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I wonder who'll be playing in the other 13 outdoor games

Yay, Flashy! Great GDT, poor lumpy Wild. LOL~ Hope the WIngs have a "gland" old time tonight and we are all smiling, going into the break.

Oh? Because this: and this... and this... aaaand this... all seem to suggest that you think Mrazek is capable of doing the job that Howard's doing right now, only better because of his ability to handle the puck. Then suggesting that Howard is in his way of getting in a "full season" for the next six years, because management can't judge Mrazek playing 20-30 games next year - suggests urgency in getting Mrazek into the starting position ASAP. You do realize that they could be splitting the games 40/40 as soon as 2017-18, right? Regardless, I really don't think anyone was misreading your stance on the goaltending situation, but by all means, backpedal to your heart's content.

You weren't very clear on that

I can only focus on one of your obsessions at a time, so pick Babcock or Smith and lets just stick with one subject for the time being. Yes, with just under two seasons of NHL experience, Smith is currently playing on the third line. I'm not sure why this is so blasphemous. Or is it because he was drafted in the first round that somehow means he needs to be a top 3 defenseman at this point in his career? And to be completely honest, I think its a good place for him to play given where he is in his development and where he can contribute the best for the team. Out of all the Wings' defensman, Smith is fourth behind Kronwall, Eriksson, and Kindl for giveaways/game, but Eriksson is a late round pick so I guess he doesn't count, and both Eriksson and Kronwall are on the first line, so apparently they're just better and we should ignore their screwups. Smith, however is our best defensman when it comes to takeaways per game, and he's also the best defensman in giveaway/takeaway ratio. We've heard repeatedly that Babcock assesses performance on who has the puck after you, and who has the puck before you. By this data Smith is doing quite well where he's placed in the roster because he's doing more for his team on the third line when it comes to gaining puck possession than any other defender is on any other line. So keep him where he's helping the team out the most, and if an injury should happen to someone in the top four and Smith gets his chance to reproduce his value on a different line then good for him. If not, he's still playing effective, possession-based hockey where he's at, and steadily improving as well. And in the meantime people will continue to focus exclusively on Smith when he happens to lose the puck apparently because he's a third line defensman. I personally prefer looking at all defensman (or any player for that matter) objectively and analyzing their play accordingly, regardless of what line they happen to play on or where they were drafted.

Big E and Kronner play of of each others strengths and weaknesses. Kronwall is good in the corners, breaking out pass and has ok offensive talent. Kronwall is weak at clearing out the front of the net. Ericsson is a beast in front of his own net and is very discipline doing it, but don't let him pass the puck because its going to be a turnover. I think Smitty and Kronner would boost offense on the back end but be a liability down low. Scoring 5 goals a game lately I do not see a need, This is my .02

Not that I think the trade is fair, but it's tough to gauge value for a guy on a team like Edmonton against someone on Detroit, especially with peripheral stats. As you admit, the stats are skewed here. Petry in Edmonton =/= Petry in Detroit, and the same for Smith on another team. Who knows, with PP time, Smith could put up 30-35 points on another club. Really though, Petry's not going to produce a lot more on a team that's pure, hot garbage. Any peripheral stats are most likely going to be inflated, too. Edmonton spends far less time with the puck, so Petry's hits, blocks and takeaways are going to be higher.

Starting to lose a lil faith in Smith myself. He probably has better years ahead of him, but I don't see that being anything better than a #4 D-man at this point. He's not shown he's particularly good on any side of the puck, and he's been with the team longer than most of our young talent. He and Kindl both have not lived up to their hype.

I am still racking my brain on the imposter one! While we try to figure that one out, chew on this one: Disney nanny's remedy delivery system engaging in The act of agape.

We feel there's an untapped market of abandoned lunar NASA equipment who could really grow the game of hockey. My assistant also tells me that the moon is cold enough to maintain a "hockey climate", so really its Florida's market potential with Canada's climate. What's not to like??

Rumor has it... In two years it will be held on the moon.

