Wings off to a good start

[rhef3]

I know it's still early but I'm seeing some good chemistry thus far and I don't know about you but it's a little surprising to me.

Do you still see the wings finishing out the year as a bottom 3 team in the league or did the experts get it wrong?

Click to read more...

 

[Konnan511]

We were a .500 team a quarter into the season last year, then everything went down hill. I'll check my expectations about at the same point.

 

[ricky0034]

the Wings don't have the depth to not be bad

a hot line can win you a few games here and there but over the course of an 82 game season that lack of depth is gonna show,it's just inevitable

 

[raymond23]

It’s no longer a question of whether we have elite young talent, the 1st line and defense (Hronek especially) are proving we absolutely do. That’s already an improvement from last October.

The next step is finding talent to support or even surpass our top guys. That hopefully comes from the talent down in GR. In the end we just need to keep adding talent to bolster the roster, it’s as simple as that. Ideally we get one more big time prospect from this years draft and then start to really think about developing the talent we have and winning hockey games consistently.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Love seeing our top line, and the contributions from Hirose, Hronek and Cholowski are nice too. This team could definitely defy expectations, that’s what rebuilding teams do when young players make development jumps.
Probably we end up near the bottom, but bottom 3? If we don’t get bit hard by injuries I kinda doubt it.

 

[ThankGord]

I think the giveaways and lack of depth will bite us eventually. But if our first line continues to dominate, our bottom nine can just hold the other team off, and Howard/Bernier have decent years, we might just goof up our lottery odds.

 

[jkutswings]

Hopefully this is the year that reverses the last few drafts - Detroit finishes a little higher in the standings, but gets a lucky bounce in the lottery to end up with a top 3 pick.

 

[TheOtherOne]

I don't think we're bottom 3 but I don't think we're good.

I bet we finish #20, everybody bitches about it, then we win the lottery.

Honestly though the most critical thing is how our defense develops, I think that alone could be the cause of like 10 spots of standings uncertainty.

 

[TheOctopusKid]

I know I might be in the minority here, but I am secretly hoping for another poor season this year with plenty of ice time for our young core; a veteran selloff at the TDL for more picks; and a Top 5 talent to add to our core.

 

[Konnan511]

I know I might be in the minority here, but I am secretly hoping for another poor season this year with plenty of ice time for our young core; a veteran selloff at the TDL for more picks; and a Top 5 talent to add to our core.

I would say that is what the majority want.

 

[Ezekial]

Am I surprised the top line picked up where they left off and we are winning games just like the end of last season?
No.

This isn't sustainable, though, at best fringe playoff team.

 

[rhef3]

Any early predictions on our draft slot in 2020 ?

Odds are #6

My hope is a top 3 pick come june

 

[Larkin2AA]

I think the giveaways and lack of depth will bite us eventually. But if our first line continues to dominate, our bottom nine can just hold the other team off, and Howard/Bernier have decent years, we might just goof up our lottery odds.

I can see teams begin to play their 1st line against out 2nd-4th lines to get a matchup advantage. Our team hasn't had to really fight from behind this year (besides Dallas), so we will have to monitor and see how they do in that situation.

I think We will look solid for the rest of October, but then begin to fizzle downward from there. Howard has been playing solid for us, but I doubt his play will be sustainable. I'm curious to see what the coaching staff does when vets become healthy again. I am hoping they just become healthy scratches, but we will see.

 

[rhef3]

Only a matter of time till Howard gets hurt, seems to be a yearly cycle that he plays lights out hockey, gets hurt, then sucks when he comes back.

 

[ridilon]

Honestly who cares where we finish this year? Statistically speaking we are unlikely to garner the 1st pick regardless. Our future success depends on 5 kids in GR right now. And probably more specifically 3 of those 5. Veleno as a legit #2 C, Seider as a top pair D and by far the most important prospect Larsson as a replacement for Howard.

If anyone watched and listened closely to the Montreal game on FSD Keating asked Ozzie why Montreal would give Price an 8 year extension at age 31? Chris had a simple reply - you cannot find good goalies, let alone franchise goalies, on the open market. Once a team gets one they hold on to them forever. We have seen nothing but a litany of 2nd tier Gs from MacDonald to McCollum to Mrazek and now Bernier over Howard's tenure.

#1 pick would not be a shut down goalie anyhow. So what difference does it make what pick we have? Mantha was 20th, Hronek 53rd, Bert 58th, Howard 64th and Larkin 15th. Easily our 5 best players.

 

[Roomba With a Bauer]

Question: if the Wings are bad enough to luck into the #1 pick, would anyone be willing to trade it for an established first-pair defenseman? Essentially trading LaFreniere for a top-pair D?

What if Veleno/Rasmussen/Zadina/Svechnikov all take the right steps and it looks like we are decently set at F?

 

[FMichael]

Honestly who cares where we finish this year? Statistically speaking we are unlikely to garner the 1st pick regardless. Our future success depends on 5 kids in GR right now. And probably more specifically 3 of those 5. Veleno as a legit #2 C, Seider as a top pair D and by far the most important prospect Larsson as a replacement for Howard.

