Jesusberg

Detroit was in the mix for him when he was leaving Wisconsin. I'm not sure if DeKeyser was the year after, or same year... but I remember both of their names popping up at the same time, along with Sustr from the Bolts. I'd be fine with looking into Schultz as a #3-#4 guy for this team, but Mac T says he's got "Norris Trophy potential"... so I don't even want to know his asking price. It would probably be akin to what Murray is asking for Myers.

And with Horachek filling in as interim coach, that's only going to add fuel to the speculation that they're waiting on Babs. *sigh*

In terms of RH defenders, factoring in perceived cost and impact to the team, I would probably rate them as follows: Green > Zidlicky > Petry > Myers I wouldn't move Smith in a deal for Petry, but I would be willing to move Helm (and Kindl, obviously). Might not be a popular decision, and was apparently already rejected by Red Wings' brass (http://oilersnation.com/2014/12/23/jeff-petry-the-detroit-red-wings), but that's the deal I would make. The issue remains, of course, that only swapping out Kindl doesn't create a spot for XO. I always feel like I'm a bit off on perceived value - maybe it's my time spent on HFboards. This is what I'd be willing to give up for each of those defenders... Green for Helm, Smith + Kindl (Might be seen as an overpayment by some, but I think Detroit could re-sign him. Don't view him as a rental, and think he's got the best offensive instincts of the bunch by far.) Zidlicky for Anderson + Kindl (Could add a pick, but with his age and UFA status, getting two serviceable players should be enough, IMO.) Petry for Helm + Kindl (Again, could be perceived as too much for rental, but I feel Detroit could re-sign.) Myers for Franzen, Smith, rights to Backman + 2nd round pick (I have the most difficulty with this one. They were after Larkin/Mantha, so I'm not sure what this package would do for them. I might offer prospect along the lines of a Tvrdon or Frk instead of that 2nd rounder, but that's it.) Feel free to chime in with any additional targets you think the Wings should go after. I think my value is close on Zidlicky and Petry, but who knows about the other two. Edit: Also, does anyone have a good site that keeps track of which picks teams currently posses for the 2015 draft? I've found a couple, but they're pretty cluttered or seem to be full of old information.

Of course, he would score after these comments...

OK, but let's be serious for a second. Bozak, Winnik, Komarov and Polak would garner at least half a chub from Babs. #heavyonthepuck

Just tell her to celebrate appropriately. I have a friend who's a Leafs fan, who decided to be a Jets fan for the night. Apparently, screaming "Go Jets Go!" repeatedly can bother some Red Wings fans... who would have thought?

Truth. Callahan > Andersson. Lines do look better with Weiss in an offensive role, but there's Helm on the 2nd line wing again. Guess you have to give to get with Babs.

That really is impressive. Crazy to see it put in perspective like that. As far as Quincey wanting to keep things simple and play defensive hockey... please keep it up KQ. Even if his play is a microcosm of the team's, he's doing right by Kyle Quincey. I'm having flashbacks to last season when he was 2nd in shots among Detroit defenders. Let Danny do the shooting. While we're on the topic, stop shooting Ericsson. Just stop. Big Rig... smash. No shoot. Smash.

I know it's not real, but couldn't you just swap Weiss and Helm on the GDT? We can pretend, right? Anyway, 5-2 for the good guys.

I'm near positive that George spent the next month staying up at night, thinking, "Why doesn't Mikey like me?"

Seriously. How often do you see him cut people off when being asked questions? Watch him during an interview. You can almost hear him thinking, "God, you're stupid. These questions are stupid. Glendening is hard on the puck. Oh, is it my turn to speak again?" I liked him as a coach, but he is ridiculously impatient with the media... or maybe it's just with HSJ.

The irony behind Kessel being asked if he's difficult to coach, then insisting he's not by throwing a tantrum... ahh. To be fair, the media here is difficult, but he should be a little more used to it by now.

Seriously... best case scenario = they hire Bylsma within the next few days. That or Babcock signs a four year extension... but that would be a distraction, or something. Not like this situation right now. I'm going to have to avoid Facebook and Twitter until one of the two happens.

Really liked that play by Hicketts in the last minute. Just a smart little play, but he held onto the puck on the delayed offside. The Canadians were jumpy all game - was nice to see someone calm things down a bit at an important time in the game.

