Wombat
-
Content Count
375 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by Wombat
-
-
The problem with the offense isn't 2nd liners playing like 2nd liners. Guys like Nyquist, Abby and Tatar are fine as 2nd liners. It's the lack of 1st line forwards. I just took at look at players by points per game. It's crude, but I think illustrative. Figure that essentially the top 90 forwards in PPG in the NHL are "1st liners". If so, then the Wings have just 1 1st liner (Datsyuk, ranked 43rd). Forwards from 91-180 would be "2nd liners". The Wings have 5 of them (Z, Larkin, Tatar, Abby, Nyquist). There are 4 "3rd liners" (Richards, AA, Helm, Pulks) and 2 "4th liners" (Sheahan, Glendening).
Again, this is a super rough look at things, but the big problem is having too many 2nd fiddles and not enough guys carrying play and scoring. The solution is probably something along the lines of packaging 2 of the 2nd liners, plus other pieces, to get a "1st liner"... then hope Larkin steps up production in his 2nd year and Mantha/AA can step up to "2nd liners". Easier said than done, but if Holland can't get creative enough to do it, then the org. needs to find someone that can.
-
There are a couple of Michigan bars up my way; KBC on 11th and Tonic on Mt. Pleasant. I haven't tried going in for a Wings game yet but I know Tonic has all kinds of Detroit stuff up on the walls. Cap Lounge is where the Lions Den is, and they'll show hockey playoffs but I had to get them to specifically turn one TV on to Wings vs Ducks for game 6 last year.
-
It's a great point... who cares about trying to get to a 3-decade playoff streak when 53% of teams make the playoffs! It's not impressive at all! By random chance a team will make 30 consecutive playoffs 1 out of 186,949,330 chances, so of course that's not impressive! Phooey to that.
It's CLEARLY much more important to try to tank to the 10th overall pick rather than sneak into the playoffs and get the 15th overall pick. I mean, we as Red Wings fans know for a FACT that it's impossible to get franchise altering players without having the absolute highest picks possible! Who would want 2008 15th overall Erik Karlsson over 10th overall Cody Hodgson?
Turning off the sarcasm, yes, it is slightly easier to get a better player with a higher draft pick. But is it worth tossing away a chance to be in the playoffs and a chance to chase a record that may be insurmountable in the future? I want this team to try to make the playoffs. If they fall short, it happens and we try to pick up some talent in the off season. If the team loses in the first round, at least we were in it. And if they make a nice run, that's fun too!
wings4thecup06, Internet.Unknown and Shinzaki reacted to this -
Earnhardt died Feb 18, 2001. Hasek trade was July 1st, 2001. but I do agree that I don't expect much in the way of moves from the Wings
I was sitting in frankenmuth with my dad when we got hasek and we got so excites we were giving high fives as the news of dale earnhardt passing was the focus in the news.
It looked bad.
Ha.
I've got to think now that z will probably be on ltir that a trade is more of a possibility, but I'm Still not expecting much.
Depth defenseman maybe but there won't be any blockbuster, we have some good forwards going forward and no one would give us enough for us to trade them. -
Exactly. And once that team claims a player off of waivers, they move to the back of the line. Correct?
No, it's always based off of records. Worst record gets the claim.
-
Let's see how much his production diminishes by not being on Tavares' wing. Sabres fans are hoping to get a 1st or 2nd out of him by the deadline. These trades of multiple players and 1st rounders seem way too steep for Moulson, especially since we don't know yet if he's capable of being a 30 goal scorer away from JT.
I'd take him, but would rather move extra guys for picks then use a pick/prospect to get Moulson. Remember Buffalo is in our division now so they might not want to make a trade with the Wings.
-
Don't worry, I'm sure the reason Sammy might play ahead of Tatar and Nyquist in game 1 is so Sammy can get a boo-boo that will keep him on LTIR for a month or two. That will then free up space for actual contributing hockey players.
matthewdanna and 55fan reacted to this -
Jimmy remains a MUCH better option than Jonas. Play Jimmy.
-
Perhaps I am the only one on here that thinks Pomminville would be great in a Wings jersey. He's not big ( 6 foot, 185) so a bit bigger than Z BUT plays a physical game, its a lowish cap hit and the dude is a "score first" winger. I think he would be great with either Dats or Z!
In what way does Pomminville play a physical game? He is a perimeter player that seldom goes to the hard places to score goals. He's a good complimentary player and I wouldn't be upset if they picked him up for a reasonable price, but I'd worry that the Wings would be adding yet another soft perimeter player when they need something different.
-
Miller hasn't been the same since his hit by Luicic.
That is partially true... after the Lucic hit, Miller did not play well until around the All Star break. After that, he was phenomenal until the last handful of games. He didn't get much rest and looked worn into the ground. But I agree with the sentiment that the Lucic hit derailed their entire season.
