Thomas Vanek thread

[Nauzhror]

Vanek had a few bad-ish years, but there's a reason he was the 5th overall draft pick. He's not a bad player. Frankly, I'm not sure trading him for a first round pick makes much sense. You won't likely get someone better than him with that pick. You will get someone younger, but also someone who potentially will be a bust. 32's not a spring chicken perhaps, but it's not particularly old either.He could be a great player for another 6-7 years pretty easily. Probably not for another 10-15 though, Jagr's the only guy around that seems to have that kind of longevity.

Only reason I think we should debate trading him is cap issues, not sure we can afford to re-sign him after this year

 

[Vladdy84]

I'd trade him for a 1st or a 2nd and a d or c prospect.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Vanek had a few bad-ish years, but there's a reason he was the 5th overall draft pick. He's not a bad player. Frankly, I'm not sure trading him for a first round pick makes much sense. You won't likely get someone better than him with that pick. You will get someone younger, but also someone who potentially will be a bust. 32's not a spring chicken perhaps, but it's not particularly old either.He could be a great player for another 6-7 years pretty easily. Probably not for another 10-15 though, Jagr's the only guy around that seems to have that kind of longevity.

Only reason I think we should debate trading him is cap issues, not sure we can afford to re-sign him after this year

Vanek has been great this year, but how many forwards continue to be great offensively into their mid to late 30s?


If he keeps performing like this he will not be a cheap UFA to re-sign. Trading him for a first round pick absolutely makes sense for where the Wings are at. My fear is that at the deadline Detroit still has somewhat of a shot at squeaking into the postseason so Holland hangs on to all assets to try and continue the streak.

 

[splot]

Vanek has been great this year, but how many forwards continue to be great offensively into their mid to late 30s?


If he keeps performing like this he will not be a cheap UFA to re-sign. Trading him for a first round pick absolutely makes sense for where the Wings are at. My fear is that at the deadline Detroit still has somewhat of a shot at squeaking into the postseason so Holland hangs on to all assets to try and continue the streak.

Why is this something people around here "fear"? I get that this board is called "hockey future", but no one in the real world with many many millions of dollars invested would ever make the decision to sabotage their teams chances to make the playoffs if there's just a slight chance they make it. Chances that they will be out of contention for a playoff spot unless we get a ton more injuries are pretty terrible, so stop fearing that they aren't gonna tank cause you should know it won't happen.

 

[Retire91]

Why is this something people around here "fear"? I get that this board is called "hockey future", but no one in the real world with many many millions of dollars invested would ever make the decision to sabotage their teams chances to make the playoffs if there's just a slight chance they make it. Chances that they will be out of contention for a playoff spot unless we get a ton more injuries are pretty terrible, so stop fearing that they aren't gonna tank cause you should know it won't happen.

Its because the only hope fans have of this team improving are high draft picks which significantly reduces reliance on GM competency in acquiring elite talent.

Although Holland just trades down anyway and picks the lessor prospect. Whatever the team does and where ever the team picks the team's rebuild can't begin until Holland is out of the way.

 

[Nauzhror]

Yeah, can't get elite talent without high draft picks.

Oh wait, we drafted Federov in the 4th round, Zetterberg in the 7th round, and Datsyuk went undrafted two years in a row before getting drafted in the 6th round. Lidstrom was a third round draft pick the same year we drafted Federov.

Datsyuk (Vincent Lecavalier)and Zetterberg (Patrik Stefan) were better than the first overall picks in their respective drafts.

Mats Sundin was competition, I would entertain the argument that Sundin was better than Federov, both were phenomenal players.

Regardless, there's talent to be found without tanking.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Why is this something people around here "fear"? I get that this board is called "hockey future", but no one in the real world with many many millions of dollars invested would ever make the decision to sabotage their teams chances to make the playoffs if there's just a slight chance they make it. Chances that they will be out of contention for a playoff spot unless we get a ton more injuries are pretty terrible, so stop fearing that they aren't gonna tank cause you should know it won't happen.

I think you're fixating too much here on one word. It's not like I lie in bed at night hiding under the sheets fearing Holland's trade deadline moves.

And it comes down to what the vision for the franchise is. A remote shot at making the playoffs this season may not be the best move if it puts the team in a deeper hole for several seasons in the future. It doesn't make sense competitively or financially.

And I said nothing about tanking. There are more options than tanking or maintaining the present course.

 

[silkyjohnson50]

Yeah, can't get elite talent without high draft picks.

Oh wait, we drafted Federov in the 4th round, Zetterberg in the 7th round, and Datsyuk went undrafted two years in a row before getting drafted in the 6th round. Lidstrom was a third round draft pick the same year we drafted Federov.

Datsyuk (Vincent Lecavalier)and Zetterberg (Patrik Stefan) were better than the first overall picks in their respective drafts.

Mats Sundin was competition, I would entertain the argument that Sundin was better than Federov, both were phenomenal players.

