Red Wings Offseason 2025

[gehringer_2]

2 minutes ago, Jason_R said:

Where does this idea come from that Steve doesn’t see value in making the playoffs?

TBF, in his pressers, over the years he usually does come back to defending 'building for the long term to win a cup' in some manner, say as opposed to talking about "trying to get over the hump" and into the playoffs. So notationally, that is what he usually says. OTOH if he really had no short term focus, he could have come in and traded everybody on day one and played for more years of top picks - and he didn't - though 20/20 hindsight maybe that would have been more successful, we'll never know now.

[1984Echoes]

1 hour ago, gehringer_2 said:

... The thing that bothers me the most is that I don't even think they are as good now as we give them credit for. The conventional narrative from last season is that they played badly down the stretch. I think a more a likely story is that McLellan came in mid-season and got the Wings to play their 'A' game while most of the teams they were playing were in mid-season doldrums mode, and when it started getting close to the finish line and other teams raised their level of play to their "A" game, they left the Wings in the dust.

Doesn't pass the smell test.

The Wings have wilted at almost the same point in the season for 3 years running.

McLellan is last year only.

No... the issue is that playoff level teams amp up their playoff level play around February until season's end.

Crunch time to make it or miss it: the playoffs.

They hit more. They fight for the puck more. They are tough, battle-tested teams that get tougher to play down the stretch run.

Simply put: The Wings aren't that. They aren't built yet for the playoffs or playoff crunch time. Not when all they do is wilt.

When they fix that... they'll stop wilting during crunch time and make the playoffs.

Yzerman has been trying to fix exactly that the past two years, as well as this offseason... but hasn't gotten us there yet...

So he's still trying...

[1984Echoes]

34 minutes ago, Jason_R said:

... He and McClellan got up in the press conference and basically ripped the team for not competing as hard as the teams that made it and ripped the captain for whining about not acquiring overpriced talent at the trade deadline. And they were right to...

Point.

[Jason_R]

https://sports.yahoo.com/article/axel-sandin-pellikka-t-contain-215939859.html

“I’m f****** excited for the chance to experience the dream I’ve had since I was fourteen years old.”

Edited 23 hours ago by Jason_R

[gehringer_2]

1 hour ago, 1984Echoes said:

Doesn't pass the smell test.

The Wings have wilted at almost the same point in the season for 3 years running.

McLellan is last year only.

No... the issue is that playoff level teams amp up their playoff level play around February until season's end.

Crunch time to make it or miss it: the playoffs.

They hit more. They fight for the puck more. They are tough, battle-tested teams that get tougher to play down the stretch run.

Simply put: The Wings aren't that. They aren't built yet for the playoffs or playoff crunch time. Not when all they do is wilt.

When they fix that... they'll stop wilting during crunch time and make the playoffs.

Yzerman has been trying to fix exactly that the past two years, as well as this offseason... but hasn't gotten us there yet...

So he's still trying...

If he wants a tougher team he needs to get rid of soft players. Why is Rasmussen still here 5 yrs later? Why are our two biggest impact signings in Yzerman's tenure finess players: DeBrincat and Kane? You can't change what you are doing without actually changing what you are doing. If you want to get off the road you are on at some point you need to make a turn.

Edited 23 hours ago by gehringer_2

[1984Echoes]

15 hours ago, gehringer_2 said:

If he wants a tougher team he needs to get rid of soft players. Why is ...

If you want to get off the road you are on at some point you need to make a turn.

This is exactly my point.

Yzerman's attempts at getting tougher have included: 

2023: Signing 24 y.o. Klim Kostin, C. Big dude (6'4" 235)... but failed at providing either adequate offense or defense so we traded him to San Jose.

Drafting a crapload of big, mobile defenseman in the top 4 rounds: (2019 Seider & Tuomisto, 2020 Wallinder & Viro, 2021 Edvinsson & Buium, 2022 Anton Johansson, 2023 Andrew Gibson & Brady Cleveland & Larry Keenan, 2024 & 2025 (no top 4-round D...)) a couple of whom are in Detroit, a few lower rounders have crapped out or been traded, and quite a few are in Grand Rapids so we are waiting to see if any of the non-1st rounders can make the leap into "decent-to-good" NHL blueliner. A common theme with the GR group however, is that they do not play with the NHL toughness that is required. So we'll see about them. Whether they make the cut or not.

Drafted two-way forwards the past few years who may not be the biggest guys on the block... But are 6'0" to 6'2", who have some offensive skill, but are moreso "known" or have the reputation of being... sound defensive forwards. Marco Kasper, Nate Danielson, MBN, Carter Bear, Eddie Genborg... These guys aren't mirror images of each other... but I believe they are cut from the same cloth: Sound defensively.

I mean, they drafted ASP and Buchelnikov (2022) and Raymond so... if the SKILL is there, you don't pass up that high level skill, even if the player is a bit undersized.

But, yeah... Yzerman is still working on solving this. Methinks.

OR... I guess I am calling this a "work-in-progress" and... we'd all like to see a LOT more progress on the playoff toughness side...

Just my 2 cents.

[Jason_R]

15 hours ago, gehringer_2 said:

If he wants a tougher team he needs to get rid of soft players. Why is Rasmussen still here 5 yrs later? Why are our two biggest impact signings in Yzerman's tenure finess players: DeBrincat and Kane? You can't change what you are doing without actually changing what you are doing. If you want to get off the road you are on at some point you need to make a turn.

He signed Chiarot. 6’3” 230. 

He signed Holl. 6’4” 205. 

He signed Copp. 6’1” 203. 

Holl didn’t work out. Copp and Chiarot may disappoint some fans but both are physical, especially Chiarot.

Also, Stevie drafted some redwoods. Don’t forget Seider is a big man who can play mean when the time is right. The Swedes are all big, Soderblom, Edvinsson, Wallinder. They may not be as physical as their size suggests, but are they soft? I don’t think Edvinsson is, at least. And Buium is in GR, a big boy who may soon prove capable of taking a job from a mediocre veteran. 

[buddha]

al avila took over the tigers one year removed from a playoff spot.  in 2016 the tigers were a few games out of the playoffs after spending a ton of money on free agents.  the tigers had multiple star players on the team to use as assets to rebuild the team.

the idea that the red wings when yzerman took over were in the same position as the tigers when avila took over is revisionist history.  its false.

yzerman is not above reproach, but he's not al avila.

[gehringer_2]

1 hour ago, buddha said:

al avila took over the tigers one year removed from a playoff spot.  in 2016 the tigers were a few games out of the playoffs after spending a ton of money on free agents.  the tigers had multiple star players on the team to use as assets to rebuild the team.

the idea that the red wings when yzerman took over were in the same position as the tigers when avila took over is revisionist history.  its false.

yzerman is not above reproach, but he's not al avila.

You think I'm dinging Yzerman because Avila was bad? - I'm dinging him because he hasn't done as WELL. Yzerman will be doing well once he has as many of his draft picks on a playoff roster as Avila does.

Edited 3 hours ago by gehringer_2

[buddha]

1 hour ago, gehringer_2 said:

You think I'm dinging Yzerman because Avila was bad? - I'm dinging him because he hasn't done as WELL. Yzerman will be doing well once he has as many of his draft picks on a playoff roster as Avila does.

i think youre dinging yzerman because youre a contrarian and its what you do.

i wish yzerman had gotten lucky with a ninth round pick like avila did.

[buddha]

we've had the same arguments here for the last two years as the rebuild has neared a playoff spot but not gotten over the hump.

my confidence was hit by last summer's fiasco.  we'll see if this year's crop of depth signings does better than last summer's.