Jesusberg

At that point, I feel like teams are willing to see what they have in their players to start the season. Now they've had a chance to see who's working out/who is not. I would be worried to call Cally up at this point in the year - I think someone would grab him. Definitely think he's got more value than Nestrasil.

Bob McKenzie@TSNBobMcKenzie More than 1 team put in claim on Nestrasil. CAR lowest in standings, tho. CAR coach Bill Peters obviously familiar with player from DET days

Well, that's lame.

That's not even the point, but go ahead with that. There's a difference between smart financial planning and people blowing all of your money without telling you. I had the same reaction.

No. I think they could patch him up properly in that instance, and the cut isn't pressed up against sweaty gear. Not to mention, a cut on the cheek, nose, etc (except for maybe his eye) isn't going to impact his play nearly as much as an infection setting in on his hand.

I agree completely.

I honestly don't understand the amount of slack they've given Carlyle. The guy's already hung himself with what they've given him. He doesn't have any answers. I'd agree about him being gone by/around the new year, but I'm not even sure they Leafs' brass has that much sense. They needed to make changes in personnel and staff about 6 months ago, IMO.

He's an idiot? Really? I can't speak for anyone else, but the last person in this world I'd expect to screw me over financially is my mother. It's one thing to be awful with money, but what they did with his money goes beyond being financially irresponsible - they milked the **** out of him. They treated him like a cash cow and ran his debt into the ground. The amount they spent/lost has more to do with their greed and taking advantage of a situation than it does with making smart decisions. Disgusting on their part.

Yep. I think it could have been handled better - simply just for precautionary measures, beyond the possibility of infection. Considering where they were in the game (which is basically my point, but by all means, keep focusing on the infection aspect and giving me a detailed history on "Fluky Hand Injuries: NHL Coaches and the Players They've Doghoused). Just my opinion on it.

I use griffinscentral.com, too. I really wish someone closer covered the prospects on a game-to-game basis, but maybe the demand just isn't there. I'd love to read about how all of the prospects look more often.

Don't think he'll be claimed, but maybe a handful of teams could take a look at him. If he's taken, it'd be a team depleted by injury (Columbus), or perhaps a team that thinks he could work out better than someone on their team who can pass through waivers (Winnipeg).

No way, man. He played on a line with Helm and Nestrasil. If he didn't produce then, he's not going to ever. He just wants his cheque, man. /end jerk-ish, sarcastic commentary. Seriously, if he can somehow slot into a top 6 center role, that would be amazing. I'd still love to see something like, Z-Dats-Abs Mule-Weiss-Goose Tatar-Sheahan-Jurco Miller-Glendening-Helm I know there would be concerns with getting that 2nd line going, but that's where the 3rd line could kick in at times. Even swapping Tatar for Mule if/when necessary. It just gives the team more options.

There's not, on my part anyway, but this just seems careless. Considering where the team was at that point in the game, (up by 4, 11 minutes left and 6 mins by the time his penalty was over) he shouldn't have been back out. It was pointless for him to come back out, and now his hand is worse off than it had to be. Whether it's Smith's call, Babs' call or the training staff, it could have been avoided. It's more about the situation than a minor injury that occurs constantly throughout the season.

Fair enough about putting his hand back into bacteria filled equipment being the reason, but who's the genius who put him back out there? "We're up 4-0 and you've got an open wound on your hand. Get back out there, chief." It didn't occur to the training staff that this might happen? At worse, they may have said, "well, it's likely that your hand is already infection from making contact with Foligno's teeth - go out there and make it worse!" It just feels like it could have been avoided, or handled better, but I know nothing about this kind of thing.

I'm no expert, but didn't Smith leave the box right away to get it cleaned up? How did an infection get a chance to set in? Is Foligno diseased? Also, if E is out, they basically have to call up Ouellet. We'd be down to 5 D. The good/cool news is that Mrazek gets to start in Winnipeg, though I find it a little odd to sit a goaltender after a shutout...

Grouping them together has more to do with Detroit's need for depth at C than anything - Mantha is clearly the superior player. I'd say it's more like mentioning the two players as being off limits for trades, not necessarily for the same reasons. I'm just talking about not giving up a player based on his relative value to this team. Outside of Larkin, the team has Janmark and Athanasiou if he winds up playing C.

