The Detroit Red Wings Thread

#102
#102
Once again, another lost year because of a terrible March.

It's not going to happen because Chris IIitch doesn't have a spine, but I think Yzerman has to go. The draft picks have been great. It's obvious he can identify talent in the first or second round. But everything else has been a near disaster. The Copp/Chariot contracts are a burden. We are in year 6 and he still hasn't found an above average goalie. The Walman trade was maybe the worst Detroit transaction this decade that didn't involve Javy Baez. Running Holl/Petry/Gustafsson as 3 of your top 6 defensemen deserves a congressional hearing. Relying on 37 year old Cam Talbot to be your primary goalie after you have given multi year contracts to Nedeljovic and Husso is an abject failure. Not doing anything at the deadline other than trading for a 35 year old 4th liner and backup quality goalie is burning the ships levels of incompetence.

I want to believe this will work and the team building in Tampa was legitimately awesome, but the game might have passed him by. The pro scouting group is a disaster. The only good pro scouting thing they've done is the DeBrincat trade. They are on their 3rd coach with Yzerman. There is no excuse to have a team for 6 years in today's NHL with a 16 team playoff and not make the playoffs for 6 years during the run. I still don't know what the actual team building process is.

I get it, this organization was a roster nightmare when he took over. I get he's a legend and I understand that he's a proven GM. I understand the Red Wings have had terrible, terrible lottery luck. But if he wasn't a HOF captain for the Red Wings, he would be let go. The last two years specifically have been inexcusable and giving Lalonde an extra 6 weeks when it was very clear that he had lost the team is poor, poor mangement. I just think at some point he has to have his feet to the flame. And maybe doing that will clear some of his buddies who clearly are not doing their jobs well. But this whole "Yzerman can do what he wants, there are no consequences or pressure" is enough. We haven't made the playoffs since 2016. At some point, the rebuild has to stop and the team has to actually make positive strides.
 
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#103
#103
If Detroit wins their next 4 & Montreal loses their next 4 than the Red Wings will be headed to the playoffs.

We went from a record 25 playoffs in a row to missing 9 in a row.
 
#108
#108
05_never_again said:
Why was this not done years ago?
Click to expand...

I can give you three different reasons:

1) The Illitch's and Fedorov had a falling out after the very tenuous 1998 negotiations where Fedorov was paid $28M for a single season (!!!). He originally held out and then, signed an offer sheet with Carolina. To disparage the Wings to let him go (this was like MLB, pre salary cap), they gave him a $14M signing bonus AND a $12M bonus if the team made the Conference Finals specifically in 1998. Carolina wasn't good at the time and knew they wouldn't make it, but Detroit was. Mike Illitch paid it anyways coming off the Cup win and Fedorov only played 21 games plus the playoffs (where the Wings won the Cup again). When Fedorov was signed by Anaheim after the contract was up, Illitch didn't even talk to him on the way out because of how that went.

(Crazy enough, this is still the largest single season payout to any NHL player in league history).

2) Sergei has been a prominent head coach and GM in the KHL for a significant time. The seasons run congruent, so it hasn't been good timing to get him over here to do the ceremonies. Plus, with the issues with Russia, a lot of players have been hesitant to come back to the States or vice versa.

3) Red Wings have had pretty high standards for retired jerseys. Allegedly, Fedorov did not meet the Illitch criteria (allegedly, it was the years, Fedorov played 13 years with the Red Wings).
 
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#109
#109
zjcvols said:
I can give you three different reasons:

1) The Illitch's and Fedorov had a falling out after the very tenuous 1998 negotiations where Fedorov was paid $28M for a single season (!!!). He originally held out and then, signed an offer sheet with Carolina. To disparage the Wings to let him go (this was like MLB, pre salary cap), they gave him a $14M signing bonus AND a $12M bonus if the team made the Conference Finals specifically in 1998. Carolina wasn't good at the time and knew they wouldn't make it, but Detroit was. Mike Illitch paid it anyways coming off the Cup win and Fedorov only played 21 games plus the playoffs (where the Wings won the Cup again). When Fedorov was signed by Anaheim after the contract was up, Illitch didn't even talk to him on the way out because of how that went.

(Crazy enough, this is still the largest single season payout to any NHL player in league history).

2) Sergei has been a prominent head coach and GM in the KHL for a significant time. The seasons run congruent, so it hasn't been good timing to get him over here to do the ceremonies. Plus, with the issues with Russia, a lot of players have been hesitant to come back to the States or vice versa.

3) Red Wings have had pretty high standards for retired jerseys. Allegedly, Fedorov did not meet the Illitch criteria (allegedly, it was the years, Fedorov played 13 years with the Red Wings).
Click to expand...
Just read that (ironically, or maybe coincidentally) the game where they're retiring his number is against Carolina.
 
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