Jesusberg

Did someone on NBC just nickname Tatar "Tuna"?

Honestly, I don't think there's much of a market for Gustavsson. The teams I can think of who might need a back-up would be: Dallas (Maybe, but I think they have too many goaltenders in their system as it is - Lindback, Rynnas, Campbell. Also, I think it depends on how they view themselves in terms of contending for a playoff spot. I'm not sure they move any assets for a goalie. I just know their back-ups have struggled) Nashville (Could be a possibility with Rinne out. Not sure Hutton and Mazanec cut it.) New York Islanders (Another possibility. Johnson has looked awful in relief, to the point where they're playing Halak in back-to-back games). There are a couple other teams like Tampa and Washington, but I think they would turn to Vasilevsky and Grubauer before moving assets for a back-up. There are also other teams like Arizona and Columbus who could use a better back-up, but neither team is going to make any noise this season. Also, I really think teams might take a shot on Brodeur before Gustavsson. Just my take on it.

I've actually caught a few GR games lately, and I think Marchenko is the real deal. His outlet pass is every thing they say it is. I haven't seen nearly as many games as you have, but I agree with him being the most NHL ready guy down there. Sproul/Jensen offer offensive skill, but I'm not so sure Marchenko is that far behind them, especially in Detroit's system. That outlet pass is going to get Detroit speedy forwards up the ice much faster. Plus, he offers an element that Sproul/Jensen don't (sound defensive play), at least not from what I've seen. I said it in another topic, but I really believe that it's going to come down to Sproul vs. Jensen in a year and a half. If Ouellet progresses as he should, I think he'll be able to take over Quincey's role on the team. I think with the guys they'll have out of waiver exemption, you let Lashoff go. Barring any trades or signings, I think Detroit could run something like: Kronwall, Ericsson, DeKeyser, Smith, Ouellet, Marchenko & Sproul/Jensen for the 2016-17 season.

Considering they've lost 10 in a row, I have that nagging feeling that they catch the Wings off guard... NOT. The Wings are going to destroy you, Enroth/Neuvirth. ALL THE GOALS! NO MERCY! MUAH, HA, HA! ...sorry, but not really. 6-1 spanking. Pulkkinen gets his first, takes his jersey off and does three laps around the rink.

I'm fairly certain you're right. I've looked up the information and come to the same conclusions. I think people look at Jensen's age and assume he's up, but because he went the NCAA route, he was able to sign a contract later. They really don't have to touch anyone until the beginning of that season, and that's when I think those guys battle for spots. I wouldn't be surprised to see only one of Jensen/Sproul on this team. Ouellet's almost a shoe-in, and Marchenko is quietly putting together a solid season in GR. Sproul and Jensen play a similar, offensively-minded game.

Correct. I was using NHL Numbers, and they cut off at the at 16-17 season. My mistake. Even with the extra year, I really don't see Howard being moved out, at least not until that very last season. Perhaps if they had a competent back-up in the system, or if there are issues with the cap coming back down. As it stands, I think they'd feel much safer letting Howard kind of mentor Mrazek into the role. I agree with Howard having trade value, but I can't see Holland moving him unless he gets a fantastic offer for him. I don't think Mrazek takes over as starter next year, which means he's getting back-up money on his next contract. Even if he's getting somewhere around 2 million per, you're paying around 7-7.5 million on goaltending, which is what a good chunk of teams are paying for the position. IMO, It really only becomes an issue if Petr signs on for 2 years, then gets paid well going into the 17-18 season.

It isn't Howard vs. Mrazek... not yet. Why would you ship out a competent starting goaltender for an unproven 22-year old? That's just awful judgement. There's ZERO goalie controversy right now between the two of them. If anything, the question is "do we keep Petr up and waive Gustavsson?", which I don't think they'll do. Gustavsson is gone next season - Mrazek will be up with the team full-time. They likely split the season in the 50-60 for Howard, 20-30 range for Mrazek next year. The 2016 off-season, Mrazek gets paid like a back-up for (hopefully) 2-3 seasons. At that point, you start comparing the two guys. You've got two years left on Howard's deal at that point, and in that time frame, you find out who is your starter. You don't simply toss a rookie goaltender into the starting spot in this situation - Detroit's in a great position in goal right now. You let Mrazek earn the #1 spot over time... not over 4-5 games.

Agree on Marchenko staying in GR for another season. They really don't have to move any of those defenders for another season, as far as I'm aware. I've thought about a similar deal around Helm and Bogosian (more added from our side), and it looks good on paper. I'm not sure if they still feel as if they need a 3C, though. I guess it depends on how they view Perrault and Lowry. Not to mention, Cheveldayoff is pretty gun shy when it comes to making moves. I think the Jets feel as if they're finally a contender, so if they move anyone on defense, I imagine they'll be looking to unload Paul Postma in the short term. You'd have to think they're going to move one of Byfuglien, Bogosian or Trouba eventually, though.

For the same reason Foligno was named a captain? When you consider that the host team is usually well represented, six players are voted in and (under normal circumstances) every team is supposed to be represented, it's not really about who deserves to go.

I majored in language and literature during my undergraduate (puns really are the lowest form of humour), and I was stone cold sober when I wrote that. ...I'm just not above a cheap laugh.

Kip's an ass? I've been having amicable discussions, and even agreeing at times for like two weeks now. Does that make me guilty by ASSociation? Ha... I'll just see myself out.

Honestly, I think a few other teams are in a better position to land Yandle than Detroit. Just off the top of my head, Boston, Los Angeles and Colorado could probably offer packages that would be more appealing to Arizona. Boston and LA would essentially be upgrading Krug and Muzzin, respectively, and throwing in a roster player, younger player, etc. - talent they're more willing to part with than Detroit is at the moment. I think Colorado could do something around O'Reilly for Yandle, but if part of Arizona moving Yandle is money related, having to pay ROR wouldn't be ideal for them.