Regardless, there's talent to be found without tanking.

Do you really want to compare the 1989 draft and world culture to present day? Oh wait, you do.

Fedorov was the first Russian drafted. Bure was next in the 6th rd. Both of them were considered top talents in the draft, but fell all the way to the 4th and 6th rds? How could that be? Knowledge is power.


Datsyuk and Zetterberg were both drafted in the 20th century. Detroit believes that they were the only NHL team to even ever see Datsyuk play. NHL scouting is a completely different animal today. If it's so easy then why hasn't Detroit drafted an elite talent since 99?

There will always be draft steals as players develop unexpectedly, but to bank on that to get elite talent in today's world is like buying a lottery ticket. Detroit won the lottery in the past, but they bought a lot more tickets and were in a much smaller playing field. Times have changed.

I, for one, do not want to see where this organization is headed if they continue to be a borderline playoff team year-after-year while they continually sink. When you have assets like Vanek, you damn better well make good use of them to build for a brighter tomorrow because as good as he's been for us, he's not winning a Stanley Cup in Detroit.

 

[MN_Gopher]

Vanek was never right for MN. Yeo made it worse.

Glad he is finding a new home.

Has he done his break away slap shot yet? How he aims those things boggles my mind.

 

[JPE123]

Vanek was never right for MN. Yeo made it worse.

Glad he is finding a new home.

Has he done his break away slap shot yet? How he aims those things boggles my mind.

I have a good friend who is a Wild fan. He says same thing about Yeo. He thinks Vanek would have flourished under Boudreau if they kept him. He always says they should have bought out Pominville instead. Vanek is a very smart player, makes some beautiful passes and seems to read the ice so well, you hardly notice how slow he is. And yes he has a laser shot, has made a couple of goals where you just say Wow.

 

[Birko19]

Sadly it's a little too late, Vanek would have been great when we had a competitive team. I do hope that his good play continues, at this pace he should net us a very nice return at the deadline, though knowing Holland he'll probably hold out and try to sign him in the off season, only to lose out

 

[datsyukfan]

I would like us to sign Vanek to a 2-3 year extension. I think he will be fine aging wise as he relies on his intelligence more than anything

 

[Birko19]

I would like us to sign Vanek to a 2-3 year extension. I think he will be fine aging wise as he relies on his intelligence more than anything

He's already 32, I would imagine he would want to play the next 2-3 years of his career with a team that has a chance of winning the cup.

 

[TheMule93]

He's already 32, I would imagine he would want to play the next 2-3 years of his career with a team that has a chance of winning the cup.

Especially since he is "proving" himself right now, there would be definite interest for him

This is why we should trade him at the deadline. We could probably get a first rounder for him if he stays near a ppg pace (which is doubtful tbh, with our scoring woes)

That would be one of Hollands best moves ever.

 

[Claypool]

He's already 32, I would imagine he would want to play the next 2-3 years of his career with a team that has a chance of winning the cup.

Outside of Pittsburgh and Chicago, what team would you feel like you have a chance to win on? Neither of those two teams will have the cap space for Vanek. There are probably 25 teams in the league that could make the playoffs and go on a run any given season It's impossible to predict now. Given how close each team is talent wise due to the cap the days of a veteran player picking a Stanley Cup favorite pre-cap era are over. You may as well throw darts at a board blindfolded.

Iginla thought the young Avalanche were the next Blackhawks and risked his career going there after that team exploded the year before. Oops. He may never get another chance at the playoffs. That's after he chose Boston and Pittsburgh, two "favorites" at the time that didn't even make the Cup Final.

 

[Ezekial]

Vanek was never right for MN. Yeo made it worse.

Glad he is finding a new home.

Has he done his break away slap shot yet? How he aims those things boggles my mind.

https://www.nhl.com/video/vaneks-slick-shootout-winner/t-277350912/c-46664503

This is as close as we've gotten.... and you know, all of us here saw it before when he played for you guys against Howard.

 

[LeighDx59]

I'd be nice if he liked it here that much that he would agree to traded to a contending team to get us a pick and then comeback during the offseason. I'd love to keep Vanek for a few more years.

 

[Reddwit]

Of course the only time when it actually makes sense to bring back the reclamation project, it isn't in our best interest long-term to do so.

Wouldn't fly off the handle if we did re-sign him though. He probably has a few good years left and he's a unique player. Not sure we really have to worry about him re-signing though. Can't see him doing so, and if he does re-sign, its because he's really loved his time here and probably gives us a really palatable deal.

 

[ap3x]

Yeah, can't see him doing so either. Given that he continues to play like that, he'd really try to get traded to a contending team, having a shot at the.
I doubt that he's optimistic about doing so with the Wings.

