Larkin Signs With Red Wings
[Bill Rapai]
Freshman sensation is out the door after a strong World Championships:
Expect announcement Dylan Larkin leaving @umichhockey for Detroit Red Wings and will be available for Grand Rapids series vs Utica. #TSN
— Aaron Ward (@TSNAaronWard) May 21, 2015 You kind of felt this would happen once Larkin started publicly musing on it while the Red Wings were like "whatever you want to do"; with Andrew Copp also gone that is probably Michigan's best two forwards electing to leave before Red Berenson's final year.
That final year projects to be about the same as the last three now.
welp
Has the program had a bad stretch? Yes, there is no denying that fact; but is it a bad sign on Red's coaching abilities when his players leave early and make a healthy living playing hockey? No.
when a great pitcher loses his fastball, he can still get people out by changing speeds and hitting spots, but it gets harder and harder for him to completely dominant for long stretches by blowing people away.
that's how it feels with red the last few years. at one point he could just put out wave after wave of super-talented kids, but he doesn't retain them the way he used to, and while we can still get on hot streaks, we can't dominate for long stretches any more.
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I remember thinking after that game that it would probably be best if he retires. Its been all downhill since, and will probably be really ugly next season. I wouldn't be shocked if Werenski leaves, the London Knights own his CHL rights.
I kinda feel bad for Red's last year given the composition of the team he'll probably get back. I guess it wasn't completely unexpected, but this defensively-limited team really needed some scorers to have any chance.
Red pretty much made the bed here, as far as I'm concerned. It's sad to watch him go out like this, chasing the dragon over and over and over again...
If only any of the ten or so teams Red has had since 1998 that were leaps and bounds better than that 2011 team had played with the same kind of heart and intensity come March and April...
in the last three years
zero ncaa appearances
zero league tournament championships
zero regular seaon league championships
and the same goalie situation for the 2015-2016 season
with the goal of signing a pro contract as soon as possible. Michigan has basically become a 1-2 yr farm system for the pros. The notion of getting an education is just as ridiculous a lip-service pretense as in basketball.
This is wrong on multiple levels.
No one's "using" Red. I'll venture to guess that he gets paid more than any college hockey coach in the country. And since college education has become, now more than ever, a very expensive form of job training, these kids making at the very least six-figures as 20-year-olds are doing better than their peers.
Losing young players to the pros stinks, but it's waaaaay easier to deal with since he's going to the Griffins/Wings
It's a little easier knowing he's in the Wings system, but it's not like he's filling an immediate need in Detroit. For me at least, Grand Rapids winning a lot is a good sign for development but not much else, while M winning is an end in and of itself.
The point I was trying to get across was that losing him to the Wings would be one thing but that losing him to Grand Rapids is another.
A player that fills an immediate need would be playing top six/four minutes pretty much by definition.
By turning pro and playing with Grand Rapids during the playoffs he is getting the chance to have some playing time infront of Blashill who will probably be the next head coach of the Wings. Sucks for Michigan and Red, but it is the right move for Larkin.
Oy! Hopefully this is a Florida St. type situation in which the bones of the program are good and a new coach can get it going again relatively quickly.
Still it's a bad sign when the guys who are suppossed to be next years building blocks are going for the escape hatches as quickly as possible.
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Can't say I'm surprised though. Sadly it looks like Red will probably retire with a whimper after so many years of dominances. Tough way to watch one of the great ones go out but it's happened to many before him
Ken Holland said #RedWings talked to USA Worlds coaches Todd Richards, Dan Bylsma and they "unanimously agreed" Dylan Larkin ready for AHL.
— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) May 21, 2015
That's what people are missing. Larkin is an elite (or very near elite) prospect. Him leaving is not a sign that the sky is falling around the program. Copp was a different story, but Larkin leaving reminds me of Pacioretty a few years ago. He's a guy that will spend a couple years transitioning from the AHL to the NHL and then hopefully move into being a top line kind of player. He proved himself capable at the World Championships and made a reasonable decision to move on. He was even quoted as saying that his year at Michigan was the best/most fun year he's had in hockey.
Dylan Larkin Signs Pro Contract with Detroit Red Wings (w/quotes from Larkin, Red Berenson) http://t.co/n0OL9q7X2G pic.twitter.com/xYbiAchFm3
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) May 21, 2015
"My year at Michigan has been the best year of my life, the most fun year of hockey I've ever had," Larkin said. "Going to one of the best universities in the world and having fun with my classmates, it will be tough missing out on what they're going to accomplish. On the other note, I have a chance to live out the dream of my life, and I'm really excited about it. I think it's a great opportunity. I really feel like I'm ready for this challenge."
"In Dylan's year with Michigan, he proved to be one of most talented players in college hockey," said Michigan head coach Red Berenson. "We knew this was a tough decision for Dylan, but we also anticipated that this might happen. I hope that Dylan continues on a path to graduate from the university while preparing for a long career in the National Hockey League."
...has lost the will to post a picture of a cat, Denard, otter of ennui, etc.
Brian:
Welp. Hockey season won't be fun next year.
It was pretty clear by February or so that he was vastly overqualified for college hockey. Dominating at that level next year wasn't going to do him a ton of good. It sucks for Michigan, but he's clearly ready for the AHL and could probably contribute as a fourth line guy already in the NHL.
Babcock is still in play.
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