As much as I'd like to see Pulu up with the Wings, I don't think moving Jurco to another team is the solution. I think he's got an edge to his game that you're not going to find with some of the other prospects/players in the organization. Even if his skill game doesn't meet expectation, he can serve as a net presence/puck retrieval type guy. I was all for Jurco starting the year in the AHL (if Alfie was going to return) and I still kind of feel as if he might have been better served down there. He could be dominating on a line with Pulkkinen. It may be against "lesser" competition, but I think it would have done him some good - he's still only 22, and he never got a full season of dominating play in the AHL. Either way, there are about 2-3 guys I'd move before Jurco in order to open a spot for someone else.

Like... Stupor Saiyan? HockeyyInsiderr = NHLSourcesSay, at least in terms of being click bait on a smaller scale. People would cite NSS during the off-season. I'm pretty sure they had something about Green coming here for Tatar, as well. I'm all for adding on to the back-end, but giving away your leading goal scorer for a project? Yikes. Helene writing about it, on the other hand, is just plain idiotic. I'm starting to feel like Ansar Khan is the only legitimate source for Red Wings material. He rarely speculates, and when he does, it's generally very reasonable.

I'm actually pro-Smith - I've wanted him on the 2nd PP unit all season long. For me, moving him comes down to two factors: his perceived trade value vs. other defenders on this team, and his role on this team in Babcock's eyes. Kronwall, DeKeyser and Ericsson (for better or worse) won't be moved, IMO. Quincey, Kindl and Lashoff have little value. They may have some value, but it's certainly not enough to bring in a top 4 defender - it's arguable that Smith has that value. If anyone's got a chance to land the offensive guy the team needs, it's probably Smith. While you and I may see that #3 upside, I'm not sure Mike Babcock does. Maybe he's still "breaking him in", but I don't think Babcock is putting Smith in situations that are showing his full potential. For him to refuse to use him on that 2nd PP with all the issues with Kindl... I just don't get it. It seems to me that Babcock is stuck on keeping him in that #5 role. He just doesn't seem to trust Smith - he even played Ouellet more than him the last game XO played, I think? (correct me if I'm wrong) My point is, if Smith isn't going to be used in an offensive, top 4 role, I don't see how he's going to meet that potential. Maybe he does break out, and maybe he shows some real offensive potential... does Babcock reward his play, or does he continue to play the guys he trusts more? I'm inclined to believe the latter.

Honestly, it's not about bringing in Callahan, so much as it is about giving guys proper roles. I do think you're underestimating Callahan's skill set, but that's another story. I might be in the minority here, but I can't understand why Stephen Weiss is starting games on the fourth line. If the idea in the new NHL is to balance out scoring throughout a top 9, I'm putting the guy scoring at a .86 PPG click over Helm's .43. I don't think Callahan is better than Helm - I'm not that crazy. I do think he's more suited for a 4th line role on this team, though. Especially when it seems like Babcock is unwilling to play Weiss over Helm, and that he keeps going back to wanting Abdelkader 2.0. I fully admitted: "My ideal (and totally unrealistic, because people probably wouldn't take on Mule's contract) package would be Franzen, Helm and Smith for someone like Green or Yandle." I know it's not realistic, but those two guys are my ideal candidates to be moved. Even if they're not being replaced by Pulkkinen and Callahan, guys like Mantha, AA and Larkin are going to be on Detroit before you know it - surely before Mule's contract is up. Maybe the assets are off, but I'm starting to lean toward the, "we should bring in a capable defender now" mentality. Some of the guys on the team right now are playing below expectation (at least my expectation), and others on the way might need some more time to become impact players. I'm not against adding someone like Ellis, but I'm not sure about his availability. He's got 5 years of term, he's 3rd in TOI for Nashville now (playing above Jones) and the team is doing well. I mentioned Green and Yandle because of their current status, or the situation their team is in. The whole idea behind my suggestion is to add to the back-end, because our forwards seem to be a position of strength, with more on the way. I do think this team needs to make at least one younger winger available for trade, and one or more of the defensive prospects in order to shore up the blueline.

"I don't care. That's not my job. I just play hockey." The Holy Slapper has no time for job politicking

Considering the team is trying to squeeze in the forwards they already have, it'd be a big no from me. Unless, of course, they wanted to take Kindl and Andersson in return as JEH suggested Jagr strikes me more as someone a team like Nashville, the Rangers or Pittsburgh (as unlikely as that would be now) should pick up. Add some secondary scoring for a pick. Detroit needs to sort things out at forward - not add something else.

They're on a rough stretch. If this team is terrible, I'd hate to see what it's like being a fan of the other 21 teams below them in the standings. They could use a shake-up, but it's not the end of the world.

