What do you think of Yzerman these days?

[DoMakc]

Why is everybody whining about 2-7 round? Next season we will be able to judge Johansson from Yzerman's first draft. Söderblom from the same draft played some games. Wallinder, Mazur, Lombardi, Buium, etc have a good chance to contribute - basically in each and every draft there is at least one prospect who should make it. It is not drafting the issue - it is slowplaying the prospects and people being impatient. Or rather certain posters think that they know better and are still butthurt as Yzerman didn't pick their favourite player.

 

[SoupNazi]

Two people have voted bad. Why?

 

[ShanahanMan]

Why is everybody whining about 2-7 round? Next season we will be able to judge Johansson from Yzerman's first draft. Söderblom from the same draft played some games. Wallinder, Mazur, Lombardi, Buium, etc have a good chance to contribute - basically in each and every draft there is at least one prospect who should make it. It is not drafting the issue - it is slowplaying the prospects and people being impatient. Or rather certain posters think that they know better and are still butthurt as Yzerman didn't pick their favourite player.

In 5 years with so many picks, you would expect some talent to have taken in the 2nd+ rounds but we have yet to see that that.

 

[Frk It]

Why is everybody whining about 2-7 round? Next season we will be able to judge Johansson from Yzerman's first draft. Söderblom from the same draft played some games. Wallinder, Mazur, Lombardi, Buium, etc have a good chance to contribute - basically in each and every draft there is at least one prospect who should make it. It is not drafting the issue - it is slowplaying the prospects and people being impatient. Or rather certain posters think that they know better and are still butthurt as Yzerman didn't pick their favourite player.

I feel like you could ask this question in a different way to where you might actually get a reasonable conversation out of it.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

I think the anti Yzerman camp is mostly complain just for the sake of complaining.

It was unfortunate to miss the playoffs by one stink'n point, but it's also another season where they overperformed relative to expectation.

By every measure the organization has improved each year he took over, and even though they have been losing seasons.

We could have prime Pollock, Bowman, and Lamoriello working as a triad GM and the anti-yzerman crowd would still complain.

It would be really worrying if the organization couldn’t improve from where Yzerman took them over.

 

[RRhoads]

I didn't like the Chiarot contract one year ago, but today I don't mind it. He was our second best defenseman last year.

 

[lilidk]

I didn't like the Chiarot contract one year ago, but today I don't mind it. He was our second best defenseman last year.

Expect great year from Holl

 

[Shaman464]

The only things holding him back in my mind are keeping Draper as head of scouting and deciding to shortcut the rebuild a season or so too early (and signing some pretty questionable FAs in the process).

 

[RabidBadger]

I think he's a real nice person having met him and dealing with him on a professional level (not hockey, at a veterinary practice I worked at).

As a GM: 1) there's been yearly improvement. 2) I'd say drafting has been above average relative to lottery woes. I'm holding out hope for a post-1st round gem. 3) FA signings have been mostly solid. Chia, Copp and Perron were brought in during dark times when no one wanted to come here. Copp is overpaid but his term is negligible in terms of the rebuild. Kane could have signed anywhere but came here. That means something. Holl...gag.

The real litmus test comes when Kasper, ASP, Mazur, Cossa, Danielson, etc. make the show. Over half of the current team will be gone in a few years. We're watching a lot placeholders right now so I have to reserve judgement on an incomplete body of work.

 

[dalem177]

I wish to bear SY many strong sons.

 

[Oddbob]

Draper to me might be the iffy guy to keep so high up in the scouting department as not many of his choices look stellar or even ok at this point. To me this could be them being so good of friends clouding Steve from putting someone better in Draper's spot.

 

[dekelikekocur]

In 5 years with so many picks, you would expect some talent to have taken in the 2nd+ rounds but we have yet to see that that.

In the same light though, we only have 2 of our firsts who are regulars (with hopefully another on the way this year in Ed). They've been letting all of the prospects simmer unless said prospect forces themselves onto the team ala Seider and Raymond.

Draper to me might be the iffy guy to keep so high up in the scouting department as not many of his choices look stellar or even ok at this point. To me this could be them being so good of friends clouding Steve from putting someone better in Draper's spot.

I'm all for selling Draper back to the Peg and recouping our dollar.

 

[FMichael]

It would be really worrying if the organization couldn’t improve from where Yzerman took them over.

Imagine if we had a good coach.

I wish to bear SY many strong sons.

I've said it numerous times before...Lidstrom's sons need to marry the Yzerman girls...Universe would explode!

