The Free Press’s Helene St. James penned a lengthy article this morning, discussing reasons for Red Wings optimism as elucidated by the Wings’ general manager, Steve Yzerman:
Yzerman sounded excited about the challenge in front of him. It took 14 years for him to win a Cup as a player, and that was expedited when, management headed up by Jimmy Devellano, hit the mother lode in the 1989 draft with Nicklas Lidstrom, Sergei Fedorov and Vladimir Konstantinov. It will take patience, and luck, to restore the Wings, but there’s a buzz at this camp and it’s coming from the young guys.
“We need more, but I’m encouraged,” Yzerman said. “There’s a good group of young players that are prospects that have potential. We’re going to try to add to that group but with that group, we’re trying to create an environment that allows them to go from prospects to good NHL players, and that’s the big step.
“I came in ’83, we went through it to eventually win a Stanley Cup was very gratifying. I’m hoping we can again do that at some point in the future.”
“There’s spots on the roster available.”
Unless Mr. Y takes steps to clear out some of the aging vets, sends a kid like Ras/Svech to the AHL, or injuries happen, there really isnt.
Its plenty more likely that its lip service, and we can take one year to see how well some kids play in the AHL. Let some contracts expire, and really kick it up next year.
Y is keeping the same “beat a vet, force me to make a move” policy that KH had. What many people wanted was to leave spots completely open for them to jump up and grab; otherwise the spot wasnt really open.
What about this leaves room for General Zad, Veleno, Seider?
Bert/Larks/Mantha
Hirose/AA/Ras
Helm/Fil/Abby
DLR/Glen/Ehn
Erne/Svech
Hronek/DDK
Nemeth/Green
Ericsson/Daley
Cholo/Bowey
Also consider the mighty struggles of Ras and Cholo last year (many factors included, like linemates) before we rush a kid on up the pipeline.
The 9 game limit on NHL games played before burning normal contract progression seems like a.rule made in last centuries NHL.
It protects what…older players? At the price of developing young players? I’m sure there are details I’m ignorant of..but moving talent up or down based on the best decision for their developement seems like a new younger NHL priority. Change the length of rfa or something, just don’t banish them below a glass ceiling because the lawyers can’t see around the piles of $$$ in front of them.
I think the #1 thing it does is give more team control of the contract /player that the team drafts and develops.
Rights due to a team that invests in people could be guaranteed without a black or white decision to subtract a complete year from the player OR the team.
Mr. Cholowski was sent down after ” burning” his contract year, and as far a I can see that was not good for team control of the future of that player. But it was good for him as long as he didn’t get pouty about playing in AHL after he hit his constitution limits. He had the skill and deserved to be there maybe to Decemberish.
Mr Rassmusen was the same but he literally had nowhere to go down to. Good for developement ? Good for team? No and no. Good for TriCity? Nope.
BURNING is not a good term unless you are looking at your campfire.
I don’t have well thought solutions here, but the rights of a player to be where they need to play should be best for them and long term best for the team with rights to them.
I wonder if a prospect can be called up to replace a Green , Old E, etc and not have it count against their 9 game limit.
If it does , I don’t understand the reasoning behind.
I assume the Ras, Svech kind of players get sent down for some other reason as they have already played 9 NHL games? Is this a yearly limit, 9 game limit a year.
I have tried and tried to read the CBA with frustration.
My head is hurting with all this legal babble
I will wait until something happens and see if the talking heads explain some of this. Not a HSJ fan but maybe should have explained in more detail how the rules affect sending players to and from GR.
Usually I fall back to George, Thanks George
..legal babble. I can’t touch it without feeling like I’m part of an illusion or spell that’s trying to be cast. I read every third word and it seems to make more sense.