kipwinger

Nah. It wasn't about the money. It was about his famil...nevermind, I can't keep a straight face.

I doubt it. The package going back wouldn't make sense now that Babs is the coach, AND Phaneuf will probably thrive under Babs anyway. His game is very conducive to Babs' style. I expect they'll hang on to Dion and see if he can recover under the new regime. Kessel, on the other hand, is toast.

Probably not much. Anaheim didn't give too much to get him in the first place, and he has a NTC. So he's got Anaheim by the balls. If he's only willing to go to a couple different teams, then there won't be a bidding war for him, and the price will stay lower. Plus, gotta think Anaheim would be happy to just clear his contract (which is way less bad than people say, but still high) off the books. Anaheim gave a depth forward, a 2nd Round pick, and a middling prospect for him at the deadline. The price would probably be lower now, considering it's not deadline day and there aren't too many placed he's likely willing to go right now.

Agreed. It's said relative to other prospects. He was injured going into the playoffs, and then they were playing awesome and so they didn't change the lineup. It really didn't have anything to do with him. It had everything to do with the fact that they were steamrolling their way through the playoffs without him, so they didn't change anything. As a PP specialist, second/third pair puck mover, and occasional badass, the Wiz is a pretty big upgrade over anybody else we've got on our team. But that same thing is probably not true of Anaheim.

I wondered the same thing. Unless one of the quality higher end defensemen slip to Detroit, I don't see why they wouldn't trade back. Plus, Elliot Friedman reports that Detroit is looked for a point producing defenseman who's "tough and aggressive". Sounds like the Wiz to me. And he might be willing to waive his no trade to come here if he's not playing in Anaheim.

I was only saying that the jury was out on Dekeyser because of the small sample size. But I was giving him, and Babcock, full marks for his offense to this point but nothing that two seasons isn't really enough to project forward. As for Smith (and Kindl), I agree. Their poor performance is entirely on them. You don't get to pick your coach, and you don't get to pick your system. Further, I agree that making Smith better in one end of the ice might actually make him worse in the other. I'm not arguing that Blashill will make him a better defenseman. Smith will likely be mediocre no matter who he plays for. My only point was that he'll likely score more under Blashill, because Blash tends to let his defensemen join the rush more. And that plays to Smith strengths more than Babs' system did. He'll still be a dumpster fire in his own end, and probably need sheltered minutes. But at least he might score more.

Dale. Dale Tallon.

If I had that Cupboard from the story, it would produce the Stanley Cup less quickly than Scotty Bowman could.

This morning, as I went to pour my daily coffee I opened the cabinet and found, to my surprise, that Scotty Bowman was inside my cupboard. As expected, he handed me a Cup.

Good point.

Yandle's so affordable I don't know why you wouldn't let him play out his contract. Assuming, of course, you think you'll still be in the hunt later on. Hang on to him, and trade him at the deadline for a fortune if you don't want him later, but throw the baby out with the bathwater? You're not going to get a more talented defenseman for 2.75 million dollars.

Aside from the weird, creepy, and totally unnecessary stuff at the end, you make some fairly valid points. You should stick to talking about hockey, and not so much about the weird gossipy stuff, and you'd be a breath of fresh air around here.

"Anti-Babcock bias" aside. I agree with one of Buppy's points, but I don't think it contradicts anything I said about Babcock and his use of Smith (or Kindl). Babs absolutely DID get point production out of "capable" defensemen. Lidstrom, Rafalski, Kronwall, and even Schneider. They all produced for Babs, and generally (because they were "capable") they would have produced anywhere and for anyone. In that sense Buppy and I agree. I'd also add that he probably got as much production out of Ericsson as anyone could/would and that while the jury's still out on Dekeyser's offense, he just had a pretty productive year. Quincey produced less here, but that's another topic. However, I contend he didn't get as much out of Kindl and Smith as someone else probably would. Both of these guys were 1st rounders, drafted for their offensive acumen, who have the size, skating, and (in Kindl's case) shot, to be more productive NHLers. But to be productive, both need to skate with the puck. Something that is entirely antithetical to Babs' recent gameplan. He's said on a number of occasions that he wants the forwards to carry the puck into the zone, and wants tight gaps, and quick passes from the D to the forwards in the defensive zone. That makes the defense MORE susceptible to the forecheck (something neither Smith nor Kindl are comfortable with) and puts more emphasis on their decision making and passing in high vulnerability areas (both suspect for these two dingbats). When they gain possession, let them skate the puck out of trouble (and drop a forward back in coverage) and make their passes/decisions on the fly. Both have the wheels to do it, and both have traditionally been comfortable doing it. It would minimize their vulnerability to the forecheck and ensure that IF they turn the puck over, it will happen further away from their own end. Neither Smith, nor Kindl, are that good. But both would produce more if allowed to skate with the puck and make plays. Tons of teams, and tons of defensemen, are utilized that way. Sure they'd get burned now and again, but they get exposed in Babs' system too. Difference is, at least this way they'd have the opportunity to contribute a little more than they currently do.

