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Yzerman called it in the summer: We have some good young talent in the system, but we don't have enough of it. That's it. That's the situation. Everything else is noise. "But this team is historically awful. Surely that speaks to the sheer hopelessness of the situation." I hear that. But, I mean, while it's easy to complain and doom-'n'-gloom about the situation (God knows I've done my fair share of that this season), I'm honestly not sure there's a meaningful difference between finishing the season with a -50 goal differential and finishing the season with a -150 goal differential. If you're finishing -50, you're a really bad team. The Devils are currently at -49. If you're finishing -150, you're a really bad team ravaged by a perfect storm of suck. The Wings are currently at -96. IMO, the Wings are a really bad team that's been ravaged by a perfect storm of suck. Part of me feels that we as fans should treat this season the way players treat unbelievably awful losses: dump it from memory, move on. I know we need to be angry. I know we need to be sad. I know we need to point fingers and cast aspersions. I know some people will have to pay a price. I get all that. What I'd caution against is trying to draw lots of major conclusions from a season that's only been a disaster in the sense that it's executing Yzerman's vision too well. This team was built to fail this season. The team's just being "extra" about it. What to do? Well, I think Blashill probably has to go and I think that could be simple addition by subtraction (and that's not factoring in the potential New Coach Boost). This team shoots the puck only as a measure of last resort, and we have precious few high-percentage shooters even with Mantha and Athanasiou in the lineup on a regular basis, so it should come as no surprise that the goals aren't coming. This team surrenders both the middle and the top of the D-zone and our D group isn't particularly good at blocking shots and our D group isn't physically capable of consistently clearing out the crease, so it should come as no surprise that we're getting lit the f*** up on a nightly basis. So Blashill is probably gone and that's probably good. Additionally, we'll be shedding some zombie veterans around trade deadline time and in the summer. And we'll be getting at least one "elite, elite" prospect in the draft. So I'm not all that worried about the state of things. Push the original rebuild timeline back a year or two or three and let's continue to acquire young talent and shed old talent and see where we are in a year or two or three.

I'll be pretty amazed if it's Babcock; I think that ship has sailed.

KRS: "You're talking to a guy that overvalues all draft picks." NITF: "And he's talking to a guy who overvalues lacklustre players..." KRS: "Like who?" NITF: "...don't bring me up in your convo's..." Me: SMH

Last I heard the HMCS Babcock was torpedoed in Lake Ontario...It's said to be limping it's way back to Detroit for repairs.

This. There is also next season to consider as well. If Bernier keeps this play up, he can very well be the goalie that leads the team out of the rebuild while we wait for someone younger to take the job. As far as I'm concerned, a team would have to overpay for Bernier. So while he may very well be only worth a second, I'd demand a first, as I feel he has more value to this team going forward than a late second rounder from a contender does. Then the Leafs don't get Bernier. Simple.

I agree. I'm not saying I'd make any of those trades. That's just what I believe their market value is, give or take... Of the trades I listed, I'm only really interested in trading the three UFA's (Green, Daley, Howard). I'd also consider the Helm and Ehn trades. Any of the other players, I'd want more than teams would likely be willing to give up.

Quoting myself, Too late to take it back?

He's been divorced 3 times already ******* stud

I can't believe he hit the net to be honest

Went to the game last night, this was the second game in a row that I saw them get shutout (I went to the Buffalo game a month or so ago). I can take seeing my team loose, but not seeing them score in two games is brutal. I think at this point a coaching change is inevitable.We are a one line team that is easy to play against because if you shut down Larkin/Bert/AA (which is not what it was with Mantha), the rest of our team is so easy to stop from doing anything. I feel bad for Bernier, he's actually playing good this year for nothing.