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Just gonna try being extremely negative and maybe it will bring us some luck. Wings lose 7-1. Z is abducted by aliens midway through the 2nd, and the crowd litters the ice with bad pizza after the 7th goal creating bad ice conditions due to hot tomato sauce and cheese and the game has to be forfeited. Howard starting LW C RW GUSTAV NYQUIST HENRIK ZETTERBERG JUSTIN ABDELKADER TOMAS TATAR DYLAN LARKIN ANTHONY MANTHA DARREN HELM FRANS NIELSEN LUKE GLENDENING DAVID BOOTH ANDREAS ATHANASIOU MARTIN FRK DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS DAN DEKEYSER MIKE GREEN JONATHAN ERICSSON TREVOR DALEY NIKLAS KRONWALL NICK JENSEN Now go out there and play like you just don't care boys!

It hasn't been pretty for him since he left. He went from Head Coach of the BRuins to Asst Coach with the Kings to Head Coach of the Ukrainian National Team to Asst Coach with Carolina to Head Coach of the Belarussian National Team. So he's a available. As for the question of whether Blashill has lost the team? YYYEEESSS! I think he lost the team last season during that horrendous losing streak in January? It's obvious the guys have no interest in saving his job. That said, I am still disappointed in the players. You get paid WAY too much money to not show up and give 100% every game. It's not like these guys are making minimum wage working the drive thru at McD's. There I don't expect great service. But when ur spending the equivalent of a day's salary to attend a game or a week's salary to purchase a Center Ice package, I don't think that it's unreasonable to expect a guy making 6 or 7 figures to show up and play his *** off.

Many of us have been iffy to hating Blashill since he was hired. Even so the players seemed to like playing for him. But the last 2 games, giving up 16 goals to a bad Habs team that struggles to score AND looking lifeless while doing so, makes one ask. Has Blashill finally lost the team? No he doesn't assemble the roster. Yes he makes bonehead moves. But these last 2 games were 100% on the players. They simply didn't care. So your thoughts? I think he has. I think he forgot to be his own man/coach and the players now seem him as a pretender. Just my 2 cents.

Soulfly covering Helmet! Double dose of goodness. I would just like to point out that Larkin's line is listed as the top line on the official lineup card dealy: I'm pointing it out because I think it's a first. Dunno that it really means anything, but I thought it was worth noting.

Oh, Soulfly good choice

Crowd doesn't have to do it. The ice has been littered with little (I'd say small) impotent caesars for past few games. shall they clean it up today?...

Olympic hockey was never going to be interesting this year but at least some of the other countries have a chance now.

hahahhahahahahahahah Typical Russia, what else is new with them. That basically seals the deal for Datsyuk ever winning an Olympic gold for Russia. Come back Pav.

Of course Holland overvalued his prospects. He’s been utterly delusional about them for a long time. He was lucky to be around for some of the best prospect luck ever over the years and lost touch with reality. He’s been completely wasteful with far too many guys in this decade, and I really do wonder if our system is to blame for some of our prospect’s shortcomings even; I have to think our slow system combined with a mediocre pro team is not an inspiring environment, and we don’t have the same class of vets around steadying the ship as we once did. It definitely isn’t the system it once was.

I hear ya, but I just don't think we'd necessarily have to trade Larkin or Mantha to get a deal done. A team like Nashville that is stacked at defense, can afford to give up a high end defense prospect. If they're looking to go on a run this season, they could look at a player like Nyquist / Tatar for added offensive depth, and be willing to trade a Fabbro. Teams that believe they have what it takes to win it all (I think Poile does with that group), will usually be willing to give up a small part of the future for the now. Of course it would take more than Nyquist / Tatar, but if we threw in a prospect and / or a pick, I believe that could be enough to get such a deal done. I agree that we probably wouldn't have much of a chance at Bean, just because Carolina aren't in the same position, with an opportunity to go on a deep playoff run. All I'm saying is, I do believe there are defensemen out there to be had, even if it takes overpaying, without giving up one of our big two. I'd trade literally anyone else with the exception of maybe Cholowski, including Athanasiou, Svechnikov, 2018 2nd round pick(s), 2019 1st round pick, etc. depending on the player. I doubt Holland is willing to move all of those pieces, which is why I believe he won't get a deal done. Bottom line, we need to upgrade our defense in a big way, and until we do that, we're going to be a mediocre to bad team... Where did I say that Holland isn't making phone calls? I believe him when he says he's "kicking tires", I'm just not convinced he's kicking the right tires, or willing to give up what it would take to get a deal done. I think Holland over values his players / prospects, even more so than some of us fans. How do you know there are "so many teams that need a 1D"? I guess the same way I know there are so many teams that are looking for offensive depth for a playoff run. Sure, there are a lot of teams looking for top pairing defensemen, but there are also teams that aren't, and would be willing to give up a highly touted defense prospect to add an offensive punch for a playoff run. There are always trading partners, it just takes balls to pull off the impactful trades. Unfortunately, that's something Holland has been lacking forever now...

