Does it feel like 'it's happening' to anyone else?

[The Zermanator]

By 'it's happening', I mean the rebuild really coming to fruition. With coaching that is no longer stifling everyone, this team is able to be dangerous night in night out now. And the drafted players are the ones stirring the drink.

Raymond is a budding superstar, he tilts the ice every time he's out there. Not only is he supremely skilled, he's also a natural leader. With a killer instinct to boot.

Seider. Well nothing needs to be said there.

Edvinsson is already a skilled and dependable dman who can play a 200ft game, and he's still got lots of NHL development runway left in front of him. He's going to be a star.

Johansson is looking like he's the missing piece to completing the top 4 (with ASP having that 3D spot reserved). He plays a simple but cerebral game at both ends of the ice, Lidstrom-like in that way (a stylistic comparison not skill, obviously). Just very competent and dependable. Seems like a perfect partner for Seider honestly, with Edvinsson and ASP the other pair eventually. But he's looked great beside Edvinsson and the positive impact goes both way I think.

Kasper seems to have repeated the trajectory he had in the AHL, slow start but found his footing about halfway through the season. He's looked dangerous since McLellan took over. Always seems to be in the thick of things, and very versatile as a player. Looks like another good one. I forget who posted a comment (might have been @Petes2424) talking about the importance of a young player showing showing flashes, even if the production wasn't there yet. It was a really good point. Now not only is Kasper showing even more frequent flashes, the statistical production is coming with it. And like Edvinsson he also has lots of runway left.

Berggren and Soderblom have shown flashes of being middle 6 contributors, even if the production hasn't come yet.

Now Larkin finally has a respectable supporting cast, including some key additions like Debrincat, and this team is already starting to show the potential of it's 'final form'. And we haven't even gotten to ASP, Cossa, Buchelnikov, Danielson, MBN, Augustine, etc, etc, etc who will all be getting worked in over the next couple seasons.

After 5+ years, and with some folks around here nearing the end of their patience, the rebuild is here. I think sooner than later there are going to be a lot of people on HFBoards eating crow and pretending they were never talking shit about tHE yZErpLAn. I'm going to enjoy watching the final pieces fall into place as this team trends to be a major competitor within 2-3 seasons. LGRW

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[Coach Reggie Dunlop]

Yes it is. I think we are a couple trades on defense, and an actual good FA signing away from being sneakily very good. We gotta cut the fat though. One of compher and copp gotta go, tarasenko should be traded and retained, holl waived and buried in the minors etc. it’s weird because almost all of our FA signings have been terrible, Kane has been like the only good one and Chiarot has been “okay”.

With that said I’d give Rantanen an absolute bag in free agency and not think twice about it.

 

[DamonDRW]

I think DeBrincat is not getting enough of credit on this board. I was very skeptical when we sighed him but he is an excellent goal scorer. Excellent player.

 

[Realgud]

Need better FAs for the depth and the team should be good to go for a long time.

 

[Lampedampe]

I agree, the emergence of Edvinsson, Kasper and Johansson is huge.

Next year there will be a bunch of guys knocking on the door, and i reckon it'll have a huge effect on the lockeroom making it more competitive.

 

[Our Lady Peace]

Our amateur scouting + development has been absolutely bonkers. D+1's from our top picks have all been very much positive

How do you find what is virtually a modern day Pronger in Germany, take him 6th overall, and then he's top 2 in his draft class? That was just the start of it. From that long ago draft it's been very nice to see Johansson be an impact player and Soderblom find his way lately

There's a shining trait about the top players we've been drafting that I can't quite quantifiably explain well. To be short, it has to do with mental toughness, and self belief. You see it in Seider, Raymond, Edvinsson, Kasper and Johansson now. They can play the skill game, but also find ways to contribute in the little ways even when the game gets tighter, play gets tougher, and the scoring dries up

For the record, I see it too with Danielson, Sandin-Pellikka, Brandsegg-Nygard, and even the goalies Cossa and Augustine. Mental toughness is the biggest part of goaltending too

I'm seeing it with other non-first rounders like Mazur, Lombardi, Buium, Finnie. Even Buchelnikov has that swagger. Will they be NHLers long term, or even with this team? Who knows

I value the type of player that has skill but also have a "never say die" attitude approach to their game. Makes us harder to play against in the playoffs, and that's what matters most. I see it radiates off the play from our best guys. Raymond is unbelievable right now... What is his ceiling, really? The game is slowing down for him like crazy lately

