Ansar Khan: Offseason over

[Frk It]

Montreal will probably be up there. A dark horse team would be Islanders. A healthy tavers and some stability in net with halak w

Blue jackets have a pretty good and stingy team IMO.

 

[chances14]

the wings are better than just about half the league barring any injuries.

but that's the issue. not good enough to win the cup, but not bad enough to get an elite superstar talent in the top few picks in the draft

 

[Run the Jewels]

I'll give you Buffalo and Florida, but is disagree with the rest. The only reason we seem better on paper is cause we're in the east. I'm quite certain we'd be fighting for last place if we were still in the west.

The Panthers always play us tough.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Not happy with the off-season, but this team isn't as bad as some think. The growth has to come from within and for that we rely on two of the better coaches in all of hockey at both the AHL and NHL level. The kids development will tell a large story. I expect a healthier year for Zetterberg and Howard to play better. I would like to believe Datsyuk has a healthier season, I don't expect that. What scares me most is that we have by in large finally stopped worrying about Kronwall who was hurt a lot as a youngster, he is a guy that would maybe hurt the most to lose in my opinion. As crazy as that might sound, dropping forwards in off the deep end is a ton easier than the D-man that I like a lot.

But the big guns stay healthy, Jimmy bounces back and what the kids do and this team should be fine. I don't think Boston or Montreal got better, and I have said continuously I don't believe Bishop will maintain last year. We are competitive in that division, we need things to break absolutely right though to get into a contender area where we would then buy a Green or something of that caliber at the deadline. Still all is not lost, we just didn't take the steps forward I would have liked and our trajectory now relies on a lot of variables I didn't think it had to for the Wings to be extremely competitive. But I expect the playoffs and I think we can get out of the first round with this squad and a part of that is our division foes.

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

I'll give you Buffalo and Florida, but is disagree with the rest. The only reason we seem better on paper is cause we're in the east. I'm quite certain we'd be fighting for last place if we were still in the west.

So you're telling me that Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg are as good as Detroit. All righty then

 

[BF3]

At least he can't do anymore damage?

 

[TatarTangle]

Obviously it's different circumstances but if I went to my job with the optimistic hope of being "decent" I probably wouldn't last that long.

He could very well be using the term loosely but still, the fact he said that is astonishing. That's where all our hopes and dreams about this team lie in; a man who hopes to have a decent team. Not a competitive team. Not a team that can be a threat. A decent team.

 

[ShanahanMan]

So you're telling me that Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg are as good as Detroit. All righty then

Yes, if not better. Calgary borderline.

 

[Mantha Poodoo]

At least he can't do anymore damage?

Wait 'til we get to the preseason.

 

[jkutswings]

the wings are better than just about half the league barring any injuries.

but that's the issue. not good enough to win the cup, but not bad enough to get an elite superstar talent in the top few picks in the draft

DING DING DING D-D-DING-DING!!!

And the longer they tread the waters of mediocrity, the closer #13 and #40 are to being too old/injured/worn down to make a difference.

Holland can't seem to understand how far down the hourglass things are.

 

[Dotter]

I'm not surprised.

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

DING DING DING D-D-DING-DING!!!

And the longer they tread the waters of mediocrity, the closer #13 and #40 are to being too old/injured/worn down to make a difference.

Holland can't seem to understand how far down the hourglass things are.

The sad part is that Holland will still keep his job.

 

[kook10]

Just curious - do people really think the Red Wings have the kind of assets that attract young star talent or that Holland could go out and really have a net gain in a trade? Do you really think other teams want the rostered players you don't? Is it worth throwing out the young assets developed on the farm?

Good, bad, whatever...Holland can't make a dollar out of fifteen cents. They are just going to have to be mediocre for a while unless they blow up the idea of the Red Wings System. Like it or not, Pav's retirement is probably the timeline for major major change. I don't see Z riding out his whole contract either.

Mediocre is ok with me - been there before. I just wouldn't mind seeing them goon it up a bit though and make mediocrity more entertaining.

 

[SoupNazi]

Yes, if not better. Calgary borderline.

So I take it you're expecting Winnipeg to be MUCH better this year, and Edmonton to finally figure out how to stop picking in the top ten in the draft?

 

[CorbeauNoir]

the wings are better than just about half the league barring any injuries.

What was that someone was saying earlier in the thread about insanity and expecting anything different? When was the last year the Wings went a season and didn't experience an epidemic of injuries? I don't think I've seen this team be consistently healthy since 2008 or 2009, why hinge anything on an unfounded hope that this year will be any different? Especially since the roster is still, STILL clogged up with useless dead weight.

I never thought I'd say it but I'm legitimately more interested in club soccer than hockey this upcoming season. The front office clearly doesn't care about what's on the ice, why should I?

 

[Flowah]

We're almost exactly the same team as last year. That's the problem.

All this talk of are we better or worse than the bottom feeders in the league is kinda pointless.

