number9

Because vets can't go to the minors... and their veterans of the team, they get seniority and thus win ties. It's no longer a tie and rightly so Babs has said certain vets have lost their jobs. No, the point you were trying to make was that Cleary would slot in on the 1st line with Dats and Z over all our other good players... not that Cleary was taking a fourth line spot from Callahan or somebody. It's a completely different point and argument.

Well give up hoping EDIT: Ties have gone to vets over kids in the past, other than that Babs doesn't play bad players over good ones.

Like who?

He finished the 2012-13 season playing on the 2nd line, and played great for us in the playoffs that year. We had everyone reason to think he would be given top 6 chances to start the season last year. Then he played himself into a position lower than Drew Miller and was rightly demoted for it. There's zero reason to believe he'll be gifted 1st line minutes this year to start the season. Only way he's getting back there is by earning that spot again, which is doubtful at his age.

Why? Cleary played 3rd or 4th line minutes all last season.

The Chris Krieder connection eh?

Yes, we don't want riff-raff like you two getting in.

Add Alfredsson and the correct spelling of Weiss's first name and I can jive with it.

Mmmm bread n butter

Smith

of course

Consider if the Sens had never traded for Ryan, but had still traded away Spezza this year. Silfverberg - Turris - Michalek Zibenajad - Legwand - Macarthur Noesen - Lazar - Chiasson Greening - Smith - Neil Plus you have prospects Nick Ritchie, Alex Guptill, and Nick Paul who you get through the trades, as well as an extra 2nd rd pick in 2015. That's on top of all the prospects they already have. That forward lineup to me is a lot younger, and better balanced. Just lacking elite talents. However many of those players could develop into elite talents. I think they would have been better off looking like that. They're certainly not near a cup favorite with Ryan on their team right now.

Why don't you wait till that actually happens b4 u jump to conclusions and down Hollands throat. If we lose Callahan to waivers I will be mighty upset as well, but for all we know at this point he makes the team and Cleary doesn't.

you're pretty much spot on I think. Except Marchenko has to go down to get under the roster limits.

He made the NHL and we didn't re-sign Bertuzzi. I wasn't commenting on Matthias as player, but on the trade being an insignificant one for us. Yup. And precap worlds are not the same as post cap world bud. Spending is a whole lot more conservative now. You can't compare the teams actions now to their actions then. Those teams operated under different rules. And we haven't been on the decline since our trading ended either. Our trading culture ended with Lang and the lockout in 04, and that was coming out of 1st and 2nd round exits in 03 and 04. That continued till 06 and ended in 09. We improved just fine and won a cup without significant trading or selling the prospect pool, in fact it was prospects we had developed who helped contribute to that cup.

When and who are you thinking about??? 2008 = Stuart 2007 = Bertuzzi Other than those two we have zero other significant trades post lockout. And Bertuzzi left after only 18 games with us, so that trade actually hurt us considering we lost Matthias in it and he didn't re-sign. A sort of Legwand Jarnkrok scenario. So essentially we have added one significant piece via trade in the 8 seasons of the cap world. So no, we didn't used to be trading for those guys and suddenly now are not.

You do know L. Schenn is a whipping boy in Philly right?

I don't think he will. He's just really the only true enforcing type we have.

There is about 0% chance we pick in the top 5, and a very small chance that we even pick in the top 10... but keep dreaming

Well we have Bertuzzi, Callahan, and McKee on the way. Though I wouldn't a few more grinders than just just those 3.

I'll pass on the Pens sloppy seconds

That's not at all why teams tank. I live in Buffalo and Pegula has a ton of money, and he is pretty dedicated to making the Sabres a wining team. He's not trading away guys like Miller or Vanek or Ott to save money, he has more than enough, enough to buy the BIlls on top of the Sabres.. He's not happy with guys like Grigorenko playing young and early. The organization wishes they had other player to force him down, as his transition from the QMJHL to the NHL has not gone well. The only young player they have thrust into the league early that has excelled is Zemgod, more commonly referred to as Zemgus Girgensons. He's trading away guys like Vanek and Miller so that they can continue their illustrious careers in a better place than were Buffalo currently is, and also because IT'S GONNA GET HIM MCDAVID. It has zero to do with dollars spent and kids playing. Most buffalo kids are farrrrrr from ready.

Zetterberg will slot in as #2 if Weiss can't perform. Homer school let out 2 years ago. Abdelkader is who he is. A good 3rd line checker. Would you play Zetterberg on the 3rd line bc he has had injury problems? Weiss has had injury problems, yet you slot him into the #2 no matter what. Why is Helm for some reason a special case where he can only play 8 minutes a night?

Right. There are exceptions to the rule. Like Mantha. I think LGW collectively expects him to be ready next season if not this one. He'll be a fresh 21 then.

1. Helm is our fastest forward and probably the best defensively outside of Datsyuk and Zberg. To not play him at Center would be wasting his talents. From what I understand Sheahan is a natural LW. Helm is also regarded as one of the better 3rd line C's in the entire league. Playing him on the 4th, is again wasting his talents. I wouldn't play Datsyuk on the 2nd just because he was injured last year. 2. I'll do anything to keep Abdelkader out of the top 6. But yes, we have no one more else suited for a top 6 role than Nyquist or Tatar. 3. Cleary would be scratched in my first. Your bit about Weiss being #2 no matter what simply isn't the case though, and is not at all how the Wings roll. Babs demoted him to 4th line C very quickly last year when he wasn't performing. The same will happen again if he doesn't show up.