Armchair GMs: What moves would you make to maximize the roster?

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

Funny that people here still rip on Quincey when he's probably the best defenseman on the team this season. Is he a great player? No. But he's been damn solid in the top 4 over the past 1+ seasons.

I don't agree with that at all. Is he better than he was 2 years ago? Sure, but he's still bad at hockey, Chris Osgood.

 

[The Zermanator]

So the best defender on the team isn't a great player. That can't be good.

But bringing in more mediocrities like Bieksa doesn't help us either. It's just more treading water. Top line or bust, overpay if you have to (you will). Kenny needs to grow a pair and pull the trigger with a major offer.

 

[obey86]

So the best defender on the team isn't a great player. That can't be good.

It's not good. It means our defensive corps as a whole sucks. That doesn't mean Quincey is the worst player in the history of the NHL though like people here talk about him. It also doesn't mean he isn't a solid player....because he is....and he's been pretty good the last two seasons.

 

[Run the Jewels]

Buddy of mine is a huge Canucks fan and was relieved to see Bieska go. The way he described him it was like hearing him talk about Cleary. Heart and soul guy, still feels he has a lot to give, body just can't keep up any more.

Cheap to be had for sure, but he is notworth 4 Million dollars.

Yep Bieksa is no upgrade. With that being said he's exactly the kind of vet who would get the Cleary treatment and would be signed by Holland to multiple extensions. We need guys like Tyler Myers, not Kevin Bieksa.

 

[obey86]

I don't agree with that at all. Is he better than he was 2 years ago? Sure, but he's still bad at hockey, Chris Osgood.

Na. He's not. He's average.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Targeting Bieksa would be such a Kenny move. If Anaheim continues to struggle they could be willing to move Vatanen/Theodore. That would be a much better acquisition for us.

 

[Bench]

Yep Bieksa is no upgrade. With that being said he's exactly the kind of vet who would get the Cleary treatment and would be signed by Holland to multiple extensions. We need guys like Tyler Myers, not Kevin Bieksa.

Tyler Myers cost former top 5 draft pick, a player of Tatar/Nyquist caliber. They aren't even comparable.

It's like saying we need Patrick Kane, not Brad Richards. Well, yeah, the former would be a little better.

 

[InjuredChoker]

Yep Bieksa is no upgrade. With that being said he's exactly the kind of vet who would get the Cleary treatment and would be signed by Holland to multiple extensions. We need guys like Tyler Myers, not Kevin Bieksa.

i'd take it even further and say we need a drew doughty/erik karlsson, someone who can carry the rest of the defense.

 

[Actual Thought*]

i'd take it even further and say we need a drew doughty/erik karlsson, someone who can carry the rest of the defense.

We could win the cup without one of those guys. We had Tampa on the ropes last year. Green could have made enough difference to win the series. Unfortunately this year we have no structure and we spend to much time bumping into one another.

 

[Heaton]

We could win the cup without one of those guys. We had Tampa on the ropes last year. Green could have made enough difference to win the series. Unfortunately this year we have no structure and we spend to much time bumping into one another.

We're going to continue to lose playoff series we 'could have won' until we get a better set of defensemen. It's been that way every year since Lidstrom left.

 

[Bench]

We're going to continue to lose playoff series we 'could have won' until we get a better set of defensemen. It's been that way every year since Lidstrom left.

I also love the implication the team would have won 3 more series after that, including against the Hawks. Just 1 win away. Or 13.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

I also love the implication the team would have won 3 more series after that, including against the Hawks. Just 1 win away. Or 13.

Yeah I know Patches was hurt, but given the fact Montreal has owned our soul and plays Babcock hockey better than anybody in the league it is hard to see them winning that series.

I would have hoped to have been wrong and kept up the good fight in terms of hey we had a chance, but that was going to be a very tough series. I think we have a much better chance this year once we evolve into a more attacking team, but time will tell. Playing Montreal on their terms is a bad idea and that is really what we were going to try to do.

 

[Actual Thought*]

Yeah I know Patches was hurt, but given the fact Montreal has owned our soul and plays Babcock hockey better than anybody in the league it is hard to see them winning that series.

I would have hoped to have been wrong and kept up the good fight in terms of hey we had a chance, but that was going to be a very tough series. I think we have a much better chance this year once we evolve into a more attacking team, but time will tell. Playing Montreal on their terms is a bad idea and that is really what we were going to try to do.

