Opening Night roster 2013-14

[Run the Jewels]

Here is the crew we had in the lineup on opening night on October 2 against the Sabres.

2 B. Smith
4 J. Kindl
8 J. Abdelkader
11 D. Alfredsson
13 P. Datsyuk
18 J. Andersson
20 D. Miller
25 C. Emmerton WAIVED
27 K. Quincey
37 M. Samuelsson WAIVED
40 H. Zetterberg
44 T. Bertuzzi WAIVED
52 J. Ericsson
55 N. Kronwall
65 D. DeKeyser
71 D. Cleary WAIVED
90 S. Weiss
93 J. Franzen

Patrick Eaves injured reserve WAIVED
Jordin Tootoo injured reserve WAIVED

6 of your top 14 forwards ended up being flat out waived or essentially being waived as far not being part of the team until we were in full on desperation mode (read Bert in the playoff series against Boston).

I don't think I've ever seen anything like that before. It just goes to show how much Ken Holland has given up on doing his job. He went into the season with 6 forwards he thought could still play hockey at the NHL level and not one of them could. I don't have time right now to go over his free agent signing but off the top of my head with the exception of Danny DeKeyser - who grew up in the area and was friends with the Nill family - many of those signings look like whiffs too: Ian White, Carlo Colaiacovo, Ty Conklin 2.0, and Kyle Quincey who in his defense can still play hockey.

It's just shocking how badly Holland has given up on doing his job. He has allowed himself to always make the easy decision and in a great majority of those cases it has backfired spectacularly. Add in the fact the last real roster player he traded was Jason Williams and there is no reason to think he'll be able to upgrade the roster on his own. At this rate it is going to rely entirely on the prospects developing and Babcock sticking around to work for a GM who clearly doesn't seem to have a commitment to getting back to the top anytime soon.

Click to read more...

 

[SoupNazi]

When were Bert or Cleary waived?

 

[izlez]

...and we won the game.

 

[PigPen]

Yeah...2013-14 was probably the worst wings' roster we've had since 1989-90, but 2014-15 has the potential to be a really strong one. If a few logical and realistic moves are made.

Here are some of the possible changes I'd like to see made to our lineup for the coming season...

If the wings could get a taker for Weiss' contract with some retention (1.5 on our end) I'd be willing to deal him to a team that needs center depth, and I'd try to keep legwand at 4ish mil per year for our 2/3c. 2 year contract, maybe 3. Weiss + Anderson for a pick or someone that's considered a very good 3rd/4th liner would be a nice boost to the team.

Sign Ryan Callahan! He may not be more than a 45-50pt winger but the one thing you won't ever hear anyone say about Callahan is that he's a lazy underachiever like Franzen. It's also more leadership for this locker room, and that's never a bad thing.

Next, I'd work out a deal where we send Franzen to Vancouver for Edler or Buffalo for Erhoff. Need for need. Vancouver gets more scoring depth, which they were really hurting for last season. We get a solid defenseman who had a (terrible) off year this past season. The change of scenery for the players may do them good.

Find a viable, reasonably priced 4-5-6 DEFENSIVE dman on the free agent market. Matt Greene, Nick Schultz, Willie Mitchell, Brooks Orpik.
OR let Marchenko have the 6th spot. He's looked incredibly steady whenever I've seen him in Grand Rapids and in Detroit. He's got a lower ceiling than XO, Sproul and Backman, but he's the most likely to reach it.

Let Kindl, Quincey, Cleary, Sammy, Bertuzzi walk. Convert Anderson to wing or use him as a throw-in on a trade somewhere, get rid of Glendening for a bag of pucks (unfortunately not happening...), let Mitchell Callahan fight it out for the 13th forward slot.

Our lineup could look like this...

Zetterberg - Datsyuk - R. Callahan
Nyquist - Sheahan - Tatar
Jurco - Legwand - Abdelkader/Alfredsson (If he resigns)
Miller - Helm - M. Callahan/Anderson/Tootoo/Abdelkader (if Alfredsson resigns)

D pairs of...

Kronwall - Ericsson
Smith - DeKeyser
Marchenko/Random FA - Edler/Erhoff

A HEALTHY team with this kind of build is one I could see becoming a contender. Solid blend of offense and defense, good depth in the minors still, and plenty of speed to go around the lineup.

 

[Flowah]

When were Bert or Cleary waived?

"essentially waived" I guess.

 

[crashman]

When were Bert or Cleary waived?

They weren't, OP is waive crazy.

