kipwinger

I was going to write a post about this and forgot. We hear people complaining all the time about certain teams, or certain coaches, playing for "the loser point" or just trying to get to overtime. Doesn't this stand as evidence that Babs is perhaps the worst culprit? I mean, I don't really care as long as we're making the playoffs, but it definitely seems like there's a deliberate strategy to subordinate the offensive potential of the team in favor of a air tight trap. Nobody scores, everybody goes to overtime. What say you?

Best post of the day.

Is he any good at the shootout?

I can see it now, Datsyuk and Oshie shooting one and two in the shootout. Getting outscored 3-2 would never look so satisfying lol.

You got it all wrong brah! Fighters keep that rats in check. Everybody knows that. Which is why guys like Kaleta, Carcillo, Downie, Marchand, Asham, and Ott never, EVER, acted like rats while big badass enforcers like Thornton, Orr, McLaren, Scott, and Engelland were patrolling the East. Nope, never. Haha, why do I assume you've got a framed one of these hanging over your bed?

Oooooh....ooooooooh....do...uhhh...do....do KEITH JONES! Yeah...do Keith Jones next!

That just aroused me a little bit.

Me too! He'd punch so many guys. Like, all the time he'd be punching guys. Punching guys is awesome!

Sure he will. Lol.

That's a legit point, and admittedly I do consider Mantha and Mrazek sure-thing future stars. I base that assumption off two things, A) they've excelled at every single level they've played at, and B) our organization is excellent at prospect development. I can only compare them on their body of work so far, and in every way they've been exceptional. Oh, I get it, because he's a homosexual. Hilarious.

In all seriousness, atta boy Dano. You are and will continue to be a class act.

Wouldn't you if you were him?

Did the original head in this picture belong to George W. Bush? Because it seems like it should have.

Maybe they'll blame it on Mike Keenan, the Babcock of the KHL.

I stand corrected on the "uncoachable" comments. Dreger made them, and while they may or may not be true, I've relied on Dreger's analysis in the past and would be a hypocrite if I ran you down for doing it now. As far as Nyquist vs. Hall. Hall is, and will continue to be the better player. The fact that they momentarily have similar point totals doesn't really mean too much. I like Nyquist fine, and I see no reason to run him down, but he's simply not the better player.

That's the point, they could afford them (because the government was giving them money). Once the government could no longer subsidize the league, teams had to rely on their profit margins, and they couldn't. But it would be noted that the teams who signed NHL talent to big contracts are NOT the ones that are folding. CSKA Moscow (Radulov) and SKA St. Petersburg (Kovalchuk) are pretty healthy franchises. It's the small market, periphery, teams that can't pay the bills. And no matter what contracts they've got on the books, those teams were going to sink because they don't make enough money to cover costs.

I agree with a couple of your points. Largely that Mantha is untouchable, and the previously mentioned trade packages are overkill. But I disagree with a couple of things. 1) When has Hall every been considered "uncoachable" and who made the claim? I've never heard that. As far as I knew, he was the only one of their young kids who didn't have an attitude problem. I've heard that about Yakupov, RNH, and Eberle (to a lesser extent), but not Hall. 2) Just because other people were offering too much, doesn't mean that you aren't offering too little. Taylor Hall is a very good player. You'd certainly have to give up a bigger piece than Helm as the cornerstone of any deal. Probably Nyquist + Smith + middling prospect would get it done. Helm as a center piece in that trade would get you laughed off the phone.

Can't wait for the inevitable, self righteous, and long winded interview Mike Commodore gives on this latest development lol.

Pretty sure the collapsing Russian economy resulting from Putin's disasterous foreign policy blunders has more to do with it than their penchant to overpay. Particularly considering the league was subsidized by the government (currently dealing with sanctions and declining foreign investment). Or it was bad contracts. Either way.

In 2009-2010 Alexander Semin had 84 points. Prior to that, his previous efforts were all as good (or better) than Hall's. A number of other players have touched 80-90 pts once or twice and then completely fallen off. Actually, that happens more often than a guy consistently performing at an elite level for a whole career. Plus, having two 50 pt. guys (theoretically) is better than having one 100 pt. guy. It's a lot harder to shutdown two guys. I wouldn't trade Tatar+Mantha+Smith+1st for almost anybody in the league. The only exceptions are guys who will absolutely NEVER get traded.

Apparently the Wings are a garbage organization because they don't drop the gloves anytime someone on their team gets cross checked. Something which regularly happens about 50 times a game. I hope the Wings are ready because if some folks have their way, their knuckles are going to be powder by the end of the week.

Are you suggesting that we aren't a true contender because one time Henrik Zetterberg got cross checked? Lol.

Nobody would get that. Think of all the high profile players that get traded, and NONE of them went for a package of a teams best young scorer and two top prospects. None of Spezza, Kesler, Ryan, Seguin, Nash, Gaborik, Iginla, Carter, etc. etc. etc. moved for a package like that. None. So why would anybody think that's what it would take to get Hall? Because he's so much better? He isn't. Everybody always thinks that to get a good player the Wings would have to give the world. But the very fact that a guy is being traded means his value is diminished. The only guys that would require Nyquist, Mantha, Mrazek TOO START are truly elite guys (Toews, Crosby, Malkin, Stamkos). And those guys don't get traded.

I thought Riley's brother was a young, proven, stud?

Simple. To irritate people who REALLY like Smith. It's my way of having fun at your expense lol.