Zetterberg's career is over... So Sad

[lomekian]

For one, it's not really all that much hindsight given I talked about it several years ago. Obviously I knew it'd never happen given this front office only admitted about 6 months ago that they're in a rebuilding scenario - smart fans noticed this over 5 years ago, even the dumbest fans probably about a year ago.

Secondly, the decision to trade someone is not derived from their current value but the value they have in relation to your team's ability to win a Cup. The Wings were not a Cup contender then and with their stars ageing and declining..they weren't really in position to be one again with their core (reality proved this quite convincingly as they didn't even get close to contending again).

Once they're no longer a contender, the smart team drops what they have of value for the current cycle and picks up stuff useful in the next cycle. Zetterberg was a very useful player then, so one could have gotten something useful in return. Useful not for 2012 or 2013, but useful for 2017, 2018 and so forth. What valuable thing did Wings fans or Wings stakeholders get between 2012 and 2018? Abysmal playoff failures? A slow but steady skid into terrible team territory? Rebuilding before it's obvious to even the last sentimentally attached fan out there gives you the distinct advantage of not wasting several years in no man's land while you're figuring out what to do. The Wings failed to do that, some fans knew it then, some fans still can barely accept it now. Sad.

Same smarter-than-thou nonsense this board has been full with for years. Trade either of the Eurotwins in 2011? Why the hell start a rebuild when you are still a contender?

In 2011-12, The wings had a roster with Lidstrom, peak Kronwall, Zetterberg, Datsyuk, peak Franzen, 66 point Filpulla, 50 point Hudler on an upward curve, Cleary & Bertuzzi still being useful, Stuart, pre injury Ericsson, Smith excelling in the AHL, Kindl still on his upward cure, Homer, Abby, Helm when he could still fly and crash and bang, Howard starting with 9.20 sv %, not to mention prospects like Nyquist, Tatar & Sheahan looking like good NHL prospects, Almqvist destroying junior D scoring records in Sweden, Pulks had gone PPG in Finland as a 19 year old, Mrazek had had a great junior season, Jensen having a great college season, Joakim Anderson about to go 0.75 ppg in the AHL as a checker, Emmerton was about to graduate to the NHL, Mursak had been great in the AHL and with no injuries, Jarnkrok was being touted as Zetterberg light, even mitch callahan had gone almost PPG in junior as an agitator & ferraro at that point looked a plausible NHL regular, and even Dick Axelsson was still a prospect with a future! On top of that they had just picked up Jurco who was putting up points for fun, Ouellet who was going to win Q defensman of the year, Sproul soon to win OHL d-man of the year, Backman as a regular in the SHL and even Marchenko!

The revisionists LOVE to say that they all knew long in advance that we needed to tear it down from years ago, but at the point in time raised, the wings were genuine cup contenders, were widely ranked at having a good prospect pipeline and everyone and his dog were calling Kenny a genius.

If you say 2015 or 2014 that you felt the direction should change, I'd believe you, but back in 2011 & 2012, the wings had a really good team. Not quite the level of 08 & 09, but still only one team in the NHL had more than 3 regular season points more than the wings, and Det was universally considered a contender. Plus they had a LOT of prospects people around the league rated.

The aging process and the odd injuries people could have predicted, but no-one could have forseen almost all the best prospects striking out badly, a number of strategically questionable trades and the team who had been so good in FA striking out a number of times.

I don't remember anyone in 2011 saying it was time start the rebuild...

 

[HIFE]

Most of us already sensed it but hearing confirmation is a punch in the gut. As frustrating as last season was I'm now really glad I watched almost every game and a good # of Z's PG interviews. No offense to Zadina but young dude has a LONG way to go to take the title of "Z" in my book...

 

[lomekian]

Anyway back on topic, having watched the wings since the early 90s, I'd put Z only behind Lidstrom, Yzerman, Federov & Dats from that era (and only beyond Feds & Dats in terms of out of your seat skill). He's definitely in the wings all time top 15, and has a good shout for being top 10, and the way he slowly subtly reinvented his game to become a pure playmaker when his shot and skating fell off badly, and they way he came back from his injury when we thought he might be done 2-3 years ago, and they way he made someone as brilliant as Crosby his bitch for a few years are all amazing things to remember him by. Its sad that missing out on Suter, some bad FA decisions and the failure of almost a decade of prospects to hit their potential stopped him being the captain for an unbeaten streak with more deep cup runs.

