Yzerman End of Season pressconference

[FMichael]

As if he hasn’t done this a thousand times before?

This.

I'm a broken record, but I cannot fathom how weary DBoss must feel year-after-year of sucking and there's only so much he can do...Yzerman, Lidstrom, and Zetterberg had considerably better teammates throughout their careers...Being the Captain these days in Detroit is more of a burden than anything.

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

This.

I'm a broken record, but I cannot fathom how weary DBoss must feel year-after-year of sucking and there's only so much he can do...Yzerman, Lidstrom, and Zetterberg had considerably better teammates throughout their careers...Being the Captain these days in Detroit is more of a burden than anything.

Yeah but those teams expectations were to WIN THE CUP not to get WC2! This team was good enough to at least get in one of those three years and Larkin didn't show up, got hurt and didn't show up again.(as did others not all on him)

That was a weasel move blaming Yzerman you didn't have enough "firepower" to squeak in the last wild card spot. He is soft. You're the f***ing captain of the team.

Be a leader. He should have quieted that talk after the deadline of the guys complaining and say "wtf boys we don't need no one else we got what we need lfg" no one is coming to save us!!!

 

[SirloinUB]

As if he hasn’t done this a thousand times before?

Important context to him asking for TDL help is that he was asked about missing playoffs/young kids and the future which he is sick of talking about after missing the playoffs.

Yes, Larkin needed to be better himself but his comment is being completely blown out proportion and context.

 

[SirKillalot]

As if he hasn’t done this a thousand times before?

Yes, and the reason why he hasn't improved as a player. He could have been so much better.
Also, if he was injured to a point where he cannot play at his best, maybe he should have decided to not play and sat out until they figured when he could play at a 100% again.

 

[Frk It]

Yes, and the reason why he hasn't improved as a player. He could have been so much better.

Hasn’t improved as a player? The guy who had one of the best +1 season development curves I’ve ever seen? The guy whose projection was 3rd line center on draft night and has posted four 30 goal seasons in a row and become close to a ppg guy?

Y’all are out to lunch.

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

Best thing about the conference is that it codified how much I like Todd.

Him and Yzerman are no bs. As I've said before I hate his FA signings so far. That's literally the only complaint I have against him. The draft has been great, contracts for Seider and Raymond great. Larkin contract great. Just got to purge the plugs which I believe he will. As for Todd considering he came in the middle of the year he was great.

 

[SirKillalot]

The guy whose projection was 3rd line center on draft night and has posted four 30 goal seasons in a row and become close to a ppg guy?

In what world was he projected to be a 3rd line center?
He was always a steal at his draft position.

He should have been better. Larkin hasn't reached his full potential and he might never will.

 

[Frk It]

In what world was he projected to be a 3rd line center?
He was always a steal at his draft position.

He should have been better. Larkin hasn't reached his full potential and he might never will.

If true he would have went top 5 instead of #15.

This is one of the oddest takes I’ve seen on here.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

That was some radio show that took things out of thin air.
The Illitch don't interfer. Also they don't need to sign off on signings.

Let's not make things up. Copp could play middle six forward on several of the teams in the playoffs. Just because people don't like him since he is overpaid doesn't mean one can say ridiculous things.

Well it was directed at Larkin and the leadership group of the players. That they have to step up and not blame it on that someone else didn't arrive to potentially help them.


Tampa offered $3.5M a year. Nashville $8M. No one in their right mind would take the lowball offer from Tampa and frankly its embarrassing that Tampa offered that to a franchise player.

When you have limited years of playing left, you don't accept an offer that is less than 45% of what you get elsewhere.


Then he needs to grow the f... up. I remember these idiot videos he and another player or something used to do back then. "D-Boss"...





Then he is soft between the ears. He need to grow up and don't blame others every time.



What makes him soft is, he is diverting the responsibility to hypotheticals and what if's regarding that potential other players should have come in and made them better and given them a boosts. He should have done better and he should be part of the leadership group that is boosting the players up.

Which team could Copp be 2nd or 3rd line center on this postseason?

I don’t see any 3C’s he bumps down except maybe Drury in Colorado.

 

[norrisnick]

Which team could Copp be 2nd or 3rd line center on this postseason?

I don’t see any 3C’s he bumps down except maybe Drury in Colorado.

Most of them. If all the other 3Cs were on the Wings you'd hate them as much or more than Copp.

 

[Dotter]

After listening to the interview I came away with an opinion from reading between the lines.

I think yzerman says things. You just have to piece it all together.

I think it adds up to stuff from poster Petes has been saying.

I also think the "yzerplan" is very much the "ilitchplan". I think yzerman and Chris had a plan from day one and yzerman is executing it. That's why I don't think SFY is on the hot seat... Because this was the plan from day one; build through the draft. I think the Stamkos thing was SFY possibly having FOMO, and Chris shut that shit right down for being "outside the plan"

That's a basic over simplification of my opinion.

