The Athletic’s Luszczyszyn discusses fan confidence in NHL teams’ front offices

The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn discussed fans’ confidence in each and every one of the NHL’s 31 teams’ front offices yesterday, and here’s what he had to say after surveying the 18th-place Red Wings fans’ takes:

While both the public and Wings fans have grown much more confident in the Red Wings’s front office since the team brought in Steve Yzerman as the new GM, they differ in just how confident.

The fan base is rightfully excited for the man in charge, especially given his on-ice history to go with his off-ice prowess heading one of the league’s best run teams, but the public is much more hesitant, recalling the failures of the team’s past. Can one man really change everything?

Yzerman’s tenure has been short, so it’s difficult to judge his efforts so far, but some initial moves have been suspect like signing Valtteri Filppula, a replacement-level center, to a two-year deal and going off the board at the draft taking defender Moritz Seider at sixth overall. As the commenter above noted, both are moves that would’ve been condemned if Holland’s name was attached instead.

The Red Wings are not an easy fix with the team’s abundance of cap issues and lack of a competent roster. There are plenty of holes to fill and Yzerman will be granted plenty of leeway to fill them in Detroit. We’ll see if he can build here what he was able to build in Detroit.

Continued; I wasn’t overwhelmed with warm, fuzzy feelings regarding the Wings’ signings of Filppula, Patrik Nemeth or Calvin Pickard as free agents, but I was pleasantly surprised by Yzerman’s decision to pick Seider where he did, and I do know this–Yzerman doesn’t give a flying flurk what fans or media think about his moves, and that’s a good thing.

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George Malik

My name is George Malik, and I'm the Malik Report's editor/blogger/poster. I have been blogging about the Red Wings since 2006, when MLive hired me to work their SlapShots blog, and I joined Kukla's Korner in 2011 as The Malik Report. I'm starting The Malik Report as a stand-alone site, hoping that having my readers fund the website is indeed the way to go to build a better community and create better content.

8 thoughts on “The Athletic’s Luszczyszyn discusses fan confidence in NHL teams’ front offices”

  1. Those Wings fans ratings (and even the league-in-general numbers) were way higher than my submission. Wings fans had one of the higher disparities in the numbers (as did Edmonton, LOL) out of all the teams

  2. I recall you said you hoped Yzerman didn’t sign any free agents. But who exactly would you have on the roster rather than Filppula? Which deserving young player is he stealing a job from?
    Also, Pickard is simply AHL depth to partner with Larsson. So pretend Pickard was never signed…Then who is playing goal in Grand Rapids?

  3. I am not tickled pink with some of the moves (Fillpula).

    Wings are still rebuilding and Fil is not going to do squat to change the ,out of the playoffs ending.

    I thought the majority of Wings fans accepted the fact that the Wings are going to lose. I just want to watch more prospects than dead Cap $$. Fil is only keep a prospect in GR. If the prospects (after camp) are not NHL ready THEN sign some fill in (cheap player) to fill the roster.

    Maybe , Stevie Y, knew that the Roster would not include any new players (prospects) even after camp. For example Zadina could score MANY goals in preseason games but he already has a stall in GR. Should bring up a GR player who never will make the NHL rather waste money on a retread.

  4. So your plan is…don’t sign Filppula, hope that Rasmussen or teenage Veleno or whoever is ready to be our 2/3C, and if they aren’t go find a 2/3C at that time, so basically some waiver fodder that is going to get caved in?
    I have yet to see you or George or anyone identify which prospect Filppula is blocking? Do we think Veleno is ready to go from the Q to be our 2/3C? Rasmussen? Is Svech ready after moving a year of hockey? Who else?
    Filppula is a steady, versatile player that Yzerman knows well and who can mentor some of the young players as they get recalled due to injury or trades. He’s not a star. Not even close. But this roster isn’t going anywhere anyway. It’s possible that Yzerman doesn’t need a handful of preseason games to figure this out. He has a plan. And it includes Veleno, Ras, Svech, Zadina playing in the AHL this year.

    1. Not reading well Wingnut. The suggestion In had was wait until after CAMP and see what the Wings need. If NO prospect is ready bring up a GR player that would never be considered an NHL player and I will ADD there might be players available after all the Camps are done. Why the rush to sign Fil in July and there will a few Fil types cut in October (Cheaper/Less term).

      Stevie Y felt the need for another Fwd, DMan in July. Fair enough. BUT WTF is training camp/preseason for if no prospect will get a chance to take Fils (or any) spot no matter how well he plays? Adding Fill also messes up AA who is a Top 6 player whereas Fil IS NOT, IMO.

      This is Stevie Y’s team so he does what he feels right. Too late to argue over it. The DMan picked 6th in the draft, I am on the fence with that.

      1. You still don’t include any names. So your vision is we don’t sign Filppula, see what the kids do in camp, and if they don’t look ready, you want to bring up some AHL journeyman with no future or pluck someone off waivers. So that’s our 2/3C? Have I got your plan right? So not only will that line get caved in but whoever happens to be a winger isn’t going to develop well. Instead you have Fil and Nielsen center lines 2 and 3 so guys like AA, Hirose, maybe a Zadina can play with a dependable veteran. You think AA and Hirose are going to develop with Dominic Turgeon playing center?

      2. Also how does adding Fil “mess up” AA. The Wings envision AA as a winger. Martha and Bert will likely play with Larkin. So who is going to center AA? Ras and Veleno aren’t ready. Helm blows. Eh and DLR don’t have the skill. They don’t feel Nielsen can do it. So Fil acts as a bridge until Veleno is ready. But OK. Remove Fil. Insert Nielsen. Guess what? AA is still in the exact same role as a 2nd line winger. Doesn’t impact him at all.

        1. The coach said AA would play on the 3rd line and Fil on the 2nd line. Only Blass can explain that. I think AA has another Contract after this season, do not want AA scoring up to 30+/- goals , do we?? We being Wings Mgmt ? He will still demand $5M +/- but I think he is still an RFA?

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