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Not sure why you say this with such disdain. Babs comes across to me like a guy who has goals and loves a challenge. He's won a cup in Detroit and won Olympic Gold, there isn't really much left for him to accomplish. Taking a team that has been the laughing stock of the league for years, arguable the hardest team to coach because of the intense pressure of the fans and media and guiding them to a cup, that is likely a challenge that motivates him. Call it ego, fine but the guy has earned the right to do what he wants. Who are we to judge him.

Blashill would just bury him on the 4th line or healthy scratch him for a 41 year old Drew Miller.

I was leaning that way for a while, but I'm not sure where I stand on that now. Chychrun was recently a healthy scratch for the Yotes in 5 straight games. He's a very young player so that doesn't say much about where he'll end up, but it does say that he wouldn't have been a boost for us right away and that he wasn't as NHL ready as was reported at the beginning of the year. Anyway, we wouldn't have had roster space and so we wouldn't have seen him for a year with the most optimistic thinking. We'll have to wait to see Chychrun and Cholowski develop. Chychrun has 4 pts (1 goal) in 16 games and a -3 Cholowski has 7pts (all assists) in 14 games in the NCHC and a -3 He's listed at 185 lbs and 6'1". I don't think that's really skinny for an 18 yr old. http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=247137

winning fights, hitting people and being an intimidating force can help win games..I know it's new to some but it's part of hockey and something that makes the game exciting Just like crushing sacks in the nfl

You only read the 2nd half of my post if you're responding "exactly." I think we have some good assets - just I don't think we have ones we could part with that would bring back a #1D (and in the first half of my post I said few do have those expendible assets). For instance, I'd bet if we offered someone Mrazek and Larkin we could get a pretty good D man. But it probably wouldn't be worthwhile.

I'd rather the Griffins win hockey games.

It is, but you put Nyquist or Tatar back in the AHL and they would be leading the league in goals. My point is, scoring in the AHL doesn't mean scoring in the NHL. I dont think Frk would be a goal scorer at the NHL level. I'm not against giving him a shot, but I dont see him surprising anyone. I hope he proves me wrong.

It's not uncalled for and it shows how tough and hard it is to be a successful coach in this league , guys like Cooper aren't the norm. Look at guys like Bednar, Eakins, Travis Green, Ralph Kruger (GM somewhere in football) all good successful AHL coaches who have trouble coaching an NHL team. The question to me isn't if Blashill will learn and become better because I'm sure he will...but will he be able to out coach coaches on better teams? Who knows. Also keep in mind firing a coach also means a GM basically admits he messed up. Gallant in Florida was chosen by Tallon so it's different. Gulutzan was hired by Treliving for example so his leash just like Blashills will be long. Personally I would like to see Blashill going with the guys who are seen as the future good or bad and showcase the players with expiring contracts to contenders and Vegas. I mean where is the harm in bringing in Gallant? An advisor who can help out Blashill is a good thing. There is no cap on coaches might as well use that and create a front office behemoth like Toronto.

In regards to Mantha, to me its pretty clear that management are very high on him but didnt feel that they were getting as much out of him as they could. There is stuff that happens that we dont see. Jim Devellano's comments about him last year were pretty telling to me, they were trying to send a message. Now that Mantha is up and playing at the level that they want him playing at, I just can't see them sending him back down. I realize that sometimes the Wings take things to the extreme, but you cant just hand these kids spots if they are not earning it. You've always been high on Frk huh.

What do you mean? He's had a shot. He's in his 4th year of "a shot" in fact. If at some point this year he demonstrates some ability to play hockey, he might have a chance at going further. Seems unlikely though given the last 3 years.

We dont need anymore #3 or #4 d-men, our team is filled with them. I dont think Holland has failed to acquire something that we dont need. What we are missing is a top pair guy. These guys just don't get dealt. It is so easy to sit on this side and point the finger, but in reality I dont know if anyone could pull off a trade for one of these types of players as nobody is looking to move one. Like I said earlier, Edmonton had to trade Taylor Hall a 1st line winger, first overall pick, potential Art Ross nominee to get a possible #1 in Adam Larsson.

Completely agree. There is a way to debate your point, as at the end of the day this is a discussion board where we all share our opinions, but some people are just trolling and trying to piss people off.