 

[Oddbob]

Some of you really know how to turn much ado about nothing into a much bigger story than it is. They didn't directly attack Dylan, they were talking about the room as a whole getting down often and not being able to recover quickly. They mentioned more than once that you don't need a letter to be a leader. Todd than directly mentioned Ben Chiarot and Petry when talking about this issue, which means they may be part of the issue. That is what I took from this, not that Dylan is the main issue, but the room has a lot of guys who get down and can't get going again, which is troubling to hear. Steve also mentioned needing more from Mo and Ray with regards to this, so maybe they aren't quite ready to be main leaders yet.

The rest of it, both gave some good answers, but I really hated the mention of Gus and Tank having played at least decent, when they were both bad. I don't even agree with Steve that Tank deserved more pts, I actually think he deserved less based on the effort I saw most nights. He wasn't snake bitten at all, he simply was doing mostly nothing most of the time.

Didn't like that they are thinking of bringing Lyon back, which means the same tandem as this year and it stunk a lot of the time.

Not really a fan of bringing Kane back either, as he will be another year older, coasts a lot, and when he isn't putting up pts, he is a huge liability at 5 on 5.

The media asked zero questions about the D as a whole when it is easily the weakest spot on the team. Same at the deadline, there was no talk about improving this spot. I also disagree with Steve that he couldn't have made a move at the deadline to improve the D. There were definitely players that could be had for little that bump him out of the lineup. Didn't need to be a blockbuster, but something.

 

[dalem177]

This thread needs a little bit of

 

[dj4aces]

A few things to takeaway from the presser, and a few thoughts of my own as I watched it yesterday.

TL;DR? Shit just got real.

When I tuned in and saw the team/sponsor background instead of Yzerman at home or in the office, I knew immediately that this wasn't some happy-go-lucky presser. He wasn't gonna gloss over the regular season failings, and certainly not the Larkin comments. He had a fire to him, I thought, and that was extremely refreshing to see. As a fanbase, we needed to see more fire and urgency from him.

First, Larkin I don't see going anywhere. Not now, and not in the foreseeable future. Yzerman and McLellan essentially drove the point home, in no uncertain terms, that he has to do a much better job leading that room. My impression is, Kane took a backseat and let Larkin lead (which is the right thing for any leader joining a new team), but perhaps after this, Larkin maybe reaches out, or maybe he even talked to the former captain in the front office, for tips on dealing with the mental issues and effort level concerns that ails this team. But the fact is simple: He needs to lead, follow, or get out of the way.

Second was the acknowledgement that he made some bad signings. There are absolutely players who have too much term and salary attached to their names, and it sounds like Stevie is interested in parting ways with as many of these bad contracts as is possible. McLellan talking about Holl "improving over the season" might be a sign of a desire to move on from Holl. You don't throw players under the bus if you hope to maximize return (or at least minimize other assets you have to attach to the trade).

Third is a desire to actually make a splash. The idea that we could go hard for the best players in free agency. I'll take him at his word. He absolutely could and should go hard after Marner and Ekblad if they make it to 1 July without a contract. He could go after other top players. He could even make a trade for a top player on a contract set to expire soon. He did basically say all his chips are on the table. Let's see what happens.

All in all, Yzerman and McLellan took the kid gloves off, and put on the foil. I expect next season to look very different.

 

[DanielMarois]

I was scared that as Yzerman was getting more visibly upset that he was going to say something like "Oh you want a big move, fine, Todd you are fired!!".

 

[Oddbob]

In what world was he projected to be a 3rd line center?
He was always a steal at his draft position.

He should have been better. Larkin hasn't reached his full potential and he might never will.

You are so far out to lunch. A 15th overall who average close to 70 pts a season with solid two way play and great compete most nights is well beyond any reasonable expectation for that draft spot.

 

[SCD]

This was the first time I have seen Yzerman really aggravated when asked about Walman. I believe that is what led to the "daydream" comment, because he was still thinking about it.

At the 43:40 mark of the media, Yzerman is responding to the question about losing can be repetitive. He talks about how Larkin and Debrincat "can be here for along time." Although Yzerman always chooses his words carefully, I find it interesting for two players tied up in longer contracts the word "can" was used instead of "will."

My take on the whole discussion is that Larkin's importance on the team is now secondary to the core younger players. Decisions will be based on what is best for the team when the core is starting to peak. If Larkin stays, he will be expected to carry a lot more weight in both performance and leadership.

 

[SirKillalot]

If true he would have went top 5 instead of #15.

Thus a steal, thanks.

Which team could Copp be 2nd or 3rd line center on this postseason?

I don’t see any 3C’s he bumps down except maybe Drury in Colorado.

Most of them. If all the other 3Cs were on the Wings you'd hate them as much or more than Copp.

As norrisnick says. He could be in the middle six of many teams. Some as center, some as winger. I'm not saying he would dominate etc, but he would do a decent job and maybe get hot with the right chemistry.

The media asked zero questions about the D as a whole when it is easily the weakest spot on the team. Same at the deadline, there was no talk about improving this spot.

I don't remember what the question was, but Yzerman spoke some about the d-men in Grand Rapids.
Without really telling much.

