So Larkin Made Some Interesting Comments.

[JediOrderPizza]

He was tied second your team in total points. Captains aren't necessarily the ones that get top points on the team

Maybe he did play shitty just like the interview he said after trade deadline guys felt bummed and had no morale boost.

If you guys don't bring up cossa and decide to run talbot, mrazek. Playoffs is clearly not on Yzerman mind.

Cossa has to be ready first.

 

[izlez]

Seider is a #1 Dman and a core piece of the team with true heart.

...Except when he missed 2 practices last fall and THAT was the sign the Yzerman was a bad GM and Seider was a terrible teammate, LETS TALK ABOUT THAT!! EVERYTHING IN THE OFFSEASON IS A HUGE DEAL FOR 2 WEEKS UNTIL WE FORGET IT EVER HAPPENED!

 

[Run the Jewels]

You are 100% correct with respect to Hollands talent pool. Not even close. And yes, Yzerman has a highly regarded prospect pool, but from my reading it’s from the sheer number of safe, depth players they have accumulated. The biggest criticism I’ve read is they lack any high end offensive talent that moves the needle.

A few facts for your consideration:

• Raymond put up 80 points this year.
• Edivinsson tied for 1st for most even-strength goals among d-men 21 or younger.
• Marco Kasper was 2nd for even-strength goals among rookies, tied with Macklin Celebrini.
• Axel Sandin-Pelikka may follow in the footsteps of Quinn Hughes and Lane Hutson based on his SHL production.

But if your point is Detroit isn't getting a 100 point center, I guess you are correct.

 

[Run the Jewels]

If you guys don't bring up cossa and decide to run talbot, mrazek. Playoffs is clearly not on Yzerman mind.

Not sure how you choose Sebastian Cossa as your bellwether, it's certainly an odd take.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Sounds a lot like we should do anything because we need to do something. What could go wrong?

What we are doing right now sounds like the definition of insanity…

I am pretty patient on this stuff. I have defended both Holland and Yzerman on circumstances and how hard this is to actually do. I think Yzerman has had a very bad year, calling a spade a spade. His plan better not be to do the same thing again and tell me about prices are too high.

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

Goal? To gain experience. We've already exceeded our expectations. I wouldn't trade pools. Anyways, I don't want to pick a fight on a team board that I'm not a member of. I like Detroit and hope you guys do well.

Cool. Good luck vs the Caps.

 

[lilidk]

Washington, Ottawa, and Montreal all managed to do things. This is sort of Yzerman’s job so that better not be the song and dance. We also I assume held onto our futures at the deadline to explore some of that this summer.

Montreal , just like Wings been drafting very good. Ottawa don't have no kids in prospect pool, most of them playing already, that is what Wings should be doing. Washington signed last summer guys with potential, not washed out guys like Yzerman did

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Agreed. At this point I’d like to see Larkin traded if only to get the Wings to get a top 5 pick. Then again, Yzerman probably would just draft a high IQ, high floor, low ceiling, two way player. Yay more depth pieces!

Well here is another angle on this. Why is it taking our high floor guys so long to get here. Start leaving spots for some young guys. There are 20 vet depth guys available at the end of NHL camps. I get you want guys to earn spots. But as a board we have talked about for a while you cannot be bringing them all in at the same time. Now it is happening with a log jam. Why didn’t we see Wallinder or Toumisto when Petry was out and the two bottom dman were playing like crap.

We need a strategy reset. We have built some decent organizational depth in the farm. Start using it, between Danielson and Ammo you have a potential top 9 spot. Don’t fill that. Attach some guys to things if you don’t want to play them. Eat some of Compher’s salary and replace him with a ELC. I don’t know every answer but I sure as hell would like to see an adjustment. If the team isn’t heavy enough go get some of that, stop selling patience in year 7. I have it for the prospects not the roster at this point.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

What we are doing right now sounds like the definition of insanity…

I am pretty patient on this stuff. I have defended both Holland and Yzerman on circumstances and how hard this is to actually do. I think Yzerman has had a very bad year, calling a spade a spade. His plan better not be to do the same thing again and tell me about prices are too high.

That is fine so long as you don't complain about the prices

 

[13to40]

I don’t think there is anything wrong with what he said. The guy is tired of losing and wants to win.

