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So teams don't try in the regular season? Or there level of play in the regular season isn't indicative of their level? So Edmonton could possibly win in the playoffs if they would just make it? I don't buy that the "regular season is the regular season" What is there to back it up? There's always logic behind the discrepancies. We beat the kings in the season because they had some real problems with offence during the season. They worked things out and also brought in Gaborik, which gave them a big boost in the playoffs. We lost so handily to the Bruins in the playoffs because Z and Datsyuk were dealing with significant injuries, our youth disappeared with the playoff pressure due to inexperience, Ericsson injuries forced the Kindl and Lashoff, Weiss injured forced Legwand on the team unsettling the lineup even more since he played himself onto the 4th line. I know, I know, no excuses - but come on - Those factors don't account for the difference between regular season results against the Bruins and playoff results?

Did somebody say Hampus Melen?

Since it's the offseason and also because of what's been going on since the free agent signings, it's a good time to remind everyone of some of the forum rules. I've posted a few warnings in threads but wanted to put a reminder where everyone will see it. From the forum rules: · DO post a link reference (or cite the TV/radio source) when reporting breaking news, reports, etc. Threads started without this information may be deleted or moved. When posting a trade or signing, please provide a link to a reputable source as confirmation. This time of year people often make fake twitter accounts so make sure the tweet you're linking to is a verified account from a reputable source. · DO post constructively. If you can't add anything meaningful to a discussion, don't bother. Before hitting reply, just take a second to think about what impact your post will have on the discussion. Is it making it better or worse? · DON'T post duplicate topics. Before posting your new thread be sure to check the first two pages of the forum to make sure the topic isn't already being discussed. Multiple violations of this rule by a single member is punishable by temporary suspension from the forums. · DON'T post false and/or misleading topics. Members caught doing so will be banned IMMEDIATELY with NO chance of reinstatement. The punishment may seem severe but if people start posting fake trade threads, the forum becomes total chaos. LGW should be a resource for solid hockey talk and information. · DO refrain from using vulgar language. There is a curse/bad word filter currently on the forum and members that purposely attempt to circumvent this filter will be subject to a suspension of account privileges. No alternate spellings. No blanking some of the letters. Let the profanity filter do its job. · DON'T personally attack other members. This includes name-calling, flame-baiting, etc.. If you can't discuss your point with maturity then don't discuss it. People that violate this rule will be dealt with swiftly. In short, debate the content of someone's argument, not the person themselves. This includes broad insults against people on this forum and their level of fandom. Like it or not, complaining about the Red Wings can be on topic. If you don't like it, don't read it. If they've clearly violated forum rules, report it to bring it to a moderators attention. If you really don't like anything a person here has to say, you can put that member on your ignore list. As I've said before, this forum relies entirely on content generated from its members. You are all the authors of this forum, so it will only be as good or bad as you make it. The ultimate goal of all of these rules is not to punish people, but to make LGW a source of lively, respectful, informed discussion. Thanks! (link to the full forum rules for reference) http://www.letsgowings.com/forums/index.php?app=forums&module=extras&section=boardrules

That’s pretty much what I was saying. No one wants Holland to trade anything valuable but everyone wants him to get a top pairing D-man and top six winger. It’s bad logic.

I don't see mediocrity as being acceptable by management what so ever. They are doing as much building from within as they can, and the right moves will be made to fill holes on the roster when the players we do have show they can compete and are capable of making a run, while pieces will be added along the way when possible. It is just unfortunate that some UFA's said no. (which is the right way to do things in the cap era). We just don't have the luxury of lottery picks to stack the prospect pool, and because of that, developing players takes some time. And I get it, some fans aren't as patient as others. That's what 20 years of success will do to a fanbase. It becomes the expectation. When it comes to UFA's, it isn't like they spend the last year of their contracts scouting teams to see where they should go. They just look at the big picture and see a Red Wings team that had consecutive years off a win/loss record getting worse. But when you look passed that, you see a lot of realgud, young talent that keep improving and are gradually taking on bigger roles on the team. I'd bet money that this coming season is where the upswing begins. Once that happens, this franchise will become a place players want to come once again. These things just take time. Singing a guy like Quincey just allows Holland to buy time to get that top 4 righty this team needs without having to throw too many rookie defensemen into the fire at once on an already young squad that are still learning the game at this level. Great times are coming. The team has a nice blend of vets and kids up front. They'll soon get there on the back end as well. Howard got passed his first year on a new contract, where it is not uncommon for players to struggle. Especially with goalies. But almost just as common is the fact that these players bounce back. We also have Hank who finally got his back fixed. I feel he will have a monster season. In the end, I think a lot of people's frustrations will begin to subside this season.

To be fair your argument makes no sense. You are comparing Quincey signing to Legwand signing and they don't even play the same position, not to mention we don't need anymore centers especially ones that won't be utilized correctly (Babcock putting him on 4th line in the playoffs )

OR, he didn't want to trade Mantha + Jurco + Sproul + 1st for Yandle or Green. See, I can be over-zealous too. LOOK AT MEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

I know eh. Legwand was clearly the better defencemen of the two. Holland's such a moron for letting him go. FML

I fully expect Marchenko to be on the roster next season replacing Kindl or Lashoff. Smith-Kronwall DeKeyser-Ericsson Marchnko-Quincey or DeKeyser-Marchenko Quincey-Ericsson.

Thank God someone is saying it.

I still think it would be best for Mantha' long term future if he learned to become a pro in GR - even if for only half a season, just to get himself adjusted to playing against bigger, stronger competition. The Wings don't lose here. If he tears up the AHL in the first half of the season, then it's more experience for him and it'll show he's ready for the next level, without having to shove him in at the deep end with the possibility of stunting his development. If he struggles, they can leave him there for longer to adapt and find his game. It's win-win IMO. For the record, it would be awesome to see Mantha start the year with the wings, but I think being in GR, even for a few months, would be beneficial.

