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It is laughable how many of you are acting as such howard lovers because he isnt total crap like the past 2 seasons. He hasnt won us anything since he got on our team years ago but you can all keep holding out hope. Btw he had lidstrom and rafalski and stuart on the team for a few years. Giving up on mrazek is a joke. Some people just do not understand hockey as well as others i suppose. They are the same people who think blashill isnt one of the main problems with this team.

Howard has been the better goalie this season. And that's been a surprise to the majority of fans. No one thought he'd play this well. You would think he would have always been the better goalie with 6 seasons of NHL experience on Mrazek, but nothing whatsoever that happened before this season made him the better goalie. He was on his way out after last season actually after a couple years of bad, inconsistent play, and being benched after two playoff games. But Holland couldn't move him anywhere due to his "nice long contract". He was still in Detroit only because of that. No one said Mrazek was Jesus, but he has tons of potential, still young and continuing to develop and learn, and has shown periods of Vezina quality play already. If you have to choose between a 31 year old who has reached the height of his potential, or a 24 year old who is still developing his NHL game and has the skills to be much better than that 31 year old, and in many ways already is, you go with the younger guy everytime, especially in a rebuild situation..

Again, I must dispute the whole "bought the Cup" theory. Buying the Cup means you gave up nothing and just threw a butt ton of cash at all the top F/A's in order to bring them in to win it all. Let's break it down from the playoff team: Yzerman - DRAFTED Shanahan - TRADED for Coffey, Primeau, 1st round pick Fedorov - DRAFTED Hull - Signed on August 22nd, 2001, nearly THREE months after any other team could've signed him. Lets note that he took less to come here. His own team didn't want him back, nether did St. Louis. Lidstrom - DRAFTED Chelios - TRADED for Eriksson and TWO 1st round picks Holmstrom - DRAFTED Robitaille - SIGNED July 5th, 2001, 4 days after UFA started and only after they lost Lapointe. The Kings told him they weren't interested in his services anymore, or he would have re-signed there. McCarty - DRAFTED Datsyuk - DRAFTED Fischer - DRAFTED Maltby - TRADED for (basically thrown aside by Edmonton) Dan McGillis in 1996 Devereaux - SIGNED as UFA on AUGUST 23, 2000. Again nearly 3 months after all other teams could've signed him. Including his own. Another Edmonton cast off. Olausson - SIGNED as UFA May 24th, 2001 out the Swiss league. Duchesne - SIGNED as UFA September 3, 1999 a whole 3 months after anyone else could've signed him. Including his team Philly. Larionov - TRADED for Ray Sheppard Oct. 24th, 1995 one of our LAST 50 goal scoerer's on this team (52 in 1994) plus he scored 30 goals in the 43 game shortened season before he was dealt. No exactly table scraps. TRADED for Golubovsky from Florida in 2000 after he left UFA that summer. So basically we traded Ray Sheppard and Yan Golubovsky to get Larionov. Draper - TRADED for ONE Canadian dollar, basically thrown in the garbage by Winnipeg June 30, 1993. Dandenault - DRAFTED Hasek - TRADED for Kozlov and a 1st round pick July 1, 2001. Krupp - Lets just forget this UFA signing, he only played 2 games anyhow Legace - Claimed of WAIVERS from Vancouver (Oct. 1999.) Who claimed him from us off waivers (Sept. 1999,) after we signed him as a career minor league UFA in August 1999. Slegr - TRADED for Butsayev and a 2nd round pick from Atlanta at the 2002 deadline. Williams - Signed as UFA in September 2000. Honestly that is really not buying The Cup as basically defined by "buying" a Championship, when you are signing players nobody else wanted and giving up multiple assets to acquire players. Plus using your drafted players. I laugh when other fans say that Cup was bought.

I still watch "Lidström games". There is always more to see. The second best defenseman of all time. As to your main points, yup, I agree. Now I'll pack my bag for some pond hockey. Watching them games always get me going.

any coach that has put Glendening in a top 6 role has lost his marbles.

Not at all towards you. We've been hearing bought the Cup from other fans and non fans from day 1 after that win.

Offense may win you some games, but defense wins championships so the answer is obvious. There is a reason why coaches and GMs are quoted like .." you are building from the backend"..

Svechnikov played for Cape Breton in the QMHL for the past 2 years, so the switch to the NA game doesn't apply. But I agree that players often struggle getting into the AHL and a pro schedule and it's not something to worry about. I'm high on Svech from what I've seen. Your calculation for his scoring pace is off, though. AHL teams play 76 games so he's on pace for 19. That would be a better goal per game amount than Mantha and slightly less than AA in their first years.

I converted to pro-Howard after seeing how irrational the anti-Howard side was. It was starting to become ridiculous when he got blamed for every single detail.

And Mrazek is the next Hasek right? Thats how the fake narrative goes

Wait wait wait... arent you the guy who in another thread said we def need to draft a backup for mraz... then in another thread called coreau a career back up goalie? Or did the infamous swedish mafia force to say these things? Please clarify.

wouldn't say so because it's the same a lot of times, kid comes into the league, does great and some people are starting to get unrealistic expectations. Part of Larkin struggling is other teams are much more prepared and aware of him and he is transitioning to center. Tatar, Goose are what they are 2 solid players who given their draft position turned out be real good for the Wings.

