So Larkin Made Some Interesting Comments.

[LongTimeDRWF]

Plus a full training camp with Mclellan, and prospects like ASP, Danielson, Cossa, etc. potentially cracking the lineup.

There will be more kids next year, maybe not all at once...but more are coming (and I think by the end of the season, the wiongs will be one the youngest teams in the league), I will be surprised if SY signs too many new vets the next couple of seasons, unless it fills a longer term...maybe the odd PTO, but T-Mc will be looking to get the yutes in and going if they are ready.

 

[LongTimeDRWF]

I know nothing, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone told me that Todd & SY had a conversation like this:

T: What do you want?
S: I want to know who stays. Push 'em.
T: How hard?
S: It's your team.
.
.
.
T: So, we did what we could with what we have, and dropped a little, which we figured was gonna happen.
S: Who stays?
T: I have a list...

Honestly, with where this team was, and who they showed themselves to be - to me, balking under a coach and system you don't like is a bit of a dick move - I wouldn't be surprised if McLellan's MAIN goal the last half of the season was evaluation, playoffs be damned.

And now he has a LOT of data and first-hand observation.

Yep, just by who was playing at point and stage of the games...it was all evaluation of the players he in hand... playoffs would have been a luxury for at least 4 more games of evaluation.

 

[Run the Jewels]

I don't know. Isn't he always slow with this stuff? Also someone mentioned he is at the U18 World Championship. Might be some other elements to where they want to have certain meetings before having the media press conference. Don't think its anything special reason for it, just logistics.

It looks like U18 games started 6 days after the season ended. Yzerman usually does the presser within 4 days IIRC. Max Bultman said he expects it to happen, but it seems odd it has been delayed so long. The tournament ends on May 3, so that would be more than 2 weeks after the end of the season.

 

[SirKillalot]

Because no NHL scout has anyone else in Detroit's prospect pool labeled as a true game-changing talent.

There is not many teams with true game changing talent.

The team that is being built will be very good. If a player or two develop into it or if one get one from outside later on we'll see.

Either way its going to be built to the point where its a good team no matter if one got some sensational game changing talent.

 

[SirKillalot]

It looks like U18 games started 6 days after the season ended. Yzerman usually does the presser within 4 days IIRC. Max Bultman said he expects it to happen, but it seems odd it has been delayed so long. The tournament ends on May 3, so that would be more than 2 weeks after the end of the season.

I don't really mind it. Maybe he has some more answers on different prospects and where they are expected or hoped to be then too.

It's not like the end of the season press conference is insanely exciting anyway. Standard questions, standard answers. Maybe we can get some interesting questions and answers on where some of the prospects is going to be, but he don't like to put that pressure on them by saying we expect them to be with the NHL team for example.

 

[FMichael]

What if Lalonde wasn't the problem? What if it doesn't matter what coach works with a bunch of Whiny McWhinersons? Outside of the new coach bump, was the team really any better under McClellan? I'm telling you, these same problems have dogged the team under three separate coaches.

If it’s a locker room issue amongst the players then this is a issue Yzerman should have addressed some time ago.

 

[SantosHalper]

True, but you can't kiss Larkin's soft ass. If you think he's not going to cut it, you have to move on. Keeping him would sabotage McLellan and ultimately Yzerman. Don't fall for the sunk cost fallacy, if Yzerman doesn't think he can win with Larkin you have to bite the bullet and move on.

Larkin is not sabotaging the team. He's been a soldier all the time, taking bullets left and right for the team. Now frustration and overall tireness boiled over.

Kasper is ready and Danielson will be ready next season, centre core is finally starting to look more NHL level. They push Copp down in the lineup and Compher on wing. Trading Larkin is a last thing we need to do right now.

If Larkin wants out, then it's a whole another ball game but the org has no reason to trade Larkin.

You have to get Larkin to give a list of teams where he would accept a trade and then let Yzerman figure out which team would give him the best return. This isn't DeBrincat wanting to come back to Michigan, this is Larkin wanting to play on a winner I guess. If he's fairly open on his destination that would improve the chances of making a good trade.

I think that would be a short list.

Columbus, obviously. And their most realistic offer, 1st+Sillinger+Del Bel Belluz.

I could see Boston as well, Pasta, Chuck MaC and Sway signed until 2030s. Re-tools this summer, adds good prospects in the mix. Their offer 1st+Mittelstadt+Poitras?

LA, perhaps. Old guard still has something left in the tank and some younger guys taking role. Their offer 1st+Danault+Greentree?

Whom ever it is, Wings would lose.

 

[RedHawkDown]

Larkin is not sabotaging the team. He's been a soldier all the time, taking bullets left and right for the team. Now frustration and overall tireness boiled over.

Kasper is ready and Danielson will be ready next season, centre core is finally starting to look more NHL level. They push Copp down in the lineup and Compher on wing. Trading Larkin is a last thing we need to do right now.

If Larkin wants out, then it's a whole another ball game but the org has no reason to trade Larkin.

I think that would be a short list.

Columbus, obviously. And their most realistic offer, 1st+Sillinger+Del Bel Belluz.

I could see Boston as well, Pasta, Chuck MaC and Sway signed until 2030s. Re-tools this summer, adds good prospects in the mix. Their offer 1st+Mittelstadt+Poitras?

