krsmith17

Should be back soon. Haven't heard anything on him recently but he was expected to be out 2-4 weeks as of September 20th. It will be 4 weeks this Wednesday.

Nah, not really. I have faith in Cholowski becoming a top 4 (hopefully top 2). I'm hoping Hicketts can become a top 4. I think any of Hronek, Saarijarvi, Kotkansalo or Lindstrom could become top 4 defensemen. Maybe one even surprises and becomes a top 2, but I doubt it. Other than that, not much to get excited about in my opinion. I like Sambrook, but I think he's a bottom pairing defenseman. Maybe someone like Setkov, exceeds expectations. We have a ton of defensive depth, but no legit top pairing guys... A need that desperately needs to be addressed in next year's draft and / or vita trade...

We have a few defensemen in Grand Rapids, but none that are legit top 4 NHL defensemen. I still think Sproul could be a decent top 4 if given the opportunity, but he's yet to prove himself. Hicketts could develop into a top 4 defenseman, but likely more of a 3rd pairing guy. Russo is a borderline NHLer, possibly career AHLer. Same goes for Lashoff, McIlrath, and Renouf. Hronek and Saarijarvi may have top 4 potential, but aren't close to being ready (2 years away). Hronek has played one of the Griffins first three games and Saarijarvi was demoted to Toledo. If we're trading Athanasiou, it needs to be for a legit top 4 defenseman or high end prospect.

I'm not sure the Oilers have a serious need for a high-skill scoring winger when they have Jesse Puljujarvi down in the American League. I'm also not sure Nugent-Hopkins (2nd line winger) would be the best fit for this team right now. Zetterberg is showing that he's still amongst the best centers in the league, Larkin is starting to prove himself as a very solid 2C, and Nielsen is also a solid option as a 2C. We'd also have to give up more than just Athanasiou (pick and / or prospect) to get RNH. If we're trading AA, I think it needs to be for a top 4 defenseman that can immediately improve our blue line, first and foremost. I know McPhee has said time and time again that Theodore isn't available, but if we threw out an offer he couldn't refuse, I think he'd have to bite. If there truly aren't any top defensemen available (I don't believe that), then I'd look to trade for a center prospect (under 20) with top 6 (possibly 1C) potential. Cody Glass is another player I'd target, but again, Vegas probably wouldn't be willing to move him either. Man, Vegas have the potential to be really good in the very near future...

Yes, he was injured in training camp (ankle), which is why we didn't see him in any preseason games. He should be ready to go with Guelph in the next week or so.

What a setup by Hank...

Go Wings!

There's absolutely no correlation between me wanting Sproul in Detroit and wanting Lashoff, or similar player in Grand Rapids... I don't think having Lashoff in Grand Rapids is necessary, but I don't think it's a detriment either. Maybe McIlrath would be more than capable in leading this young defense core. I have no idea.

I'm very confused. I don't think anyone is saying "We Need To Keep Lashoff In Grand Rapids"... I'm certainly not. What exactly are you arguing? Should we have kept Paetsch? I agree that Lashoff is expendable, I just think if we are getting rid of / losing him, we should be replacing him with a very similar player to mentor the kids. In which case, I say, why not keep Lashoff?

I'm not in any way saying that Lashoff is "indispensable". I just think we need a leader for those kids, and Lash seems to be a good a candidate as any. I don't care if he's under contract with the Red Wings or Griffins, makes no difference to me. I think Paetsch was a great leader on the back end, but when he left, someone needed to step up as the new leader. So far it's been Lashoff. If they let him walk after this season and sign another vet, like TJ Brennan, great. I just don't want the kids learning "how to be a pro" from Russo or Renouf...

Yes, the fact the Nelson felt he was worthy of being one of the captains makes me feel he's a good guy in the locker room. Or do you think Nelson just gave it to him because he's one of the oldest on the team? Why does it matter if he's signed by the Red Wings or Griffins? He's not on the Red Wings active roster, and probably won't ever play another game in Detroit. So you'd be okay with Lashoff playing in GR if he were signed by the Griffins instead of the Red Wings?

It's definitely B for me.

You know Paetsch is gone right? Lashoff is basically our new Paetsch, and seems to be a good candidate to fill that role. I agree with Neo, Lashoff seems to be a good mentor for the kids.

And that's without Chychrun in the lineup...

Yeah, I'd take Galchenyuk in a heartbeat.

You forget: Ken Holland isn't crazy enough... Trades are hard.

Not sure if you're serious, but Ericsson would lower the value, not increase it... I say Sheahan and Ouellet for Galchenyuk. Sign Athanasiou to $2.1M x 2 years... Kronwall to LTIR. Nyquist - Zetterberg - Mantha Galchenyuk - Larkin - Tatar Athanasiou - Nielsen - Frk Abdelkader - Helm - Glendening / Booth Daley - Green DeKeyser - Jensen Hicketts - Sproul Ericsson

You realise that would work out to more than 50 games for Howard right? If Howard got 2 games every 3, he would get approximately 55 starts, leaving Mrazek with 27... Howard has been unreal. Hopefully he keeps it up. Mrazek was great last game too, aside from that one duster he let in. If he can prevent them, and Howard can stay healthy, we'll have one hell of a duo that should be able to (continue to) steal us some games.

If they're moving any vets I'd think it would be Renouf before Lashoff, since Lash is one of the alternate captains. They also need to make room for Hronek in the lineup. Our defense is over crowded with mediocre to bad defensemen in the NHL and AHL...

As expected. Nastasiuk sucks and Saarijarvi needs playing time.

Never mind. Mrazek is first off ice this morning and appears to be starting tonight...

Where did you hear this? I was under the impression that Howard would start tonight and Mrazek would get one of the back-to-back starts this week (Thursday in Arizona or Friday in Vegas). Howard has been unreal, but I'm hoping Mrazek can rise out of the ashes and resemble the Mrazek we seen when he took over 2 years ago...

If we replace Zetterberg (who eventually has to slow down), with a young stud centerman (maybe Larkin, maybe Rasmussen, or maybe he hasn't been drafted yet) over the next couple years, I think a top line flanked by Mantha and whoever else could be as good as any top line in the league. We're not going to get a Crosby or McDavid or probably not even a Matthews, but we could definitely get a center as good or better than Toews, or any other top line center in the league. Our biggest needs are an elite number one center and an elite number one defenseman. Those aren't easy holes to fill, and likely will have to come in the way of a top 3 pick. Hopefully we get one of those (Dahlin) in the 2018 draft...

Not sure what kind of women you guys usually go for (nor do I care), but I've yet to find a woman that gets excited or enjoys hockey fights, or fights of any kind for that matter... I do like a good hockey fight, but they also have to have some sort of skill... I'd love to have a Darren McCarty or Bob Probert on this team, but Luke Witkowski? No thanks...