Leaderboard

So the expected cap increase may be lower next season, not the cap itself. Kinda misleading thread title, isn't it?

Have we sucked in the shootout because of injuries? Have we sucked at home because of injuries? Have we been unable to hold a lead because of injuries? Has Quincey singlehandedly cost us 20 goals because of injuries? Was Nyquist held off the roster for the oh-so-valuable Cleary because of injuries? Have we failed to play more than a couple 60-minute games this season because of injuries? Howard hasn't been anything close to what we need him to be, but is that simply because of his injuries and injuries to the guys in front of him? Injuries have hurt us. (Pun.) But there's more than that to our struggles.

One thing I really don't get is Babs' belief that we need to win games 2-1. Maybe that works for Team Canada (aka The Greatest Hockey Team Ever Assembled), but not for us. Not with our blue line and goaltending.

For the love of all that is hockey, please do not turn this into another goalie war thread. Let's discuss Howard and Howard alone. Retired goalies have no bearing in this conversation.

Great Videos. In the Holy sniper the first goal reminds me of the Yzerman's 1996 double OT goal. just a beauty. The rest of the videos remind me Brett Hull. hopefully he can be as sneaky. In the minors you get that much time to shoot the puck.... Not in the bigs. those shooting lanes close up quickly. Here's rooting for ya kid!

Ah, Kyle Quincey. On one hand, I feel I'm too hard on him. He's been playing like a legitimate #4, yet our blue line still kinda blows. Conclusion? The problem's bigger than Quincey. It's more our top three. And that's on Holland. On the other hand, Quincey's boneheaded mistakes singlehandedly cost us goals and games and points. If we miss the playoffs by a few points, it's his fault more than anyone else's. No worries, I wasn't attacking your post. Just a general point I wanted to get off my chest. WHAT ARE YOU IMPLYING?! (Part of it is that my back pain is flaring up. I fear the kidney stones are back. (Pun?) Everyone tells me that passing kidney stones can be as or more painful than giving birth. Being a guy, I can neither confirm nor deny this. But I can tell you it's the worst pain I know. So, just imagine that I'm giving birth as I'm posting here. My stress level should make more sense then.) (Not that this whole trading our best prospect to help us keep the streak alive only to give away two must-win games and drop to a 39% chance of making the playoffs because a team of professional millionaire athletes can't be bothered to stay healthy or play a 60-minute game business isn't stressing me.)

I think we either give Mrazek a shot or we sign another backup. Gus has been good but at this point I think Holland needs to go for iron-men who aren't injured every three games. With so many of the same players returning we need to improve durability where we can. The injuries have really hurt us the past few years.

I cannot really remember the last time we scored using the slapshot just after entering the O zone. And I also remember those good old times when Lapoint, Shanahan, Yzerman, Fedorov, McCarty were doing it.

Man, I don’t think the Wings have had a guy that can shoot like that since Hossa. Maybe even Hull. I’d almost lost hope in him based on his stats from his last year in Finland and late last year in GRs (he barely played). But he’s really turning it on. It’s awesome. I mean, I know he was supposed to have a good shot, but it looks that much better when that shot goes in 26 times.

The Wings D don't have another gear, so when the opposing team is starting to push we have nothing to push back with. I also think that the biggest culprit, aside from poor goal-tending late in games, has been the propensity to over commit on defense as well as offense. The Wings play a relatively structured game for two periods and then, as witnessed the last several games, start getting anxious and run completely out of position. Bad defense has become an epidemic even guys that are usually pretty solid are making boneheaded mistakes.

Woo, NYR lose. Now let's hope that TOR does as well.

Well, as there's not much to be looking forward to or glowing about in our current situation, it would be nice to see some of this when he steps on the ice....

With Jurco out, why is Alfredsson still not playing with Sheahan and Tatar? It could boost his production and give the kids a really good producer.

I'd almost rather it be a little lower. This will put the squeeze on teams like Minny who are looking to hoard (Vanek, etc). The Wings will have plenty of space regardless. The lower the cap, the more chance they have to be competitive if they decide to target certain UFAs. A lower cap might actually induce ceiling teams into trading salary as well. This could perhaps help facilitate a trade for a defensemen if needed.

Not to mention not sourcing any material so we can actually have a discussion about it...

