krsmith17

I've been extremely high on Athanasiou for quite some time now, but everyone should temper their expectations just a little. He is a young kid riding a high right now, but you have to remember he is just 21 years old. Remember how awesome Jurco was when he first came into the league? Remember how fast fans turned on him as soon as he showed any signs of struggle? Athanasiou will at some point go through similar struggles, I just hope they manage this kid better than they did / still are with Jurco...

PVD, that was my exact thoughts on the disallowed goal as well. Holtby seen the puck pass the goal line and scooped it out, either in frustration because he let in that weak side goal, or tried to scoop it out in hopes that they wouldn't be able to determine it being over the goal line... Otherwise you would think he would have covered the puck rather than scooping it out with the chance for another scoring opportunity... The Caps got away with one there, but fortunately we were able to win the game anyway. I'm a firm believer that changing any single play in a game, changes the entire outcome of the game. So who knows, if that goal stood as a good goal, we could have won the game 4-0, or we could have just as easily lost the game 3-2 or 2-1 or whatever...

I feel the same way as most people here. Somewhere around $4-4.25M is fair value for Abdelkader, but I would prefer shorter term than 7 years, somewhere around 4-5 would do, even if it raises his AAV another half million or so... Abdelkader is a huge part of this team, and it would only take a week long injury for people to realize this. Lucky for us, he has been fairly durable over his career so far, and we haven't been without him for to many long stretches. He brings an abrasive element that is lacking in almost every other player on this team. I would think that Abby wants to stay in Detroit. I can't imagine him bolting to a new team over a half million or so. I'm not saying Holland should play hardball, but he should have a little leverage there. Pay him fairly, but no need to overpay on salary or term. Get er done Kenny!

Frank, no one has any idea exactly what was said by Burrows. However, there is a line, even when trash talking, and for all we know, he very well could have crossed that line. If he was chirping anything to do with his brothers suicide, that is a line you just don't cross, and I hope Tootoo pounds Burrows face in next time they meet. There are some things you just don't bring up in trash talking, on or off the ice. I was never a fan of Tootoo in Nashville, prior to his short stint in Detroit, however the guy is a class act. Burrows on the other hand, is an a**hat. F*** Burrows...

it is absolutely the coaching in my opinion. Nelson is a moron. Trying to turn an extremely skilled team into a bunch of goons. In saying that, it is only a matter of time before they start netting a few goals. The whole team have been snake bitten. Mantha in particular has played really well in every game I've seen, he just can't buy a goal right now. I still think this is a playoff team and once they get in, even if it is as a lower seed, they'll be a dangerous team.

No, I definitely wouldn't, however I'm sure there are many here that would in a heartbeat. I just hope Holland stays away...

Byfuglien on a long term contract would be a terrible idea in my opinion, especially at upwards of $8M. The guy is a beast but he's not exactly in the best shape at the age of 30, I can't imagine that getting much better in his mid 30's... I don't know, maybe he will remain an elite defender into his mid to late 30's, but I picture him falling and falling hard in the next few seasons...

I agree that people should give up caring about Babcock, and how great he is or isn't, or was or will be, but I disagree about being pleased to see him and his Leafs doing well... F*** Babcock, but more importantly F*** the Leafs...

I don't get how anyone can not be excited to see this kid in a Red Wings jersey in a couple years... Bertuzzi has a nose for the net, goes to the dirty areas, wins puck battles, not afraid to play on the edge, all of that to go along with a ton of offensive ability. What's not to be excited about? Sure, he sometimes crosses the line, but he has cleaned up his game a ton, and like someone already mentioned, he is still a young kid that is developing, and learning the ins and outs of being a pro. I missed this game, so I'm not sure exactly what caused Bert to react this way, but what if Kapanen laid a dirty hit or a nasty two hander to one of the Griffins on the previous shift? Would his actions be warranted then? I'm sure some here would still say no, but I like when players stand up for one another. I sure as hell would have loved to see someone do something like this to Bennett after that dirty hit on Quincey, or Stone on Ferraro. Bert likely was out of line here, and I'm sure he had a talking to after the game. I just hope he doesn't clean up his game too much... The Red Wings could definitely use that snarl on their roster.

First in the East. Stanley Cup Champs. Game is easy...

I like Callahan but if we're looking for Marchand and Shaw type players, look no further than Tyler Bertuzzi. This kid is cut from the exact same mold as these guys. Can't wait for him to make that sort of impact with the Wings in a couple years.

F*** Byfuglien! If I'm giving up a ridiculous package including a top prospect like Mantha plus a first round pick, I want Trouba. Byfuglien is not going to cost anything close to that. If he had years left on his contract, maybe, but he doesn't, so he won't... I wouldn't pay that much for Byfuglien, even if he did have years on his contract, but that's probably just me not being his biggest fan, and still being very high on Mantha...

