krsmith17

You think Hughes will stay at 161lbs? He'll likely get above 170, and maybe even above 180 in the next year or so, which is fine. Alex DeBrincat, Johnny Gaudreau, Brayden Point, Artemi Panarin, Nikolaj Ehlers, Nico Hischier, Mitch Marner, Sebastian Aho, Patrick Kane, Nikita Kucherov etc. seem to be doing okay at that size or smaller... Also, size has nothing to do with "concussion problems" in the NHL... Some of the most prominent names that have had their careers cut short due to concussion issues include Eric Lindros, Scott Steven, Keith Primeau, Johan Franzen, etc... all big men. Of course some smaller guys, namely Paul Kariya and Pat Lafontaine had their careers cut short due to concussions as well. Point is, there's no correlation between size and risk of concussions. Dylan Cozens and Kirby Dach, who are both NHL size now, have just as much a risk of concussion as Jack Hughes. Maybe even more so because of how smart and elusive Hughes is on the ice.

I actually like these lines. Of course I'd prefer Abdelkader off that top line (switch with Bert or Ras), but overall it's not bad. Looking forward to see Larkin and Athanasiou reunited (although it probably won't last) and Cholowski and Hronek together (although they'll probably get limited time)...

Datsyuk isn't coming back, and definitely not to fill a bottom six role on a non-contending team... Honestly, I'd be a little annoyed if he comes back, after all that "going home to be with family" bull s***... If he comes back to sign with another team... F*** that guy.

He's off to a rough start to his pro career for sure, but I still wouldn't rule out the possibility of him figuring it out and turning into a solid bottom six winger. I'm still hopeful as well that Turgeon can become a solid bottom six center...

Veleno (#9) and McIsaac (#4) are playing against Switzerland now. 1-0 Swiss. Veleno and McIsaac -1... 1-1 Cody Glass scores.

Not sure if you have access to TSN in the states, but Canada are about to play their first pre-tournament game against Switzerland now. I'll be watching and keeping a close eye on Leason, as well as Veleno (I don't think McIsaac is playing, listed as the 7th defenseman). Also, yes, Cozens and Dach will likely be better players than Leason, but I'd be okay with taking one with our 1st pick, and one with one of our 2nd rounders... EDIT: Nevermind. McIsaac is playing. Joe is #9, Jared is #4.

Yeah, he'd likely be a top 3 pick if he were putting up these numbers in his draft year. You definitely need to take into account that he was draft eligible last year, but impressive nonetheless. I probably would have been a little disappointed at the time, if we had used a 2nd round pick on him in this past draft. However, I would be thrilled now if we did. He's putting up similar (slightly better) numbers as Veleno, in a tighter league, albeit almost a year older. It's kind of surprising that no one took a flyer on him in the later rounds in this past draft though. It's not like his numbers were that bad last season... But yes, I'd definitely be okay using a 2nd round pick on him in next year's draft. I wasn't aware that he was draft eligible in 2017... Are you sure about that? If that's the case, maybe even more reason to be hesitant using a high pick on him... I'll admit that I'm basing my opinion solely on his stats, a couple highlight videos and a couple small snippets I've read on him over the past couple weeks. I never even heard of him until about a month ago... I'll be watching all the Canada games, so I'll be keeping a close eye on him for sure.

I think he'll drop at least to the end of the first, possibly even mid 2nd round. He's been ripping up the Dub this year, but this tournament could be his coming out party. I'd love to draft him with our one of our 2nd round picks in next year's draft. Big, right-handed scoring center / winger. Sign me up. A bit of a late bloomer, but could be a great add.

No thanks...

Hopefully he's in the top 12 over Entwistle...

Well, mark this one up as a loss... I just hope Hart doesn't get a SHUTOUT...

Great news!

Zadina looked really good tonight and scored a goal and an assist. Unfortunately he got hit awkwardly into the boards at the beginning of the 3rd. It did not look good as he limped off the ice. Looked like it could be something serious. Apparently he won't be making the trip to Rockford, and will be re-evaluated tomorrow. Hopefully this doesn't f*** up his chance to play in the WJC...

