GDT: Free Agent Frenzy

[Run the Jewels]

Better then Glendenning there. Not sure if Better then Helm. And Andersson probably get kicked out because of it.

Hopefully Sheahan gets #2 and more ICE TIME

During the regular season in 2013-14 Richards was 8th in EVS scoring and 6th in Corsi rel QoC. During those playoffs he was 11th in EVS Corsi rel QoC and 13th in scoring. He's an old man who cannot carry play any more. If people want to believe he's the player the Rangers thought he was when they signed him to that deal then all I can say is good luck with that. He's aging very rapidly and the best case scenario is he outperforms Weiss. Richards put up 12 more points over 24 more games this past season than Weiss playing with Patrick Kane and Brandon Saad.

Weiss was bought out and rightfully so, if people expect Richards to put up 50+ points they are going to be sorely disappointed.

 

[Frk It]

Kronwall-Ericsson
Dekeyser-Green
Quincey-Smith.

That's a very deep NHL blueline a lot of teams are going to have a very hard time dealing with, as often as so many other teams choose to go top-heavy there.

Very deep blue line compared to who? The entire league, or other playoff teams? If you're just looking at playoff teams we are still behind a ton of teams.

We improved our 2nd pair and PP by signing Green. But ironically, our 2nd pair was already our best unit last year.

Your pairings leave us with 2 pairings we know don't work. Kronwall-Ericsson and Quincey-Smith. I'm glad we brought in Mike Green, but Kronwall and Ericsson are the guys drawing match ups against top lines, and they have been on the ice for a lot of goals the last few years. Ericsson is not a suitable partner, and Kronwall always slows down the second half of the season because of the heavy lifting he does on that pair.

 

[Yzerman1919*]

During the regular season in 2013-14 Richards was 8th in EVS scoring and 6th in Corsi rel QoC. During those playoffs he was 11th in EVS Corsi rel QoC and 13th in scoring. He's an old man who cannot carry play any more. If people want to believe he's the player the Rangers thought he was when they signed him to that deal then all I can say is good luck with that. He's aging very rapidly and the best case scenario is he outperforms Weiss. Richards put up 12 more points over 24 more games this past season than Weiss playing with Patrick Kane and Brandon Saad.

Weiss was bought out and rightfully so, if people expect Richards to put up 50+ points they are going to be sorely disappointed.

Not a big deal. You can swap him and Sheahan with 2/3 C no problem if he isn't panning out. He's definitely still capable of a third line. Plus he will help the PP.

 

[Yzerman1919*]

I would have preferred Bozak over Richards. Or pick up Semin. I'm not defending this move, but I understand the reasoning behind it and it's not the end of the world.

 

[Zetterberg4Captain]

Richards provides leadership, ability to run a pp from the point, good puck movement and.smart decision making.

He is a better nhl player than weiss.

35pts would be great on a one year deal.

 

[8snake]

Very deep blue line compared to who? The entire league, or other playoff teams? If you're just looking at playoff teams we are still behind a ton of teams.

We improved our 2nd pair and PP by signing Green. But ironically, our 2nd pair was already our best unit last year.

Your pairings leave us with 2 pairings we know don't work. Kronwall-Ericsson and Quincey-Smith. I'm glad we brought in Mike Green, but Kronwall and Ericsson are the guys drawing match ups against top lines, and they have been on the ice for a lot of goals the last few years. Ericsson is not a suitable partner, and Kronwall always slows down the second half of the season because of the heavy lifting he does on that pair.

HD is caught up in the moment right now...because any level headed, realistic Wings fan couldn't possibly look at those 3 pairs and conclude that we have a "very deep" blue line. We have a top pair that isn't top pair quality, a 2nd pair we HOPE will gel and a 3rd pair with a guy we HOPE can put together a stretch resembling good consistent hockey. This is still a firmly mediocre group...Mike Green by himself does not change that.

 

[8snake]

Not a big deal. You can swap him and Sheahan with 2/3 C no problem if he isn't panning out. He's definitely still capable of a third line. Plus he will help the PP.

Luke Glendening and Darren Helm are better options as 3rd/4th line centers than Brad Richards at this stage of his career. Both are just better hockey players. Richards is not a #2 center in this league anymore, and it sucks that we'll probably have to find that out again until Pav gets back.

 

[InjuredChoker]

In 2013-14 Brendan Smith's most common partners on defense were Danny DeKeyser (36%) and Niklas Kronwall (34%). He put up 19 points and was -2. He also faced incredibly soft competition: only Jakub Kindl and Brian Lashoff had easier matchups than Smith.

