What Should Detroit Prioritize in Free Agency this Summer?

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Anton Lundell seems like a pretty good comp for Danielson. A strong two-way center who started with the Panthers at 20, and hasn't looked back. Could be on the way to his 3rd Stanley Cup final in 4 years.

Never played an AHL game. Sink or swim. He swam ... his team had 122 points. Then they traded for Matthew Tkachuk and got better. Lundell never missed a beat. Arguably the best 3rd line center in the league. His linemates currently lead the Panthers in playoff scoring. That line dominated every line the Leafs put out against them.

Danielson wouldn't be the first to do it. Lundell wasn't either.

If you scroll down, there's a report from a board member on the Griffins from a guy who saw every game.

He says Danielson is future top 6 center, Selke candidate. Will begin next season in Detroit and is part of the core. I guess he's wrong too.

Sound a little like Lundell.

"I guess he's wrong too?" I'm not sure what you're referring to. I was talking about the idea of getting rid of Copp and Compher and relying on essentially two rookies to be 2 and 3c and take all the faceoffs Larkin isn't able to.

And I'm not sure what all the team stuff has to do with Lundell. The Wings aren't the Panthers. Even as a rookie Lundell had Barkov, Bennett and Luostareinen taking more faceoffs than him while he found his sea legs.

If Danielson has a path like Lundell, great! One of the last lines of the post you quoted is me saying I'd love for him to be on the team next season.

 

[Perratrooper]

Only thing I know about Girard is he's tiny and that him and DeBrincat have gotten in a scrap.

He’s a very good puck mover who is actually fairly sound defensively. He has great passing ability, unbelievable skating, but has a muffin of a shot. He is reasonably physical considering his size, but at times can struggle with physical forecheckers. In my opinion a very solid #3 defender

 

[HisNoodliness]

Heard u guys are the front runners for Marner.

Can you please give him the bag? So Toronto can't match

As much as I'd love to have him, I'm not sure Yzerman will go the lengths to get him that someone else will. I think a lot of wings fans are talking about it but I've mostly seen the talking heads saying Anaheim, Chicago or Vegas (because they just assume Vegas will do whatever I guess).

But I'd love to hear what you're hearing. Where are you hearing that?

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

nobodys looking 3 years down the road at what would happen if weve got garikov n bennet owed 8 per for 3 more years when theyre bottom half players ! mean while these two arent capable of improving detroit to cup contender level today , and in 3 years when we need it 29 year old guys just as valuable could be signed ! and in the mean time weve the cap to sign kasper n eddie long term like we did sidez n rayz

JEANNOT
ORLOV

Gavrikov is superior to Orlov. And Gavrikov’s game is steady, smart defensive play. Also, defensemen tend to age better than forwards so I’m not worried about 34 year old Gavrikov making the equivalent of a well paid number 4 defenseman in 5 years.

Bennett will be first line LW or second line C in Detroit. And there’s also no guarantee he’s going to suck 5 years from now. Players take better care of themselves than they used to. I’d bet that if he’s getting real scoring line time instead of a 2/3C role like in Florida his production will be at least as good as this season, if not better on average.

 

[lilidk]

In exchange for who? Because if the goal is just to get rid of Chiarot then the team just got worse.

Chiarot has 2 more years left on his deal. He shouldn't be moved unless it's part of a package to bring in someone that significantly improves the team.

Holl is the real problem, but I don't know what can be done about that other than waive him. Like I said before, I hope in the end of season meeting Yzerman told Holl he better come to camp in the best shape of his life and focused on being a great Dman, because if he continues to play the way he has he'll be riding the bus in Grand Rapids by Thanksgiving and will probably never play in the NHL again.

Package for center or top 4 defansman . Holl should get waived , he could help kids in GR.

 

[Henkka]

Those numbers you quoted above are not the numbers of the regular season, and are only for the playoffs thus far ... 12 games, a very small sample size.

I have no beef with the idea that Seth Jones is moving up the depth chart, but you're making Ekblad sound like a donkey using a cherry picked set of numbers.

