The Red Wings’ beat writers spoke with Wings GM Ken Holland during a conference call on Monday evening, in which Holland addressed the team’s trading of Tomas Tatar to the Vegas Golden Knights and the team’s relative dearth of deadline moves.
The Detroit News’s Gregg Krupa weighed in…
holland: we really made the tatar deal because we’re looking towards the future. we missed the playoffs last year, and we’re 5 pts off this year.
holland: as i looked towards 2018-19 realized we have a lot of wingers on the board. (lists them, down to GR)
holland: if we are going to build a team that’s going to contend for the stanley cup we’ve got to do it through the draft… i’ll take some questions.
holland: called every team in the league mcphee vegas GM bit got really going this morning. 1:30 really, really going. tinkered. 3 p.m deal.
holland: on green, one team requested medical report. another really interested. mike hasn’t been able to play. injury could resurface. might be back by weekend. ultimately, hard for team to add player not 100 percent sure coming back, and injury may flare again.
holland: mike open to be able to trade. 10 days ago, conversation, talked about wings record. ultimately, since tuesday or wednesday, two teams wanted to know what was going on with injury and it had a real bearing on their decision.
holland: between other defensemen available on market and green’s injury, trade did not happen.
holland: i had an idea of what i was looking for going into free agency (for green)” the teams that had interest did not want his cap space and his current health.
holland: tatar. this wasn’t a rental.
holland: lots of discussions about lots of other players. reality is missed playoffs last year, tough mountain to climb now. trying to make changes, hang on to some culture, pros in that locker room.
holland: recent performances of bertuzzi, svechnikov others … i had to create an opportunity. i had to move someone one. lots of talks about lots of players.
holland: i think tomas tatar is going to go play well in vegas. i think the trade was good for both teams. tats is only 27…
holland: these things sometimes come down to the wire (tatar did.)
Q&A still going with holland. talking about prospects that made moving tatar possible.
holland: no similar offers for nyquist, along lines of tatar.
holland: reviews tatar’s career a bit. talks about his contribution. happy to get him to a good team. points out tatar in lineup nightly.
holland: when you make the call, you feel good telling people when they are going to a good spot. … usually when i make these calls they are short and sweet. holland talked to tatar, gave phone to blashill. thanked him. wished him best.
conference call with ken holland concludes. 20-plus minutes. short statement. mostly Q&A. struck by feelings beyond business, of the moment. tatar “here” a long time.
As did Fox 2 Detroit…
#RedWings Holland “We’re looking towards the future” on why they made the deal…”I had to make a decision and look towards 18-19″
#RedWings Holland “This was an opportunity to acquire some picks to build our team for the future” talks how they need to build through the draft
#RedWings Holland says he talked to every team in the league and let them know they were looking to do something “looking for futures” says he talked to GMGM yesterday & then talked again this morning, they finalized right before 3
#RedWings Holland on Green “There was interest” says one team wanted Green’s medical reports, says Green is getting better, chance he could play this weekend, says injury could flare up again and believes that’s why he wasn’t traded
#RedWings Holland says with one team they were talking a week ago about Green, then he didn’t play, and it became obvious that team’s weren’t going to take the chance taking up that cap space/giving up assets with his injury
#RedWings Holland says he had lots of discussions about a lot of players
#RedWings Holland “We’re looking to the future. We’re looking to build.”
#RedWings Holland talks how it’s still “important to have veteran leadership, role models” in the locker room as they bring in younger players
#RedWings Holland says Green’s no trade did not prevent them from making any deals
The AP’s Larry Lage…
#RedWings GM says dealing Tatar to Vegas for a 1st-round pick and 2 more picks was a deal for the future but still hopes team can play its way into the playoff race and believes the franchise has depth at wing
And DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji:
#RedWings Holland: We’re looking towards the future. With the trade deadline, I had to make a decision. Felt we had a lot of wingers, this was an opportunity to acquire some picks to build our team for the future.
#RedWings Holland: I talked to pretty much every team in the NHL, told them we were looking for futures. Talked to George yesterday, wasn’t really a fit, talked this morning and at 1:30 made an offer. right around 10 to 3, 5 to 3 we got it done.
#RedWings Holland on Green: There was interest. One team requested medical reports, but Mike hasn’t been able to play. Injury could resurface again here. He is getting better. Ultimately, hard for a team to add a player when they weren’t 100 % sure when he was going to come back.
#RedWings Holland: Green was open to a trade. Between the defensemen possibly available on the market and the uncertainty with the injury to Mike Green, it impacted it.#RedWings Holland: I had an idea of what I was looking for, the teams that had interest couldn’t justify taking on the cap space and weren’t sure if he was going to get healthy.#RedWings Holland: I had lots of discussions about lots of players. We missed the playoffs last year. The reality is we have a big mountain to climb last 20 games.#RedWings Holland: Certainly Svechnikov, had a rough start to the year, had a great rookie year last year, what Bertuzzi did last year, the reality is if you want to create opportunity for people in the organization banging on the door, I had to create opportunity.#RedWings Holland: It’s important to have veteran leadership in that locker room.#RedWings Holland: We’re trying to get younger, we’re trying to get better but we want to have leadership in there to help them.#RedWings Holland: One of the things George had, because of the expansion draft, he had a lot of extra picks. Hoping to find a deal to get a high draft pick and a prospect. I think it’s a great deal for both teams.#RedWings Holland: George told me he had interest in Tomas Tatar, asked what I was looking for. I had a number of other teams interested as well.#RedWings Holland: We’re building for the future and Tats is going to go help them win now.#RedWings Holland said he didn’t have similar offers for Nyquist and wasn’t looking to move out three or four people.#RedWings Holland: We were able to find a deal that we feel good about and he’s going to a great opportunity, great team.
