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If anything we could use a couple more Abdelkader in the lineup. Having a guy like him on each of the top 3 lines opens up space for guys like Goose and Tats. Why do you think they've both had down years? They've been stuck playing together too much, giving the team an easy line to play against. That's why the line centered by Sheahan was much better with Jurco on it in the past.

1. Abby is a power forward. 2. Losing Abby would make us even smaller and easier to play against. 3. The contract really isn't that bad at all. In fact the AAV is pretty good. Get over it and find something legitimate to complain about. He's the last thing we need to change/fix.

In the end, this is the summer to make a trade for a dman. Players will be available due to expansion draft next summer. Teams will be looking to get something for their players while they can. Trouba is the perfect target.

Lol two periods into a best of 7 series. This forum is ridiculous at times

pure craziness. he was good. he wasn't great.

Of all the corporate names that it could have been, thats probably the one I'm ok with considering. I would rather it be the Mike Illitch Arena or someone else in Wings history, but I'll take it.

So lame. I think many of us used to joke on here about that being the name.....

Little Caesars arena... Ah f*** me.

At least be semi creative and go with the little caesars colosseum

"One thing that we want to do, we want to help our guys get better," Blashill said. "That doesn't always mean production wise you're going to improve from year to year. Sometimes it has to do with minutes, and there are only so many minutes to go around, and that can affect a lot of things including production. But part of what we want to do here is make sure we help our guys get better and make sure that we get better as a team." I'm hoping this is Blashill's way of saying that he will be relying more heavily on the kids next season to "help them get better". I'd rather lose some games with the kids at the beginning of the season than lean heavily on the vets again. The only way they'll learn is to learn from their mistakes in game situations. I'm hoping Zetterberg is 2nd line winger or 3rd line center, and Kronwall is 3rd pair defenseman, both getting around 12-15 minutes a game...

To be fair Buppy, I don't think Rich was saying "I told you so" to anyone in particular here, I think that original comment was more so directed toward Holland and his "spare part in the Calder Cup playoffs a year ago" comment... I could be wrong though. Regardless, he was just posting about how he was doing in the playoffs so far, and he's been doing very well down there. He also responded to Dickie's comment about how "Mantha was not good", with "pure craziness. he was good. he wasn't great", and I couldn't agree more with that statement. The thing that is getting confused here is that no one here is saying Mantha is elite or would have put us over the top, but we are saying that he is a very good young player, and he could have definitely helped in the Red Wings playoff run... How is it premature to say he made the team better, when the stats showed that our power-play was much better with him in the lineup? Was it a coincidence? Maybe, but you don't completely dismiss the idea that maybe he was actually a difference maker out there. I believe he was, others don't, including Blashill, but when our power-play was literally the reason we lost that series and was more deflating to the team than positive, something should have been changed... Maybe you try what worked a couple weeks previous, maybe it works, maybe it doesn't, but it would have certainly been worth a try... Yes, he really should have been compared to Andersson because that's who he should have displaced in the lineup. Andersson should have been out because like you said, he barely played, and wasn't even used a whole lot in the situations Blashill claimed he needed him in for. Just because player B subs in for player A, doesn't necessarily mean that player B assumes the same role in the lineup. If Andersson comes out, a much better player that was currently in the top 6, like Helm for example, moves down to Andersson's position in the lineup, and Mantha moves into the top 6. Helm is MUCH better than Andersson, so he instantly makes the line of Athanasiou - Andersson Helm - Tatar much better. Mantha then gets inserted into the top 6 on Pavs's line and all of a sudden the Richards - Datsyuk - Helm Mantha line is maybe slightly better as well.. I love Helm but he's much better suited for the bottom 6, and if one of those missed Helm opportunities had been capitalized on by Mantha, maybe it's a difference maker in a game, and in turn a difference maker in the series. Again, not saying we definitely win with Mantha in the lineup, but I do believe the series would have been a little tighter with him in there over Andersson... Does comparing Mantha to a player that by rights shouldn't even be in the NHL mean he's great? Nope, and no one is saying that he is. But he is good, and he should have been in the lineup. Anyway, that's the last I will say about how he "should" have been in the lineup... Now, all I'll say is he "better" be in the lineup to start next season...

I couldn't disagree more with that, but whatever...