 

[Run the Jewels]

Yeah...2013-14 was probably the worst wings' roster we've had since 1989-90, but 2014-15 has the potential to be a really strong one. If a few logical and realistic moves are made.

Here are some of the possible changes I'd like to see made to our lineup for the coming season...

If the wings could get a taker for Weiss' contract with some retention (1.5 on our end) I'd be willing to deal him to a team that needs center depth, and I'd try to keep legwand at 4ish mil per year for our 2/3c. 2 year contract, maybe 3. Weiss + Anderson for a pick or someone that's considered a very good 3rd/4th liner would be a nice boost to the team.

Sign Ryan Callahan! He may not be more than a 45-50pt winger but the one thing you won't ever hear anyone say about Callahan is that he's a lazy underachiever like Franzen. It's also more leadership for this locker room, and that's never a bad thing.

Next, I'd work out a deal where we send Franzen to Vancouver for Edler or Buffalo for Erhoff. Need for need. Vancouver gets more scoring depth, which they were really hurting for last season. We get a solid defenseman who had a (terrible) off year this past season. The change of scenery for the players may do them good.

Find a viable, reasonably priced 4-5-6 DEFENSIVE dman on the free agent market. Matt Greene, Nick Schultz, Willie Mitchell, Brooks Orpik.
OR let Marchenko have the 6th spot. He's looked incredibly steady whenever I've seen him in Grand Rapids and in Detroit. He's got a lower ceiling than XO, Sproul and Backman, but he's the most likely to reach it.

Let Kindl, Quincey, Cleary, Sammy, Bertuzzi walk. Convert Anderson to wing or use him as a throw-in on a trade somewhere, get rid of Glendening for a bag of pucks (unfortunately not happening...), let Mitchell Callahan fight it out for the 13th forward slot.

Our lineup could look like this...

Zetterberg - Datsyuk - R. Callahan
Nyquist - Sheahan - Tatar
Jurco - Legwand - Abdelkader/Alfredsson (If he resigns)
Miller - Helm - M. Callahan/Anderson/Tootoo/Abdelkader (if Alfredsson resigns)

D pairs of...

Kronwall - Ericsson
Smith - DeKeyser
Marchenko/Random FA - Edler/Erhoff

A HEALTHY team with this kind of build is one I could see becoming a contender. Solid blend of offense and defense, good depth in the minors still, and plenty of speed to go around the lineup.

There are some good suggestions here. My thoughts:

Callahan will likely cost too much and want a longer term. I'd be happy if we ended up signing him that's just a move I don't expect Ken Holland to pull off.

With regards to defense we need right handed shots. Mike Babcock has been saying that to anyone he talks to. Pretty sure he tells the cashier at the Tim Hortons drive through how badly we need RHD.

If we are going to make a trade for a d-man I'd go all out to pick up Dustin Byfuglien for a few reasons:

• He could be available. Winnipeg wants to play him at forward and he's been very vocal about wanting to play D.
• He's just entering his prime and should be good for another 4-6 years.
• He's 6'5" 260+ so he's a Babcock player. E is 6'5", Dekeyser is 6'3", Sproul is 6'3", and Backman is just about 6'3". Imagine that being the core of our defense for the next half decade.
• He's a 50+ point RHD, exactly what we need.
• He's a net front guy. Imagine him on a PP with Z, Pavs, Nyquist and Kronwall.
• He's only got 2 years left on his deal which gives you flexibility.

By far the biggest need right now are offensive d-men who are also right handed shots. I hope we can get a Babcock player would appreciate but I fear we end up signing Dan Boyle.

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Abdelkader
Nyquist-Weiss-Franzen
Tatar-Sheahan-Jurco
Glendening-Helm-Alfredsson

Kronwall-Smith
Dekeyser-Sproul/Marchenko
Ouelett-Ericsson

Howard
Monster


This is the conservative guess for opening night roster, assuming our only offseason move was resigning Alfie.

 

[Hendricks433]

Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Abdelkader
Nyquist-Weiss-Franzen
Tatar-Sheahan-Jurco
Glendening-Helm-Alfredsson

Kronwall-Smith
Dekeyser-Sproul/Marchenko
Ouelett-Ericsson

Howard
Monster


This is the conservative guess for opening night roster, assuming our only offseason move was resigning Alfie.

They would send Jurco down to GR, play Aflie on the 3rd and keep Miller on the 4th line.

