krsmith17

Smith isn't going anywhere (nor should he) unless it's in a package for a top pairing defenseman. It's an absolute joke that our best possession driving defenseman is currently scratched, it's an even bigger joke that so many fans want him traded... Also Helm should and likely will be the only UFA we re-sign. It will probably be at a bit more than most people would like to see, but I'm expecting (hoping) for somewhere around $2.25-2.75M.

We win the Boston game in ROW and either one of the games against the Flyers or Rangers and we finish third in the division to play Tampa or Florida, no matter what the Bruins do in their other two games. The next two are going to be hard fought games because we're all in a race for the last couple spots, and although the Rangers won't be playing for their playoff lives, they may need that game to decide home ice advantage over the Pens, or possibly even to hold on to that third spot over the Islanders or Flyers. Even if their position in the standings is locked, I bet they would love to be the team to end the Wings streak... It's not going to be easy, but very doable. I still think we'll get in..

I agree about not wanting to pay a boat load of money for Yandle, but I disagree that he will cost $7M. Somewhere around $6M I would guess, but that's still too much for another 2nd pairing defenseman. I also agree that Schenn isn't nearly as bad as a lot of people make him out to be. Ask any Leafs fan and they will tell you he's the worst defenseman ever... which is obviously a ridiculous statement, but what do you expect from a Leafs fan?... I believe Schenn is a very good shut down defenseman, that hits like a ton of bricks, blocks shots and can clear the crease. Unfortunately, I still wouldn't consider him much more than a 3rd pair guy, and that's not what this team needs. We need a number one and they simply aren't available in free agency. We need to either trade for a guy that has the potential to get there or draft and develop. I'd personally prefer the former, although management will likely opt for the latter...

Like others have mentioned, Datsyuk will finish out his contract. It's been rumored that he's "going home" ever since before he signed his current contract. He'll be back for another season and it wouldn't shock me to see him sign another one after that as well.

Nick's oldest son, Kevin is 22 years old and isn't likely to ever make the NHL, let alone become a top pairing beast like his old man. And if I'm not mistaken, Kevin was the only one that plays defense, the other three are all forwards. So the chance we ever see one of the Lidstrom boys on the top pair with DeKeyser is slim to none...

Haha love it. They're called bold predictions for a reason... I knew when I wrote them the chances of any coming to fruition was slim, however I couldn't have been more out to lunch on that first one haha.

Zetterberg is going to put this team on his back one last time and score at least a point per game in the final 5 games. Hank and Pav will both finish strong, finishing the season with 54 and 52 points... Larkin will beat Zetterberg's rookie record by 1 goal and 2 assists...

They wouldn't have the tie breaker though. The first tie breaker if I'm not mistaken would be ROW, and the Wings would have 41 and the Bruins would have 40...

Any system takes time. Yeah, they probably should be adapting better, especially through 77 games of a season, but with a new coach and such a huge turnover on the roster, including 3 rookies, we shouldn't really have expected a smooth transition. Even so, our 5on5 goals for and against per game, is not a whole lot different from last season. It's the special teams that's the issue, and that falls on Firschweiler and Granato more so than Blashill. Blash needs time to adjust and so do the players to his system, but I don't think there's a problem with his approach to the game, as much as there is with his player usage and line combos... Scratching players and limiting minutes of some of your top young players, while leaning too heavily on the veterans is not a recipe for success... In my mind, that is where the issue lies, not the system he has put in place...

If we were to go 5-0 (I don't expect us to) we would be in, regardless of what any other team does... We're 1 point back of Boston with one game remaining against them, so we would finish with 97 points and the most Boston would be able to get is 96... Regardless that game a week from today, could and likely will determine whether we get in or miss...

I do like Blashill's system and approach to the game, however his lines and player usage is the worst I've seen... Having Athanasiou and Mantha on the 4th line with Glendening is disgusting... Although, as we all know, there's zero chance it stays like that for an entire game, may not even start like that tomorrow, none the less, frustrating to say the least...

Yes, I watched every minute of every single game, and yes, like I said it has been frustrating at times.. but guess what? I still don't miss a game, and I'm still rooting for my team to succeed... It's just my opinion, but I believe a fan sticks with his/her team through thick and thin, and doesn't rant on a forum about how awful they are, and only show up to b**** and complain for losses.. By the way, this is not directed at you, the people that never show up when this team is doing well and only show up when we're on a losing streak, they know who they are, as does everyone else here... I would absolutely say that New Jersey at home are worse than Montreal at home. The Bell Centre is arguably the toughest stadium in the entire league to play in... The team as a whole, I think Montreal are better on paper, and are just having an awful season without Price. The parity in this league gives every single team that makes the playoffs a legit shot at winning any series, so yes, I do believe we can beat Tampa or Florida in a 7 game series. They're both a whopping 6 points ahead of us in the standings, even though we "suck" and are "the worst Red Wings team in 20+ years"... We also have a 2-1-1 record against Florida and a 2-2-0 record against Tampa.. but ya know, it's playoffs and there's no way we have a chance against those two juggernauts....