A lot of people were questioning his leadership skills just last week and having their doubts about him captaining this team.

I think this just about answers any of those doubts. Larkin is tired of losing and wants to win. Personally I think it’s a great remark and puts a fire under his ass going into the next season.

At the deadline I wasn’t thrilled either about nothing of real value being acquired at the deadline, but as I said then I’ll repeat it again now: the assets we would have wasted at the TDL hopefully will be weaponized in the off season for a good hockey trade.

I’m sure yzerman will respond to the comments in similar fashion and again there is nothing wrong with that.

This team’s GM is trying to build another powerhouse team while this team’s captain wants to win right now. Good thing this franchise is right around the corner from being successful again.

Those who are worried about him asking for a trade or causing some sort of rift; these are professional athletes, showing some emotion once in a while is a good thing.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

That is fine so long as you don't complain about the prices

We locked up our core guys at good contracts. I am sure this is also a part of Larkin’s annoyance. You fought me tooth and nail in my contract negotiations and told me it would help us get better… we have three very good contracts at the top of our depth chart, DeBrincat and Kane also have very good contracts for their offensive production. Go get more guys to help and if the failure is with your brother and the other pro scouts welp time to clean house.

I will wait to see what Yzerman says but I am not on board with a quiet summer at all. I said as much at the deadline, I was willing to go with the prices were too high and I need my assets at the draft. Well you have them do something, I feel like the kid in the Incredibles at this point with Yzerman because we have given him the time. If we need a total rebuild, step into your advisory role upstairs. But I am not cool at all with another strange summer and it is why I have much less of a problem with what Larkin did. Somebody needed to say it that has clout in the market.

 

[jkutswings]

I find it hard to believe that there are 7-8 genuinely solid depth defensemen available on the trade market each summer. That sounds like a lot of wishful thinking from where I am sitting. If it was that easy, we already would have done it.

I never said there are that many already available. I said there are at least that many in the entire league, and I want the GM to ask about every single one until somebody is willing to negotiate.

 

[Hockeyfan2390]

It's kind of funny, because I think you can make an argument that the biggest long term mistake Yzerman made was exiting the rebuild a year or two too quickly - presumably trying to make Larkin a happy camper.

What do you mean exiting too quickly?

They were never going to get the 1st overall pick. That much was made clear when they fell to 4th in 2020.

 

[Bondurant]

He did. He talked about picking up some injuries at 4 Nations and not performing on the ice like he wanted to.

That is good. I know the media is going to pick over and isolate the stuff they can make a juicier story. In full context, I have no qualm with what he said. People always claim they want more from players in interviews. He said his part and the former player in Yzerman surely knows where Larkin is coming from.

 

[KJoe88]

Good.

 

[SCD]

Well here is another angle on this. Why is it taking our high floor guys so long to get here. Start leaving spots for some young guys. There are 20 vet depth guys available at the end of NHL camps. I get you want guys to earn spots. But as a board we have talked about for a while you cannot be bringing them all in at the same time. Now it is happening with a log jam. Why didn’t we see Wallinder or Toumisto when Petry was out and the two bottom dman were playing like crap.

We need a strategy reset. We have built some decent organizational depth in the farm. Start using it, between Danielson and Ammo you have a potential top 9 spot. Don’t fill that. Attach some guys to things if you don’t want to play them. Eat some of Compher’s salary and replace him with a ELC. I don’t know every answer but I sure as hell would like to see an adjustment. If the team isn’t heavy enough go get some of that, stop selling patience in year 7. I have it for the prospects not the roster at this point.

On a boarder line playoff team, are you willing to lose a few games because of rookie mistakes? Could mean the difference of making the playoffs or not.

 

[SCD]

Yzerman should not do anything (like stripping the C) to degrade Larkin's value. He really should not respond and talk with Larkin about waving his NMC in private.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

On a boarder line playoff team, are you willing to lose a few games because of rookie mistakes? Could mean the difference of making the playoffs or not.

Yes, I got to watch Justin Holl make mistake after mistake. I think having Wallinder make those in March would have been at least building towards something. What did that strategy do for us this year?

