Confirmed with Link: Wings sign (D) Libor Sulak

[Winger98]

Eh, the difference in size is more than marginal. When you consider that Sulak has superior mobility you realize you are looking at two very different players. This is not to say that Sulak is better at everything (I think Russo actually manages the puck better from what I have seen). Russo is a career AHLer because he doesn't move well enough for his size and is somewhat slow to close gaps in the defensive zone. Sulak brings a totally different bag of issues (i.e. decision making with the puck) to the table.

Depending on where you look, it seems the difference in size is a couple of inches and ten pounds. Unless Russo was a midget, that doesn't really bother me.

I just don't see an NHLer in Sulak, at least nothing really above what I think Russo could have held down (3rd pair). They have different strengths and weaknesses, but you're still looking at a depth guy/AHLer.

 

[Frk It]

I've always overlooked him because I just assumed he was a depth signing, but I would be willing to give him a shot.

We should be trying different guys out this year with the trash we ice on the back end.

 

[Henkka]

I've always overlooked him because I just assumed he was a depth signing, but I would be willing to give him a shot.

We should be trying different guys out this year with the trash we ice on the back end.

Yep.

But as for now, I maximum callup for the season start through Franzen LTIR is everybody under 682 500 dollar caphit.

Those players are:

LW Chris Terry 675k
D Jake Chelios 650k
D Dylan McIlrath 650k
D Brian Lashoff 650k
C Wade Megan 650k
D Joe Hicketts 635k

So pretty much the technical season start will happen with Chris Terry on the roster to maximize the LTIR usage, then sending him down at 1st day and only reasonable callup is = Hicketts of that group.

(if they waive Frk, that changes possibilities...)

 

[Air Budd Dwyer]

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/2018/08/16/detroit-red-wings-defense-verge-overhaul-talent-way/1010936002

“There are guys certainly who have put themselves in positions to potentially win jobs. Filip Hronek, Sulak, Cholowski, Hicketts — all those guys have put themselves in position to win jobs.“

I’m surprised he’s being mentioned multiple times as someone who could make the team out of camp this year, especially by Blashill above.

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/2018/08/16/detroit-red-wings-defense-verge-overhaul-talent-way/1010936002

“There are guys certainly who have put themselves in positions to potentially win jobs. Filip Hronek, Sulak, Cholowski, Hicketts — all those guys have put themselves in position to win jobs.“

I’m surprised he’s being mentioned multiple times as someone who could make the team out of camp this year, especially by Blashill above.

Yeah, there is a huge difference between "Could make the team out of camp" and "Is definitely better than 50% of our current defense" though.

 

[Winger98]

Yeah, there is a huge difference between "Could make the team out of camp" and "Is definitely better than 50% of our current defense" though.

As well as the next line in the article from Kulfan about how six spots appear to already be set. So, these three guys have put themselves into position to be the seventh D.

 

[Henkka]

As well as the next line in the article from Kulfan about how six spots appear to already be set. So, these three guys have put themselves into position to be the seventh D.

Still a very long way to go to get a full healthy Top6 for the October 4th.

 

[Winger98]

Still a very long way to go to get a full healthy Top6 for the October 4th.

and at that point we're back to camp being largely meaningless in the sense of guys earning a spot from someone because they aren't taking someone's job, they waiting for enough injuries to pile up to get to them in the pecking order.

 

[Henkka]

and at that point we're back to camp being largely meaningless in the sense of guys earning a spot from someone because they aren't taking someone's job, they waiting for enough injuries to pile up to get to them in the pecking order.

Camp it's not meaningless. You have to push the veteran for retirement. If you are not better, in Griffins you go. You have TO EARN THE SPOT, to be BETTER than one of the WORST guys in league-worst defence, right?

If you aren't better than worst defencemen inn league-worst defence, YOU ARE NOT NHL READY.

Camp sets the callup order. Better you are, faster you are up than another kid.


Pre-season is nowadays most fun to watch when they have those split teams.

 

[Heaton]

Camp it's not meaningless. You have to push the veteran for retirement. If you are not better, in Griffins you go. You have TO EARN THE SPOT, to be BETTER than one of the WORST guys in league-worst defence, right?

If you aren't better than worst defencemen inn league-worst defence, YOU ARE NOT NHL READY.

Camp sets the callup order. Better you are, faster you are up than another kid.


Pre-season is nowadays most fun to watch when they have those split teams.

It really would be awesome if things were as fair as what you're painting here.

 

[Winger98]

Camp it's not meaningless. You have to push the veteran for retirement. If you are not better, in Griffins you go. You have TO EARN THE SPOT, to be BETTER than one of the WORST guys in league-worst defence, right?

If you aren't better than worst defencemen inn league-worst defence, YOU ARE NOT NHL READY.

Camp sets the callup order. Better you are, faster you are up than another kid.

Pre-season is nowadays most fun to watch when they have those split teams.

This is not the same as this:

Still a very long way to go to get a full healthy Top6 for the October 4th.

You're not saying anything here about guys earning their spot because they are better than anyone. You're saying that, hey, someone will get hurt and then they'll get a look.

And camp doesn't set the call-up order, I'm not even sure play in GR does or Hronek would have gotten a look before Hicketts at the end of the season. This whole "come to camp and earn a spot" is a crock when you have to add the qualifier that you're only earning the spot if someone else gets hurt first.

 

[Winger98]

It really would be awesome if things were as fair as what you're painting here.