I agree with this up to the last line, you give yourself a "3 year max" on signing free agents and you are going to lose every unrestricted free agent you have. Bye bye Larkin, Mrazek, AA, Mantha etc. once they become UFA's. I completely agree with the trade thing, as far as Shattenkirk goes, I could see Holland signing him. Free Agency has been one area where Holland tends to go all in. He seems to be able to make moves when he has to, the Datsyuk trade is the perfect example. If Howard is taken in the expansion draft, and we dont re-sign Miller/Ott/Smith/Vanek, I think we would have the cap space to sign him. If not, I could even see him signing him then trading away Green for picks.

we both have a different approach on how to fix this team but I fully agree with you it's really too bad that the ignore option doesn't work with tapatalk on Android and BlackBerry.

Ignore the troll, he's trying to get a reaction out of people. In addition to that, the NHL does drug test each player twice a year.

And yet your original lineup contains sheahan, but no Hornqvist, tatar, or nyquist. So you scratched them...?

I think the main reason for the production is the chemistry between Zetterberg and Mantha. Its not Mantha doing it alone. He has really impressed me though.

This team does lack top-end talent -- but I don't think that fully accounts for this season's struggles. I think the Wings are compounding the talent problem by playing a stupid brand of hockey that 1) is inherently self-defeating and 2) doesn't suit the given personnel (making it that much more self-defeating, in this case). We have very skilled players in Zetterberg, Nyquist, Tatar, Larkin, Mantha, Athanasiou, Nielsen, Vanek, Jurco, Green...but Blashill clearly believes dump-and-chase is the way to go. We have a very suspect D group that has mobility issues and is prone to mental lapses in the d-zone...but Blashill clearly believes the most passive collapse defense ever employed by an NHL team is the way to go. We're dangerous on the rush, but the players are being conditioned to "just gain the red line with possession so you can dump the puck in, because we want to get to our skating game and be hard and fast on the forecheck." I'm not saying the players themselves don't have to be better. I'm not saying our passing game has gone to hell because of the coaching staff and the coaching staff alone. (No team struggles with routine passes like this Wings team does.) But I feel like when you de-emphasize a team's fundamental strengths and coach the team to play like a team of scrubs, it shouldn't be a surprise when the team performs like a team of scrubs. The Pens absolutely throttled the Wings last night. While, yes, there's a talent gap, there's also a systems/philosophy gap. When Mike Sullivan took over for Mike Johnston last season, he inherited a team that had been, essentially, neutered. Johnston was all about defending, winning games 2-1, playing "safe" and "responsible" hockey. Crosby wasn't scoring. No one was scoring. Sullivan said f*** that and flipped the script. He got the team to play a brand of hockey that puts the power in the players' hands, gives them greater control of their own fate. The Penguins under Sullivan play an aggressive, possession-centric game that's designed to overpower the other team. They own the puck. It's incredibly difficult to put and keep them on the defensive for more than a moment or two at a time. They believe the best defense is a good offense. The more you have the puck, the more the other team has to defend. The more the other team has to defend, the less you have to defend. The less you have to defend, the better. None of which is true of this Wings team (or, more accurately, the Wings' coaching staff. Or just Jeff Blashill.) The Wings are content to let the other team -- any and every team -- dictate the terms of the game. The Wings are content to withstand, endure, play without the puck and hope for the best. The Wings willingly give the opposition all kinds of time and space in the Wings' zone. The Wings are all-too-happy to dump (or pass-tip) the puck into the o-zone and get the opposition's breakout started for them. The Wings play self-defeating hockey. And it's killing them.

I honestly don't think Mantha or Athanasiou will ever play another game in the AHL. They have both slapped Blashill in the face, and made it evidently clear that not only have they made this team, they make this team much better... As much as Blashill makes some boneheaded personnel decisions, I think he would easily scratch a handful of players before Mantha or AA. I don't think anyone would be opposed to trading Nyquist or Tatar in a package to improve this team (upgrade the defense). However, we shouldn't just give them away, which is what it looked like from the OP.

Been watching too much Game of Thrones...

No, you didn't say it, but you also didn't explain what happened to them. Which lead me to assume they had to have been traded away for picks, or healthy scratched?... Completely healthy I'd like to see something like... Nyquist - Zetterberg - Mantha Athanasiou - Nielsen - Vanek Tatar - Larkin - Jurco Abdelkader - Helm - Glendening / Sheahan

Meeeemmmooorrriiieesss!!

If Franzen never once suffered a concussion, I think its fair to say his production would have been extremely high over a long period of time. If Mantha gets to Franzen level production but can stay healthy I would be ecstatic, that is not a knock on Mantha, its praise for Franzen. I know people get down on Franzen because he would disappear at times, IMO that is what a brain injury will do to you. It scares you, and rightfully so as that s*** is scary.

I will personally strap a tire to my shoe and kick him with it

He still could. He's gotta do something after college. Although I said the same thing about my youngest son and he's still in my basement.