Ben Shelley: Ducks acquire Robby Fabbri from Red Wings

Yesterday @ 8:28 PM ET
I just want to write something that has to be said. I really just wana focus on fixing the problem right now. We Ducks fans are gonna have all season to be happy, Sad or disappointed. And it's probably gonna be another long season. So just to be constructive I think we Ducks fans and bloggers should probably come up with some reasonable expectations for next year. I mean the Ducks teams was never gonna fix it's problems in one season. But it's fair to ask the organization for some progress. I mean they want patience. But we fans are paying prices to watch games. So here we go.

#1: I'd like to see a higher point total than the last 2 seasons. 40+ points is ridiculous. But a reachable goal would probably be in the 50's. I'd hope for 60. But Rome wasn't built in a day.

#2: Don't blow smoke at the fans. We see what's going on. And as fans it's reasonable to ask for a little bit of transparency. I understand there won't be alot of openness. Things are what they are. And there's only so many ways you can say the same thing. So be practical about it.

#3: Focus on the basics. In reality the coaching staff should turn the entire season into one big development camp if you really wana see some big results. But that's not fun or practical. But as the saying goes. "A big house needs a big foundation" And the foundation of hockey are things like teamwork, Defense, boardwork, skating, conditioning. It's a long season. So some fun along the way is probably good to.

#4: this will probably be the most unreasonable request. But I think it's necessary. Sign some of these young players to long term extensions. If free agents don't want the Ducks organization money. Then I'd say it's time we give that money to some players who wana play here. It would show the players ,fans , and media the Anaheim Ducks wana win and are committed to the future. It would send a very good message that's really needed right now.

Not a needle mover… and dude simply cannot stay healthy -

If he does stay healthy and can push Strome to the 4th line - ok…

but that’s 4 mil that coulda been allocated towards … let’s say a Sergachev trade -

So neither Dummo nor Fabbro is a top 6 RW nor a top 4 D…

Verbeek is a 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

Not a needle mover… and dude simply cannot stay healthy -

If he does stay healthy and can push Strome to the 4th line - ok…

but that’s 4 mil that coulda been allocated towards … let’s say a Sergachev trade -

So neither Dummo nor Fabbro is a top 6 RW nor a top 4 D…

Verbeek is a 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡
- dozerD10

Speaking of clowns. What is Yzerman doing at this point? I mean, the dude’s an on ice legend and will have a leash a mile long in Detroit, but what is he doing? They’re seemingly aiming for Pick 15 every year.
And yeah, yeah, he built Tampa…ish. Brisebois put the final touches to get them over the finish line.
His drafts aren’t showing much yield beyond his picks inside the Top 10 (Seider, Raymond) which are supposed to hit otherwise you’re dying.
Idk.
Ships a 2nd to offload Walman who only had 3.4aav.
Bad asset mgmt.

Speaking of clowns. What is Yzerman doing at this point? I mean, the dude’s an on ice legend and will have a leash a mile long in Detroit, but what is he doing? They’re seemingly aiming for Pick 15 every year.
And yeah, yeah, he built Tampa…ish. Brisebois put the final touches to get them over the finish line.
His drafts aren’t showing much yield beyond his picks inside the Top 10 (Seider, Raymond) which are supposed to hit otherwise you’re dying.
Idk.
Ships a 2nd to offload Walman who only had 3.4aav.
Bad asset mgmt.
- 13of39

Well hey. You got tarasenko and traded robbi fabbri contract away. And Gage Alexander is a AHL goalie whos good for depth. All in all a win for they Red Wings. All it cost you was a 4th.

Speaking of clowns. What is Yzerman doing at this point? I mean, the dude’s an on ice legend and will have a leash a mile long in Detroit, but what is he doing? They’re seemingly aiming for Pick 15 every year.
And yeah, yeah, he built Tampa…ish. Brisebois put the final touches to get them over the finish line.
His drafts aren’t showing much yield beyond his picks inside the Top 10 (Seider, Raymond) which are supposed to hit otherwise you’re dying.
Idk.
Ships a 2nd to offload Walman who only had 3.4aav.
Bad asset mgmt.
- 13of39

I think this should be Yzerman's last year. They need to show improvement and should be in the playoffs this season. I know Holland left him a bad situation, but like you referenced, he's been below average in his drafting/developing, trades, and signings.

