GoWings1905

Z - Datsyuk - Alfredsson Nyquist - Weiss - Franzen Abdelkader - Helm - Tatar Miller - Andersson - Bertuzzi (or Eaves/Tootoo)

Completely agree. I don't really believe Abby belongs in the top-six either. It was practically through default he came into that role last season and was pretty effective at the dirty work. I don't think that is the ideal place for him either -- not enough offensive upside and he's better at forechecking hard and hitting people on the third line with Helm. With the additions of Alfredsson and Weiss, plus potentially more minutes for Nyquist/Tatar, the Wings should be able to slide Abby into a more appropriate spot.

I have more of a problem where Franzen typically plays on the ice. Cleary did a ton of dirty work in front of the net, which Franzen could do more of with his size. Franzen has ridiculous hands and probably the best wrist shot on the team, but yet he rarely seems to put himself near the slot where he could utilize that strength. The Wings got slightly better as the season progressed, but they still have a knack for generating too much of their offense from the perimeter. That's why I don't have as much of a gripe with Cleary and Abby. At least they were consistently willing to try and score dirty goals.

I just assumed Abby would play with Z and Pavel to start, but I'm intrigued by Babs leaving two of the winger slots open in the top-six. I would love to see what Alfie can do with the two big guns. Puts Abby in a more suitable role as well. 40-13-11 93-90-14 8-43-21 20-18-44 (or 17/22) 37 Press Box

I went with Helm. The energy and dimension of the team change entirely when he is healthy. Now that the top-six is stronger with the additions of Alfredsson and Weiss, Helm coming back as the third line center makes this a very deep forward unit. There's really no equivalent to Helm's speed and ability to forecheck on the Red Wings. Not to mention, he's the best penalty-killing forward as well.

Sure, those guys got overpaid. In the context when Franzen actually signed his deal, the Red Wings opted for him over a better (slightly more expensive) Marian Hossa. I didn't really care about signing Clarkson or Clowe, but in terms of value comparing players -- I want Hossa over Franzen every time.

There are plenty of decent players out there still that haven't found a team yet. Cap going down is squeezing some role players out of jobs. I wouldn't take Morrow over Cleary either in that hypothetical. If people were upset with Cleary's speed, it would be a field day with Morrow here. Besides, Cleary brings just as much in terms of leadership and better offensive output.

Just curious, what is Franzen first and foremost if he isn't a goal scorer? I don't really see what else he provides to the Red Wings if he isn't putting the puck in the net.

This would be more acceptable if Franzen was decent at other areas of hockey. That isn't the case at all. He should be looking to score goals. That's what the Red Wings are paying him to do for the next 35 years of that contract.

One more season of whining on a team that is going to regress big time. Welcome back, Teemu! Great player, but I think his class act stature is phony.

It sure seems that way. I think it was all but official when Samuelsson couldn't get bought out, though. That would have obviously at least created a path for Cleary's possible return.

http://instagram.com/p/dpIvfOR45Z/ Confirmation of Alfredsson wearing #11, for those interested.

I think the Red Wings biggest need right now is a top-pairing d-man. Less necessary because of the DeKeyser emergence, but I still believe someone to complement Kronwall would really solidify the defense. Granted, most teams aren't willingly going to give up such an asset. I'm sure the asking price was/would be insane, but the one name that comes to mind for me is Alex Edler. There were rumors earlier in the summer of his availability and the Red Wings being interested, so he was at that point reasonably available. Again, without question one of Nyquist or Tatar is going the other way for starters. Beyond that, I would just be guessing at what it would take to acquire Edler.

Conversely, Cleary did many things that Holmstrom never could. Nobody could replace Holmstrom's ability in front of the net. I would argue Cleary was one of the few on the team willing/able to fill that role. In fact, Cleary and Abdelkader were the two forwards consistently willing to play in the tough areas of the ice last season. The point still holds true. You ripped anyone that didn't want Holmstrom around, yet practically everyone here loves to jump on the anti-Cleary bandwagon. To clarify, I don't want Cleary back either, but the whipping boy status Cleary has garnered went way overboard.

I completely forgot about posting in this thread over the summer. So, I guess I will just state that the Tigers are scary good. I think this is the best team yet in the Leyland era.

Not a chance. Two of those guys have already won it all before anyways.

Agreed, but it's going to happen.

That's where my concern lies. I don't see Samuelsson taking Eaves' or Emmerton's spot. Those two likely aren't playing regardless if everyone is healthy to start the season. Z - Pav - Abby Mule - Weiss - Alfie Nyquist - Helm - Tatar Miller - Andersson - Bertuzzi I think you could mess around with the combinations on the bottom two lines, but those are the guys I think should/will dress if everything goes well with Helm. That doesn't even include Tootoo. So, even if the Wings end up cutting ties with Emmerton and/or Eaves, I still don't see where Samuelsson fits. I guess you could make a case over Bertuzzi, but I think Bert is more valuable with his ability to create space and as an asset in the shootout. My overriding fear here is Nyquist goes to Grand Rapids all because of Samuelsson. When clearly, Gus has earned his place in the NHL.

I think another newly acquired vet may have that potential honor locked up.

I would be content with just another IR stint. My biggest gripe with Sammy is which forward doesn't play because of him? There's already a logjam up front. Even if the Wings remove a couple bodies, they are likely going to be guys that were on the fringe of being regulars anyways. Samuelsson and Bertuzzi shouldn't be playing at the expense of Nyquist and Tatar. It was a silly contract from the start and I don't see any purpose for Samuelsson being on the team.

Jordin Tootoo playing would have made absolutely no bearing on the Red Wings finishing out the Blackhawks. Physicality was not a factor whatsoever. Chicago had superior skill and depth. This is the same Blackhawks team that finished last in the NHL in hits and somehow found a way to beat the much bigger and more physical Bruins. I'm all for keeping Tootoo around during the regular season, but let's not pretend he's some game-changing playoff performer that would have gotten the Red Wings past the Blackhawks.

Stu doesn't seem overly thrilled about them either.

Within the division, I think the Bruins will be the Red Wings biggest threat. The Senators remind me of the Predators. Just a pesky team that competes hard and is a pain to play against.

Franzen: 3 G / 19:30 TOI Ryan: 2 G, 2 A / 16:17 TOI The only thing making Franzen noticeable was the fact Val Filppula was on his team.

Haha, myself included. It was sarcasm referring to Franzen.