kipwinger

I'm probably on an island here with this take, but I'm actually not too upset with the trajectory of the team. Like everyone else, I wish things were turning around sooner but I do see plenty of reasons for optimism. Our drafting since SY took over has been excellent and I like the profile of player that SY is bringing into the organization. I also think Grand Rapids' success last season and this season (so far) is a sign of things to come. I think adding Danielson, Kasper, ASP, Cossa, MBN, etc. is going to round out the organization and make us really competitive...as soon as a majority of those guys graduate to the Red Wings. Until then I'd like to see the team ice a competitive roster and have quality locker room veterans in place to teach these kids how to train and play properly. I don't want to see guys like Kane and Tarasenko coming in and ruining a culture of accountability and hard work with their laisslaiez faire two way play and unwillingness to fight for the puck. Last season, pre-Kane, we had a team that worked hard, hounded pucks, played fast and in straight lines. Now we look like we want to be hockey's Harlem Globetrotters and play softie hockey and I hate it. I'd rather have Mazur on the team than half our wingers, and I'll be thrilled when our "skill" guys are Berggren and Lombardi and not Kane and Tarasenko types.

The bright spots on this team are the young guys and Larkin. I'd be fine with trading our UFAs and getting a high pick if we can't turn something around by the deadline. But I don't think it's a good thing for a competitive sports organization to TRY for losing seasons. Ice the best possible team you can ice right now, and if that team continues to fail, then trade what's not nailed down and start again next year with a new cast I guess.

Nice shot by Marco on the goal there.

Danielson and Lombardi having huge games already tonight for GR. Granted the Wolves are a bum team rn.

This is a huge season for Sodorblom and so far he’s been really blah for GR. He better pick it up soon or he’ll be back in the SHL this time next season.

Yeah, I definitely agree that our defense group is really bad. But I think the top pair’s success is more than that. I think it’s a testament to HOW Seider and Edvinsson play. Give Seider an elite, but not defensively responsible, partner (think Quinn Hughes type player) and I don’t think they have the same effect. They’d score but they wouldn’t be able to defend against top talent. That’s the winning recipe here. We have seen it many times already this season, Edvinsson is a really difficult guy for opposition forwards to deal with. Add ASP and Cossa to the back end and it’s clear what the strength of this team is going to be in a year or two.

This is from Max Bultman's article today in The Athletic: "Edvinsson has always had the pedigree. He was the No. 6 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, just as Seider had been two years prior. In that sense, maybe it seems obvious the two would partner to take Detroit’s toughest minutes. But you don’t need to look any further than Seider to see how challenging that can be early in a young player’s career. In a similar workload last season, Seider handled his role against elite-quality competition, but he mostly had to weather the storm against that nightly onslaught. Advanced metrics don’t tell the whole story, but Detroit nonetheless conceded more goals and expected goals than it generated with Seider on the ice at five-on-five last season. This year, next to Edvinsson? The two entered Wednesday’s game with a 61 percent five-on-five expected goals share — an elite number that is staggering given their workload. Their actual goals share was even better."

Lombardi was in the middle of everything today in a big win for GR. Danielson looked like a star too. Feeling pretty good about the farm right now.

He's still an undersized rookie. He's going to need a little time to lock down a regular spot in the lineup. Our defense isn't great, but he's still competing with guys who have had more than a decade of NHL experience. It's hard to take one of those roster spots...unless you're Simon Edvinsson.

I was talking about the goal that got called back.

How does Gustafson get beat on that goal? What a loser.

I have a lot of time for Johansson. He needs to get a lot stronger, but that'll come with full time professional training. But here's why I like him. Last season I was watching a GR game in which the Griffins had pulled their goalie late in the game trying to tie things up. As it happened, the opposition got possession of the puck and one of their skaters was in on a breakaway...with our goalie pulled. Guaranteed goal right? For sure. But what did Johansson do? Busted his ass on the back check and absolutely demolished the opposition skater. He'd rather have the refs award the goal than give one up while he was on the ice. I loved it. Johansson is a gamer, he's smart, and he seems to always be on winning teams. That's not a coincidence. He'll need a little more acclimation in the NHL before he grabs a full time job, but that's fully what I expect him to do.