There are just some combos that naturally work really well with zero effort, and other need to be forced. I'd much prefer the natural chemistry. Nyquist and Zetterberg have that. Tatar and Jurco have that. I'm sure there are other duos that fit that mold as well, but those are the two that have stood out the most to me. Larkin and Pulkkinen seemed to have some chemistry off the bat. Whether that was really a thing or just a flash in the pan, I'm not sure...

Howard is starting tomorrow.

Are you sure Mrazek is starting? Last I seen, Mrazek started practice in the net usually occupied by the starter, but then Howard rotated in...

Quote from TSN's Bob McKenzie on Mrazek... "They've got so many good young players. Dylan Larkin is going to be a star. I mean, Petr Mrazek has a chance to and I say this, I've got to be careful how I say this you see what Carey Price is doing for the Montreal Canadiens. I think there will be a point in time where Petr Mrazek might do the same sort of thing in terms of the athletic ability to dominate his position, when he gets older and more experienced, as what Price has been doing but there hasnt been enough consistency, and I think thats something they're working on."

Quotes from TSN's Bob McKenzie on Larkin... It gives you some idea of how good they think Larkin is. They wont come out and say it publicly, but they think hes got a chance to be a special player. Somebody who really has unbelievable leadership qualities. The unspoken thing in Detroit is that he might and I say might because its too big a mantle to throw on anybody but maybe he becomes Detroits Jonathan Toews. A guy who has character and intangibles to go with the tangibles, which is tremendous speed, tremendous skill. Just sort of an attitude and presence about him. I think thats the first thing that a lot of veteran Red Wings noticed, was that this teenage kid is unlike any other teenage kid theyve had come in Detroit for a long, long time. Hes got that special something and its hard sometimes to put into words what that special something is, but you know when someones got it. The Blackhawks knew when Toews came up that he had it, and the feeling in Detroit is that Larkin is cut from the same sort of cloth.

Tatar - Larkin - Pulkkinen = all relatively smaller / weaker finesse type players that need to have the puck on their stick to be effective... Helm - Sheahan - Glendening (or Jurco) = all relatively bigger / stronger grinding type players that are good in the corners and in front of the net... Why would anyone want to change that up? Makes for two AWESOME lines...

Do I think I know more about coaching than Blashill? Obviously not. Is it possible that he's making some poor decisions in line combos? Absolutely. Would mine or yours or any other LGWer's proposed line combos be more effective? Definitely a possibility. Especially since our team has looked lackluster for the past handful of games. So because one line is working, you should never break them up? That explains why they split up the Larkin - Zetterberg - Abdelkader line... Oh wait, no it doesn't... It was probably broken up in hopes of having more than one line going... Balance is not the only reason I would stick Jurco up there. Like I've said many times, he has chemistry with Tatar, they play very well with each other. Emmerton / Tootoo / Mursak / Brunnstrom >>> Andersson

You have a problem with me calling Blashill a moron but that leading goal scorer you speak of is the same guy you called a "midget" yesterday. How many times do I have to explain this to you zombo, we need balance throughout our lineup. Putting three finesse guys on one line is not a recipe for success. It may work for a couple games, but it's not going to work over the long haul. You need a guy to do the heavy lifting and digging in the corners, going to the net for some dirty goals. That guy could be Jurco. Andersson is the new Emmerton except not nearly as skilled. He is a borderline NHLer and he should not be in the lineup over much better hockey players. Ferraro is a much better hockey player. Andersson blows. And you should know better than to try to say that I want new shiny players. I'm the one that likes to see the organization develop the kids at a snail pace. I just want the better players playing. And tonight, much like many other games this season, that is not the case...

Take Andersson out of the damn lineup. Move Glendening down to 4th line center. Move Pulkkinen down to 3rd line right wing. Move Jurco up to second line right wing. Insert Ferraro on the 4th line right wing.

So Blashill is just as much of a moron as Babcock apparently... Glendening on the 3rd line again... Andersson in the lineup again... Jurco on the 4th line again... Abdelkader - Zetterberg - Nyquist Tatar - Larkin - Pulkkinen Helm - Sheahan - Glendening Miller - Andersson - Jurco

We have enough players for tonight's game but we will likely call up a defenseman for the back to back against the Sens this weekend. My bet is Ouellet although I'd prefer Jensen...

Nay for me. I'd rather see... Kronwall - Ericsson DeKeyser - Smith Kindl - Marchenko I'm one of the few here, but I still like Kronwall and Ericsson together. Either way, we need to get Green and Quincey back in a big way...

I didn't really like Athanasiou in that number 11 to be honest. I liked his number 23 last season, probably because I was used to seeing him in 22 with Barrie. I hope he goes with 22 rather than 72 when he makes the team full time. I also hope Larkin takes Richards' 17 next season but he may elect to keep 71 if he continues playing as well as he has in that number. If Larkin doesn't take 17, maybe Bertuzzi will, since that's the number he wore in Guelph. And I hope Mantha takes any number other than 39, maybe he will take Andersson's 18 next season... Anyway, like kliq said, I'm sure Athanasiou offered Cleary his number 11...