GMRwings1983

And doesn't score points to make up for it.

He's overripe.

Is it too late to trade Brendan Smith for someone who is his age and actually good at something?

Didn't know they were that cheap.

What about his salary? Don't the Blues have to eat that? He's still not worth that money, whether the guys and picks he was traded for suck or not. The Blues have their own people to re-sign in the future.

More jobbers no one has heard of. How come the Pens and Blues can trade faceless kids and we can't? And I'm not saying we should have gotten Boumeester. Just wondering.

Eric Brewer 2.0

Did Eddie O just mention Behn Wilson? Never thought I'd hear that name. Total monster.

What is the status on Zetterberg? Without him, this team cannot make the playoffs. Same goes for Datsyuk and Kronwall. Them being healthy has been our only saving grace in this otherwise injury riddled season.

Babcock should be the coach of this team, not Datsyuk. In a shortened season, you can't give a line several weeks to gel together.

He can't be this good.

So you think Datsyuk actually requested them and Babcock was justified in sticking with that line for two weeks, despite their total lack of production. Brilliant. Maybe Franzen will request playing the point on the powerplay. And what agenda do you allude to? Criticizing inexplicable lineup decisions and bad personnel moves?

I'm sure it was the Vodka.

I'm blaming Kenny enough. But is Kenny to blame for Dan Cleary getting more icetime than Tatar did? And Datsyuk having to play on that awful line with him and Abdelkader?

Good point. That's why Tatar needs to be a top 6 player. He scored on the lower lines. I'm merely saying that Nyquist shouldn't be punished for not scoring on the lower lines. And Tatar has somehow been punished for playing well. For a team trying to make the playoffs, don't you think Tatar should be up right now, instead of helping GR win games? How is that an example of Babcock doing the best he can? Tatar was sent down before Sammy came back from injury (not that he should send anyone down).

Except in the Finals.

I realize all that. I understand that Parise, Suter, Iginla, etc. didn't want to come here because we're not all that, and there's parity now. However, after Holland didn't get what he wanted, he made stupid moves for injury riddled players, which are completely useless to us. Sammy, Colaicovo, Gustavsson, Quincey. Overpayment for all of them, when you consider what they've brought. That's what I'm upset with more than anything else. It's totally fair to criticize Holland for this. It's also fair to criticize Babcock. How does Tatar not fit into anything? He's scoring goals (something we need badly), and he's shown that he can play along the boards. Babcock also clowned us with a Datsyuk, Abdelkader, Cleary line for several weeks. Nyquist gets called up, but quickly sent down because he can't score on the lower lines. No s***. No one can score on our lower lines. Fans aren't just irrationally spouting hate. We have arguments to back up our frustrations. Poor moves by the management and poor coaching / line changes / sending the wrong players down.

Does it matter? Why are we responsible for who Tampa does and doesn't draft? It was a dumb trade, that's all. Even at the time.

Who's that lady with her hand on Bowman's crotch?

Not even if there's a "Kyle Quincey type" available?

I thought we had a deep prospect pool, as I'm always told. Yet, those prospects are sitting in the minors. Why is Tatar sent down when worse players are in the lineup every night? I understand things are getting tougher, but I feel like Babcock and Holland are making them even worse with terrible personnel decisions. Holland signed the wrong players in the offseason and made a dumb trade for Quincey before that. Babcock outdoes him by not playing Tatar and Nyquist and giving people like Cleary and Abdelkader too much trust. The fanbase should have high expectations. Name me one great team in sports, with a long successful history, that doesn't have spoiled fans with high expectations. I like that about our fans. We don't like mediocrity. If someone here doesn't accept that fact, they should go join another forum, where people are routinely happy about making the playoffs once in a while. I hardly hear anyone refer to Green Bay as that. And it's not pasted at the 50 yard line like Hockeytown is. Did anyone call Detroit Hockeytown in the 80's? Nope, and it's because they sucked.

So you're OK with mediocrity? You want us to become like Montreal fans, raving about past successes and always pointing to the banners each time we lose a playoff series? I've said this a million times. If you put Hockeytown on your center ice logo, you better be a great franchise, and not one steering towards being average. Transition period means losing someone like Lidstrom, and it's understandable. However, it shouldn't then result in making stupid acquisitions and putting together bad line combos, while keeping better players in the minors. Not much has made sense from Holland and Babcock in the last year.

Probably being traded to the Pens. They'll need him with Crosby out.

That was a dive by Crosby.

Responsibility should start with Ilitch, who doesn't seem to care that much anymore. Then it's on Holland for putting this team together. Next, it would be Babcock. His line combos and giving players like Cleary and Miller opportunities, while Tatar is sent down for scoring, have been absurd. I don't see Holland getting fired or Ilitch relinquishing the team. If anything, Babcock will be the one to go. That's how it usually goes in pro sports.