PavelValerievichDatsyuk

I think Tatar is a notch above Nyquist. They're similar types and I think their production will be fairly similar (depending on usage, of course). The thing I notice about Tatar just seems to be a greater drive and he seems to create pressure and offensive more from my view. Maybe that can be represented by corsi or something. Nyquist's penchent for chicken-winging to get a hooking call and some diving has also kind of made me turn against him a bit, but that doesn't really make him a lesser player - it just bothers me. I know every player does it to a certain extent, but he does do it a lot. Good for Tats in this tournament. Hopefully he and Mrazek will be boosted by some confidence going into the year With Team Europe doing so well, I think it's good evidence against Frank and other's assertion that us getting a whole bunch more Michigan players will lead to better chemistry. Here you have players from 8 countries who seem to have found some pretty good chemistry. Edit: I think it's interesting that the advisory board that helped chose the team included Lidstrom and Alfredsson and they must not have pushed for Nyquist. Then again, it's ultimately not their choice and Gus did have a down year.

Top guy and #1 Dman are also two very different things.

Maybe in the sense that it allowed him to play on the 2nd pair, but they pretty much never played together, if that's what you meant. I think Lids actually think made Kronwall look worse because people point of comparison was one of the best Dmen of all time. I think Kronwall was a fine #1 when he first made the switch, but injuries have quickly taken him off that level in recent years.

Hence the word 'potential' that I used. Very few players in the NHL are 1st line centers in their first or second year in the league. I think he'll get to that level - maybe you think he'll stay at his current level - we haven't even seen him play much center so we'll see. Edit: Regardless, you said he was like a lot of our other players and him as a 6'2" very fast well rounded center puts him as something we don't have elsewhere (maybe AA, but most project a lower ceiling for him), let alone the fact that he's the first player to make the team at 19 in such a long time.

Didn't see this anywhere, but sorry if I missed someone else posting it. Sproul finally re-signed for 2 years a couple of days ago. "The first year is two-way, with an NHL salary of $600,000. The second year is one-way at $650,000." http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2016/09/red_wings_sign_ryan_sproul_to.html#incart_river_index I feel like his only path to making the team is to hope for injuries and then really prove himself if he gets a chance then.

Strongly disagree with this part. Larkin is a center - what other pontential top line centers do we have in the system? Even potential top 6 centers probably just include him and AA. Also, Larkin is 6'2" - is that really small? Even if you put ish on the end, I disagree. He was 190 last year, but he was 19 and he'll put more weight on. I'm assuming you're comparing him to Gus and Tats and they are 5'10 and 5'11" To me, trading Larkin would just create the hole in the 1C position, which is almost as hard to fill as 1D.

Yet you did respond to that god damn rebuild discussion. In this clip, Holland bumbles over his words so I can see why you heard that, but just before the part you quoted he says "I got conservative at the deadline, I'm trying to compete and we're trying to - is the word rebuild - I don't want to use the word reload because we're sitting here and you guys don't think we're very good..." I would say, yes, Mr. Holland, that is the word, but it's easy to see why he's reticent to use the word. The jumble of terminology is the same problem we keep talking about here - as soon as you say rebuild, people think tank. But he is talking about keeping picks,, giving young players like Mantha and Nosek a shot, transitioning to young players and hoping some young players and picks turn us into the team that does more than just make the playoff and competes for a cup - that is the rebuild on the fly idea.

Oh yeah, I remember he didn't go down to GR right away. That all makes sense. It'd be better to have ex-NHL as the vets sharng advice, so more power to Cleary for doing that.

Product of a 5 minute search: Asked who his best friends on the team are (2010): Datsyuk: "...the best are Zetterberg, Filppula, Draper and Maltby." http://redwingsgrinder.blogspot.ca/2010/06/pavel-datsyuk-interview-to-sovsport.html The teamates Zetterberg invited to his wedding were only Pav, Filpulla, and all the swedish players. http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2010/07/bizarre_zetterberg_pre-wedding.html Here's one of the keep away things they do at the end of practices (that kickazz was talking about before). There's many more on youtube, if you search. They did seem to be pretty close.

Well, then they're probably going to have to change captains again after this tournament. Sweden beat a pretty good Russian team without Lundquist, Z, Kronwall. Changing of the guard, a bit.

I was asking in the context of Nightfall's comment. I'm all for Cleary playing in GR and providing leadership - that's what he did last year - , but he's not replacing Hoggan's role if he was scratched for more than half the games last year. If he was injured last year then maybe he could be a vet captain type this year. Who knows the story? krsmith?

Maybe someone could fill me in on why Cleary only played 35 games for GR last year. I'm assuming it was because of injury, but not sure what happened.