It's quite amazing that the impact players on our NHL team are virtually all home-grown with a few in the bottom half of the lineup. Half of our top prospects haven't even made their NHL debut yet but the patience will be worth it

Today's NHL is harder and faster to play in than ever, so young kids need extra development time. We're using that patience our advantage and we are getting more developed, better NHL players faster than having to rush them

 

[Ed Ned and Leddy]

 

[KJoe88]

View attachment 968266

Yep. Bullseye.
I think the questions now are what moves will Stevie make next. Because either everyone one of these guys makes the team and he’s a damn genius, or some will be traded.

And I think it’s a positive thing to have that kind of mindset, so yeah. I think we’re really damn near through the dark tunnel

 

[Pavels Dog]

Yeah it's happening. We've seen flashes before, but now we've got pieces emerging as true stars.

Raymond is pushing to be top ~20 in league scoring.

Seider probably establishing himself as a top 15, maybe even top 10 d-man in the league.

Edvinsson would get Calder votes if he was eligible.

Debrincat fits in, not a true core piece but an excellent secondary piece to round out the offense.

Larkin is Larkin, again (I was critical of him earlier in the season).

It shouldn't be underrated how much easier it is for the Johanssons and Berggrens and Kaspers and Söderbloms once these core pieces fall into place. This team is a Danielson/MBN/Mazur emerging and a defensive upgrade or two away from being a real competitive group.

 

[Henkka]

The rebuild has gone wrong.

Fire Yzerman.

 

[jkutswings]

It feels like the baby deer is finally trying to stand. I expect continued awkward wobbly moments with ups and downs, but with every kid who's truly ready, the momentum should build a little more.

Assuming they're still in the mix in a month, it should be an interesting trade deadline.

 

[Henkka]

I agree, the emergence of Edvinsson, Kasper and Johansson is huge.

Next year there will be a bunch of guys knocking on the door, and i reckon it'll have a huge effect on the lockeroom making it more competitive.

It's interesting how the roster is evolving.

Current Top6 defence are all staying, Chiarot still has 2 year, Holl, Gustafsson are for 1-year. Kids are anyways staying in long-term. Only Petry is UFA and won't return.

Talbot is the best goalie, still has 1-year, and Cossa is incoming. Maybe they extend Lyon to have 3 options again, who knows. Cossa heavily still as GR starter, but also instant callup. Husso definitely gone.

Motter, Fischer will probably be gone, but kids have taken the regular roster spots. They could be fill-in bench warmer vets.

What comes to UFA Kane, I think the bigger question is, that could we replace him with better prime-aged UFA ? There's endless cap space to bolster this position, and also defence. Upgrade Petry with quality guy to drop Holl/Gustafsson on rotation. Just have less weak links.

Kasper - Larkin - Raymond
DeBrincat - Copp - UFA (Kane, Rantanen ???)
Berggren - Compher - Tarasenko
Söderblom - Ras - Veleno
---------------------
13th UFA (why not Motte 1y minimum)
14th UFA (why not Fischer 1y minimum)

Chiarot - Seider
Edvinsson - UFA RhD
Johansson - Gustafsson/Holl

Talbot
Lyon
(Cossa)

 

[Lampedampe]

It's interesting how the roster is evolving.

Current Top6 defence are all staying, Chiarot still has 2 year, Holl, Gustafsson are for 1-year. Kids are anyways staying in long-term. Only Petry is UFA and won't return.

Talbot is the best goalie, still has 1-year, and Cossa is incoming. Maybe they extend Lyon to have 3 options again, who knows. Cossa heavily still as GR starter, but also instant callup. Husso definitely gone.

Motter, Fischer will probably be gone, but kids have taken the regular roster spots. They could be fill-in bench warmer vets.

What comes to UFA Kane, I think the bigger question is, that could we replace him with better prime-aged UFA ? There's endless cap space to bolster this position, and also defence. Upgrade Petry with quality guy to drop Holl/Gustafsson on rotation. Just have less weak links.

Kasper - Larkin - Raymond
DeBrincat - Copp - UFA (Kane, Rantanen ???)
Berggren - Compher - Tarasenko
Söderblom - Ras - Veleno
---------------------
13th UFA (why not Motte 1y minimum)
14th UFA (why not Fischer 1y minimum)

Chiarot - Seider
Edvinsson - UFA RhD
Johansson - Gustafsson/Holl

Talbot
Lyon
(Cossa)

This is probably a realistic lineup, but I really hope some of the guys listed get pushed off.