It would be nice if it had any basis in reality. There's a reason the Wings talk more about Rasmussen having to go back to juniors if he isn't on the roster than about how he's "ready" or has "earned" it, and that they were pushing the Zadina to GR thing five months before camp opened. Outside of a an epic amount of injuries forcing their hand, the Wings know where they are putting guys and roughly for how long, and they've known it for months. Training camp is a dog and pony show.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

It would be nice if it had any basis in reality. There's a reason the Wings talk more about Rasmussen having to go back to juniors if he isn't on the roster than about how he's "ready" or has "earned" it, and that they were pushing the Zadina to GR thing five months before camp opened. Outside of a an epic amount of injuries forcing their hand, the Wings know where they are putting guys and roughly for how long, and they've known it for months. Training camp is a dog and pony show.

Maybe.... We have seen guys like Larkin buck this though. I think they have plans but I don't think you can say they are completely inflexible. If somebody is ready they are ready. We are picking higher so the talent is a little more ready. If Zadina looks like a top 6 contributor he will be up. I think the plan is to get him going in the AHL, do the WJC and make a decision where to put him after the New Year. But with Z likely retiring he has a huge chance of starting now in my opinion with a good camp.

I just posted this in his thread but he also shows good practice habits which is big for guys that are going to jump early. It is something they talk about with Larkin and Rasmussen as well.

Sulak needs to look a lot more comfortable on the small ice this year. He was brutal in training camp last year, I think he was the guy I was most disappointed with organizationally. To the point I was basically like I don't understand this signing at all last fall. But he was impressive in Europe and I liked his World Championships. I know Finland has smaller ice than most of Europe but still he needs to look better in North America this year. He has some tools, but he needed to process the game a lot faster last pre-season. Hopefully he has made that adjustment.

 

[Winger98]

Maybe.... We have seen guys like Larkin buck this though. I think they have plans but I don't think you can say they are completely inflexible. If somebody is ready they are ready. We are picking higher so the talent is a little more ready. If Zadina looks like a top 6 contributor he will be up. I think the plan is to get him going in the AHL, do the WJC and make a decision where to put him after the New Year. But with Z likely retiring he has a huge chance of starting now in my opinion with a good camp.

I just posted this in his thread but he also shows good practice habits which is big for guys that are going to jump early. It is something they talk about with Larkin and Rasmussen as well.

Sulak needs to look a lot more comfortable on the small ice this year. He was brutal in training camp last year, I think he was the guy I was most disappointed with organizationally. To the point I was basically like I don't understand this signing at all last fall. But he was impressive in Europe and I liked his World Championships. I know Finland has smaller ice than most of Europe but still he needs to look better in North America this year. He has some tools, but he needed to process the game a lot faster last pre-season. Hopefully he has made that adjustment.

Zadina getting a shot because Zetterberg retires is essentially the same as getting his shot if Nielsen breaks his leg, though. And if Z is going to sit it out this year, I'm betting the Wings know who they want to fill that spot and it will take a lot for it to change. My guess is that they'd want Zadina, and it won't matter if Holmstrom has a better camp as long as Zadina doesn't look like a total clusterbomb out there.

This isn't a knock on Zadina or any other prospect, I just think this is how the Wings are doing business.

 

[Henkka]

This isn't a knock on Zadina or any other prospect, I just think this is how the Wings are doing business.

Sekera gets injured and Bear or Bouchard will get a chance.

It's how hockey teams work.

 

[Winger98]

Sekera gets injured and Bear or Bouchard will get a chance.

It's how hockey teams work.

heh, now folks are going to start holding up Edmonton as an example for how hockey organizations are supposed to be ran. I've been seeing the opposite argument for quite awhile, figure the wheel would come around on it.

That said, a blueline whose top6 point production was worse than our top6 point production maybe shouldn't be waiting for an injury to add a better player to their blueline. Though, hey, apparently we will be.

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

heh, now folks are going to start holding up Edmonton as an example for how hockey organizations are supposed to be ran. I've been seeing the opposite argument for quite awhile, figure the wheel would come around on it.

That said, a blueline whose top6 point production was worse than our top6 point production maybe shouldn't be waiting for an injury to add a better player to their blueline. Though, hey, apparently we will be.

No. No team should be run like Edmonton has been run.

Edmonton is a G'D embarrassment. For the sheer amount of draft capital they've had, the historical capital that they should have, and all of that, they are an embarrassment of a team.

I am legitimately pissed that a transcendent talent like Connor McDavid is going to piss away his entire career playing for absolutely nothing because they have no damn clue how to manage a roster.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

No. No team should be run like Edmonton has been run.

Edmonton is a G'D embarrassment. For the sheer amount of draft capital they've had, the historical capital that they should have, and all of that, they are an embarrassment of a team.

I am legitimately pissed that a transcendent talent like Connor McDavid is going to piss away his entire career playing for absolutely nothing because they have no damn clue how to manage a roster.

I am not sure they are doomed to failure. But it would be interesting if McDavid becomes a lot like Marcel Dionne because Edmonton cannot figure things out.

I wonder if the Canadian media would attack McDavid the same way they did Ovechkin for years if he cannot will Edmonton to a cup at some point. Though this is getting pretty off topic...

It will be interesting to see what they do with the back-end this year. I really do believe that if a couple prospects are ready Jensen will be shipped out for a pick, he has interest around the league according to those around the team. It is on Sulak to force him to be one of the odd men out.

 

[Pavels Dog]

My guess is that they'd want Zadina, and it won't matter if Holmstrom has a better camp as long as Zadina doesn't look like a total clusterbomb out there.

This isn't a knock on Zadina or any other prospect, I just think this is how the Wings are doing business.

If Holmstrom significantly outplays Zadina in prospect camp and training camp he would win the job most likely.

If it’s close, of course you give it to the highly promising top 10 pick over the struggling 7th rounder.

Training camp matters but it’s not all that matters.