Wings sign MSU’s Taro Hirose

Mister Ed

Registered User
Dec 21, 2008
5,254
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Assigning both directly to the NHL is one of the most pro-tank things I’ve seen this franchise do to date (no disrespect to these kids).

I mean Dekeyser, when he was signed, was sent right to Detroit, too.
 

ShelbyZ

Registered User
Apr 8, 2015
3,799
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So who is sitting once they come aboard?????
Honestly...who cares?

Send Zadina down, and Ehn. Let them get ready for the playoffs.

Let the new guys show what they got...then go to the AHL playoffs.

I think VGS has the answer, except for Kuffner and Hirose going to the AHL playoffs.

-Ehn is currently up on emergency recall because the team has 11 healthy forwards without Larkin, and I guess Witkowski counts a Dman... Ehn has to go back down as soon they have another healthy forward (Kuffner and Hirose count), unless they want to keep him up and burn one of their 2 remaining call ups.

-Unless he doesn't play for some reason, Zadina will be going back down after tomorrow nights game so he doesn't burn an ELC year as planned. I'm assuming since the Wings are willingly sending Zadina back, the use of emergency recall would look a little funny to the league and they'd either have to burn a call up on a forward, or dress Witkowski (had they not brought Kuffner and Hirose straight to the NHL).

With Ehn and Zadina back in GR, the Wings have 10 healthy forwards (not counting Witkowski), so Kuffner and Hirose can both dress. When Larkin gets back it'll be 11, so Kuffner and Hirose can alternate between dressing in that #12 spot or hanging out in the pressbox to eat some nachos with Witkowski, or enjoy some devils lettuce with Bowey. :sarcasm:

Bringing those guys straight to the NHL to finish the year is a pretty savvy move by Holland. Being able to skate in the NHL and collect NHL paychecks for the remaining 15% of the season (likely close to or well over $100k, on top of whatever signing bonus they likely have) probably helped get them signed. The bonus for the team is that they now don't have to burn their call ups to replace Zadina, which leaves them with some flexibility to get a look at a couple of guys in GR (maybe Hicketts, Sulak, Turgeon, Svechnikov, Smith, or even Rybar?) before the year ends.

Good deal.

I'll be at the game tomorrow, so hopefully I'll get to see Kuffner in the line-up.
 

ShelbyZ

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Apr 8, 2015
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Different situation. Our #6D that year was Lashoff, Huskins, and a bunch of other bums. We were fairly desperate for an upgrade and DeKeyser was pursued by a bunch of teams.

The other thing with DeKeyser was that with the weird pushed back lockout shortened year, the end of the college season came before the NHL trade deadline, so those college free agents could be added to the team and be eligible for the playoffs.

DeKeyser was also pretty much the #1 college free agent available, ranked just under Schultz when teams thought he might sign in the summer of 2012, and then at the top when he signed with the Wings. Not guaranteeing him an NHL spot was probably a good way to get his agent to simply hang up the phone.

But yea, having an injury riddled mostly garbage blueline the year he signed was no doubt a factor as well...
 
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kook10

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Jun 27, 2011
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Perfect opportunity to showcase a couple of cheap pickups and maybe add some asset value to them.
 

TheOtherOne

Registered User
Jan 2, 2010
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I hope he can become the second greatest Taro of all time.

I'm sorry if someone already made this joke.
 

lilidk

Registered User
Mar 4, 2008
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all due respect to hirose i highly doubt it. gaudreau was drafted before his freshman year at boston college and he averaged 1.0 ppg and averaged 2.0 ppg in his junior year. hirose's highest ppg was 1.39.
So, we got Gaudreau light for free , not bad . I think we going to love this kid
 

Obe2kenobe

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Mar 23, 2014
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It'd be awesome if the Wings could have gotten Troy Loggins from NMU. Not only because it'd be a homer signing for me..but he's pretty damn good.

