Leaderboard

We lost because it's the preseason and we were running 8 D-men, 4 of whom will not be in the starting lineup this year. Leddy, Seider, Hronek and (blegh) Dekeyser were your only NHL D on the ice against a loaded Blackhawks team. And even Dekeyser is so slow now that he belongs as #6/#7. You were missing Stecher, Staal, even Oesterle as they were checking out the GR guys.

Again, these are just one-game assessments based on last night, but Veleno was our best forechecker and really played well defensively. His positioning was solid and didn't overplay his role. If he could improve his faceoff ability, it would help tremendously. It seemed every time he was in the circle, he had to immediately show that defensive edge. Zadina just doesn't have it. Whereas Raymond is thinking about his next decision before he even gets the puck, Zadina always needs an extra half second to try to gain puck control (or let it bounce over his stick anyway). He was just a momentum killer yesterday when it came to puck movement. It always allowed the D and the goalie to get back into position. I just don't see how he elevates his game to first line on a great team. Raymond is so fast with his feet, his stick, and his playmaking. Makes me worried for longevity when a guy relies on his speed over positioning on defense, so I hope he develops that aspect of his game over the next couple years. But his IQ and vision are absolutely outstanding He tried to get too cute in the last 6 minutes with some between the legs passes that resulted in a loss of possession and movement and then a turnover. Hopefully it comes with age. Btw, he won his only faceoff against a legitimate center, in case folks were wondering about his ability at the pivot long term....

They've both been phenomenal. I'm going to call it now though. Lucas Raymond goes down as the best player drafted in 2020. Not Lafreniere, not Byfield, not stutzle, but Raymond!

Like I said, Raymond is winning the Hart.

Dare I say Raymond had been our best player in the pre-season?

Okay, Raymond is f*cking awesome. Dude is suuuuuuper slick.

Well, this got ugly quickly.

Here's a thing I noticed about Zadina last night that boggles the mind. He almost never hits the net with his shots. Even on the powerplay. He's supposed to be some sniper and his shot sucks. The best part of his game is his forechecking and stick lifting. He's a defensive forward at best right now. Totally agree, put him with Ras and Erne and see what he does down there because he's swimming in deep waters in the top six. Let Bobby be on line two until Vrana gets back.

After spending his first three seasons in Grand Rapids.

and Seider's been as good or better.

Belle Tire on the Blackhawks helmets. EDIT: https://www.nhl.com/blackhawks/news/release-belle-tire-named-helmet-partner-and-official-tire-retailer/c-326272664

Feed that Newpower kid to the wolves. What a boneheaded turnover.

Newpower! You're ******* cut!

My 1st time watching the Wings this pre-season...Would be criminal if Raymond was sent to GR.

Just switched over to the Blackhawks feed on ESPN+...Nice to hear the opposition broadcast speak glowingly of Raymond.

Holy f*** Raymond!

ANOTHER PPG! Wings tie it up 4-4 on Raymond's pretty shot!

Indeed...Wonder if Tanguay might be penciled in for Blashill's job in the future?

Impressed with Tanguay's power play so far. Night and day vs last year's PP. Having a Leddy a Seider and a Raymond will do that......

Agreed. He and Seider. I was nearly hyperventilating by the end of the 2nd period. Seriously. How can they send Raymond to GRs? By no metric should this be a defensible move.

He played 33 games out of 56 last season. I cant find it now, but I had read that he liked playing here, that there was some interest from other teams, but he opted to take his chances coming back to Detroit on a PTO. If its Detroit, or retire, that's his choice. Not unlike Mike Green. He is a RH shot, too. Something missing from the forward group besides Gagner and Stephens, who bring little offense. He's not a difference maker. But he brings some offense, a RH shot, and a veteran presence to the locker room. If he isn't holding anyone back, then I don't see the issue with a 1 year deal.

I played against him a few times in peewee, so I have to root for him. Because sports. Seems like a good dude. Been through a lot. (Some of it completely out of his control, some of it maybe not so much.) Mainly, he had to play for the Ducks and Sens, which is something I wouldn't wish on anyone.

I love Bobby Ryan. But if he's on our second line, I am going to make the loudest mouthfart noise the world has ever heard. We're supposed to be taking a step forward this season.

I know what the lines look like. I don't like Ryan on the 2nd. But I would like him on the 3rd. Ras and Erne create quite a few chances that I think Ryan would finish on more often than Namestnikov does.

Hawks add a ENG to get the 6-4 win. Fake shootout (after the fake game?) to come. Edit: Mickey definitely doesn't see the point of the shootout. And here I thought Belle Tire was OUR thing.