kipwinger

This team is inconsistent. We haven't won 3 games in a row all season. We've got skilled players, the core veterans are all playing well, Jimmy is playing excellent, and the kids that needed to be good have been. So what's the problem? Speculate away!

Because it's reasonable to assume that both those guys will play a full 82 games this season, or going forward? I'm not skewing stats. I'm going by their totals. Neither of those two will ever play a full 82 games again. So why would you go by their full season projections?

Well I didn't think the Helm, Weiss, Jurco line would score and it did, so I'm just going to shut up. But man do I think that Datsyuk, Weiss, Helm line is doomed to failure. None of those guys averages more than about 130-140 shots a year.

Have you been on a bender for the last couple of days lol? Your posts are...interesting?

I can't believe I missed that game last night. Good to see Stephen Weiss get a couple. That first goal was a dandy. Would like to have seen the boys lock it down after going up 4-1 but glad to get the win.

Really, attendence doesn't have a significant effect on success and failure? Is that why small market teams around the league continue to have such great success? Owners who are accountable to their fan bases (through ticket and merchandise sales) work to improve their teams. Owners who are going to turn a handsome profit regardless of their on ice product don't. Why bother to spend money revamping your scouting, drafting, and player development (all noticeable weaknesses of the Maple Leafs) if you're going to sell out every game by throwing a bunch of goons on the ice and occasionally overspending on a free agent?

Again, I don't care if "they" do or don't. I'm not a Leafs fan. However, it would be nice if "they" shut the f*** up about getting saluted by the team, since "they" don't deserve it.

You didn't think that insinuating that Helm and Sheahan were equally viable second line centers to Legwand based on a sample size of 20 games would be controversial? I do. All of their respective careers suggest otherwise. And after the first 10 games Tatar was on pace for 4 goals. So what? History has shown David Legwand to be a 40-50 pt. player. He scored 51 points a year ago and will probably be somewhere in that ballpark this year, despite his slow start. He didn't forget how to play hockey over the summer. Suggesting that he's not a better option than Helm, simply based on a 20 game sample size is hugely misleading. A year ago Helm had 12 goals in 42 games. My guess is you didn't expect him to double that output this year did you? Why, because nothing in his career suggests he's capable of that. So, like I said before. David Legwand is, was, and will be a better option for second line center than Darren Helm is. Despite his slow start.

Ah yes, the aforementioned favoritism. Like that time he said... “I believe in Mike Babcock, I believe he’s the best coach in the league,” McGuire said. “I believe in Jimmy Howard, I believe he’s the most underrated goalie in the league. I believe in Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, I think they’re probably the two most underrated superstars in the league.” - http://tbd.radio.cbssports.com/2013/05/08/pierre-mcguire-its-going-to-be-a-reach-for-islanders-to-eliminate-penguins/ Or "I can't wait to see what Mike Babcock's young speedy Red Wings are going to be like because I think they're going to be extremely good." - http://www.freep.com/story/sports/nhl/red-wings/2014/10/09/octopus-garden-detroit-red-wings/16955973/ Or this scathing prediction of the current season "Eddie talked about there’s a limitation on defense, and I would agree with him on that, but I’m with Doc on Brendan Smith being able to take his game to another level. They’ve got a couple young guys on the way, Xavier Ouellet is a tremendous young player out of the Quebec Junior League that’s done some time in Grand Rapids playing for Jeff Blashill, and they also have Nick Jensen out of St. Cloud State, who I think has a chance to be extremely good. And then finally, Ryan Sproul out of the Ontario Hockey League, so actually they’ve got some guys that aren’t NHL names yet that have a chance to be very good NHL names, but the one up‑and‑coming, you talk about breakthrough players, I hope he gets Anthony Mantha. I think he’s got a chance to be really special for the Red Wings." - http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2014/10/01/transcript-nbc-sports-group-nhl-face-off-conference-call/ Favoritism indeed.

And now it's a bandwagon of two. Come on board ladies and gentlemen. There's plenty of room. I tend to have that effect on people...unless I'm talking about Smith, Babcock, or Pierre McGuire apparently.

I was mostly just being a smart ass, but I agree with your concerns. However, I'll wait to judge whether he's being put into a position to succeed until after Datsyuk is back. I don't mind where he's at now because you really don't want to break up the Zetterberg or Sheahan lines. So give him a few games to find his legs on the wing. But once those tops lines are broken up anyway (as they will be when Datsyuk returns) then I'd like to see him centering his own line. Edit: For grammar

If he doesn't score on his first shift Babcock demotes him to water boy?

I hear him compared to James Neal and Jeff Carter most often. I see Neal more than Carter, but those are the players I've heard him compared to.

I sure hope you're right. It's been so long. Lonely. It just feels lonely without two good centers.

Oh snap, you made fun of the way he looks again! Priceless.

Did I say you have to like him? I don't recall that. We should just make fun of him instead. Especially for "taking jabs at the Wings" (lol) and "blantantly favoring the Pens" (lol). Because he does that all the time. Exactly one person, Eddie Olczyk, shows favoritism to the Blackhawks. Probably because he played for them and works for them. Which, of course, is all the more reason to make fun of Pierre McGuire. Duh.

Indeed. Even better. Know what would be even, even, better? If we gave those nerds a swirly after gym class huh bro?

I will. I love Shanahan but I don't feel bad for anybody who leaves the third most scrutinized job in hockey for the second most scrutinized job in hockey. We get it already Shanny, you aren't afraid to be in the hot seat. Geesh! Lol.

Comparing Legwand and Helm after the first 20 games of this season is a lot like comparing them over the first 20 games of last season (e.g. totally meaningless). David Legwand was, is, and will be a better second line center than Darren Helm. Also, he's not getting first line minutes. He's averaging 16:39 minutes per game. Kyle Turris is their first line center and he's averaging 19:34 minutes of ice time per game.

I think Babcock out thinks himself sometimes. And I'm not sure whether that makes him too smart, or not smart enough. Just like the time he didn't put Nyquist on the powerplay in overtime. "Well, we thought about it and then I talked myself out of it". Knock it off. I get the impression he feels like if something is obvious, it must be inferior or something.

Then they're doomed to always be as bad as they are. Good. I don't care, I'm not a Toronto fan. But I do find it hilarious that these goobers think they deserve a salute after each game. For what? Being too dumb to recognize a bad investment?

. I get it. Because of the way he looks. Hilarious.

I 100% agree with your thoughts on the lack of familiarity with roles. I think, because we don't have two reliable centers, that our top six roles are constantly in flux. As such, guys aren't slotted correctly and nobody is developing chemistry with the guys they should be.

See above. I didn't say they're a better team. I said they've won more than lost with him absent. As such, it's hard to blame the loses on his absence.

Of course we're not a better team. I'm just saying that you can't pin loses on the failure to have Datsyuk in the lineup. We don't have too many loses without Datsyuk in the lineup. So far, the fact that our impressive wins are punctuated by loses isn't due to Datsyuk's absence, because thus far when he's been gone we've won more often than lost. That's all I'm saying.