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I thought the plan was to have him play in GR for most of the season and get called up a few times throughout the year. He would then play a couple playoff games for the Wings (assuming the Wings make it and get up a couple games on a team) and end his career in a Wings' jersey.

That was a gutless, dirty play. For those who didn't see the game, here is what followed the incident.

The only waiver player I want the Wings to pick up is Rosehill (if he gets sent down). Hopefully he gets sent down soon and the Wings can grab him (with Ritola and Miller leaving).

Care to name these AHL caliber players on the Leafs? Their lack of firepower is a result of their lack of elite offensive players outside of Kessel. I don't think anyone playing in their lineup tonight is not worthy of an NHL contract.

Draper isn't going anywhere. He will play ~50 games and not be a liability. It would be good to see some younger players, but he will be on the fourth line playing <10min a game. I don't see how this time would help a prospect develop more than being in GR for 82 games playing 15 min a night.

I believe that Rosehill will have to be placed on waivers to join the Marlies. If the Wings are looking for an enforcer, he would be an excellent choice. He had 2 points in 15 games with the Leafs last season, and probably wouldn't mind sitting in the press-box for a while if he can stay up with the Wings. While it isn't likely, I would love to see this happen.

I can't watch tonight because I'm taking a few people to the CBJ v. ATL game tonight. While our lineup is depleted, it's great to see see Abby, Owens, Mursak, etc getting legitimate minutes in a preseason game.

This may be the first time I've agreed with you. As much as we argue and complain about the roster, we usually are arguing about who the 12th/13th forward should be. Most fans don't have this luxury.

I'm not arguing that point though- I don't think anyone is arguing that enforcers prevent all/most injuries. The point is that the total number of cheapshots is decreased when a fighter is dressed and fights the opposing reckless players. There will be a number of cheapshots before the enforcer can engage, but they will decrease afterward.

I don't understand this logic, especially when the Wings are likely to carry 14 forwards this year. How would it help Tatar (or any other prospect) develop if he is sitting in the press-box for half of the season? Let the prospects play in GR where they can see big minutes every night, and call them up when they are needed. Having Downey play ~40 games when someone needs a break (but not long enough for a call-up) does nothing to hurt the development of prospects. It likely helps IMO.

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I can agree with most of this- an enforcer isn't needed to win. However, this doesn't address the real issue. If the Wings had always carried an enforcer as the 13th forward- playing ~50 games a season- would the Wings have been any less successful?

Did anyone watch the game last year when May fought Boll? Boll was taking runs at Dats, Raffy, etc all game until May forced the issue. After the fight, Boll was playing less recklessly. Does this mean an enforcer will prevent all cheap-shot? No. But they are often successful in stopping a player from continuing their reckless play.

There is such a log-jam in the Wings top-9 that Ritola likely wouldn't have a shot for another two seasons (including this one). Without Modano, Abby would likely have been on the third line. Other than Modano, the Wings have all top-9 players signed for at least the next two seasons.

They still have Kope though....(/sarcasm)

He's too small to fight heavyweights though. See the Flyers v. Leafs games from last season to see how this can turn out.

This won't solve the problem though. There will still be 14 forwards, so Ritola would likely see limited time behind Miller as the 13th. Knowing the Wings, Drapes would probably be re-signed for a year if he misses 50+ games this year.

Their D and goal positions are especially strong. Hopefully their offense can produce enough to win games this year. I would say that Tampa and Toronto have the best chances of the teams listed. I'd like to see CBJ sneak in because I'm in Columbus, but their chances probably <.25 IMO.

Would you agree that Chicago this year is not as good as Chicago last year? Would you (also) agree that Detroit is better this year than last year? Times change but with a few roster spots (and a lot of money) coming available over the next few years and a good pool of prospects, I don't see how Detroit will have to fight for the 8th spot consistently.

I agree. However, it seems that most enforcers don't break into the NHL until they are a bit older. I believe that Brian McGrattan is still unsigned (but on a tryout?) if the Wings are set on an enforcer this year. Hopefully they at least pick up someone willing to play in the AHL that can be called up. Is there a reason Downey wasn't signed to play in GR?

I agree that it is more of a space issue. If the Wings had a higher cap, would they have re-singed Lilja? Probably not. Players that continue to contribute are still in the league (with a few exceptions). We'd all love to see the old/veteran players on the ice, but they don't fit in well with most teams' systems. The first two lines are usually skill players (with one or two vets filling in) and the third line tends to be a veteran with a couple youngsters. Further, most teams have a physical fourth line which excludes many 35+ year old players. In summation, there isn't much room for a ~20 points veteran with limited physical presence, especially with the abundance of younger players willing to play for less money.

The Wings can only carry 14 forwards maximum. Therefore, two of the players you listed will have to be cut/sent to GR. If another player is cut to make room for Downey, I don't think the Wings lose too much depth considering Mursak, Maltby, Owens, etc in GR. My fear is that Draper will play most of the games a player is scratched and the 14th forward won't get much time. Therefore, it is likely they will not be resigned (or traded/sent down in Ritola's case) after this year.

Conversely, was Downey the reason that the Wings didn't have 120 points in 2008? It's fine to argue that he didn't add much offense, but he wasn't the only player not scoring 20+ points. The fourth line isn't supposed to have three 20+ point scorers- that's why they're paid 500k-1m. I'll paste my last post here again since you seem to be dodging it. Downey is on a tryout with the Wings. Would it be responsible for the Wings to invite him and then not let him play? That is not how this organization works. If the Wings carry 14 forwards I think there is a place for him on the team. If the 14th is only going to play ~30 games, would it make sense to have one of our younger prospects sitting out for ~50 games a season? The younger (more skilled) players need playing time to develop. With Draper as the 13th, the 14th will not play (unless there are a lot of injuries) much. In the case of injuries, the young players can be called-up. I think it would be a waste for I. Flip, Mursak, Tatar, etc. to be off the ice for a large amount of time. You could argue that Miller or Ritola are better options than Downey, but I am not sure they would want to be in the press-box that often.

Who here is arguing that Downey should play in any playoffs games should he make the team? That isn't the argument. The argument is whether or not Downey should be playing the the preseason games and (extending this) if he should be signed. In my last post I outlined my argument for Downey this season. While I won't be too upset if he isn't signed (since he would be in the press box a lot), I think there is a logical and valid argument for signing him.

Seriously?