Organizational Moves (Front Office & Scouting)

[deca guard]

people ripping wright do so without comparing him to other gms drafting in the same range . imo on a scale of 1to10 hes done at very minimum a 7 but to me more so an 8 . and with svetch - razz - choski - zadina - mcissac - veleno all still developing and feasible top 11 level players we might end up ruing the day he left because theres all kinds of blue chips in there . right off the bat the razz bashers are walking a real thin line judging a 19 year old kid vs nhl adults , this guy could come back to haunt his bashers big time (my prediction) . same with choski who showed glimpses of excellence as a kid nhler , excellent both with and without puck til he lost his bearings and endurance . when the kenny move was announced i was bummed fearing wright would go with him then happy when he stayed for draft . but as draft developed and i realized every pick was a hakan hammer i figured tyler wasnt the wright man for the job in 19's eyes . though maybe 19 did see him as mr wright but he had his heart set on going back home to western canada and his old oil rig crew . either way im happy for the gung ho oil fans to get an at minimum solid scout and i have confidence in every 19 hire !

 

[Bench]

Is Yzerman defined by missing on Koekkok... or hitting on Kucherov? I don't really think it works like this. People will forget about your misses as long as you get (bigger) hits.

If Larkin continues to be a 1C and Hronek develops into a legitimate defenseman, even if that 2017 draft flames out I don't think it should define him. And I say this as probably the most vocal detractor of that 2017 draft on this board.

Just speaking from what I've seen shake out on the Stars. Nieuwendyk's era has been defined by his inability to draft impact picks in the early 1st round. He took a few gambles on guys he liked and, well, oops. Those misses dominate the conversation. Scott Glennie, Jack Campbell, and Jamie Oleksiak, Radek Faksa. And keep in mind, there were no huge stars taken anywhere close after Glennie and Oleksiak, so even if they drafted those spots well, OK, you get Fowler and Kulikov? Better, but not franchise changing picks.

However, during that time, he picked some really good players considering their draft position. Reilly Smith (Brother to our favorite D), Alex Chiasson (chillin' with Holland now), Patrick Nemeth (Welcome Pat!), John Klingberg (This doesn't make up for missing early picks??), and Esa Lindell.

By picking Klingberg and Lindell, GM Joe setup the Stars blueline for success today. But there wasn't a whisper of that upon his firing and even now, you have to talk to someone who is really paying attention for him to get any credit.

 

[Frk It]

Just speaking from what I've seen shake out on the Stars. Nieuwendyk's era has been defined by his inability to draft impact picks in the early 1st round. He took a few gambles on guys he liked and, well, oops. Those misses dominate the conversation. Scott Glennie, Jack Campbell, and Jamie Oleksiak, Radek Faksa. And keep in mind, there were no huge stars taken anywhere close after Glennie and Oleksiak, so even if they drafted those spots well, OK, you get Fowler and Kulikov? Better, but not franchise changing picks.

However, during that time, he picked some really good players considering their draft position. Reilly Smith (Brother to our favorite D), Alex Chiasson (chillin' with Holland now), Patrick Nemeth (Welcome Pat!), John Klingberg (This doesn't make up for missing early picks??), and Esa Lindell.

By picking Klingberg and Lindell, GM Joe setup the Stars blueline for success today. But there wasn't a whisper of that upon his firing and even now, you have to talk to someone who is really paying attention for him to get any credit.

I think that 2017 draft felt so important to us because it was our first time drafting top 10 in forever, and our first high pick in the re-build.

So I get why you felt like that one carried a lot of weight. But in reality his body of work is much bigger than that, and giving us Larkin was pretty significant.

 

[Ezekial]

Take heart the first reply asks if the thread is a joke and has over 40 likes... So Oiler fans are being reasonable outside of a handful of these fun folks all fanbases have.

At the same time, 21% voted yes. Pretty embarrassing.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

At the same time, 21% voted yes. Pretty embarrassing.

I am not sure our board gets to comment considering the delusional hunt several of our members have had on a sure fire HHOF Holland for most of the last decade.

I get wanting to move on, but heck go read his legacy thread. That is a painful moment that makes me shake my head whenever I go there.

 

[Muskegon3]

It's pretty clear how much Yzerman leaned on Hakan's insight for this particular draft. I hope that's the direction we continue to go, rather than hoping he works miracles in the later rounds.

As for the rest of the shake up, not surprising Yzerman wants his own team in place.

I agree. 4 of the top 5 picks were guys who played in Europe and were scouted by Andersson and his guys.

 

[lhsgolf19]

Red Wings release top scouts Wright, Finley

"Our contracts were not renewed," said Finley, who scouted for 10 years with the Wings. "Steve (Yzerman) said basically they had different plans. It's the nature of the business, putting your own people in place. We've had a few high draft picks lately in Detroit and we feel we've made good picks."

 

[deca guard]

deleted /repeat of another post

 

[Nut Upstrom]

On the otherhand it could be Wright was a lame duck the second Yzerman stepped in. Different team building philosophies leading to different drafting strategies.

Then why wouldn't he have followed Holland to Edmonton right off the hop?
He stayed for the draft because he was invested in the drafting process and a part of the draft team. Rather silly to think he was just a lame duck with virtually no say in the draft when it has been verified by reliable sources that our 1st second round pick was his guy all the way.

