Abel to Yzerman

Abel to Yzerman

Franzen's Inevitable Exit

04/25/2014 at 2:49pm EDT

Paul just posted this, and unless you've read our Deep Diggers for years you have no idea just how unique it is.

It's a very rare situation, a Wing beat writer actually criticizing a player. It just doesn't happen. It's not allowed.

Unless, of course, it is. By Mike Babcock, or by Ken Holland.

And in the case of Johan Franzen? It's batteries release. The Wings are obviously dissatisfied with his play, as we all are. The media has been highly butt-hurt with his refusal to speak with them over the years. But they've never mentioned just how irritating they found it until today.

...but talking to reporters through times good and bad is a reflection on a player, and it reflects as poorly on Franzen as does another silent spring.

Read St. James' article and understand how much of a deviation it is from the Deep Digger MO.

He's as good as gone. Holland and Babcock are going to shed him this summer and they've given the media the ok to pave the road out of town.

Franzen, 34, doesn't like being on camera — his goal when HBO was in town in December for “24/7” was to not be seen on any episode.

Think that sentence would have been written if Franzen was scoring? Nope.

The Diggers have probably always been highly pissed, but were never allowed to voice it because that's not the way business is conducted when you, essentially, work for the Wings.

Tip of the iceberg. We'll see more. First it's the Diggers, then it's the columnists. There's blood in the water and the organ-I-zation has given the ok for feeding season to officially begin.

Adios, Johan. Thanks for a few good years, five years ago.

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Welcome to Abel to Yzerman, a Red Wing blog since 1977. No other site on the internet has better-researched, fact-laden and better prepared discussions than A2Y. Re-phrase: we do little research, find facts and stats highly overrated and claim little to no preparation. There are 19 readers of A2Y. No more, no less. All of them, except maybe one, are juvenile in nature. Reminding them of that in the comment section will only encourage them to prove that.

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