As well as WXYZ’s Brad Galli:
Ken Holland said he told almost every team around the league the last couple weeks he was open to acquire picks.
George McPhee called Ken Holland with an offer of picks at 1:30. Holland tweaked it. Deal by 2:50.
Ken Holland said one team wanted Mike Green’s medical reports, another was very interested. Said there was interest. Injury could reoccur.
Ken Holland said Mike Green “would’ve loved to go to a team to win a Stanley Cup,” but injury was ultimate reason why he didn’t.
Ken Holland said McDonaugh and possible Karlsson deals also hurt Green’s deal chances.
Ken Holland said the Red Wings didn’t hear what they wanted from another team on Mike Green offers.
Ken Holland: “I had lots of discussions about lots of players.”
Ken Holland said he still wants to “hang onto a culture,” when asked if he looked at making other moves.
Ken Holland: “By no stretch of the imagination was I trying to move a ton of people.”
Ken Holland said Mike Green’s NTC didn’t prevent any deals.
Holland says trading Tomas Tatar was about building for the future (picks) and creating more opportunity for prospects such Tyler Bertuzzi, and down the road, Evgeny Svechnikov & Michael Rasmussen (maybe next season).
Ken Holland (on conference call) on what he told Tatar after the deal was done: “Thanked him for his time in Detroit, thanked him for being a professional, thanked him for competing every night.
#RedWings Ken Holland, on conference call, said teams were concerned Mike Green could have a relapse with his neck issue. Said Green was open to being moved and did not exercise NTC to block a move. Expected back this weekend.#RedWings Holland said they’re not calling up anyone for Wednesday’s game in St. Louis and will reassess after. Said he watched Svechnikov in Grand Rapids recently.
Ken Holland said there was interest in Mike Green, but ultimately questions about his injury limited ability to get a deal done. Green did not exercise his no trade clause. #NHLTradeDeadline
McPhee: Tomas Tatar is very excited to be here… We’re very delighted to have these players.
McPhee said it was an easy decision to trade three draft picks for Tatar.
McPhee: This team deserves to be together, and we kept them together for a reason.
McPhee: I think the chemistry will be even better, our room will be even better, and our team will be even better.
And the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Jesse Granger:
George McPhee- “We went into the deadline wanting to improve our team and we did that. We had a surplus of picks and a lot of space and we used those during these deals.”
McPhee- “I didn’t want to give up any of our young players, or take anything out of our lineup. I didn’t want to give assets away for rental players, so we were delighted to pick up Tomas Tatar for draft picks today, and pick up Reaves and a fourth round pick a few days ago.”
McPhee- “We went into the deadline with one thing circled on our board, and that was adding one more top-9 forward and we accomplished that today.”
McPhee on Tatar- “He was a guy that we thought, based on where the prices were, would be the right guy for us.”McPhee- “We believe we’re a good team and I’ve got my fingers crossed hoping we can continue to be a good team for the rest of the season.”Tomas Tatar will be in Vegas tonight and “we’ll figure things out tomorrow.”McPhee- “It’s a very intense period. It can be stressful at times. You’re trying to help your club, & make the right trades for your club now & your club in the future. There is a lot riding on what you do.”McPhee cont. – “You’re trying to take care of your team, players, fan base & as a manager you bare all the liability.”McPhee- “I think it’s really important that when you’re adding players that they’re good character people, and we know that both players we’ve added are outstanding people and outstanding citizens.”McPhee- “There’s always a scramble. If you talk to the guy from central registry he will tell you that probably 90% of the deals were sent in between 2:45 p.m. and 2:55 p.m.”McPhee says Subban is 10 days to 2 weeks away from being on the ice.
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Tomas Tatar Goals – 2017-2018 (Detroit Red Wings) https://t.co/fgWcgKaCPl
— Alex Wood (@awood40) February 26, 2018
So some of the teams weren’t able to handle Green’s cap hit? May I ask a follow-up question Kenny?
1) Was this news to you?
2) Did you offer to eat 50% of the cap hit?
3) Did you offer to take back a bad contract in return?
4) Did you explore having a 3-way trade where a team with lots of cap space ate more of the cap hit, you know, like how Vegas helped facilitate the Brassard deal?
5) Or did you just shit the bed on Mike Green and are now trying to talk your way out of it, with the final nail in the coffin being a multi-year extension to Green, you know, just so you can say that this was the reason I never traded him?
Also, what do you mean you never had any intention of moving out lots of people? To preserve the winning culture that you think exists? Even Jonathan Ericsson mentioned earlier in the year that the culture/mood of the room has changed from the past. There is no winning culture Kenny. So you should have been more aggressive to move out more pieces. Clown. What’s next – your extension or Green’s?
It took a week for you to bully people and just curse and make yourself unwelcome. I don’t understand what motivates you to get so angry, but I told you that this would not be a locker room, and this is unacceptable.
Thank you.
I am not going to tolerate this stuff from anyone here. This is not a democracy–I am the benevolent dictator here, and I know that we ALL lost our marbles today because it was deadline day…so we will ALL be a little nicer to each other going forward.
It bugs me Kenny talks about getting younger and giving opportunity but recently we have Frk scratched for 3 games and replaced with Booth. In those games He played 10 minutes total. I like Booth and thought he had good energy against the Rangers. But if we’re rebuilding it doesn’t make sense to sit the young guy. It’s not like he’s been playing poorly. It just one of things that make me skeptical of what Holland says.
Btw congrats on having your own page George!
Chill, Booth over Frk isn’t Kenny’s decision. That’s all Blashill. But this is where Kenny needs to give Blashill new objectives. Stop trying to ride veterans and squeak out wins. Play the kids more. If we lose then so be it. Teach them.