Follow me on Twitter
*hey all. Two quick things. A couple of you mentioned Dunn a few weeks ago, and I want to make sure I give props. If you remember suggesting him, please list it in the comments. My headaches have made it hard for me to pin it down, and I don’t want anyone feeling like they got ignored. Vince Dunn, to me, is a very solid suggestion and I appreciate the readers who had that on their mind. Second, I’m still not on my “summer schedule” yet. I’m trying to get to where I publish on weekdays and take the weekends off. Please take a look at the bottom for my past posts in case you missed one. I feel bad when i hear that someone couldn’t find a post. Another quick thank you, this blog is a literal dream come true. It’s therapeutic, challenging, and a place to talk about a team that made life in Michigan awesome for a while. It will again, and maybe we’ll see each other on Woodward some day in the future at a celebration parade. 2030? 2040? Yzerman is working hard to give us some good times ahead.
The next few years will be a bit of a balancing act in allowing young prospects to develop (not forcing them into NHL action before they’re ready) and making sure that the opportunities are there when the prospects are ready to grab them. Many of the trades and signings will be acquiring stop gap players who can fill the position and lend some guidance to the younger crew. Marc Staal ended up being a good pickup for both of those reasons. The object in considering players to bring in (and those to let go of) isn’t a focus on post season success. It’s about putting a team on the ice that can be competitive and allow the core to find their collective game.
Along the way, players that will help for now and into the future may become available. Yzerman has identified some of those parameters. At this point, you’re really looking at Larkin’s age (26) and younger for anyone that the club would look at committing resources (trade pieces or salary) to. As I think about the unique opportunities that could present themselves, I look to a former “foe”. Joe Sakic did a very good job in Colorado creating the on ice group that you see now.
Until Rantanen signed his new deal, no one was making more than 6.3 million. That number goes back to when Duchene was with the group. His salary of 6 million was set as the “high water mark” for the group. When O’Reilly went head to head for his contract, it wasn’t long after that he was moved out. Duchene’s discontent became the catalyst for his being moved, and Sakic got a fairly good haul for doing it. That was a reflection of the other part of Sakic’s philosophy. He wasn’t going to keep players who were discontent, but he wasn’t going to give anything away.
At the last trade deadline, multiple players stayed in Detroit because the offers weren’t what Yzerman considered to be fair market. While some think it’s a “waste” not to get anything, it sets the table for GMs in terms of expectations for future deals. Yzerman turned a player who voluntarily left the AHL to try and wait out a deal into a very good defenseman. That’s impressive.
There are players who could meet the “longer term” mold, but it’s not quite time to “swing for the fences” yet. I’ve stated before that I’d love to acquire Dougie Hamilton, but his open market value (even in the cap freeze) will probably price him out of the parameters of that 6 million dollar cap. Seth Jones will pose a similar problem when he hits the market. Giving up draft picks and/or prospects would make sense for a contender that sees him as a fit, risking losing him to free agency. It doesn’t make sense for Detroit’s situation. Both of those defensemen want a taste of the post season and a shot at a championship. Jones could well take less money to play in Colorado for an opportunity that Detroit just can’t provide quite yet.
I love Zach Hyman as a player, but if he did just turn down a 5 million dollar multi year deal, it’s just not going to be a great fit. Hyman will be near his mid 30s at the end of a 5 or 6 year deal and he plays hard minutes. There’s no guarantee that his body will hold up to see another contract after this next one. Patrick Laine, who could well be the top candidate for a bounce back year, has a qualifier above 7 million. He’s also a player that is very vocal about what he expects an organization to provide him in terms of linemates. That doesn’t mesh well with a team first mentality that Detroit is trying to build.
So the sweet spot is 26 or younger at 6 million or less to add a more “permanent” piece. As narrow a focus as that seems, there are some candidates out there. Right now, possibly my favorite candidate is Vince Dunn. It’s been reported that teams are inquiring. The 24 year old left side D man fits into some important categories. The left side is now the “weaker” side in terms of the pipeline. Cholowski would really need to make some forward strides this year. McIsaac has some of the tools, but just can’t stay healthy. A few of you have proposed trying to bring Dunn on board, and it seems like it could be a good fit. It’s going to boil down to price. St Louis was asking for a first round pick earlier in the year.
We’ll see what Yzerman brings in this summer. There is no shortage of teams who need to shed salary and don’t want to lose players to Seattle for nothing. I like the parameters Yzerman has set up. Of course, he has free reign to step outside of them if the right deal shows up. The Captain has a bag full of tricks and desk full of potential deals. It’s a great feeling to see how picky he allows himself to be. I guess all those 3 a.m. poker sessions with “the boys” in the 90s were good preparation for the later career.
Give it your best shot, find those players who could be signed for 5 years and be part of things as the team transitions. With a flat cap and an expansion draft, there are so many more deals in play than I ever imagined. Only a few deals will actually see their way to completion, but the opportunities to add young players who can contribute to the rebuild is intriguing, to be sure. I look forward to your scenarios.
Check out some of my previous blogs:
Detroit’s shallow goalie pool
Moritz Seider reminds me of Jiri Fischer
Mo Seider is getting good ice time at the IIHF Worlds Championship.
There may be some blockbuster deals coming.
Yzerman signs Wyatt Newpower
Carly has coffee with Joe Veleno 
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»