The Official 2025 Offseason Thread: Just me, I guess

[sutterfamily]

Pretty good SNES season, finally got to the next level. It won't be easy to stay at this level with the current roster although you're definitely hopeful that the top guys continue to progress and get better. Took them a couple games to figure it out but by the end they were playing playoff-style hockey and even with a team with with a lot more playoff experience.

They did a pretty good job of containing the top guys on Toronto after game 2, even.

Would have loved a game 7 at least but, overall, that was an enjoyable year (finally). Hope they can build on it.

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Love listening to the Prospect Pals talk about how the 2025 draft class is dogshit after pick six or so

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Pretty good SNES season, finally got to the next level. It won't be easy to stay at this level with the current roster although you're definitely hopeful that the top guys continue to progress and get better. Took them a couple games to figure it out but by the end they were playing playoff-style hockey and even with a team with with a lot more playoff experience.

They did a pretty good job of containing the top guys on Toronto after game 2, even.

Would have loved a game 7 at least but, overall, that was an enjoyable year (finally). Hope they can build on it.

Yeah that's the step I was hoping for from Detroit and didn't get. Ullmark seems to be the separating factor. He was inconsistent in the series but when he's on, he's fantastic.

It doesn't seem like they have as much coming in the pipeline as Montreal, Buffalo, and Detroit, so it'll probably come down to how well they do with trades / free agency. But swapping Norris for Cozens seems like a great move and I think Zetterlund was a smart add.

[sutterfamily]

The pipeline is very bad.

Yakemchuk is the only potential top-level guy (his numbers were down this year but the focus was on improving defence, not worried... yet... but probably should have taken Parehk or Buium)

Cozens wasn't great in the series (and, at least as far as I can tell, blew coverage losing Pacioretti on the winning goal) but he's a bit cheaper than Norris and, more importantly, not permanently on the IR. Zetterlund looks so good but not a lot in the results department. Maybe starting the year with the team next year can help? He's RFA and could be a great value as a bottom six guy who can move up in the lineup?

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Love listening to the Prospect Pals talk about how the 2025 draft class is dogshit after pick six or so

Some further U18 tourny notes on players who I've seen in the 8-14 range (i.e. when the Wings will be picking):

Brady Martin is a guy that makes a lot of sense for the Wings, but it seems like since he had a good tournament, he may go before they pick. ALSO, the agreed comparable is Marco Kasper, which cracks me up in terms of the perception that the Wings always go after the same type of guy (high COMPETE LEVEL, two-way, lower offensive ceiling). Anyway, I wouldn't mind another Marco Kasper but it seems less likely he'll be there.
Jackson Smith had previously been in the mix as the potential next D off the board after Schaefer (a huge, huge drop talent-wise) but he had a rough tournament. He's more likely to be there at 12 but less interesting.
Jack Nesbitt was Corey's pick to the Wings in a recent mock draft, but he had a terrible tournament and seems like more of a late teens / early 20s guy now. He's a bigger body guy but the compete was lacking, which doesn't seem like an Yzerman pick.

I would like the lottery to be done with so I can stop entertaining the tiny chance of the Wings picking second and getting Schaefer or Misa. Crush my dreams already please.

[Cacophony]

Hey fellow losers!

[Alexei Ca$hin]

It's great to be back friends

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Love listening to the Prospect Pals talk about how the 2025 draft class is dogshit after pick six or so

Some further U18 tourny notes on players who I've seen in the 8-14 range (i.e. when the Wings will be picking):

Brady Martin is a guy that makes a lot of sense for the Wings, but it seems like since he had a good tournament, he may go before they pick. ALSO, the agreed comparable is Marco Kasper, which cracks me up in terms of the perception that the Wings always go after the same type of guy (high COMPETE LEVEL, two-way, lower offensive ceiling). Anyway, I wouldn't mind another Marco Kasper but it seems less likely he'll be there.
Jackson Smith had previously been in the mix as the potential next D off the board after Schaefer (a huge, huge drop talent-wise) but he had a rough tournament. He's more likely to be there at 12 but less interesting.
Jack Nesbitt was Corey's pick to the Wings in a recent mock draft, but he had a terrible tournament and seems like more of a late teens / early 20s guy now. He's a bigger body guy but the compete was lacking, which doesn't seem like an Yzerman pick.

I would like the lottery to be done with so I can stop entertaining the tiny chance of the Wings picking second and getting Schaefer or Misa. Crush my dreams already please.

Brady Martin was listed as one of Wheeler's risers from the tournament with the sense that he's now a top ten pick. Button (grain of salt) thinks he goes top five. Every year there's a player I like for the Wings' spot -- Elias Pettersson, Cutter Gauthier, others who aren't popping to mind -- and every year they rise up.

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Wheeler and Pronman posted new rankings this morning, Brady Martin is top ten in both.

There's a comment on the Pronman piece from a Habs fan saying "We need to get up to take Desnoyers, we should move 16 + 17, Mailloux, and another piece to do it" and come on, nobody wants your flotsam to give up a legit blue-chip guy.

They need to fucking cool it already.

[Cacophony]

The draft lottery is on tonight!?

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Yeah, looking forward to no longer fantasizing about the Wings moving up to 2 and taking whichever of Schaefer and Misa don’t go 1

Wings could conceivably drop from 12 to 14 so that’ll probably happen.

[sutterfamily]

Can't wait to see which Tier 5 prospect the SNES can pick at 20 or 21.

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Rob Blake done in LA

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Welp the Wings are picking 12th

Boston and Nashville aren’t moving up

[Grand Moff Larkin]

The Islanders? Her?

[Grand Moff Larkin]

I have this nonsense on mute but the different draws are not good TV. Just do cards with the picks.

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Wait what

The Sharks are picking 2nd and Utah’s picking 4th? So the Wings are picking 13th? Fuck off

[Grand Moff Larkin]

8.9% chance of the Wings moving down to 13 and so that’s what happened

3.5% chance of the Isles picking first

[Grand Moff Larkin]

I would prefer not to know this

The 4 digit combination that won Utah the 2nd lottery draw and pushed Detroit down to 13th pick: 1, 3, 5, 12

The 4 digit combination that would've won the 2nd overall pick for the Red Wings; 1, 3, 5, 11

[Cacophony]

The isles! Fuck off!