That defense is already looking better. Still think we need to trade Big E to upgrade a forward or defenseman(RH) or a pick. Kronwall, Dekeyser, Smith, E and Ouellet are all LH and to get RH shots in the line up someone has to go. If E gets shipped out that leaves room for 2 RH's which we can live with.

 

[Flowah]

Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Abdelkader
Nyquist-Weiss-Franzen
Tatar-Sheahan-Jurco
Glendening-Helm-Alfredsson

Kronwall-Smith
Dekeyser-Sproul/Marchenko
Ouelett-Ericsson

Howard
Monster


This is the conservative guess for opening night roster, assuming our only offseason move was resigning Alfie.

Just switch Abby and Alfie and I love it. The D pairings look better, no more Q/Smith, and Smith has looked better with Kronwall.

Personally I think it's time for Mrazek to play 1B but I wouldn't be too upset with Gustavsson. Hell, he'll probably be injured 5-6 times next season so Mrazek will get called up frequently anyway.

 

[RedHawkDown]

Ericsson + 1st for Eberle

Sign Vanek in the off-season or promote Mantha and trade Tatar + Kindl +2nd for Ehrhoff

Vanek/Mantha-Datsyuk-Eberle
Nyquist-Zetterberg-Franzen
Sheahan-Weiss-Jurco
Glendening-Helm-Abdelkader

Smith-Kronwall
Ehrhoff - DeKeyser
Sproul-Ouellet
Marchenko

Howard
Gustavsson

/pipedream

 

[Zetterberg4Captain]

Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Abdelkader
Nyquist-Weiss-Franzen
Tatar-Sheahan-Jurco
Glendening-Helm-Alfredsson

Kronwall-Smith
Dekeyser-Sproul/Marchenko
Ouelett-Ericsson

Howard
Monster


This is the conservative guess for opening night roster, assuming our only offseason move was resigning Alfie.

does that roster beat boston?

if the answer is no or I dont know then its a bad roster

i understand that its a conservative viewpoint(which is commendable) but we're no longer the top dog, not even a top five team in the east so every single move we make HAS to be based on the premise "how do we beat boston"

the bruins core are all at an age where they will continue to dominate the east for the next half decade or more. if we have any aspirations of emerging from the east we have no choice but to ice a roster capable of beating the bruins 3 times out 5(anything less is luck)

we need a top 3 young dman who can step in today and make a noticeable impact on our transition game and on the pp AND ideally that dman is young enough to maintain that impact for the next 5 years.

\we need some more grit and leadership up front, guys who can complement the skill guys who will battle thru the bruins and fight for every inch of playoff ice.

 

[RedHawkDown]

does that roster beat boston?

if the answer is no or I dont know then its a bad roster

i understand that its a conservative viewpoint(which is commendable) but we're no longer the top dog, not even a top five team in the east so every single move we make HAS to be based on the premise "how do we beat boston"

the bruins core are all at an age where they will continue to dominate the east for the next half decade or more. if we have any aspirations of emerging from the east we have no choice but to ice a roster capable of beating the bruins 3 times out 5(anything less is luck)

we need a top 3 young dman who can step in today and make a noticeable impact on our transition game and on the pp AND ideally that dman is young enough to maintain that impact for the next 5 years.

\we need some more grit and leadership up front, guys who can complement the skill guys who will battle thru the bruins and fight for every inch of playoff ice.

Are we going to pull this guy out of a magic hat? Because none of those are available on the trade market.

 

[Zetterberg4Captain]

Are we going to pull this guy out of a magic hat? Because none of those are available on the trade market.

well not free they arent, but some rumoured guys incld edler, ehrhoff, buflugien(sp)

 

[14ari13]

Here is the crew we had in the lineup on opening night on October 2 against the Sabres.

2 B. Smith
4 J. Kindl
8 J. Abdelkader
11 D. Alfredsson
13 P. Datsyuk
18 J. Andersson
20 D. Miller
25 C. Emmerton WAIVED
27 K. Quincey
37 M. Samuelsson WAIVED
40 H. Zetterberg
44 T. Bertuzzi WAIVED
52 J. Ericsson
55 N. Kronwall
65 D. DeKeyser
71 D. Cleary WAIVED
90 S. Weiss
93 J. Franzen

Patrick Eaves injured reserve WAIVED
Jordin Tootoo injured reserve WAIVED

6 of your top 14 forwards ended up being flat out waived or essentially being waived as far not being part of the team until we were in full on desperation mode (read Bert in the playoff series against Boston).