Another player from the wcha worth a look besides Loggins is
Diego Cuglietta from Lake Superior State. They are #1 and #2 in the nation in goals if I'm not mistaken. Cuglietta has a good all around game, good face off guy, hobey baker candidate captained Lake State to there best season in 20 + yrs. The homer in me would like to see someone give the kid a shot.
 

Oddbob

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Jan 21, 2016
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Not excited about either of these signings or any UFA college players for that matter. People bring up the hope they become like a Gaudreau or someone and maybe we get a steal that way. Problem with that, is Gaudreau went to college and his doing great, however, he was also drafted 1st. Most of the undrafted UFA college players don't become anything even decent. If they become 30 pt players, big deal, that isn't exciting, and before someone says no complaints to that, as we got them for free, non college NHL UFAs can also be brought in for free and put up 30 pts. Jimmy Vesey was the most recent big name, and he is a 30 pt player, so if that is roughly the best you get from college UFA's leaving it as something not too exciting. I have also seen in other thread, people bringing up, well look how good Justin Schultz is, but he too, was drafted. There aren't many really good ones that were both college UFA and never drafted.
 

newfy

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Jul 28, 2010
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Not excited about either of these signings or any UFA college players for that matter. People bring up the hope they become like a Gaudreau or someone and maybe we get a steal that way. Problem with that, is Gaudreau went to college and his doing great, however, he was also drafted 1st. Most of the undrafted UFA college players don't become anything even decent. If they become 30 pt players, big deal, that isn't exciting, and before someone says no complaints to that, as we got them for free, non college NHL UFAs can also be brought in for free and put up 30 pts. Jimmy Vesey was the most recent big name, and he is a 30 pt player, so if that is roughly the best you get from college UFA's leaving it as something not too exciting. I have also seen in other thread, people bringing up, well look how good Justin Schultz is, but he too, was drafted. There aren't many really good ones that were both college UFA and never drafted.

Vesey is looking like he'll be a 20 goal scorer. 20 goal scorer for free might not be super exciting but its a decent asset. Vesey could be part of a trade [package and have value
 

RabidBadger

Mazur detractors will look like dummies!
Sep 9, 2007
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Detroitish
Not excited about either of these signings or any UFA college players for that matter. People bring up the hope they become like a Gaudreau or someone and maybe we get a steal that way. Problem with that, is Gaudreau went to college and his doing great, however, he was also drafted 1st. Most of the undrafted UFA college players don't become anything even decent. If they become 30 pt players, big deal, that isn't exciting, and before someone says no complaints to that, as we got them for free, non college NHL UFAs can also be brought in for free and put up 30 pts. Jimmy Vesey was the most recent big name, and he is a 30 pt player, so if that is roughly the best you get from college UFA's leaving it as something not too exciting. I have also seen in other thread, people bringing up, well look how good Justin Schultz is, but he too, was drafted. There aren't many really good ones that were both college UFA and never drafted.

Vesey was drafted by Nashville, not sure if you were including him in the same category as Hirose. He was one of the guys who played in the NCAA until he could weasel out of his contract ala Blake Wheeler, Justin Schultz, Will Butcher.

Regardless, I'm with you on the sentiment that college Ufa players are generally not worth getting excited about. Torey Krug and Nate Schmidt are recent exceptions (yeah, Bozak), but it's rare to get a regular Nhl starter in this situation.
 
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Reddwit

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Feb 4, 2016
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Not excited about either of these signings or any UFA college players for that matter. People bring up the hope they become like a Gaudreau or someone and maybe we get a steal that way. Problem with that, is Gaudreau went to college and his doing great, however, he was also drafted 1st.

Anyone expecting him to be the next Gaudreau has no idea what they're talking about. Good thing 99% of people looking at NCAA UFAs don't expect them to be anything close to Johnny and recognize what a poor comparable he is to begin with. He was wildly talented and amazingly undersized for what was still a heavy NHL at the time and yet was still drafted in the 4th round despite weighing about as much as a female high school freshman.

