cupforwings

I mean, to say Z hasn't looked dangerous is not true. I was trying to make a point. Obviously its hard for D to dominate when its just him.

D hasn't looked dangerous the last 4 games. Z is always awesome. He has been our best player.

Actual Quote: “They know that’s a possibility,” said one NHL executive. An NHL executive is different from a GM, and it is one guy's opinion. Larry Murphy said on a broadcast this year that he believes Datsyuk will stay another 4 years. I would think he would no more than one random executive. To me, that sounds like an opinion from a guy with no inside information and was asked to speculate. But who knows.

That is a ridiculously stupid comment. Kindl is an NHL defenseman.

Agreed. Kindl has been one of our best dmen the past few games. I hope he keeps it up!

If we traded with Carolina, it would be for Jussi Jokinen I bet. It definitely won't be for Semin.

You act like you can just put a bunch of skilled guys out there to build a team. You need balance of size, finesse, speed, grit, etc. to compete, especially in the west. Nyquist is good and has a future with the wings, but Datsyuk is better off with big bodies that create space.

I would be surprised if it was a one way deal.

I like Lashoff and think he could be a solid bottom pairing guy. But his positioning and awareness is sketchy. His positioning has lead to quite a few goals against, including today. I think he will be the odd man out when all the D are healthy, and I'm still undecided if that is the best option. Time will tell by our defensive play.

Dude, look at our lineup. No Bertuzzi, No Franzen, No Samuelson, No Helm, No Smith... I mean, thats 3 top 4 wingers, our third line center and our number 3 defensemen. This is not the team Holland built. To be fair, Cleary did get a goal and an assist....

Yes, because his replacement will be better.

What do you mean?

I disagree. Sammy is a shooter. He gets the puck to the net. He is also a big a body. This is something we need in the lineup over a smaller guy. Sammy fits better.

He's not new anymore. Throw him away and get us someone new to play with...

You spend money on Defense and Centers. Fil is a good center and will be very valuable in the future. I will agree it makes sense to get an elite winger (like Bobby Ryan) for Fil's replacement. This is only because Fil is not an elite wing, just a very good one. At center is a 1 on a lot of teams and a 2 on all.

I couldn't agree more. Babcock is the best coach in the NHL. We are fortunate to have him. The fact that we have found ways to win the past two years despite our shortcomings shows his value. This thread is ridiculous. Babckock is one of the only bright spots this team has. And to say he makes bad roster decisions, playing time decisions, and in-game decisions is ridiculous. If you know who the best players are, which position they should play on, and how to coach this team, then go become a professional hockey coach. But your questioning a guy who has won, big, everywhere he has ever coached. Its about the ability of the players.

Come on people... We are not going to win every night. We played good for a lot of the game. The ending just didn't go our way. Still got a point though. Go wings

GP G A PTS +/- Suter 13 0 7 7 -6 Weber 13 0 1 1 0 I think its time for an update on how these two are playing without each other. And the verdict..... brutal. Weber's 1 point is the most surprising to me.

Wo is this Marchenko guy? I have never heard of him. And what does he have to do with the wings? Thanks in advance.

IMO, there is an intersting trend with the "great goalies" in the NHL. We look at Bryz in Phoenix when he was a vezina candidate, Mike Smith in Phoenix, Ryan Miller in Buffalo, even Craig Anderson when he was in Colorado and these goalies are on teams who get out shot most games because their team just isn't that good. They are constantly getting peppered with shot and have to make 40 saves a game. They are good goalies, but their stats get inflated because of the number of shots they see. Its noticeable that goalies who get a lot of shots per might, and are constantly getting action, are better throughout the game. Bryz left Phoenix to a better team getting less shots a night, he struggled. Brian Elliot joined the best defensive team in the league and became an all star. Craig Anderson left Colorado and sucked it up his first year in Ottawa. IMO, it shows that it is harder to make saves when you have to sit at your end for most of the period with no action. Chris Osgood and Jimmy Howard have done this quite well. They have the mental toughness to be prepared with for the occasional chance. Luongo struggled big time with this in Vancouver. He is a great talent but he was mentally weak. That is why Jimmy is great. He learned mental toughness from Chris Osgood, and Jimmy is more talented than Osgood. Its more than just raw skill. Jimmy has great talent, great size, elite competitiveness, and an elite mentality.

I agree. The thing that stick out the most to me is he is slow. On the fourth line, we need speed and forchecking. His faceoffs are great, but I don't think that makes up for has lack of physicality and speed.

Your right, but I'll still take Lidstrom #1... And yeah, Brunner is leading the team in goals and is 10th in the league in goals. So yeah, adding that offense in the top 6 is a big splash. Besides Parise or Suter, he is the best Free agent we could have added. And one of the biggest deficiencies on last years team was a lack of a physical, fast, 4th line player. Tootoo satisfies this need. So we are weaker on the back end, no doubt, but stronger at the forward position. And Helm hasn't even played. The NHL today is more about teams getting hot and being healthy at the right time. LA was a good team last year and played their best hockey when it mattered. But if they were so great, why did they barely sneak into the playoffs? You cannot compare this to the 02 wings. It is apples and oranges. That team had an accumulation of talent never seen before on a team. They clinched a playoff berth more than a month before any other team. They didn't have to sneak in. That was possible because there was no salary cap. In todays game, with the salary cap, the top 10 teams are so close in talent and skill that games and series can go either way. Its parity. And I agree, the Kings outplayed the wings today. The wings were dead tired and the Kings were on two days rest. But the Wings look better than the Kings so far this year, and probably will into the playoffs.

Fixed for you.

So Holland knows what he's doing?

It almost seems like Tatar got better playing in Grand Rapids, and is now more NHL ready then before? No, that would mean Holland knows what he is doing.