Holland Responds: "I Got This"
Trades are happening and Detroit isn't involved in any of them. It's making me and everyone else a little nervous. I hope things Wings don't end up looking like that guy/girl who waits too long to start looking for the right person and see only leftovers when damn near perfect girls/guys have been around them their entire life. JVR to Toronto. The Monster goes to Winnipeg. Staal to Carolina. Shero's showing signs that he rivals any GM in smarts and gusto and is salvating at one of our targets. I don't like it. You don't like it. But lest we forget who we have in charge - the greatest GM of our era. He's got some things to say:
Holland can't talk about players he's targeting, but knows the franchise will be in the spotlight when free agency begins.
"Everybody looks at the Red Wings and expects big splashes," he said. "We have a lot of pieces in place and I like our team, but we need to make two or three moves through free agency or trades."
Hit the jump for more.You have to agree with that. We have a great core, but have a few holes with need to be patched. I'm glad he's not blowing up the team. Change is good, but blowing up what we have would only be change for change sake.
"We're going to be active and very involved in free agency because we have cap space and holes we'd like to fill," Holland said. "But to be successful, you have to draft and develop guys."
That's the attitude we need a GM to have. Looking both short term and long term."We may not have the star power we've had the last 10 years, but I don't think the sky is falling for the Detroit Red Wings."
Neither do I. However, if we stand pat this summer or just pick up small pieces, my tune might change. Time will tell.
Definitely need two top-4 Dmen and really at least two top-6 forwards, preferably with some grit and size. Is Jason Arnott available? He would be the second coming of Brendan Shanahan...I think I heard Niklas Hagman (Dallas Dman) and Willie Mitchell (LA Dman) were on the block. What about Teemu Selanne and Jagr?? Kenny Holland has been adept at getting the talent in the door for the past 20 years, so no reason to doubt him now, but the midyear fizzle of 2012 and St Nick's departure show us we really need to bring in some new energy...
On a related note, how the F**K can the pens afford to go after both Suter and Parise!? I mean seriously, they have a decent team enough as it is with the two stooges, they must be underpaying someone. I swear if they steal signings from us I will find a way to exact retributuion, failing which I will be sooooo sulky and pissed off!!!!
I agree. I don't want the team to be blown up. I do want to see Holland let go of certain players that take up a roster spot just because they either ran out of minor league options or they are a hometown kid. Emmerton and to an extent Abdelkader have no business taking up a roster spot when those positions could be filled with more valuable players
@Jordan_Reis Abdelkader is a huge asset on the PK, and as a grinder, and is not just occupying space *at all*. He is a really good 3/4 liner, and definitely a keeper. Emmerton maybe...T Holmstrom will retire, and it is time for him to do so, as he is no longer able to contribute at a high enough level. People are saying they should get rid of Hudler, but I disagree, and think he was the in the top five in goals this year. Parise is a good skater, but there is no sense in overpaying for anybody, and one man does not a team make...I would rather have Jason Arnott than Parise.
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@Jordan_Reis Emmerton and Mursak are wastes of space on the roster. Abbie is on the fence. If he can transform himself into a Paul Gaustad-type player, then the 4th line can become "Abbie's Line." He's shown that he isn't going to contribute enough offensively for other lines.
@Jordan_Reis Emmerton shouldn't have a spot at all, he did nothing last year that made me think he was anything but expendable. Almost ditto for Abby tbh.
@Jordan_Reis @Reddy Eaves is a HUGE question mark. What happened to him was a freak accident but he is a huge question mark right now. He should've been back long ago but his concussion was pretty bad. I would love for Miller and Eaves to both stick around, but with Cleary and Bert still around there's little room for both.
@garth @Reddy Eaves is a better option than Miller, but if Eaves is healthy and ready to go then there really is no need for Miller. What happened to Eaves was a freak accident and there have been no indications that he won't be back in top form.
I'll have to agree with Miller, he went through a little hot streak and he has the odd timely performance. But unhealthy Cleary and Mursak are just spot fillers. Healthy Cleary actually does contribute.