That season was the year where Smith should have flourished. His Corsi was nice, which was probably due to his linemates, but the offense simply never materialized. Yeah, on our defense which totally sucks at generating offense at EVS he put up 0.96 P/60 mins which was second only to Kronwall.

But when you factor in the great linemates he was given and his tissue soft competition he should have put up more offense. Yes, people have a point when they complain he isn't given power play time, but that doesn't change the fact he has been a huge disappointment as an offensive d-man.

So do people really expect him to perform better on a line with Kyle Quincey? The eye test and the stats tell you that will be a full on disaster. This past season he faced the easiest competition on the entire ****ing team - seriously, he had the easiest matchups possible - and his EVS offense was total ****.

So your ideal, best case scenario is to pair Smith with your two best defenders while still protecting him - as a 26 year old pro with 3 seasons under his belt. He's better than Jakub Kindl but holy **** is that a case of damning with faint praise. Jeff Blashill has his work cut out for him if he thinks he can seriously turn Brendan Smith and Jakub Kindl into capable top 4 d-men, let alone point producers.

that ranked in the top 30 leaguewide that year among all dmen who played at least 750 mins..

ahead of weber, subban, mcdonagh, shattenkirk, yandle etc..

the forwards smith played most with that year were miller, alfie and abby..

his corsi wasn't due to his linemates, smith consistently elevates his teammates corsi and has good adjusted corsi stats... i'm not really sure how he has as good corsi as he does and i don't personally believe that he is that good as corsi paints him.

 

[Orthodox Caveman]

regarding the defense, what realistic trades/line up could Holland put together to significantly improve the defense after the Green signing? Are there any names out there that makes us contenders?

Do the Wings just need 1 more bonafide top 4D?

I try to watch as many Wings games as I can and last season Ericsson stood out as the worst. I'm sure the numbers could prove me wrong. Based on that and what others have said, you put him on the 3rd pair. People on here have said that Smith didn't look bad with Kronwall, and you can't put Ericsson there so.....


Kronwall-Smith
Dekeyser-Green
Ericsson-Quincey/Ouelette/Marchenko

I'm happy about the Green signing but until we grab another top4 defenseman it's still just plugging holes.

 

[Frk It]

that ranked in the top 30 leaguewide that year among all dmen who played at least 750 mins..

ahead of weber, subban, mcdonagh, shattenkirk, yandle etc..

the forwards smith played most with that year were miller, alfie and abby..

his corsi wasn't due to his linemates, smith consistently elevates his teammates corsi and has good adjusted corsi stats... i'm not really sure how he has as good corsi as he does and i don't personally believe that he is that good as corsi paints him.

Smith had the most ES points on the team among all of our defenseman in 13-14.

 

[WingedWheel1987]

regarding the defense, what realistic trades/line up could Holland put together to significantly improve the defense after the Green signing? Are there any names out there that makes us contenders?

Do the Wings just need 1 more bonafide top 4D?

I try to watch as many Wings games as I can and last season Ericsson stood out as the worst. I'm sure the numbers could prove me wrong. Based on that and what others have said, you put him on the 3rd pair. People on here have said that Smith didn't look bad with Kronwall, and you can't put Ericsson there so.....


Kronwall-Smith
Dekeyser-Green
Ericsson-Quincey/Ouelette/Marchenko

I'm happy about the Green signing but until we grab another top4 defenseman it's still just plugging holes.

I don't think there is a realistic trade available that would turn the Wings into contenders. The roster just doesn't have enough talent.

If the Wings could trade for Suter or Weber, yeah that would give the Wings a legitimate shot to win the cup.

 

[Ricelund]

Green should be a big boost, but yeah, this blue line is still nothing special. We're just used to such mediocrity in the post-Lidstrom era that this looks great.

 

[GoAwayDanCleary]

It's a step in the right direction for the first time in a long time though. Now we have three legitimate top-four defenseman. If E can return to form or if Smitty can finally break out, then you're one quality away from having a realgud blueline. Keep in mind that piece could be XO/Marchenko/Jensen.

 

[Dotter]

It's a step in the right direction for the first time in a long time though. Now we have three legitimate top-four defenseman. If E can return to form or if Smitty can finally break out, then you're one quality away from having a realgud blueline. Keep in mind that piece could be XO/Marchenko/Jensen.

I believe XO will prove to be a quality top 4 within the next 3 years. I honestly believe XO has the potential to become a better version of Deykeyser. Sproul, on the other hand, I believe is a poor man's Kindl.

I think Wings will be a top 10 team in the NHL next season. They have a chance to go all the way if Blash does well, they stay healthy and the team gels. It is very possible.

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

I believe XO will prove to be a quality top 4 within the next 3 years. I honestly believe XO has the potential to become a better version of Deykeyser.