Chiarot should be on the 3rd pair. Danielson hopefully makes the lineup.

X-Larkin-Raymond
Debrincat-Kasper-Boeser
Danielson-Compher-Tarasenko
Söderblom-Copp-Rasmussen

Pettersson-Seider
Edvinsson-Johansson
Chiarot-Gus/ASP

One of Buch, Lombardi, MBN or Mazur have decent chances at making the roster aswell.

Provorov/Pettersson would be an ideal long term partner for Seider.

Rantanen would be the dream obviously, but Ehlers or even Boeser would be great pickups.

 

[schuelma24]

I know last year's almost-run to the playoffs was great, but this year is much more important because the young guys are getting run and doing great.

I still don't expect the playoffs this year because of the hole Lalonde dug, but I agree it's really promising how the kids are doing.

And the nice thing is, round 2 is right around the corner (ASP, Danielson, Cossa, MBN, Buch, Buium) AND we have cap space this summer (just don't screw that up Stevie!)

 

[newfy]

One thing I like about how this seems to be coming together, is that there's still lots of help on the way. Detroit has a top prospect pool with high picks trending the right way like Danielson, COssa and ASP. They also have a lot of the wild card, later round picks that they'll probably get a player or two out of as well. Compared to a team like Ottawa who are a comparable team, all their horses are in the league and they look comparable to Detroit. They wings look like theyre a little depth scoring short of a really good team

Whether all the help makes it to the wings, or it can be used to trade for more NHL ready help. Its a good problem to have.

All the talk about the wings being short a superstar need to stop with how good Raymond is, and Seider for that matter. They have 2 superstars already.

 

[Indrid Cold]

This is probably a realistic lineup, but I really hope some of the guys listed get pushed off.

Chiarot should be on the 3rd pair. Danielson hopefully makes the lineup.

X-Larkin-Raymond
Debrincat-Kasper-Boeser
Danielson-Compher-Tarasenko
Söderblom-Copp-Rasmussen

Pettersson-Seider
Edvinsson-Johansson
Chiarot-Gus/ASP

One of Buch, Lombardi, MBN or Mazur have decent chances at making the roster aswell.

Provorov/Pettersson would be an ideal long term partner for Seider.

Rantanen would be the dream obviously, but Ehlers or even Boeser would be great pickups.

Outside of one swing for the fences trade on defense, stay the course with the youth. No trades for aging/overpaid forwards. Don't ruin what they have going with a crap trade.

 

[AlwaysSunnyInDetroit]

huge shoutout to yzerman for getting these guys to buy in financially. he set the stage with larkin, but the contracts he got raymond and seider to sign were a massive accomplishment. by the end of this year, the first of 8, raymond's contract will be viewed as one of the best in the league. and that will go a loooooooong way to get our other young stars to buy in too

 

[izlez]

I wish you would have posted this last Wednesday, because right now it just feels like another overreaction to the last game or two.

But also, yes its nice that the rebuilding through the draft and developing players slowly is finally starting to bear some fruit

 

[DatsDeking]

I think Buch and Cossa make the team for sure next season. Very likely we see one of Danielson or Mazur too.

I’d expect a trade to open a roster spot over the summer to do that. It’ll probably look more like the Walman trade than we’d like to admit though.

 

[RedHawkDown]

I would target Ehlers or Boeser in FA and try to trade for Provorovs rights, or sign him too if he makes it to FA. He’s the perfect partner for Seider.

This trade deadline, if they keep up this play, will be very interesting. There are too many prospects and they can’t all make it - it’s time for Stevie to go hunting for an upgrade. I would include Danielson in a deal for the right player too (Connor, etc)

 

[schuelma24]

I would target Ehlers or Boeser in FA and try to trade for Provorovs rights, or sign him too if he makes it to FA. He’s the perfect partner for Seider.

This trade deadline, if they keep up this play, will be very interesting. There are too many prospects and they can’t all make it - it’s time for Stevie to go hunting for an upgrade. I would include Danielson in a deal for the right player too (Connor, etc)

Yup to me the big needs before the start of next year is another top 6 winger and LD top 4 D. With the cap space and assets, I think that's eminently doable.

