MLive’s Ansar Khan suggests that Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman will likely wait out the 2019-2020 season before making significant managerial moves. Khan indicates that we should not be surprised if Yzerman emulates the man who “showed him the ropes”:
The team has stockpiled young forwards, some of whom are proven NHL players (Dylan Larkin, Mantha, Athanasiou, Bertuzzi) and others still in the early stages of development (Evgeny Svechnikov, Michael Rasmussen, Filip Zadina, Joe Veleno, Taro Hirose). Yzerman might look to package one or two with other assets for a young defenseman.
Yzerman, like Holland before him, will at least move veterans on expiring contracts for draft picks at the trade deadline, assuming the team is out of playoff contention. The list includes Howard, Mike Green, Jonathan Ericsson and Trevor Daley.
Yzerman apprenticed under Holland for four years, and while he appears more willing to take chances, there are some philosophies both share. One of them seems to be player development and entitlement. Holland believed in “over-ripening” prospects in the AHL, not handing them jobs based on draft position.
Yzerman appears to feel the same, which explains in part the signings of Filppula and Nemeth. Some would argue Zadina, Svechnikov and Dennis Cholowski should be on the team regardless of performance and develop in the NHL while taking their lumps. Yzerman isn’t apt to do that.
I don’t see from where Khan has data to make his claim on player entitlement. Let’s hope he’s fundamentally wrong in this KH/SY similarity.
Khan is one-sided, as usual. Instead of drawing the conclusion that Yzerman is just like Holland in over-ripening, perhaps he could dig a little deeper.
For example, maybe Yzerman is correct that guys like Svech, Zadina, Cholowski aren’t ready for the NHL in October. But they ca all compete to be recalled after the trade deadline when we take out our trash. Is that copying Holland, or simply making a decision based on his talent evaluation?
Now compare that to some of Holland’s bizarre decisions. He watched Nyquist play 40 games over 2011-12 and 2012-13. Then watched him play very well in the 2012-13 playoffs. Seemed like the 24-year old was ready for a full-time role in 2013-14. Nope. Keep ripening. Because I signed Cleary and Samuelson and a bunch of other garbage. Nyquist wastes more time in the AHL before finally coming up when injuries mounted and then he carried us to a playoff spot with 28 goals in just 57 games. So are we now comparing Yzerman’s patience with teenages like Zadina and Veleno to what Holland was doing with 24-year old Nyquist? Or now look how Yzerman gave roles to young Lightning players as soon as they were deserved. Not rotting, er excessive ripening in Tampa. Deep stuff Khan.