Seriously – I didn’t miss anything. Fully understand and understood that Holland needs to do/should have done something. We’ve all known for a while that the days of Lidstrom were numbered (though we probably all hoped for one more year) and Stuart would be gone as well. So yes – of course something had/has to be done. But finding someone to replace Lidstrom is no easy task and I probably dissected the whole Karlsson thing a little too much, because I really cannot see what Holland could have done differently. Suter wasn’t an option after all, though probably 90% of the hockey world believed he would sign with the Wings. Had he traded for him last season (very unlikely with the ambitions The Predators were having) the price would have been steep. And still with the risk that he’d be lost to free agency. Karlsson – no more words on him except he never was an option. So now – where and how do Holland find the guy to replace Lidstrom? Or what could he have done? Since your main point is that Holland should have prevented this situation from happening (where The Wings is left without a no. 1 defenseman), my main point obviously is and was what could Holland realistically (in bold) have done to prevent it from happening? Unless of course the answer is either convincing Lidstrom to keep on playing or find some magic solution that no one around here had ever thought about, which will leave The Wings with e.g. Duncan Keith for a 2nd round pick (since no one seem to want Holland to trade any prospects or players except perhaps Abdelkader, Quincey, Ericsson and Hudler (who’s gone anyway), who won’t bring back any superstars) – and how likely is that exactly? As I see it the only solution to the problem was signing Suter and I feel confident that Holland did everything he could (and probably more) to make it work. But we all know why I didn’t happen and as frustrated and bitter I may be I don’t think Holland is to blame!

Forget the Karlsson thing. Your too hung up on that.

Isn’t the failure of Holland not that he missed on Suter but that he needed to sign Suter. A full year of knowing he was losing his #1 and #3 defensman and he waited until FA to try and fill their void. That’s my point. And you’ve missed that twice.

Got it the first time all right and I do agree that he’s easily worth 4 1st rounders. But it’s a dream scenario and hints don’t work (Suter has known all year that the Wings were interested and that he would be their main target). First of all – Ottawa certainly would have matched whatever Kenny would have offered for Karlsson. You say they wouldn’t – I say they sure would. After all – neither of us really know – do we? Furthermore do you know for sure if Karlsson was or is even slightly interested in playing for The Wings? Players “used” to want to go to Detroit (to win, for the money, for the history, to play with talent etc.), but the days, when the Wings was the automatic first pick, (sadly) seem to be over! And Ottawa has a real nice trio of Swedish youngsters on the way (Lehner, Silfverberg and Zibanejad), so the Swedish “factor” can hardly be used as an argument. And Sundin (for instance) never wanted to come to Detroit anyway (despite being an UFA). So again (this is my point) – it’s pure speculation and (as much as I would have loved to see Karlsson wearing the Winged Wheel) I seriously doubt if he was ever a realistic option.

Missed my point.

We shouldn’t of been in a positon where we needed to sign Suter anyway.

I know offer sheets are rare. 4 1st rounders is a ton. My point is that Karlsson is worth more than Weber and Karlsson would be worth it. I think Detroit could have signaled they wanted Karlsson before Karlsson re-signing. For example, on the trade deadline when we’d have acquired a 1st rounder, I’d have mentioned that that pick and our other 1st are most likely going to be traded as we target an RFA this summer. Hints like that to Karlsson would have held him up from signing an extension.

In any case, you totally ignored my main point.

The idea that if Holland had just “tried harder” he would have landed Suter has no basis in reality. It’s just a silly hypothesis being put forward by angry fans. Guess what guys, the NHL has changed – it’s harder to attract free agents in what has become a much more competitive market place; and not every free agent is going to want to play in Detroit.  

I agree with everyone you said except for that Holland dropped the ball with Suter. Simply put he didn’t get a chance to counter offer the Wild’s deal. So you can’t blame him for losing out to a player that already planned on going there with his pal. It was a lose-lose situation for Holland from the get go, now that everything has went down it’s pretty clear. It’s the boldest attempt for him to get someone in the last few years. So in the end you can’t fault Holland for not being able to counter offer the Wild deal. 

I apologize that you got defensive from my comment, I did have a reason for it though. Wings fans have a pretty bad reputation for being whiney and self-righteous. There is a large part of the fandom that isn’t that way. It’s like the state of Michigan getting a bad reputation just because of Detroit. It just gets old to see the constant whining and armchair GMs on comment boards who don’t think clearly. Then a fan will speak up and say something that has logic and all the sudden they’re attacked by like 50 ravenous “fans”. 

You weren’t the only one I pissed off by opposing what they said in a blog or article yesterday.

And for calling you a cunt, you trolled me in your own blog post. I thought it was pretty unprofessional. I just wanted to write out a comment taking a different angle and try to call BS on some of the info presented. Thank you though for your answer. I was looking for that originally. 

