krsmith17

I agree that Marchenko is pretty solid, but that's all he is. To me, he's just a filler, not much better than Lashoff was for us a few years ago... Smith is a "pretty solid defenseman" and should not be the one shipped out if we're looking for an upgrade.

I think we should be looking to package one of the them in a trade, and my choice would be Marchenko. I think he has the highest trade value and yet the lowest ceiling of the three... Keep Ouellet and Sproul on the roster as our number 6/7...

I should rephrase that then... We have more than enough defensemen that provide little to no offense...

Ouellet missed a couple games last week, but I know he played the last game of the season on Saturday. So yes, he is healthy... I'm kind of surprised to see you say that of all people Matt. Especially with how high you are on Smith... I look at it from an "all around" capability. We have more than enough defensemen that can only play defense. Defensive defensemen are highly overrated in my opinion. I want a defenseman that can skate and move the puck efficiently, not a guy that can block shots because he gets hemmed in his own zone all game...

I know not many (if any) will agree with me here, but I think, Sproul > Ouellet > Marchenko...

Looking like the same lines as last game, as it likely should be...

I'm not even so sure it has to do with our players not willing to one-time the puck, I think it's the inability for any of our players to pass the puck... Every pass seems to be ahead or behind, never in the wheel house. I lost count of how many times Green and Richards were playing catch on that 5on3 last game, where not a single pass was close to the wheel house... Pulkkinen has a cannon but unless he is utilized properly, set up along the left half-boards, and we're able to feed him pucks, it will be a waste...

Apparently Pulkkinen is being considered to be inserted into the lineup?... I'm not a huge fan of this unless he's replacing Andersson, and is used very little 5on5 and is strictly in to give the power-play a different look... I would rather it be Mantha, but that's obviously not going to happen... As much as I want Andersson as far away from this roster as possible, I'll admit, he had a decent game on Sunday and was a huge factor in setting up Athanasiou's goal. However, the main reason he was put in in the first place, was to help out the penalty kill and in faceoffs, and he has done very little of either. He should still be the odd man out... Pulkkinen with 7 minutes (4-5 on the power-play) >>> Andersson with 7 minutes (1 minute on the penalty kill)...

WingedWheel, to answer your question, yes you are obviously missing something. Because you are literally the only person upset about having Smith inserted into the lineup. He should have been in the entire series. You keep pointing out that he only has 2 points in his last 17 games or whatever... Who gives a s***? Although, he doesn't produce as much as we'd like him to, he does generate offense, in fact, far better than any of our other defensemen. He also plays with an edge, which is a great attribute in a playoff game. You praise Abdelkader for his aggressive style, but fail to acknowledge the same quality in Smith. Andersson sucks, he should not be in the lineup. Smith is good, he should be in the lineup. Very simple.

I would agree with you about some of the s*** talk on just about any other player. People that constantly b**** about Nyquist or Tatar or Ericsson or Smith, etc, etc, drives me nuts, but I do believe the s*** talking on Andersson is at least somewhat warranted... I just don't believe he is / was ever an NHL quality player. I'd bet if he were with just about any other organization, he wouldn't have gotten close to 200 games played, and would never have even made it at all with some teams. There's a reason not a single team wanted him for free in January, and there's a reason he's leaving for Sweden. There isn't however, a single logical reason based on all of this as to why he is still playing for us in the Stanley Cup Playoffs over MUCH better players... Nonetheless, I don't hate Andersson, I just don't think he's an NHL calibre player. I'm happy to see him go, but I'll wish him nothing but the best of luck in Sweden...

I guess you missed my point... This team is in transition and people shouldn't be looking for major changes or a quick fix. We need to continue to build from within and just make a couple minor tweaks along the way... We probably should be looking to trade a player like Ericsson, but with his no trade clause and not quite playing at the level of his contact, that isn't likely to happen. Smith should not be traded, he should be in the lineup. But if Blashill continues to refuse playing him, despite him being a much better option than some others that are immune to being scratched, then I'll agree, we should trade him. I just know if a team traded for him, a different coach would be able to get the most out of him and he'd be a very solid top 4 defenseman. Jurco and Pulkkinen should not be traded for the simple fact that their value is at an all time low right now. Jurco will be a very good top 9 forward (possibly even top 6), Pulkkinen I'm not so sure about. I'd throw Howard's name out there to see if there's any interest, but if we have to retain a significant amount of his cap, I don't do it. Also I'd consider holding onto Howard for another year, if it means getting Mrazek significantly cheaper. We should re-sign Helm, and he will not get anything close to Abdelkader money. I don't see us re-signing Quincey, but if we did, it wouldn't be the worst move we could make, and if we did it would likely mean that one of the other defensemen is gone. DeKeyser won't get $6M and Mrazek won't get $5M. I still think there's a strong possibility that Datsyuk plays out his contract, but even if he doesn't, I don't see us re-signing Richards.

Trade all 4 of Nyquist, Tatar, Pulkkinen and Smith in a package for a top pair defenseman? Trade Kronwall? Buy out Ericsson and Zetterberg? Yup, sure sounds like things the Red Wings should / would do... Also, like has already been mentioned, no way Lucic and Backes come here at any sort of discount... People that believe we're going to have this massive turnover, are going to be very upset / angry when we ice pretty much the exact same team again next season. People need to realize that we're having a few down years, not because we're simply getting worse but that we are in the process of a rebuild. We're transitioning from the vets to the youth, not quite as quick as some of us would like, myself included, but it is happening. We don't need to get rid of half of our team and bring in multiple players. We need one or two key trades that will give us a top pairing defenseman, either one that is now, or more likely one that will likely become one in a couple years from now. We're not packaging 4 roster players to get that defenseman either. Our roster is not that bad, and the Nyquists and Tatars (secondary scoring) are not the problem. It's our primary scoring that has taken a hit, and that will sort itself out once Larkin, Mantha and company develop into what we think / hope they will become. I'm not worried about our future up front, but without a big trade on the back end, our defense looks very bleak. Make a smart trade that doesn't mortgage the future up front, and we could potentially be a contender again within 3 years or so...

