Jesusberg

I'd honestly love to see the logjam figured out with Nyquist still on this team, but I'm not sure that's going to happen. I feel like the four "NHL" players tonight (Miller, Emmerton, Tatar & Gus) are all guys fighting for a regular spot in the line-up. I really think Gus having the two games of waiver eligibility is going to hurt his chances. And as far as "the best players will play" mantra of this club, I think Glendening has shown FAR more than Emmerton. I'd be 100% behind him as the 4th line C until Helm comes back.

Yep. Puck protection was really solid there. Ouellet with the heads-up shot on net. Solid play, all around.

Monster for the year. There's really no point in having Mrazek up with the team until next season at the earliest.

Honestly, he drives me insane, but so did a guy named Jakub Kindl for about three years. Defensemen blossom late - he just really needs to calm down. Most of us around here (myself included) were ready to ship Jake off without a second thought. Now the guy's considered the 2nd best offensive d-man on the team and looks great running that second PP unit. Seriously, how many defenders truly meet their expectations? Just from around the same period of time Smith was drafted... Hickey, Ellerby, Plante, Petrecki, Teubert, Cuma, Ellis, de Haan, Moore, etc, etc. Tons of defenders have no played up to their expectations, nor does it seem as if they will. Smith is in a good position to be insulated and play regular time on the third pairing. I know we'd all love to see young talent flourish on the team, but I think defenders are a whole different animal. Only time will tell whether or not Smith will meet his expected potential.

No, he didn't take Tatar's spot. Gosh, you guys are all overreacting. *deletes previous posts* Seriously though, good to see him getting some top six time. Would have really preferred to see him play with Mule, but maybe Weiss can set him up for a goal or two. Hoping he does well tonight.

Pretty cool to read. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about Malik tweeting Tatar that he's going to be on the team. I don't think "unprofessional" is the word I'm looking for here, but there's just something kind if weird about it. I mean, Tatar has been a bit confused, but you'd think he knows more than a local blogger. It's kind of like saying, "Hey man, your girlfriend is going to say 'yes' to your proposal." I dunno - good to read, either way. As far as eating crow, I'll admit I overreacted at the beginning, but it's also completely logical to assume that he could have been one of the guys to move. When you compare the guys on the bubble, he's one of the few with any trade value. Bert and Sammy don't have much value to other teams, and would likely enforce their NTCs. Emmerton has value as a center (with Helm out) and most of us would like to see Gus in Detroit, not GR. That leaves Eaves and Tootoo, who may not have much value to other teams (but at least one of them is going to have to move - perhaps both once Helm returns). My best guess is Helm on LTIR, Gus in GR and Tootoo is moved... then maybe Eaves once Helm returns down the road. Going to be interesting if/when injury issues arise and they want to call Gus up. He's only got two games in the NHL before his waiver eligibility runs out.

I want Tatar on this team as much as the next guy, but he's GOT to cut this stuff out: "Tomas Tatar. It's hard not to pretend that all these forwards aren't here." He's going to defeat himself. I know he's likely frustrated - it's a tough situation to be in, but he has to keep his head on his shoulders until the second they say, "there's no room for you here, we're going to have to move you to another team." He simply cannot have this attitude, or he's only going to take himself off the team before the season starts.

You mean the 100K of relief that would provide? Detroit would still be taking on 2.9 million of Samuelsson's cap hit. http://www.capgeek.com/faq/what-s-a-35-plus-contract.php What happens when Helm returns? Real cap hit and real bodies need to be moved out. Helm on LTIR, Eaves and Tootoo actually traded (Not sure who'd want them. Have to hope for injury issues in training camps). Even then, guys are playing on lines they're not suited for (my opinion). The roster is a cluster**** at the moment. I think this team needs to get a little lucky in the next three weeks.

Looking at this objectively, getting past my initial shock and annoyance, it's not the end of the world of Tatar was moved. The team has a lot of young talent. (Gus, Jurco, Mantha, Pulu, Frk, etc.) who are going to be contributors in the future. Winning the tournament in TC showed that. But... what does this say to future prospects? Sure, the Red Wings are loyal to their vets, but what about their prospects who put in all that work at the junior and pro levels? What motivation are some of these kids going to have when being drafted by Detroit... "Well, I won't even sniff their roster for 5-6 years, so I can take it easily initially." I understand that'd be a poor attitude to have, but I feel like management needs to come down off their pedestal for a second. For a guy who says that the way to maintain success in this league is through the draft, he sure has a funny way of showing it. You've got TWO of the best players in the AHL, and they're fringe guys on your club, not because of talent, but because of some misguided sense of loyalty. In my eyes, Dan Cleary is not the issue... it's Ken Holland (or perhaps Illitch to an extent?). Cleary is a perfect 3rd line guy. He could even fit in on a 4th line of Miller-Helm/Andy-Cleary... but when you're showing younger talent that you don't have much faith in them. I don't even know.

Unless they can unload Samuelsson and one of Eaves/Tootoo, this is absolutely ridiculous. I love Dan Cleary as a 3rd line guy who can bump up a line when needed, but in this case... this roster is a huge mess. Yikes.

