newfy

I disagree, Tootoos rep comes from when he started in the league. Hes really cleaned his game up a lot the last couple years, the hit on Miller was his only questionable play all season. I was saying this before he signed too because I wanted the wings to get him for that reason. He used to dive a lot and throw dirty hits, anymore he does his agitating by running guys with his awesome speed and forechecking ability and is still a great fighter. Not to say he wont have the odd dive here or there but hes not that bad anymore. Franzen has also cleaned it up, but does no one remember how he was around the 2008 season? His dive on the roberts punch, another bad one at the end of a calgary game etc. Hes definitely had his fair share of dives in his day, we look past them cause hes a wing however. But at least Tootoo will back his up a bit with physical play and the odd scrap

Hes no worse of a diver then someone like Franzen is, although it seems Franzen has toned it down a lot as well the past year or so. But for me the fact that Tootoo will also fight anyone in the league pretty much despite his size and is arguably the hardest hitting forward makes up for those things. I'm glad the wings finally signed a guy like that and as an agitator I expect the odd dive here and there even if I dont like diving in the game

Kronwalls hits are usually clean but not always. Thats why I think just to keep some respectability, when another teams star comes calling after you decked him with a borderline hit Kronner should throw off the mitts every now and then. That game in Philly after the Voracek hit got out of hand and everyone was getting ran at because they were so upset about the hit, but also the fact that Kronwall wouldnt man up. I know that was a clean hit, but thats an example of when doing it wouldnt hurt you or the team and might stop Rinaldo from running at Ericcsons head

Thats the same with me. I dont think he should've fought after his Voracek hit for example but he has some like Kesler where he looks like hes head hunting pretty bad. Also getting Kesler off the ice for 5 minutes is an extremely fair trade off for the wings. I didnt vote for that reason, sometimes is my vote

I wouldnt mind seeing him step up and get in even one fight this season just to see what he has. After a big momentum changing hit, Kronwall turtling like he did after his hit on Hemsky must deflate A LOT of that momentum. And its not like it would kill the team that much if he got in a couple fights a year, he would get an instigator call aganist the other team all the time which would lead to a powerplay. I think it would be nice to see him do it to get the respect of the players around the league. I remember watching a video about Lapperriere where he said he had to start fighting more because alot of the vets on his team didnt want to start getting ran because of what he does on the ice.

Yeah Majsheppard is an idiot who knows nothing about hockey. If a person is capable of even thinking of dropping the gloves or playing a little rough then they are a horrible player that everyone should hate, even if they produce more then pretty much all of our current bottom 6 players...

Downey was a legit enforcer for the wings, didnt lose a fight with them. Ericcson has a pretty good jab in his fight with Clowe to start it off. I think he really surprised Clowe with it

I have hopes Jurco can be a scorer but you guys better calm those expectations. He did play on a stacked team in the Q, after a year of pro hockey we'll see where he stands

That does seem odd about Lewis. I'm not really familiar with him but I havent really heard of him being good friends with anyone on the wings that he might show up here to train with?

wings havent had energy in a while, even in those blowout type games they never looked mad when they were losing. With Smith and Tootoo in the lineup we can hope for some fireworks after the whistles and guys getting ran to try and wake the team up

There arent a lot of dumb penalties with Tootoo really though. He takes guys with him to the box in fights and roughing, but he also draws alot of penalties by pissing guys off Compared to some guys on the team like Bertuzzi, Tootoo doesnt take many more PIMs while being a legitimate game changer physically. The wings actually may have signed the arguably hardest hitting forward in the league

This also means that the griffs/wings plan on guys like Jurco/Sheahan/Ferraro to step up this year and be contributors.

agreed. Some of the people here who think he was good and didnt get a chance obviously didnt watch him in grand rapids, where me and UK redwing watch most games. He was terrible even down there

The wings really need a fourth line center badly. Emmerton just doesnt cut it and its still a weakness that hasnt been addressed this offseason. Abdelkader needs to play wing and shouldnt be stuck at center because of a lack of someone that can play it. What is the liklihood/what does everyone think of Sheahan or Andersson taking that fourth line center spot this season? Both are big and very strong defensively and could be a good youth injection. I know the wings usually take their time with prospects but playing between Tootoo and Abdelkader and getting some PK time wouldnt be terrible for their development. In that one game he played, Sheahan looked to be a presence out there working the boards and looked solid. With his size/strength combo and lack of a good 4th line center, is this the year where the wings jump a prospect in earlier than usual? Helm made his debut at about 21 did he not? I wouldnt mind seeing something like this take place if a fourth line center isnt aquired

Holland said he wants to see Tootoo and Abdelkader play together, that doesnt mean Abby has to be at centre however. But if one of these 2 can crack the squad there would obviously be trades, theres already going to be trades of some kind due to how many forwards they have. And now that Andersson has had some NHL time and a full offseason to workout, if he has a strong camp I dont se why his skating would be a concern for a fourth liner. I do think trading Eaves/Miller/Emmerton for a fourth line center might be a better option