Most of the undrafted UFA college players don't become anything even decent. If they become 30 pt players, big deal, that isn't exciting, and before someone says no complaints to that, as we got them for free, non college NHL UFAs can also be brought in for free and put up 30 pts.

There are these other things called money, potential, and rights. Signing a non-college UFA who put up 30 points costs a lot more than $925k these days. Said player is also going to be a lot older than 22/23 and without much room to grow. And college UFAs don't stay UFAs. When their entry level deals expire, the signing team is still left with their RFA rights.

Also, points aren't everything. The NCAA system focuses on completeness of character and many of the guys signed out of there are signed for their leadership/character and complete game.

Jimmy Vesey was the most recent big name, and he is a 30 pt player, so if that is roughly the best you get from college UFA's leaving it as something not too exciting.

You go on this rant about how guys like Gaudreau and Schultz aren't comparable, then bring up Vesey? Vesey was taken in the 3rd round and famously stuck around in the NCAA so he could defect from Nashville, a la Schultz. That's why you think he was the most recent big name.

Also, Vesey is on pace for 40+ points and has a shot at 20 goals. Getting a guy like that without wasting any development efforts, draft picks, or trade assets is a big win. Teams would happily give up a 2nd rounder for a guy like that.

I have also seen in other thread, people bringing up, well look how good Justin Schultz is, but he too, was drafted. There aren't many really good ones that were both college UFA and never drafted.

The real most recent "big" names were the likes of ZAR and Caggiula, who were both valued for things other than points. Both would be the Wings most physical regular while having the skill and two-way play to play in the middle six and fill out the PK. I'd happily take a free vintage Helm/Abby. Or an Iafallo. Or a Pionk. Or even a Stecher.
 

lilidk

Registered User
Mar 4, 2008
9,592
3,426
Kid has good hands, nice skating ability, hockey iq ,can be magical. His defensive game something he needs to work on .
 

Invictus12

Registered User
Aug 1, 2010
3,722
208
New York
Vesey was drafted by Nashville, not sure if you were including him in the same category as Hirose. He was one of the guys who played in the NCAA until he could weasel out of his contract ala Blake Wheeler, Justin Schultz, Will Butcher.

Regardless, I'm with you on the sentiment that college Ufa players are generally not worth getting excited about. Torey Krug and Nate Schmidt are recent exceptions (yeah, Bozak), but it's rare to get a regular Nhl starter in this situation.

While all true, you get pretty much the same odds from a late first and we get excited about those. All in all, these kids are older and its probably easier to tell where they stand as far as their future goes. So, we can pretty much consider it a 2nd round pick landing in our lap...
 

Henkka

Registered User
Jan 31, 2004
31,077
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Tampere, Finland
While all true, you get pretty much the same odds from a late first and we get excited about those. All in all, these kids are older and its probably easier to tell where they stand as far as their future goes. So, we can pretty much consider it a 2nd round pick landing in our lap...

TOP 10 in total points from 2014 draft:

1. Draisaitl, 296p (1st rounder)
2. Pastrnak, 269p (1st rounder)
3. Larkin, 202p (1st rounder)
4. Reinhart, 198p (1st rounder)
5. Ehlers, 195p (1st rounder)
6. Point, 192p (3rd round pick)
7. Arvidsson, 178p (4th round pick)
8. Ekblad, 167p (1st rounder)
9. W.Nylander, 156p (1st rounder)
10. Sam Bennett, 115p (1st rounder)

63 players have scored a point in NHL from 2014 draft.

70 skaters + 3 goalies have played at least 1 NHL game.

So there's ~2 rounds of drafted players, who have managed to enter the league before these Kuffners and Hiroses jumped in. Low 2nd and high 3rd, that's the level now.
 
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newfy

Registered User
Jul 28, 2010
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One game but I liked him.. looked dangerous on the PP and his assist was pretty nice. One game though so we'll see how it goes
 

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