What's absolutely true is that we're definitely not significantly better. We cut out 2/3 of our deadweight in forwards but we kept the worst one. And our biggest need is on defense and we kept that exactly the same. We're leaving in the first round again, maybe the second.

 

[jkutswings]

They are just going to have to be mediocre for a while unless they blow up the idea of the Red Wings System. Like it or not, Pav's retirement is probably the timeline for major major change. I don't see Z riding out his whole contract either.

They could've had a backup plan to failing on Parise and Suter (Semin, offer on Weber, etc).

Or they could've not wasted resources on Tootoo. Or Sammy. Or Coliaccovo. Or Quincey. And on and on.

But since they're where they are now, if they STILL can't land anybody, they could amnesty Franzen and trade the Euro Twins to legitimately rebuild. I'd much rather end the playoff streak than continue to become the Atlanta Braves of the NHL.

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

Yes, if not better. Calgary borderline.

Funny because, Just about every one is picking Edmonton, Calgary and winnipeg to finish in the bottom 5 along with Buffalo.

 

[icKx]

Obviously it's different circumstances but if I went to my job with the optimistic hope of being "decent" I probably wouldn't last that long.

He could very well be using the term loosely but still, the fact he said that is astonishing. That's where all our hopes and dreams about this team lie in; a man who hopes to have a decent team. Not a competitive team. Not a team that can be a threat. A decent team.

The circumstances are different. In pro sports players, coaches and execs are expected to sandbag to a small extent.

But to say we are optimistically... if everyone is healthy... probably... a decent team...

Well that's unacceptable. I don't expect Holland to proclaim the Wings a contender (not with this horrendous offseason) but if he can't go on record that we're a playoff team he has no business vacationing. Improve the team. Do your job. Be proactive, not reactive for once in five years.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Yes, if not better. Calgary borderline.

You're sensationalizing this, that is just flat out untrue.

Also a nice time to point out the good enough to be a meh playoff team versus getting an "elite" talent. Yes the next draft is good but they would have to ship both Zetterberg and Datsyuk to get near the two elite talents in it and even that might not work as seriously the Griffins could beat Buffalo and probably another NHL team next year.

In any event this strategy seems great but ask Carolina, Florida, Edmonton and others. Yes you can sneak it the right way and have the hockey Gods smile like Pittsburgh, Chicago and to a lesser extent LA. But the other bottom teams are littered with this we will suck until we get good and lucky, guess what that is a little more perilous than most let on. To actually wish for your favorite team to attempt it is mind-boggling to me.

 

[Spitfire11]

At least he can't do anymore damage?

 

[ScottyBowman]

Zetterberg just had back surgery and Datsyuk is playing on 1 knee. Both are aging and worn out. Yet we are a better team this year LOL. Hopefully Glendining becomes a scoring machine.

 

[ricky0034]

Yet Detroit really is light years ahead of where they were last season.

The biggest downer of the offseason was missing out on a legit top 4 defencemen. But we should still be better than the first half of last season just by the virtue of not having the Quincey-Smith pairing together. In the Bruins series we were without E and our bottom pairing was Kindl and Lashoff. One of the kids will likely play if that becomes the case again.

Up front, as much as we all want to punch things in regards to the Cleary signing, we're still greatly improved from where we were to start last season. Not only was Cleary in the lineup, but so were Sammy, Bertuzzi and Emmerton while we were without Nyquist, Tatar, Helm, and Sheahan.

You add all of this to the extreme unlikelihood that the injuries will be compatible to last season and Detroit will be in fine shape. They're nowhere near tanking. They're closer to the 4 seed than they are out of the playoffs IMO.

The biggest goals are to stay healthy, quickly eradicate Cleary, improve our defensive unit (especially the bottom pairing), and to hope Howard doesn't start the year like a dumpster fire again.

it's cute that you think they won't be reunited at some point

 

[JohanFranzenstein]

I don't have any words to describe my feelings, but I know for sure if I did, they would not be positive. This management is laughable.

 

[silkyjohnson50]

it's cute that you think they won't be reunited at some point

Out of my entire post that's what you come away with? Now, that's cute.

Do you know who was Smith's most frequent partner last season?

Kyle Quincey. Almost all of that, however, came during the first half of the season.

After that, Quincey spent the 2nd half of the season paired with Dekeyser. They were a very steady 2nd pair, in which Quincey went from -14 the first half of the season to +9 the second half the season. They ended up being Detroit's most common pairing and stuck together through the playoffs in which Quincey was even.

What makes you think Babcock is going to break that up?

After finally being split from Quincey, Smith spent the majority of time with Kronwall as Ericsson was injured, but also spent some time on the bottom pairing with Kindl/Lashoff.

My bet, assuming no trade takes place, is that we see:

Kronwall-Ericsson
Quincey-Dekeyser
Kindl-Smith

I'd prefer that Ericsson and Smith switched spots to start the season, but I just don't see Babs breaking up Kronwall and E as the top pairing.

Is there a chance we'll see Quincey-Smith again? Sure. Do I think that it's going to happen for half the season like it did this past year? No, no I don't. Well ain't that cute.