Abdelkader may very well be the worst player in the NHL this year.
I have no doubt that Holland's success with older players maintaining form did shift his perceptions on contracts like this. From that perspective, it's almost understandable. Still dumb, but hey, at least I can see where he was coming from.
Plus when you sign deals like that, you anticipate the cap going up each year, and by the tail end it's going to be much easier to handle having a $4 million dollar grinder. Again, I kind of get it.
Abdelkader may very well be the worst player in the NHL this year.
Absolutely mind boggling that some want them both left right where they are when they have nothing to offer and could even be detrimental
Oh but we don’t need that cap space? Sure
I'm acutally kinda pissed we did not trade for Trocheck, given I thought he went for a very reasonable price. Especially if we end up winning the #1 pick in the lottery...
Bertuzzi-Larkin-Mantha
Lafreniere-Trocheck-Zadina
Fabbri-Rasmussen-Helm/Flip
Abby-Glendening-Smith/Svech
That lineup could actually do a little damage potentially.
^
I think most of us in here want to watch some competitive hockey again in some way shape or form. Another season like this one will drive most of us insane
What is the point of being competitive next year, they are not going to compete for the cup. You are just as likely to get get good hockey with our first pick this year and Seider joining the roster. Exactly what good does buying out 4th liners Neilsen and Abby and adding two slightly better plugs with same term do? Now we will be in 25th place instead of 26th? Its not worth it to me. Players like Krug don't match our core age group and will want huge term and salary. There is no one in our core age that is going to be available. That has to happen through trade and Yzerman is good at that.
Stay the course and build through the draft and trades like 99.9% of every cap era cup winner. When the cup window is open that is when you talk about UFA
Now if you want to strip the A away from Neilsen and Abby now we are talking.
What's the point of trying to do anything. We suck and won't be any good.
So we should extend Holland's reign by signing a bunch of UFA plugs place outside of the top 10 in drafting and never have a chance at a cup every season?
no, but throwing your hands up and saying “we are going to suck anyways so let’s not do anything” is not a realistic response.
You are taking one aspect of building a team and blowing it way out of proportion.
Why the hell do you have to immediately jump to “we will fill the boat with UFA plugs”? No, you look to get players in FA that will stabilize your team during a rebuild and maybe you get lucky and a Stamkos is on the market. You don’t run out and buy ALL THE MIDLINERS!, but you do look to add pieces that will make it so you don’t have Dylan Larkin trying to carry the roster on his back. That you don’t have a defense that an AHL team might look at quizzically
Understood, so which 23-25 year old elite players are available?
Again, why the **** does it have to be all in with you? I'm not saying go run and sign Jean Gabriel Pageau to a 6x6 contract. I'm saying that you look and if you can get an Andy Greene at a reasonable price, you do it. If a guy like Tavares is on the market or Stamkos a couple years ago, you shoot for the moon because they're absolutely elite players. Free Agency isn't an all or nothing thing. The Wings are going to end up signing guys in the Filppula, Nemeth mold to build a little bit of depth so they're not embarrassingly bad.
Filppula had less in the tank than Stevie thought. But that's the kind of player you sign to try to make yourself not embarrassingly bad. Then, you potentially expand your wallet if a 23-25 year old elite guy is there. But why on earth does it have to be "if we add one okay player to give us some depth so we're not losing 6-1 every night" that you have to turn it into loading the team with shit? Or that if there isn't a magic one shot fixes all bullet that we shouldn't even consider anything?
Trades, FA, and draft. These work in concert to build a team. You don't hold off on one to prop up the others. You don't dump major money into the FA market usually because you're overpaying. But you don't exclude it entirely either.
No point in buying out either.Two deadweight players
Abby contract:4.25x3 0g 3a 33yr old
Nielsen contract:5.25x2 4g 5a 35yr old
Frans Nielsen at eliteprospects.com
Justin Abdelkader at eliteprospects.com
Discuss
Yeah, there is a question remaining about how soon we want to get better. I think you can absorb a little bit of bad contract, or a buyout, and still compete for, or even win a Stanley Cup. To erase one of these contracts a bit early wouldn't be too bad in that regard, I think. Of course, doing so, you hopefully bring in a replacement who contributes, and that's another double-edge sword: It could hurt them in terms of tanking, but it maybe also brings the good players on the Wings who have endured this mess some relief, which they do deserve. Maybe the answer depends on how well this coming draft goes for the Red Wings.No point in buying out either.
Team is shit.
Team has cap space.
If you don't want them bury them in AHL or tell em not to report.
But would they send either of these guys down? They are both alternate captains, which is a situation Holland set up, but now to rectify it, would look really shrewd.Abbys gotta be sent down next year regardless, then scratch frans and go from there. Their performance is unacceptable.