I agree, I think Ouellet still has top pairing potential, honestly. He's already one of 6 best defensemen, as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Actual Thought*]

What do you mean by "more to speed than just skating"? I agree a player can play "fast" in terms of quick decisions, but Richards is pretty slow from a skating standpoint and hasn't been dynamic with regards to playmaking and scoring in years.

Being smart and moving the puck quickly and accurately make teams fast. Tape to tape passes make a team fast. Richards will bring these qualities.

 

[Run the Jewels]

Not a big deal. You can swap him and Sheahan with 2/3 C no problem if he isn't panning out. He's definitely still capable of a third line. Plus he will help the PP.

Yeah, that's been my expectation since the signing was announced. However that creates its own set of problems as Sheahan hasn't proven himself to be a 2nd line center at this point in time. Add in Dastsyk's ruptured tendons - at his age and who knows how long it will take for him to get fully up to speed? - and you have some serious question marks at center.

So the biggest concern in my mind is how the center position is handled on opening night. Blashill may try Richards as the 2nd line center, however my expectation is that will end fairly quickly. If Sheahan needs to handle the 2C duties you likely become a more a more defense-oriented team as Sheahan has never demonstrated the skills to be a high end pivot.

The true wild card is Dylan Larkin. You know Ken Holland wants to send him down to Grand Rapids to put off burning vital years on his contract. However all signs indicate the franchise will be built around him in fairly short order as #13, #40 and #55 all fade quickly.

Larkin is unlikely to be given a scoring line pivot spot in Detroit, but with the lack of true options right now Holland's hand may be forced to place Larkin into the lineup. In that scenario he is going to have to trim a roster spot or two among the current crop of forwards.

 

[Frk It]

Khan on the remainder of Free Agency:

I'm sure they're done shopping, since they have only $6 million in cap space and need to sign restricted free agents Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Jurco, Teemu Pulkkinen and Landon Ferraro.

I think they'll elect to keep everyone, wanting depth and insurance in case of camp and preseason injuries.

If the Red Wings deal, I think it would be a player for player swap intended to improve the team. But I think the odds are against that happening.

So sounds like XO, Marchenko and co. will all start the year in Grand Rapids.

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2015/07/ask_ansar_on_whether_busy_red.html

 

[WingedWheel1987]

Makes no sense. It's not like there will be any any roster spots on defense next season either. If the Wings don't have a trade in place to move 2/3 prospects, they will end up being waived.

 

[Dotter]

I think they could realistically afford to trade Quincey, Kindl and picks/prospects for Phanuef @ 1 mil (ala 15%) retained.

But would Phanuef at 6 mil be much of an upgrade over Quincey who was good last year and Kindl (depth) that could succeed under Blash?

For the record, I'm not a fan of DP and hate his contract. But Wings D could go from mediocre to respectable all in one offseason.

 

[obey86]

Makes no sense. It's not like there will be any any roster spots on defense next season either. If the Wings don't have a trade in place to move 2/3 prospects, they will end up being waived.

I think next year is the last year of Kindl's deal and this is Quincey's last year right? So they will let Quincey walk most likely and could possibly buy out the last season of Kindl's deal. That's 2 roster spots right there.

 

[GoAwayDanCleary]

I think next year is the last year of Kindl's deal and this is Quincey's last year right? So they will let Quincey walk most likely and could possibly buy out the last season of Kindl's deal. That's 2 roster spots right there.

I think it would be a lot more beneficial to have at least one if them.getting a substantial amount of playing time in Detroit this season. That or have two rookie defenseman on your roster that you don't really know what you have.

 

[WingedWheel1987]

I think it would be a lot more beneficial to have at least one if them.getting a substantial amount of playing time in Detroit this season. That or have two rookie defenseman on your roster that you don't really know what you have.

Not to mention that there is no way the Wings would allow two rookie defenseman to play full time next season.

I think it's a foregone conclusion that the Wings are going to lose a minimum of one (XO, Marchenko, Sproul) to waivers.

 

[KasperTheGrittyGhost]

Not to mention that there is no way the Wings would allow two rookie defenseman to play full time next season.

I think it's a foregone conclusion that the Wings are going to lose a minimum of one (XO, Marchenko, Ouellet) to waivers.

XO, Marchenko, Sproul?

 

[HomersWorld]

Not to mention that there is no way the Wings would allow two rookie defenseman to play full time next season.

I think it's a foregone conclusion that the Wings are going to lose a minimum of one (XO, Marchenko, Sproul) to waivers.

I think Jensen is the only young dman who has to go through waivers. And Lashoff, but who cares. Unless by next season you mean 2016-2017.