I was one of the people that said he won't ever make the Wings and we shouldn't offer him a contract after this season. I have to say though, I've been mildly impressed with his play in these playoffs. The thing that has surprised me the most is his skating. Not because it's great, but because it's not terrible. When I read his scouting report on eliteprospects, "A large and physical defenseman. Not a very good skater. Has a good shot from the blue line. Needs to improve his skating." I naturally thought he would be an awful skater. He's not noticeably slow out there, and he seems to position himself well. He is a wrecking ball, hits everything that moves, and won't back down from anyone. Although I'm not a huge fan of the big, slow defensemen, I think it's okay for every team to have one as a 6/7. So if we can somehow move Ericsson, I'd take McIlrath in a similar role at $1.5M over E at $4.25M. I still don't think he's deserving of a spot over a number of other guys out of the gate next season, but I'd offer him another two-way contract with him continuing to play big minutes in Grand Rapids. Worst case scenario, he's a solid warrior to help the kids in GR, and maybe he becomes another Lashoff type player. And Lash has been great down there.