 

[Snuggs]

The rebuild has gone wrong.

Fire Yzerman.

Lets put him in the HOF as a GM before a playoff win actually.


* I LOVE what I am watching... but easy guys, MANY teams are doing just as well or better overall. I'm just gonna keep riding the wave and hope it doesn't end, it's a lot of fun watching the team win and play good but they'll still have a stinker here and there.

They're MUCH better than they were with Lalonde but I'm not gonna act like "its" happening and Red Wings are a cup contender or a lock for playoffs even. I'm just gonna keep rooting for good things while they're happening and when it's April or the very end of March, we're talking playoffs, then I'll accept the "it's happening" momentum.

Alot of November/December was hard to watch. This is so much more fun right now.

 

[OldnotDeadWings]

By 'it's happening', I mean the rebuild really coming to fruition. With coaching that is no longer stifling everyone, this team is able to be dangerous night in night out now. And the drafted players are the ones stirring the drink.

Raymond is a budding superstar, he tilts the ice every time he's out there. Not only is he supremely skilled, he's also a natural leader. With a killer instinct to boot.

Seider. Well nothing needs to be said there.

Edvinsson is already a skilled and dependable dman who can play a 200ft game, and he's still got lots of NHL development runway left in front of him. He's going to be a star.

Johansson is looking like he's the missing piece to completing the top 4 (with ASP having that 3D spot reserved). He plays a simple but cerebral game at both ends of the ice, Lidstrom-like in that way (a stylistic comparison not skill, obviously). Just very competent and dependable. Seems like a perfect partner for Seider honestly, with Edvinsson and ASP the other pair eventually. But he's looked great beside Edvinsson and the positive impact goes both way I think.

Kasper seems to have repeated the trajectory he had in the AHL, slow start but found his footing about halfway through the season. He's looked dangerous since McLellan took over. Always seems to be in the thick of things, and very versatile as a player. Looks like another good one. I forget who posted a comment (might have been @Petes2424) talking about the importance of a young player showing showing flashes, even if the production wasn't there yet. It was a really good point. Now not only is Kasper showing even more frequent flashes, the statistical production is coming with it. And like Edvinsson he also has lots of runway left.

Berggren and Soderblom have shown flashes of being middle 6 contributors, even if the production hasn't come yet.

Now Larkin finally has a respectable supporting cast, including some key additions like Debrincat, and this team is already starting to show the potential of it's 'final form'. And we haven't even gotten to ASP, Cossa, Buchelnikov, Danielson, MBN, Augustine, etc, etc, etc who will all be getting worked in over the next couple seasons.

After 5+ years, and with some folks around here nearing the end of their patience, the rebuild is here. I think sooner than later there are going to be a lot of people on HFBoards eating crow and pretending they were never talking shit about tHE yZErpLAn. I'm going to enjoy watching the final pieces fall into place as this team trends to be a major competitor within 2-3 seasons. LGRW

Great post. This is where the rebuild track has been going all along, people misled or not seeing it because the year to year attempts to be instantly more competitive obscured what was happening. You keep hitting top half of the first-round Draft picks and surprise surprise, your team is going to get better and eventually it will be those guys leading the way. Even many of the best prospects, like Raymond, need 150-200 NHL games before we really see what they can do. When three or four or more of the Wings' best prospects have played that number of games, the Wings will be fighting to win the Division. The window is opening up in the Atlantic and in 2-3 years all bets are off for who will be the top three teams.

 

[HoweFan]

I guess I believe too much in our farm system but I don’t want to see anymore FAs or trades on defense. I think Buium would help right now and I hope ASP can make it right from the get go next year. That’s five young dmen on the team right there. I think Wallinder is close although a few might disagree. Brady will make a nice 7th. Ok maybe I’m starting to dream a bit there. We have our two goalies. As for forwards Elmer is up for good. MBN, Danielson, and Mazur will need a spot real soon among others. We have all the pieces. They just need a spot without roadblocks

 

[RED WINGS STOMP]

Last night's performance can certainly help feel good about our youth. The growing pains seem to finally be paying off some.

We will have more to go however. Not everyone is here yet. I am sure McLellan is asking Steve "hey I like these young guys, what else you got in that prospect bag?" and Yzerman just shoot him a sly grin and utters that word we were all sick of not too long ago... patience.