kipwinger

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Everything posted by kipwinger

  1. kipwinger

    Senators fire head coach MacLean

    Exactly. They've got an average team (at best). How is that the coach's fault? They've got like 4 players who aren't completely outclassed in every single game they play.
  2. kipwinger

    Senators fire head coach MacLean

    Brandon Prust.
  3. kipwinger

    Do we need a trade to get our offence going ?

    Well lets not go throwing away pieces just because we've got them. We have enough pieces to make a meaningful trade, but I would NEVER trade Helm, 1st, and Backman for Bogosian or Myers. First of all, neither of them are that good. Secondly, neither really fits our new powerplay that well. Myers is too slow to run that single point system (you need to be a good skater when you're the only guy up there), and Bogosian doens't have a great shot (he's not too different than Dekeyser in that regard). I'm all for upgrading. But not stupidly. Holland's got this.
  4. kipwinger

    Jonathan Bernier - Nelson Mandela Comments

    Dear god no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  5. kipwinger

    Do we need a trade to get our offence going ?

    Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not against trading for a d-man. As I said above, I think if we can upgrade Helm's wing, and trade for a powerplay QB puck mover (like Mike Green), we'd be lethal. Absolutely lethal.
  6. kipwinger

    Do we need a trade to get our offence going ?

    Yeah, I definitely don't want to make it seem like we NEED to trade or anything. I'm just saying we've got the pieces to make something happen if we decide to make a push for a Cup. And as good as this team is playing, I'm not sure why you wouldn't make that push. There's no telling whether you're going to get this kind of play out of Dats, Z, Franzen, Kronwall, going forward. It seems like we've got the absolutely perfect mix of youth and veteran presence. A little tweaking and we're elite. I'd upgrade that Helm wing position, and get that right shot d-man (who's also a powerplay QB), and I think we're dominant. But, it would be hard to blame Holland for sitting tight. This team is pretty good without any moves at all. Although, sooner or later we're going to lose some of these prospects anyway, so why not use them to make a push? I have to change my tune from the last couple years. I bitched because he didn't make moves, but it's clear (in retrospect) we weren't a contender and so what good would it have done? We are a contender now, and a trade or two would A) shore up our few weaknesses for a push, B) mean we wouldn't lose prospects for nothing. So I definitely think it's a greater possibility now than the last couple years.
  7. kipwinger

    Do we need a trade to get our offence going ?

    Me too, but I'm not going to hold my breath on that. He'd be SUPER expensive because he's under contract and he's awesome, and I'm sure someone will give more than us. So yeah, I'm not going to bother thinking about that. Aha, well then you're right, he'll get a bigger return. I was thinking he was a UFA since he's been in the league since he was 12 or something.
  8. kipwinger

    Do we need a trade to get our offence going ?

    Agreed, but Boedker is a free agent after this season. Not going to get too many "long term assets" for a guy that most teams can sign in free agency in July.
  9. kipwinger

    Jonathan Bernier - Nelson Mandela Comments

    Please take this back. Please? Exactly. No knock on Bernier. I'm sure he's a nice guy and all. He's just kinda dumb. I'm kinda dumb too, so it's not like I'm casting stones lol.
  10. kipwinger

    Do we need a trade to get our offence going ?

    Which is why I originally asked "Helm plus what?". Also, I don't know that it would be WAY more. Boedker's a free agent at the end of the season and he's not a superstar. They'd definitely want more, but how much more is debatable. Helm plus a second would be a good starting proposal, and I'd possibly be willing to add one of the defense prospects (Jensen or Backman probably), if they really required it. Edit: For context's sake, Tomas Vanek was traded a year ago at the deadline for a high prospect and a conditional second round pick. We'd be giving Arizona a roster player (and they want centers) and a second. It's in the ballpark.
  11. kipwinger

    Jonathan Bernier - Nelson Mandela Comments

    Right. Did he not google Mandela on the way to the event? Ohhhhh, you know what it is. He probably forgot to look it up, and couldn't on the way to the event because everbody knows that smart phones still don't exist in small provincial Canadian towns like Toronto.
  12. kipwinger

    Jonathan Bernier - Nelson Mandela Comments

    I'm not sure why anybody thinks it is dumb for a reporter to ask a hockey player about Nelson Mandela when said hockey player is attending a ceremony specifically to honor Nelson Mandela. If Justin Verlander attended Margret Thatcher commemoration night, and when asked said "Ms. Thatcher is the best player the WNBA has ever seen, and I loved watching her play when I was a kid", he would be a fool. As is Bernier, clearly.
  13. kipwinger

    Do we need a trade to get our offence going ?

    Helm is playing top six winger minutes. Boedker is a top six winger. He plays the same style as Helm. He's just better, younger, bigger, and more durable. Why wouldn't he produce more? I could see your argument if I was suggesting we bring this kid on, reduce his ice time, and bury him on the third line. But he'd be coming onto this team and playing with Datsyuk and Tatar (as things are currently). That's an excellent recipe for offensive success. Think about this Nyquist-Z-Abby Tatar-Dats-Boedker Franzen-Sheahan-Weiss Miller-Glendening-Jurco The only thing Helm provides that Boedker doesn't is the ability to play center. And given how old and injury prone Dats and Z are, that's valuable. But I'm increasingly confident that Sheahan can play the second line center in case of injury, and obviously Weiss can do it as well if he keeps trending upward. I'm not here to bash Helm. He's really come along after a slow start. But I like big, strong, fast, durable, defensively responsible players. I like them even better when they're all that and 24 years old. I'd always trade an extra center for a guy like that.
  14. kipwinger

    Mantha getting closer.

