yzerman presser 2:30 today

[FMichael]

Yzerman was a whiner in his younger years. And he was already captain. Paul Stewart was a very respected official, but even he is probably exaggerating here. And Shanahan, well, he didn't play with Stevie in his younger, whinier years, so the hell does he know. He's the kinda character guy to defend his teammate though, so no surprise. In the end, Yzerman had a lot of growing pains in terms of leadership, which is not the least bit surprising when you're talking about a 19+ year old captaining an Original 6 NHL franchise in the 80s. I mean, I can't even imagine. But some people seem to believe that Yzerman was this consummate professional from the beginning. He definitely was not. Larkin, at this point and in terms of leadership, is way ahead of Yzerman when he was named captain.

Indeed.

I can't imagine what it was like for Yzerman being the C, and having to answer to the new owners.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Yzerman was a whiner in his younger years. And he was already captain. Paul Stewart was a very respected official, but even he is probably exaggerating here. And Shanahan, well, he didn't play with Stevie in his younger, whinier years, so the hell does he know. He's the kinda character guy to defend his teammate though, so no surprise. In the end, Yzerman had a lot of growing pains in terms of leadership, which is not the least bit surprising when you're talking about a 19+ year old captaining an Original 6 NHL franchise in the 80s. I mean, I can't even imagine. But some people seem to believe that Yzerman was this consummate professional from the beginning. He definitely was not. Larkin, at this point and in terms of leadership, is way ahead of Yzerman when he was named captain.

This is all true, however it is hard to directly compare a top-5 pick who scored over a PPG in his first two seasons to a mid 1st rounder who hasn't eclipsed the PPG mark in his career, yet.

I understand that the Wings can't keep playing without a captain in perpetuity till they find the perfect guy, but in my opinion Larkin has a lot of work to do to earn that C, assuming he gets it.

 

[jaster]

This is all true, however it is hard to directly compare a top-5 pick who scored over a PPG in his first two seasons to a mid 1st rounder who hasn't eclipsed the PPG mark in his career, yet.

I understand that the Wings can't keep playing without a captain in perpetuity till they find the perfect guy, but in my opinion Larkin has a lot of work to do to earn that C, assuming he gets it.

There's a lot of context needed to make the comparison, no doubt (as for points though, the 80s were higher scoring, as you know.... though to your point, Yzerman did rank higher in league scoring than Larkin has).

Just curious though, what is it you'd argue Larkin needs to do yet, to earn the C?

 

[Retire91]

How long are you prepared to live without a captain then? Potential HOF is a mighty high bar.

Really potential HOF isn't that high of a bar to me, I mean you can catch a glimpse of a young star and make an educated assessment that they could "potentially" have a HOF career. I don't personally see Larkin fitting the bar and I also think he is highly skilled but not so high in that he is not going to easily end up off the top line once top talent starts arriving. This is not an incitement of his skill, not at all I fully appreciate Larkin as a player I just don't want to see the C end up in dispute which is potentially harmful to the locker room. People can spout professionalism all day long but in the end many and most of us are only human and having the C given to someone else can have a real consequence. The one I most clearly remember was Patrick Marleau

Edit: I realize I did not answer your question lolz. I am prepared to wait until there is clearly a captain on the team that can be captain for the foreseeable future and will likely not have to have his captaincy stripped away from him because a clearer choice has arrived. If that takes 1 year 2 years 3 years I don't care. I don't see it taking more than 3 years though. I don't think this team is experiencing anything now or 3 years from now that a lack of a captain is a negative. It's better to tell Larkin you are not the captain, then to tell him you are the captain until a better option arrives.

 

[Retire91]

I never bought this argument.

If Larkin is a good Captain, he can stay Captain.

If someone comes along who makes a better Captain, the brass should be professional enough to explain the situation to Larkin, and as a professional adult he can understand and get over it.

If he is butthurt because he thought he was owed the position in perpetuity, then he needs to figure out how to mature as a person and get over it. People get passed over all the time. Old guys take a back seat to better young guys. The world turns. That doesn't mean we have to treat these people like snowflakes.

Have a grownup conversation, do what needs to be done, and move on.

I totally disagree but also totally understand your opinion.

You seem to have some general openness to someone like Glendenning. I think I can meet you on a plan like that.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

There's a lot of context needed to make the comparison, no doubt (as for points though, the 80s were higher scoring, as you know.... though to your point, Yzerman did rank higher in league scoring than Larkin has).

