Confirmed with Link: The real Suter/Parise story

[Bench]

 

[pz29]

I guess the only thing from that list he managed to do was mapquest Sutter's farm. Great GM-ing.

 

[Winger98]

I don't like Suter's contract. And Wings were already on a major downslide when they were chasing Suter and it was apparent a rebuild (not retool) was soon needing to happen. I think Holland (and soon Yzerman) have an opportunity to become perennial contenders again. I'm not so sure if they had signed Suter that would happen before I go to a nursing home, and I don't think nursing homes have the NHL network.

I find the Red Wings to be an exciting young up-and-coming team. Despite being bottom 5, I haven't enjoyed watching hockey this much since about 2010.

Suter almost definitely pushes our current rebuild back a bit. Or we deal him at some point. We probably would have been serious contenders for another cup or two, though. I think we get past Chicago with Suter in the fold, for instance. It's hard to say what would have happened because of how much a guy like Suter changes what other other moves can be made.

this is a fun team to watch, though. It's so good to see AA finding a more consistent game this year.

 

[ShelbyZ]

It's crazy how just about everything Holland did in and around that offseason backfired miserably and yet they end up taking the eventual Cup winner to a game 7 in the 2nd round...

TRIGGER WARNING

-Quincey trade: Pay a steep price for a guy that's supposed to help the top 4 after the anticipated losses of Stuart and Lidstrom. Result: Despite being a dumpster fire to end 11-12, he's touted as part of the top 4 going into 12-13 before ending up an overpaid 3rd pairing guy who despite that ends up getting another raise...
-Brunner: Was hopefully going to be an immediate impact on the top 6. Result: despite showing some flashes, ends up being inconsistent and too risky to extend
-Hudler: The team had plenty of cap space to retain him, but Holland didn't think he was worth more than $3.2M a year. Result: He's "replaced" with the guy mentioned below. Goes to the Flames for $4M where he continues to produce and even has a near PPG career year.
-Samuelsson: Despite thinking Hudler was barely worth more than $3M, Holland believes a injury riddled Samuelsson on the wrong side of 35YO was worth $3M and will help to offset some of the losses of Hudler and Lidstrom (and eventually Holmstrom) in regards to the teams PP. Result: The guy literally couldn't string 2 consecutive games together due to various injuries and plays 4 RS games and 5 in the playoffs. He's a planned compliance buyout, but an injury suffered in the playoffs means he can't be. The Wings end up stuck with all or $100k shy of his full cap hit for the next season even when he clears waivers and spends time in GR. Luckily the contract ended there, because he ended the next season hurt again and possibly may not have been able to be a compliance buyout yet again...
-Gustavsson: Was supposed to be an upgrade over Joey MacDonald while also challenging Howard for the starting job in a contract year. Result: Guy can't stay healthy at all, and when he is, he's either slow to get going or inconsistent, which pushes Babcock to ride Howard and secure him a big raise. They get a good a couple of months out of him the next season, before he's in and out of the line-up again. He then gets a raise and is hurt EVEN MORE, allowing Petr Mrazek to come up and fool the team and its fans into think he's the goalie of the future. Meanwhile Joey MacDonald goes to a dumpster fire Flames team on waivers and actually plays much better than what Detroit got out of Gustavsson.
-Tootoo: Ken Holland set out to get a big and physical forward and ended up with the not big but physical Tootoo coming off a fluke career year for a mere $1.4 less than he thought Hudler was worth. Result: Of all the players added in that offseason, Tootoo actually delivers the expected results, but is clearly overpaid. He's eventually buried the next season which leaves the Wings with dead cap space and before their 2nd compliance buyout is used on him.
-Suter: The media in Detroit basically had his Red Wings signing press conference planned for months and Holland put all his chips in bringing him in. Result: He goes to Minnesota and...
-Attempts to bring in other Dmen: Result: Most either re-sign with their respective teams (Wideman) or go elsewhere (Garrison) while Holland waits for the Suter decision.
-Attempts to trade for a dman: Result: Holland won't pay steep prices for Yandle or Bouwmeester.
-Plan B to add a top line forward: Result: Doan stays in Arizona, Semin goes to the Canes and Holland doesn't want to trade for other options potentially on the market
-Accepting what they do have on D: Kronwall can step up in his own zone to be a #1D, Quincey and Ericsson can step up and be top 4 guys and Smith will be on the team full time and likely takes a spot in the top. Still got White too and we're still trying to add more on D! Result: Quincey/Smith definitely don't belong in the top 4 and Babcock basically doghouses White out of an NHL career and see below for the add...
-Colaiacovo: Was basically the only Dman of any offensive acumen left on the UFA market and was eventually added when they decided they weren't going to trade for a top 4 dman. Result: Like most of the seasons he had played before coming to Detroit, he's injury prone and misses most of the season. On top of other injuries on D, it allows Kindl and Lashoff to fool the Red Wings into thinking they deserve full time spots and Ericsson to fool them into thinking he's a top 4 guy. Thankfully Colaiacovo is easily banished using a Compliance Buyout

Edit: Also forgot this one:

-Standing pat in hopes the new CBA drops the cap and teams have to shed salary to get under it, potentially putting good dmen on the trade market. Result: The league drops the cap, but allows teams over it to go as high as the $70.2M max set for 12-13 prior to the new CBA...

And the stink didn't even stop there... The next offseason/season you have the Weiss signing, Kindl's extension, the Nyquist overripening silliness, taking care of Dan Cleary, burying Patrick Eaves and then the Legward trade.

 

[PullHard]

Those were such dark times, Shelby

Please edit your post to include a trigger warning

 

[PelagicJoe]

Those were such dark times, Shelby

Please edit your post to include a trigger warning

That was a bad time. Kenny must have been on drugs that season. Why else would he have signed Samuelsson and Carlo Colaiaiaiaiaiaiaiacovo? I didn't mind the Tootoo or Gustavsson signings.

In the end, I guess it is better that we don't have Suter. That contract is going to suck for Minnesota in the last few years. We also got Larkin on the cheap, which is worth the weight gold.