krsmith17

Well the last time Larkin was ranked as a prospect was 2 years ago, and the only ranking I paid any attention to back then was TSN, and they had him ranked 15th (Mantha was 11th). Pronman moved on from ESPN, which was a paywall (I was never a subscriber) to The Athletic which I am a subscriber, so I have no idea what he had him ranked two years ago.

I've heard this draft being compared to the 2003 draft for depth, in that you could get some high end talent outside of the top 10 (such as a Carter, Seabrook, Parise, Getzlaf, Burns, Kesler, Richards, Perry, Eriksson, Bergeron, Weber, Backes, Pavelski, Byfuglien, etc). But it also has the potential to be more top heavy (top 3-5) than most drafts, with the elite, potential generational talent in Dahlin, and potential super-stars in Svechnikov, Zadina, Tkatchuk, etc. I think it's the plethora of guys that will go in the first couple rounds that could be good to very good NHL players that is giving it the label of being a "strong draft" though. If you're asking how many players will start next season in the NHL, my guess would be 3-5. How many will be NHL players (play at least 200 games), I'd say it could be as high as 45-50 from the first 2 rounds. Hopefully we can land at least 2 super-star to elite level guys with (hopefully) our 7+ picks in the first three rounds...

With both Abdelkader and Helm leaving the game vs the Pens this afternoon, the Wings have recalled Turgeon, and will likely make his NHL debut tomorrow vs the Blackhawks.

2? Who am I missing?

Thanks for the source and translation, but I'm not sure if I see that trade happening. It doesn't really make much sense from either teams perspective in my opinion. Unless the Wings have all of a sudden decided to move on from Howard and go with Mrazek, because of one good game (shutout yesterday), but I highly doubt that's the case, since the article was published Saturday.

All joking aside, that's the sort of trade I'd like to see Holland trying to make. Not necessarily Hague, but a defenseman around that age (19-21), with that sort of upside. I don't think we'd get that much for Tatar though. I'd possibly do Tatar for *high end defense prospect* straight up though. Source?

... that might have something to do with him still being a part of the team... Give it 5-10 years and some young punk will come into training camp and steal that number. Let's just hope he can live up to his predecessor...

Mostly, yes. His contract would be more attractive to contending teams in both term and dollars. But also because I think Nyquist is a better all around player than Tatar. Why would you rather keep Tatar? Nyquist is the better player (in my opinion), and he's on a much better contract (again, in my opinion)...

No Red Wing should / will wear #93 for the next two and a half seasons. There's no argument there. I just don't think it should be permenantly out of circulation beyond him officially retiring.

I'd much rather trade Tatar, but I think Nyquist would garner more in a trade. I'd be open to moving either or both, but only if it's for a good return. I'd trade Tatar for a 2nd, but I'd want a little more than that for Nyquist. Either a 1st, or 2nd, plus a solid prospect.

I don't think anyone was actually serious about taking #93 out of circulation... Were they?...

Just want to say that I love these lines. Not just because they're producing either...

Absolutely. If all else is equal, every team takes the center over the winger. If everything is equal between a center and a defenseman, I think then it's okay to look at organizational need. For us, I'd take the defenseman. You never pass on the elite winger for the very good center or defenseman though, unless you're trading down... Fair enough, but in this case, I do believe a winger (whether it's Svechnikov, Tkatchuk or Zadina) could be hands down better than anyone else available. There's no debate who the best young player in this draft is, and it's not even close. After Dahlin, depending on who you talk to, it could be a handful of different players. The thing is, most of them are wingers (all left handed). The only one in that next tier that isn't a winger, is Boqvist, and he may or may not be available when we make our selection. If we're picking 3rd and Dahlin and Boqvist go 1, 2, we shouldn't go off the board for a center or defenseman. There are a bunch of defensemen outside of the top 5, but if we're in the top 5, we should either take best player available, or trade down and take one of the many defensemen that will be available. I still believe if we really wanted Rasmussen in last year's draft, we could have traded down a few spots, and taken him around the 11-14 spot, while picking up another late 1st or early 2nd. Similar to what we did in the 2013 draft, trading back two spots to take Mantha at 20, and then Bertuzzi at 58. Side not: Gabe Vilardi is finally healthy and has put up 9 points (2 goals, 7 assists) in his first 5 games...

Seriously? You don't pass up on elite wingers just because of position. You take best player available. That's like saying the Caps should have passed over Ovechkin or the Hawks should have passed over Kane. Sure, if all else is equal, you take the center or defenseman, but if there's a significant difference (which there seems to be with Svechnikov), you take the best player.

I agree, but that's not at all what I was saying. You missed the part where I said "he's not better than Crosby this season, or any season. I disagree with those that believe Kessel has been the Penguins best player this season, just because he has a few more points than Crosby. But even more than that, I disagree with those that think Crosby was only selected over Kessel because he's the league's "golden boy" or whatever. Truth is, it could have been Crosby, Malkin or Kessel, and either player would have been more than worthy. There was no snub, and there's no conspiracy to get Crosby into the All-Star game. Who knows, he might not end up going anyway.

