krsmith17

... call me crazy... I'd at least like to see both experimented with. Smith has seen very little power-play time over the past couple seasons. But the little he has seen, when we've been depleted with injuries or at the end of a game up by a couple, he's looked very good in my opinion. Sheahan has as well, but like I said, I'd prefer him on the penalty kill. However that all depends on how the lines shake out and if they are anything the way they appear by training camp, I won't be very happy... We do not need Miller, Ferraro and Andersson in the lineup, one would be sufficient. I'd go with Ferraro OR Miller, and send Andersson down to the minors, hoping he'd get claimed...

No rick, I believe that Smith would be an asset if used on the power-play. Sheahan is a good net front man, but like I said, I'd rather have a different formation on each unit, mainly to keep the opposition on their toes. In which case, I don't believe a guy directly in front of the net is absolutely necessary in that type of set-up. Also, if it were up to me, I'd have Sheahan on the penalty kill, and I'd try to split up special teams duties as much as possible. Power-play forwards - Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Abdelkader, Pulkkinen (or Franzen), Richards, Nyquist and Tatar. Penalty kill forwards - Glendening, Ferraro (or Miller), Helm and Sheahan. Also, Smith isn't "my boy". I don't like him any more than any other player on the team and significantly less than some. My favorite players on the team are all forwards. I can see why it may seem like Smith is "my boy", because I tend to get involved in all the conversations defending him, but that isn't because I think he's this unbelievable elite player, it's because he gets unnecessary backlash from fans (in my opinion). If people were constantly b****ing about DeKeyser, I'd be doing the same. Hell, I've done the same for Quincey in the past, as well as Pulkkinen, and neither of them are close to being my favorite Red Wings...

I'd rather have Svechnikov down the middle and Athanasiou on the wing. I think both of their skill sets are better suited in those positions... I hate that Glendening is playing 3rd line wing and Andersson appears to be playing 4th line center... It appears that both Jurco and Pulkkinen could be the 13th and 14th forwards which would be insane...

zombo, you don't need a net front presence to have a successful power-play in the NHL. We've just grown so accustomed to having one over the years that we think that's the only way. With my formation, we would have Richards as a low middle man, directing traffic and looking to deflect shots from the point, as well as two wingers in Nyquist and Tatar, collapsing down low, ready to pounce on any rebounds, deflect shots, or get the goalie moving side to side with cross crease passes... I agree that a net front presence is nice to have, and both Abdelkader and Sheahan are quite good at it, but unless it's Holmstrom, I think that position on the power-play is somewhat overrated... Wow... I couldn't be more disappointed with those line combinations... The only line I'm happy with is our top line of Abdelkader - Zetterberg - Nyquist...

LOL when have I ever said Smith is some sort of elite "offensive weapon" defenseman? I defend that he is not complete and utter trash, like some like to portray him as, and that's it. I think he is an above average defenseman, with a unique skill set that this team lacked before landing Green. And no, I'm not in any way, comparing Smith's offensive game to that of Green's... I've always said and still believe that Smith has top 4 (2nd pair), power-play quarterback, 30-40 point potential. 25-30 points this season wouldn't be anything special, after having 19 and 13 points respectively, the last two seasons? Give me a break... That right there is exactly why some players never shed their label. Smith sucks in the eyes of some fans, so no matter what he does, no matter how much he improves, he will always suck...

So would I. There's little to no chance that Smith outplays either Kronwall or Green on the power-play. And even if he did in pre-season, he still wouldn't play on either unit ahead of either of those guys, unless they go with two different set-ups...

You also have to remember that Jim Hiller (power-play coach last season) is gone to Toronto with Babcock. Pat Ferschweiler is the new guy (assistant under Blashill last season in GR). He could possibly have some new ideas and our power-play units could be tweaked a little... If I'm not mistaken, they did use two different set-ups on each unit, so I believe it is a real possibility.

That is what I really think they should do. Blash did say, he was willing to give Smith a shot on the second unit, so that's why I believe there's a chance they could go with two defenders on one of the units... But if they're set on only using one defender on each unit again this season, obviously Kronwall and Green are ahead of Smith...

I've stated before that I think the Wings should implement two separate power-play unit setups. The 1-3-1 that we used all of last season for the first unit and the standard 3-2 for the second unit. Abdelkader Pulkkinen (Franzen if he's healthy) - Datsyuk - Zetterberg Kronwall Nyquist - Richards - Tatar Green - Smith

Your hatred for Smith is mind blowing... He absolutely can quarterback an offensive play (power-play) and he has his entire career. Did that stop once he hit the NHL because he's not an NHL caliber defenseman? No, although I'm sure you would say that he's not... I think it's more to do with Babcock hammering defense into his head, and not allowing him to play to his strengths... skating the puck, setting up plays in the offensive zone, aka quarterbacking a play... I feel like your disdain for Smith is almost to LeftWinger degree to Franzen... Smith will thrive under Blashill, and I expect somewhere around 25-30 points, providing he gets a look on the power-play.