So hoping that Larkin is going to be a legitimate top six center is frivolous, but hoping Myers can turn it around isn't? Myers might very well be our #1 defender, but Larkin may very well become a #1 center. What's the difference? Time? Myers does have a proven track record at the NHL level - one of regression after his first two years. This team is most definitely lacking top-end centermen, and our current ones are long in the tooth. I'm all for beefing up the blueline, but not at the expense of moving a player from a position of weakness. I don't think Larkin is the next coming, but I do think that this team is going to need a center at that point much more than a defender. The great thing about having 4-5 potential NHL defenders is that we're going to get to see which ones stick, and which don't. This team doesn't have that luxury up front, and needs to keep the talent they have there. I'm not anti-Myers at all - I think he's a solid defender, and he could turn things around... but that's just not worth the gamble of moving this team's best center prospect. If this team had some younger guys up the middle, or if Nyquist could convert to center, perhaps. Not right now, though. Sure, and both guys were coming from teams in desperate need of cap space. Boston, in particular, dreaded moving Boychuk. Chicago and Boston moved two players out of necessity, to a team they don't believe to be a legitimate contender. Boston got two 2nd round picks from the Isles - I doubt two 2nd rounders from Detroit would fetch the same kind of player, but who knows. What I do know is that someone like Buffalo, a team in the same conference, isn't going to be doing Detroit any favors - they don't need to move Myers.

That Mantha-Miele-Pulu line, though... Seriously thinking it would be a smart idea to swap Jurco/Pulkkinen soon. If the Datsyuk experiment doesn't get Jurco going, maybe the AHL will. I think Pulkkinen is showing he deserves a look, at the very least.

The parity in the NHL is just insane now - it's so difficult to predict who's going to win/go on streaks, anymore. Even some of the powerhouse teams (Boston, St. Louis, Los Angeles) have had a ton of ups and downs this season. Meanwhile, teams like Calgary, Nashville, Winnipeg and Vancouver are coming out of nowhere. It's just mind boggling (and a pain if you're into fantasy hockey or Pro-Line).

So you're criticizing him for not being able to get players here, yet upset because he tried without showing his hand? You're not going to publicly state, "I want Dan Boyle to sign here, we think he's going to improve our powerplay." What negotiating leverage would that give the team? Teams know Detroit is desperate for a RH defender, and they're asking for an arm and a leg in trade discussions. Kenny's not exactly playing from a position of strength. Kenny did strike out, and that's why the youth movement is here... but what have those other FA's done? Stralman's played well, but you can argue that part of his success is in due part to Tampa's system. I'm kind of glad he struck out this off-season, to be honest. The previous one, we landed Alfie and Weiss (who's showing, for right now anyway, that signing FA's long term can be risky) who were two of the "bigger fish". Can't win every off season.

People like to hate on PK's swagger (my word, not his), but my GOD you would love him here. There wouldn't be any, "he's cocky/arrogant/a rat" stuff here. There'd be just a bunch of accusations about swagger haters™ from other team's fan bases.

Sproul with his 1st of the year, too.

The only young assets this team should be moving are defenders. We'll have a glut of them in the near future, but the forwards... not a chance. We're going to need every bit of Nyquist, Tatar, Jurco, Mantha and Larkin that we can get. I'd consider moving some of the others, perhaps, but they don't carry near the same value as the aforementioned players. As for this move, I think it makes more sense for Montreal than Dallas. Montreal frees up some space for next season to sign guys like Galchenyuk, Gallagher and whoever else they're going to retain. I think it sends their defense back a bit this season, but it's likely worth it. From Dallas' perspective, I don't really get it. One thing they've got in spades is bottom six players. They're sorely lacking defenders who can play on the PP, so I wonder if they're freeing up the space this year because they're targeting someone... *cough* Myers *cough*.

Did his off season training include an ambidexterity routine? As far as the actual lines are concerned, the growing trend of "insert scrub on line with star players" is here to stay. I truly feel as if the days of true top lines is being weeded out. There are a few right now - Kunitz-Crosby-Hornqvist, Forsberg-Ribiero-Neal, Benn-Spezza-Seguin (before Spezza was moved back to 2C). Other teams, especially ones who are scrambling for offense, are mixing and matching. San Jose's throwing Wingels on lines with Marleau-Couture, Thornton-Pavelski, Patty Maroon and Smith-Pelly have both been used with Getzlaf-Perry. Last night, Washington used Ovie-Backstrom-Beagle, so it's not like this is a Red Wings thing. Seems to me like we're seeing more 2nd and 3rd lines shine (with pure offensive talent, using younger players) - Pearson-Carter-Toffoli, Schwartz-Lehtera-Tarasenko, Palat-Johnson-Kucherov. Teams are kind of canceling those top lines out, and hoping the secondary scoring can come through. Not saying it's the best way to go, but it seems to be what's happening now in the NHL - seeking offense from young players on lower lines. If Detroit can get guys like Tatar, Jurco, etc going, I see the offense kicking in. I'm of the opinion that it may be time to send Jurco down for a bit, and call Pulkkinen up and play him on that 3rd line.

I think it's obviously Lash. He's played solid, but Quincey is better. The rest have or are establishing more value to the team.