Ansar Khan has a way with word and the last 4 words of his post FA opening day barrage sums it up well. “But are they better?” I saw reactions from lukewarm to ice cold, and so “lack of enthusiasm” was the nicest way to put it all.
From Khan:
Yzerman addressed several needs, signing forwards J.T. Compher and Daniel Sprong, defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere and Justin Holl and backup goaltender James Reimer. He also extended left wing Klim Kostin two days after acquiring him in a trade with Edmonton.
He then compares the start of last year with Hronek, Bertuzzi, Vrana and Nedeljkovic. To be fair, we never really had Vrana in the fold last year and Bertuzzi was injured a bit. Regardless, there was a sense of optimism that I’m not seeing or hearing at this point. Debates on player usage, environment, etc, are pretty much all we’ll have for more than 2 months as we look to see if anything else is done. Christian Fischer was added on a one year 1.125M deal. Cap Friendly has Detroit maxed out at 23 players with Veleno still as an RFA. That makes me wonder what the next move is.
I think the waiver wire will be fairly significant before the season starts if things sit roughly where they are now. Veleno is one of the pieces I’ve thought would be in play (along with possibly Zadina an Berggren) as Yzerman is very nearly purged of all pre 19-20 picks. We have “depth centers” with many (if not most) in this community considering Larkin a 2c, Compher and Copp both 3c and Berggren would slot in at 4th. I don’t know that this is the lineup, but that seems to be the gist of what I’m hearing.
The most exciting opportunities lie in wait for prospects. Edvinsson has to be focused on grabbing a job. Kasper is probably looking at the same. Edvinsson’s recovery will dictate his timeline, unfortunately. I would encourage everyone to watch the 3 on 3 finale games to the prospect camp on Wednesday 6/5. They’re supposed to be available via Wings TV.
As for the rest, it’s a waiting game. Last year’s team stayed in the playoff race longer than any iteration thus far. Though Vrana was on the team, he wasn’t really available. Losing Hronek hurt. Losing Bertuzzi hurt (though he had limited availability). I’m not, at this point, seeing the player that steps in those roles but a collective hope of replacing the losses.
I can’t see exactly what this team is right now. I do see a very full roster, an RFA in waiting, and plenty of time for things to change. Some have hinted that we may find out about an injury. Fabbri’s name was brought up. Rasmussen was dealing with what looked like a painful puck block in an unprotected area on his inner leg last year. I don’t have the medical reports, but LTIR could bear some impetus in the final decisions.
Final thought, Detroit is not yet a “destination”. If my contract was bought out, I’d be looking at several other clubs loaded with talent and limited on funds. Dallas, NYR, Fla, TBL, Boston (though I think they’re very close to having to make hard decisions), Toronto, Vegas. The California teams seem to be in rebuild form and Detroit is still in the awkward part. Miss the playoffs, not a high draft pick (though finishing dead last still saw them pick 4th, #lottolove).
Yzerman doesn’t do statements until he’s ready. For now, it’s wait and see. The prospects will have their assignments (get faster, stronger, heavier, lighter, etc) and we may well have until training camp to see who hits the ice. At this point, most of you seem unimpressed. The hope is that maybe, just maybe Yzerman has something special cooking.
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