If you gave him one he would just throw a temper tantrum until Seabrook came over and rocked him to sleep.

Toews needs a burn book just like Mahonas

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for that kind of trade if we could find it - I just don't think they're around very often or much at all. For instance, you mention players like Montour, who I also really liked. The problem is that The Ducks also liked him a whole lot even before he blew up - there was a lot of hype around him. I doubt you would pry him away from them, especially if you're talking about a trade not involving Larkin and Mantha Same with Bean and Fabbro, I'm sure their teams like them very much. They're both 1st round picks and developing nicely - I doubt you're prying them away without giving one of our 1st round players player who's more promising or more proven (aka someone like Mantha, Larkin). And you're right that we don't know who's available, but we do who's been traded and I don't know many trades like you describe (unproven high end dmen/propect for someone less valuable than Mantha) If there were some examples from the last while, I'd be more inclined to think that there's some of these possible trades out there for Holland to find. The Sergachev example is one, but like I said Drouin was more valuable than even Larkin or Mantha. He had just had a 53 pt season and was a 3rd overall pick. So I don't think you can use that as an example of the type of trade you're talking about. The Shea Theodore story is weird, but he was only given up as a way to protect Manson just as much as to protect Vatanen. I think Vatanen was kept around in case Montour was a flop, but has now proven expendable. Also, they were trying to get rid of Clayton Stoner's caphit (maybe so they could re-sign someone? I forget why...)

meh hindsight. 75% of this board would have lost their s*** if the Wings didn't go with Blashill. I agree that we should have interviewed more candidates, and of course I agree that it didnt work out, but at the time it made sense. Every coach has to have their first coaching job somewhere, you can't critisize a team for going with a new coach.

Mr. Popo’s opinion is about as good as Dende’s

I hated losing Babcock but was willing to give him a shot, considering we didn't have much alternative as fans. He completely lost my faith in him as an NHL head coach a long time ago. I wanted him fired in 2016.

That's what I think. In 2013 for the Bruins, in 14 games he had a 2.32 GAA and a 92% Save %. His first year on Carolina, he actually played well, pretty much replicated the same stats, but if I remember correctly he took over late from Ward. Second year on Carolina his GAA jumped to 2.72 and his Save % dropped to 90% (I remember this very well because I had him on my fantasy team that year lol.) Then he went to Anaheim where he played poorly, and finally back to Boston last year where he played poorly as well. This year he finally seems to have that 2013 game back, but I believe its because he plays a limited amount of games (ie. small sample size), and likely he is strategically started. If he was 25, sure someone would give him a chance, but at 31 I would be shocked if he was given a starters role. Look at Budaj, similar story, and had a great year last year, but didnt land him anything more then a backup position on TB. Though he is 35, so I'm sure that hurt him.

Why would Wilson be thrilled? Have you ever been to Buffalo? I have, its definitely not better than Detroit! Granted it was years ago I was there, but my impression was that it was the Cleveland,OH or Gary, IN of NY.

I'm not going to say you are wrong, but I think that's a bit simplistic. Sure most cup winners fit this mould, but most good teams in general fit this mould. What makes an elite team elite is usually "this" with very good secondary players and good to great goaltending. Even with Malkin/Crosby, if you put mediocrity around them, they still arent winning a cup. Lets not dismiss Kessel (who could be argued as being an elite winger) Fleury/Murray, Bonino, Haglin etc. Then there is coaching. Take Quenneville off Chicago, and I dont think they have 3 cups. Then again, they dont have 2 elite forwards @Jonas Mahonas