2009 was the most disappointing of all the losses and the one I remember the most. I wouldn't say it was as embarrassing as those other losses, though.

Man I took those losses hard back then. Didn't want to talk to anyone for days. Good old college days. '03 - was very embarrassing. We were the defending champs. We still had that HOF roster. We played against the Disney Ducks. Getting swept was the worst part of it all. I couldn't look anyone in the eye for some time after that. I think we could have gone past the other teams in the West, but we'd probably lose to Jersey. They had a great team that year. '04 - Got out of the first round, but that game 5 against the Flames screwed us. I still think we'd win the Cup if that puck doesn't hit Yzerman in the eye. San Hosay were playoff chokers who'd never get to the Finals. Tampa may have beaten us, but at least we'd be in the Finals. '06 - What a stinker this was. Yzerman's last hurrah was hard to watch. Roloson was like 50 years old and we made him look amazing. In turn, Lilja made Lidstrom look like Aki Berg on that pairing. Having Draper on the top line was a joke. Maybe this was the worst of the three considering it was the third choke in a row. We'd probably lose to Anaheim in the following round, though. They had our number. Looking back at it, all the teams we lost to went to game 7 of the SCF so there's something to be proud of. Also, I always thought the WIngs would be harder to beat if they got out of the early rounds. We'd do better against established teams than teams full of no-name jobbers relying on some super goalie. Too bad we never got to find out. Oh and Shanahan was awful in all those playoffs. Probably the main reason the team didn't keep him.

I think the woman who just sang the anthem at the Ducks game did so against her will. BLink if you need help!

The name for the new Detroit Red Wings arena, centered in the forthcoming District Detroit, has been announced today. It's officially to be named Little Caesars Arena. It's reportedly a 20-year naming rights deal, so the name of the arena will stand for at least the next two decades. http://detroitsportsnation.com/detroit-nhl/nwebb/breaking-new-red-wings-arena-to-be-named-little-caesars-arena/69657/?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=facebook_page&utm_medium=Detroit%20Sports%20Nation&utm_content=BREAKING:%20New%20Red%20Wings%20arena%20to%20be%20named%20Little%20Caesars%20Arena

Great. We've gone from an arena with the greatest name in sports to the first sports arena named after a pizza. Now Pizza Hut and Papa Johns will want arenas also.

Hawks out, Ducks out, if the Caps could take out the Pens this would be an ideal playoff scenario for an early Wings exit.

That's a pretty significant difference in points. That's why I didn't think sending Mantha back down was their worst decision. I did however think Andersson coming up instead was what made the situation stupid overall.

Unfortunately for Holland, those won't be the relative comparables that Helm's agent will bring to negotiations.

"good addition", "added an element", "potential", "I hope to see Mantha on the roster in october"... I can't speak for everyone but I'm pretty sure that's all most of us were / are saying...

I don't understand where people are getting that Mantha is in any way being overrated by anyone?... The argument that any of us that are pro-Mantha have had is that he should have been in the lineup during the playoffs. Not because with him we would have without a doubt beaten Tampa, but because he would have given us a better opportunity than Andersson did. No one has said he's an All-Star or this phenomenal player, we're just saying that he's a good young player, and he makes our team better. It could also be argued that being in the NHL for the Red Wings playoff run (which may or may not be still alive) could have been better for his development than being in the AHL for the Griffins playoff run...

Just to compare. Nyquist first trip up was in 11/12. He played 18 games and scored 1 goal. Tatar first trip up was 10/11. He played 9 games and scored 1 goal. Datsyuk's first year was 01/02. He played 70 games and had 11 goals. Abby played 54 games over three seasons: 07-10. He scored 3 goals over that stretch. Mantha's 2 goals in 10 games is 16 per 80 games. Those are decent numbers for a rookie that wasn't a top 5 pick.

Helm currently makes. 2.125 on a deal he signed 4 years ago as a RFA. You really think he's only going to get a 375 000 dollar raise, with 4 years of rising nhl salaries, and given that he's poised to be an UFA? It's a UFA contract and he's not Drew Miller, he'll definitely get at least 3 mill.

Mrazek has allowed 18 goals and has 3 shutouts and 1.88 GAA and .931 Save% in 10 playoff games. Yeah, he sucks. Lol He's the LEAST of the team's problems.