I think this should be Yzerman's last year. They need to show improvement and should be in the playoffs this season. I know Holland left him a bad situation, but like you referenced, he's been below average in his drafting/developing, trades, and signings.
- jfkst1

Well trust me when I say this. You really don't wana build most of your team with prospects. There is a certain amount that you want. 3 or 4 seems to be the max. Any more than that then things become chaotic. But Yzerman like Verbeek and Holland seems to be taking his time. It's just how they do things. But being slow about things is just really annoying. So we Ducks fans feel your pain😢

Well trust me when I say this. You really don't wana build most of your team with prospects. There is a certain amount that you want. 3 or 4 seems to be the max. Any more than that then things become chaotic. But Yzerman like Verbeek and Holland seems to be taking his time. It's just how they do things. But being slow about things is just really annoying. So we Ducks fans feel your pain😢
- Eman87654

I think being patient is good. BUT he's gotta be decent at least in some component of being a GM. He's proven to have zero strengths so far. I'm not making this up. Go ask DET fans what they think of him so far. They love his contributions as a player, but his decisions are starting to wear thin on the fan base. He's not showing competence in any aspect of NHL GMing.

I think being patient is good. BUT he's gotta be decent at least in some component of being a GM. He's proven to have zero strengths so far. I'm not making this up. Go ask DET fans what they think of him so far. They love his contributions as a player, but his decisions are starting to wear thin on the fan base. He's not showing competence in any aspect of NHL GMing.
- jfkst1

Weren't the Red Wings 1 win away from making the playoffs last year. If Ducks fans got that close we'd be celebrating. Sometimes you just gotta accept a win. Doesn't really matter Yzerman gets the wins. The important part is that he does win.

I think being patient is good. BUT he's gotta be decent at least in some component of being a GM. He's proven to have zero strengths so far. I'm not making this up. Go ask DET fans what they think of him so far. They love his contributions as a player, but his decisions are starting to wear thin on the fan base. He's not showing competence in any aspect of NHL GMing.
- jfkst1

I looked at your 1st round draft picks over the last 3 years. Danielson, nygard, pellickack, Kasper do seem kind of weird. But again we Ducks fans are dealing with the same thing. This year we took Senneca over Demidov. Last year the Ducks took Carllson over Fantilli. It happens. And it's probably not helping Detroit fans that Yzerman is probably over marinating your prospects in the AHL. You know. Giving all Wings prospects 1 or 2 extra years of experience in minors. But it happens. I sure at least half those picks will be useful NHL players. You Red Wings fans just seem to be playing the waiting game.

To the comment above about signing some long-term deals… The guys most likely to get those deals (Leo, Cutter, Pavel, Olen, Z if we keep him) aren’t eligible until next summer. It’s probably in McT’s best interest not to sign this summer because he hasn’t consistently shown his value yet. Hopefully PV is working on a way to keep Vatrano around. I didn’t expect any blockbuster FA signings - in a year when Cup contenders have cap space, how many 30-yr old NHL’ers want to join a rebuild?

The fact that the Ducks haven’t moved any top end prospects might mean management hasn’t seen enough yet to establish which guys are core and which guys are expendable for core parts. If so, those questions need to get answered quickly. Could also mean that we don’t have trade partners who want guys that we would be willing to move at this point.

I hear PV saying that he wants to play competitive games in March and April, but that seems like a stretch with the current roster. I’ll settle for a team that spends less time stuck in their own end and is fun to watch most nights (unlike last season) and be pleasantly surprised if I get more than that.

I looked at your 1st round draft picks over the last 3 years. Danielson, nygard, pellickack, Kasper do seem kind of weird. But again we Ducks fans are dealing with the same thing. This year we took Senneca over Demidov. Last year the Ducks took Carllson over Fantilli. It happens. And it's probably not helping Detroit fans that Yzerman is probably over marinating your prospects in the AHL. You know. Giving all Wings prospects 1 or 2 extra years of experience in minors. But it happens. I sure at least half those picks will be useful NHL players. You Red Wings fans just seem to be playing the waiting game.
- Eman87654

I'm not a DET fan. PIT. Obviously I'm interested in learning about rebuilding which is why I'm focusing on DET so much now. Yzerman heavily prefers low risk draft picks; i.e. high floor and low ceiling players that are likely to make the NHL. That's why they have a surplus of middle of the lineup young players. So his pick success rate looks good if you focus on games played.