News Article: The Athletic's Trade Big Board

[Bench]

Jurco - Sheahan - Athanasiou would be nice to see.

That's a line of broken dreams.

 

[Winger98]

It's not worth it though if that guy is a defensive liability. There have been a long list of players that are only viable given offensive minutes that spend their career bouncing around bubble teams or worse getting some PP time.

Honestly if the effort isn't there, that kind of contribution isn't worth it. I'd rather prop up a hard-nosed skater like Abdelkader to 20 goal seasons.

How defensively strong were Hudler and Holmstrom? How great defensively is Fabbri?

If Athanasiou was producing, the defensive liability stuff goes to the back burner. If a team thinks it's a blip, we'll get a fair return. If teams think what we're seeing today is what we'll see every year, we might as well hang onto him and hope he proves folks wrong.

Moving a guy before it is too late is something the previous management group was bashed for by many. This is selling Nyquist or Tatar, Hudler or Filppula. This is the hard choice. Sometimes the market isn't right. We are in an easier place to do it given expectations, but moving on at a cut rate even if it happens is the kind of change many have been campaigning for. This is the real life warts to it but I think given where we are in the build and the failure in the last core build up the organization is ready to authorize the tougher call.

I really don't see it as a hard choice. It's just wasteful to take a cut rate return on a guy if it doesn't do the team any good.

 

[Bench]

If teams think what we're seeing today is what we'll see every year, we might as well hang onto him and hope he proves folks wrong.

Here's my issue with that... I don't actually think the way AA plays is conducive to a winning team. Goals be damned. He's a turnover machine and relies on individual efforts too often.

I just kind of hate how he plays hockey and all this smoke around moving him tells me Yzerman is feeling that, too. Time to move on and let him be some other coach's problem.

 

[Frk It]

That's a line of broken dreams.

If I had the skills, I would put one of their faces on this.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

How defensively strong were Hudler and Holmstrom? How great defensively is Fabbri?

If Athanasiou was producing, the defensive liability stuff goes to the back burner. If a team thinks it's a blip, we'll get a fair return. If teams think what we're seeing today is what we'll see every year, we might as well hang onto him and hope he proves folks wrong.



I really don't see it as a hard choice. It's just wasteful to take a cut rate return on a guy if it doesn't do the team any good.

He hasn't earned a long-term contract and the time to sell him for assets is by the latest at the draft. It is unfortunate he has completely ****** the dog in terms of his performance this year. But I am all for turning the page. Even if he lights it up somewhere else, I don't believe that is ever coming here at this point.

Not investing in AA long-term and flipping him for a couple of assets, a left-handed D prospect and a pick is probably the best we can do at this point. It might be cut rate to some, but taking him to arbitration and letting him walk for free isn't a great alternative.

 

[Electric Eric]

If I had the skills, I would put one of their faces on this.

Its a real bummer FlashyG doesn't post here any more.

 

[Winger98]

He hasn't earned a long-term contract and the time to sell him for assets is by the latest at the draft. It is unfortunate he has completely ****** the dog in terms of his performance this year. But I am all for turning the page. Even if he lights it up somewhere else, I don't believe that is ever coming here at this point.

Not investing in AA long-term and flipping him for a couple of assets, a left-handed D prospect and a pick is probably the best we can do at this point. It might be cut rate to some, but taking him to arbitration and letting him walk for free isn't a great alternative.

I think it depends on the prospect and a pick. You might be in the neighborhood with the earlier edmonton ideas in this thread, but it looks like you're leaving room open for that pick and prospect to be even lower. At some point, dealing him as a rental for a second or third in a couple of years when his arby contract is set to expire isn't far off whatever we might deal him for now. And the likelihood of any of those picks and kids being anything worth while is pretty darn low.

Here's my issue with that... I don't actually think the way AA plays is conducive to a winning team. Goals be damned. He's a turnover machine and relies on individual efforts too often.

I just kind of hate how he plays hockey and all this smoke around moving him tells me Yzerman is feeling that, too. Time to move on and let him be some other coach's problem.

When do you think we're going to have a winning team? We don't have a roster crunch forcing a decision, nor do we have cap issues forcing a decision. And I definitely don't see this team having an issue with Athanasiou holding back a good team in team in the next couple of years.

There's nothing forcing Detroit to make a move here. If some team comes in with a fair offer, yeah, go for it. If not, I just don't see the pressure to move from the guy for a minimal return.