Another sick play from Lombardi in yesterday's Griffins game. This kid is really taking it to another level so far this season. He's definitely gotten bigger and stronger, but I think a lot of it was just getting the opportunity. He was buried behind Kasper and a few AHL veterans (notably Czarnik) in the depth chart last season. Now he's getting prime opportunities and making them count. Having a genuine offensive creator in our farm system is a pleasant surprise. He reminds me of the forward version of ASP. He's not a workhorse and you're not going to rely on him for those tough two-way minutes you'll get from Kasper and Danielson, and you'll likely have to shelter him a bit at even strength (though he's pretty tenacious defensively). But as a 3rd line center (or top six winger) that can play on the powerplay and provide that easy offense he has a lot of value.

Mostly I'm just starting a new thread because I don't want to sift through the spam looking for old ones... But I also wanted to talk about this. After last season SY gave the coaching staff a very clear mandate to improve defensively. He even said in his end-of-year presser that the coaching staff may need to change their systems etc. He then inexplicably gutted our (already bad) defense corps and signed a few top nine forwards who aren't any good at defense to play top minutes. In response to all this Lalonde has basically tried to lock everything up to the point where it looks like a Guy Boucher team out there. Most of the forwards who get all the ice time aren't any good at defense, but now they're not scoring either (Kane recently called this out in the media). The defense is abysmal with the exceptions of Edvinsson and Seider. All of this could easily be predicted when you look at the offseason moves, but our 5 on 5 defense IS marginally better than a year ago. So my question is... Why is it better in the minds of management to lose games 2-1 rather than win them 5-4? This is the same mentality that Babcock had and I still don't really get it. We narrowly missed the playoffs a year ago playing the "wrong way" and we're not even close playing the "right way". So is it really the right way?

Gustafson is ass. He doesn’t even look like he cares to be there. I was way wrong about this guy. Cut him loose asap.

It seems like we are better at winning in an offensive system than we are in a defensive system. I realize defense is important, but it seems like it would be better to ride offense to the playoffs, get beat because "that's not playoff hockey", and then adjust and refine the roster from there as opposed to wasting another year missing the playoffs while trying (and losing) to teach a team to make the playoffs winning 2-1 most nights. A lot of teams make the playoffs with an "all offense" system, then get humiliated by teams that play defense, and then adjust and improve. Remember when Columbus swept Tampa? Remember when Florida moved on from guys like Huberdeau and Duclair after winning the President's trophy and getting whooped in the playoffs? Which team ever made the playoffs with a negative goal differential? Who are we modeling our game after?

You’re pretty spot on with these so far. The defense isn’t “much improved” but it has improved slightly. But we have seen major change in the defense corps and we do have four rookies on the team. Well done.

Yep, missed the mark there. But he’s playing well so I’m not too worried. Nobody on the team is scoring so it doesn’t seem to just be a Berggren issue.

I’ve really liked Berggren’s game this season. He really hustles defensively and makes a ton happen on offense. edit: and he draws a penalty. My guy.

I'm not suggesting those moves would kill our organization, I'm suggesting that all of them are contrary to SY's stated goal of making us a better defensive team. Edit: In addition, it's hard to take SY seriously about the need to improve defensively when we dress Debrincat, Kane, Tarasenko, Raymond, and Berggren every night. Several of those guys are famously bad defensively, and none of them are all that good. If he wanted the team to be better defensively then why is the roster full of guys who aren't any good at playing defense? We don't need Tyler Motte. We need legitimate top six players who can ALSO play defense adequately, and that's something SY hasn't bothered acquiring at all.

So we have a bottom of the league defense, a mandate from SY to improve defensively, and in the last six months we have traded Walman, Maatta, and Andrew Gibson for…a third round pick? Im getting mixed signals.

Absolutely pitiful. No life in this team at all. Half our roster should have been starting fights in the second half of the 3rd period just to prove you still have a pulse. You’re getting humiliated…again….and you’re just gonna tuck your tail and let them have it? Unreal. If you’re Chiarot or Copp you HAVE to fight, or put someone through the boards, or whatever in the 3rd. Send a message to your kids at least. The whole team just quit…again.

Humiliating. No fight at all in that team. That was as lifeless a loss as you can imagine.

Totally agree, I’m just saying that I haven’t hated that line so far. Obviously I’d rather it be better, particularly at finishing, but at least they’re playing in the offensive zone.

The 3rd goal was a backbreaker. We had been outplaying them for about 10 minutes before that goal. Then we took the penalty and they scored right away. Totally took the wind out of our sails. I really liked out game last night and didn't think the score indicated how well we played. If we play like that most nights we'll win...unless we're playing Shesterkin. Motte-Veleno-Berggren has been quite a surprise. They've been generating quality offense for a couple games now.