Last game, Babs moved Aflie on a line with Nyquist and Legwand... Frankly that is the best way to get Alfie going again. Nyquist- Legwand- Alfie Tatar- Sheahan- Franzen Also, one thing that has been bothering me is the way the Wings are playing the PP. They are not setting up Alfie to shoot from the point nearly enough (he has a far better shot then Kronners from the Point). Simply put, I want to see Alfie firing on all cylinders, when he is shooting the puck from anywhere, that is when he is on his game. That top 6 obviously is not the best, but it can hang in there with teams and can for sure win us a game against the Leafs, the Habs, and Edmonton. I have taken a look at Philly's schedule going forward, and they DO NOT have it very easy. The Wings just need to stay the course for a couple more weeks here and we will hopefully get Pavs back (I know wishful thinking) and once that happens, this team can secure its way into the playoffs. Call me crazy, but I think the Wings will make the playoffs. We play Edmonton, Chicago (i already count this as a loss), Toronto (I think we will take it to them and win), Pens (they have injuries of their own so toss up), Minnesota twice, Columbus, Montreal, Toronto again and Tampa Bay to close out the month. Call me crazy, but besides the Hawks game, I think the Wings have a chance to compete in every game and get some wins in there because we play very well against the Habs, Tampa Bay is falling, Edmonton is Edmonton, and you never know with Toronto. By the end of the month, Pav will be back, if not before then, at which point we will have a couple more weeks of games until the playoffs. I trust in our players to get the job done until then. I trust Kronners, Alfie, Franzen, Nyquist, Tatar, and that Howard will find his game. Most importantly, I trust Mike Babcock. Even given all of these injuries, Babs has this team playing with solid structure. Even last night in Columbus, the Wings were playing well up until that last little bit. I say we fight through this and we get into the playoffs and become the worst nightmare for whoever we play against. Lets stop turning on our players that are still playing and not injured, and lets stop questioning the coaches. Lets come together as fans and believe in our team.

Ha! Cross crease pass glitch! Top of the dot glitch! Point deke glitch!

Glitch goals.

Those teams also don't have Datsyuk and Zetterberg is my point. They don't have two elite two way forwards yet they have either gone just as far as the Wings, or further in the last couple years. Did you forget we had Lids, Raf, Kronwall, Stuart and Howie couldn't win? Those 4 are better than any top 4 you just named. Then mix in D and Z. Do you remember when Nashville knocked us out ? Do you remember the performance Rinne put on? We couldn't even score. Toronto forwards are fast but suck ass on defense, and their top 4 are not good at all (I watch quite abit of Leaf games). They took Boston to game 7 and should have went to the next round except for the choke. We have a better team then New York, but Lunqvist keeps them in every single year and have made it further then us in a couple playoffs now since 2009. Howard just doesn't have what it takes to get it done when it matters. This year just screams, not so good D = your true goalie.

The lack of faith and support for our team in this forum is just insane. Just shows how spoiled we really are. The Wings have made the playoffs for as long as I have been a fan, and if they miss out this year, then I am not bailing on them. I fail to see why some here are willing to give up, bash the team, and insult the management. Support your team, through thick and thin. Its what supporting a team is all about. As for the game tonight, the Blue Jackets should be commended. They came through with a win when they needed it. As for the Wings, they have 18 more games to fight their way into the post season.

Haven't said much in this thread but I will say this... We are fickle fans. We demand Holland make more trades for impact players but then crucify him if we have to give up anything of value. The trade was never going to be Eaves a 3rd and Ferraro/marginal prospect. Nobody wants that. There's next to no value in that trade. We can all debate future and potential but none of that is certain so it's all conjecture for now. Legwand would be a core piece and top 6 guy on any team in this league. He is that good whether people want to admit that or not. No he's not a flashy/sexy player like Vanek, but he also isn't a known, pure rental and probably(hopefully) has a future here I also have faith they wouldn't have made this deal if they weren't confident he will re-sign here. No that does not equate to him being a shoe-in to come here in the off-season regardless of the trade or not. It means a lot to a player when a team pursues and "wants" you and is willing to give up assets to get you. It sends a message. Anyone can throw money come UFA time. Combine that with our culture, great group of very well-liked and respected leadership group, young future players and the fact that his he's from Michigan and you've got a great appeal and likeliness to re-sign. Starting next season (possibly this post-season if we can get healthy) we are going to have a very talented and deep group of forwards and I personally cannot wait to see what they are capable of.

Most of the my picks are from the Kings because they're my second favorite team and the one I see most often after Detroit. Wayne Simmonds. One of the scrawniest power forwards I've ever seen, but the guy hits, scores, isn't afraid to go to the hard areas of the ice, and will drop the gloves. Loved him in LA and would love for the Wings to sign him someday soon. Kopitar. Imagine if Zetteberg were 6'3" and 225 lbs (which come to think of it is about how big Z plays). He doesn't have Hank's production but otherwise plays a similar style. And seems to have icewater running through his veins if you've ever seen him on a breakaway. All around class act too. Stamkos. Scoring machine without any of the qualities I find irritating in Ovechkin.

I think we all agree the team needs a big time D-man. Especially a guy who can move the puck up the ice and put some points on the board. Looking at SJ's contracts, I think they're going to have a real hard-time re-signing Boyle. He could be a good 1-year Alfredsson type stop gap player. Would take some pressure off Smith, Kindl, D, Lashoff, and the upcoming youngens for a year. Did I mention he's RH

Not to delve into hyperbole, but Wings fan should be more excited this wasn't the prospect traded yesterday. Besides Mantha, he's the only guy who projects as an above-average goal scorer we have in the farm system at the moment. Unlike Järnkrok, he's just adjusted beautifully to the North American style of play. Hes been one of the Griffins best guys all year, and he loves to shoot. Reading scouting reports about his shot is fun - you should all try it some time. Names like "Kurri" and "Hull" are mentioned more than once. I hope he plays soon. I'm a big, big fan of his. Go get em, kid.