or both will be out nursing their injury by the end of November. Probably before Sproul is expected to come back.

 

[Sparty]

Can exactly come out and say we plan to circumvent the cap.

 

[Winger98]

I think what it's really telling is they don't expect Kronwall and Ericsson to each having long, healthy, and prosperous season.

I imagine one or both will be out nursing their injury by the end of November. Probably before Sproul is expected to come back.

And we have gobs of guys to step into their spots without Daley, if the Wings had any faith in any of them being decent NHLers.

 

[Bench]

Can exactly come out and say we plan to circumvent the cap.

Why not? Chicago did.

 

[Leronziia]

Ericsson will play until his head of femur erodes through the acetabulum and Kronwall will play until he is cartilage-less and requires total knee replacements.

Both are warriors but seriously need to be ******* forced by management to sit out for their health and the betterment of the team.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

I don't understand anything anymore. Where do the defensemen go to fit roster limits? Are they sending them to a nice farm upstate? Are they waiving... everyone?

 

[Mijatovic]

Green Kronwall E DDK Daley Jensen.

TC determines no 7 because they are all **** and the rest are waived.

 

[cjm502]

You would think we had two AHL teams to send our insane stockpile of #5-7 defenseman to.

 

[Henkka]

I don't understand anything anymore. Where do the defensemen go to fit roster limits? Are they sending them to a nice farm upstate? Are they waiving... everyone?

What is so tough to understand? Everything is obvious for me.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

They expected Kronwall to be ready for last season too...

They don't expect Sproul to be ready. So I think we are fine and this all gets sorted out pretty early anyway.

 

[Mlotek]

Why not? Chicago did.

Right.... because Detroit would never circumvent the cap.

Zetterberg contract to lower cap hit.
Performance bonus for playing minimal number of games for Alfredsson.
Franzen deal as well.


Don't be mad. Holland may have started it with the Zetterberg contract, but Chicago perfected it.

Hossa first 7 seasons a cap savings for 2.625 million. Conveniently he has season (likely career) ending skin disorder when his salary dumps to 1 mil per season. Chicago payed him 59/63 million of the contract with 4 seasons left.
Keith had a 3.5 mil savings on 2013 and a 2 mil savings on the 2015 cup wins
Seabrook had a 1.2 mil savings on 2013 cup win and 800k penalty on 2015 win

There were more on Chicago but can't recall of top of my head. Capgeek had a great tool to compare cap hit vs payroll.

 

[Syckle78]

Is there a worse defense in the league? Is this one of those ainec situations?

Edit: I forgot about Vegas. I guess we might have a leg up on a first year expansion team?

 

[HisNoodliness]

Is there a worse defense in the league? Is this one of those ainec situations?

Edit: I forgot about Vegas. I guess we might have a leg up on a first year expansion team?

Yeah I'd say Vegas is worse than us at every position...if we trade Mrazek I'd give them the goaltending edge. They could have had a better D pretty easily if they had chosen Vatanen and Rumba over the huge pile of futures they wound up acquiring. At least they know how to commit to a rebuild. Starting their prospect pool with Glass, Suzuki and Brannstrom is so awesome too.

 

[obey86]

Kronwall needs to be put out to pasture. I think Ericsson can still play a role despite being way overpaid, but Kronwall is totally useless out there IMO. He had a great career, but he's done.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Is there a worse defense in the league? Is this one of those ainec situations?

Edit: I forgot about Vegas. I guess we might have a leg up on a first year expansion team?

I think New Jersey is worse as well.

 

[golffuul]

Pretty insane to think that either of them, being one surgery away from their careers being over LAST YEAR, are considered to be competent d-men.

Now, Redwings HAVE to say that they will be ready for the season, in order for them to circumvent the cap "fairly". And then something "happens" and they are both LTIR'd

 

[HockeyinHD]

And we have gobs of guys to step into their spots without Daley, if the Wings had any faith in any of them being decent NHLers.

Embrace the healing power of 'and'.

In other words, if their goal is to be better this year (and it is), then it makes more sense to have a reasonably reliable vet dman who partially addresses a positional need, namely having a blueliner who can at least make a pass out of the defensive zone while not embarrassing himself on the PP.

And, Kronwall (for sure) and Ericsson (almost as certainly) will miss a bunch of games this year.

And, there are tons of spots and opportunities for younger dmen to make the team. Having Daley around doesn't impact that in any meaningful way, at least in part because of the above, but also because there are lots of spots, and also because there aren't a lot of promising dmen we need to make space for right away, anyhow.

And, if Detroit's on the outside again, Daley here makes it a bit easier to trade Green at the deadline and not have the team utterly combust... given that the team seems to want to try and be good, and failing that to not be abjectly, purposefully awful.

I mean, this is just a middle-pairing, 3-4 dman kind of move. Nothing major here, there aren't any big impacts either way this goes. There's no huge upside in the signing, there's no real downside to it, at least in terms of on-ice stuff. Yes, it sends the tankers into paroxysms of impotent fury, but that's going to happen as long as the front office wants to win, anyway.

 

[HockeyinHD]

Why not? Chicago did.

The NHL likes Chicago.