What's the point of drafting 8-12? That's not going to get you any closer. We'd have to scrap Mo, Ray, and Ed on top of Larkin to get anywhere close to bottom 5. And bottom five doesn't guarantee you anything, since we've been there and apparently still don't have anything worthwhile. So what's the point?
we outshot them!!
But let's extrapolate that notion and discuss the probable outcomes.
Based on recent trades around the league, I find it hard to imagine Detroit would actually get a haul for Larkin that then ends up as talent more valuable than Larkin currently is. Plus it would then pigeonhole the team into needing a 1C and a 2C. (I think it's still possible that one of Danielson or Kasper will end up as their 2C. But neither is a given, and this path would introduce an even larger hole to fill.)
Exactly. We need to sell now very carefully building a team around Seider, maybe Edvinsson, selling the rest of the players. And yes, it includes Raymond (which is OK top-3 at best; we are not talking about Hossa here), Ras, Kasper, and the rest. We could get an excellent return and start over again with rebuild. Cossa and Augustine might be ready by then.
We can get at least 1st, excellent prospect and maybe something else. Let's say from Buffalo or Dallas.
Yet none of those pieces will be better than Larkin is now... So what's the point?
I wouldn't blame him if he wanted to play for a contender. Would be nothing like when Fedorov left and hurt feelings within the organization.
I don't disagree. It's the tough reality of rebuilding in a capped league when you don't draft a Crosby and Malkin, or Kane/Toews/Keith or McDavid/Draisatl.
Fair. At the moment my only thought is that the general approach will likely require a continued element of, "strike when the opportunity arises". We saw that in the Debrincat trade, but otherwise it's been 99 percent playing the long game. I just hope that percentage shifts at least a bit in the next year or two.
Some if those pieces might be Datsyuk, or Zetterberg, or Lidstrom. Kucherov, after all. That's why. You don't build a cup contender without elite players. And yes, just like Columbus, Calgary, Montreal and other useless teams we need to hope for the draft luck.
Yeah. And I'm not wanting to rush any of the kids. Just not sure how to land another 1-2 guys who have the ability to drive the play instead of just passively winging it around the boards for the millionth time.
Who was elite on the St Louis team that won it all? Or Vegas? I'd love the next Datsyuk too, but 1) I don't see a path for Detroit to land one, and 2) teams can (sometimes) still win without one.
No one is ready. Me too. I just don't see how we build around an excellent but aging player who is basically the only game changer we have.
raymond is becoming that game changer though. He's also only 21. Danielson will be the next larkin, hopefully without the neck injuries (just stay away from benn and he should be fine I suppose). Then you got guys like kasper and mazur and aljo and ASP up front with augustine and cossa in back. Not everyone is going to be a slam dunk top line nhler but you could make the argument for danielson, asp, and one of the goalies.
Those teams had good coaching and a strategy that everyone bought into. A system and game plan.
Petry shouldn’t play a single shift next season in a Wings uniform. I don’t care if his father was Ty Cobb and his mother was Barry Sanders.
No, these are just dreams. Have you seen young Zetterberg or Datsyuk or maybe Malkin, Makar to n their rookie seasons? It was evident from the first shift they are special. And yes, any team that is expected to contend needs at least one of those.
Exactly, we don't know what trades may be made, how are draft picks are going to develop. We're still in a rebuild, and yet everyone thinks we should go backwards already.
raymond and seider fit what you are saying. So will Danielson and probably ASP. Danielson had a great preseason, he was put out there on a 5-on-3 and made key plays against the top players on TML. Yes, it's preseason, but if you watched that game, it definitely looked like they were trying in that game.
I'm not 100% against it but I understand the sentiment.
What if those pieces are already in the pipeline? Remember that these kids came over at like 22. Then what happens if these kids emerge and we traded away all the supporting players? We may as well let this group of kids grow and try. No more or less certain to have success if you blow it up now. We are too far in.