If anyone watched and listened closely to the Montreal game on FSD Keating asked Ozzie why Montreal would give Price an 8 year extension at age 31? Chris had a simple reply - you cannot find good goalies, let alone franchise goalies, on the open market. Once a team gets one they hold on to them forever. We have seen nothing but a litany of 2nd tier Gs from MacDonald to McCollum to Mrazek and now Bernier over Howard's tenure.

#1 pick would not be a shut down goalie anyhow. So what difference does it make what pick we have? Mantha was 20th, Hronek 53rd, Bert 58th, Howard 64th and Larkin 15th. Easily our 5 best players.

To add...

We don't want, nor should we expect the Wings to tank...Players/coaches/mgt all want to win...Last thing we need is a losing culture/attitude in the locker room...If we miss the playoffs, but compete hard - so be it...Just need a lil'luv from the Hockey Gods next spring for the draft lotto.

 

[FMichael]

Question: if the Wings are bad enough to luck into the #1 pick, would anyone be willing to trade it for an established first-pair defenseman? Essentially trading LaFreniere for a top-pair D?

What if Veleno/Rasmussen/Zadina/Svechnikov all take the right steps and it looks like we are decently set at F?

This is where Yzerman earns his $$$...A crystal ball would be nice too.

I know this was many moons ago, but your post reminds me of Alex Daigle, and what both the Habs, and Nords were willing to part with for that 1st overall pick that the Sens had...Truth be told - I remember reading 'The Hockey News', and thinking that I'd make this trade with Quebec - if I recall - players rumored that could be part of the package were a mix of Sundin/Sakic/Nolan/Forsberg/Hextall/Foote/1st round picks.

Most of the guys rumored were already star caliber players at the NHL level.

Sens could've won multiple Cups...

 

[ShelbyZ]

This is where Yzerman earns his $$$...A crystal ball would be nice too.

I know this was many moons ago, but your post reminds me of Alex Daigle, and what both the Habs, and Nords were willing to part with for that 1st overall pick that the Sens had...Truth be told - I would've made that trade with Quebec - if I recall - players rumored that could be part of the package were a mix of Sundin/Sakic/Nolan/Forsberg/Hextall/Foote/1st round picks.

Most of the guys rumored were already star caliber players at the NHL level.

Sens could've won multiple Cups...

And really the only reason Quebec had such a package to offer was because they were on the other side of a similar trade a year earlier, which ended up winning them multiple Cups. I still think a #88 banner in Nordiques guise needs to hang from the Avs rafters...

 

[Retire91]

I think it's just a product of a first unit starting to solidify. I think the team will be streaky depending on their ups and downs of course. I don't see the top line maintaining this pace the entire season.

I just hope that no matter what happens we get good results in the lottery. This team needs top 5 pick talent (hopefully some top 3 pick talent) for the future. We gave up our top 5 window initially because of the pursuit of the streak and then after the streak, expansion teams pushed us another slot backwards when we finally did the bottom.

In the mean time enjoy a glimpse of the future, Holland's team did pull some gems in the draft. But still gonna be streaky no way this team performs with no depth.

 

[TheMule93]

To add...

We don't want, nor should we expect the Wings to tank...Players/coaches/mgt all want to win...Last thing we need is a losing culture/attitude in the locker room...If we miss the playoffs, but compete hard - so be it...Just need a lil'luv from the Hockey Gods next spring for the draft lotto.

Yzerman engineered this team to tank. Yes, we should expect them to suck. He took an awful team last year, added a few nobody veterans on short term deals, and sent all our young guys to GR.

 

[FMichael]

And really the only reason Quebec had such a package to offer was because they were on the other side of a similar trade a year earlier, which ended up winning them multiple Cups. I still think a #88 banner in Nordiques guise needs to hang from the Avs rafters...

lol - that would be fitting.

And yeah - I recall Quebec was in need for a Francophone star, and wanted Daigle so badly...Wonder how things would've ended up had they, or Montreal gone thru with the trade, and handing over all those assets?

 

[FMichael]

Yzerman engineered this team to tank. Yes, we should expect them to suck. He took an awful team last year, added a few nobody veterans on short term deals, and sent all our young guys to GR.

Seems like rivals such as Edmonton/Ottawa/NJ appear to welcome their place in the basement more often than not.

I don't want that to be tolerated on the Wings.

 

[LarKing]

The team is definitely trying to win and make the playoffs out there. I think Howard gets hurt or the first line cools off (it will at some point, question is how much). The defense will ensure we're not a great team. Also, playing Bernier every other game helps the tank as well.

 

[Retire91]

I think there is a difference between being in the basement as part of a plan executed by a competent GM vs. being in the basement because your team's management has no idea what they are doing and their garbage decisions trickle down. I think you just need to look at Tampa to see which kind of GM we have. What would be the point of adding mid-level veteran UFA's to not suck? It doesn't open up a cup window and all it does is screw our draft position. You saw what that did to the team already because it's exactly what Holland did. I recommend some patience and let Yerman do his job.

There were a couple of UFA and trades over the offseason it would have been nice to see come our way but if you look at Yzerman's trade history he has some great trades and signings, I doubt those opportunites slipped by him. Either it cost to much or it wasn't in his plan. Or they got by him, he's human, and he will figure something else out. Dude has been here one off season lol

In the meantime enjoy a preview of what the team is capable of.