Many fantastic tips in this thread. I feel i must contribute. If you need a coney dog (you do) make sure you go to Lafayette coney island like a real detroiter. If you go to american coney island ur a loser and i hate u and everyone will point and laugh at u for being a tourist. Hope that helps

What's that concert hall/bar in downtown Detroit? Harpo's? Looks like a sick place to see a band. Few of my faves have filmed concert DVDs there.

Found this: There once was a team called the Wings We played great and won lots of things But now we’ve got grit Our powerplay is s*** We look more like the old Dead Things lol

Edmonton currently tied for 1st in the Pacific and 3rd in the Western Conference with one of the top 3 players in the NHL. If McDavid stays in Edmonton, they could be dangerous for awhile. And do you honestly think Tampa would have the success they've had in recent years without SS? I'm not saying team success is strictly based on 1st round draft picks. Management is still required to build a solid machine around them. But the best teams in the league right now were all pretty bad not too long ago before they landed their cornerstones Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

Fully agree. The Wings haven't had a 1st round pick higher than 15 since 1991. This isn't to say that you can't "succeed" in the draft through the later rounds, but you're likely going to be unable to take a freakish, elite player who can single-handedly carry a team. This team is simply in a situation that every team in every league must go through at some point. Look at the Hawks before and after they drafted Toews and Kane (3rd and 1st overall). Before 08-09, they hadn't finished better than 3rd in their division since 95-96. Look at the Penguins before and after they got Crosby and Malkin (1st and 2nd overall). I also feel as though there should be no exclusive blame placed anywhere. It's fine beyond the ability to just reload. It looks like it's time to rebuild Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

100% agree, most teams backups are UFA signings or minor trades anyways. Just look at our division as a sample size. Only two teams have a homegrown backup. Toronto - *Enroth (UFA) (I put an * as they have gone back and forth with Bibeau these past couple weeks) Montreal - Montoya (UFA) Boston - Khudobin (current tenure UFA) Buffalo - Nilsson (trade) Detroit - Mrazek (drafted) Florida - Riemer (UFA) TB - Vasilevskiy (drafted) Ottawa - Condon (trade)

You said we need a backup goalie for the future, if Coreau's a backup isn't that perfect? I don't think anyone has claimed that he's a future #1. Anyway, as I said, backup goalies can be picked up in free agency if he doesn't work out. We picked up Gustavesson, Conklin (1st time he was good) and it seems to me backup-type goalies are always available in free agency as the amount of talent at the goalie position has expanded in the past while.

I find it f***ing hilarious (insane?) that so many people have already given up on Mrazek... I'd bet a significant amount that Mrazek will be a top 10ish goalie in the league in a few years. People seem to forget that he's still only 24 years old, which is very young for a goaltender. Do we seriously need to draft a goalie to backup our future number one? No. Coreau will likely become a very good backup, maybe even starter at the NHL level. If not, I'm sure one of Paterson, Perry, Van Pottelberghe, Larsson, or any veteran UFA would be more than capable of filling the backup role... We have much bigger needs than between the pipes. We shouldn't have drafted a goaltender last year, and we definitely shouldn't this year...

I don't think anyone is to blame, it's just 25 years of making the playoffs, and low draft picks, is coming back to haunt us. Also, if it wasn't for Datsyuk and Zetterberg becoming great players despite being drafted so low, this rebuild would have probably happened in 2004. Unless we found two more diamonds in the ruff, again, a rebuild was going to happen once Lidstrom, Datsyuk, and Zetterberg retired. We didn't get franchise players in the draft in the later rounds, so it's time to rebuild.

Leafs, Rangers and even the Habs had higher payrolls back then. Buying the cup to me means: The cup has a price and you pay it without playing. Even if a team has the best roster by far the players still need to go out and do it, they need to be a team and not just a collection of very well paid superstars. Best example of that would be team Canada I mean Bergeron as a fourth line center? And yet everybody buys in. Tldr: there is no buying the cup

I gotta admit, I hated the centennial jersey when I first saw it.....however, the link from the OP....I really like that white jersey now

Holland does plenty wrong, I just don't throw blind hate at him because I am looking for a scapegoat. I use logic to dictate my feelings about this team, management, coaches, and players. Logic tells me that ownership gives a GM a direction, and the GM moves forward with said direction. If Holland's direction is to make the playoffs and to re-build at the same time, no I dont think he is the villain that you make him out to be. Does that make him perfect? Of course not. Why can't you just admit you were wrong? You wanted to give a guy 4 years at 4mil per year, and when everybody told you that he was not even close to worth it, you fought with every poster and then he signs for 2 years at 1.25 per year proving that you were way off with your assessment of him and you still defend your point, even providing false +/- stats to make your self sound right as he is -3. Not that arguing +/- makes you sound right anyways, My point is you rip into Holland for signing long term contracts and say that you have been warning everyone for 5-6 years, but then at the same time you advocate for one yourself that would have been atrocious and one of the worst on our team. If you want us to go with just kids, why would Schenn at 4 years and 16mil be a contract you would want to hand out?

No I get it, its the end justify the means kind of thinking. I cant even say you are wrong, sure I dont agree but its just a case of both of us wanting the same thing, just thinking different paths are better to get there. I almost look at tanking in a similar fashion to spending all your money to play the lottery. If you win (ie. Edm/McDavid), Chi, LA etc. you are thrilled and become a millionaire (ie. Cup winner). Though like the lottery, most people lose and the risk just leads to going broke (ie. Edmonton pre McDavid, Columbus, Atlanta/Win, Carolina etc.) Even with Edmonton/McDavid, while I think he will be a HUGE difference maker, he doesn't guarantee them a cup.