Jeremy Laura: Wings fans still waiting, thoughts on Laine and Wahlstrom

Absolutely no on both, we need to quit picking up and especially trading for other team's "garbage".

Laine played in like 53% of games in the past 4 years.

Absolutely no on both, we need to quit picking up and especially trading for other team's "garbage".

Laine played in like 53% of games in the past 4 years.
- StargateSG1

They’re both a gamble with potential upside. I doubt Yzerman has talked about either. I don’t know too many teams that can make Laine work in $ but Wahlman can be buried in the minors or gotten rid of completely. Literally just trying to find something to talk about because good Lord is it quiet right now.

BTW, you’re right. We have some bad decisions and I’m hoping Danielson, Kasper or Mazur can put someone on waivers during preseason.

Yeah, Laine makes too much money and you don't know what you are getting with him. Wings don't need another Vrana situation with a higher cap hit.

I kind of liked Wahlstrom when he was drafted or at least i thought they did better in that draft getting Wahlstrom and Dobson or at least back then i would have preferred trading back and getting both those guys to only drafting Zadina. Imagine having both those guys instead of Zadina...Wings would be set on RHD with Seider and Dobson even if Wahlstrom isn't living up to the scorer potential.

Not sure there is a fit for Wahlstrom on this team though and they sure as hell shouldn't be wasting cap space and assets on Laine. They have enough scoring forwards and although they could use some toughness and physicality on their forward group, Laine brings none of that so pass.

They need money to fix that defense or this team will never improve to the point they can make the playoffs. Trade for Werenski instead to pair him with Seider and then trade for Rasmus Andersson to pair with Edvinsson. Obviously Wings would have to move out Chiarot, Holl and maybe Maatta along with prospects and picks to make the salaries work under the cap and maybe some salary retention by the Jackets on Werenski. Not going to happen but a top 4 of Werenski - Seider, Edvinsson - Andersson would make this team a playoff team imo.

Yeah, Laine makes too much money and you don't know what you are getting with him. Wings don't need another Vrana situation with a higher cap hit.

I kind of liked Wahlstrom when he was drafted or at least i thought they did better in that draft getting Wahlstrom and Dobson or at least back then i would have preferred trading back and getting both those guys to only drafting Zadina. Imagine having both those guys instead of Zadina...Wings would be set on RHD with Seider and Dobson even if Wahlstrom isn't living up to the scorer potential.

Not sure there is a fit for Wahlstrom on this team though and they sure as hell shouldn't be wasting cap space and assets on Laine. They have enough scoring forwards and although they could use some toughness and physicality on their forward group, Laine brings none of that so pass.

They need money to fix that defense or this team will never improve to the point they can make the playoffs. Trade for Werenski instead to pair him with Seider and then trade for Rasmus Andersson to pair with Edvinsson. Obviously Wings would have to move out Chiarot, Holl and maybe Maatta along with prospects and picks to make the salaries work under the cap and maybe some salary retention by the Jackets on Werenski. Not going to happen but a top 4 of Werenski - Seider, Edvinsson - Andersson would make this team a playoff team imo.
- dcz28

A pipe dream, but Andersson and Werenski will become available as their teams become mired in the mucky bottom of the league. Many have been pulling for the Flames to trade Kadri, Andersson, Coleman and Weegar to complete the teardown and get the rebuild on a faster track. I would take Weegar at this point if Holl is going the other way.

Yeah, Laine makes too much money and you don't know what you are getting with him. Wings don't need another Vrana situation with a higher cap hit.

I kind of liked Wahlstrom when he was drafted or at least i thought they did better in that draft getting Wahlstrom and Dobson or at least back then i would have preferred trading back and getting both those guys to only drafting Zadina. Imagine having both those guys instead of Zadina...Wings would be set on RHD with Seider and Dobson even if Wahlstrom isn't living up to the scorer potential.

Not sure there is a fit for Wahlstrom on this team though and they sure as hell shouldn't be wasting cap space and assets on Laine. They have enough scoring forwards and although they could use some toughness and physicality on their forward group, Laine brings none of that so pass.

