Abel to Yzerman

Abel to Yzerman

Kenny, You Conditionally Failed Today

07/01/2016 at 6:27pm EDT

The Helm signing was ridiculous. In every way, viewing it from any angle you'd like.

The Neilsen deal was pre-ordained. If you've read anything for three days, you knew it was coming. It's pure Holland: 32 year old. 6 years. 30 million.

And then it got weird, even for Holland standards.

Tomas Vanek, dumped by Mankado and most likely well past his prime, for a year. Relatively cheap and an ok risk.

Rewind: Matt Lorito was actually the first signing of the day, and I don't mind it. 26 years old. Rave reviews. Angst in Jersey for letting him slip away. Sounds good. Two way contract. Depth in GR or a surprise in Detroit.

Steve Ott.

Steve. Ott. That's a signing a team makes when it feels it's right on the cusp of a serious run.

I happen to like Ott. Just like I'd have liked Doan, years ago. Just like I'd have liked Brouwer, or Martin. Yeah, I hated him. But we were supposed to. He's that kind of guy. Now he's our kind of guy. I do not mind him on our roster. I mind that Ken Holland is operating like it's 2002, and like he's got a blue line stacked with talent. He doesn't. At all.

As you've pointed out, there will be casualties, and that was even before the Ott signing. Youth will, once again, be "ripened." AA, Mantha, your boy Pulky, Jurco. Somebody's losing minutes, or worse, a spot on the roster.

Unless there's a plan.

In fact, there has to be. You have to think Holland is working a deal that brings us Fowler. Shattenkirk has, apparently, submitted a four-team list of those he would extend his contract for. Do you really think, based on the last few years, Detroit is on that list? No.

It's Fowler.

Because we are overloaded, bursting with forwards.

Back to Vanek and Neilsen. Bill Waters was on NHL Radio about an hour ago. He said he believes those two will be "magic" for the Wings. He believes they'll play together and really produce.

We'll see.

If the Wings had a decent blue line, today would be considered positive. It would be the aggressive kind of day we've wanted, although it reeks of post-Stamkos desperation. The offense is more potent. That's undeniable. But the holes on defense are just gaping.

Forward after forward. Kenny kept signing them. Four in total. No defensemen, and that's ok...on the surface...because there wasn't much from the UFA crop to choose from. But to sign that number of forwards, hamstringing the progress and playing time of some talented youngsters. It stinks like Holland.

Unless there's a plan.

I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt, Kenny. Because I can't believe you don't have something working. I just can't believe this day went down the way it did without a trade to follow shortly (before October).

Tick Tock.

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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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