Playing as expected huh? Fan generated tag huh? Hmmm...if only there were some Jeff Blashill quotes criticizing Mantha's effort and engagement. Oh wait, there are. If you seriously believe Mantha's performing as expected, and that his effort and intensity are there, you've got your head buried in the sand. "I think Anthony has a skill set to be really good at the NHL level," Jeff Blashill told the Free Press. He needs to change his habit of how he skates every day in games. Because of his elite ability, he could play without moving his feet in juniors. He needs to learn to skate at a more consistent basis, get into puck battles, and when he has puck, skate to attack. If he gets that habit, he will be an elite player." http://www.freep.com/story/sports/nhl/red-wings/2015/05/29/detroit-red-wings-anthony-mantha/28178883/ Part of my job is to make sure that we teach habits,” said Blashill. “So part of the ways to learn habits is to talk and teach, and sometimes it’s to take ice time away, and in that particular instance we took ice time away. I thought there were a couple of instances there that he’s got to be better, and I took ice time away http://www.hookedonhockeymagazine.com/anthony-manthas-transition-from-qmjhl-not-an-easy-one/ “When you care as much as he cares, as soon as he learns the daily attention to detail and the daily work ethic it takes, with his skill set, he’s going to be a special player.” http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2015/02/13/manthas-going-to-be-a-great-player-says-detroits-ahl-coach/

Ugh. That scripted scene at the restaurant with Helm and Abby was the worst. I can almost imagine some media type encouraging them to "just gush over Datsyuk some more" before yelling "action". In fact, it probably could have been directed by John Keating himself. That's his MO. "Hey Zetterberg, nice hat trick tonight. What's it like playing with a genius, wizard, like Datsyuk who's obviously your superior?". Ummm...screw you John?

Why do you guys keep saying I'm "writing him off". That's not accurate. I'm criticizing him. Those are totally different things. There's no excuse for not trying. And the knock on Mantha all season was that he didn't show enough effort from game to game. I'm not criticizing him for his point totals (which weren't that bad), I'm criticizing him for being lazy and disinterested. People keep bringing up his leg, and training camp, as if those things excuse his effort. They don't. His leg, and his conditioning, probably played a part in his modest point totals. They are not, however, an excuse for an inconsistent level of effort and engagement.

I don't know. Brendan Smith's face is pretty derpy and punchable. A far cry from the renegade hardass that is Kyle Quincey...

Athanasiou got a broken jaw, couldn't eat solid food for weeks, lost almost 20 lbs., AND missed more games than Mantha. Yet he still managed to work hard every game once he returned. Being injured might excuse the results, but not the lack of effort. I don't see why people feel the need to constantly make excuses for the Mantha. He was used to streamrolling weaker competition in Juniors, and he learned bad habits, and hasn't unlearned them yet. It doesn't doom him to a career of mediocrity, but he doesn't get a free pass from criticism because he was drafted high and people like the fact that he's big. To date, Mantha has been soft, lazy, and moderately disappointing.

He "lost" everybody right up until he gets traded to Detroit for Anders Eriksson. Who's our current equivalent of Eriksson, by the way?

I'm not writing him off. I'm saying he doesn't drive offense. He's like Franzen in that way. Because he's soft and doesn't enjoy working hard, other people have to create offense for him to capitalize off of. Tons of very productive guys in the NHL are like that. But your point is taken. When 6'4, 200+ lb. guys like Mantha play against 16-18 year olds, they're super impressive.

Probably. If Dylark can make a plug like Zach Hyman look like a star, he should do wonders for Floaty McManthason.

Sounds like more excuse making. In the Rangers first two losses against Tampa, he gave up 12 goals. It's not like he was some brick wall against Tampa. it's not like he gave them a chance to win every night. He didn't. The Lightening thrashed him, and that has nothing to do with his offense, Game 7 aside. Here's the kicker. The same thing happens every year. He plays well against the lower seeds, and then turns to mush against tougher ones. People just make excuses for him because he's a classy player. Too bad that doesn't make him a better one eh?

He gave up 14 goals in the 4 games he lost to Tampa. He gave up 14 goals in the 4 games he lost to Los Angeles last year. Gave up 13 goals in the 4 games he lost to Boston the year before that. Gave up 15 goals in the four games he lost to NEW JERSEY the year before that. Jonathan Quick or Tim Thomas he ain't. That's all I'm saying. He's pretty pedestrian when it matters. His offense would have had to average 4 goals a game to win any of those games. Kinda hard to blame them.

What happened to all the "Victor Hedman is the next big thing" talk? After game three people were talking about how he was "elite" and a "Conn Smythe" front runner. Then, suddenly, all the Hedman chatter just kinda disappeared. Odd. Almost like the hockey media was manufacturing a narrative to sell the Lightening, while they were leading the series, before giving up on it. Almost.

Lol. Good one. How would that "destroy our forward depth"?