kipwinger

Last week's shoutout to Eminem's "Detroit vs. Everybody" did not have the intended effect on team performance. So I've decided to change up genres with another Detroit favorite. Wings 4-2 on the backs of Zetterberg, Kindl, Pulkkinen, Sheahan. Rip it!

I wondered how long it would take someone to make the comparison to Todd. Lil' Bert would have had to play like a complete cupcake in order to avoid someone, at some time, saying "see, he's just like his uncle...durrrrrrr". Aside from the fact that Todd Bertuzzi, for the vast majority of his career, wasn't a "dirty" player, there's also the fact that slewfooting a guy isn't even in the same ballpark as nearly killing a man on ice. Jordin Tootoo charged, and boarded, guys all the time, yet nobody ever said "see, he's just like Todd Bertuzzi". Why? Because those things are nothing alike. Niklas Kronwall elbowed and forearmed guys in the head for years, yet nobody said "see, just like Bertuzzi". Why? Because those aren't the same thing. But Tyler slewfoots a guy and gets the comparison. Not because they're comparable (they aren't) but because it's easy to make half-assed comparisons of this sort. Tyler is going to be saddled by this absurd comparison for the balance of his career because A) his uncle (who he's nothing like) is Todd Bertuzzi, and B) because most people don't think about something for 2 seconds before they type (or say) it. What a shame.

I think Babcock is an overrated blowhard, but just like with Blashill, it's WAY too early to judge his body of work with his new team. Especially when you consider he lost his only high end player in the off season. Give him a while and they'll be better. Not great, of course, because Babs won't have Dats, Z, Lidstrom, Osgood, and Kronwall to carry him to a Cup. But they'll be better than they are now.

Tonight the Wings start turning it around. Tonight the Wings win 3-1 on the backs of Tatar, Nyquist, and Abdelkader. LGW!

Various reports have mentioned that the contract talks between Ladd and the Jets have stalled. He said all the right things before the season, "I like it here", "We're going in the right direction" etc. Plus he's their captain. So it really should have been a slam dunk. The fact that it wasn't probably means that A) he doesn't want to be there, B) they don't want to spend what he'll surely make on the open market. Either way, Ladd and Winnipeg aren't in the same ballpark right now.

Blake Wheeler is under contract for the next six years. You must be thinking of Ladd, who is a free agent after this year, and who Winnipeg can't get re-signed.

Again, the standard payment for a good player on an expiring contract is a roster player, prospect, and pick. With the quality of each depending on the value of the other. The likelihood of giving up two roster players is small too. Since the kind of guys you'd want, teams aren't giving up, and the kinds of guys they'll give up aren't the kinds you want. Aside from the odd "hockey trade", which rarely happens with expiring contracts, you're pretty much always going to see prospects and picks as the center pieces of trades for good players. I'd especially expect this to be so in Buff's case because Winnipeg is seemingly stacked with NHL talent (other than a goalie). Seems like they'd be after young guys and not two or three forwards that they don't have a need, or place, for.

Nobody on an expiring contract costs three roster players. Hell, guys who aren't on expiring contracts don't cost that much. None of Jarome Iginla, Bobby Ryan, Ryan Kesler, Jason Spezza, Keith Yandle, Jay Bouwmeester, Dougie Hamilton, Tyler Seguin, or Phil Kessel cost 3 roster players. Where did you come up with this?

Ladd's a winger. Wheeler is awesome, but he's not going anywhere. Both Buff and Ladd are in contract years and Winnipeg is having a hard time getting either of them re-signed.

I'd keep him on defense too. He's got more value there. Guys who can score 50 points from the back end are incredibly rare. If you want a power forward and you're looking to trade with Winnipeg, get Ladd. He's awesome as hell and fits the bill.

No, we couldn't get him for that. You'd probably have to give a good roster player and a mid level prospect and a high 2nd, or a mid level roster player and a high level prospect and a 1st. Byfuglien is a very good player, you don't get guys like that for a fourth line winger and a young guy who hasn't (so far) panned out.

