Proposal: Improve the Detroit Red Wings

[Unfriendly Ghost]

You've just been appointed assistant GM of the Wings. Holland is your boss, and he's asked you to put together a proposal that will improve the team going forward. That can include trades, signings, buyouts, whatever.

Conditions:

(1) The team cannot do a firesale or mass sell-off in the attempt to tank or rebuild. You have to attempt to rebuild the core as it stands.

(2) You cannot trade or buy out any of the untouchables: Zetterberg, Kronwall, Larkin, Abdelkader, DeKeyser, and Helm. These players are management and ownership favorites, and just won't be moved. Holland also will not let you trade the 2017 and 2018 1st round picks unless the trade is for a young roster player.

(3) You can't intentionally cripple the team. The team must make a good faith effort next year.

That's it.

I'm curious to see what fans of other teams suggest.

Click to read more...

 

[Kamiccolo]

What? WTF else is there left? You think you'll get quality players for spare parts?

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

Step 1: Stop giving out awful contracts.

 

[Ignatius]

The Red Wings are a microcosm of the city they play in. When times were great the city and team looked like they were among the greatest of all time.

Now that things have fallen apart there's nothing you can do to get back to that former level of greatness..

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

What? WTF else is there left? You think you'll get quality players for spare parts?

Nyquist, Tatar, Green, Mrazek, AA, Mantha. You don't think there's any value there?

 

[DitClapper]

I'd give a 1st for Mantha as a Bruins fan.

 

[TheImpatientPanther]

Florida's 10th pick for Mantha + Bertuzzi

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

Step 1: Stop giving out awful contracts.

Why? We're trying to model ourselves from the Chicago Blackhawks.

 

[BamaWing]

My step 1 was fire my boss

 

[These Are The Days]

1. Resign my post in protest due to Holland being senile for giving me these conditions

There's nothing left to do as an organization. Part with the players who are either not in the long term plan or simply not working out. If you lose a bunch of games then so ****ing what? This whole anti-tanking mentality has officially reached crisis proportions. Stop hanging on to the same crap that's making your mediocre and invest in the power of the future by building through the draft.

It's been a stellar 25 years but it's time for the Red Wings to go back to the drawing board and implement the same process that started their success to begin with. There IS no other way! How do you think they became a powerhouse to begin with?

 

[TML1967]

If Mantha is a trade possibility I call up the Leafs.

They want someone else on be a sniper on Matthews wing who is solid on the boards and can be taught to retrieve pucks. Hyman can't be looking term guy.

I ask for 18th + Leivo + Neilson. Leivo looked good when he played but didn't get time cause he didn't PK well enough. Neilson has had get reattach offensive numbers as a big LHD and has shown a ton of progress this year. Middle round 1st is the other epping point. Draft best D available and start rebuilding team from net out.

 

[grewalwings]

Mantha is not going to available, AA on the other hand could be.

 

[SEALBound]

I look at the top 6 forward contracts right now and I almost vomit.

Step 1, get Holland to stop giving garbage contracts out.

Step 2, be bad for the 5 years and get 5 top 10 1st round picks.

 

[Go Wings]

Build through draft

Stop signing long term contracts to crappy players

Fire Holland

Fire Blashill

/thread

 

[Big Ed]

Build through draft

Stop signing long term contracts to crappy players

Fire Holland

Fire Blashill

/thread

Fire Holland should be on the top, because he's never going to do the others.

 

[Hockeyholic]

Red Wings are in for a very long rebuild. Some of the contracts handed out are horrific.

 

[thrillermiller89]

Assuming Vegas takes Mrazek in the ED.

Buyout Ericsson

Trade Tatar for Maatta

Trade Nyquist for Vatanen

AA-ZETTERBERG-ABBY
Sharp-Larkin-Mantha
Helm-Nielsen-Eaves
Miller-Glendening-Sheahan

Maatta-Vatanen
DeKeyser-Jensen
Kronwall-Green

Jimmy

 

[boredmale]

Trade any guys over 30 who have any value and lose for the next 2-3 years

 

[Wolverine Wings]

The Red Wings are a microcosm of the city they play in. When times were great the city and team looked like they were among the greatest of all time.

Now that things have fallen apart there's nothing you can do to get back to that former level of greatness..

Yo, the Red Wings might suck but there is no need to get a couple cheap shots on Detroit. Detroit is on the upswing for once, so this ultra-negative attitude just looks and feels silly. Don't play yourself like that, fam.