The fire sale has begun. /s

If we don't qualify him before FA opens this year, he becomes a UFA. Pretty sure qualifying offers are almost never accepted and are more just a formality that is required to keep the player an RFA while you continue to negotiate. Kinda like a deposit on a large purchase. Shows good faith and retains your spot at the front of the line. So say we do qualify him... we would then continue to own his RFA rights, and can negotiate with him until December 1st of next year. He's already been to arbitration once in his career, so he cannot go again. If the parties do not reach an agreement by December 1st, Mrazek is barred from NHL for the remainder of the season. At that point he would jet to Europe... Not sure if he would remain our RFA the next season, or if he becomes a UFA at that point. Someone smarter than me probably knows. Either way, he'd probably be finished in the NHL at that point and everyone would go home with nothing. We'd also look like real jerks to other players and the union. Depending on what we want to accomplish with him, If we qualify him, we essentially want one of two things to happen: 1. He accepts a very low offer and we retain him as our goalie. 2. Another team submits a predatory offer sheet on him, which we accept and then receive draft pick compensation. The problem with #1 is that that only makes sense if you actually want to keep him. If you'd rather sign a different backup on the open market, then be the classy one, tell him thank you for his time in Detroit, and cut him loose by not qualifying him and allowing him to become UFA. You don't want him anyway, why play games with the mans career? But what about compensation??? That leads to #2... The problem with #2 is we are not guaranteed to receive a predatory off sheet from another team. They rarely ever happen, and typically only happen with big impact players. So basically Mrazek will not get an offer sheet. AA didn't even get one. So essentially we would end up wasting a roster spot on a player that doesn't play, and the Red Wings would look like stupid idiots who jerk players around. It would be bad. Also I believe that in order to receive draft pick compensation on a predatory offer sheet the offer needs to be over $1.3 million. If someone offered him $1.25 we could either say ok and get nothing, or we say no and give him the $1.25 ourselves. Maybe if you want to keep him that's ok for you. It comes down to: if you want him, qualify him. If you don't want him, be the classy one and just let him walk away as UFA. He's not valuable enough to simply retain his rights and only his rights. Remember this is a player we exposed at the expansion and no one wanted him. His value has only dropped further since then. My guess is Mrazek will go unqualified and probably join a team in Europe, unless he's able to find a team that's willing to take him on as a reclamation project like the Rangers did with Pavelec. Problem for us is, no one trades for reclamation projects.

Obviously Howard because Mrazek is absolute trash. Can’t believe I thought he would be good. Guess I’ll eat crow for a few months. They should have kept Jim Bedard - Mrazek actually did well with him. Can’t believe we let a good goalie coach go for nothing. Thanks Blashill... Use your head Righty. If we don’t resign MRazek we get $4 million off and one year after that we relieve another $5 million when Jimmy is gone. If we rid Jimmy now and resign Mrazek we only lose the $5 million from Jimmy and probably have to resign Mrazek to some overpaid deal. I say we let go of Mrazek and ride out Jimmy for another year and get cheaper backup and hope one of our farm goalies makes a leap into the NHL roster. If not re-sign Jimmy for a 2 year deal for cheap (3-4 million)

Agreed, those signs are there. I think Nyquist is underrated on here, but he has definitely regressed. If he re-emerges though, I could see him being re-signed, then Tatar being traded. Or Nyquist being traded at the deadline, then re-signed, then Tatar is traded. I admit though, I could be dead wrong as well lol. Nyquist is a tough one to read, I remember back in 2013 (the Anaheim series specifically) he came across to me like he had elite potential, he was just one of those players that looked dangerous when he touched the puck. Then in 2014 he decided to play like a Hart contender from January-April, then in 2015 he came back down to earth and now looks like a decent 45-60 point second liner. He's only 28, so who knows what direction he goes in. He definitely doesn't look like the Nyquist of 2013/14 anymore though. I think this is why he has so many fans that dislike them. People thought he was going to take this team over and save them from the imminent D&Z regressions/retirements, and he didnt. Same hate will come to Larkin/Mantha if they fizzle out. Fingers crossed.

Kronwall could retire, or he could go into LTIRement. I think the latter is more likely. Or maybe he plays out his contract. There's nothing to say Nyquist or Howard will be extended. They certainly wouldn't be getting raises. Nyquist could be replaced internally, i.e. cheaply. Sign one or two of the thousand good-not-great veteran goalies that are always available for cheap.

My money is on Kronner playing one more year.