Because, and unless something has changed, those guys aren't desired assets. Add in that Holland loves his vets, and what do you think is going to happen? They're 2.3 million and 3 forwards over now. Let's say Helm goes on LTIR. Take Emmerton and Andersson (shouldn't even be on there) off that list, we need centers. Send Gus down to GR (sad), since Bertuzzi and/or Samuelsson will be using those spots on the 3rd line. And yeah, it'd be ideal to move one of them, but who wants them? Seriously. That leaves the team with Eaves and Tootoo. It's plausible that one is moved, and cap relief comes with either move. It's curious that neither has been moved yet, despite rumors that they're the ones to go. Makes me wonder if there's much of a market for them. Regardless, let's say it's Tootoo who goes. Z-Dats-Abs Mule-Weiss-Alfie Bert-Andersson-Samuelsson Miller-Emmerton-Cleary Tatar, Eaves Is that really where Tatar belongs? Whose spot does he take? I personally feel like he'd be wasted on the 4th line, or on the bench. Bert and Sammy don't strike me as 4th liners, either. This forward roster is just a mess at the moment.

His contributions last post-season have been noted. The issue lies in him taking a roster spot from someone likes Tatar, who at this point, has to be feeling like a pile of garbage. You don't sign a veteran with a wonky knee at the expense of a 22-year-old goal scoring winger.

Not that any part of this is "OK", but I'm glad the team has guys who play a similar type game (defensive, PK) as Helm. No one's going to be Darren Helm, but Ferraro and Sheahan are going to be capable bottom six, PK guys in the near future. Guess I'm just trying to look for a silver lining here... bleh.

My god, can this guy catch a break? Looks like him being on LTIR is part of the equation for getting two bodies off the team. I imagine that waiving Eaves will be the other half, since Emmerton is going to be used as that 4th C now.

It's Smith for me, but DK is a close 2nd. I actually feel like Kronwall, Ericsson and to a lesser extent Quincey (defensively) and Kindl (offensively) are going to play as expected - Smith and DK are the guys who are going to dictate how much better the team is offensively and/or defensively on the back end. I really hope Smith meets expectations when Babcock "frees" him to play his offensive game.

In Soviet Russia, opponent robs Datsyuk. Seriously, I hope nothing important was taken.

Z-Dats-Alfie Mule-Weiss-Gus Abby-Helm-Bert (Hilarity would ensue between whistles.) Tatar-Andersson-Samuelsson (Kind of seems like more of a 3rd line, but maybe we'll have a 3a, 3b situation.) Emmerton, Miller (Eaves and Tootoo gone, think we should keep Emmerton as Helm insurance) Kronner-E Kindl-Q Smith-DK (I'd like this pairing to grow together, and get used to one another) Lashoff Howard Monster

Has to be music to the ears of some to see that Abs might play on that 3rd line. Personally, I'd like to see 93/90/21 on that 2nd line. Mule might not be a goal scorer, but Tatar sure is. Only issue there is that he'll be up for a deal after this season.

I won't get into who's better or worse, etc... but I am glad that we've got our goaltender locked down for a nice chunk less.

Like others have said, I don't care how he produces, just that he does. It's getting difficult defending his attitude sometimes, though. He really needs to come off like he cares a little more, even if he's just pretending. If the line is Mule-Weiss-Alfredsson, he may really need to step up, though. That's some solid skill, but they're all passive in nature and the type of game they play. Someone's going to have to be willing to fire the puck at the net.

My biggest issue with Sammy being on the team isn't his play, but what he's taking away from the young guys - ice time. With Abs all but certain to be on the 1st line beside Z and Dats, and the 2nd line poised to be Mule-Weiss-Alfie, that knocks guys like Gus and Tatar down even further. The 3rd line of Tatar-Andersson(Helm, healthy)-Nyquist may end up using Sammy instead. Goose doesn't belong on the 4th line, but then again, neither does Samuelsson. It's just an unfortunate situation to have at the moment.

See, this I can get behind. Considering there are twice as many forwards as defensemen, I would much prefer to have one of them "deter" other players. While I'm not sure they'd fit on the Red Wings, guys like Prust and Neil are good examples here. They can play in the top 9, contribute offensively and throw their weight around. I also feel like better players like Simmonds, Clarkson, Ott, Lucic, Clowe, etc are effective, but you lose out on the offense and PP presence they provide if they're in the box for 5 mins all the time. It's definitely nice to have a forward who is able to keep other teams in check.

But he's a guy who logs 20+ minutes a game. He's not an Engelland, Carkner or McQuaid. If he was their position, playing under 15 minutes a night, then sure... I'd expect him to add something else. In his current position, it makes way more sense to have Ericsson on the ice instead of in the penalty box. While I agree that Tootoo is expendable, I'd actually prefer to see Samuelsson and Eaves go before him. Sammy has no distinct place on the team that can't be taken by a better or younger player, and at this point Eaves is a lesser skilled, injury prone version of Miller. While I don't think Tootoo has a ton of value, he brings something that neither one of those guys do. I still think it'll be near impossible to get rid of Samuelsson, but in an ideal world I'd move him before Tootoo. And as far as upgrading defense, I actually don't think it's an issue at all. Every one on defense has a clear role (Kronwall, Ericsson, Kindl, Quincey), or is a young guy with potential (Smith, DeKeyser, Lashoff) looking to establish himself. While we certainly don't have the best defense on paper, I do think it's a very practical corps. They're a very good transition group - Sproul, Ouellet, Jensen, etc. will benefit from those younger guys getting experience now.

Way better defenders may have logged tons of fighting majors, but it's a different game now. Relatively, he means a ton to this current team, considering the rest of the defensive corps. He's their best defensive d-man, and the PK isn't the same when he's not on it.

Per Helene St. James: "#RedWings have come to terms on two-year deal with forward Gustav Nyquist, average salary cap hit of $950,000." Nice price tag, for sure. Glad to have him locked up.