Detroit Red Wings

youd have an easier time finding Hoffa than a logical answer to this

 

On the plus side Holland backs up his word if he did promise to take care of Cleary after talking him into sticking around after PHI's contract offer.

On the minus side he just showed veteran UFAs and young developing players that he would rather spend a contract slot on a veteran reclamation project rather than trying to improve the hockey franchise from a competition level. Loyalty to a franchise changing talent is one thing, this is something else. It's not an all-time great or even a player associated with multiple championships, it's Dan freakin Cleary and he hasn't done much other than clog up a slot and ice time for 4 seasons now.

 

Found something I have been looking for:

I'm confident (not certain) that she wouldn't have said this unless she was positive that Babcock was indeed the principle party pushing to get Cleary back. It does back up previous stories but they were always less than certain. This doesn't nail the coffin on it, but it does put a padlock on it in my opinion.

What that tells me is that Holland didn't have the final say on the Babcock decision as many have speculated. If Babs could talk the team into 3 years of bad obligation 2 years ago, Kenny didn't have the final say on Babs' offer this summer in my opinion. I think this supports the opinions that, at the very least, Babcock had comparable authority to Kenny. The possibility (among other possibilities) remains that Babs steamrolled Kenny into the decision but I find it hard to believe the franchise could operate successfully year over year if that were the case.

Holland's standing with me regarding Babcock and the Cleary thing looks better as time goes by. Holland kept his word and kept the guy for 1 million AAV less than what Holmgren was going to give him, even if he was manipulated by Babs.

I'm almost willing to start looking above Kenny for the problem areas in hockeyops.

 

I dont believe Holland didnt have the final say, Babs I think held some weight in decisions but I dont think he had that kind of pull. What I do believe is that Holland gave in where he could to Babs and let him feel like he has a say in matters. there have been many times in Babs tenure that he made statements to the public regarding moves that make me think he threw things out there but they never came to fruition - that to me is Mr I or Kenny putting the kabosh on it. I think Illitch is more out of the loop (literally and figuratively) anymore. bottom line, Babs is gone and Kenny isnt - theres no excuse to retain this terd whether hes here or in GR. the guy is as close to useless as your gonna get. what really chaps my ass is that if your gonna waste a roster spot/money on Cleary then theres no excuse for not giving that money to an enforcer. atleast they would provide something

 

Has to be Babs judgement was given full consideration and Holland was sold on it or he should have been able to trump Bab's... or as you seem to lead to, Kenny and Babs are controlled by Mr. I or someone who advises him.

Bottom line too me is this. I would prefer managers and coach'e and owners sticking to their titles and mot playing the conglomerate game.

Maybe this is a foretaste of things to come in Toronto. They have quite a situation of leadership there that you would think would lead to a clashing of idea's.

 

I was pointing to Devellano and Chris Illitch more than anything.

 

This bolded part is my thought as well.
The Cleary thing, since it's a display of loyalty to the player instead of loyalty to the franchise, has to be an operational doctrine/philosophy or else we would have seen things implode by now.

Detroit gave Maltby a contract years ago from what I recall. He chose to retire instead of going to GR. If Cleary does the same thing, I'm far less critical of them burning a contract slot since he wouldn't have taken one prior to all players hitting waivers.

Detroit has almost 2 dozen NHL capable forwards with paper now...that's fucked up enough as it is.

 

remember this from June?
http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2015/06/chris_chelios_interested_in_re.html

This contract is really fucked up because its an outwardly showing intent to circumvent the CBA. GMs can't promise future contracts. It's very similar to the Hossa, Franzen, Kovy, etc. contracts in the sense that everybody knows the point is to exploit the rule set but the specific scenarios that would be allowed aren't defined.

Kenny is asking the league to step in. Fortunately for Detroit's sake, nobody else wants Cleary and he'll probably be waived anyway so the other 29 franchises aren't going to make a stink. I would bet big that the NHL office raised an eyebrow a few months ago when they say the quote. It's one thing to take advantage of a rule set, it's another to blatantly try to cheat it.

This whole Cleary business stinks bad. The more I think about it though, the less I think Holland is the principle problem. There should have been people there telling Kenny not to say that stuff and that falls on the people above him imo. (does that make sense, things falling upward?)

 

k, what did I miss in your posts that would suggest this?


and thanks again for underlining, it always helps the meathead

 

of course it does. that's how it works in australia.

 

Duh! How could I forget Australian gravity?

 

You didn't miss anything, I was just clarifying where I would consider putting the microscope. I agree that Mike probably isn't involved beyond the biggest decisions, such as defining goals for the business.

lol, you don't have exclusive rights to be a meathead or a meatball, I retain those rights too.

 

TORONTO -- The Detroit Red Wings are known for taking their time and developing their prospects in the minors.

But that didn't discourage center Dylan Larkin, 19, from leaving the University of Michigan after one season to sign with the Red Wings on May 21.

Rather, Larkin looked at the Red Wings roster and thought, with a coaching change from Mike Babcock to Jeff Blashill, there might be a chance he could crack the roster as a teenager.

"That is one of the reasons I decided to sign and leave college," Larkin said. "There is a new coach and there seems to be some older players who might be on their way out. I think it is a great opportunity for me to learn from them. Growing up in Detroit you hear so much about those guys. I have watched Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk my whole life, so to be in the same room as them would be an incredible experience."
With many of the core players on the Red Wings inching toward the end of their careers, the organization is hoping some skilled young blood can come in and make an impact. Datsyuk is 37 years old while Johan Franzen and newcomer Brad Richards are 35, and Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall are 34.

Larkin, who grew up in Waterford, Michigan, was a big fan of the Red Wings as a kid.