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@Jordan_Reis @Reddy I agree about Emmerton, Mursak and Cleary (depending on how he's recovered from his surgery) but not Miller. I like Miller a lot and, especially with Eaves being a question mark, I think he needs to hang around.
I think Mr Illitch or Mr Babcock need to hire someone to stand beside Ken Holland and slap him in his friggin face every time he says that he likes his team.
@garth What's your opinion on what needs to happen for the wings to get on the right track? Your views often appeal to me.
@D.M.N @garth The main thing I think needs to happen is Holland needs to stop being so damn precious about his team. Are the Wings good? Sure, but you have to look at the way the last three years have gone and realize that they're not just "one piece away", and you can't try blaming injuries. The good thing about this off-season is that Holland can't pretend that Detroit is one piece away anymore. Everyone knew that they were in the market for a top-six forward, then Stuart and Lidstrom left. This is a chance for Holland to positively load up and show how serious he is about winning.
Stop giving roster spots to guys because they're out of AHL options. Make players work for their spots.
For instance, I'm a huge fan of Eaves and Miller, but the best thing for the team would be that they get good enough that Miller and Eaves have to battle for a roster spot. And for Bertuzzi and Cleary to not even get a sniff at the top two lines.
I would also be very pleased if Quincey, Ericsson and Smith were sharing the bottom pairing.
@ThroatShot @D.M.N I hadn't read the quote from Babcock saying he'll start out in the top six. Wow, that's quite the endorsement....
Of course, he also said the same thing about Brunnstrom last year and that didn't work out so well...
Well, hopefully the Wings get good enough that they don't need Brunner...
@garth @D.M.N I think this young Swiss guy they signed is going to be telling of Babbles. He sold Kenny on it, and he says that the kid is already penciled into the Top 6 with Pav, Hank, Fil, Mule, and TBD (praying not Bert). If KH sits on the Top 6 forward because he believes this kid solves the problem (per Babcock) and it fails, that should be the straw that break the Illitch's back for one or both of them.
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@garth Thank you, it was enlightening... I usually try not to pay to much attention in the off season cause one, the wings normally don't have much room to do anything and two because rosterbating and hoping only delays October to me. This off season is very different and I have an especially overwhelming sense of helplessness... Guess I needed a level headed out look on things to come. Now back to my head in the sand...
@D.M.N @garth I think there are plenty of opportunities to fill via free agency (and failing that, I think there are plenty of opportunities through trade, and I am one of those people who would love to see Bobby Ryan in a Red Wings jersey).
I do think that someone like Semin can be had for less than he made last year, and if that happens then there's probably room to add someone else.
Is there a lot of hope out there or are the wings limited to hoping to land those big names everyone is clamoring about.
@D.M.N I think of it more as something that need to be addressed at the management level, not the coaching level. I find it hard to blame Babcock for not being able to get results with a team that is more and more made up of bottom-six forwards and reclamation projects. With the ability to spend close to what the Wings were spending pre-cap I don't think there's any excuse to not be able to ice a genuinely competitive team. We really do have a terrific core of players and if Holland can properly address the needs of the team that we all know are there, Babcock can coach them as well as anyone.
If Holland can provide Babcock with a competitive team (a genuine one, not an "if we never got injured we could do it" one) and the Wings are knocked out in the first or second round next year THEN it might be time to look at the coaching.
@garth Do you think these things only come with the departure of babcock? Or is it less dramatic in the sense of these events will have to occur at some point because the present coarse is obviously not working?
@D.M.N What I meant about my Eaves and Miller comment was that I would like them to be #12 and #13 on the forward depth chart with at least one of Emmerton or Mursak playing elsewhere.
Has anyone on these posts discussed the possibility of Jagr? Seems like something holland would do?
http://www.thedetroitsportssite.com/2012/06/25/detroit-red-wings-free-agency-roundtable-jaromir-jagr/19621 - |I think Burke makes the best point, not the article you're looking for though.
