Jesusberg

Griffinscentral, HF and hockeydb have him listed at 170-174, and they're checked quite often (at least by me). I used to go to RWC for up-to-date info. NHL wasn't always dependable - at times I'd find guys with the wrong handedness. I'm assuming they've gotten better, and AHL is reliable?

Which makes sense, but I think two factors come into play. #1: Do those guys choose to come to Detroit? I'm not saying Detroit isn't a destination, but I do think that guys going to FA creates bidding wars. That, and if someone comes to this team, brass has a chance to win them over/get them to buy into the program. That said, if a guy wants to cash in, he wants to cash in. #2: If you sign one of those guys as a free agent, you're likely leaving out Ouellet. I'm not sure your take on it, but I want him on this team full time. This is assuming they can unload Kindl, too. It's possible Kenny moves Kindl, and waives Lashoff to make room for a free agent and XO (Kronwall, Ericsson, DeKeyser, Green/Petry, Quincey, Smith & Ouellet). In that case, someone's rotating in who, IMO, should be playing on a nightly basis.

I get what you're saying, but I feel like the last time Holland did this was when he traded for Stuart. Outside of there being some sort of emergency, or him wanting to bring back a familiar face, Holland just seems content to stand pat. Admittedly, I'm glad he has for the most part, as it's been great to stock up on prospects again. I think this team is in a different place now, though. I think it's time to pull the trigger on a deal for an offensive defender, whether we're in contention or not. I'm not sure we've got a bona fide top 4, offensive defender in Smith. Maybe it happens in a couple seasons, but I'm not really sold on it. Even if he has that potential, it seems evident that Babcock doesn't trust him, which makes me doubt he'll be played in a role where he can thrive. I know we don't have that in Kindl, and Ericsson has been suspect. In all honesty, Kronwall and DeKeyser are the only guys I trust in a top 4 role right now. I think Detroit is in a place where they have a piece like Smith (who may flourish in another role, elsewhere), and some other pieces a bit further away like Sproul, Marchenko and Jensen, Backman's rights, a draft pick, one of the extra forwards on this team. I don't think they have the assets to land an elite guy, but I do think they can make a move for a top 4 guy. I'm not advocating a deal for the sake of it - I'm not for overpayment. However, I do think this team needs a legitimate offensive threat on the back end, and that they have the assets to pull it off. Even though I don't think it's likely, I think it's time for Holland to pony up and take a risk.

Landon's a weird one. Scored 37 the year before he was drafted, then dropped off. Had a solid sophomore season in GR, then slumped last season. More minutes or not, he's got some consistency issues. I agree about him needing to gain weight, too. Not skilled enough to play on a scoring line, not heavy/physical enough to playing a check role usually = AHL purgatory.

OK, well if you happen to talk to Brian anytime soon, here is a picture of Kip on vacation last summer. Tell him to swing first, and ask questions later.

I believe the one player of consequence who is out of options is Pulkkinen. Not 100%, though. To be honest, if prices are too high, I could see Kenny standing pat. While it`s not ideal, he doesn't have to make any decisions until 2016-17 on defense. Assuming he moves Kindl this off season, Quincey and Lashoff are off the books for 2016-17. He could simply keep Kronwall, DeKeyser, Ericsson and Smith until then, allow XO to take Kindl's spot next year and let Sproul, Jensen and Marchenko battle for the last two spots heading into that season. While I don't like this approach, I do think it's entirely possible.

According to...? Jensen signed at age 22 in 2013, which means he's got 3 years of waiver exemption from that date. They have until 2016-17 to figure out Jensen's situation, as well. Doesn't have a huge impact on moving people, but it does buy them some extra time. Or, at least I think... CapGeek would come in handy right now.

I was going to say something along these lines. I imagine it would mean Smith, Jurco, Pulkkinen/Ouellet/Sproul + 2nd (at least). Since we don't have a Krug, those other parts have to be more appealing, so the Jurco, Pulu, etc. would have to be included. Too much, for sure. I actually think Boston could be better equipped than us to pull this off. Krug, Spooner/Griffith, Kelly+ high pick might be able to get it done. Though, like they say in the post, Boston needs to shed salary. The "young roster player" might be where Arizona would have to leave some wiggle room. The deal doesn't get done without Boston moving Kelly (or perhaps Eriksson, but I think he's still a solid player). If AZ is asking for someone like Smith or Soderberg, I think Boston laughs and walks. That deal itself seems a little steep, IMO, but I think Boston might get desperate. With Vermette looking like he's going to walk, Kelly might be somewhat appealing to the 'Yotes.

Which is what I said...

Agreed, minus the crossed out part. I really don't think Ericsson is better than Petry. They're fairly close in some respects, but I think Petry edges him out in a couple areas. I think Petry got more offensive capabilities, and is more physical. He has more blocked shots as well, but they are kind of moot, since Edmonton sees way more shots on net.

I know this isn't going to be popular with anyone except for krsmith, but I'd actually try Smith up with Kronwall. If it blows up, switch it back. Isn't the definition of insanity trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different result? Kronwall-Ericsson isn't working - they've got 6 even strength points together, and they're not exactly a defensive stalwart. I think throwing Smith up there might actually generate some offense, and perhaps showcase him for a trade (krsmith won't like this part). Ericsson just can't seem to keep it together this year. I like the idea of balancing pairs, regardless of where they're supposed to fit, (Top 4 vs. Top 6, etc.) but Ericsson hasn't brought much balance to the pair up to this point. Honestly, I would try DeKeyser up there with Kronwall as well, but I think trying this first kind of gauges where Smith is at, and also leaves our strongest pair together (for now).

