How do you fix the Wings?

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

I can’t remember which thread I said it in so sorry if this is a repeat but an actual #3 Dman would make a big difference.

Next year Petry is gone (as is Lalonde I assume). Chiarot slots down to #4 and gets his TOI down where it should be well under 20 minutes. Then play mix and match with the remaining Dmen and prospects for the bottom pair. ASP I assume will be in Grand Rapids but maybe could make the jump to the Wings. If he does then there’s the possibility of ASP on the second pair and Chiarot gets to be #5/pk and looks even better.

The trick is who is that 3D and then getting them to sign with the Wings. And they’re gonna have to shed some contracts.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

1. Improve the second pair. My hope is that ASP would be part of this. You also need to find an above league average vet to play with him. I think he probably needs to be acquired in the trade market. We can improve as a team even if the third pair is a couple of also rans. Just focus on finding an above average No. 3 defensemen.

2. Add more offense up front, both from within and outside of the organization.

3. Repeat No. 2 until successful.

 

[lilidk]

It's 11 already , wakeup Yzerman, let's start doing something

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

And with all those contracts expiring , in 2027 the Wings are looking at an all new blueline regardless, minus Ed and Mo.

 

[Chris Langlois]

And with all those contracts expiring , in 2027 the Wings are looking at an all new blueline regardless, minus Ed and Mo.

We can't wait another season. Petry is off the books after this year. But chiarot, gustufsin and holl also need to be moved this off season.

 

[Gniwder]

And with all those contracts expiring , in 2027 the Wings are looking at an all new blueline regardless, minus Ed and Mo.

2026.

CHiarot, Gus, and Holl's contract all expire next season. Petry's expires after this one.

Copp has 2 years left, Compher has 3. By that time Larkin will be 32 and on the decline.

We can't wait another season. Petry is off the books after this year. But chiarot, gustufsin and holl also need to be moved this off season.

So many bad contracts, there's no way Stevie can get rid of all of them.

Next year is more of the same except with a couple of rookies mixed in.

 

[minimal]

I think realistically the most that can be done about the team is control just how ugly this season could get. Even if it was possible, I wouldn't advocate for stripping the team down. There's a real tradeoff at this point between going hard for 1OA and how that's going to affect the players that matter. Besides, the way they're playing right now--without an important injury, mind you--is pretty apparently bottom five worthy.

I can deal with this season being a lost cause since I didn't expect playoff contention, but I really do worry about the mentality of the players. I don't think I've ever seen Larkin so depressed until last night's post-game. What's it going to take for someone to become the emotional spark plug this team needs? Silent professionals aren't cutting it, so what's it going to take for Seider or Raymond (for example) to step up? In that sense, I wonder if rotating the A around this season isn't just a symbol for no one else consistently stepping in.

If Detroit ends up bottom five at the end of this season, I do think this kind of thing can't happen again for at least the next two or three seasons without Yzerman's mandate getting seriously challenged. At least for me, there needs to be a serious attempt to make this team playoff contenders next season--dumping contracts, buyouts, trades, anything proactive--or I'm going to start tuning out as well.

 

[saska sault]

It's 11 already , wakeup Yzerman, let's start doing something

Went to bed hoping to see "Steve Yzerman media availability at noon" by the time coffee break rolled around at work.

 

[Snuggs]

I think realistically the most that can be done about the team is control just how ugly this season could get. Even if it was possible, I wouldn't advocate for stripping the team down. There's a real tradeoff at this point between going hard for 1OA and how that's going to affect the players that matter. Besides, the way they're playing right now--without an important injury, mind you--is pretty apparently bottom five worthy.

I can deal with this season being a lost cause since I didn't expect playoff contention, but I really do worry about the mentality of the players. I don't think I've ever seen Larkin so depressed until last night's post-game. What's it going to take for someone to become the emotional spark plug this team needs? Silent professionals aren't cutting it, so what's it going to take for Seider or Raymond (for example) to step up? In that sense, I wonder if rotating the A around this season isn't just a symbol for no one else consistently stepping in.

If Detroit ends up bottom five at the end of this season, I do think this kind of thing can't happen again for at least the next two or three seasons without Yzerman's mandate getting seriously challenged. At least for me, there needs to be a serious attempt to make this team playoff contenders next season--dumping contracts, buyouts, trades, anything proactive--or I'm going to start tuning out as well.

