Confirmed with Link: Red Wings sign Mattias Bäckman to Entry Level Contract

[Xvash2]

Assuming 3-4 of these D prospects work out....where the F are they all going to play?

Kronwall isn't going anywhere as he is signed long term obviously.
Doubt Ericsson (age 29) leaves when his contract is up either.
Kindl (age 26) has turned into quite the player IMO.
Dekeyser (age 23) will be here.
Too early to give up on Smith (age 24).....he'll get an extended look at the NHL level and be given time to work out his kinks like Kindl.

That's 4-5 spots locked in pretty long term....obviously I know players like Ericsson, Kindl, and Dekeyer will need to be extended but I think they all will be. They didn't waste all these years developing Kindl to just watch him leave when he finally turned into a good/solid player.

Trade bait.

 

[XO]

I was very impressed with him in all LHC games I watched this season. Good news.

 

[InjuredChoker]

Been wondering about Quine too, it seems he is going back in the draft, would love for one of our more twitter friendly posters to get a comment out of Khan on it.

I asked him about that some time ago. Got nothing.

 

[Actual Thought*]

Wings are pretty good at drafting and developing. I don't think it's realistic to expect them all to bomb.

The area where the Wing's management seems to have problems is FA, trade, and bringing up players. I think we slowplay our talent too much. Especially given the track record of the good drafting/developing. They spend about a year longer in the AHL than I think they need. At least from what I've seen of Smith, Kindl, Tatar, Nyquist.

And even if they do all end up as #4's, that's not terrible. Those guys still have trade value, especially since the Wings end up drafting mostly PMD types. A good solid, middle pairing PMD is a good asset.

This is a contradiction. They have great success drafting and developing but they slowplay their players too much which apparently is a problem. Is it possible that their patience is the reason for their success? Could it be that they are just smart enough to give a player the time and support they need to achieve the level of excellence that the franchise requires?

 

[Hckytwn]

Assuming 3-4 of these D prospects work out....where the F are they all going to play?

Kronwall isn't going anywhere as he is signed long term obviously.
Doubt Ericsson (age 29) leaves when his contract is up either.
Kindl (age 26) has turned into quite the player IMO.
Dekeyser (age 23) will be here.
Too early to give up on Smith (age 24).....he'll get an extended look at the NHL level and be given time to work out his kinks like Kindl.

That's 4-5 spots locked in pretty long term....obviously I know players like Ericsson, Kindl, and Dekeyer will need to be extended but I think they all will be. They didn't waste all these years developing Kindl to just watch him leave when he finally turned into a good/solid player.

File this under a "great problem to have" if it really turns out that way. But, that's a best case scenario if you ask me. In reality, probably only 2-3 of the D prospects will turn out and we'll lose or sour on at least one of the players you listed above. Either way, the stable of young talent they have is an awesome thing.

 

[Zetterberg4Captain]

you can never ever have too mnay NHL looking prospects especially on the backend

should a day come when we have too mnay NHL ready young dmen then we will surely move one or two to fill another hole in the organization

 

[GeoSacks]

Trade bait.

Exactly this. We'll lose them on waivers and then trade our first round picks to get them back a few years later.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

Exactly this. We'll lose them on waivers and then trade our first round picks to get them back a few years later.

That's very optimistic of you.

I imagine they'll fall into two piles.

The first group will just bust, and they'll be AHL/NHL tweeners and nobody will really care what happens to them.

The second group will be brought along slowly and potentially traded away if another team has a solid offer. Personally, I don't see Kindl, Lashoff, and Quincey around for the long run (so long as guys develop). So ultimately that could be 3 NHL spots for these guys.

If somehow our prospect group graduates more than 3 good NHL defensemen, then that's a great problem to have. The best problem to have, in fact.

 

[obey86]

I see Kindl around for the long run. Not Lashoff or Quincey though.