 

[Ezekial]

I am not sure our board gets to comment considering the delusional hunt several of our members have had on a sure fire HHOF Holland for most of the last decade.

I get wanting to move on, but heck go read his legacy thread. That is a painful moment that makes me shake my head whenever I go there.

I was kinda surprised seeing some people I would've thought would laugh at Edmonton signing Holland have pretty positive responses in regards to how he would impact them.

I agree though, there's plenty of garbage takes by people of every fanbase on these boards of hockey's future.

Edit: I also have the luxury of not being required to go into the Legacy of Ken Holland thread and the foresight to know that it's probably toxic and avoid it.

 

[Nut Upstrom]

He was let go because Yzerman doesn't like his work. If his picks were great he would still be here. Just like we aren't trading Larkin just because Yzerman didn't draft him... Wright was dropped because Yzerman doesn't think much of him and values Draper more period.

More likely, Wright was out the door the second Holland left and was committed to joining him in Edmonton. He stayed put through the draft as you'd expect, but this might not have even been Yzerman's decision.

 

[odin1981]

YAS!!!!

 

[Ezekial]

More likely, Wright was out the door the second Holland left and was committed to joining him in Edmonton. He stayed put through the draft as you'd expect, but this might not have even been Yzerman's decision.

Who knows if Stevie Y would've canned Wright after the draft and promoted Draper, but the moment Ken Holland signed in Edmonton Tyler Wright probably started looking for some new real estate.

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

Regardless of the circumstances I'm glad he is gone.

 

[Shaman464]

Then why wouldn't he have followed Holland to Edmonton right off the hop?
He stayed for the draft because he was invested in the drafting process and a part of the draft team. Rather silly to think he was just a lame duck with virtually no say in the draft when it has been verified by reliable sources that our 1st second round pick was his guy all the way.

I believe they couldn’t leave until July 1.

 

[WingsMJN2965]

I guess I'm the only one who didn't mind Wright?

Drafting has been pretty good since 2012.

 

[obey86]

I guess I'm the only one who didn't mind Wright?

Drafting has been pretty good since 2012.

Agreed.

He wasn't good enough where you can't look to improve, but he also wasn't bad enough where he had to be fired. This was simply a case of Yzerman wanting his own guy in here, maybe someone who has similar beliefs as he does when it comes to player evaluation. Doesn't mean Wright stinks or necessarily deserved to be fired.

 

[Hammettf2b]

He went back with Kenny.

 

[Retire91]

I think it's expected to see a lot of organizational changes and I think its a good thing. The more people that change the more we can hope for more than we have seen the last 8 or 9 seasons of ineptitude.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

I guess I'm the only one who didn't mind Wright?

Drafting has been pretty good since 2012.

I didn't mind him, I do like how Draper evaluates prospects though. It also seemed like Hakan stepped forward in terms of usage under Yzerman in the latest draft. I think he left us with a decent amount to work with.

 

[StNickFan]

I didn’t mind Wright at all, wasn’t bad but wasn’t a superstar either. The big body fetish he had was aggravating but I never got why people would hate him for liking leaders.

Goodbye friend.

Now if hakan thinks he’s going anywhere, I’ll be pretty upset. He doesn’t just get to take over a draft then bail. We need this guy just keep on keeping on while letting him maybe get a little more taste of those first 3 rounds.

 

[Bench]

He went back with Kenny.

Kenny certainly does have a loyal crew. And I respect that. He is probably a great guy to work for. But it also means it's nearly impossible to imagine him ever making changes to his team, regardless of results.

This is where that country club reputation comes from.

That said, the Oilers finally have competent management in place. Pretty easy to imagine them moving back to a playoff team soon. While I'm very happy to see Holland and his team move on, they weren't a disaster and did some things quite well.

 

[Oddbob]

Kenny certainly does have a loyal crew. And I respect that. He is probably a great guy to work for. But it also means it's nearly impossible to imagine him ever making changes to his team, regardless of results.

This is where that country club reputation comes from.

That said, the Oilers finally have competent management in place. Pretty easy to imagine them moving back to a playoff team soon. While I'm very happy to see Holland and his team move on, they weren't a disaster and did some things quite well.

I agree, and will add that I think there are pros and cons to the loyalty he shows people. Obviously guys want to work/play for him, but then we get Abby and Ericsson, etc. getting 7 year deals with trade protection on the flip side.

 

[The Zermanator]

I agree, and will add that I think there are pros and cons to the loyalty he shows people. Obviously guys want to work/play for him, but then we get Abby and Ericsson, etc. getting 7 year deals with trade protection on the flip side.

Not just signing bad deals. Also basically refusing to trade roster players. The only big names he's traded in the last decade were Tatar and Nyquist and he waited until the very end to do that, which affected the return. Yzerman was much more active in Tampa.

 

[Oddbob]

Not just signing bad deals. Also basically refusing to trade roster players. The only big names he's traded in the last decade were Tatar and Nyquist and he waited until the very end to do that, which affected the return. Yzerman was much more active in Tampa.

Yeah, that always bugged me about Holland, he never made any moves for the sake of freshening things up, getting a different dynamic and I am hoping Stevie is much more aggressive in this area.