It is remarkable when you consider our draft placements.

Byuflin would make this offseason disaster complete, fat, overweight coachkiller with a questionable dedication to the game...rather sign no one than trading for him or a guy like Green. Oilers are trying hard to fix their own d why should they trade Petry?

I don't want to imagine Big Buff filling any holes on my backend. Immature and sleep deprived is not a good combination.

Would I rather be the Red Wings and make the playoffs every year, but not win the Cup every single year or be Edmonton, Buffalo, NYI, Florida, Carolina, Toronto, etc. who have "tanked it" for years now and are still no closer to a Stanley Cup than the Red Wings? Damn right I would. "Tanking it" is no guarantee of anything. The Wings already re-tooled "on the fly" once and made it back to win one cup and almost a second. Edmonton, Carolina, Tampa, amongst other teams, all had Stanley Cups on their resume and quickly became non playoff teams. Chicago and LA are more the exception than the rule. Talent doesn't always translate into wins. There is much more to it than that. No team, in any sport, competes for a championship every single year for decades at a time.

Yeah, I think Kindl should be moved and the kids should get to fight over that 6D spot, with the understanding that each of them will likely get a look in that role at some point in the season and that the inevitable injuries could blow things wide open. I might even try Marchenko with Kronwall. I like Smith with Kronwall, but we're basing that on a small sample size. Can Smith go up against the opposition's best every night, all season long? (Not that I'm sure Marchenko can. Just an idea.) Ideally, Ericsson is on the second or third pairing. That's just the kind of defenseman he is. I do like his size for our top four, though, and his $4.25M cap hit would, at some point, have the kids thinking, "Well s***, if being a steady #5 can get me that much..." That's Dave Tippett, but it could just as easily be Mike Babcock or Darryl Sutter. It's the new school, popularized by the Wings teams of '08 and '09 and, more recently, the Kings. When someone asks Darryl Sutter what it is about his team that makes them so good defensively, and he deadpans that it's easy when your team is never forced to defend, he's not joking. And he's right. Erik Karlsson isn't a stud in his end, but there's more to being a defenseman than defending. P.K. Subban isn't a stud in his end, but there's more to being a defenseman than defending. Datsyuk isn't a 50-goal scorer, but there's more to being an elite 1C than scoring goals. When our top three was Lidstrom, Rafalski, Kronwall, we didn't spend time in our end and therefore never had to defend. And it wasn't just that we'd "get the puck out." The second we regained possession (i.e. pretty much any time we had the puck, anywhere on the ice), we were thinking attack. We moved northward with poise and purpose and precision and propulsive, predatory intent. It wasn't "We escaped from our zone!" It was "Here comes the boom." Our breakouts, our rushes, our transition game - everything was about being on the offensive. That was the foundation of our game. That was the key to our dominance. That was Red Wings hockey. We lost it, we haven't meaningfully addressed the loss, and now, accordingly, we're losers. Mike Green, while maybe not ideal, would be a step in the right direction. He'd give us something we don't have and sorely need. Saying he can't play defense is missing the point. Saying Kindl can move the puck is missing the point. Saying we have some promising kids who might be top-four material in a few years is missing the point. We have three years left with Datsyuk. What's keeping us from giving him a legitimate shot at another Cup is the fact that our defense doesn't generate any offense, doesn't move the puck especially well at all.

Just one of those things where 2 players do not mesh. Can't be explained, but sometimes it happens. Quincey is good defensively, it just took him a frustratingly long time to show that. He also put up points a little more consistently once he got over the all around awfulness. Not saying he was scoring a lot, but he chipped in from time to time. My guess he is either paired with Dekeyser or he is on the 3rd pairing while still playing 20 minutes per game. I also still think a trade happens to bring in the puck mover we all wanna see. Keeping Quincey just gives Holland flexibility in making the right deal. Whether that be during the summer, or during the season. In the end, he couldn't go into the season with 2 rookies on defense. And really, who else out there is as solid as Quincey was before returning to Detroit? Sure they could have gotten someone else. But what's to say they wouldn't struggle like Quincey has while adjusting to a new team? He overpaid for less risk. But being just 2 years, it's fine. I'd understand the fury if it were a longer deal at that price. But at 2 years, he isn't hurting the team. He is a capable defenseman. Not the ideal signing, but reliable when you look passed the early struggles. This is not an old man Sammy contract. That contract was far worse.

Please, tell me which thread I can post in, since every single thread is a Holland bashfest? Which threads can I even READ which aren't the same old whining. And every day there will be new threads which will be Holland bashfests, as if a front page full of them isn't enough. I get it, free agency was a let down, but its only taken 3 days and its already got really, really tedious.

This is getting boring now

Not much to loose. the way things unfolded for the Red Wings, Iam fine with Salo. I just don't want to watch Kindl play.

Ah. I'm not sure if Marchenko was at camp last year or not, but that would make sense. I'm imagining a future line with AA and Helm and drooling over the speed...

What happened to Niskanen's going to make "Eleventy Billion dollars and get paid like a first pair defenseman"? Some predicted upward of 7 million. Anybody wanna raise their hand and call a mulligan on that one? Holy s***. I just realized I can see the future lol. Although, to be accurate it wasn't just Niskanen turning down because our GM is cheap and complacent.

@detroithockey96: Ha! The Wings gave Axel Holmstrom No 96 for Development Camp. Bless

Eric the Actor?

Doesn't matter. He is gonna end up in St. Louis.