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His wife has already said that she doesn't want to live in Edmonton.

I don't think he was good and regressed so much as he seemed decent and people projected an improvement in his play that was unrealistic for a converted forward picked last overall in the draft. If the Wings had a decent blueline, Ericsson would not be on the top pair and he'd look much better. He should probably be a #4 guy who also plays on the PK. But he has great size and actually uses it, not as much as I like but he's our most physical defenseman. He's one of the few guys who can actually clear the crease. Generally he has a good first pass, especially for a defensive d-man, though this year his decision making some games has been suspect. He hasn't been a stabilizing force for the defense like you'd like him to be, but I wouldn't put him at the top of the list of the Wings defensive problems.

I wonder what the reaction would be if he pulled a Lindros and refused to report? I actually wouldn't hold it against him.

I just wanted to say a big bright spot from the first 2 games has been Danny Dekeyser that dude has seriously stepped up his physicality and overall game.

I can't believe this is a real thread

Dad lied. Desire and hard work get you Edmonton.

True. But McDavid also didn't deserve the Oilers.

Weiss for Ovechkin and then trade Marchenko and franzen for Weber. That's basically how this thread sounds.

@THNRyanKennedy: This is like if Augustus Gloop won at the end of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

It's really quite amazing how many careers Edmonton has ruined.

It's funny to me that Ericsson gets killed every mistake he makes but dekeyser who makes plenty of mistakes gets a free pass

As a Lions fan, I feel bad for Oilers fans having to watch that disaster of a franchise. That being said, I can't believe the Oilers get 1st overall again. Four 1st overall picks in six years is nuts. Somewhere built into the playoff lottery system should be a factor that accounts for when you last had the 1st overall pick. And how many times that's happened.

The only physical edge Smith gives us is poorly timed penalties for lashing out in frustration.

Simple. It's all in on Tuesday. Are they going to make a series out of it or is this like Boston last year when they stole game 1 and stunk the last four. No excuses, game three Tuesday 7:30

I just think Smith brings a physical edge to our team and can chip in offensively. Amazing that he got a total of five minutes of PP time with that shot this year and had 3 pp points. Its my opinion that he hasn't been given the chance to grow offensively and maybe that's because of his shortcomings defensively. However it is tough to grow when your D partner is constantly changing and your forced to play a completely different style. Put him in for game 3 and actually play him to add some punch to your team.

Not mine, saw it on twitter...

They are in different stages of their careers. Ericsson should be in the veteran phase whereas Dekeyser is still learning the game. They say it takes 3-4 seasons to know what you have with NHL defensemen. I think we know what we have with Ericsson now.

What a joke! How long is the NHL going to help the Oilers become a contender. The funny thing about all this though is that their goaltending and defense still stink. They could get another top 5 pick again next year too. How long is the NHL going to reward them for sucking.

I really think Smith should get a shot in this series. He is physical plays with an edge, and judging by the end of this game a welcome change to what we saw today.

....and 2008 Lidstrom/Rafalski....2002 Shanahan/Yzerman and maybe 1994 S. Federov.

Judging by your sig, I'm guessing you're the latter.

Good article appeared in today's Toronto Star on the procedure Mr. Howe went through and what they found afterwards. Quote of the article from Dr. Steven Cramer, a neurologist at University of California Irvine, who was brought in to look at the findings from his case:

I'm ADDING 1$ for every fighting major in the Winnipeg/Ducks series.

I'll throw some cash on the metaphorical table. $1 every win $5 every series win $2 every Eurotwin goal $2 every Stephen Weiss / Kyle Quincey point $5 every goal by a good ol' Michigan boy (Abby, Miller, Glenny, DK) $10 for a Red Wings shutout $50 for Lord Stanley