Just curious though, what is it you'd argue Larkin needs to do yet, to earn the C?

There aren't really any specific demands that I have, other than him cutting out the diving act. But since I haven't really felt a "leadership" vibe from him yet, it is hard to say exactly what would win me over, as leadership comes in many forms.

Regardless, Yzerman and Larkin's teammates would know if he is captain material better than myself, and I am sure all have had their say in the process. If he gets it then I won't be arguing he doesn't "deserve" it.

 

[MBH]

Yzerman was a whiner in his younger years. And he was already captain. Paul Stewart was a very respected official, but even he is probably exaggerating here. And Shanahan, well, he didn't play with Stevie in his younger, whinier years, so the hell does he know. He's the kinda character guy to defend his teammate though, so no surprise. In the end, Yzerman had a lot of growing pains in terms of leadership, which is not the least bit surprising when you're talking about a 19+ year old captaining an Original 6 NHL franchise in the 80s. I mean, I can't even imagine. But some people seem to believe that Yzerman was this consummate professional from the beginning. He definitely was not. Larkin, at this point and in terms of leadership, is way ahead of Yzerman when he was named captain.

Yzerman threw a f***ing fit in the 2002 Olympics.

CBC feed focused more on Yzerman's reaction

 

[Oddbob]

At this point I hope they decide not to make Larkin Captain. He's not elite. Last season he definitely took backseat a lot of nights to Bert for on ice leadership. And honestly "he's from Detroit" angle doesn't really ring true for me.

Are you for real? Bertuzzi takes quite a few nights off, where as Larkin busts his ass every night. Bertuzzi is great when he is on, but he and Mantha both take nights off.

 

[MBH]

Are you for real? Bertuzzi takes quite a few nights off, where as Larkin busts his ass every night. Bertuzzi is great when he is on, but he and Mantha both take nights off.

I don't get that idea from Bertuzzi at all.

 

[Oddbob]

I don't get that idea from Bertuzzi at all.

There are nights where you don't notice that he did anything of note, where as I never see that from Larkin.

 

[MBH]

There are nights where you don't notice that he did anything of note, where as I never see that from Larkin.

Guys who can't skate like Larkin have a harder time standing out.
The one thing I would say about Bertuzzi is that he's nowhere near as physical as i thought he'd be. He just plays a solid, solid game. Has good hands and knows where to go.

 

[Dotter]

Well, just to be a bit more complete
Dennis Polonich
Danny Grant
Dan Maloney
Dennis Hextall
Nick Libett
Dennis Hextall
Dale McCourt
Errol Thompson
Danny Gare
Steve Yzerman
Nick Lidstrom
Danny Dekeyser**

** didn't actually happen.

Zetterberg?

 

[Shaman464]

Are you for real? Bertuzzi takes quite a few nights off, where as Larkin busts his ass every night. Bertuzzi is great when he is on, but he and Mantha both take nights off.

Not sure where you got this, but, Bert was the hardest working forward last year by a fair bit. Larkin took a lot of nights off.

 

[Gniwder]

Not sure where you got this, but, Bert was the hardest working forward last year by a fair bit. Larkin took a lot of nights off.

I think whatever injury Larkin had early season was bothering him the whole season. He didn't look right. Same with AA, not that we care anymore.

Bertuzzi was the only forward with any talent that managed to stay healthy the whole season.

Also, the whole team gave up on a few games because of Howard. Howard should not have been playing at all except B2B games, and that's on the coach.

 

[jaster]

No player on last year's team didn't have stretches where they were not giving 100%, and given the context around last year's Wings team, it's not the least bit surprising. Between Larkin and Bertuzzi, who worked harder? Who took more nights off? Who the eff really cares? I mean, Bertuzzi probably had more stretches of just.... being there. But both have a good work ethic and compete level overall. Does anyone doubt these two players will be working their asses off consistently when this team isn't getting blown out 2 out of 3 games and regularly allowing 3 goal bunches in like 2 minutes of game time?

Only Wings player who is lazy is AA, so hopefully he'll be gone soo- oh, wait.

 

[WingsMJN2965]

Seider being captain is a joke. He hasn't played a single game in the NHL. You can't name someone a captain before they've paid their dues. That would lose the entire locker room and tick off guys like Larkin and Bertuzzi.