My only issue here is... do we really know this? Don't get me wrong, I do think he'd have issues on the PP, but do we really have an idea of what he looks like on the PP? Last season, I believe he played the left point with Kronwall, before they started using the 1-3-1 formation - he never really got the chance to man the point. Leaves you wondering what he looks like in practice on the PP, and perhaps that being the reason Babcock has kept him off of it. I see Smith's passing as a plus - I think he passes the puck accurately, and fairly quickly. IT does the PP good to get the puck around quick. One of the things they mentioned early on is that they weren't opening anything up, because the distribution was too slow. On the flipside, I see Smith's pass reception and puck handling skills as a minus, which, tied to the part of your post that I underlined could cause all kinds of fun problems if he's manning the blueline. I swear, every time I see him receive a pass, I worry a little. He's gotten better, but I always have visions of the puck bouncing off his stick, and then him scrambling to recover it. He also seems to have a tendency to whiff on his passes sometimes. When he does those things in the defensive zone, he's got some time to recover. If the PK forwards are playing him tight at the point... yikes. Maybe we were saying the same thing here. That being said, I'd still like to see him on there over Kindl for sure. I can assume he's going to have these issues on the point, but they've given him something like 10 minutes of PP time total, all season. I mean, I think it's an option worth exploring, at least.

I agree about Smith, but I don't think it would be the pinching that would get him in trouble on the PP - it would be the way he handled the puck. My worry with Smith is basically what happens with Kindl on a regular basis - mishandling the puck and poor shot selection. I wasn't really a fan of DeKeyser on the PP when he started there, but I think he keeps it simple and that works with the formation they're using this year. If Smith could simplify things, I think he could work on the 2nd unit. He's got better offensive instincts than DeKeyser, and I don't think they're limited being the late man joining the rush and finding passing lanes. Last night was an example of his puck moving skills, IMO. Kept his head up; quick puck distribution over to Tatar. As well as DK controls the puck, sometimes I think he's a little slow on the distribution. I'd like to see Smith take over on the 2nd unit, but at this point it looks like it's DeKeyser's spot to lose.

Green's got those defensive shortcomings, as well. Again, I'm not advocating moving depth for the sake of it. I think we've got someone in Pulkkinen who would excel in a scoring winger role more than Helm, and I believe Franzen is going to be surpassed by 3-4 wingers within two-three seasons. Perhaps moving Franzen right now is a bit much at the moment, but I feel like his value is going to decline quite a bit in the next few season. I would still do Helm, Smith and a pick/prospect for Green/Yandle, but I'm not sure that gets it done. I just don't understand management sometimes. Kindl and Smith are guys who are going to excel on the PP, and struggle in other areas of the game. I swear, every time Smith has gotten a shred of time on the PP this season, he's done something with it. Yet, here he sits with an average of 19 seconds of PP time per game, despite how little Babcock wants to use Kindl. He's got little faith in them there, so what do you do with them? It's a situation where I wish Holland would s*** or get off the pot. If they're unwilling to use those guys in situations where they'll do well, find someone who will be used. Something has to give with the defense, anyway.

Sometimes I think this team has too much depth, and it creates situations where guys are playing out of their roles. I hate to use the phrase "trim the fat", but I think that's exactly what this team should do going into next season. Depending on performances, I think it would be smart to put together a package for a top 4 defender at the deadline. I'd like to preface this by saying I'm not anti-Mule by any means, but I do think that Pulkkinen, Mantha and perhaps AA will be knocking on the door soon. My ideal (and totally unrealistic, because people probably wouldn't take on Mule's contract) package would be Franzen, Helm and Smith for someone like Green or Yandle. Some might think it's a little steep for a rental like Green, and I highly doubt it's even enough for Yandle in Arizona's eyes, but I think Detroit could retain Green next season and Yandle's got term. I'd put Kindl in there instead of Smith, but that doesn't solve freeing up a spot for Ouellet, and no one wants Kindl. The best we can hope to get for Kindl is a burnt, grilled cheese sandwich. Anyway, the whole point is to free up some space - better define roles on the team. I'd like to go into next season with something like this: Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Abdelkader Tatar-Sheahan-Nyquist Jurco-Weiss-Pulkkinen Miller-Glendening-Callahan Andersson, Ferraro/Burnt Grilled Cheese Sandwich Kronwall-Ericsson DeKeyser-Green/Yandle Ouellet-Quincey Lashoff Howard Mrazek I'm sure this is all for naught, but I'm tired of seeing Helm pushed into scoring winger roles because we have proper center depth, and I think Mule becomes expendable very soon. This whole scenario might be a little kooky, but I've had like three candy cane hot chocolates, so whatever.