Let the flinging begin.
I have seen a few tweets/opinions from media members that Roy is saying this because he's pretty sure he won't be back. The Sabres need to move him to move forward in my opinion. While I think Ruff is a good coach, this season has shown me that he just isn't effective for this team anymore.
-
IT'S GONNA BE HUGE BUFFALO, HUUUUUUUUUUUUGE!!
I lived in WNY for about 6 years, and I certainly do not miss that guy's mug on my TV and on most city buses in Buffalo!
-
-
They have all of that cap space, that amount of bonuses, and that's for two buyouts, two goalies, eight defensemen, and nine forwards. So they have Stamkos, Purcell, and two other forwards to sign for less than $12.2m. Seems perfectly reasonable.
Although something to consider given Vinny's albatross contract;
He's definitely not worth the money. So if you waive him to buy him out, he almost certainly doesn't get picked up. Buy him out, that's $2,575,757 for the buyout, or 1/3 of his cap hit. Vinny is out about $21m because he'll only get two-thirds of what's left. Now you immediately sign him back on for *drumroll* $21m over nine years. That's a $2,333,333 hit, total hit for Vinny is cut down to $4,909090 from $7,727,273. That's over $2.8m.
Lots of misinformation here. First, to buy him out, you have to pay 2/3 of his remaining contract because he's over 26. That means you have to pay him over $43 million immediately as part of the buyout. The cap hit varies from year to year during the length of the contract, but then lasts until 2029. Also, a player bought out is not eligible to sign with the team that just bought him out, so it's a completely impossible situation proposed here.
-
Tim Connolly.
Tim Connolly is barely a 2nd liner. Sabres fans couldn't wait to get rid of him. He's hurt constantly and makes loads of dumb passes. He's a good positional player, good on the PK, but doesn't backcheck or put in much effort. I would say that at the message board for the Sabres I frequent, they were about 75/25 against him signing his last contract with the Sabres and have been counting the days for him to leave.
Off the ice he's got issues too. Ducks the media constantly... he won't take responsibility like many players do to the media. And there are quite a few interesting stories about his hi-jinx on Chippewa St. in Buffalo that I won't recount since they are just rumors.
I'm not defending the Leino contract though... I think he's about $1.5 - $2M overpaid and don't think he'll produce at a 2nd line center level.
-
Soviet bloc and Eastern bloc are 2 different things:
Soviet bloc are countries that were once part of the USSR, Eastern bloc are countries that as you rightly stated came under the influence of the old USSR but were never part of the old USSR and were countries in their own right. Maybe if i had worded it as former Soviet countries it would have been easier to follow.
I see the difference now... you live in England. In the US, Soviet Bloc and Eastern Bloc are synonymous. In doing a quick search, I noticed that UK media sources like the BBC and Telegraph refer to the Soviet Bloc as nations that were once a part of the USSR. This is not the case in the US.
-
thanks Fin, i didnt bother to reply as i know the guys over the other side of the pond dont know alot about the geography this side !!
for you who dont know;
Baltic;
Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
Eastern Europe:
Belarus
Moldova
Ukraine
Transcaucasus:
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Georgia
Central Asia:
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
Eurasia:
Russia
these were all part of the old USSR.
hope this helps with any homework.
Your original post refers to the "Soviet block [sic]". The Soviet Bloc, also better known as the Eastern Bloc, is a term denoting the countries behind the Iron Curtain that were within the sphere of influence of the USSR. These countries include East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, and Yugoslavia. So, the other poster was correct that the Wings have drafted players from the former Soviet Bloc states.
If you're talking about independent nations that were once a part of the USSR, those are Former Soviet Republics or Post-Soviet States.
/homework graded
under_par_00 reacted to this -
He probably makes about what he should make within the context of NHL salaries and production. The problem though, is that he doesn't have a good role on the Wings team. What he brings to the table isn't anything special... other players do what he does on the Wings, only they do it better. A team that could use a 2nd line skill guy would be a much better fit.
-
I think Modano could have really helped out in Game 7. It wasn't that apparent at the beginning, but when the Wings lost 2 of their top six forwards to injury during the game, it would have been nice to be able to mix in Modano for some potential scoring touch instead of Abdelkader. But overall, I'm not upset he missed most of the playoff games, as I don't think he was consistently one of the 12 best forwards on the team.
T.Low reacted to this -
I think you're being too hard on Franzen as well. He did lead the team in goals during the season, and while he did have some cold spots, in the NHL he's making about the right money for a 30-goal scorer. Plus, he started well in the playoffs before his ankle was messed up.
I definitely agree with your defensive reading. Kronwall has really stepped up and finally become a bit of the "Nick Jr" he was advertised as. Preferably, I'd like the team to get a youngish 3/4 defenseman with some physicality and match him with Rafalski.