Not to mention you just don't put leadership responsibilities on a 20 year old kid trying to figure out how to play in the NHL...

 

[FMichael]

There are nights where you don't notice that he did anything of note, where as I never see that from Larkin.

What I tend to notice is that lil’Bert doesn’t seem to be as feisty as he was a few seasons ago.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Seider being captain is a joke. He hasn't played a single game in the NHL. You can't name someone a captain before they've paid their dues. That would lose the entire locker room and tick off guys like Larkin and Bertuzzi.

I'm not sure anyone is serious about saying Seider should be named captain before even stepping foot in the NHL, but the only reason he hasn't played in the NHL is covid. He will likely be one of our best players day 1 when he comes in and he's a leadership type player and person and seems to be a favorite of the coaches' he's had. The timing may not be right and I understand if Yzerman doesn't want to wait, but Seider would be a great choice for C.

 

[Hen Kolland]

I'm not sure anyone is serious about saying Seider should be named captain before even stepping foot in the NHL, but the only reason he hasn't played in the NHL is covid. He will likely be one of our best players day 1 when he comes in and he's a leadership type player and person and seems to be a favorite of the coaches' he's had. The timing may not be right and I understand if Yzerman doesn't want to wait, but Seider would be a great choice for C.

Seider needs time to earn the respect and position in the locker room before he even gets considered for a letter. Think about how many people don’t think Larkin has earned the captaincy as he’s ready to enter the 6th season.

Keep in mind, when he gets to Detroit, he will be walking into Dylan Larkin’s Red Wings team. Larkin has earned the respect in the locker room. He has taken the leadership role as the face of the locker room facing the media on a nightly basis. That’s not something that’s going to turn off like a light switch and all the sudden Seider is the man.

Larkin IS the captain of the team, whether you put the letter on him or not.

 

[jkutswings]

Seider needs time to earn the respect and position in the locker room before he even gets considered for a letter. Think about how many people don’t think Larkin has earned the captaincy as he’s ready to enter the 6th season.

Keep in mind, when he gets to Detroit, he will be walking into Dylan Larkin’s Red Wings team. Larkin has earned the respect in the locker room. He has taken the leadership role as the face of the locker room facing the media on a nightly basis. That’s not something that’s going to turn off like a light switch and all the sudden Seider is the man.

Larkin IS the captain of the team, whether you put the letter on him or not.

I agree with the majority of your post, but it's also not as if any current player with a letter should feel threatened in any way by an influx of talent that also merits consideration for a letter.

If guys on this roster are willing to get caught up in "Team Larkin vs Team Seider", then maybe they don't belong here to begin with. Just let the guys join the club when they're ready, and how they conduct themselves on the ice will sort everything out one way or another.

 

[Ezekial]

Not enough players to form a German Mafia.

 

[Gniwder]

Only Wings player who is lazy is AA, so hopefully he'll be gone soo- oh, wait.

There were a whole bunch of players last year with lackluster effort, some of them are gone (AA, Abby, Ericsson, Daley, Perlini, Green) and a few still remain (Nielsen, Erne, Flip).

We tend to equate effort with scoring, if we're truly just judging on effort, I think Helm was still the hardest working Wing on the ice.

 

[Oddbob]

There were a whole bunch of players last year with lackluster effort, some of them are gone (AA, Abby, Ericsson, Daley, Perlini, Green) and a few still remain (Nielsen, Erne, Flip).

We tend to equate effort with scoring, if we're truly just judging on effort, I think Helm was still the hardest working Wing on the ice.

It is why I always hate when Helm was getting lumped in with Abby and a few others. He plays hard every night, even when he comes back from injuries like he has done many times.

 

[Gniwder]

It is why I always hate when Helm was getting lumped in with Abby and a few others. He plays hard every night, even when he comes back from injuries like he has done many times.

He's overpaid and always slotted above his playing level. He's a hard working bottom 6, if he was paid like LGD, nobody would be complaining. It's not like the cap space matters right now though, Chris isn't spending this season.

I don't want him back, he's obviously slowing down a bit and without speed, he's nothing. I'll miss all his breakaways.

Edit: Breakaway chances, lol.

 

[WingsMJN2965]

Just got a chance to watch this. I like the Red Wings/Michigan hat... It's almost like Steve knows where this season is headed and who's on top of the 2021 draft class.