Let's say we have two more seasons hovering around the bottom of the standings before we're a playoff team. We're guaranteed to win the draft lottery in one of the next two years. The other year, we pick in the 6-10 range. Which year would you rather the number one overall pick? 2019 - Jack Hughes? Or 2020 - Alexis Lafrenière?

Meh, no big deal. Whatevs. Nothing to get excited about here...

I had another longish response typed out, but it's not even worth it. I'm done with this.

It sucks that it's taking a Green injury to get Hronek in the lineup, but I'm excited to see what he can do in what will hopefully be an extended look. Let's hope he picks up right where he left off in his short stint with the Wings / season so far with the Griffs.

No you're right. We shouldn't discuss or form opinions on these prospects, because we aren't experts. Veleno could be anywhere from a number one center to a complete bust. McIsaac could be anywhere from a number one defenseman to a complete bust. What do we know? Nothing. We only observe the game. We don't study the game. Regarding the bold... How do you know that? You're not an expert. Are you?

A whole s***-ton of NHL scouts get it wrong with at least one prospect in every single draft. How hard is that to understand? Why can't it be Veleno this year? I said the day he was drafted that it was the steal of the draft. I maintain that. It takes two to "drag this out", but I'll just ask one last (two-part) question... Where do you project Veleno in a few years? Do you think he tops out as a 3C like some of the commentators were saying on draft day?

Yes, I like to discuss our prospects because I follow a lot of them closely. More so a few years ago than I have been lately, but I still watch a good number of Griffins games, as well as junior games involving our prospects. I'm not claiming to be an expert, but I'm sure I keep a closer eye on the players in our organization than most. I have zero issue with you (or anyone else) chiming in on prospects. I'd love to hear it. If you think some of us are over-hyping Veleno, fine. If you think he's a bust, say so. But don't be negative, just to be negative. Like kip said, explain why you think we're over-hyping him. Explain why you're not that high on him. And maybe come up with a better reason than, "because he fell in the draft...". By the way, you're smart enough to realize that me saying "GM's are idiots" is tongue in cheek, aren't you? Jonas and I made a bet on who would be a better defenseman, Cholowski or Sambrook. I actually liked Sambrook as a prospect and seen him play several times, I just wasn't as high on him as Jonas. I didn't say how much Sambrook sucks every time he was brought up though. If you think Veleno tops our as a third line center, cool, but don't b**** and moan every time someone gets excited about him ripping up the Q, or scoring a pretty goal.

Not mad at all, just confused why you feel the need to give me (or anyone else) s*** for getting excited about Veleno (or any other prospect). This is a Red Wings site. We're all Red Wings fans. I just can't imagine ever s***ing on another fan for getting excited about a player / prospect in this organization. I'm not that high on Berggren, but if anyone else is and they get excited about him, I'm not going to say he sucks every time he's brought up... I do think that everything should be sunshine and rainbows when we finally start to see some of these higher end prospects entering the system. I may be overly optimistic about the Red Wings at times, but that's just me. I do think whatever your reasoning for s***ing on the Veleno parade is, it's petty, but whatevs, not going to tell you how to fan...

I will blame the organization if they ask him to become a checker, and play him on the 4th line with scrubs. If they give him every opportunity in the top six and he flames out, so be it. You can have gripes with Veleno, or Mantha, or whoever you want, just make sure they're legitimate. People saying Mantha is lazy and he sucks, is annoying as s***. Same with people saying that Nyquist sucks. Annoying as s***. People calling Ericsson a pylon. You get the idea... I just hate people hating on players / prospects for no legitimate reason. Or even if there is a reason, completely overblowing it... That's what you're doing with Veleno. And honestly, I think this all has a hell of a lot more to do with Rasmussen than Veleno. Same with your dumb "should have drafted Vilardi" remark any time anyone says anything negative about a prospect. Again, I hype McIsaac, and you don't say jack s***. I hype Zadina, nothing. Veleno strikes a nerve with you. Whatever. Apparently you don't give a f*** about any of this. Neither do I.