Let me start off by saying that I'm really happy we kept the playoff streak alive and got some of our kids some really good learning experience.
However, call it parity, or whatever you want, the Detroit are not the NHL's elite no more, and for the first time post lock-out, a franchise will win 2 cups.
Eventually you can't rest on past laurels and referring to the wings as the team that won 4 cups in 16 years, and start referring to the team that has on 1 cup since the lock-out. I wanted to be the first team to win 2 cups post-lock out, yes I'm greedy, and I'm a bit sad that it's not going to be us, but if you look at the 4 potential teams that will do it, they all had to suck first and rebuild with top-end draft talent
Chicago has Toews, Kane, etc.
Pittsburgh has Malkin, Crosby, etc.
LA has Doughty, Kopitar, etc.
Boston didn't really have to suck suck like the others it seems, but was able to get top end talent with Seguin and Hamilton through the whole Kessel ordeal.
I don't want the wings to have to tank in order to get top end talent and end their playoff streak, but I think its essential that we draft some true top end talent that can make real impacts on the long-term future success of the team if we want to be part of the upper echelon of teams winning multiple cups in the post-lockout era.
I think we can do this without having to miss the playoffs, Holland just has to get creative and have a long-term vision/plan.
Here is my crazy plan to rebuild on the fly and still be a playoff calibre team
1) We have our highest draft pick in like 22 years at 18th overall, please for the love of god Holland do not trade it for two 2nd rounders or something like that this time.
2) you have a large number of prospects that lots of us fans and I'm certain you yourself have grown fond of. Do a real evaluation and look at your roster and think about some that can be moved this draft day that have actual value. For example, you have 3 real legitimate top d prospects that would be viewed highly by most NHL teams I think in Sproul, Ouellet, and Jensen.. You have for most part a core of dmen currently on the team that I think will be here for a while, Kronwall, Ericsson, Smith, Dekeyser, and with Kindl's play, based on what contract he gets, maybe that is 5. So, will all 3 of those coveted dmen prospects make the wings? Maybe we an package one with our 18th overall and another draft pick in the draft. Even with goalies, you committed to Howard for 6 more years I think, I love Mrazek, but with that commitment, do we keep Mrazek or trade him while he has some pretty high value as a goalie prospect. And even with the forwards, we got a lot of winger prospects it seems, will they really all make the wings in the next 3 years, maybe we can trade some of the excess this draft.
3) My crazy idea to get us into the top 3, as new GM of the oilers, MacT will be looking to make a move and put some of his stamp on the team, they have the 7th overall pick, and don't seem to have enough dmen they like or goalie prospects in their system, and Dubnyk is definitely not their goalie of the future. Trade One: 18th overall + 48th overall + Mrazek + maybe another prospect for 7th overall. Is this fair value? If we are the ones overpaying I don't know but I don't care, we have lots of prospects, its time to move some, you can't keep hoarding them and then never play them. Trade Two: 7th overall + 78th overall + 108th overall + Jensen/Sproul/Ouellet for 3rd overall + 7th rounder. Stevie owes us is how I see it for getting our 1st rounder for Quincy, now he returns the favor. He still gets the 7th overall pick, a top prospect dman, and 2 more draft picks.
I am even willing to part with more I do not care if they are overpayments, but is the value I'm initially giving up fair to begin with. The way I see is our team is still capable of making the playoffs with these moves, by letting Tatar and Nyquist permanently into the roster next season we get enough youth and talent to keep the offense good, our d is not immediately affected, and we have a 3rd overall pick to maybe draft a real game changer with that can make a more immediate impact on the roster.
What do you guys think? I can see Mindfly maybe loving this LOL