The title should really have "Joakim" Andersson in the title... I got a huge fright thinking it was Hakan leaving us... Anyway, great news! Good luck back in Sweden!

That's such a f***ing cop-out. If that was the basis of his reasoning for limiting Athanasiou's minutes and sending Mantha back down, then why is Andersson in the lineup over Jurco and Pulkkinen? Both were much better AHL players than Andersson ever was (is)... Johnson and Kucherov had great numbers is the American League? They sure did, but Pulkkinen had better numbers and he's been riding the pine for weeks... No, I'm not saying Pulkkinen should be in the lineup, but you can't base your decision on who plays based on what a player did or didn't do in the minors... Mantha wasn't lighting it up down in Grand Rapids, nor was he up here, but he makes things happen offensively, and same goes for Athanasiou and Jurco. Basically anybody would be a better option than Andersson... Same thing can be said for the defense and the reason Smith is out. There's no logical explanation, other than Blashill's stubborn a** made a decision and he's likely going to stick with it. Here's how we fix this team long term and short term, starting tomorrow night. Play the guys that both give you the best chance to win now and are the biggest parts of your future. Limit the vets ice time so when they are on the ice, they're not completely out of gas, and they can actually make something happen... If we keep the same lineup and continue playing Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Kronwall 20 minutes a night, I doubt this series gets to game 5...

I was a huge fan of Blashill with the Griffins and when he got hired as the new head coach of the Red Wings I was very excited to see what he could do. The main reason being, I loved the way he managed his roster down in Grand Rapids and put the kids in great positions to succeed. Things started out great with Larkin making the roster, and we all thought, this is the changing of the guard. We're finally going to start transitioning from the vets to the youth. For whatever reason, somewhere along the way, that changed. We started going back to the same old well, and leaning on the vets yet again. I'm not sure what caused him to revert back to the ways of old, if there was pressure from management to keep the streak alive or what. Regardless of when it happened or why it happened, there's no question that there have been major misusage of players for parts of this season, and especially down this last stretch. I'm of the mindset set now that we've made the playoffs, we've kept the streak alive, we're not expected to go deep, now is the time to start playing for the future. We need to get these kids in the lineup to get them some valuable playoff experience, as well as potentially give us a better shot at winning. I'm okay with Mantha playing big minutes down in Grand Rapids, if that's what management believe is the best for his development. What I'm not okay with is Andersson in the lineup in any capacity over Jurco. And don't try to spin this as me saying that Jurco is the answer to our offensive woes (like some did with the Mantha debate), because (again) I'm not. What I am saying is that Jurco is just as good defensively, can also kill penalties and is about 100 times better offensively. Andersson is not an NHL calibre player and should not be anywhere close to this roster. The defense has been abysmal at best, and Blash decided to make a change, he switched Ericsson and Quincey. Yup, that should really jump start this team... Instead of inserting Smith in, you switch two defensive defensemen, expecting some huge change? What a joke...

Me. I still say something similar to the Nyquist contract. 5M(ish).

Im pretty sure he's just up as an injury replacement. However, with a playoff spot locked, it wouldn't surprise me to see him get a look in one of the final two games of the regular season this weekend. He's not in tonight against the Monsters though.

Great defensive weapon, LOL!

No one is saying that Mantha alone will make a huge difference, but in a game of inches, a slight edge could be the difference in winning and losing. Whether or not he is a better option than the least significant player in our lineup is worth the debate in my opinion because again, that slight edge could put us over the top. I'd rather Mantha helping out offensively and on the power-play for 10-12 minutes a night than Andersson getting hemmed in his own zone and killing penalties for any minutes a night. The guy is not an NHL caliber player, evident a few months ago when he was sent through waivers and cleared. Mantha is top prospect and a great offensive weapon. The fact that anyone would pick the black hole over a "potential" game changer is mind numbing to me, but I think I've said all I can possibly say, and I've heard more than enough from the Andersson enthusiasts...

Why the f*** do people keeo saying Mantha isn't suited for the 4th line? No s***! You know who is suited for the 4th line? Helm, Sheahan, Glendening. You know who isn't suited for the NHL? Andersson. Scratch Andersson, play 3 guys that would make a scary shutdown line, and use Mantha in the top 9, where he can actually contribute offensively...

Yeah, anyone that thinks Mantha should be in the lineup over Andersson are obviously saying that Mantha is our savior... Unreal... If Mantha were given the chance, I guarantee he would have a much bigger positive impact on the series than Andersson. Joakim Andersson is not a good hockey player. He can win faceoffs, that is it, and faceoffs alone are not going to win us this series...

Haha whatever, I'm done with this conversation... I still find it quite funny that you think Andersson brings more to the table than Mantha, but whatever, matter of opinion I guess...

Oh I wasn't aware Datsyuk didn't (past tense) return next (future tense) season... Care to make a friendly wager on both? Haha

Haha me grow up? You're the one that attempts to talk down on someone because you don't think they played the game at a high level, which obviously means they aren't knowledgeable about the game of hockey... I'm just suggesting a poll because I would bet any amount of money that the majority would rather have Mantha in the lineup over Andersson...

How about we make a poll of who should be on the second line for the better chance for us to win against Tampa, Helm or Mantha... Or better yet who should be in the lineup Mantha or Andersson, since that's where all this started... I know there aren't many LGWers as knowledgeable as you with your NCAA career and all, but I'd be curious to see what others think...