Illtch,Wings and Tigers.

[VM1138]

I brought this up over a year, maybe even longer than that and it got dismissed without much consideration. I will see what you guys think now.

I'm really starting to think there's nothing left in Mike's tank when it comes to the Wings. I don't think he has much desire to ice another Stanley Cup champion. I believe all his focus has shifted towards the Tigers and a quest to finally get a WS win at him at the helm.

There just seems like there is absolutely zero drive from the top down in the organization right now or over the last few years to be elite. Look at the stark contrast between Tigers transactions and Wings transactions since the last cup run. The Tigers have traded for or signed major talent while the Wings have brought in the likes of kfq, tootoo and Sammy.

This is almost like a bizarre world flip of the script from the 90's and early '00s. How many if you recall when the Wings were making major moves and the Tigers were setting records for ineptitude? Illtch gave not one **** as he allowed the great Randy f' n Smith to run the team into the ground for over 6 years.

My point is this. You guys can argue over line combos, free agent signings and prospects. But if ownership is going to treat the Wings like they did the Tigers it's going to get ugly as hell and Holland and Babs are going to be the least of the problem.

Illitch gives the Wings a blank check every year. In a cap world, there's no way for him to do anything special other than to do just that. He does pull out all the stops to lure players here, though, and spares no expense in getting associates to travel to meet with prospective free agents.

 

[Brick Top]

If the NHL still had no Cap like baseball does the Red Wings would still be a major spender. He is spending tons on the Tigers because they are at a point where they are legit contenders and long playoff runs make more money for his sports franchises. It's not like he has told the Wings they can't be spending money or that they have their own in system Cap. If we signed Suter and possibly Parise, we would be facing the reality of buying guys out before next year.

I think Illitch wants that World Series ring pretty badly and knows that time is running out for him to see that happen (he's not getting any younger), so I get why he's dumping that much $$ into the Tigers. I'm sure that's his immediate focus instead of the Wings, but at the same time, he's not limiting Holland's budget. And he'll want at least a decent team when it's time to move into a new arena, so he won't want the Wings to fall completely into mediocrity.

 

[RedWinger10]

Ilitch and co don't want a sucky Wings team while trying to build a new arena.

Every team has a rebuilding cycle. We got lucky with a few MONSTER draft picks like Zetterberg (7th round 210th overall), Datsyuk (6th round, 171st overall)...we have staved this headache for some time.It's just a natural process in professional sport. 2-3 years from now (when the arena would be completed) the wings will be a legitimate cup contender perfect timing in my book!

 

[BeersHockey]

Illitch gives the Wings a blank check every year. In a cap world, there's no way for him to do anything special other than to do just that. He does pull out all the stops to lure players here, though, and spares no expense in getting associates to travel to meet with prospective free agents.

This. It's not like we haven't gone after high profile guys lately. We could have offered the same deals to Suter and Parise and they probably still would have signed in Minny (at least Parise). Besides, there is just about no one that thinks those were good contracts to hand out, especially given the new CBA and lowering cap. Although he is having a good season so far, I still think the Wild are going to HATE Parise's contract in a couple of years.

If it made sense, Ilitch would spend to the cap every single year - he hasn't given up on winning more Cups. To compare how the Wings and Tigers are run is like comparing apples to b-holes. If Mr. I could spend $150mm on the Wings, he would.

 

[Henkka]

This. It's not like we haven't gone after high profile guys lately. We could have offered the same deals to Suter and Parise and they probably still would have signed in Minny (at least Parise). Besides, there is just about no one that thinks those were good contracts to hand out, especially given the new CBA and lowering cap. Although he is having a good season so far, I still think the Wild are going to HATE Parise's contract in a couple of years.

Yeah, it will be really interesting when guys like "the next Zach Parise" Jazon Zucker will outproduce Parise and hit in the contract negotiations. One greedy and clever agent there and one big caphit leads to another and then you are in cap hell.

 

[Roomba With a Bauer]

So you think Illtch is telling Holldand to sign Samuelsson and trade a first round pick for Quincey?
You think Illtch is telling Holland to keep a point per game forward in the AHL when the Wings have an entire team on injured reserve?
It has nothing to do with Illtch...

If you keep forwards in the AHL until their first contracts expire, it's really difficult for them to do arbitration or get decent contracts.

If they brought Nyquist up when he was ready and he became a steady 60 point NHLer he would probably have to be paid 3-4 million after he became RFA for the first time.

It's a way to keep contracts down. If you look at the way the Wings are currently managing their prospects, it's not to let them get "overripe" like in the mid 2000s, it's to keep contract prices down.

People saying Holland "tried" to get Suter\Parise don't realize that was basically a token effort; he offered significantly less than Minnesota did and didn't even come close to matching or exceeding their offer on either player. He lowballed them on the first offer and AFAIK did not change his offer (partially because he got not chance to). Regardless of whether Parise\Suter had any intention of signing anywhere but Minnesota, it was clear with Holland's first offer that he was not going the full distance to sign them.

Wings are leaving cap space on the table every year and acting like they are planning on leaving cap space on the table for the next few. The Wings are operating pretty much like any team with an internal cap.

edit: If Illitch was serious about a new arena being a success he would move the Wings out of Detroit and into the suburbs, where the actual Wings fans live. I'm sure having to play in the middle of the worst big city in America is a great deterrent to UFAs.

 

[RedMenace]

Ilitches, Wings, and Tigers?

Oh my!

Nothing to add, just can't believe nobody said that yet. Money makes my head hurt.