-William
Born in Mt. Clemens
Lives in St. Louis

You’re right, I don’t care about your name or anything about you when you are making a rebuttal or comment on something I wrote. I do care when you decide to personally call me a “cunt”. No real need for that around here, and it’s especially cheap when you do it from behind the veil of secrecy that is the “guest.”

If you want my perspective on your original comment, here it is: Yes, times have changed. Nobody is saying they haven’t. There is most definitely a salary cap and it’s restrictive. That’s a given. That said, if Ken Holland wants to tell us that the Wings made “their best offer” I’d simply raise my hand and say “OK, but if you’ve got the whole location argument against you, why not up the financial ante to get on the same level as Minnesota, so at least you know it came down to location over money?” Is it alot of money? Absolutely. But if the Wings are truly the draw that Ken and Co. believe they are, then why not put the same financials on the table (which they could have afforded, for better or worse) and see how that “marquis market” theory stands up against the creature comforts of the home market. I’m sure the Wings would still have lost, but at least they would have been 100% competitive on price. As it stands, they weren’t, and we’ll never know what could have happened had they been willing to dole out an additional 8 million over 13 years.

Which then begs the bigger question: Is Detroit really the draw it once was for free agents? I think you and I agree it’s not, but who is to blame there? I say Ken Holland and the organization is a part of it, simply because they continue to fall back on the same principles that saw Hasek and Robitaille and Hull show up to win Cups. That’s not how this works anymore, and if the Wings want to land the elite free agent talent, there needs to be a philosophical shift in thinking moving forward. That needs to be combined with an influx of talent that was developed through the system, which is something we never see because the Wings insist on the outdated principle of loyalty and “paying your dues” in the minors. Now, all of a sudden, Ken is saying that he’s going to let these kids come up and play and go through the growing pains of the NHL, and I’m happy to see that happen. If this talent is as good as the Wings brass thinks it is, then we’ll finally see some reward for those drafts we’ve put together over the past five years. Let’s hope it works out. If it doesn’t, then there’s some serious problems in Detroit, from the top on down.

Now, since you seem to be so inclined to tell me exactly what kind of person I am, let me return the favor. If you want someone to add something intellectual and thoughtful to your comment, perhaps you shouldn’t start with a direct assault on their perception of the game. You don’t know me and I don’t know you. So calling me a “fan who can’t grasp the changes in the NHL” puts me immediately on the defensive. Human nature.

Then you called me a cunt. Good one.

I’ve taken your criticisms of my post. I’ve responded with what I believe to be a thoughtful response directly related hockey and the discussion in question. Hell, I’ve even taken your advice and looked in the mirror, shouted CUNT a few times and I’m still not crying.

Is there anything else I can do for you now?

Sincerely,
The Cunt Douchebag with no understanding of hockey or the salary cap.

 Ron, that’s exactly what I’m saying though. Coulda, shoulda, woulda’s get you nowhere. Because of the salary cap the past few years Holland has made no moves because they were not beneficial to the future success of the franchise. We live in a time where everyone wants immediate gratification. Are you on the conference call when Holland is kicking the tires on a trade and they want half of our farm system because we’re the Wings and we’re desperate for a goal scorer? You’re not. Holland has made cheap role player moves because that’s all he could really do. Maybe they meshed well, maybe they didn’t. You could also say without those role players we may have not made it to the playoffs continuing their streak. What about the season crippling injuries the Wings have had to their older players the past few seasons too. Their bodies are breaking down from year after year of playoff contention. Don’t you think that also has to do with early playoff exits? I think so. Be a little objective as a fan. For me personally, its more fun to think that soon within the next couple seasons, or even this season, the opportunity will arise where Holland will be able to load up the roster and make a strong push. We’re in a situation right now I’m interested in seeing how he handles it, all the pressure from fans and media must not be helping anything. I just hope he doesn’t make some bold move and set this club back for 5 seasons because of it. Then all the fan who were screaming for this to happen will just turn their backs and scream how big of a mistake it was that he did it. It’s a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation.

 Chris, You don’t need to see my name to add some thing intelligent and poignant to a comment I posted. Instead you chose to go the douche bag route and do what every other moron does when they have nothing to say, call out a typo or some grammatical error. Knowing my name, address, favorite food or color is completely pointless. You can spin it any way you want. I said something you didn’t want to hear and you acted like a typical witless tool who gets scorned in the comments section. You could bring nothing to the conversation. I could care less if you wrote the article. If you can’t take other people’s opinions or criticisms of the blogs you write I suggest you find something else to pass the time. Sounds to me Chris, it’s you who needs to “sack up”.