krsmith17

@AnsarKhanMLive: Ken Holland said Datsyuk plans to skate every day by himself in Detroit this week, possibly start practicing next week. Mid-Nov. return.

I remember Rychel being one of the guys I wanted us to draft in 2013 (if we couldn't land Mantha). I'm glad we got our guy, but Rychel should be a pretty good player as well.

I definitely wouldn't give up Mantha in a trade for Byfuglien, nor would it cost anything near that for a rental. But even if Byff had years on his contract at a friendly cap hit, he's not the defender I would be willing to give up a Mantha prospect for. I'm not sure if anyone has watched any of the Griffins games so far this year, but I've watched two and in both games, Mantha was our best player. He does still float from time to time, but what big bodied sniper doesn't? He looked absolutely dominant on a few shifts, and despite only having one assist in 4 games, he's had his fair share of opportunities. He hit a couple posts and got robbed on a few other chances. The points will come for Mantha, along with the rest of the team (he's tied for 3rd on the team in points with 1 through 4 games...) As for Larkin, no way he's going anywhere.

Why are there so many gifs of former Red Wings / players not in the lineup looking disappointed and the Canadiens celebrating?... Seems like a bad omen to me...

DeKeyser should be in the lineup in Montreal tomorrow night.

Echolalia, I'd argue that through preseason and his only regular season game so far, Jurco has done just that. He has played very strong in the corners and protected the puck very well. He's a great complimentary player to any top 9 line. The points haven't come yet, but there's not a question in my mind that they will. I just don't like when players get a game or two, and if they don't produce right away, they're demoted. Give the kid a legitimate chance, and he will produce for sure. He has proven chemistry with Tatar and the countrymen really enjoy playing together. I hope they stick together. Kip, I've said for about a year now, that's a line I would love to see together. Tatar - Datsyuk - Jurco definitely has the potential to be a dinamite line.

... Or thank him / her for the Cup win this year... As for where they stay in Montreal, no idea...

Great post LeftWinger. Agree 100%

Wow, DeKeyser nearing a return already? Great news! I would love to see him in the lineup Saturday night against the Habs. My bet is that his return will be pushed to next Wednesday against the Oilers though...

Jurco should have absolutely spent more time in the American League. It would have benefitted him, just like it will benefit Mantha, Athanasiou and company. Larkin is the exception, not the rule. He is an unbelievable young talent, and there is no question that if there were a 2014 re-draft done today, he would be a top 5 pick. Do you honestly believe that the Oilers way of doing things is better than the way the Red Wings have done things over the past two decades? The Oilers have had the luxury of picking elite players right off the draft table, and they have still managed to screw some of them up by rushing them. We pick mid to late round every single year, and because of that, we have to develop these kids in the minors first. Plain and simple... I believe the Red Wings are great at drafting, but more than that, I credit the way they develop after they draft these kids. The way they develop kids out of junior and turn them into pros, is second to none. Sure, it may take longer than other organizations, but patience is key. And we're finally starting to see all of that patience pay off, and we will continue to see it pay off as long as we don't stray from that... This method has proven to be very successful, so why question it? Why are you so adamant that your way is better than that of the most successful franchise in all major sports over the past 20 years?... Crazy...

Well the good news is, we have found a capable replacement for that bum Ken Holland... I mean, what does he know anyway? Guy clearly has no idea about player development... Now, Bill Merzeench and MileHighWingsGuy, they get it... Why "develop" a kid in the minors when you can throw him into the fire right away? Develop schmelop I say... The one player we didn't take our time with developing in recent memory is Jurco. He was a point per game player in the AHL, and he obviously didn't need more time down there, because he's tearing s*** up in the NHL now. Then we have guys like Nyquist and Tatar that toiled away in the AHL for years, and they were obviously ready when they were 19 or 20, guys were stars right off the draft table... Another thing, these idiot hockey analysts really need to stop with all the "Red Wings do it right". "Ken Holland's development philosophy of seasoning prospects is proven". F***ing Bulls***! Ken Holland doesn't know s***! Hand the reigns over to these guys...