We have virtually no chance this year. We will be lucky to get into the playoffs regardless of roster.

 

[Bench]

We have virtually no chance this year. We will be lucky to get into the playoffs regardless of roster.

Regardless of roster? Hmm, must be something you feel is holding back the team. What could it be, what could it be...

Something, something, something Blashill.
Something, something, something System.

 

[Yemack]

I also love the implication the team would have won 3 more series after that, including against the Hawks. Just 1 win away. Or 13.

why dont you think Wings would have had success after those series?

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

why dont you think Wings would have had success after those series?

I think the Kings would have demolished us in 13. Hell, we were pretty damn lucky against Chicago, which was part of the fun. Because they were getting all pissy.

 

[Yemack]

I think the Kings would have demolished us in 13. Hell, we were pretty damn lucky against Chicago, which was part of the fun. Because they were getting all pissy.

I dont think we were damn lucky against chicago. hawks didnt get pissy all of sudden because they got up wrong side of the beds in those series. and there were many in game adjustment that made us success against Hawks and Ducks. players and coaches did alot of good job.

As for Kings, I believe Wings fared pretty well against them during the season.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

I think the Kings would have demolished us in 13. Hell, we were pretty damn lucky against Chicago, which was part of the fun. Because they were getting all pissy.

The Kings were a mash unit by the time the WCF started. They were really banged up, they might have still prevailed, but they were really up against it on the injury front. I would have favored us entering that series because of that.

 

[sean3250]

I think the Kings would have demolished us in 13. Hell, we were pretty damn lucky against Chicago, which was part of the fun. Because they were getting all pissy.

I have no doubt in mind that if we beat Chicago we would have won the Cup that year. Z,D, and Kronner were at the top of their games, and Jimmy was playing very well that year also.

 

[YostisHome]

As long Kronwallmyowngoalie and Rig are your top pair.... there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[Yemack]

I have no doubt in mind that if we beat Chicago we would have won the Cup that year. Z,D, and Kronner were at the top of their games, and Jimmy was playing very well that year also.

we might have had some trouble against boston, they were playing extremely well. Also what worked against Ducks and Hawks weren't really going to work against them. Still i thought Wings path to Final was quite promising.

 

[Frk It]

I have no doubt in mind that if we beat Chicago we would have won the Cup that year. Z,D, and Kronner were at the top of their games, and Jimmy was playing very well that year also.

No way. That year our defense consisted of: Kronwall, Ericsson, Lashoff, Colaiacovo, rookie Dekeyser, Smith, and White/Huskins.

It was a miracle we made it as far as we did.

 

[Bench]

why dont you think Wings would have had success after those series?

While possible, just because you play the eventual winner really well doesn't mean you're a lock to win the other series. You still have to go through every game. We don't know what injuries would happen, or hell, how about a surprise game 7 suspension?

The Wings have been a pretty damn good team, but nothing is a lock in the playoffs, and playing Tampa really well was promising, but that's all it was - promising. There were still 13 wins to follow if you really think they were going to win the Cup.

 

[Actual Thought*]

We're going to continue to lose playoff series we 'could have won' until we get a better set of defensemen. It's been that way every year since Lidstrom left.

I agree with you that we aren't going to win a cup any time soon. We will get mired in trying to play basketball hockey for at least the next 2 years. Then Pav will retire. Then Z and Kronner. Who knows? Could be decades before we get a sniff.

 

[jkutswings]

Seems like some revisionist history going on here.

Had the Wings gotten past Chicago a few years ago, it still would've been a very rough path to a championship. Not impossible, but FAR from a given. That season felt very much like a "lightning in a bottle" kind of run with some of the youth, which may have continued onward, or may have run out of gas. No real way of knowing.

As for last year, Tampa was the best matchup they could've had in the first round. It was a close defeat, but Montreal would've had them for lunch, and New York wasn't all that far behind.

The Wings, at minimum, need another top 4 defenseman to really contend for a Cup. If they have any aspirations of ever being a favorite again, that needs to be a top pairing defenseman, and they need to throw in another scoring forward to boot. But for all we know, they might have one or more of those players in the system...I'm just not optimistic that they'll pan out in the next 6 months.

Ideally, they deal a forward or two for a defenseman at the deadline, but there's not exactly a track record for pulling those off lately, so we'll see...