I don't think I've ever seen anything like that before. It just goes to show how much Ken Holland has given up on doing his job. He went into the season with 6 forwards he thought could still play hockey at the NHL level and not one of them could. I don't have time right now to go over his free agent signing but off the top of my head with the exception of Danny DeKeyser - who grew up in the area and was friends with the Nill family - many of those signings look like whiffs too: Ian White, Carlo Colaiacovo, Ty Conklin 2.0, and Kyle Quincey who in his defense can still play hockey.

It's just shocking how badly Holland has given up on doing his job. He has allowed himself to always make the easy decision and in a great majority of those cases it has backfired spectacularly. Add in the fact the last real roster player he traded was Jason Williams and there is no reason to think he'll be able to upgrade the roster on his own. At this rate it is going to rely entirely on the prospects developing and Babcock sticking around to work for a GM who clearly doesn't seem to have a commitment to getting back to the top anytime soon.

Does changing the conference has anything to do with it?
Despite all this he is still considered the best GM in the league. How about that?

There are some good suggestions here. My thoughts:

Callahan will likely cost too much and want a longer term. I'd be happy if we ended up signing him that's just a move I don't expect Ken Holland to pull off.

With regards to defense we need right handed shots. Mike Babcock has been saying that to anyone he talks to. Pretty sure he tells the cashier at the Tim Hortons drive through how badly we need RHD.

If we are going to make a trade for a d-man I'd go all out to pick up Dustin Byfuglien for a few reasons:

• He could be available. Winnipeg wants to play him at forward and he's been very vocal about wanting to play D.
• He's just entering his prime and should be good for another 4-6 years.
• He's 6'5" 260+ so he's a Babcock player. E is 6'5", Dekeyser is 6'3", Sproul is 6'3", and Backman is just about 6'3". Imagine that being the core of our defense for the next half decade.
• He's a 50+ point RHD, exactly what we need.
• He's a net front guy. Imagine him on a PP with Z, Pavs, Nyquist and Kronwall.
• He's only got 2 years left on his deal which gives you flexibility.

By far the biggest need right now are offensive d-men who are also right handed shots. I hope we can get a Babcock player would appreciate but I fear we end up signing Dan Boyle.

What does it cost to get him? Is he good defensively?

 

[Pavels Dog]

does that roster beat boston?

if the answer is no or I dont know then its a bad roster

i understand that its a conservative viewpoint(which is commendable) but we're no longer the top dog, not even a top five team in the east so every single move we make HAS to be based on the premise "how do we beat boston"

That's not how you build a team... and even if it was, we're probably building in the right direction anyway. We're not going to beat them at their own game. Better to get even faster, even more skilled, and hope for better health along with the kids learning from this year. The last 2 games of the series indicated that it would have been closer if we had Zetterberg from the start. Add to that Ericsson and maybe it goes 7 games. Boston is the team to beat in the East but they're not unbeatable.

 

[14ari13]

does that roster beat boston?

if the answer is no or I dont know then its a bad roster

i understand that its a conservative viewpoint(which is commendable) but we're no longer the top dog, not even a top five team in the east so every single move we make HAS to be based on the premise "how do we beat boston"

the bruins core are all at an age where they will continue to dominate the east for the next half decade or more. if we have any aspirations of emerging from the east we have no choice but to ice a roster capable of beating the bruins 3 times out 5(anything less is luck)

we need a top 3 young dman who can step in today and make a noticeable impact on our transition game and on the pp AND ideally that dman is young enough to maintain that impact for the next 5 years.

\we need some more grit and leadership up front, guys who can complement the skill guys who will battle thru the bruins and fight for every inch of playoff ice.

That roster does not beat Bruins and is even worse than this year roster.

 

[Zetterberg4Captain]

That's not how you build a team... and even if it was, we're probably building in the right direction anyway. We're not going to beat them at their own game. Better to get even faster, even more skilled, and hope for better health along with the kids learning from this year. The last 2 games of the series indicated that it would have been closer if we had Zetterberg from the start. Add to that Ericsson and maybe it goes 7 games. Boston is the team to beat in the East but they're not unbeatable.

thats exactly how you beat the top teams in every sport

teams used to copy the red wings inorder to beat the red wings

dsoent mean you copy everything they do but you definetely have to learn, everyone learns from their mistakes otherwise they just repeat them

we dont need to get as physical and big and tough as the bruins but we do need to get bigger and tougher inorder to beat them

too many people see everything as all or nothing and thats wrong, its not so dramatic

you take bits and pieces from the best teams and add them to your philisophy inorder to be the best

our defence needs to improve and we need SOME more grit upfront

 