I really don't think everyone is watching the same game... People still complaining about Jurco? He's been one of our better players this game. Backchecking / forechecking hard, couple big hits, has had some good looks in the offensive zone...

I'd still rather have one righty on each unit.

So happy to see Pulkkinen on the power-play, but I'd rather see Green on one unit and Pulkkinen on the other...

So does this mean Jurco and Ferraro will be the scratches? Will Helm be on the 4th line with Glendening and Miller?...

I don't understand why people keep saying that Jurco has the skills to be a legitimate NHL player, but he hasn't proven he can do so yet... In order to prove something, you need to be given a shot. Jurco hasn't been given a legitimate shot in my opinion and he continues to be misused. I'm very surprised Blash isn't using him properly after what he showed he can do when put in a scoring role. I think it would be a huge mistake to trade Jurco at this point, as I believe he will eventually become a legit top 6 winger. His stock is at an all time low right now. He needs to get into some games and be put in a situation to succeed before you can even think about giving up on the kid.

I'll admit that he's played better than I expected, however it is still a very small sample size. It's not really that he changed my mind, I knew the kid was going to be good. But if we had the option to do it again, I'd still say he should start the season down in Grand Rapids, and I'm sure I'm one of the few that would say that, but that's okay. He's looked great so far, and I'm sure he will be great over time (I've already anointed him our future captain...) But let's see how he handles his first bit of adversity, let's see how he handles going a few games without putting up points...

I agree with your overall point here, however, Doughty was the only "top 5" pick of the players you mentions at #2. Ekman-Larson was close at #6, but Keith was a late second round pick (#54). I don't think Ouellet or Sproul are going to be anything close to what Keith was, but they were both picked 48th and 55th respectively. Also Weber is another absolute stud that was drafted in the later second round (#49). I don't necessarily believe that in order for a player to become a top pairing defenseman or a top line forward, they need to have been a top draft pick. Players like Ouellet and Sproul 'could' become top pairing defenseman, I just don't see it happening... I don't believe we have a single player or prospect on the back end, under the age of 25 that has top pairing potential, and that is worrisome to me. I think DeKeyser is the only player we have of that caliber and he will be 26 this season. We desperately need to add a few top end defensemen to the organization...

F*** that! I want Larkin to win the Calder over McDavid and Eichel. How unreal would that be? Kids' definitely got it in him. I believe in the Calder curse just as much as I do the touching the Clarence Campbell or Prince of Whales Trophy curse... and that is, not at all... I was one of the few that wanted him to start in Grand Rapids, but now that he's up, I hope he never sees an AHL game again. Continue to wreck shop kid. You're a f***ing beauty!

It's sad to me that there are still so many Wings fans that don't give Cleary the respect that he deserves. Ego and Greed? Give me a f***ing break. Taking advantage of people? Are you f***ing serious? I'm not sure why I even bother responding to such rebuttal. Pure ignorance...

Well said PVD! Everyone needs to get over the Cleary hate, and see him for the player he was a few years back. The guy that put everything on the line in every single game and was a huge contributor in that '08 Cup run. He stuck around for a couple years longer than he probably should have... So what? Countless players do for the love of the game. I am certainly not going to hold that against him, and neither should anyone else. Want to blame someone? How about the general manager or the ex coach that kept bringing him back?... Great career Danny. I've had the pleasure to meet him on several occasions and he'll always be a favorite of mine. Class act all the way!

Zetterberg - Nyquist - Kronwall Datsyuk - Helm - Green Richards - Tatar - Smith Larkin - Pulkkinen - DeKeyser

Pumped for tonight! Disappointed that Pulkkinen isn't on either power-play unit though...

Ouellet has been assigned to Grand Rapids. Marchenko will be activated. - Khan

If he sticks with the team this season and plays as well as we all expect him to, is there any question whether or not he will be the next captain of the Detroit Red Wings?... I don't think so. After Zetterberg, Datsyuk, and Kronwall have all retired, it is a real possibility that we could see Larkin, Abdelkader and DeKeyser (three Michigan natives) as the captain and alternate captains... Pretty cool stuff.