kipwinger

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

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.

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

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

231

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).

Quincey is having a pretty strong game thus far.

Well you're certainly free to speculate about what he could or couldn't do. But we've already established that he's not going to come up as a result of his waiver status, so I'm not really sure why you've chosen to play the contrarian on this particular talking point.

He should, he's been more visible. But I didn't know he had more, for some reason it seemed like the second line was out there more, but maybe I was just paying attention to them more.

Well I've liked the Weiss, Helm, Jurco line and hated the Sheahan, Tatar, Nyquist line. Hopefully we'll see more of the former in the next period.

Typical. Another quality free agent signs to another team as a result of Ken Holland's inaction. When will this joker's reign of terror end?!

I wonder if the outage has the ability to affect the quality of the ice surface? I know absolutely nothing about keeping the ice quality up to par, but it seems like they must use electricity in some capacity. Hope it's not out too long.

Yep, he is. So?

Aha, you are correct sir. Nevermind what I was saying. I hadn't thought of that.

Why not call up Callahan, since ya know, he does all the same stuff that Abby does for his respective team? PK, net front on PP, puck retrieval on top line, defensively responsible, gritty forechecker.

Who? Never heard of the guy.

I'm no good at reading fine print, so I'm just going to assume you said something to the effect of, "I went to the same high school and church as dozens of strippers and will be sure to bring them along". As such, welcome aboard buddy.

Every time I say something isn't working on this team, they turn around and make it work. Inconsistency? They win four in a row. Too many centers on the team? Offense starts scoring like gangbusters. Powerplay's a mess? Top ten in the league. So I guess what I'm saying is...they will absolutely, positively, not win the Stanley Cup in decisive fashion in front of a home crowd while Kid Rock and I are in the front row (surrounded by strippers) getting hammered drunk. Nope, not at all.

Haha I know. I could not have been more wrong about this line. Ugh. I suppose this is why I don't coach professional hockey teams.