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Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue
Yeah. Draper has lost some of his effectiveness and Holmstrom was downright awful the last 40+ games or so. The problem, however, is that I'd really be surprised if the Wings cut/waived/forced out any of these guys. It's certainly possible, but Detroit has been a destination franchise for years because of how it treats its players. The organization has been incredibly loyal to its own and that combined with the success of the team are two big parts of what make the organization as great as it is. (It's not like the city is all that).
Once you start waiving long time saltwarts and well-respected veterans, I think that begins to tarnish the organization's reputation a bit. Then again, being too loyal to these guys and sacrificing competitiveness also isn't doing the team any favors. This is why this is Holland's toughest summer to date. Other than that first post-lockout summer when teams were forced to buyout contracts, he really hasn't been forced to make any tough decisions regarding established guys. Most of his summers, the Hossa deal aside, was spent tinkering around the edges and plugging smaller gaps in the line-up.
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I agree. I do think though that Holmer is going to be done sooner rather then later. He's just never healthy. I do think though that players will be more likely to retire rather then put Kenny Holland and the organization on their heels because of how well they are treated. I think a guy like Maltby would retire when his deal runs out rather then try and get another deal or go play elsewhere.