They need money to fix that defense or this team will never improve to the point they can make the playoffs. Trade for Werenski instead to pair him with Seider and then trade for Rasmus Andersson to pair with Edvinsson. Obviously Wings would have to move out Chiarot, Holl and maybe Maatta along with prospects and picks to make the salaries work under the cap and maybe some salary retention by the Jackets on Werenski. Not going to happen but a top 4 of Werenski - Seider, Edvinsson - Andersson would make this team a playoff team imo.
- dcz28

The whole lead up to that draft was ongoing debates about which type of d-man do you want to build around. Hughes. Bouchard. Dobson. Debates about size, skill. The thought was Hughes might be gone, but the other two will for sure be available. In the end, all 3 were available, but we pick another Euro winger.

No to Wahlstrom. Would have taken Laine as a cap dump and rolled the dice on a reclamation. But we already wasted our cap space on Kane and Tarasenko who will never join our core when it matters.

The whole lead up to that draft was ongoing debates about which type of d-man do you want to build around. Hughes. Bouchard. Dobson. Debates about size, skill. The thought was Hughes might be gone, but the other two will for sure be available. In the end, all 3 were available, but we pick another Euro winger.

No to Wahlstrom. Would have taken Laine as a cap dump and rolled the dice on a reclamation. But we already wasted our cap space on Kane and Tarasenko who will never join our core when it matters.
- HockeyBuzzed

I think the Wings were going to draft Hughes or Bouchard with that pick until Zadina slid to them. They probably didn't look at Zadina as hard as they should have because they didn't think he would be available to them. When he slid, they changed from who they should pick to Zadina because he was there. Turned out to be a huge mistake of not sticking with the guy they had pegged as their guy.

Personally i wouldn't touch Laine at this point because i don't know exactly what his off-ice issues are. Is it booze or drugs? Is it mental issues like anxiety? Is it a gaming addiction (rumors of him gaming all night when he was with the Jets)? I don't think Yzerman wants a repeat of Vrana.

I think the Wings were going to draft Hughes or Bouchard with that pick until Zadina slid to them. They probably didn't look at Zadina as hard as they should have because they didn't think he would be available to them. When he slid, they changed from who they should pick to Zadina because he was there. Turned out to be a huge mistake of not sticking with the guy they had pegged as their guy.

Personally i wouldn't touch Laine at this point because i don't know exactly what his off-ice issues are. Is it booze or drugs? Is it mental issues like anxiety? Is it a gaming addiction (rumors of him gaming all night when he was with the Jets)? I don't think Yzerman wants a repeat of Vrana.
- dcz28

I have the same theory on that draft. Minimal due diligence on Zadina and then they just panicked.

Yes Laine is a risk. But he's 26 and has the potential to be a solid top 6 forward for the next 5-6 years. If you take his ugly contract you likely get the guy for free. So no cap space for Kane/Tarasenko. Who cares. The roster sucks anyway. You see what Laine can do this year. If he's amazing, you resign him as part of your new core. If he's just OK, you look to flip him in the summer or as a rental next year. If he's terrible, you wait one more year and let him walk. We didn't need the cap space anyway. I'd rather roll the dice on Laine than bring in Kane and Tarasenko as a placeholders. So they help us draft 12th instead of 5th. Who cares.

I have the same theory on that draft. Minimal due diligence on Zadina and then they just panicked.

Yes Laine is a risk. But he's 26 and has the potential to be a solid top 6 forward for the next 5-6 years. If you take his ugly contract you likely get the guy for free. So no cap space for Kane/Tarasenko. Who cares. The roster sucks anyway. You see what Laine can do this year. If he's amazing, you resign him as part of your new core. If he's just OK, you look to flip him in the summer or as a rental next year. If he's terrible, you wait one more year and let him walk. We didn't need the cap space anyway. I'd rather roll the dice on Laine than bring in Kane and Tarasenko as a placeholders. So they help us draft 12th instead of 5th. Who cares.
- HockeyBuzzed

Like i said though, it depends on what Laine's issues are. If he's a coke or meth addict, you don't want that type of guy around young guys. I'm fine with the forwards for now even though they lack a true offensive #2 center and they are way too soft for my liking. The forwards are not the biggest issue with this team or even the prospect pool.

