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Scoring still a problem. If only the Red Wings had someone playing in Grand Rapids who was 2nd in the AHL in goals scored and 4th in points. And, if only he was a righty. That would be awesome.

If you willing leave the Wings - the freaking Detroit Red Wings - for Europe, good riddance. We can argue all day about what time he should have got and what management should have done, but at the end of the day there are two types of players. Guys who will jump ship when things get bad for them, and guys who will grit their teeth and work that much harder to get to the top. Unfortunately, deserved or not, Backman was the former. I'd rather have the Tatars and Nyquists, who put their noses to the grind stone and fought for their spots than the Backmans of the world. Goodluck to him in Sweden.

Trade Howard if we can get anything decent in return. Mrazek is just as capable already.

I agree - AHL veterans are important. I think guys like Paestch, Hoggan, Miele (even though he's only 26, he strikes me as a career AHL guy) and Porter have their place on this team, 100%. Those guys provide leadership, chip in offensively and make their line mates better. I understand the defense core is pretty young, but I feel like Ouellet and Marchenko are fairly stable in their own right, and I'd even trust Jensen to a lesser extent. If the argument is that Backman's the low man on the totem pole, and he's irrelevant because the other prospects are better than he is, then what is Evans? All of the vets I mentioned provide more than Evans does. Again, if we're going to take one "lesser" player, I'd rather take the guy who's going to potentially be a member of the Red Wings in the future. Heck, I'd be all for Nedomlel playing over Backman if he deserved it - at least he's considered a prospect and could play for the Wings down the road, doubtful as it may be. I get we're kind of spinning our wheels here - there's not much middle ground on this one. I just feel as if this team moving Kindl is long overdue, and Evans on this the Griffins is redundant with the existing veterans. Either guy being gone would have assuaged the situation. For me, it just comes down to a guy we know is as good as done with this team and an AHL vet with minimal contributions being kept over someone who could make a difference down the road.

He still shots left. They don't need a d that can play the right side they need one who shoots right.

Yes, because Nill is so willing to trade Seguin and the "other" Smith will be as good as a forward as Reilly is... and Really... we should be trading for O'Reilly. Not Seguin. Really. [insert MY Media]

Somebody kick his tires for ripeness. (Mixing metaphors. SORRY!)

I thought about that during the game. I have no qualms with the way he's been utilized so good for him and belated happy birthday. He may not be what he once was but he still seems like a good dude and a fine 3rd/4th line fill in.

Maybe he would have with more time? 18 games in the ahl isn't enough time to say someone's a bust and even though he wasn't producing offensively I wouldn't say being -3 was awful for a rookie Almquist is another guy we lost cause he got fed up of waiting even though he stayed in the ahl for years( for all we know maybe backman saw that along with the healthy scratches and figured wasn't worth it?) Not saying almquist is a star but if guys like yannick weber and Raphael diaz are still in the nhl I'm sure almquist could of gotten a spot somewhere

Jeez, Yandles been on the block since 2011. But I'm sure this is the year we land him. Definitely.

Yandle is what everyone hopes Smith might become one day. Why wouldn't want to trade Smith for him. Smith isn't a righty either. So your opinion is stick with a worse lefty because the better option isn't a righty?

I don't think I would for yandle. I'd want a righty if I was moving smith. I also think we could acquire yandle without having to move smith or dekeyser. Just further improving our defense.

Get this topic back on track, take your debate to PM if you can't keep it under control on the public boards. I already had to edit out parts of this, continued insults back and forth to each other will not end well for either of you. Thanks.

I think lack of righties has to do with poor play and lack of goals. Depending in where the play is at you can't have a one timer with only lefties. It also can hurt the defense to play on your off hand in certain situations.

Yeah I'd trade Smith if I was a doof...

It's not like he was treated like Martin Frk and sent down to Toledo. He played 18 of 25 games for Grand Rapids. He was given plenty of opportunity to grab a spot, especially considering Sproul didn't start out well and was by no means a lock in the lineup until the last four or five games. Secondly, contrary to the current narrative that AHL veterans are holding back others' development, I'd argue that they're absolutely vital to it. I think everybody would agree that making the Calder Cup playoffs and going on a run is a HUGE boost for young players' development. Every player that won the Calder a couple years ago talked about what an important developmental opportunity it was. You don't make those kinds of runs without veteran AHL guys on the team. Every single AHL team has them because they're important, and we're no different.

Think of it as a moral victory. Despite the fact that we didn't win most of the games, the opposing teams hardly scored any goals at all.

This is how the Wings organization is. If he was upset for being scratched 7 games (which I doubt were even back to back) think how he would've reacted if he had been in the Nyquist or Tatar situation. If he can't handle things like that without threatening to go to Sweden then I doubt he's the kind of player the Wings want. They don't just look for playing ability/potential, they seem to look for personality too. The idea of giving him different treatment than the other prospects because of accolades he earned in a different league and a sense of entitlement would piss me off more than the fact that he left. If this is "mismanagement" then everything Holland does with the prospects is mismanagement, because like it or not it's consistent.

Sign me to a week's contract. When WE (LOL) get in the inevitable shootout I'll go first and at least all the fans will have a huge laugh as I skate on my ankles on a forever torn ACL towards the opposing goalie. I'll make an awkward move as I go from R to L and suddenly (I wasn't going THAT fast to begin with) pop back right for a shot. I'd either likely miss or if I made it the opposing goalie would quit the league and the team would be so inspired they'd win the Cup. Just let me pick the music one night and I'll have Karen Newman ride on my lap as I resurface the ice on the Zamboni Al's not driving and save the money.

I miss Murph...he was so much more entertaining than Ozzie.

0 career saves during SOs. He's worse than Howard.

I can see it now, Datsyuk and Oshie shooting one and two in the shootout. Getting outscored 3-2 would never look so satisfying lol.

You got it all wrong brah! Fighters keep that rats in check. Everybody knows that. Which is why guys like Kaleta, Carcillo, Downie, Marchand, Asham, and Ott never, EVER, acted like rats while big badass enforcers like Thornton, Orr, McLaren, Scott, and Engelland were patrolling the East. Nope, never. Haha, why do I assume you've got a framed one of these hanging over your bed?

So you agree that at 7th in the league our PP is abysmal and that Mclaren, Orr, and Mcgrattan would each make great additions here? even though they can't even make the Leafs or Flames? Calling you ridiculous in 5, 4, 3...