"As long as I can remember, Zetterberg and Datsyuk have been on the team," he said, "so it has been pretty cool to be at Joe Louis Arena and Zetterberg has been out there a few times [at workouts]. It has been awesome skating with my hockey idol." (in part by NHL.com)
______________________________________

How cool is that.

 

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yYchgX1fMw[/video]

 

Red Wings Preview Per NHL.com...

DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings have a new coach and two new players, but center Pavel Datsyuk's status for early 2015-16 is uncertain.

After the Red Wings were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, losing their Eastern Conference First Round series to the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games, Mike Babcock, who was Detroit's coach for 10 seasons and has more wins than any coach in Red Wings history, left for the Toronto Maple Leafs and was replaced by Jeff Blashill.

Blashill was the favorite off the bat in Detroit, having coached its American Hockey League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, for the past three seasons.

The 41-year-old is the second youngest coach in the NHL (John Hynes of the New Jersey Devils is 40). Blashill coached Grand Rapids to the Calder Cup in 2013, was AHL coach of the year in 2014, and guided the Griffins to the Western Conference Final last season.

"I'm going on my instinct. He's a great young coach who is ready to coach in the NHL," Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said when introducing Blashill in June. "? You don't have success like that at the American Hockey League level unless you're running a good program."

Blashill was born in the Detroit suburb of Southfield, Mich., and grew up in Sault Ste. Marie in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Ten Red Wings who were part of the playoff series against the Lightning played for Blashill in Grand Rapids.

"I don't want to talk about what has been the case in the past; I have my own approach and some things will be different," Blashill said. "I'll be Jeff Blashill, and I think in that there will be change."

The Red Wings signed defenseman Mike Green and center Brad Richards on July 1, the first day of free agency.

Green, 29, signed a three-year, $18 million contract, giving the Red Wings the right-handed shooting defenseman with offensive ability they had been seeking since the retirement of Brian Rafalski in 2011.

"For some reason, we've just had a lot of left-shot defensemen," Holland said. "? It's hard to find a defenseman who can create offense. ? We were able to add a [defenseman] who can rush the puck, create offense and quarterback the power play."

Green had 10 goals and 45 points in 72 games with the Washington Capitals in 2014-15, and two assists in 14 playoff games.

Holland and Blashill each said Green likely will be paired with Danny DeKeyser, who is strong defensively.

"That's something we talked about. Something we feel could be a good skill-set match," Blashill said. "We think both guys could benefit."

Richards signed a one-year contract which guarantees him $3 million for 2015-16 and could reach $4 million with bonuses. The 35-year-old had 12 goals and 37 points with the Chicago Blackhawks last season, and had 14 points in 23 playoff games to help them win the Stanley Cup.

He also won the Cup with the Lightning in 2004, scoring 26 points in 23 games to win the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Holland said with everyone healthy Richards is penciled in to be the No. 2 center. But with the uncertainty surrounding Datsyuk, who had surgery on ruptured tendons in his right ankle in late June, Richards could open the season as the No. 1.

"Throughout his career, he's been productive as a top-couple-of-lines center," Blashill said of Richards. "? He's a great power-play guy who can run it from up top and who can pull up on the half boards."

It was thought Datsyuk, 37, would be back close to the beginning of the regular season, which is Oct. 9, with the recovery process 4-6 weeks. But he told Swedish media outlet SVT.se he'll be out longer.

"Doctors say 4-5 months," Datsyuk said according to a Google translation of an SVT.se article last month. "So we'll see. I hope I just miss a little early in the season."

 

I dont see anything being said about the enforcer we acquired in the offseason *ROFL*

 

He's already there:

 

DETROIT ? Detroit Red Wings forward Johan Franzen has been cleared to play, general manager Ken Holland said.

He'll be ready for the start of training camp in Traverse City on Friday and is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season on Oct. 9 against Toronto.

Franzen hasn't played since Jan. 6, when he suffered his latest concussion on a hit to the head from Rob Klinkhammer in Edmonton. It left Franzen's future in doubt, but Holland said the big forward was cleared on Thursday by Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, director of the Michigan Neurosport Program.

"He trained hard, he pushed himself hard. He's been cleared," Holland said.

Franzen, 35, has been skating with teammates for the past few weeks during informal practices at Joe Louis Arena. He expressed confidence last week that he'd be ready for the start of the season but also admitted to experiencing weekly setbacks.

"It feels good so far; it's probably too early to tell until I start playing games," Franzen said on Sept. 2. "I'm going at it hard ? a little bit too much, actually ? just to see that I can take it."

He said his pain threshold is getting higher every week. His next test is seeing how he reacts to contact in battle drills and in preseason games.

"The next step is the battle level and getting hit," Franzen said last week. "The main issue has been the exertion when I get really tired. That's when my head has been shutting down. So if I can take that I think I can take a few bumps."

If he has no setbacks Franzen can provide a big boost with his size and scoring ability.

"He's a big body that can score goals," Holland said. "Our hope is it will enable us to roll four lines and get offense up and down the lineup.

"He's going to be rusty, it's an important training camp for him. By the time we get going it's going to be (nine) months between games. He has to get his timing and his comfort level back."

Franzen appeared in 33 games last season, picking up seven goals and 15 assists.

Datsyuk to get re-evaluated soon

Holland said Pavel Datsyuk will be at training camp but not on the ice. He's recovering from surgery on June 26 to repair ruptured tendons in his ankle.

After training camp Datsyuk will got to Charlotte, N.C., to get re-evaluated by Dr. Robert Anderson, who performed the surgery.

"We'll get further direction at that time," Holland said.

Datsyuk said earlier this summer that he anticipated a recover time of 4-5 months, meaning the earliest he would return is late October.

(Mlive)