    Jesus Christ. Don't ever move either of these two. Ever.
  15. kipwinger

    Do we need a trade to get our offence going ?

    Boedker plays essentially the same game as Helm, they're both gritty, defensively responsible, and SUPER fast. But Boedker is younger, bigger, more durable, and has more offensive upside. Helm provides center flexibility, and that's good considering Datsyuk and Zetterberg are hurt a lot. But as long as Helm's going to be a winger I don't see how this trade doesn't make the team better.
  16. kipwinger

    Do we need a trade to get our offence going ?

    Word around the rumor mill is that Mikkel Boedker is available from Phoenix. Helm plus what to get a deal done?
  17. kipwinger

    Lines Thread

    Has anyone else noticed that whatever line Weiss is on is the line that's scoring? He makes whatever line he's on a whole lot better. If we can get those top two lines sorted out and give him the remainder of the season and playoffs on Sheahan's wing I think we'll be potent heading into the playoffs.
  18. kipwinger

    12/4 GDT - Stars 2 at Red Wings 5

    I'm sure no coach would say NOT to do those things. But there was obviously a much heavier emphasis on offense under Bowman. It should be remembered that Scotty ALWAYS chose more offense over less. Couldn't pile enough scorers on his teams. Even one dimensional scorers. Babs is a defense first coach. Which is fine. But when you're losing games 2-1, or 3-1, and you need more production a viable strategy is not to tell your fourth line (which you've got playing 15-17 minutes a night to maintain that stingy defense) to shoot more and go to the net. Babs has got a TON of scoring ability on this team right now. And while they haven't shown that they can keep it up all season, they have shown recently that they've got more offense to give. Giving up a goal more per game on defense, but gaining almost two more per game on offense isn't such a bad idea. But it requires a better game plan than "shoot more and go to the net". Which I think is what Rick Zombo was suggesting.
  19. kipwinger

    12/4 GDT - Stars 2 at Red Wings 5

    "Shoot the puck" and "go to the net" is the best possible strategy for a team that has few genuinely skilled offensive players. For a few years, as a result of injuries, age, roster, and cap restrictions, that was the Red Wings. That doesn't seem to be the case any longer. A team with Dats, Z, Franzen, Nyquist, Tatar, Weiss, and Jurco should score goals. Add in the fact that you're getting previously unanticipated offensive production from Abby and Sheahan (both drafted to be bangers) and you've got a team capable of legitimate offensive dominance, without giving up too much defensively. But the system has to reflect that change in personnel. It seems like it's starting to, and I hope a stinker against a decent team (Florida) doesn't change that.
  20. kipwinger

    12/4 GDT - Stars 2 at Red Wings 5

    And then, when you've finished that, swap Helm with Abby, and Abby with Franzen? Perfect. But in all seriousness, I really don't care how the lines look as long as we keep scoring goals. I know that Babs and everyone else wants to get back to our good old defensive ways. But in the last 8 games we've averaged almost four goals a game and won six times (including our best streak of the season, 4 in a row). Compare that to the first 8 games where we played stingy defense and barely scored two goals a game (4-4 record) and I'm not sure why anybody is clamoring for a return to the old. Fact is, we're a better team when we're more opened up offensively. And I'd gladly drop two games out of every eight if it means we'll score almost 4 a night doing it.
  21. kipwinger

    Babcock "I don't think it will be my final year here"

    Just my gut feeling that he'd be looking for new challenges/opportunities. Just like Bowman did after his years in Montreal. Why not? You get to name your price, coach any player you want to, live in any part of the country you want to, and maybe set yourself up for a GM position somewhere down the line. Two Cups and the clout he's already got in the NHL and Babs can write his own contract almost anywhere in the league...anywhere except Detroit where he'll get the money but not the additional management decision making power. Ken Holland is the most successful GM in the business. He's has (twice) managed to rebuild an aging team while keeping it competitive. His drafting and player development programs are unrivaled. And even his worst mistakes are hardly disasters (no David Clarkson contracts in Detroit). Why exactly should anybody else have as much say in the management of the roster as he does? Should Ken Holland get to have some say in the coaching too or should that be left to the guy who's clearly shown that he's capable of doing it well? I find myself falling into the same trap sometimes. I want to see a particular acquisition or roster move, and when it doesn't happen I get irritated with Ken Holland. But after seeing how good these kids are, how good the ones in Grand Rapids are, and how their growth and development coincides with the decline of the previous core, I'm just going to admit how wrong I am. Ken Holland is the best in the business, and nobody (Not Babcock, Blashill, Ryan Martin, Jim Devellano, etc.) should tell him how to manage a roster. Ever.
  22. kipwinger

    Babcock "I don't think it will be my final year here"

    Only one out of three possible scenarios ends with Babcock staying in Detroit. If we make the playoffs and lose badly, he walks. If we win the Cup, he walks. If we don't win, but come close, he stays.
  23. kipwinger

    12/2 GDT : Panthers 4 at Red Wings 3

    I mean, I know that we s*** the bed and all. But everybody realizes that Florida isn't a terrible team right? Like, they're not the same team that's been bottom feeding forever. They're actually reasonably good.
  24. kipwinger

    Are the Wings a Contender?

    I thought so too, but I have no idea how waivers work when the player is waived before the start of the NHL regular season (if that even matters at all).