McKenzie and Button are the two best sources when it comes to Draft Rankings in my opinion. As much as I think we should take a center and defenseman with our two first round picks (assuming we get another one at the deadline...), it'd be hard to pass on Svechnikov or Tkatchuk if they're available. You could throw Zadina in there as well. We should be taking best player available, I just don't like how all three of those guys are left-handed wingers. I'd be okay with trading back if we're missing out on Dahlin, and if it's for a big return. The Islanders have two firsts (12 and 17). Imagine having three 1st's, and three 2nd's in this draft. Any of Hughes, Wilde, Bouchard, Dobson, Merkley, Woo as a defenseman taken outside of the top 5 in the first.

Kessel is a great player, and I agree that he doesn't always get the credit he deserves, but he's not better than Crosby this season, or any season. He's never outproduced Crosby in a single season, and I'll bet he won't this season either. Kessel (or Malkin) could have been the pick, and I'm sure most would be okay with that pick, but to say he was "snubbed" by one of the best players of this generation is a bit off in my opinion. But whatever, this is a Red Wings site after all, I wouldn't expect anything less when it comes to Crosby, or Crybaby, amirite?

Why, because he has 4 more points? I don't follow the Penguins too closely, but I'm sure most fans would vote for Crosby, because he is their best player, and I'd say most would even say he's been their best player this season, despite the 4 few points... The All-Star game is a joke anyway.

Ericsson obviously doesn't have much offense in his game, but as long as he's playing steady defense I'm okay with that. As you probably know, I'm not much for the pure defensive defensemen either, but as of right now (probably not for much longer) there is a place for them in today's game. He is (just barely) putting up top 4 offensive numbers, 121st overall in points from defensemen. He's also 3rd on the team in points behind Green and two behind Kronwall. He's also got one more point (goal) than the more offensive minded Jensen. His shots don't always get through, but I think he's better at this than you'd like to give him credit for. He also has a VERY heavy shot, when he actually uses it. Ericsson isn't great, no one would suggest that, but I do believe he's been very good this season. A bright spot on an otherwise bad defense group.

I don't doubt what you're saying, but do you have a link? Preferably video, because as we know, context is everything. Regardless, I agree. #40 will be retired, and I think it'll be well deserved.

I would use the word good. Ericsson has consistently been one of our best defensemen on a nightly basis. I know that doesn't say much on our blueline, but I'd go as far as to say that he would be a top 4 on most teams this season. Definitely earning that contract. Hopefully he keeps it up for the remainder of that contract.

I think Zetterberg's jersey should be and will be retired, but I wouldn't say it's "official". Ken Holland may have said it will be some day, but Ken Holland may not even be with the organization as soon as next season. Holland's opinion (voice) obviously holds more weight than Blashill's, but Blashill could come out tomorrow and say the same thing, which wouldn't make it official either. Until it's announced officially by Chris Illitch, I'd say it's entirely possible that it doesn't get retired, or maybe not right away anyway. I don't think it will take 30-40 years, but it may not happen right away like it did the two previous captains. If I were to guess, 40 does go up within a year or two after he officially retires though. As for the other three? No idea. I'd say, 13 - 75% chance, 91 - 50%, and 30 - 25%...

Cholowski could have played in the AHL this season though, but he can't now until his season ends (Portland gets eliminated from the playoffs). He was drafted by Prince George, but originally decided to go the college route rather than Canadian juniors. Since he was not in the CHL when he was drafted by the Wings, he had the option to go straight to the AHL as early as last season. He wasn't ready, and I'm okay with that. Everyone develops at different rates, and Cholo has taken huge strides since being drafted. I'm excited for this kid, and hopeful that he can develop into a top pair defenseman some day. I don't think there's any question he'll be an NHL defenseman, it's just a matter of whether or not he hits his ceiling.

The WJC officially kicks off today. We're not as well represented this year as past years, but there are 4 players for us to keep an eye on... Gustav Lindstrom - 2017 2nd round pick (38th overall) - Sweden Filip Larsson - 2016 6th round pick (167th overall) - Sweden Kasper Kotkansalo - 2017 3rd round pick (71st overall) - Finland Malte Setkov - 2017 4th round pick (100th overall) - Denmark December 26th 12:00 p.m. EST - CZE vs RUS 2:00 p.m. EST - BLR vs SWE 4:00 p.m. EST - CAN vs FIN 8:00 p.m. EST - DEN vs USA December 27th 3:00 p.m. EST - SUI vs BLR 7:00 p.m. EST - SVK vs CAN December 28th 12:00 p.m. EST - FIN vs DEN 2:00 p.m. EST - RUS vs SUI 4:00 p.m. EST - SWE vs CZE 8:00 p.m. EST - USA vs SVK December 29th 12:00 p.m. EST - BLR vs RUS 3:00 p.m. EST - CAN vs USA December 30th 12:00 p.m. EST - CZE vs BLR 2:00 p.m. EST - SWE vs SUI 4:00 p.m. EST - FIN vs SVK 8:00 p.m. EST - DEN vs CAN December 31st 12:00 p.m. EST - SUI vs CZE 4:00 p.m. EST - USA vs FIN 6:00 p.m. EST - SVK vs DEN 8:00 p.m. EST - RUS vs SWE January 2nd - 5th Finals / Medal Rounds

Yeah, I'd do that for sure. Would that really be enough though?