Ekblad's playoff advanced stats are as good or better than any D on the team ... His D zone starts % in the regular season, higher than any other Florida D.

2024-25 Florida Panthers Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts | Hockey-Reference.com

Ekblad would be elite 2nd pair guy (behind Seider) at Detroit, just like he is currently at Florida.

 

[jkutswings]

if he continues to play the way he has he'll be riding the bus in Grand Rapids by Columbus Day

Fixed that for you.

 

[19 for president]

Marner or bust? That’s crazy talk.

This FA class isn’t great but there will be a few good players available that improve this team by a few points at minimum.

There are but I feel like most of those guys are going to severely overpaid due to the cap rising. Now if we can get a good deal that's a bit different or if we can get rid of Tank/Compher and replace them with some grit/ scoring ability I'd be very game. I just don't see the need to overpay (on long term deals) for 2nd/3rd line guys when I think Danielson, Mazur, Buch, Ammo and MBN are very close to being NHL ready. I don't think they all make it next year but I could see 3.

So at long term UFA prices I'm mostly just interested in Gavrikov and Marner. Maybe Provorov.

 

[FMichael]

He wore #93 in Junior with London and won championships.
Maybe time to go back to that.

Only problem is DeBrincat currently has that #

 

[Snuggs]

Gavrikov is superior to Orlov. And Gavrikov’s game is steady, smart defensive play. Also, defensemen tend to age better than forwards so I’m not worried about 34 year old Gavrikov making the equivalent of a well paid number 4 defenseman in 5 years.

Bennett will be first line LW or second line C in Detroit. And there’s also no guarantee he’s going to suck 5 years from now. Players take better care of themselves than they used to. I’d bet that if he’s getting real scoring line time instead of a 2/3C role like in Florida his production will be at least as good as this season, if not better on average.

Got sucked into the Gavrikov/Bennett hype.

You don't wanna sign these guys, do you? They'll have to be significant overpays to get them here.

 

[Snuggs]

Heard u guys are the front runners for Marner.

Can you please give him the bag? So Toronto can't match

I hope so, god how awesome would it be watching Marner and the Red Wings eliminate you guys next year in the 1st round in 7 games.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

Got sucked into the Gavrikov/Bennett hype.

You don't wanna sign these guys, do you? They'll have to be significant overpays to get them here.

If you are afraid to overpay for a player, free agency isn't for you.

 

[SirloinUB]

Ekblad is useful but realistically, Detroit would only want him as top 4 for 2-3 seasons at max because ASP is coming in.

So long term Ekblad is a bad move.

Long term we need another top 4 LEFT defenseman to either play with Seider or with ASP. I don’t think it’s crazy for ASP to play 20+ minutes a night by sometime in 2026, negating the need for a long term contract in that spot. There isn’t anyone in the system that looks like they’re going to be a regular NHL D right now.

I feel a little bit of Marner/Gavrikov or bust. Maybe Provorov.

I think getting a good contract that will age reasonably well is just as important as upgrading the roster with little consideration for "value".

 

[SirloinUB]

Would Wings fans consider trading for Girard and if so, would they be interested in sending a futures package to acquire him? Girard is 27 years old and a very solid second pair defenseman, with 2 years left at $5m per.

Colorado would mostly be interested in assets they could use to flip to address other areas of concern.

I'd have some interest for the right price. Definitely not moving a 1st or top prospect for him. Gustafsson would probably need to go back in any deal. Not sure how the avs would feel about that.

I think he could be a good fit for this team but he's not an Yzerman type. He loves big Dmen.

 

[ridilon]

I hope so, god how awesome would it be watching Marner and the Red Wings eliminate you guys next year in the 1st round in 7 games.

OMG could you even imagine what it would be like for the Leafs if this came to pass? Marner netting 5 goals in the series including two in game 7.

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

So the Wings centers are Larkin, Kasper...

Well one of Copp or Compher would still be here and hopefully Danielson on the 4th line to start.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Well one of Copp or Compher would still be here and hopefully Danielson on the 4th line to start.

Ahh, I thought you meant get rid of both of them.

