kipwinger

Soooo...is Tatar going to be a superstar or what? Because its starting to seem like maybe he's going to be a superstar.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Canada, Connor McDavid is learning exactly what the saying "stuck between a rock and a hard place" feels like.

If we ask nicely, will you at least drop it like it's hot?

What? What'd I do?

Is that a question? I thought my love of husky, big boned, midwestern women was well known? What are the two most fun things to do in cold weather? Play hockey, and fat girls.

I don't agree that playing too long "tarnishes your career". Pudge Rodriguez played too long. So did Jordan. Joe Montana probably should have retired a 49er, and Joe Lewis didn't do himself any favors late in his career. What do all these things have in common? Nobody cares. Plus, I think we can all agree that it wouldn't have killed Dale Earnhardt to quit while he was ahead...

Backman? Doesn't ring a bell. I vaguely recall a Swedish chick by that name, but she moved home a while ago. No big loss, she was too skinny anyway.

He's not my king. Nuh uh. No way. I pledge allegiance to a flag, not a monarch. This is insulting.

Am I the only one who thinks that David Clarkson might not be as bad as he's seemed in Toronto? I mean, I don't think he's great, or worth his money. But I don't think he's this bad either. I think he's a good system player, and in the right system he's flourish again. Which underlies a bigger point. What kind of team does Toronto want to be? Do they want to be a big, bruising, half ice team like San Jose, Anaheim, or Boston? If so, keep Dion, JVR, Franson, Reilly, Clarkson, Panik, Winnik and trade or buy out Kessel, Kadri, Gardiner, Lupul, Santorelli. If you want to be a skill team, do the opposite. It's like the Maple Leafs are two halves of two VERY different teams. I agree with this, but I also think, "who cares"? I mean, I don't really give a s*** if other teams and other fans thought Tatar or Nyquist were 2nd tier prospects. The fact that other people don't rate our prospects very high doesn't mean those prospects aren't really good, or better than other people think. You'd think years and years and years of churning out NHL players would get people hip to the fact that our prospects are almost always better than theirs, but if they aren't, oh well. Sure it makes trading a little harder, but we rarely trade anyway, so no harm done.

It was my unspoken assumption that Franzen would be on IR for the remainder of the season, after which time Stafford would be a UFA and could either be let go, or resigned to the exclusion of someone else.

Yeah, they're awful. I definitely think Stafford would improve his (already pretty decent) numbers if he were here. BUT, I generally don't like to use the Buffalo = Crap argument because it opens up the doors for people to do the same for Myers.

Over the years I've watched him pretty regularly. Previously, I had a roommate from Buffalo for several years and watched most games with him. I was always impressed by Stafford's willingness to play in the dirty areas and his ability to physically stand up to bigger, tougher, players. Because I was familiar with him, once I heard he was on the block I began to pay attention to him again and my opinion hasn't changed. He's got Helm/Abby levels of production this year, and is the primary offensive threat on his line. As a third option (behind Pav and Tats) on a line, I think he'd excel. He's still in his prime and is definitely more offensively capable than Helm. Nobody needs to agree or anything. I just think he'd help. Like I said, Pav's line is really good and all, but I worry that they're too one dimensional. I'd really like a guy on that line that can score in the crease. Stafford can, and wouldn't be too expensive.

I don't think it's going to happen either, and I'm fine with not getting him. But you consistently downplay how good he is. Keith Yandle is really, really, good. For exmaple, he currently leads the league in assists from a defenseman, with 32. You don't think that would help our struggling transition game considerably?

He plays exactly like Abby does and would be an upgrade over Helm on a line with Pav and Tatar. Plus, he's big and plays a physically strong game. Helm, while a hard worker, isn't big and strong, and I'm afraid in the playoffs that line will get pushed to the perimeter and neutralized because they don't have a banger out there with Pav and Tats. I'd do this... Tats-Pav-Stafford Gus-Z-Abby Weiss-Sheahan-Helm Jurco-Glendening-Miller Lean and mean baby.

Darren Eliot, while a much worse goalie, is significantly better than Ozzie in every single aspect of broadcasting. At one point last night, while describing Petr Mrazek's struggles controlling rebounds, Eliot suggesting that Mrazek reach out, grab the puck, and say "will you be my friend". I lost it. Edit: Spelling.

I've finalized my list of preferred trade deadline acquisitions, and I don't think either would be expensive or unrealistic. I want Cody Franson and Drew Stafford. With those two pieces, we win the Stanley Cup.

Denver isn't nicer than Detroit, it's wealthier than Detroit. Many places are wealthier than Detroit, but not many places are nicer. Detroit has better beer, better music, better food, nicer people, more moxie, and most relevant to this discussion...better sports teams. f*** Denver, and f*** any other place where people confuse having money with having heart.

I think our forwards are better now. But the defense is significantly worse...upgrading it would be the point of making trades I'd think.

Mauling the American league. I think the scientific term for what Pulkkinen is doing is "mauling". Nyquist never produced like that in the AHL. Neither did Tatar. 50 points in 39 games. Yikes.

I was just coming to say the same thing. He's definitely looked better with Marchenko IMO.

I'm confused by what you guys are talking about when you say 2nd tier. I assumed 1st tier meant closest to being in the NHL, and 3rd tier was furthest away...despite what you're projected to be. So a guy like Callahan, while not having the highest ceiling, is a first tier prospect because he's very close to being in the NHL (though only on the fourth line). Seems like you guys are saying a guy's only first tier if he has a star-like ceiling, in which case Mantha or Larkin would be the only ones. But that's a little tricky because those guys aren't even prospects in the same way a guy like Drouin, Ekblad, Reinheart, or Draisitl are. So are those guys A++++ prospects? I'm lost.

Followed immediately by an Instagram of Byfuglien shoving those same stacks up his ass?

Gotta agree. Strange group of players there. Jensen is at the top of the pack (in that he's going to be in the NHL one day and is close right now), Ehn and Turgeon I'd say are in the middle (just because they haven't had a chance to succeed OR fail yet), and Frk is about as bottom of the pack as you can get (slightly above Mike McKee, but still bottom bottom bottom). Which sucks, because I always thought Frk would make it. Soooo wrong about that one.

I suppose that's why we differ. I don't consider 5.5 million a year "big money". Premier defensemen make quite a lot more than that.