 

[FMichael]

The only things holding him back in my mind are keeping Draper as head of scouting and deciding to shortcut the rebuild a season or so too early (and signing some pretty questionable FAs in the process).

My only question would be how has what appears to be 'cutting the rebuild off too soon' effected this team?

It's not like the lottery Gods have been on our side and how long do you want to suck before Larkin performs seppuku at center ice in front of 19K?

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

The only things holding him back in my mind are keeping Draper as head of scouting and deciding to shortcut the rebuild a season or so too early (and signing some pretty questionable FAs in the process).

The wings would have needed to trade two of Larkin, Raymond or Seider to contend for a top 3 lottery pick any of the last 3 seasons. With how often the wings have been screwed by the lottery that’s a terrible idea.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

The wings would have needed to trade two of Larkin, Raymond or Seider to contend for a top 3 lottery pick any of the last 3 seasons. With how often the wings have been screwed by the lottery that’s a terrible idea.

It is amazing that some posters still can't figure this out. The consequence of drafting relatively well is that eventually you stop sucking.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

I am happy with Yzerman and can't think of anyone else I would rather have in the chair. He hasn't been perfect, but expecting perfection in the first place would be extremely stupid (as would be expecting purely linear progress). It is a hard job and you only have so much control. Our drafting has clearly been better than Holland's final years which is really important because that is something we control. Some of that may be drafting higher, but credit is still deserved. I can't say that Draper is materially better or worse than other available options (though I appreciate he doesn't draft as many Euro midgets as some would like). FAs have been a mixed bag, but they are for every team. We have some bad-ish contracts, but so does everyone else as it is the nature of the free agent beast. I also don't see us being crushed long or short term by the bad ones.

What I like most about Yzerman is that he is willing to take action. He may not always succeed in making us better, but he isn't fostering the passive country club culture of his predecessor. As we get better I expect our FA moves to improve. We aren't an attractive FA market when the team isn't competitive.

I think I need to see where we stand two years from now to really give him a firm grade.

 

[Ulysses31]

imo to say SY any less than good nutzo

 

[Indrid Cold]

High ceiling, high floor GM, but so far he has been hovering just above the floor, and hasn't floated to that ceiling.

 

[lilidk]

Yzerman just above average GM and nothing more, planty questionable moves, sometimes brilliant. He is playing safe when drafting. Is it good ,? we will see In about 3 years from now. I think Yzerman building Nashville 2.0.

 

[HisNoodliness]

Draper to me might be the iffy guy to keep so high up in the scouting department as not many of his choices look stellar or even ok at this point. To me this could be them being so good of friends clouding Steve from putting someone better in Draper's spot.

I honestly agree that in general I haven't loved Draper's drafting. Our best picks have come from Europe, and while he's the overall head of scouting, I have to imagine that he's more involved in NA where we seem to do worse. I also don't like how much the players we take seem to play the way Draper did. Often the players he champions in draft interviews are my least favorite picks for that year.

I don't think Yzerman has him there because he's his friend though. Yzerman also really likes players of Draper's ilk. We also have to give Draper credit for saying "Yep, Hakan wants this guy that I'm a little less familiar with, take your shot" if we're going to praise the results from our Euro scouting. He's also been a big proponent of some successes following his mold (Bertuzzi and Mazur). Most of his picks need more time before they can be summarily dismissed.

Essentially, I also don't love Draper but I think his track record makes him a justifiable choice. His mentality matches Stevie Y's really well and thus I think he's sticking around. I think it has very little to do with nepotism. Man would I love to get Al Murray somehow.

 

[The Zermanator]

It is amazing that some posters still can't figure this out. The consequence of drafting relatively well is that eventually you stop sucking.

 

[Snuggs]

"Okay GM, I'm worried about some aspects of our strategy, could be worse"​

Sums up my thoughts pretty well. Yzerman is solid in the draft, alright in trades, little questionable in UFA, questioning how we're bringing in more top line talent outside of the draft. Not sure he's done anything to say he's bad, not sure he's done enough "yet" to say he's just brilliant. We'll see what happens with Edvinsson/Kasper/Cossa/Danielson and some other later round guys we're likely not thinking of. If he nails all these guys in the draft well, then he's done an excellent job and might be one the best GMs ever.

 

[JediOrderPizza]

I went with good gm, the stuff I mostly complain about doesn't actually matter when it comes to the rebuild.

I feel like this team is building up for a big move eventually tho.

 

[Retire91]

It would be really worrying if the organization couldn’t improve from where Yzerman took them over.

Yes I could have added improved the on ice product while simultaneously prioritizing long term improvement. I think the long term oriented moves are A+ while the one ice product has been understandably so so.