Kip, it fits your argument this time does it? You're really going to say that Babcock always gives his players appropriate ice time? He never demotes players for absolutely no explainable reason? Seriously? What about Weiss? Smith has proved time and time again that he deserves more minutes, he deserves to be on the second line, he deserves to be on the second power-play unit. But he is not. Why? Because... Mike Babcock... Yes, all players should produce more when playing with better players and in situations to their strengths, and Smith has produced in these situations, but yet, he's still not getting permanent duty. And yes, when Kronwall screws up, most of the time it does go unnoticed by fans, or at least not endlessly bitched about, whereas if Smith screws up, you never hear the end of it. I'm not blind to Smith's screw ups. I see when he screws up, but I see a lot more good that he's doing out there than bad, and that scale is being tipped more and more each and every game. He is improving immensely whether you want to see it or not...

Yeah I'm getting pretty tired of people shoving words in other people's mouths and then arguing against what wasn't said.

Yeah, it's crazy nuts to think Mrazek has the potential to challenge Howard for the starting spot in 1-2 years. That's all I'm saying, and I don't think many here would actually disagree with that timeline too much. You might want to try actually reading what I'm saying.

Got some free curly fries in Vestal, NY.

One of me isn't

Not sarcastic either!

There is no specific number of games that every individual should get. And yes, I agree that a player drafted later should get more time to develop, but Ericsson is long past the development process, and he has been much worse than Smith the first half of this season, but yet, for some unexplained reason, he gets a pass but Smith does not. Smith is still improving, and I see improvements in his game all the time. Just because you refuse to see it, doesn't mean it's not happening... Brendan Smith today is night and day compared to Brendan Smith one year ago. Another thing, Smith isn't exactly getting the minutes or the linemates he needs to put up huge points. He looked great with both Kronwall and DeKeyser and I think if he were ever put back with DeKeyser on the second pair, we'd see a huge difference in his point totals. Do you think it's any coincidence that Quincey is starting to produce being paired with DeKeyser? I sure don't... Smith is now paired with Ouellet, and no matter how great LGW see Xavier, he is still just a rookie. I'm sure Smith plays a lot more tentative with Ouellet than he would with DeKeyser. Either way, he is playing bottom pairing and he is playing quite good in my opinion. Give him a better partner and more minutes and he will play better. X 10 Echolalia!!!

I hadn't realized Smith was playing particularly bad this season. He has mistakes here and there, but so does Quincey, Dekeyser, Oulette, Kindl, Lashoff, Ericsson, and Kronwall. Its funny how often Kronwall turns the puck over in the defensive zone, and yet its almost exclusively Smith that people latch onto and obsess over.

I don't think we should underestimate the effect missing training camp and the start of the season can have on a player. Over the years plenty of guys - vets, star players - who get injured in pre-season take months to get back in form when they come back. Imagine you're a kid playing in your first pro season. Mantha gets a semi-mulligan from me for that.

I couldn't agree more Playmaker. +10 Also, in regards to the Mrazek vs Howard debate... Before last night I wanted to sign Mrazek to a mega deal and trade Howard, but after last nights performance, I think we should probably trade or maybe even waive Mrazek. We probably wouldn't get much in return after last nights performance anyway. I mean 3 goals allowed on 7 shots? That's aaaawful. He will never ever get it done at the NHL level, unless of course he has a bounce back game next game. Then, we should probably trade Howard. I mean, no team wants to have two capable goaltenders at one time, that would be what they call a "goalie controversy", bad news... I'm not sure, am I doing this right?... f***in LGW...

Hat trick for the Captain and the Dog wears the hat! Thanks Finn for participating so "enthusiastically"

We (Holland) really missed the boat on Leddy and Boychuck... they would have made a great 2nd pairing here for years to come. If we're waiting for Sproul/Marchenko/Jensen to play to that level it's at least 5 yrs down the road. We need some D'men to bridge that gap now if we're going to seriously contend in the playoffs. Petry would be a great start but I think we need at least one other top 4 D too and from what I've seen up to this point Smith and Kindl should be moved to make room.