Apparently, Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland isn’t messing around, and appears to be backing off his “less is more exciting” mantra.
According to John Niyo of The Detroit Free Press, Holland indicated that the next few weeks of Detroit’s play will determine the appropriate course of action he’ll be taking in terms of whether or not the team will be looking to sell off their pieces in a rebuilding process.
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“I look at the next 10 or 15 games for this team as being critical in determining what direction we’re gonna go,” he said before Detroit’s 5-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night at Little Caesars Arena.
Last season, the Red Wings made several trades when it was clear that a 26th consecutive playoff appearance wasn’t in the cards, auctioning off defenseman Brendan Smith to the New York Rangers, Thomas Vanek to the Florida Panthers, Steve Ott to the Montreal Canadiens, and Tomas Jurco to the Chicago Blackhawks. The team received draft picks in return, as well as minor league forward Dylan McIlrath.
The team currently sits in 24th place in the League with a 11-12-5 record despite a solid 4-1 start to the year.
BONUS CONTENT
The Red Wings were named the ninth most valuable NHL franchise by Forbes with a value of $700 million, a 14 percent increase from last season.
The New York Rangers were named the first most valuable team with a value of $1.5 billion, followed by the Toronto Maple Leafs at $1.4 billion and the Montreal Canadiens at $1.25 billion. The Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins round out the top five.