OK. I can agree with the idea that 4th liners are, to varying degrees, replaceable players. So let's take a look at what's been this team most used combination on the fourth line: Miller-Gledening-Andersson. On this current team, I think it's very clear that you don't replace Drew Miller or Luke Glendening with an enforcer type player. Detroit is 5th on the PK in the league, and a whole lot of that has to do with Miller and Glendening. They both hit (not a ton, but enough), block shots and make smart defensive plays on a nightly basis. That leaves Andersson, who I fully admit is not an ideal 4th liner. Doesn't hit or block much - his ability to play on the PK is pretty much his only redeeming quality at this point. As I mentioned before, this team uses eight guys on the PP, leaving four to work the PK. In this case, Andersson's value is that he's not going to make guys like Sheahan or Abdelkader work on both the PP and PK. I just don't get the idea of adding a player whose sole contribution to the team is dropping the gloves and "keeping people honest". I named a few guys who are effective in other ways (Dorsett, Prust, Roussel, etc.) who I would take over Andersson without a doubt, but all of them chip in offensively, or also work the PK. There is zero room for a "pure" enforcer type player on this team. It just doesn't fit this team's needs. Not to mention, when this team's fully healthy, it's not using Andersson on the 4th line - it's likely Weiss or Helm. And I just hope you're not advocating using someone like McGrattan or Boll over either of those two.

Who said that?

I kind of think the easiest route would be for them to send a skater from Detroit and the next most-deserving goaltender. Doesn't really make sense to send Gus or Mrazek just because they're goaltenders. Not really a big deal if they have an extra skater - its the ASG, after all.

So Howie to IR, McCollum called up. http://kuklaskorner.com/tmr/comments/wings-place-jimmy-howard-on-ir-tom-mccollum-recalled?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter A Mrazek-McCollum tandem is a little scary, tbh.

As was mine, lol.

Very, very unlikely.

You've lived in Windsor too long, man. I know Uncle Eddie used all his money on the Aquatic Centre, but the city is supposed to salt the roads

I hope it's not serious. I'd hate for KH to panic and make a move for a goaltender. I think it's going to be a bit rough until Gustavsson is good enough to play/back-up, but I'd rather keep the assets in this case. Did they say he was two weeks away? Or is he two weeks away from practicing? If it's two weeks to play, I'd much rather Detroit hang on. They've got one back-to-back at the end of this week, but other than that, Mrazek can play 4 games. They get the All-Star break after that. At the very least, we'll get to see how Mrazek fares against a heavier workload.

Agree with most of what you've said, and I've agreed with this sentiment in the past, but I think Detroit isn't in a situation where they can't even afford to give up a spot to that type of player. We're pretty much devoid of offensive blueliners, so it takes 8 forwards to run this team's PP. Unless you're doubling up on someone, that leaves 4 guys for the PK. Taking a look at the top 10 leaders in fighting majors, it's tough to find someone who could actually fit a need for this team. I see value in Dorsett, Prust, Roussel and Wilson. I'm surprised that Dorsett has chipped in what he has on offense, especially considering his TOI. I don't really like him as a player, but objectively, I'll admit he has some value. Roussel and Prust play some time on the PK, and chip in offensively. Both get more time than your average 4th liner, though. I don't see either guy being in this team's top 9, so I wonder how they'd fare here with less minutes. I'd give both of them a spot over Andersson without hesitation, but that has more to do with their overall game than their willingness to drop the gloves. Wilson... I don't understand how he's being used, to be honest. He actually has potential, and is a whole other type of player. I'm sure when Washington clears up something on the right side, his role on the team is going to change. The other 6 guys (Boll, Tootoo, Crombeen, Martin, McLeod & Borowiecki) I don't see as having much value, for one reason or another. All in all, it'd be nice to have an element to keep other players honest, but I think it's tough to find a guy who can do that and contribute on the 4th line.

Agreed. Both guys are scoring at a .67 PPG clip, yet one is averaging over 16 minutes a night, while the other is getting around 11:30. Babcock keeps saying he's in the business of winning every night, but I get the impression that he's in the business of winning his way, and only his way. That's all fine and good, but the other guy you're playing about five more minutes a night isn't exactly busting his behind, either.

Not that I'm advocating a trade for Yakupov, but this team's had its fair share of issues with Swedish kids going back, too. Ryno, Axelsson, Larsson, Almqvist and now Backman.

I'm pretty sure someone here mentioned it, but right after Weiss took that hooking penalty against Johnny Hockey, Babcock walked over to Hiller and told him something. Right then, I was like "Weiss, meet dog house... again." Just checked, and he ended up with 10:35 TOI.

I hope Pulkkinen puts a shot through the net, then looks right at Ovechkin. Maintain eye contact. Assert your dominance, Pulks. 4-2 for the good guys. Z, Abdelkader, Pulkkinen and Tatar.

OK, which one of you asked Ansar this question. You little superstar, you. Q: What exactly is it in (Kyle) Quincey's game that gets him top-four minutes? I play hockey at a very high level so I know what's going on and I 100 percent honestly don't see why Quincey continues to get top-four minutes, let alone even play every night. - Kelly