 

[spost]

Vanek had a few bad-ish years, but there's a reason he was the 5th overall draft pick. He's not a bad player. Frankly, I'm not sure trading him for a first round pick makes much sense. You won't likely get someone better than him with that pick. You will get someone younger, but also someone who potentially will be a bust. 32's not a spring chicken perhaps, but it's not particularly old either.He could be a great player for another 6-7 years pretty easily. Probably not for another 10-15 though, Jagr's the only guy around that seems to have that kind of longevity.

Only reason I think we should debate trading him is cap issues, not sure we can afford to re-sign him after this year

In theory, if there is such an option, especially an earlier pick, we should definitely take it. However, in practice, it won't happen, based on our management history.

This team badly needs an infusion of good, young, talent.

We have mediocre players, with mediocre upside, mixed with aging ones.

We need to reshuffle not keep trying to make the POs, only to lose in the first round, by bringing stop gaps.

 

[Claypool]

In theory, if there is such an option, especially an earlier pick, we should definitely take it. However, in practice, it won't happen, based on our management history.

This team badly needs an infusion of good, young, talent.

We have mediocre players, with mediocre upside, mixed with aging ones.

We need to reshuffle not keep trying to make the POs, only to lose in the first round, by bringing stop gaps.

Can we stop pretending that making the playoffs is easy to do nowadays?

This team has a lot of good, young talent already. Larkin, AA, Mantha, and Mrazek all have star potential. Those players are all high first-round picks in a re-draft. I have a feeling we'll be saying the same thing about Saarijarvi and Hronek when this season is over, too. Those are first-round talents. That's not even mentioning Bertuzzi, Russo, Cholowski, Svechnikov, etc.

For a team that has never "sucked" they sure do have a lot of good, young players other teams would love to have.

 

[Frk It]

Can we stop pretending that making the playoffs is easy to do nowadays?

This team has a lot of good, young talent already. Larkin, AA, Mantha, and Mrazek all have star potential. Those players are all high first-round picks in a re-draft. I have a feeling we'll be saying the same thing about Saarijarvi and Hronek when this season is over, too. Those are first-round talents. That's not even mentioning Bertuzzi, Russo, Cholowski, Svechnikov, etc.

For a team that has never "sucked" they sure do have a lot of good, young players other teams would love to have.

You need a #1 center and #1 d man to win in this league. Of all the forwards you listed, only Larkin has a shot at being that.

All of the defenseman you listed are at least 3 years away from playing in the NHL, except Russo. Who the Wings said they see being a middle pairing guy, most likely.

So yes, considering where we have drafted, we have done a decent job. But to truly fill our needs, it's possible we have to settle for drafting higher than we have been.

 

[avssuc]

Do you really want to compare the 1989 draft and world culture to present day? Oh wait, you do.

What about the fact that Gordie Howe wasn't even drafted? Makes me wonder why the Wings have destroyed the development of Glendening by playing him in the bottom 6 so much. Dude should be on his way to the HoF.

Outside of Pittsburgh and Chicago, what team would you feel like you have a chance to win on? Neither of those two teams will have the cap space for Vanek. There are probably 25 teams in the league that could make the playoffs and go on a run any given season It's impossible to predict now. Given how close each team is talent wise due to the cap the days of a veteran player picking a Stanley Cup favorite pre-cap era are over. You may as well throw darts at a board blindfolded.

Iginla thought the young Avalanche were the next Blackhawks and risked his career going there after that team exploded the year before. Oops. He may never get another chance at the playoffs. That's after he chose Boston and Pittsburgh, two "favorites" at the time that didn't even make the Cup Final.

Perhaps they take a contract back? Imagine what sort of return the Wings could get if they had the room to take a bad contract?

 

[Birko19]

Outside of Pittsburgh and Chicago, what team would you feel like you have a chance to win on? Neither of those two teams will have the cap space for Vanek. There are probably 25 teams in the league that could make the playoffs and go on a run any given season It's impossible to predict now. Given how close each team is talent wise due to the cap the days of a veteran player picking a Stanley Cup favorite pre-cap era are over. You may as well throw darts at a board blindfolded.

Iginla thought the young Avalanche were the next Blackhawks and risked his career going there after that team exploded the year before. Oops. He may never get another chance at the playoffs. That's after he chose Boston and Pittsburgh, two "favorites" at the time that didn't even make the Cup Final.

I think there are many teams that are capable of winning the cup, we will see what the picture is like at the end of the season but other teams like SJ, LA TB, NYR, etc have been contenders and may be missing a piece like Vanek to help them win the cup, whatever the case is, Vanek has a better chance with them than us.

As for the Iginla comparison, I think it's a faulty one because Iggy went to Colorado at the age of 37, Vanek is still 32 years old and in his prime, if he can position himself with the right team now for the next 2 or 3 years then perhaps he will have a better shot. Iggy should have pulled that move at a younger age.

 

[bethylfan]

I've always wanted Vanek to be in a DRW jersey and I'm loving him in one. If he keeps playing like this re-sign him quickly.