Sounds like he wants to stay in the area, and it seems the organisation may already be trying to find a way to keep him on board. Maybe as co assistant to Yzerman alongside Drapes? ;-)

 

[Hadoop]

Definitely a mixture of emotions after hearing the news.

- Relief that Zetterberg won't be jeopardizing his long-term health by playing another season
- Sadness from the fact that he's played his last game for the only NHL franchise he's ever been a part of
- Disappointment that he didn't totally retire on his own terms
- Gratitude that we were privileged to witness one of the contemporary greats put on the Winged wheel for 15 years, win our most recent Stanley Cup, and leave a legacy that surely will be headed to the Hall of Fame one day.

 

[Hadoop]

Well this is probably the closest thing we'll get to a presser for now. Not a lot of pomp and circumstance but watching the video you can clear see he spoke from the heart.

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

There's a new Z in town and if he turns out to be half as good as the old one, the Wings did well picking him 6th.

Oh man, that’s going to take some getting used to. People calling Zadina, ‘Z’.

 

[DeYarmond Edison]

Oh man, that’s going to take some getting used to. People calling Zadina, ‘Z’.

It’s “lil zee” or nothing. Calling him simply “Z” should be a fineable offense.

 

[dragonballgtz]

Won't lie, this doesn't hit me as hard as seeing Yzerman, Lidstrom, Fedorov, Shanny, Ozzy, Igor, Draper, McCarty, Maltby, Homer, Datsyuk retiring or leaving.

I soured on his leadership the last few years.

 

[meefer]

Hi folks, a Leafs fan just popping in to say sorry about HZ. A heck of a player over the years. I wish him and your team well. Cheers.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

I know that we knew this, but I am pretty gutted. One of the absolute beauties to come through this organization.

I look forward to him getting into the HHOF and I am very thankful for all the memories. Great to hear he is staying in Detroit.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Can someone explain to me the narrative of this conspiracy now that his yearly salary has dropped?

He's still going to get paid on LTIR unless he officially retires and ends his contract, which would screw the Wings with the recapture penalty. So he'll be getting his full contract no matter when he went on LTIR, right? What am I missing?


I would think having Blashill play him more than 19 minutes a night on a crapshow team was a bigger factor.

 

[RabidBadger]

#40 should go to the rafters without a doubt in my mind. His numbers compare favorably to some of the other Wings greats. Aside from that, there have been few players in the history of the sport that have performed at his level with the injury he had.

When he blew a disc in 2010, I thought, "he's done". Spinal decompression surgery is brutal and you're lucky to be able to walk, let alone play a sport. Part of the spine is ground away to alleviate the compression on the nerves.

That being said, I could never wrap my mind around people who questioned his performance post surgery. Most of us would be whizzing through a catheter and using a walker to hobble in that situation.

Z's career is beyond reproach and he is more than deserving of having his number in the rafters.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

It's so weird watching the stuff from last season. I didn't know that would be all the Zetterberg we would get. He played 82 games, so it didn't really come to mind.

 

[Toronto makebeleifs]

Figured I'd pop in and congratulate a legendary player on a HoF career. Such a beauty, sad to see him go, happy we don't have to play against him anymore haha

 

[Invictus12]

I think we all pretty much knew this was going to be the case for a while now. Can't say surprised but it is sad. The entire old core is gone and boy did they give us some amazing years. Great career and a great player that I wish I could go back and see all over again.

 

[kliq]

Can someone explain to me the narrative of this conspiracy now that his yearly salary has dropped?

He's still going to get paid on LTIR unless he officially retires and ends his contract, which would screw the Wings with the recapture penalty. So he'll be getting his full contract no matter when he went on LTIR, right? What am I missing?


I would think having Blashill play him more than 19 minutes a night on a crapshow team was a bigger factor.

You're missing nothing, as he is paid the same regardless of whether he plays or goes on LTIR. The only way there could be a "conspiracy" in this type of situation would be if the player retired right as their salary dropped which is not what happened here.

I guess that maybe if a players salary is higher, ownership COULD be more picky when it comes to pushing the player to recover, but I think that's a stretch.

 

[DeYarmond Edison]

Won't lie, this doesn't hit me as hard as seeing Yzerman, Lidstrom, Fedorov, Shanny, Ozzy, Igor, Draper, McCarty, Maltby, Homer, Datsyuk retiring or leaving.

I soured on his leadership the last few years.