Arguably our rookies provide more lift than a bunch of veterans.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

That is good. I know the media is going to pick over and isolate the stuff they can make a juicier story. In full context, I have no qualm with what he said. People always claim they want more from players in interviews. He said his part and the former player in Yzerman surely knows where Larkin is coming from.

I would've preferred he not say it in a press conference but I agree that people will isolate it and people are going to make a bigger deal out of it than it probably is (including me).

My main thing is he seems like a seriously broken dude in his press conference. I hope he gets back to a place where he's fired up and hungry again by October.

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

Yzerman should not do anything (like stripping the C) to degrade Larkin's value. He really should not respond and talk with Larkin about waving his NMC in private.

The NMC is a crazy hurdle and Larkin seems like a baby and won't budge.

 

[Hockeyfan2390]

Buying at the deadline would have been a stupid move and everybody that cared about long term success would say the same.

How would trading a 2nd round pick (that would have been used on a player that had a 50% chance of being in the NHL in 2029) for an asset like Ryan Donato have been a stupid move? Especially with Copp's injury?

Making the playoffs isn’t the end goal here.

The Red Wings have been around for 100 years. You can't go 9 years without making the playoffs.

Detroit's core players like Seider and Raymond (and Larkin) need playoff experience in order to be better prepared to contend when they reach that point. It's a non-negotiable that Detroit must be comfortably in the playoffs next season - Yzerman cannot allow this culture of losing to fester.

Also Montreal isn’t a good team either why are we looking at them like a blueprint

They're not a blue print, but they've made the Cup Final, bottomed out the last two years, and are back in the playoffs - all since Yzerman returned in 2019.

(And before you say it, no, their getting the 1st overall pick was nothing special. Slafkovsky isn't a franchise-altering talent.)

 

[Winger98]

Well here is another angle on this. Why is it taking our high floor guys so long to get here. Start leaving spots for some young guys. There are 20 vet depth guys available at the end of NHL camps. I get you want guys to earn spots. But as a board we have talked about for a while you cannot be bringing them all in at the same time. Now it is happening with a log jam. Why didn’t we see Wallinder or Toumisto when Petry was out and the two bottom dman were playing like crap.

We need a strategy reset. We have built some decent organizational depth in the farm. Start using it, between Danielson and Ammo you have a potential top 9 spot. Don’t fill that. Attach some guys to things if you don’t want to play them. Eat some of Compher’s salary and replace him with a ELC. I don’t know every answer but I sure as hell would like to see an adjustment. If the team isn’t heavy enough go get some of that, stop selling patience in year 7. I have it for the prospects not the roster at this point.

I don't think we need a strategy reset. I think the strategy is going to inherently shift as the pipeline fills out and more of the holes on the team are filled internally. We're finally rounding the bend and getting to that point, imo. Doesn't mean deals are going to be there to be made, but we can finally look at dealing some of this without then looking at the pipeline and going, "well, damn, now there's nothing coming up for the next two years."

Though I'm not sure the high floor guys are taking that long. Is third year after their draft really that long for a guy like Kasper? Or what we're expecting of Nate? Or ASP? MBN sort of screwed his own pooch there imo, but I don't think it'd be surprising if he is up and sticks at some point this season.

 

[Hockeyfan2390]

Ottawa is the proactive team here and they are slightly better than the wings who we think suck. All those moves for what? Getting embarrassed in the first round

And their core players will have postseason experience that will make them better in the long run. Sure, they may get smacked in the mouth this year in the playoffs and maybe even their next 2-3 appearances before making a deep run.

You know, like Steve Yzerman was in his first few playoff appearances during his playing career.

 

[Bondurant]

I would've preferred he not say it in a press conference but I agree that people will isolate it and people are going to make a bigger deal out of it than it probably is (including me).

My main thing is he seems like a seriously broken dude in his press conference. I hope he gets back to a place where he's fired up and hungry again by October.

For sure. We need D-Bo$$ out there.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

I would've preferred he not say it in a press conference but I agree that people will isolate it and people are going to make a bigger deal out of it than it probably is (including me).

My main thing is he seems like a seriously broken dude in his press conference. I hope he gets back to a place where he's fired up and hungry again by October.

If he doesn’t say it in a press conference it’s easy to ignore. I want Yzerman to feel the pressure so he actually does something.