I would like to see the Fil we got in the last two games for the whole season. Maybe the answer is putting him with Datsyuk. They both seem seem to play off of each other really well and can both be creative. Those two with Cleary or Franzen might be really entertaining.
Ericsson is about what I expect out of a bottom pairing guy. I don't want to give up on him quite yet, but if they can bring in a new 3/4 guy, I wouldn't mind having Ericsson and Kindl fight it out for that last spot. Keep them honest and working.
mjlegend, T.Low and Nightfall reacted to this -
It was tough last night playing most of the game without 3 top-six forwards (Franzen, Bertuzzi, Cleary). Those are the breaks. They still fought valiantly and I'm proud of how they played.
Nightfall reacted to this -
For players, my votes went to Modano, Draper, Hudler, Miller, and Salei. The Modano signing, for various reasons, didn't work, and he's probably going to retire. Draper is one of my favorite Wings through this era, but I think it's time for the team to move on. Perhaps he retires, but I also wouldn't be opposed to signing him to a league minimum type contract for him to be the 14th forward. I also like Miller, but I don't think he provides much different than some other, better players on the team, and for the money, I think the Wings could add a different type of forward to the team (perhaps a bigger/stronger agitator type).
Hudler... he again is sort of a repeat of other forwards we have on the team, but the other forwards are better. The Wings would be better off with a bigger player in his position that is more sound defensively. I'll take a decrease in points for improved size, aggression, and defensive ability.
Overall I liked Salei as well, but he's older and I'd like to see a younger guy in that spot. Preferably, a stay-at-home type that can help the PK, and perhaps can play with Rafalski to provide that pairing with balance. Basically, I'd like them to get a young guy that is right now a borderline 3/4 d-man that can grow into a bigger role as Lids and Rafalski move on after a few more seasons.
-
Where is Tyler Myers in that list? I find it hard to believe they would leave last year's Calder winner off the list, regardless of his sophomore slump.
-
I think Franzen is great, but he's no Fedorov. Also, I think the whole "both don't give all their effort all the time" argument is bogus. They both have the ability to pot a goal every game, but that just isn't going to happen. Even Gretzky in the high-scoring 1980's only did it twice (which is amazing in my mind that he could even do it once!). I think lack of game-by-game production looks like laziness, but really it's not. Just like any of us with our jobs, some days you are rocking and can do no wrong, and others you just can't get out of your own way. It doesn't means you're working less hard... it's just the ebb and flow of life.
wings1110, Frozen-Man and Dave reacted to this -
GWG is a nice, easy stat to understand. It's not meant to measure clutchness. Sure, you can develop those types of stats, but they tend to be more complicated to calculate and understand, and sometimes are just convoluted. Look at sabermetrics in baseball... some are really useful, but aren't as easy to list in the newspaper like batting average.
Many hockey stats are the same way. Yes, the first goal in a 5-0 game is just as much of a GWG as an OT one. Assists are the same... they don't measure the playmaking ability of a player. A perfect setup gets as many assists as a guy shooting it off the goalie's chest if a teammate gets the rebound. Even goals don't measure shooting ability. A perfect slapshot goal is just the same as if the puck bounces off of a guy's face into the goal.
Point is, don't imply that the stat is telling you something that it's not. Goals aren't about shooting ability... it's about who last touched the puck that went into the net. Assists aren't about playmaking ability... it's about who was the 2nd or 3rd last player to touch a puck that went into the net. GWGs don't measure clutchness... it's about who scored the goal that gives the winning team 1 more goal than the losing team at game end.
Fixing this mess....
in General
Posted · Report reply
Of course it's simplistic; I said myself that it was one crude measure. The point is that the Wings don't even have 3 below average first line level players. They have only 1. Relying on depth is a myth; if you look at Cup-winning Wings teams, they all had top-level first line players (I only glanced at total points and not PPG). If a team doesn't have top-level players, depth doesn't truly exist. I think this season is bearing that out; without primary scoring, secondary scoring doesn't matter.
There isn't much of a difference goals v. points. If players are putting up points, it means someone's getting goals. If someone is scoring goals, it means others are getting points. Detroit's 3 best at PPG average a rank of 88 in the NHL (Datsyuk is 43, Z 108, and Larkin 113). Detroit's 3 best at GPG average a rank of about 82 (Larkin is 71, Datsyuk 86, and Tatar 88).
I think the Wings have shown a good propensity to find 2nd line level players. I would be very willing to give up some of those for higher-end talent. With extra playing and power play time, the Wings have guys that would probably step up to produce sufficiently at the 2nd and 3rd line levels, especially next season. But of course, it is easier said that done, as there has to be a team willing to give up higher-end talent for more depth.
The thing to keep in mind is that it isn't just looking at goals by 1 new player v 2 others. Chances are there will be another player or two that come up with more goals now that they get more ice and PP time with the other 2 secondary scorers away.