The good old "training camp will sort it all out" scenario. It's got Holland written all over it, so I tend to agree. I think the issue with that mentality is it's difficult to move guys at that time - other teams are high on their own players then. There were even some players who slipped through waivers at that time I thought would be claimed, but teams really want to see how their own talent works out. #1: I'm surprised he's on the roster now. I'd say he's the most likely one of all to be moved - I almost think XO taking Kindl's spot on this team is written in stone. I just wonder why Kenny hasn't pulled the trigger yet - perhaps it's a combination of him asking too much for Kindl, or there not being a market for Kindl. Either way. #2: I agree about Lashoff, but I wonder if the team would be comfortable with swapping guys like Smith, Quincey and XO in and out of the line-up. If they landed Green, I imagine that those would be the three who would be rotated. It would be a good problem to have, but I think all three guys are better than that. #3: I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility, either. I actually think Smith would be moved before Quincey, tbh. Holland seems to be high on Quincey, and he's only got a year left on his deal after this season. Ideally, if Smith moves, it's part of a package for something better. If we're signing Green, I don't know what they try to land with Smith. If they moved him for a pick, I'm not sure how I'd feel about it.

While I totally understand the mentality behind this, we're basically out of spots on the back-end for next season. I'm not being snarky at all, but I'm curious as to what you think would be done with some of our defenders should they sign Green in the off-season. Kronwall, Ericsson, DeKeyser, Quincey, Kindl and Lashoff are all signed, Smith is surely going to be retained, and the team (Babcock) seems to want Ouellet up on a permanent basis. There are a few possible solutions. If we add Green to the line-up, then we have nine serviceable NHL defenders. I have a few ideas, but they don't seem ideal or Holland-esque (combination of buyout Kindl, waive Lashoff, keep Ouellet in GR). Just wondering what you think they'd do to make room for Green.

I am not a violent man, but I will throw a shoe at you, sir/ma'am. We have plenty of young help here and in lower leagues - it's just not "blue chip" talent. Patience is a virtue.

So much for my theory. Fleury and Halak will be taking Howard and Rinne's spots in the ASG. http://www.nhl.com/ice/blogpost.htm?id=35959&navid=nhl:topheads

And yet, as much as Babcock loves to win - the more they stink, the less he'll want to go there. They're a team in desperate need of a rebuild, and part of why Bacock (this is my assumption) is holding out in Detroit is because he wants to see where this team stands with guys like Nyquist and Tatar taking on bigger roles. Can he win with this group of guys? If he thinks he can, I think he stays.

It's been about 5 years since Brett Favre retired. I remember that he held on too long, and I don't even watch football. Chelios hung them up about 5 years ago, too. I'll never forget that he wound up splitting time between Atlanta and the Chicago Wolves during his last season, because he wasn't willing to retire when he should have. I'm sure not every one will remember this stuff, but some will.

Hey guys, how's it go...

Listening to their commentary during the Brown-Krejci scrum... Sweet Jesus, spot picking. Where have I seen spot picking before? A scrub going after a talented player on another team... hmm. Starts at about the 1:40 mark.

Kindl + 2nd or Smith for Petry seems like fair value to me. I understand some people are high on Smith. If I'm being objective about this, he and Smith have similar PPG and Petry has more of a physical edge to his game. Smith was selected 27th overall in his draft year, Petry was 45th in his. Petry is only two years older than Smith, as well. That said, I do think teams like Pittsburgh will offer more, especially with Maatta out for the season. Not to mention, if there is one guy I would count on wanting to come to Detroit this off season, it would be Petry. With some of the bigger names, I would think that spending assets to get them here would be a smart move, but I'm not sold on having to move assets to get Petry in Detroit. Only issue with that scenario that we'd have 8 defenders (Kronwall, Ericsson, DeKeyser, Quincey, Smith, Petry, Kindl and Lashoff) on the team, with Ouellet ready to come up. Some decisions would have to be made.

So, back to the ASG, I was reading an article by Sean McIndoe (Down Goes Brown on Twitter) about the weirdest ASG appearances in history. In 1983, Richard Brodeur was the Canucks' starter, but he suffered an ear injury that would keep him out of the game. "That left the league with a problem. Brodeur was the Canucks’ only All-Star selection, and the rules said that each team had to be represented. And since he was a goalie, his replacement would need to be one too. That left Garrett as the only possible choice, even though he’d won only six games all year. At the time, the whole thing was viewed as “kind of a mockery of the sport,” according to, uh, John Garrett himself." Makes me wonder if they'll elect to use Mrazek in the game, given that this is how the situation was handled in the past.

Honestly, I was surprised to read this, too. Babcock's not usually one for sentiment, at least where hockey is concerned. All I can picture is a kid at the grocery store, trying to contain his/her excitement. Their parent finally caves and says, "OK, you can get ONE chocolate bar", and the kid storms off at 100mph to grab one.

If I had a gun with two bullets, and I was in a room with Hitler, Bin Laden and Jack Edwards, I would shoot Jack Edwards twice.

I actually wouldn't mind Zidlicky under different circumstances. At this point, swapping something like Kindl and a pick, or Kindl and a prospect only exchanges Kindl's spot with Zidlicky/Michalek/whoever. I truly believe this team gets better by moving two defenders out (thus giving XO a spot), not just one. I really want Holland to be proactive, if at all possible. At this point, I think I'm asking too much for a deal like this to go down. Chances are, he swaps Kindl and a piece we should hang onto for a vet, and then either sends XO back down or waives Lashoff to make room for him. Meh.