Unfair Press Analysis of FA Movement

[SpikeDDS]

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nhl/2016/07/03/winners-losers-nhl-free-agency/86665602/

 

Ted Kulfan and Wojo of The Detroit News both rated Detroit as a loser in the Free Agent market. I think if ALL you look at are the days on and after July 1, maybe they are right, although I still think we didn't do badly at all...except on D. I'm still hoping we can pull off a deal for Fowler.

 

But given where the Wings were a week or two before the FA market opened up, I think they are giving VERY short shrift on what they have been able to do given where they were just a few weeks ago. I think the analysis doesn't give KH due credit for dumping Datsyuk's contract, which even gave us a place from which to work. Without that, we aren't doing hardly ANY of this stuff, because we would have had so little with which to work. And since there were so few premier Dmen who were in the FA market, ANY team who was in need of a prolific Dman who didn't get Yandle would seem to have to be given a "loser" rating.

 

I think that is unfair. I wouldn't put the Red Wings at the top of the Winners list by any means, but I would put them on the Winners side. And if we manage to trade for Fowler, then I WOULD put them near the top of the list, depending on what Fowler actually costs us. Looking at the postseason so far AS A WHOLE, I wouldn't call us "losers."

[flyercanuck]

Funny how opinions vary...I consider the Flyers winners solely for the fact they didn't get too caught up in the July 1st overpay everyone frenzy.  I want my gm to have a plan and stick by it...not try and sign every big name that ever pops up.

[yave1964]

@SpikeDDS

 

Agreed. To me it was a solid signing day, not thrilled with the Helm contract but the Wings have a long history of loyalty to their players and the loyalty is usually reciprocated. for a bottom six guy Helm is solid just dont expect too much.

 

Neilsen was my first choice, mentioned in here for the last month at least if we were unable to get Stamkos. A solid two way center perfectly typecast to replace Pavel. And a monster in the shootout.

 

Vanek is a low risk/medium high reward, no speed but loves to set up in front of the net and fills a role for the power play.

 

Ott, meh, a body, 4th liner low risk, low reward.

 

Like you said, add a Fowler or some such for one of our abundance of forwards we now have, it makes it a winner. And dumping Datsyuk's contract.

 

@flyercanuck

I considered the Flyers free agent day a success, Gordon is a solid faceoff and P/K guy, he does things that White cannot. White can bounce up and down the lines a bit more while Gordon is a 4th liner period, but he is extremely well suited for that role.

 Weise to me is a bottom six guy, an agitator who can score some as well. As long as they do not push him into a role he is not suited for he will be fine. More than an able replacement for Gagner.

I still believe your boys are short one top six forward but it is still a few months until the start of the season. Like you said, you didnt overspend which is a huge plus.

Oh, and you got rid of Umberger. HUGE plus.

[SpikeDDS]

3 hours ago, flyercanuck said:

Funny how opinions vary...I consider the Flyers winners solely for the fact they didn't get too caught up in the July 1st overpay everyone frenzy.  I want my gm to have a plan and stick by it...not try and sign every big name that ever pops up.

Right.

 

It just so happens that after preparing for the possibility of Stamkos, the Red Wings had some cash under the cap with which to work, which we haven't had in YEARS! Combine that with the fact that we have OBVIOUS needs. (Before, we had needs, but we didn't want to admit it. We have The Streak, after all! You *can't* be less than mediocre if you have a 24-year streak, right?! [Wrong!]) At least now the front office can openly admit we have needs, despite the fact that The Streak is still alive. Before, they seemed reticent to admit it. Pav's departure made that admission easy.

 

So this was our first opportunity since losing the lottery on Suter and Parise--which I am actually glad we did--that we actually had a significant opportunity to improve ourselves in the FA market. Problem is, where we really needed the help, there wasn't much help on the market.

 

Totally agree with @yave1964 and the Wings that Neilsen was the best fit value-wise after Stamkos didn't really materialize. I said so right up front, and for the same reasons @yave1964 gave, so I won't repeat what he wrote.

 

But I WILL say that I HAVE OPENLY said that I was willing to NOT pay some of our players to return to risk ending the streak but to allow us to improve our team more. The loss of Datsyuk's contract  provided more of such an opportunity than anything I can think of since Suter/Parise. Not that we will be necessarily better without Datsyuk, but that we will be SO much better than we would have been without Pav and having to eat that cap hit. Neilsen may not have happened. Helm DEFINITELY would not have happened.

 

BTW, on Helm, I am also meh. I just wish Darren could finish as well as he can skate. He wouldn't be meh if he could. But I have more than begun to lose hope that he will learn to do that in any way prolifically. If he can't learn to do it great with Pav feeding him, he ain't gonna learn to do it. So my expectations of him doing it are low-to-non-existent. He gives us 20 goals, I will be THRILLED, even though we are paying him as if he will. I don't think he will. If we didn't have Larkin and AA, then I would give his re-signing more credence just to get his speed. I think AA has more speed and ability to finish, combined, than Helm offers. So does Larkin, obviously. Plus neither have Helm's history of being fragile, injury-wise. Though I don't see signing him as "bad" per se, I DO think he is being overpaid for the sake of loyalty. I certainly would have preferred to have been able to use his salary as part of a package to lure a high-quality Dman, but alas there was none to be found other than Yandle and a couple others, tops.

 

In that same vein, I agree that if the market doesn't offer what will make you better, there is absolutely NO reason to overspend. Better to save the $ for use on, perhaps, a deadline trade deal. My one concern is that if we end up not trading for Fowler that we will end up losing forwards to waivers and/or not having resources to trade for someone as the trade deadline approaches. I might find myself bemoaning his signing if it prevents us from doing what would have been better later or losing another resource or two because we have too many forwards.

 

There is wisdom in NOT spending $ sometimes.