I'm starting to feel bad. Fans around here actually will point to him as a problem. It's hilarious.

Spend over 15 million on Copp/Compher/Chariot wasting literally years of play/people's life and a guy doesn't even get his job questioned... A random poster suggests trading a 1st rdp for Josh Norris and it's insane. Not that I'm saying Yzerman should even been on the hot seat... I'm just saying...

I'll be honest, you don't need a 2024 1st round pick to be good in 2027. IF you do, a lot more went wrong than right in the years prior.

IF Red Wings don't get better in 2026 it's because Yzerman didn't do things like buyout Copp saving 4 million, waive guys like Holl/Gustafsson saving over 2 more million, let them earn their money in the AHL. More important all three positions can be upgraded by not icing... said player(s).

Gotta tries hard to dump Veleno/Rasmussen/Tarasenko. Pick one of these three players, and the three players above, replace them with literally ALMOST anyone you like if UFA and the teams better, imo. It'll be hard for the team to look worse than this year's team, next year, if you actually try and bring decent players in.

 

[Euro Twins]

I can’t remember which thread I said it in so sorry if this is a repeat but an actual #3 Dman would make a big difference.

Next year Petry is gone (as is Lalonde I assume). Chiarot slots down to #4 and gets his TOI down where it should be well under 20 minutes. Then play mix and match with the remaining Dmen and prospects for the bottom pair. ASP I assume will be in Grand Rapids but maybe could make the jump to the Wings. If he does then there’s the possibility of ASP on the second pair and Chiarot gets to be #5/pk and looks even better.

The trick is who is that 3D and then getting them to sign with the Wings. And they’re gonna have to shed some contracts.

I can't see asp not being in Detroit next season. Even if for some reason he starts in gr. I think they move him right to the big club like they did Raymond though. He's that good.

Having a top 3 of mo Ed and asp is very exciting get a solid #4 and we will be all good

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

We can't wait another season. Petry is off the books after this year. But chiarot, gustufsin and holl also need to be moved this off season.

I think Chiarot can be a serviceable #4 Dman or below. Then I think you make the best of the bottom pairing based on who's left and if you can move Gus or Holl.

 

[WingedWheel1987]

Yzerman is not going to make any crazy moves. He is very similar to Ken Holland in that regard.

I would do a fire sale and trade Larkin and restart the rebuild. Which is what I would have done prior to Larkin's contract extension. I never had any faith in the roster with Larkin as the Wings best player. Great player, but he just isn't enough. I do understand why Yzerman didn't do that though. I don't live in a fantasy world...most of the time.

Watching the goals the Wings gave up against Philly (minus EN goals), the Wings blueline has been making the same low IQ mistakes since Lidstrom retired and then to a lesser extent, when Kronwall retired. The game against Philly was just a microcosm of everything wrong with the Wings defense.

Whether it's a bouncing puck or a pass that is just slightly behind, it results it gives the opposing defense that split second to cause a turnover or break down a clean entry into the zone and the Wings revert to dump and chase mode. Which they have been really bad at over the last decade. They are great at dumping and really good at chasing, but the last step of puck retrieval is what eludes them. Wings offense looks really dynamic when they can make a clean zone entry and take advantage of their speed.

The Wings have one good forward line that can generate offense this season. The last time the Wings had an offense that you could legit argue they had three scoring lines was way back in 2012-2013 with Damien Brunner. Now, the bar has been set so low, that simply having two competent forward lines is almost asking for too much.

The Wings problem is that that their top tier talent isn't good enough to elevate their role players and their role players aren't good enough to make the opposing teams have to work hard every shift. People have mentioned you don't need superstar talent to win in the NHL, which is technically true, but the Wings roster is in no position to build via that method.

We can keep waiting and hoping that FA will allow Yzerman to fix their problems, but nobody is going to want to come to Detroit because the roster is ass. So, you are left with the draft, and the post Edmonton era draft changes have made it virtually impossible to build via the draft (with any consistency). Your 1st round pick needs to be in the NHL right away. The Wings simply cannot afford to draft players that might be decent after 2-4 years in the AHL. Some teams can get away with that, but most can't.