The defense is the huge problem imo. They lack a good partner for Seider to the point where Maatta or a rookie like Edvinsson look like the best option for him which is sad. Then you have a glaring hole behind Seider at RHD where franking Petry might be the best option and that makes me want to puke. Even RHD prospects they don't have much beyond ASP who is likely still 2 or 3 years away if he doesn't bust out completely. You have what Tuomisto? Anton Johansson who is still in Europe? They have a lot of defense prospects but not many that even project as NHL players at this point let alone top 4 guys. Wings needed a guy or two for now and i guess Yzerman did try to get Trouba but that ended up being a giant waste of time and he missed out on possible UFAs because of it. Also would have helped if he didn't sign Holl or trade for Petry or even signed Chiarot or Copp to those contracts. He keeps making the wrong decisions on defensemen to sign.

Like i said though, it depends on what Laine's issues are. If he's a coke or meth addict, you don't want that type of guy around young guys. I'm fine with the forwards for now even though they lack a true offensive #2 center and they are way too soft for my liking. The forwards are not the biggest issue with this team or even the prospect pool.

The defense is the huge problem imo. They lack a good partner for Seider to the point where Maatta or a rookie like Edvinsson look like the best option for him which is sad. Then you have a glaring hole behind Seider at RHD where franking Petry might be the best option and that makes me want to puke. Even RHD prospects they don't have much beyond ASP who is likely still 2 or 3 years away if he doesn't bust out completely. You have what Tuomisto? Anton Johansson who is still in Europe? They have a lot of defense prospects but not many that even project as NHL players at this point let alone top 4 guys. Wings needed a guy or two for now and i guess Yzerman did try to get Trouba but that ended up being a giant waste of time and he missed out on possible UFAs because of it. Also would have helped if he didn't sign Holl or trade for Petry or even signed Chiarot or Copp to those contracts. He keeps making the wrong decisions on defensemen to sign.
- dcz28

I believe the story on Laine was depression/anxiety/confidence. I don't think he's toxic. And if he is, then just waive him. Again, who cares if we waste cap space on a mediocre roster. Too late now though. We have Tarasenko. Yay.

I believe the story on Laine was depression/anxiety/confidence. I don't think he's toxic. And if he is, then just waive him. Again, who cares if we waste cap space on a mediocre roster. Too late now though. We have Tarasenko. Yay.
- HockeyBuzzed

Waiving him if he's toxic won't help your prospects deal with him in GR. I don't know, never been much of a fan of Laine. Wings don't need another guy that's just a shot. They already have Debrincat for that.

I'm ok with Tarasenko for now. It's short term and he was the guy i wanted the Wings to sign instead of trading for Debrincat. Cheaper, a bit better defensively and can still produce some offense. They didn't give up much aside from the 1st round pick for Debrincat but i would have rather they signed Tarasenko for free and used that pick for someone better like trying to get Kyle Connor from the Jets or an actual legit top 4 defenseman

Again, I'm not a huge fan of Laine. But if you can add him for peanuts and potentially find a core member for years to come, then it's worth a risk. And if you are worried about him being toxic in Grand Rapids then you just send him home or loan him to Europe. I guess my point is the window to actually compete is at least 4-5 years away. Kane, Tarasenko, Petry, Copp, etc...will all be long gone. So would rather see cap space used to roll the dice on someone like Laine. Too late now.

Again, I'm not a huge fan of Laine. But if you can add him for peanuts and potentially find a core member for years to come, then it's worth a risk. And if you are worried about him being toxic in Grand Rapids then you just send him home or loan him to Europe. I guess my point is the window to actually compete is at least 4-5 years away. Kane, Tarasenko, Petry, Copp, etc...will all be long gone. So would rather see cap space used to roll the dice on someone like Laine. Too late now.
- HockeyBuzzed

I’ll do a quick chime in here. Yes, this is probably an impossible deal. But it does sound like it was mental health he was being treated for. Winnipeg soured on him and CBJ just not a great fit. It would be nice to take a risk on someone who has that extra level potential. May not work out, but it would be fun. I just don’t see a scenario where they can move the pieces necessary without dumping picks and/or assets

Jeremy Laura: Wings fans still waiting, thoughts on Laine and Wahlstrom
- Jeremy Laura

Laine is a headcase. There is a reason not a soul has made an offer for him. Guy just wants to score goals and have his fun. Massive red flags, massive. It’s not a maturing issue, it’s not an addictions problem, it’s a brain problem. He was wrongly developed in Winnipeg and has shown his true colors.

Stevie will stay away. Trouba I’d love to see in Detroit though.