What would the price be to draw actual talent to this team?
The UFA route would lead us to Krug and I think he would have wanted even more than he signed for in STL to come here. If we are trading, what assets of value do we have that we can spare? We can't trade our 1st unless it's top 10 protected and that would significantly decrease its value. So what options are we really left with?
We all agree for the most part that building through the draft is what we have to do. We all also mostly agree that our rebuild has at least a few years left. Our roster is a blank slate besides Larkin when it comes to players signed in a few seasons, so Yzerman has a unique opportunity to shape this rebuild any way he wants.
By signing the low risk / medium reward players to short term contracts 2 goals are accomplished.
1.) We become more competitive in the short term while still ensuring a good draft pick.
2.) We add assets to our inventory for the TDL giving us more capital come draft day.
I don't think Yzerman is impressed with our current stable of prospects and I think we as fans value Cholo and company much more than the org does at this point.
Until noon today it would have been $5m. Coming into this summer, we had ~$27m in cap space (plus LTIR space from Zetterberg if we wanted to really get crazy), over $50m next summer, and then more the summer after that. We have the space to overpay a bit for a few select pieces to bring in legitimate talent instead of guys who we
hope rebound to the point of producing like a league average third liner.
Don't want to add Krug? Go after Tanev. Or Vatanen. Or, right now, throw something big Pietrangelo rather than rinky dinking around with Merril, some nuck castoff, and a low end Staal brother. Up front, Hall is said to be looking at short contracts. Throw big money at him for three years and deal him after carrying a second line for two seasons. We would probably grab at least one 1st in the deal, as well as prospects.
Bringing in a high end piece slots everyone down a peg, takes pressure off kids to carry the team, and gives them quality to learn from. Bringing in Bobby Ryan gives them a 33 year old desperate to earn a bigger paycheck next summer and revolving door.
This is beside the fact that we already were looking at dealing Flip, Nemeth, Glendening, and Bernier this season. We have plenty of guys to flip for picks.
You seem to really have an issue with this.
It's reasonable for a business owner to be conservative in an uncertain economic condition considering they will have no arena income for the season regardless of how good the team is. Quite frankly, I'm glad he was willing to spend as much as he did. The Penguins and Capitals both iced AHL level teams for multiple seasons. If there was ever a season to flat out tank, this was it. Instead they added a bunch of tradeable assets.
It really wouldn't make sense to add high end talent this season, just to be a mediocre team that barely misses the playoffs. And I certainly don't blame him for not wanting to buy picks by taking huge cap dumps.
In the end they added cheap second tier talent to avoid being a complete dumpster fire again. Steve actually made more moves than I expected, though I expected a better D, and not so many moves on offense.
You're glad he spent barely above the bare minimum to fill out a 22 man roster.
This is one of the few times where gobs of cap space and the willingness to use it could have been a massive advantage. Everyone was talking about how Krug would commange $8m, and he signed for $6.5m. Holtby was going to get $6m. Didn't. Pietrangelo, Hall, Dadonov, Hoffman, and Toffoli still can't find homes. Hell, I think the only guy who got a contract in line with what people were upset about before free agency happened was Markstrom.
Look, we disagree on the quality of at least half the guys the Wings added this summer, that it's a smart business option to cheap out on investing in the team, and that it's best for the team to be a tire fire for the second season in a row.
Twenty years ago, when the Pens were collecting Crosby, Malkin, and Fleury? Sure, maybe a better time to be crap for multiple years. Though the Oil did that and...well, yeah. Arizona has been bad for quite awhile, do you see the end in sight for them? Or Buffalo? Or Florida? Or...hell, pick another team that's been crap for a number of years. Meanwhile, the Rangers have drafted 1/2 over the past two years, signed Panarin, traded for Trouba, and are nearly a playoff team. We're seeing Chicago reload while still having actual talent. Dallas dealt for Seguin, lucked into Hiskanen and played for a Cup this year.
Being flat out awful, adding assets no one else wanted, wasting an opportunity to take advantage of other teams being unable to spend, and extending this rebuild out by jettisoning everything done the past two years is the wrong move. Yeah, Yzerman gets to put his stamp on the rebuild. Maybe. Unless Ilitch isn't willing to spend five years from now, either, because he's going to get his money from TV deals, merch, and whatever else anyway. Good business and all.
edit: and the business thing isn't even going near the whole arena being subsidized by the people, the vacant land Ilitch has sat on for years, having the Joe on absurdly friendly terms for decades, etc. Yeah, Ilitch holdings has done pretty damn well working with the city of Detroit and could afford to eat a season.
