We didn't get burned by Rafalski, He had a bad knee and decided to retire with a year left that came off the books. Granted we got burned by Samuelsson, Tootoo and Weiss but no way did we get burned by Rafalski.
I only say burned on Rafalski because Holland numerous times has said that Rafalski deciding to retire really put Detroits blue line in a bind moving forwardand he wasnt expecting/ready for it, especially with Lidstrom getting older too. Lidstrom definitely did Holland a favor by sticking around longer than he planned especially after Rafalski retired early
http://www.wingingitinmotown.com/20...-wings-needs-on-nhls-first-day-of-free-agency
"Though Lidstrom's retirement presented its own major difficulties, the decline of the Red WIngs' defense actually started with the surprise retirement of Brian Rafalski in the offseason of 2011. Rafalski had one more year on his deal worth $6 million, and general manager Ken Holland had already "penciled" Rafalski into the lineup for the next season"
https://www.nhl.com/news/commitment-to-family-leads-rafalski-to-retire/c-563767
"Needless to say, the decision caught most people by surprise -- including his agent, Bill Zito, who's represented Rafalski for his entire 15-year professional hockey career that included the first four playing in Europe after going unselected in the Entry Draft.
"When he told me, I was like, 'What?'" Zito told NHL.com on Wednesday by phone. "It's ingrained. The NHL is a privilege. You play as long as you can play. It's just a wonderful experience and you get all of it that you can get. You look at his points-per-game this season and he was still among the best in the game. So in that regard, it was a big surprise. Then you talk to him for even a few minutes and it all just makes sense."
As he did at the podium on Wednesday, Rafalski explained to Zito and Holland his rationale earlier this week."
He burned Holland in the sense that he left him hanging for the upcoming season kind of out of the blue
