Great read, thanks for sharing!
I strongly agree with two of his points:
- I don't think we should go after any UFA/RFA's this summer. There is some great talent available, but at this point in our rebuild I don't believe it will help set us up for a SC contender. We could end up being an average playoff team that may get lucky and get to the 2nd round one year, but contending... no. Shoot for the 2020 offseason for your UFA/RFA talents.
- Depending on 1 (and some other factors), our 2020 offseason could be huge.
- I want to really get as many of our prospects playing for the Griffins as possible to get them ready to make that jump at some point during the 2020 season. Those players include: Veleno, McIssac, Rasmussen, Svechnikov, and Zadina. Obviously Zadina and Rasmussen should be called up to be full time at some point, but getting that experience for the other players will be huge for their jump to the NHL for 2020. Lindstrom could be another player who can start the 2020 season in the AHL and then move up when needed.
- The 2020 season will have a lot of bad contracts gone which gives the Wings a ton of flexibility in FA. The UFA list is strong and can provide the Wings with contending for the playoffs in 20-21.
- Getting another top 10 pick is important for solidifying the tanking/rebuild we've done for the past few years. Lafreniere is the obvious target, but getting any sort of top 10 talent will be huge for us.
Obviously we will need some luck from a developmental and signing standpoint, but if we continue to play things smart, I see us being able 3rd round ceiling and 1st round floor for this team in 2021.