I don’t understand this.. at all.. Igor? Maltby? Really? Homer? Lmao

Z will have his number retired. Datsyuk won’t. For good reason.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

You're missing nothing, as he is paid the same regardless of whether he plays or goes on LTIR. The only way there could be a "conspiracy" in this type of situation would be if the player retired right as their salary dropped which is not what happened here.

I guess that maybe if a players salary is higher, ownership COULD be more picky when it comes to pushing the player to recover, but I think that's a stretch.

Ok thanks. That's what I thought but so many people in the main forum are referring to his salary dropping.

 

[kliq]

Ok thanks. That's what I thought but so many people in the main forum are referring to his salary dropping.

Ya I have read that as well. Some people just don't understand the difference between salary and cap hit, and other's just love looking for conspiracies.

 

[dragonballgtz]

I don’t understand this.. at all.. Igor? Maltby? Really? Homer? Lmao

Z will have his number retired. Datsyuk won’t. For good reason.

Not sure how old you are but as a kid, growing up during the Yzerman era, I idolized all of the players of that time. The Russian 5, Grind Line, and all of the HOF that played during those years are legends to me. To see the Grind Line win one more SC together in 08 was freaking amazing.

 

[KJoe88]

Not sure how old you are but as a kid, growing up during the Yzerman era, I idolized all of the players of that time. The Russian 5, Grind Line, and all of the HOF that played during those years are legends to me. To see the Grind Line win one more SC together in 08 was freaking amazing.

And what did Z do to make you hate him?

How does a Wings fan ‘sour’ on the Captain like that. He’s been classy and a legend throughout his career

 

[SoupNazi]

This is great news. 1 more year and Kronwall is gone too thank goodness.

Yeah. His career ending this way is great news. Not.

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

I don’t understand this.. at all.. Igor? Maltby? Really? Homer? Lmao

Z will have his number retired. Datsyuk won’t. For good reason.

Datsyuk will absolutely have his number retired, and you're crazy if you believe otherwise. It may not be right away, but it'll absolutely happen.

 

[aar000n]

The only real question is when do we retire his number?

 

[One Blurred Eye]

And what did Z do to make you hate him?

How does a Wings fan ‘sour’ on the Captain like that. He’s been classy and a legend throughout his career

Being fair, Poster Dragonball never said he hated Z, just indicated less emotional attachment to him and made a broadshot at how he wielded the C, which is an interesting can of worms to explore. The smoke about some locker room discord the last two or three years has been a bit of a black mark on the leadership group as a whole, and something of an indignity for a franchise that had managed to avoid most of the tabloid crap since (I think) the Cujo V. Hasek days. Probably a bit unjust to hang it on Z when Yzerman (at the end of his career anyway) and Lidstrom didn't have to hold the broken halves of their ship together (with a busted back no less) the way Z had to. But class though he was, as great as he was on the ice, it's entirely plausible that he just wasn't great at building a sense of team unity, or pushing the right buttons in the locker room to get the players who have repeatedly frustrated us the last few years to buy-in to the Red Wing Way, or dispatching his lieutenants wisely to light strategic psychological fires under said players' asses when that was more appropriate. Maybe his physical problems took too much of a toll on his patience. Or perhaps, like coaches, where some are better at getting good teams to the next level, and others are better at getting raw talent to the next stage in their development, maybe Z just wasn't the right captain for the team he inherited? Of course it's also plausible he did everything a great captain could and blame resides entirely in lacking and more weakly-charactered players.

I'd err, as I think most of us would, more to the latter. But, not being privy to all that goes on behind the scenes, I can also understand how someone could conjure a less flattering narrative out of the limited facts with regard to how things crumbled here at the end. It often wasn't pretty. They obviously didn't have the talent to win many games, the coaching is often suspect as well, but too often it seemed as much a question of compete and drive as talent, and Hanks's evident and often loudly broadcasted frustrations didn't seem to provide remedy to that blight. It was maybe not completely unfair to wonder if his style was too one-note, if another tact might have been more effective in driving development of certain players, and so on.

But shrug. The time for that, if there ever was such, has passed. One the greatest to ever don the Wheel, one of the best of his generation. I salute his skill and passion, lament the manner in which his career comes to and end, but find I also have room to rejoice a little at the turning of a long and significant page in Red Wings' history.

 

[theYman]

Damn! Such a sad way to go. I hate it when players have to be forced to retire due to health issues. Especially Z! First Rafalski. Then Franzen. Now our captain.