kipwinger

Quick aside: How long have other people called hotdogs "glizzys"? Like, I'm a hotdog fanatic. I eat them all the time. I get coneys even more often than that. I routinely talk about hotdogs, have hotdog tshirts, and have Joey Chestnut facts off the top of my head. Point is, I feel like I've got my thumb on top of hotdog culture and I only JUST heard this term. Where did this come from?

I'm scared to get hyped about this kid because he's only 6'1, but he sure does rise to the top more often than not.

At the beginning of the season we were playing a much more up tempo brand of hockey and Maatta stuck out like a sore thumb. Not surprisingly, Chiarot, Gostisbehere, and (to a lesser extent) Petry looked better at that time, given their obvious skating advantages. More or less around the time Kane came on board (who I'm not blaming for this) we've slowed the tempo and pace of our play WAY down and Maatta is more suited to that game. If we are going to continue to play this style of hockey then I'd agree he's the guy to keep. But if we're looking to play the game you signed guys like Chiarot, Ghost, Petry, Sprong, Fischer, and Kostin for, then Maatta doesn't really fit the bill. Personally I want this team playing faster and meaner and all my deadline roster moves would reflect that attitude.

Kane's as good as gone. He wants to play for a winner and we aren't that yet. Most of this seems fine with me. I'd try to keep Sprong and Fischer's contracts to 2-3 years though.

Goal and an assist for ASP today. I cannot believe we got this kid at 17OA. What a steal. Edit: Solid showing for 4th round pick Kevin Bicker today as well. Goal and an assist for him in a win for Germany.

I'd also look to flex him to the wing like they've done with Ras and Veleno at times. Copp started the season on Compher's wing and it wasn't a bad look. He's good at getting pucks back on the forecheck and he's a solid passer so he may thrive offensively without all the responsibilities at center. Go with Larkin, Compher, Veleno, Fischer down the middle and free Copp up to get a little offense out of him. Dcat-Larkin-Raymond Kane-Compher-Sprong Copp-Veleno-Perron/Fabbri Ras-Fischer-Perron/Fabbri Kostin

I'm at the point where I think we should probably sign Daniel Sprong to a 2-3 year deal like we did with Jake Walman (and Maatta, for some reason). I really like the way he hustles, he's not a complete waste on the defensive end of the ice, can play up and down the lineup, and he's 26. I'd also really like to see him start getting a bit more ice time as well. It's nice to have scoring throughout the lineup but I think he's shown that his game is responsible enough to play a bigger role. Something like this in as the top six: DCAT-Larkin-Raymond Kane-Compher-Sprong

He's so f*cking milk toast out there. I can't stand that dude. Maybe move him to the wing and see if that helps. I don't know what else to do with him otherwise.

Zadina with a mini breakaway and doesn't even try to make a move. Just shoots the puck helplessly into Lyon's pads. Osgood and Ken Daniels then clown him for being the worst defensive forward in the league. Pretty much sums up his career.

Agreed. So it goes without saying that Chiarot and Petry will be -2 by the end of the first period.

To signify that a new year means a new Red Wings, word on the street is that SY has directed the team to kill Filip Zadina at center ice. This is all very standard "turning of the page" sorta stuff and should appease the old gods greatly.

I think Edvinsson, Berggren, and Mazur are all head of him IMO. They're all performing exceptionally well in a pro league more analogous to the NHL style. Particularly when it comes to defending. On raw talent alone I'd argue he's first or second but it's not unheard of for European players to have a hard time translating to the smaller ice. Look at Kasper (who had an exceptional D+1 season in the SHL as well). With Berggren and Edvinsson those concerns are gone. I presume they will be with ASP as well, but I until he proves it you have to assume all those guys are one step closer to the reaching their ceilings and I'll always err on the side of guys that have proven it.

I've noticed something about a lot of our prospects that I thought I'd point out. Many of our prospects are very young for their age group. Kasper is 19 and won't turn 20 until April (nearly the end of his second post-draft season). Edvinsson isn't 21 yet. Wallinder, Hanas, and Savage are quite young too. Is this just coincidental or is it a part of SY and Draper's draft strategy?

We played well for the most part. I'm encouraged by the effort against a team we have no business beating. We play the same way on the road trip we'll get some wins.

GR is currently beating the s*** out of one of the best teams in the AHL, with multi-point games from Edvinsson, Berggren, and Johansson. Goal from Mazur as well (6th in 7 games). So yeah, it could.

If not for the worst defense pair in the league we played a pretty solid game. I do not understand what Lalonde sees in that pair that the rest of us don't.

Chiarot and Petry and getting absolutely caved tonight. On the ice for all three goals against. Woof.

If he was 22 I'd say "give it a shot". But probably not at 32.

If Ben Chiarot was a winger he'd be one of the top power forwards in the league. But as it stands he's SUCH a bad defenseman.

Chiarot and Petry are f*cking abysmal. Unreal how terrible these guys are.

Yeesh, Chiarot just manhandled that kid.

Nobody on our team can execute a simple breakout. Every pass is behind a guy, or lazy, or in their skates.

I love Christian Fischer and I want that dude to get extended. He never ever ever stops battling.

The banter between John Keating and Chris Osgood has become an integral part of the Red Wings broadcast. Those two have great chemistry and they're genuinely hilarious. Considering how bad Osgood was to begin with maybe there's still hope for Jimmy Howard?

Another observation from the Jets v. Wild game I'm currently watching: Nino Niederreiter is a badass and he plays hard as hell. Any team (Hurricanes) that would rather have wimps like Teuvo Teravainen on the wing than him deserve to lose.