[smurfyeah19]

Mrazek needs to be called up full-time. Really would put pressure on Jimmy

 

[FlashyG]

thats exactly how you beat the top teams in every sport

teams used to copy the red wings inorder to beat the red wings

dsoent mean you copy everything they do but you definetely have to learn, everyone learns from their mistakes otherwise they just repeat them

we dont need to get as physical and big and tough as the bruins but we do need to get bigger and tougher inorder to beat them

too many people see everything as all or nothing and thats wrong, its not so dramatic

you take bits and pieces from the best teams and add them to your philisophy inorder to be the best

our defence needs to improve and we need SOME more grit upfront

I agree that they definitely need focus on improving the team in areas in order to beat Boston, who are clearly the class of the division. I just disagree that getting bigger and tougher is exactly what they need to do. To me that's fighting fire with fire, and I think there's more effective ways to deal with a bruising team like Boston.

Getting bigger would be a plus definitely, but I think to beat them they need to get faster, and better at getting out of their own end. Boston forechecked them to death. Having a goalie like Mrazek back there who can get a dumped puck back out of the zone without the defenceman taking any hits would be a great start. (I think that's at least 1 year away though).

Having defenceman who can move the puck ahead quickly and accurately without having to pass it backwards first would also be a big step forward.

The third thing they desperately need to do is improve their special teams.
As long as the PP isn't effective opponents don't need to fear taking liberties with them, and if the SH units keep giving up goals guys end up being too cautious in fear of taking penalties.

 

[Zetterberg4Captain]

I agree that they definitely need focus on improving the team in areas in order to beat Boston, who are clearly the class of the division. I just disagree that getting bigger and tougher is exactly what they need to do. To me that's fighting fire with fire, and I think there's more effective ways to deal with a bruising team like Boston.

Getting bigger would be a plus definitely, but I think to beat them they need to get faster, and better at getting out of their own end. Boston forechecked them to death. Having a goalie like Mrazek back there who can get a dumped puck back out of the zone without the defenceman taking any hits would be a great start. (I think that's at least 1 year away though).

Having defenceman who can move the puck ahead quickly and accurately without having to pass it backwards first would also be a big step forward.

The third thing they desperately need to do is improve their special teams.
As long as the PP isn't effective opponents don't need to fear taking liberties with them, and if the SH units keep giving up goals guys end up being too cautious in fear of taking penalties.

yah all great points for sure

i guess by bigger/tougher I didnt mean so much as to be able to go hit for hit with the bruins but rather being more gritty as a whole, have more guys who will fight for ice and go to the dirty areas, who can forecheck as well as play possesion hockey and who are willing to block shots with any part of their body thats needed and who maybe arent as easily intimidated

your points on defence and goaltending are bang on

 

[Frk It]

Having defenceman who can move the puck ahead quickly and accurately without having to pass it backwards first would also be a big step forward .

Honestly feel like a huge part of that is because we don't have lefty +righty pairs on defense. And same thing for the PP. It's a simple thing, but it's very important.

 

[FlashyG]

Honestly feel like a huge part of that is because we don't have lefty +righty pairs on defense. And same thing for the PP. It's a simple thing, but it's very important.

That definitely plays a role, so do the forwards.

Sometimes they'd don't do a very good job of trying to get open for a pass, so the defenceman has no choice but to pass it back to his partner, and that tends to be when a turnover is forced and a scoring chance happens.

The backwards pass is a staple of the Wings game though, its even our PP zone entry play that seems to get less and less effective every year.

 

[RedWingzz]

Mrazek needs to be called up full-time. Really would put pressure on Jimmy

Not happening. Holland already mentioned he would much prefer having Mrazek start 55 AHL games, and play on a regular basis, than start 20 NHL games, sometimes having over a week in between appearances. I do not necessarily disagree with this philosophy, however if this is his mindset, he should not have signed Howard for that many years. I have no issue going with Howard and Monster again next year, but at what point does Mrazek come up and have a legitimate chance at starting 35+ games?

 

[RedWingzz]

Honestly feel like a huge part of that is because we don't have lefty +righty pairs on defense. And same thing for the PP. It's a simple thing, but it's very important.

I agree, but how much are we willing to pay to get a Top 4 Right-handed D. They just are nit really out there, and the few that are don't really impress me. Dan Boyle would be nice for a year or 2, but is it really worth throwing 6 million dollars per year for Dan Boyle?