LA, perhaps. Old guard still has something left in the tank and some younger guys taking role. Their offer 1st+Danault+Greentree?

Whom ever it is, Wings would lose.

I honestly don't even get what this means. What has he done? He's been around for all the sucking, that's it. That sucks for him, but it's hardly unexpected apart from the last 1-2 years where they could have been better, and where his own play down the stretch contributed to the collapses. What are all these "bullets" he's taken for Detroit?

I feel like if his name was Simon Eriksson he'd be considered a soft, whiny Euro and bad leader.

 

[RedHawkDown]

Larkin is not sabotaging the team. He's been a soldier all the time, taking bullets left and right for the team. Now frustration and overall tireness boiled over.

Kasper is ready and Danielson will be ready next season, centre core is finally starting to look more NHL level. They push Copp down in the lineup and Compher on wing. Trading Larkin is a last thing we need to do right now.

If Larkin wants out, then it's a whole another ball game but the org has no reason to trade Larkin.

I think that would be a short list.

Columbus, obviously. And their most realistic offer, 1st+Sillinger+Del Bel Belluz.

I could see Boston as well, Pasta, Chuck MaC and Sway signed until 2030s. Re-tools this summer, adds good prospects in the mix. Their offer 1st+Mittelstadt+Poitras?

LA, perhaps. Old guard still has something left in the tank and some younger guys taking role. Their offer 1st+Danault+Greentree?

Whom ever it is, Wings would lose.

I think if these are the options you don't trade him and try to do your best with adding to him. The kinds of trades I would target would be adding to Larkin (+12OV) for a potential upgrade with a team that has a young player with upside but wants to win now. Like Byfield in LA or Fantilli in Columbus. Save those pipe dreams, my decision would be to give Larkin an A and give the C to someone who doesn't see it as such a weight on their shoulders. Or you could take a big risk and trade him 1-for-1 for Pettersson and pray that he finds his game here...but that's definitely a big risk.

To me, Seider seems to be the guy that has the most "DGAF" attitude on this team, that would be very suitable for a captain.

 

[Run the Jewels]

To me, Seider seems to be the guy that has the most "DGAF" attitude on this team, that would be very suitable for a captain.

Yeah, if it comes to it, I do like Seider a lot as a future captain. He's so much better in his pressers, I'd imagine he's also really good in the room.

 

[SantosHalper]

I honestly don't even get what this means. What has he done? He's been around for all the sucking, that's it. That sucks for him, but it's hardly unexpected apart from the last 1-2 years where they could have been better, and where his own play down the stretch contributed to the collapses. What are all these "bullets" he's taken for Detroit?

And still going all in every night, working his ass off even when there wasn't any hope of success. He could have just float around and collect paychecks but for example he chose go battle in the net against Ottawa's rat squad, and got crosschecked in the neck for his troubles.

If someone has Wings win/loss record-screenshot with and without Larkin, this would be good time to post it.

That screenshot also answers to your question what Larkin has done. Wings record without Larkin on ice is abysmal. Wings can't win any games without Larkin.

 

[Winger98]

I think that would be a short list.

If Larkin requested a trade this offseason, I think Minny would be a possibility - especially if the talk of them not wanting to lock into Rossi are true. I would bet Vegas wuld be interested, too. Both teams have team USA connections wtih Boldy and Eichel.

I would be surprised if Yzerman dealt Larkin to an eastern conference team unless it was by far the best package.

 

[lilidk]

If it’s a locker room issue amongst the players then this is a issue Yzerman should have addressed some time ago.

We still don't know why we paid to ship Walman

 

[FMichael]

We still don't know why we paid to ship Walman

Apparently rumor has it he was a locker room cancer and later on last season he was a healthy scratch (after sitting out some games due to injury).

 

[SantosHalper]

If Larkin requested a trade this offseason, I think Minny would be a possibility - especially if the talk of them not wanting to lock into Rossi are true. I would bet Vegas wuld be interested, too. Both teams have team USA connections wtih Boldy and Eichel.

I would be surprised if Yzerman dealt Larkin to an eastern conference team unless it was by far the best package.

Yeah, Vegas seems to be always in on everyone. Stone on LTIR during the regular season certainly helps. Rossi+1st package probably would be best offer.

 

[Run the Jewels]

We still don't know why we paid to ship Walman

Prolly just did it for funsies, yeah?

 

[JoesuffP]

Not the mind state you want your captain having heading into off season training

 

[SoupGuru]

We need to move on from the "woe is me", victim mentality. Larkin has always been a whiny, diving, petulant kind of guy and maybe that works on the ice to some degree but I don't know if it works in the locker room.

 

[Run the Jewels]

We need to move on from the "woe is me", victim mentality. Larkin has always been a whiny, diving, petulant kind of guy and maybe that works on the ice to some degree but I don't know if it works in the locker room.

We definitely need to take the next step and I do wonder whether Larkin is the guy to lead us there?

 

[jkutswings]

Patience is key, this team will be really good 2-3 years down the road.

That depends on your definition of really good.

Let's say that in 2-3 years all of Mazur, ASP, Danielson, and Cossa are on the team and adjusting well. But no other significant additions happen.

Does that roster make the playoffs? Probably.
Does that roster win a round? I'm not optimistic.

So either you're expecting further moves between now and then, or being a first round exit qualifies as really good.