I'm for anything that makes Tortorella look bad. Neilson looked good in the highlights!!

Maybe he was a good presence in GR?....but, then wouldn't he tryout for GR. Maybe it's a favour to make him look like a viable player for other teams. Otherwise, I don't know what to make of this.

Svechnikov!

Which shows more of the absurdity of that "swedish mafia" article in the off-season.

Helm and Sheahan have had about that same points the last 3 years. I think it would be a coin flip for who would make that list. Personally, I don't think we're getting 70 games out of Kronwall this year, so I think it's questionable whether he's in our top 10. Maybe DK gets back in the top 10 like 2 years ago. If Athanasiou makes the team (which I think he will), I think he'll have 30+ pts. and be in the top ten.

It's a nice design, but that's a pretty bad drawing of Yzerman!! They used this photo, but somehow they made him look sick or something.

To be fair, Citzikas probably single-handedly raised the average salary for a 4th line center, haha. Glendening will be slightly overpayed when the extension kicks in, but I also think he's an above average 4th line center and that's just about where he caphit lies. I mostly thought the average was useful for those that seem to act like 4th line centers don't make more than peanuts.

Didn't want to take the Helm thread too far off subject so I thought I'd put this here for perspective: Tale of 2 4th line centers. Glendening: 81gp 8g 13a 21pts. +4 Deal: 4 years 1.8 million per Cizikas: 80gp 8g 21a 29pts. +4 Deal: 5 years 3.350 million per Cizikas has been called the best 4th liner in the league (Don Cherry). And others have said his line in the best 4th line in the league. 2 years ago, they both had 18 pts (Glen 12g vs. Ciz 9g) Cizikas played 12 less games. Also, found this article from 2013 that says the average 4th line center made 1.455 million. That has surely gone up a bit since then. http://www.sportingnews.com/nhl/news/4494817-nhl-salary-cap-2013-john-tavares-hart-pk-subban-norris-mvp-candidates

Even if they said it in years before they re-signed, Babcock was still the coach the following year and they both re-signed, so that doesn't quite make sense. It would bring it together if the writer put something like "Holland had to talk them out of this stance." But there's problems with it the way it is. Even though that sportswriter is on TSN often and seems reliable, the Toronto Sun is a daily tabloid so I would have to hear it from somewhere else before I trusted it. It doesn't seem that far-fetched, though.

The sky is indeed falling. In the past few days, you've criticized deals for Z, Kronwall, Howard, Weiss, Franzen, Dekeyser, Ericsson, Helm, Abdelkader, Glendening, Neilson, Weiss, Howard, Vanek, Green and more. I think the list probably includes every UFA deal we've made in the recent memory. I would be curious what the last UFA deal you actually liked. Sure, some of these have been mistakes, but It seems that you are unrealistic about UFA deals in the modern NHL. To use just one example, you have unrealistic expectations for UFA deals if you honestly think Glendening was going to get .900 for 2 years. The way the collective bargaining agreement is, UFAs get PAID. You have to be a cast-off, a buyout, or injured to get a 1-2 year deal as a 27 year old. I know you say "then let them walk", but I think everyone would be walking if a GM had your line of negotiations. Players and their agents would have to completely ignore all comparables.

League average was 2.58 including entry level deals and RFA. I'd bet Helm's near the average for UFA deals.

"Darren Helm’s NTC kicks in immediately and goes through the first three seasons of the deal (through 2018-19) with no modification. Only Helm waiving this clause would allow him to be traded. If the Red Wings miss the playoffs in the 2018-19 season OR if Helm isn’t among the top 9 forwards on the team in terms of total ice time, then he will have no NTC protection between June 15th of 2019 and the trade deadline of the 2019-20 season (Year four of the deal). If the Red Wings miss the playoffs in the 2019-20 season OR if Helm isn’t among the top 9 forwards in terms of TOI, then his NTC is void from June 15, 2020 throughout the remainder of the contract (June 30, 2021). While any NTC probably shouldn't have been included, it was probably insisted upon by Helm's people so that he won't be headed to Vegas. This quoted section, however, should alleviate some of Dickie's worries about Helm ending up on the 4th line in a few years. The team seems to be worried about that as well and left the option open to trade in that case. To pre-empt some responses, If he plays himself onto the 4th line, then he might not be tradeable (at least without retaining some salary). It think it would be more due to our prospects taking over, though. Deal was a year too long and a bit too much, but I'm still glad Helm's back.

I say it's definitely Kozlov. This Kozlov puck on ebay has an autograph that looks just like it. (but you have to blow it up and look past the graphics)