In regards to the topic at hand, I have a very simple set of steps to get a Cup back in the Detroit:

1. Fire Holland, or at least force a retirement. The game and league has passed him by and it is time to put the ol' goat out to pasture.

2. Fire Blashill, anywhere is up at this point for the Wings.

3. Start the rebuild in earnest, move out assets for young talent. This means having fewer untouchables on that list, OP.

4. Draft well and develop the players better. And wait several years.

5. Begin to compete year 3 or so.

If the Red Wings continue to double down on the 'rebuild-on-the-fly' talk they will only delay the full-scale retooling that is necessary at this point. This several year process will only continue to be delayed. The streak is over and Hank isn't getting any younger, the time has come.

 

[Oddbob]

I am not defending Ken Holland per se, I just want to point out, that the Illitch family wants a playoff team, not a basement dweller, so Holland's hands have been tied to that for a long time, and I believe they still are.

Also,the Illitch's for better or worse, are extremely loyal, and unwilling to part with players they like, whether warranted or not, again tying Holland down to a pretty big degree. I think many GMs would be hard pressed with the conditions of trying to keep a playoff team, while drafting 20th or lower, and free agency being weak.

 

[Oddbob]

On topic,

- I would trade Green, hopefully for a mid 1st, or early 2nd, plus decent defence prospect.
- Ericcson plus a 3rd, for a unimportant prospect (to get rid of contract)
- Have a talk with Kronwall about the status of his knees, and maybe convince him to LTIR, as his knees are certainly hindering him.
-Move Nyquist
-Move Tatar (for picks and prospects)(same for above)
-Sign replacement free agents at short term, lower value deals for a few seasons until we are in better cap situation.
-Keep both AA and Mantha, as we would probably lose value in a trade, and they are both very young.
-Trade Howard (unretained) for whatever you can, replace with Free agent on short term deal.
-Play Mrazek 60-65 next season, regardless of performance, unless astronomically bad, to let him know, he is the guy in net. If bad performance, move for what you can get, and let someone else have the reigns.
-No non-core players get a NTC or NMC.

In 2-3 years, the cap will be higher and the bad contracts will start to disappear, and we can add decent free agents, until the picks start to develop.

 

[DingDongCharlie]

On topic,

- I would trade Green, hopefully for a mid 1st, or early 2nd, plus decent defence prospect.
- Ericcson plus a 3rd, for a unimportant prospect (to get rid of contract)
- Have a talk with Kronwall about the status of his knees, and maybe convince him to LTIR, as his knees are certainly hindering him.
-Move Nyquist
-Move Tatar (for picks and prospects)(same for above)
-Sign replacement free agents at short term, lower value deals for a few seasons until we are in better cap situation.
-Keep both AA and Mantha, as we would probably lose value in a trade, and they are both very young.
-Trade Howard (unretained) for whatever you can, replace with Free agent on short term deal.
-Play Mrazek 60-65 next season, regardless of performance, unless astronomically bad, to let him know, he is the guy in net. If bad performance, move for what you can get, and let someone else have the reigns.
-No non-core players get a NTC or NMC.

In 2-3 years, the cap will be higher and the bad contracts will start to disappear, and we can add decent free agents, until the picks start to develop.

I could see Edmonton all over Green and Nyquist post expansion draft.

 

[Hogan86]

Assuming Vegas takes Mrazek in the ED.

Buyout Ericsson

Trade Tatar for Maatta

Trade Nyquist for Vatanen

AA-ZETTERBERG-ABBY
Sharp-Larkin-Mantha
Helm-Nielsen-Eaves
Miller-Glendening-Sheahan

Maatta-Vatanen
DeKeyser-Jensen
Kronwall-Green

Jimmy

And then still miss the playoffs anyways.

 

[Canada4Gold]

Step 1: Be bad
Step 2: See step 1 for the next 5 years
Step 3: Draft well
Step 4: Profit

If they want to try to just barely make the playoffs for the next little while the likely result is 1 or 2 quick playoff exits mixed in among 4 or 5 years of missing and getting a pick around 10-15. If that floats your boat then great, but I wouldn't be a good AGM for you.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Red Wings are in for a very long rebuild. Some of the contracts handed out are horrific.

The contracts aren't the problem. They'll rebuild through the draft and not FA/trades, so cap space will be the last thing limiting the rebuild and only an issue if too many players become very good very quickly.

Wings need to do some tweaks this summer but generally just stick with the program and let their kids develop. Larkin/Mantha/Svechnikov/Hronek/Cholowski/Athanasiou/Saarijarvi and their upcoming picks are what will lead them back go competitive hockey, not some kind of firesale and big splash in FA.