kipwinger

Let me ride shotgun with the Sedins and my nickname game will instantly become respectable.

Turns out I'm bad with nicknames. I really wanted everyone to call Joe Hicketts "Cricket". When obviously he should actually be called "Rickety Hickety". I just miss the mark on these things too often to be reliable.

So we're all in agreement that if Kivenmaki plays for the Red Wings one day we're calling him "Otter" right?

Yeah, I'm not sure I agree with the "we're in cap hell" narrative either. The last difference maker UFA that we tried to get and didn't was Stamkos, and we actually HAD enough cap space to get him, he just didn't want to come here. So I'm not sure how those bad contracts have hurt us actually.

I did not watch the game today so maybe I'm out of line here, but how does Mantha only have one shot on goal? He's supposed to be a core player, and he's supposed to be offensive, and there's a perfect opportunity for him to step up and carry the load while Larkin is hurt and he only has ONE shot on goal against the Panthers. Yikes.

Considering I thought this game was going to be a bloodbath I'm actually pretty happy with how well it has gone.

I mean, no question he's a top six player. But if he could be a top six CENTER it would be huge for this team. It would just give us so many more options at the draft and in UFA.

3 Cups with 3 different core groups, plus the majority of the streak, suggests GOAT to me. I mean, what other GM had to rebuild a winner twice?

Yeah, it was a really nice set up. Having a rookie who can run a top NHL powerplay unit is HUGE. I'd have that kid living with Mike Green in the offseason if I could.

Here's a fun thing to speculate about... IF, and I know it's a big IF, Holland rebuilds this team (and wins another Cup with another core group) does he go down as the greatest GM in the history of the league?

Yeah, he's on pace for like 40 points over 82 games as a rookie. On one of the league's worst teams to boot. The guy is a legit offensive dynamo and he's decent defensively to boot. One solid off-season in the weight room and we won't be as worried about our defense going forward. I love how that dude is always looking to get a puck on net. Plus he's really good on the powerplay. Plus he's got a wicked right-handed one timer.

I LOVE how heavily Blash is leaning on Hronek too. Bodes well for the future. That dude is going to be a monster.

Agreed, he'd get caved in for sure. But if he was able to get some chances against a top flight first line, it might be a really good building block. Long term I still like him at wing better, but I've been wrong about things before.

Also, huge opportunity for Mantha to step up here and show that he can be an offensive leader on this team. Unfortunately he didn't take advantage tonight.

It would be huge for AA to play the season out as the top line center and have a few more games like he did tonight.

Shut Larkin down for the rest of the season. Green already is. I wanna see the Filips and AA going berzerker as much as possible.

Hronek is soooo nasty in OT.

I'm streaming the Rangers feed and their announcers just mentioned something about Brendan Smith's "offensive ability"...in a season in which he's scored 9 points. I wish to Christ I knew what that guy does to convince so many people he's doing something that he's so obviously not doing. He's like the Derren Brown of hockey.

Thanks babe. Nice to know you'll do as you're told.

Custance didn't even "rumor" we're going to offer sheet point. Custance insinuated that IF an offer sheet were going to be made, and IF Brayden Point were the player getting the offer sheet, and IF he were inclined to sign an offer sheet, then MAYBE Detroit would be involved because Steve Yzerman MIGHT be the GM by then. You paraphrased that as " the rumor I'm hearing from Custance is we're gonna offer sheet Brayden Point" and " That's what Custance has been suggesting is our big "speed up the rebuild, splash move". That's a pretty big reach considering he didn't rumor the Wings were going to do anything, nor did he "suggest" that they were going to do it as part of an effort to "speed up the rebuild". If you don't want to be called out on rumor mongering then be more accurate next time. Or better yet, just copy and paste the actual text of the article since you're clearly a subscriber. Though I suspect that making things up is part of the fun for you.

So Custance definitely didn't say the Red Wings "were going to offer sheet Brayden Point" then?

That's not what Custance said at all. This is literally the extent to which Custance addressed the Wings and offer sheets. "If Lightning GM Julien BriseBois is concerned at all about a possible offer sheet for RFA Brayden Point, he did a good job of hiding it. One of the teams you hear as most likely to consider an offer sheet is the Detroit Red Wings, a franchise that has cap space, a need for elite young players and a desire to get better quickly. Factor in the Steve Yzerman connection, if he ends up back in Detroit, and there are certainly lines to be drawn to Point. BriseBois wasn’t sweating any possible threats, echoing the talk coming from Point’s camp that he likes it in Tampa and wants to make it work there. That gives BriseBois confidence a deal is doable. “I really don’t foresee this being a problem,” BriseBois said. “I think it makes sense for both parties.”

Same here. I spend so much time imagining how things COULD be with just the tiniest bit of luck. Trouble is, if you draft a Byram you HAVE to find another center somewhere. Go hard for Duchene or hope you get lucky later in the draft. Otherwise your center depth is still trash. Bert-Larkin-Zadina Ras-Duchene-AA Svech-Veleno-Mantha Abby-Glen-Nielsen Byram-Trouba McIsaac-Hronek Cholo-Lindstrom.

Imagine, with a little luck on UFA day in a couple years you could have this defense: Byram-Trouba McIsaac-Hronek Cholo-Lindstrom

I'll admit I've been sleeping on the kid because I want a center, but he's pretty impressive. Definitely a big fan of his tool kit. Has a little of the Doughty or Keith in him in the sense that he's really good offensively but also is pretty mean and feisty.