What do you think of the team?

[Winger98]

I agree with everything in this post, right down to the positions of the players to add. But I maintain my skepticism about being able to land quality guys to fill those positions.

Again, I hope I'm wrong. Just two plus players in those slots would make a big difference to rounding out the roster (with the pending kids). But major assets or dollars will likely be needed to add those pieces, and I don't yet see any evidence that this front office is willing to cough up more for a better tier of player.

Fingers crossed it works out.

I'd add luck to that equation. So much has to align to get the right guys at the right time, it goes beyond just having the assets and cap to throw at it. Even if a guy like Marner hits the open market, we throw $14m/7 years at him...we could be the high bidder and he still just prefers to go play in Carolina or something.

What we can feel good about is that Yzerman has put the Wings in a position to chase those moves. They have $17m or so falling off the cap this summer, a big chunk falling off again after the 25/26 season, they have all of our picks for the next three drafts but our 4th this draft to use as collateral...They're in a good position for good things to happen.

 

[Snuggs]

Little better than Montreal, worse than the Senators. (IMO). Better than the Flyers/BlueJackets/Penguins/Rangers.

They need help in the places everyone's mentioned. ( 2nd line center or better 1st line, 3rd line winger, top four LHD. ) I'm hoping to add at least ONE this year in no particular order.

I can settle for Oliver Bjorkstrand and Ryan Lindgren if I can't have Elias Pettersson.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

I agree with everything in this post, right down to the positions of the players to add. But I maintain my skepticism about being able to land quality guys to fill those positions.

Again, I hope I'm wrong. Just two plus players in those slots would make a big difference to rounding out the roster (with the pending kids). But major assets or dollars will likely be needed to add those pieces, and I don't yet see any evidence that this front office is willing to cough up more for a better tier of player.

Fingers crossed it works out.

You could be right and time will tell. The Cap is going up by $9mm next year (to $97mm) $9mm! (and I have been told that it should actually be higher now). Cap dollars won't be an issue. Getting good players to sign in Detroit may still be an issue however. Personally, I think you need to use the trade market to find that LHD we do desperately need. Still, I would rather be looking for a middle pair LHD than a top pair LHD.

We shall see if Steve can execute. Like I said, we don't have a ton of problems to solve.

 

[jkutswings]

I'd add luck to that equation. So much has to align to get the right guys at the right time, it goes beyond just having the assets and cap to throw at it. Even if a guy like Marner hits the open market, we throw $14m/7 years at him...we could be the high bidder and he still just prefers to go play in Carolina or something.

What we can feel good about is that Yzerman has put the Wings in a position to chase those moves. They have $17m or so falling off the cap this summer, a big chunk falling off again after the 25/26 season, they have all of our picks for the next three drafts but our 4th this draft to use as collateral...They're in a good position for good things to happen.

Fair point.

Right or wrong, past perception (Suter and Praise, Stamkos) is that Detroit either landed their first option or stopped trying (or dropped their standards significantly). I'd like to see more of, "they turned over every rock imaginable, got creative, and landed one of the half dozen high quality scenarios they pursued".

 

[FMichael]

While I agree on paper, I'm skeptical about how well Yzerman will be able to shift gears, at least to the extent I think is necessary.

If he can change from the extreme of a plethora of mediocre plugs to not only getting a couple of key long term additions, but landing very good NHL players in those spots, then everybody wins and I'll bring the confetti for the celebration. But for as impressed as I've been with his early draft picks, I've been equally unimpressed with the vast majority of his free agents and trades, so I'll believe it when I see it.

Agreed.

People clamoring for a 'quality' 2nd line center - well - Copp, and Compher were signed via UFA, and Kasper, and Danielson were drafted for this role.

I get it - people want sumthin better sooner than later - however it'll cost us via a trade, get lucky (again) at the draft, or another UFA signing.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

Fair point.

Right or wrong, past perception (Suter and Praise, Stamkos) is that Detroit either landed their first option or stopped trying (or dropped their standards significantly). I'd like to see more of, "they turned over every rock imaginable, got creative, and landed one of the half dozen high quality scenarios they pursued".

You think there are a half dozen high quality scenarios every offseason? That number seems high to me.

 

[jkutswings]

You think there are a half dozen high quality scenarios every offseason? That number seems high to me.

Yes and no. It's more about how wide a net you cast.

I think there's rarely more than 2-3 high quality players available in a given free agency class (and sometimes none). But I want Detroit also considering RFA offer sheets, running down possible trades, and looking for scenarios where a guy might need a change of scenery even if he's not publicly available (whether it's via just 2 teams, or requiring 3+ teams to make it work).

If you start with a narrow field to choose from, the odds are against you and you'll frequently keep getting stuck with table scraps. If you start with the assumption that everybody is available at the right price, then narrow it down to fit / cap hit / assets needed to land them...it increases your odds exponentially to actually get a good player or two.

My concern hinges on my perception of how willing Yzerman will be to really dive into this second way of thinking, and actually break some eggs to help finish the omelette. Again, fingers crossed and time will tell.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

Yes and no. It's more about how wide a net you cast.

I think there's rarely more than 2-3 high quality players available in a given free agency class (and sometimes none). But I want Detroit also considering RFA offer sheets, running down possible trades, and looking for scenarios where a guy might need a change of scenery even if he's not publicly available (whether it's via just 2 teams, or requiring 3+ teams to make it work).

If you start with a narrow field to choose from, the odds are against you and you'll frequently keep getting stuck with table scraps. If you start with the assumption that everybody is available at the right price, then narrow it down to fit / cap hit / assets needed to land them...it increases your odds exponentially to actually get a good player or two.

My concern hinges on my perception of how willing Yzerman will be to really dive into this second way of thinking, and actually break some eggs to help finish the omelette. Again, fingers crossed and time will tell.

I am not going to infer a lack of effort or a lack of desire from past results. Of the three means of acquiring players, a team really only has unilateral control over one of them. Unless you have access to a bat phone, we have no idea what exactly Yzerman has been pursing in the trade market. Just because he has not accomplished what he wants to in that respect does not mean he isn't trying. In addition, I absolutely do not want him making trades for the sake of just making a trade. With each passing year I feel we are better positioned to participate in the trade market. We are at the point where we actually may have disposable assets that someone else would actually want and have enough in the system with respect to prospects that we can afford to part with draft capital. When you only have one or two issues to solve, you can afford to devote more capital to those solutions.

Like I said, time will tell. You are correct that there is no guarantee Yzerman will be able to execute. I fully appreciate that.

 

[AlwaysSunnyInDetroit]

for everyone criticizing yzerman for not trying hard enough and bemoaning the fact that we don't have an elite talent, he's right there. his name is elias pettersson. the cost is one of larkin, raymond, seider or edvinsson. name your price

 

[KJoe88]

They suck again.