The wings need a shake up for sure and not just adding Tootoo to replace someone like Emmerton or Miller. This core has become stale. I wouldnt be against this trade at all really depending on who the prospect is. If its not a top one like a Nyquist, Smith, Jarnkrok and more a long the lines of Pulkkinen/Tatar level then it isnt that bad. The ducks do however want a second line center for Ryan, so Filppula is a solid starting piece, plus I'm sure Murray knows how well him and Selanne get along. The ducks also dont really want young defensemen because they have Fowler, Sbisa etc already playing so Smith wouldnt have to be given up. Ryans also a righty and younger. I think the wings are in place to make a move for Ryan and potentially get him if they want a forward. I still think a Yandle/Enstrom trade is in the works however. Overall, I think that Ryan is a better fit for what the wings have to offer, but wouldnt be pissed with Nash either because he is still a young star type of player. But with names actually getting out, the wings must be working the trade scene hard because rumours never come out for the wings

Solid signing. One more D is probably needed though still. Wouldnt mind Vandermeer I guess. He's cheap, plays decent defensively and is tough. WIth whats left on the free agent market youre not gonna get much worth while, might as well keep adding toughness to the lineup

For his style of play and repuation, his PIM numbers are fairly small actually. A good number of those 92 PIMs last year are from fighting and you have to think a lot from roughing as well with another going to the box. Plus when he pisses off the other team he draws a lot of penalties as well. Of course youre going to get some penalties from this type of player, but when youre getting one of the hardest hitting forwards and one of the toughest pound for pound fighters, that small amount of penalties he takes is worth it in my eyes the next game when he has guys looking over their shoulders and hurrying with the puck

Yeah the wings brass actually compared his style to Lidstrom at one point. Now he might be the most physical prospect in the wings entire system. If he has those basic puck skills and can skate, while he might never be a producer, he could be an Andy Sutton type.

Or Brad Stuart. Meech only hit 38 points once in junior and he played with Phaneuf if I'm not mistaken. Ouellet was already a point per game and a first team all star while still having a year of junior left. Not to mention his main trait isnt his point production and hes already putting those up. So in short, nothing like Meech

The wings defensive prospect pool is really exciting to me for the first time in a few years. Smith is a stud but the other guys are pretty good as well Jensen comes out of nowhere as a late round pick and is doing very solid in college. Hes big, fast, can hit and is a very offensive type of guy. Hes come a long way for such alate pick Sproul is also big, fast, can hit and is very good offensively. He has sky high potential but is still somewhat raw. If he keeps developing the way he is, he could be a stud on the PP in the future Ouellet is much more polished then Sproul but doesnt have as high of potential I wuoldnt say. Looks like a pretty sure bet to be an NHLer because he does a bit of everything. Plays well defensively, puts up some points, can play very good positionally, occasionally fights and throws a big hit. Hes a swiss army knife type On top of all that, the wings finally have the nastiness on the blue line coming up that theyve lacked a bit. All these top guys have a bit of a mean streak but guys like Nicastro, Nedomlel, and Mckee all bring a legit mean streak to the game. If one or 2 of these guys work out, no one will be coming near Howard in the future

Definitely not all Russians are lazy, as wings fans we should all know that. But I do think a much larger percentage of Russians fit that Russian stereotype than a lot of people let on. Some people might call me a Don Cherry or something but I dont really care and find the stereotype to be true quite often, but before you jump all over me, hear me out. The guys who come over from Russia are stars usually, not a lot of grinders stay over here because just as good of a living can be made at home in the KHL as a grinder. This means that guys who get by on skill alone are pretty much the only ones that make it. You'll never have a Russian 4th liner out there busting his balls to block shots and kill penalties for aliving because they do that in the KHL. So while some North Americans are just as lazy, for every lazy one, theres probably 5 Darren Helms just trying to hold down a roster spot through hard work. Russians on top of that dont grow up dreaming about the cup like North AMericans, theyre seeing olympic gold and world championships which are played when North Americans think the real hockey is just starting. Howver even the ones who arent lazy seem to fit that prima donna stereotype in one way or another. Hell, even Datsyuk was being called to be traded by some because he wanted a big contract. Fedorov held out for a season almost on the wings, and these are the guys we use to prove the stereotype wrong whe something like this comes up. There were also only 24 Russians to play an NHL game last year, so the big names that struggle like Semin or Ovechkin it becomes more apparent. Overall, I think there is some honest truth to the tag Russians have for the most part but that doesnt mean any Russian is a lazy, money hungry Commie. Datsyuk is a prime example

Just realized that this signing means 2 years from now the wings could have Mitch Callahan and Tootoo on the same line. Wow, wings game will be interesting to watch

Youre that hung up on 600,000 when the wings still need to take on a bunch of salary to even make the cap floor?

Evander Kane would be amazing to pick up. Hes going to be an Iginla level player and a star in the league. Hes everything Detroit lacks except hes not right handed. A 6'2, 200 lb 20 year old that is blazing fast, tough and going to be a top goal scorer in the league. If he did want out, I would trade any prospect for him. You cant build a team through free agency, you need to make trades and move some guys around. I would much rather have Kane going forward than Parise