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Red Wings fans aren’t happy with Ken Holland

NHL General Managers Media Opp

LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 23: General manager Ken Holland of the Detroit Red Wings speaks with the media following the NHL general managers meetings at the Bellagio Las Vegas on June 23, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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The Detroit Red Wings’ astounding playoff streak might be alive, but they’re far from the contenders they once were. Which makes each perceived Ken Holland misstep sting that much more.

Especially when those mistakes seem like unforced errors.

As rosters complete, the Red Wings lost two intriguing talents to waiver claims as the Wild swiped Teemu Pulkkinen and the Hurricanes grabbed Martin Frk.

Neither player managed to make an impact at the NHL level (yet?), but they both drew eerily similar praise as potential goal scorers.

Holland didn’t address those losses directly, but he did discuss the discomfort of being stuck in the middle of the pack, as the Detroit Free Press reports.

“The frustration’s understandable,” Holland said on Monday. “Everyone wants to go back to when we were consistently in the running for the Stanley Cup. We want that, too. Nobody’s happy here that we haven’t fared well in the playoffs. But we’re confident in how we’re trying to retool our roster: getting younger while still trying to field a team that can give us the best opportunity to win.”

Of course, angry Red Wings fans would counter that losing Frk and Pulkkinen for nothing hardly constitutes “getting younger.”

Detroit is a limited group - just check PHT’s 30 Questions to see how the franchise’s stock has fallen - that is nonetheless bumping up against the salary cap ceiling. Losses like these really rub it in.

Let’s take a survey of the outrage, shall we?

Maybe the Red Wings will shrug off the loss of these two prospects, but it’s plain to see that Holland has plenty of critics. And they’re pretty upset right now.