 

[SimonEdvinssonAtSix]

There's nothing forcing Detroit to make a move here. If some team comes in with a fair offer, yeah, go for it. If not, I just don't see the pressure to move from the guy for a minimal return.

There is no pressure to move him, you are 100% right. I want to trade AA but I want a solid return on him.
If it were me as GM I would opt to sign him on a short term deal to see if he can rebound and up his value.
If we get a fair offer at the TDL then take it. If not then sign the guy and the minute his value goes up you trade him.

If he can not rebound and we sell him later for a 5th or he leaves UFA that's a risk I'd take. It all depends on the offers we get for him. 3rd rounder? Naw I'd rather gamble on a bounce back.

 

[bedtime20]

I just hope if we trade AA he does not turn into Fabbri and the player we get is a dud

 

[lomekian]

Who is the competent passer who did get him to 30 goals at last season?

It wasn't any one individual, indeed one of the noteable things about him is how few regular combinations there were directly leading to assists - ie not a 1-2 punch combo, BUT about 1/2 of his assists last year were from players no longer on the wings roster - Vanek (who always had good chemistry with him), Hirose, Kronwall, Jensen, Rasmussen & Nyquist add up to assists on about 15 of those goals. Hell even DLR found him with a great saucer!
I think the only active players with more than 1 assist for him last year are Mantha and Glendenning.

But this roster hasn't had anyone consistently good at springing players in a good while.

 

[lomekian]

Or perhaps his 30 goal season is an anomaly?

If his shooting % was near his career average he'd be on pace for 20+ on the worst team in the league.
If his shooting % was as last year he'd be on pace for almost 30

 

[lomekian]

Only about 30-40 guys a seasons hit 30 goals. It's not exactly easy in that regard.

And when you browse over that list of guys I think you'll see a guy like AA looks more like an outlier than a routine occurrence. Malkin, Ovechkin, and Kane barely crack 30 some seasons. It's not a routine number to hit unless you're a generational talent.

Of course its not routine. And I would never suggest AA can hit 30 regularly. I'd just say that claiming he'll never hit 30 again is stupid. Maybe he'll play on a powerhouse team with a creative center and d-men who can nail stretch passes. Maybe he'll end up being a top line winger one year on a team with great D but limited goalscorers. Maybe one year he'll be on a roster with great centers but a lack of goalscoring wingers. Maybe he'll play with McJesus and Draisaitl one year?

He's always been streaky. Maybe one year he hits a couple of good streaks again like last year? He's the kind of guy who can easily get 7 or 8 goals in 10 if he hits form in any given season, because we've seen it before more than once.

He might well never hit 30 again. But equally if he's lucky in his situations he could do it more than once more.

 

[Bench]

Of course its not routine. And I would never suggest AA can hit 30 regularly. I'd just say that claiming he'll never hit 30 again is stupid. Maybe he'll play on a powerhouse team with a creative center and d-men who can nail stretch passes. Maybe he'll end up being a top line winger one year on a team with great D but limited goalscorers. Maybe one year he'll be on a roster with great centers but a lack of goalscoring wingers. Maybe he'll play with McJesus and Draisaitl one year?

He's always been streaky. Maybe one year he hits a couple of good streaks again like last year? He's the kind of guy who can easily get 7 or 8 goals in 10 if he hits form in any given season, because we've seen it before more than once.

He might well never hit 30 again. But equally if he's lucky in his situations he could do it more than once more.

Yes, maybe he'll go to absolutely perfect scenarios and hit 30 goals once and that makes me stupid. You got me.

But I'm still going to put my stupid money on him not doing it, because no powerhouse team is going to play him enough minutes unless he completely turns around his 200 foot game.

 

[The Zermanator]

This is a lost season for a rebuilding team. I say wait until the trade deadline and give lame duck coach Blashill instructions to put AA in the best position to raise his value before then.

 

[TatarTangle]

AA never scores 30 goals again. Change my mind.

Simple.

Once he gets a #1C, a #1W, two #1 Defensemen, a #1G, and a coach that understands him he's going to score 50 goals rather easily.

But AA isn't a passenger.

 

[TatarTangle]

This is a lost season for a rebuilding team. I say wait until the trade deadline and give lame duck coach Blashill instructions to put AA in the best position to raise his value before then.

*Edit* Misread your post, hopefully he does do that as he has told AA the only reason why he hasn't been scratched is because of Yzerman.

 

[lomekian]

Yes, maybe he'll go to absolutely perfect scenarios and hit 30 goals once and that makes me stupid. You got me.