If and when Danielson comes up I hope he's playing more than 4th line minutes though. Let Ras get that kind of 4th line minutes he deserves.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

I feel a little bit of Marner/Gavrikov or bust. Maybe Provorov.

I think getting a good contract that will age reasonably well is just as important as upgrading the roster with little consideration for "value".

I can't see why anyone would expect any higher-end free agent to agree to any contract with a new team that fans would consider a "good contract." The cap is heading nowhere but up over the next three years ($113mm by 2027). This is also the one time in the professional lives of these players that they actually have leverage over their employers. Why would any of them do a fanbase a solid.

The complaints that you have about this year's crop in terms of value are the complaints you will have about next year's crop and the year after. Fans just need to be realistic about the basic nature of free agency and stop simultaneously complaining about the cost of players and the inability of the front office to improve the team.

 

[SirloinUB]

I can't see why anyone would expect any higher-end free agent to agree to any contract with a new team that fans would consider a "good contract." The cap is heading nowhere but up over the next three years ($113mm by 2027). This is also the one time in the professional lives of these players that they actually have leverage over their employers. Why would any of them do a fanbase a solid.

The complaints that you have about this year's crop in terms of value are the complaints you will have about next year's crop and the year after. Fans just need to be realistic about the basic nature of free agency and stop simultaneously complaining about the cost of players and the inability of the front office to improve the team.

I get what you're saying and its all fair.

I just feel that those tier 2 and 3 free agent contracts will age poorly. Take Sam Bennet as an example. Some people are talking about 8 or 9 M +. This is a guy who topped 50 points once and scored more than 25 twice while never touching 30 goals. He does a lot of great things but he isn't going to be a good asset on a long term 8M+ aav contract.

Id much rather give Marner, say 13.5 than guys like Bennet/Ehlers 8.5+

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

I get what you're saying and its all fair.

I just feel that those tier 2 and 3 free agent contracts will age poorly. Take Sam Bennet as an example. Some people are talking about 8 or 9 M +. This is a guy who topped 50 points once and scored more than 25 twice while never touching 30 goals. He does a lot of great things but he isn't going to be a good asset on a long term 8M+ aav contract.

Id much rather give Marner, say 13.5 than guys like Bennet/Ehlers 8.5+

I agree that there is a lot to be said for buying quality.

 

[FMichael]

I get what you're saying and its all fair.

I just feel that those tier 2 and 3 free agent contracts will age poorly. Take Sam Bennet as an example. Some people are talking about 8 or 9 M +. This is a guy who topped 50 points once and scored more than 25 twice while never touching 30 goals. He does a lot of great things but he isn't going to be a good asset on a long term 8M aav contract.

Id much rather give Marner, say 13.5 than guys like Bennet/Ehlers 8.5+

Bennet and Marchment are 2 I'd want to stay away from...We have no room for pissing and moaning about Marner's performance on the Leafs considering our run of missing the postseason/s.

 

[FMichael]

I agree that there is a lot to be said for buying quality.

Now is that time for signing Marner, or possibly a 'big' trade (whatever the hell that might be).

Larkin isn't too happy, Yzerman/McLellan seem concerned, and I'd say most of us fans are tired of shitty hockey bordering on AHL caliber on many nights throughout the year.

'Yzerplan' can go on and on for another 4 to 10 years and we may still suck at the rate we're going.

 

[SirloinUB]

I agree that there is a lot to be said for buying quality.

Maybe a simpler way of outlining my mindset:

Marner is the only player I’d want to give more than 8M with term.

 

[Snuggs]

If you are afraid to overpay for a player, free agency isn't for you.

I think it's relative to the degree you overpay vs a blanket statement that suggest all signings are bad or not worth it.

I'm not sure anyone should be pumped to pay those guys near 8 million per year.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

Maybe a simpler way of outlining my mindset:

Marner is the only player I’d want to give more than 8M with term.

Bennet and Marchment are 2 I'd want to stay away from...We have no room for pissing and moaning about Marner's performance on the Leafs considering our run of missing the postseason/s.

Marchment isn't a UFA for another year. Oddly, I would absolutely trade for him at the right price.