For those of you that don't get to watch all the games, or happen to miss a game, have a look at the post count on the GDT before checking the box scores. You can always tell if it's a win or loss just by the number of posts... A win might get 10 pages, a loss is always over 20. The real fans always seem to come out of the woodwork every time we lose... WingedWheel - "high draft picks are the only path to success in Detroit"... Really? Seriously?... Boston outshot New Jersey 40-15 and still lost by a goal? So what? We outshot Montreal 42-27 and lost by a goal as well. We also dominated face-offs and special teams... still lost. It's disappointing as hell, and this team has been frustrating to watch for sure, but yes, I still want them to make the playoffs, and so do most of the regulars here... Despite our struggles, I'd still bet on us getting in. It will likely come down to the game against Boston, and I think we got a pretty good shot at winning that game, as good as Boston for sure, who believe it or not, have been much worse than us lately... I also believe we have a shot against any team in the East in a 7 game series. We would be in tough against Washington for sure, but I think if we get in we'll probably end up playing Tampa or Florida, who we could definitely beat... So yes, I would much rather make the playoffs and have a shot at going on a run, than miss and pick a couple spots higher in the draft...

Agree to disagree, because I 100% believe our lack of offense starts from our lack of puck moving defensemen, and our speedy forwards that back check their a**es off make the defense look better than they have been. You also have to take into account that all three of Larkin, Mantha and Athanasiou are rookies, and will get MUCH better over the next few seasons. We have the talent up front, we don't at all on the back end. Name one defenseman in the pipeline that projects to be as good or better than any of the three forwards I mentioned... There's not one. Maybe Sproul or Russo get there but I think even they're a bit of a stretch...

I disagree completely and I'm sure most would as well. You cannot just look at the goals for and goals against to judge how good the offense and defense are, it's a team stat, not a position stat. Offense starts from the back end, and we don't have enough puck moving defensemen, (and for some unexplainable reason our best puck moving defenseman is currently a healthy scratch...). We have a lot of very good two-way forwards, and defense from the forwards is stressed league wide in today's game. Bottom line our offense as a whole is above average today and in the future, while our defense as a whole is below average today and in the future, unless Larkin, Mantha and Athanasiou completely flop, and Ouellet and Sproul turn out to be Norris caliber defensemen... Neither is likely...

Rich, you can't seriously believe that our defense is stronger than our offense... Based on what? Goal differential? We have an above average offense right now, and I think we will have a very good offense in a year or two from now, just looking within the organization. We have a below average defense right now, and I don't see it improving a whole lot from anything we currently have within the organization. We desperately need help on the back end, we're fine up front. I think we should obviously make a pitch for Stamkos, but if the price gets too high (it will), I'm quite okay with Holland backing off and saving his money to upgrade the defense...

As far as I know he opted out of signing with Nashville and he will be a UFA this summer... I'm assuming he will sign with Toronto where his dad is a pro scout or possibly go home to play in Boston...

I'm not saying what you're saying is bulls***, or that whoever told you is full of s***, but I'd be shocked to see Larkin ever play another game for the Griffins again. He just went from playing 35ish games a season in college to 82 games in the NHL. There is absolutely some mental and physical wear on him, and it's shown over this last stretch. If the Wings' season ends earlier than we hope, I expect Larkin to take the summer getting refueled and focus on the season with the Wings, not helping the Griffins win the Calder Cup...

Jesusberg, as I've said in other threads, I'd sit one of Glendening or Richards. I'd go with... Larkin - Datsyuk - Mantha Nyquist - Zetterberg - Abdelkader Tatar - Athanasiou - Jurco Sheahan - Richards / Glendening - Helm Rich, where did you see / hear this? Link? I don't believe for a second that Larkin would play in the Calder Cup playoffs...

I like Blashill, and think he's done a decent job this season, his assistants on the other hand, not so much. I like that Blash is more of an offensive minded coach, but unfortunately we just don't have the personnel right now. In the next couple years, or maybe even next year, we should be in much better shape. I do however, hate a lot of his lineup decisions and the fact that he relies too much on the vets and not enough on the kids. And also how the vets are immune to being scratched. There is no way that Smith should be scratched over Ericsson or even Kronwall, and Jurco should be in the lineup every game over a couple players as well... Overall, I'd probably give him a C+ / B-...

Dickie, Nyquist and Tatar are quality secondary players whether you want to admit it or not. Their advanced stats are very good for what is expected of them and they provide offense. They production has dipped a little but I think that's more to do with the rest of the team than them individually... I'm not that high on Pulkkinen but he certainly hasn't peaked, and he still has room to grow as a player. I don't think it's fair to say "he is what he is" before he's even been given a chance... Jurco will be fine. Everything else I agree with. The vets shouldn't be leaned on near as much as they have been and the kids should get more ice time. There is no reason Athanasiou and Mantha should both be scratched for entire third periods...

First of all, this team is not at all "full of bottom sixers", middle sixers would be more accurate. We have a lot of 2nd line guys, just not enough first line guys. Also, I love how you want to trade for Eberle but hate on Nyquist and Tatar when they're all virtually the same type of player... Eberle is the same size, so he too will get "pushed off the puck", and he scores at a slightly higher clip than two of the guys you constantly hate on... You would seriously trade a 20-30 goal scorer (Nyquist / Tatar), a first round pick, an established NHL defender, and a depth player (Jurco / Pulkkinen) for a 20-30 goal scorer Eberle?...

Not a single one of them are on the same level as Malkin, and all of them still retrieved a first round pick, plus some high end players / prospects... Malkin is not going anywhere, and even if he were, it would certainly cost a hell of a lot more than Nyquist and Smith...

Exactly. Any trade for a player like Malkin would start with Mantha, and much more would have to be added as well. That's exactly why you rarely ever see all-star caliber players traded. They're either traded before they become all-stars or years after they were all-stars... If we're trading for help up front or on the back end, it needs to be for a player that we feel has the potential to be a top line player or top pair defenseman, we're simply not going to get one in his prime...

Nyquist and Smith for Malkin? That's a joke right? What about Tatar and Green for Doughty? Of course only if they're willing to retain a couple million of his salary...