But I'm still going to put my stupid money on him not doing it, because no powerhouse team is going to play him enough minutes unless he completely turns around his 200 foot game.

Given that he scored 30 last year playing on the 2nd and occasionally 3rd lines with minimal PP time for one of the worst goalscoring teams in the NHL with no playmakers and barely any NHL level D would suggest that he DOESN'T need an absolutely perfect scenario to score 30.

As I said he's unlikely to be a regular 30 goal scorer. But to say with certainty that a guy will never score 30 goals again, when in his mid 20s with 1 30 goal season already, and 2 other 20 goal pace seasons, despite playing for teams stylistically and personnel wise not set up for his strengths, and with no injury issues is just a bizarre assertion to make.

Its one thing to say might not, or I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't, but to be definite? Yes that is stupid.

Jesus, Patty Eaves scored 30 despite being much older and banged up 3 years ago, a guy who hadn't passed 14 goals in over a decade.

There are plenty of players with less goalscoring ability than AA who have more than 1 30 goal season.

AA is limited in lots of ways, but skates like the wind, dekes goalies well and has a very good wrister and one-timer. Players with those skills are always capable of having streaky seasons where things go well even without 'absolutely perfect scenarios'.

Either way, if we trade AA, he's likely to go to a better team that has a need for scoring and skating but have better D and Centers in place (as most teams do)...do you not concede that any team trading for AA would be targeting those skills and would be better positioned to utlise them than the worst wings team since the 70s?

 

[odin1981]

Moving a guy before it is too late is something the previous management group was bashed for by many. This is selling Nyquist or Tatar, Hudler or Filppula. This is the hard choice. Sometimes the market isn't right. We are in an easier place to do it given expectations, but moving on at a cut rate even if it happens is the kind of change many have been campaigning for. This is the real life warts to it but I think given where we are in the build and the failure in the last core build up the organization is ready to authorize the tougher call.

I think he could fetch two picks and a prospect next year if he is resigned for 3 years at say 15-16m total and he returns to last year's form. But this year is the epitome of selling way too low.

 

[The Zermanator]

That's a line of broken dreams.

If you rebuild it, they will come.

 

[Bondurant]

I just hope if we trade AA he does not turn into Fabbri and the player we get is a dud

A change of scenery might light a fire under his ass. Honestly, it wouldn't bother me too much. It's just how the cookie crumbles at times. If he's not part of the future then get a pick for him as best of luck wherever he ends up.

 

[saska sault]

I just hope if we trade AA he does not turn into Fabbri and the player we get is a dud

Two very, very different situations.

 

[jkutswings]

That's a line of broken dreams.

Maybe another team can,

Take these broken Wings
And learn to fly again
And learn to live so free

 

[Run the Jewels]

Moving a guy before it is too late is something the previous management group was bashed for by many. This is selling Nyquist or Tatar, Hudler or Filppula. This is the hard choice. Sometimes the market isn't right. We are in an easier place to do it given expectations, but moving on at a cut rate even if it happens is the kind of change many have been campaigning for. This is the real life warts to it but I think given where we are in the build and the failure in the last core build up the organization is ready to authorize the tougher call.

Holland was correctly criticized for never wanting to trade roster players and instead signing them to gawd awful contracts. He only traded Tatar and Nyquist because the dream of "just make the playoffs and anything can happen" was dashed very early on in each respective season. Right before Holland was replaced he had made noises about how he didn't want to acquire more draft picks and felt they had acquired enough. It simply wasn't in his DNA at that point in his career in Detroit to make hard choices. He only had eyes for the easy button.

Yzerman after taking a few months to survey the situation: We are going to make trades to acquire draft picks. Direct quote: "my plan isn't to be passive."

Hallelujah. I would have been much less critical of Holland if he wasn't so passive while the franchise became the worst in the league.

 

[ArmChairGM89]

Moving a guy before it is too late is something the previous management group was bashed for by many. This is selling Nyquist or Tatar, Hudler or Filppula. This is the hard choice. Sometimes the market isn't right. We are in an easier place to do it given expectations, but moving on at a cut rate even if it happens is the kind of change many have been campaigning for. This is the real life warts to it but I think given where we are in the build and the failure in the last core build up the organization is ready to authorize the tougher call.

pretty sure selling Nyquist and Tatar was expected and most agreed the correct move

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

pretty sure selling Nyquist and Tatar was expected and most agreed the correct move

Talking about selling them even earlier in that post.