You are so far out to lunch. A 15th overall who average close to 70 pts a season with solid two way play and great compete most nights is well beyond any reasonable expectation for that draft spot.

I don't think its well beyond reasonable expectation for that draft spot. I think its fairly good and I agree you can say you hit on it, but beyond reasonable expectation would be 90 points+ player. Which, with all the backing Larkin has on this team part of the forum, maybe he should have reached that at some point.

Personally I think he needs to be better. He needs to play with more force. It's not a ton of times you would say Larkin did some kind of "power move" which in my opinion I think he has the skills to do. Its like he is afraid to stick out too much.

 

[Run the Jewels]

This was the first time I have seen Yzerman really aggravated when asked about Walman. I believe that is what led to the "daydream" comment, because he was still thinking about it.

At the 43:40 mark of the media, Yzerman is responding to the question about losing can be repetitive. He talks about how Larkin and Debrincat "can be here for along time." Although Yzerman always chooses his words carefully, I find it interesting for two players tied up in longer contracts the word "can" was used instead of "will."

My take on the whole discussion is that Larkin's importance on the team is now secondary to the core younger players. Decisions will be based on what is best for the team when the core is starting to peak. If Larkin stays, he will be expected to carry a lot more weight in both performance and leadership.

It's really interesting reading the Kings fans p***ing and s****ing all over Anze Kopitar, a guy who is much better than Dylan Larkin can ever hope to become. Even when Detroit makes the playoffs, we know who Larkin is, he's not going to magically become something else at the age of 29.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

Ottawa and Montreal not only made the playoffs but left Detroit in the dust. In our division Florida, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Tampa are all likely playoff teams next season. Possibly Tampa takes a step back. That leaves the Wings fighting for the second wild card at best. Without significant off season improvement chances are slim.

I feel very confident Montreal won't make the playoffs next year.

 

[FMichael]

Hasn’t improved as a player? The guy who had one of the best +1 season development curves I’ve ever seen? The guy whose projection was 3rd line center on draft night and has posted four 30 goal seasons in a row and become close to a ppg guy?

Y’all are out to lunch.

And lets be honest...DBoss is a damn good player - probably not great and certainly not elite...He's that guy that'll put up 70-80 pts a season (just shy of 1 ppg), be a solid/responsible 2 way player, and has the respect of the locker room.

Why people are dumping on him is truly a

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

Sounds like the guy on the top is making excuses to me....

 

[Run the Jewels]

In what world was he projected to be a 3rd line center?
He was always a steal at his draft position.

He should have been better. Larkin hasn't reached his full potential and he might never will.

As I’ve said before, Larkin has been our best draft pick out of North America since Ozzie. I had some reservations about making him captain when we did despite him being the obvious choice. It simply wasn’t clear what sort of captain he’d be and there was a chance we’d regret the decision.

Up until his press conference I’d kept quiet, but I do think we’re at an inflection point where we need strong leadership. I’m glad we have a proven coach like McLellan helping with these decisions.

 

[FMichael]

A few things to takeaway from the presser, and a few thoughts of my own as I watched it yesterday.

TL;DR? Shit just got real.

When I tuned in and saw the team/sponsor background instead of Yzerman at home or in the office, I knew immediately that this wasn't some happy-go-lucky presser. He wasn't gonna gloss over the regular season failings, and certainly not the Larkin comments. He had a fire to him, I thought, and that was extremely refreshing to see. As a fanbase, we needed to see more fire and urgency from him.

First, Larkin I don't see going anywhere. Not now, and not in the foreseeable future. Yzerman and McLellan essentially drove the point home, in no uncertain terms, that he has to do a much better job leading that room. My impression is, Kane took a backseat and let Larkin lead (which is the right thing for any leader joining a new team), but perhaps after this, Larkin maybe reaches out, or maybe he even talked to the former captain in the front office, for tips on dealing with the mental issues and effort level concerns that ails this team. But the fact is simple: He needs to lead, follow, or get out of the way.

Second was the acknowledgement that he made some bad signings. There are absolutely players who have too much term and salary attached to their names, and it sounds like Stevie is interested in parting ways with as many of these bad contracts as is possible. McLellan talking about Holl "improving over the season" might be a sign of a desire to move on from Holl. You don't throw players under the bus if you hope to maximize return (or at least minimize other assets you have to attach to the trade).

Third is a desire to actually make a splash. The idea that we could go hard for the best players in free agency. I'll take him at his word. He absolutely could and should go hard after Marner and Ekblad if they make it to 1 July without a contract. He could go after other top players. He could even make a trade for a top player on a contract set to expire soon. He did basically say all his chips are on the table. Let's see what happens.

All in all, Yzerman and McLellan took the kid gloves off, and put on the foil. I expect next season to look very different.

Yzerman needs to atone for the fact that he was solely responsible for hiring Unclef***ingFester.

 

[FMichael]

Sounds like the guy on the top is making excuses to me....

Maybe you need to get your hearing checked?