Larkin now back with Zetterberg and Abby. Tatar with Nyquist and Sheahan. We've now seeing Tatar paired with Nyquist and/or Pulkkinen on a line with Richards, Larkin, and Sheahan. It keeps not working. Maybe the difference really is the center (it isn't). Or maybe its the winger combinations (it is).

For context's sake. Jon Cooper was 5-8-3 in his first 16 NHL games. It takes a second for new coaches to find their groove with the team. Can we maybe give it a ******* minute?

Crosby isn't on a downward trend. Any more than Ovechkin was on a downward trend a couple years ago when his points dipped. Crosby is the very best player in the world. As much as I love Ovie, and I do, he's not better than Crosby. Nobody is.

Sure. I don't disagree. But I'm just interested in your priorities. We're having a discussion about roster moves that would improve the team's dismal start to the season, and you've recommended two guys who you readily admit won't make the team a bit better. But will make them more entertaining when they lose. Which is fine. Your opinion after all. I've actually always believed that you'd rather lose with enforcers than win with euros. This just sort of confirms it.

So, just to be clear, you don't think he'd improve the team but you do think he'd make losing more entertaining?

You don't honestly think Mike McKee would make our team better do you? I mean, no b.s., you REALLY think that?

We throw the puck away CONSTANTLY.

I hate Pulkkinen and Tatar together! Kindl and Jurco look good tonight though.

I missed the first. How did we look?

Kind of a bad example. That line was the Red Wings 3rd line. The first two were full of Hall of Famers. If you were arguing that Tatar-Larkin-Pulkkinen should be our third line, behind guys like Yzerman, Fedorov, Shanahan, Robitaille, and Larionov, most people wouldn't have a problem with it. Especially if one of these guys (Pulkkinen in this case) was actually Brett Hull. Most of the time, in modern hockey, it's beneficial to have a "digger" on a line with skill guys because he bring an element of puck retrieval to the line that benefits the skill guys. But you're right. In the rare circumstances in which you can put two budding superstars, and one of the greastest players in the history of the game, out against 3rd line competition you can get away with not having a "digger".

I don't think Lando "blows". I don't think he's a superstar either, but at least he can skate. Andersson is sloooooooow. It's hard to watch sometimes.

His type of game (so far) is also more suited for 2nd line digger too. That's the Catch-22 of it all. We can't afford to keep Jurco in the lineup if he's not doing anything. Especially given that Datsyuk and Tatar both had really solid years last season with Helm on their wing. We both agree that we need another digger in the top six. I'm all for Jurco having it IF he proves he can do something with the spot. Otherwise he's not more suited for that role than he is for a fourth line role. It's really up to him. He'll get the chance (just like he did when Franzen got hurt) but he's got to do something with it. We need Tatar and Datsyuk (or whomever the center is) producing. They can do that with Helm. So it's hard to justify keeping him on the fourth in favor of Jurco if the latter isn't producing.

I'm not opposed to it is guess. Everybody knows I don't like having centers as wingers, but it's going to happen one way or another if Larkin is in the lineup, so I'm fine with it in theory. As far as the rest of your lineup, that depends on whether Jurco can get it going or not. If he can pick it up then I don't have a problem with him playing with Dats and Tatar. But if not, then default back to Helm. Helm isn't huge, but he's proven more than capable of being a digger for Dats and Tatar. Something that Jurco hasn't done consistently (yet), and that guys like Larkin and Pulkkinen are ill suited for.

I'm not in love with Ferraro, but he's a fourth line winger, he doesn't matter. As far as your other lines, I think the 2nd is still too weak. Darren Helm (or Luke Glendening) will win 99% of puck battles against Dylan Larkin. The kid is fast and skilled, but he's not strong. He's not doing to dig puck out. So why put him and Tatar on the same line when we already know the Tatar-Datsyuk-Helm line works? You're convinced Larkin is an upgrade, but I'm not so sure.