kipwinger

I don't buy it. War stories are like fishing stories.

Love me some Chase Pearson. He's my darkhorse to make the team this year. Really see him as a Justin Abdelkader/Adam Erne type power winger at the NHL level.

Barely. Same as Christians. They're lesser forms of "people". I was a soldier, you'd think that would be close. But it really isn't. Soldiers have rules of engagement. They can't just kill whoever they want and then lie about it. Cops on the other hand...

I don't know if it's racist but it's definitely not true. Tons of lives don't matter. For instance, blue ones.

I don't think we'll draft any higher than 10th next year. And even in really deep drafts you don't often get top end centers 10-15th. I think that we're stuck with what we have (or UFAs) for better or for worse barring some kind of Brayden Point type thing.

Until we draft a decent center for the first time since Dylan Larkin. Seriously, who is our top rated center prospect now? Veleno? Neiderbach? Woof.

Just read an article on The Athletic saying that TO has a ton of forwards under contract as well after the signings of Kase and Ritchie. I'm guessing Tatar goes elsewhere.

Wrong. Rule 34 dictates that if it exists, there is porn of it.

Thank god it's not South Beach. They'd both drink themselves out of the league in six months time.

I would definitely bring him back on a 1-2 year deal for low AAV. He had a solid season last year so it's not like he's washed up. He'd help our offense, have trade value, and he plays the right way. Veleno-Larkin-Vrana Bert-Suter-Fabbri Tatar-Ras-Zadina Namestnikov-Gagner-Smith/Pearson

Sounds like his dad was jacking off in the toilet and his mom jumped in front of it at the last second. How are you not getting this? My point, again, is that we won't. And I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is. Are you?

We keep the receipts dork. You implied that a top five pick was likely, not just a possibility.

Still dodging. Still a coward. Gonna take the bet or not? Put your money where your mouth is or shut up. I swear if I ever get the opportunity to meet you I'm going to buy you a beer, dump it on your head, and watch you do nothing.

Nice dodge. You gonna take the bet or not p*ssy?

2nd and 3rd rounds picks he actively traded away this year (despite not wanting to) because...wait for it...Nick Leddy and Alex Nedjelkovic make us a better team. Now add Pius Suter and Joe Veleno and Moritz Seider and holy smokes, it's almost like we're a better team. Almost.

I said we'd be a better, healthier, team next year and not get a top five pick. You had a histrionic sh*t fit thereafter. Don't try to put this on me you f*cking Martian. Let me make it clearer. I'll bet $500 dollars to a charity of your choice if the Wings have one of the bottom five records in the league next year. Deal?

Me: We won't have a top five pick next year because we have a better team. krsmith: What an idiot! How can you think the rebuild is over?!

Shouldn't he be listed as a "dynamic offensive defenseman"?

Pretty good Witkowski moment. 2nd only to when he beat the h*ll out of Mantha’s candy*ss.

If I know anything about rebuilding teams it's that they pretty much always trade 2nd round picks for 30 year old left handed defensemen on expiring contracts. Clearly nothing has changed for Yzerman and co.

I don't know why I bother with you. Yzerman traded Mantha for a roster player and picks. Traded a 3rd and Bernier for a roster player. Traded and 2nd and Panik for a roster player. Signed 3 roster players this offseason, but you think he's going to go full tank and trade Bertuzzi (and maybe Vrana) for futures? Good thinking. I didn't say we'd have "no injuries". That's idiotic. I said we'd be healthier. And we will. Because in addition to regular injuries (which happen to every team every year), last year we had to contend with a f*cking virus that gutted our team for weeks on end. That won't be the case this year. For the 3rd time, it's not that good teams won't be in our division. It's that they'll account for a smaller percentage of the total number of games we play because A) we'll play more games (82 instead of 56), B) we'll only play division teams 6 times instead of 8, and C) Because we'll play bad teams outside of our division twice each. Again, this doesn't require too much intelligence. Nobody said arbitration alone account for him wanting out. Arbitration last year PLUS no contract talks this off season indicates he wants to leave. Guys who want to play with a team tend to have contract negotiations with that team in the offseason when they're free agents. It's not too hard to understand.

Yzerman added good player and subtracted bad ones. That's how we're better. Adding Leddy, Nedjelkovic, Seider, Veleno, Oesterle, and Suter and subtracting Helm, Glendening, Svech, Djoos, Nemeth and Merrill is a pretty big net positive. I shouldn't have to explain why. We'll be healthier because half our team won't have COVID for the first three weeks of the season. It's not rocket science. The point is that Carolina, Tampa, and Florida were three of the top five teams in the league last year and we played them 24 times out of 56 total games. In other words, roughly 50% of our games were against three of the top five teams in the league. Irrespective of what our division looks like next year we don't be playing top teams in that percentage of our total games. Again, not rocket science. Bertuzzi took the team to arbitration a year ago and hasn't had any contract talks at all this year. Pretty clear he wants out of Detroit. You're being intentionally obtuse if you think otherwise. So, in conclusion, we're not getting a top five pick next year because we'll be better and tanking at this point does more harm than good.

We didn't get a top five pick THIS summer. And Yzerman has improved the team considerably. Why would anybody wager we'd get one next summer when our lottery odds are even worse? Here's the thing, we're going to have a much better record next year. Partially because we're going to be a better team between getting better personnel and getting healthier. And partially because we're not going to have to play Tampa, Florida, Carolina, and Dallas 8 times each. We'll be back to winning games against Buffalo and Ottawa and the like. Any plan that revolves around "let's tank for Shane Wright" is simply not going to happen. Nevermind the fact that losing year after year is HORRIBLE for your organization, and we're already seeing the results of that. Why the hell do we think Bertuzzi is desperate to get out of Detroit?

Again, Yzerman himself has repeatedly discussed how happy he was with Rasmussen at center. Blashill too. I see no reason why he'd start on the wing given that every decision maker in the organization likes his play at center. If it were me I'd put him with two defensively responsible wingers (Bert, Zadina) and let them take some of the harder minutes and while Larkin (with Vrana and Veleno) get a little more offensive zone time. Veleno-Larkin-Vrana Bert-Ras-Zadina Namestnikov-Suter-Fabbri Erne-Gagner-Smith/Pearson

Since the end of last season Yzerman has done nothing but gush about how good Michael Rasmussen was, especially after Larkin's injury. Safe bet he's holding down one of the top two center spots. Larkin too. Suter was just signed and seems like he'll at least get a shot there, though I'm assuming he's going to need sheltered given the defensive demands of Blashill's system. Gagner seems like a lock to take Glendening's old spot. My best guess: Larkin Rasmussen Suter Gagner