He sure looked okay on that second goal by Athanasiou. He didn't get a point on the goal but he was a big part in it for sure. Great hustle to get to the dump in, and great work along the boards to get it back to the point to Saarijarvi, who passed it across the line to Stanton, took a shot that was tipped in front by AA. I expect a big year from Mantha this season down in Grand Rapids. I hope they keep that top line of Athanasiou - Larkin - Mantha in tact all season long... Anyway, tough break tonight. Columbus have a lot of high end prospects over there. Unfortunately we couldn't win the Wuest Cup, but runner up in this tournament isn't the worst thing...

This is still doable. Big period coming up boys!

F**** sake... Another injury for Mantha in training camp?...

Exactly my thoughts. So those are the "changes" I'd like to see made. As well as Smith in the top 6 and getting some power-play looks. Although I'm sure there are quite a few that would disagree with me on that...

Thanks Jesusberg, good to know. I know who Michelle is, and I listen to / read her prospect reports on WIIM all the time. Never knew that was her though. Cool stuff.

This is the way I see the lines looking... Obviously it's not exact, but I'm sure it's somewhat accurate... Team Delvecchio Forwards: Tomas Tatar - Brad Richards - Johan Franzen (2) Riley Sheahan - Luke Glendening - Darren Helm (3) Eric Tangradi - Tomas Nosek - Mark Zengerle Colin Campbell - Zach Nastasiuk - Jerome Verrier Pavel Datsyuk, Adam Marsh Defensemen: Danny DeKeyser - Mike Green (2) Brian Lashoff - Ryan Sproul Richard Nedomlel - Scott Czarnowczan Ty Stanton, Jared Nightingale Goaltenders: Petr Mrazek Matt Mancina Team Howe Forwards: Andreas Athanasiou - Dylan Larkin - Anthony Mantha Tomas Jurco - Evgeny Svechnikov - Teemu Pulkkinen Tyler Bertuzzi - Andy Miele - Mitch Callahan, Marek Tvrdon - Dominic Turgeon - Dan Cleary Joel Rechlicz Defensemen: Jakub Kindl - Kyle Quincey (3) Xavier Ouellet - Nick Jensen Nathan Paetsch - Robbie Russo Justin Lemcke, Andrew Prochno Goaltenders: Tom McCollum Jared Coreau Connor Ingram Team Lindsay Forwards: Gustav Nyquist - Henrik Zetterberg - Justin Abdelkader (1) Drew Miller - Joakim Andersson - Landon Ferraro (4) Jeff Hoggan - Louis-Marc Aubry - Martin Frk Triston Grant - Kurt Etchegary - Nick Betz Conor McGlynn, Evan Polei Defensemen: Niklas Kronwall - Jonathan Ericsson (1) Brendan Smith - Alexey Marchenko Joe Hicketts - Vili Saarijarvi Jarett Meyer, Jalen Chatfield Goaltenders: Jimmy Howard Jake Paterson So to answer your question zombo, I don't like the looks of what appears to be the 3rd and 4th lines. It doesn't look like Jurco or Pulkkinen are locks and I think at least one of them should have a spot reserved in the top 9. It also looks like Smith is the odd man out with Quincey and Kindl being on the same team. Who knows though, anything can happen in camp. These players just need to prove they deserve to be there on opening night...

Jimmy, I agree on your assessment of Mantha and some people are way too hard on the kid. He was never drafted to be a stellar two way forward, and he certainly wasn't drafted to be a banger, despite his size. He was drafted to be a sniper, to put the puck in the net, and I believe he will be capable of doing plenty of that at the NHL level in the near future. As for Nosek, maybe that last comment came across as me not liking him or not thinking he is good enough for the NHL. However, that couldn't be further from the truth. I believe he will someday make for a great 3rd line center in the NHL, I'm just not so sure we'll have the room here. Sure, IF there happens to be a huge turnover in the next few years, it could be a possibility. I just don't see that happening. I think everyone is sure on one guy being back, Abby. I also believe Helm is close to a sure thing as well, as long as he can have another healthy, productive season this year. Miller could go either way, and I'm kind of hoping he's replace by Ferraro after this season. Like you, I think Andersson will be waived and possibly claimed this season. Cleary will definitely be gone after this season in Grand Rapids. There are just way too many guys knocking on the door that are higher (in my opinion) on the depth chart. You said yourself that both Larkin and Athanasiou are ahead of him (as they should be). I'll peg Larkin as our future number 1 center. I also agree with you that Athanasiou may be better suited on the wing, similar to how I believe Helm is a better winger. I really hope Svechnikov continues to play center in Cape Breton, as I believe he has the potential to be a great 2nd line center option. Then we still have Sheahan that can also be a pretty good 2nd line center or a great 3rd line center. And we will likely still have Glendening as our 4th line center. If we had Larkin, Sheahan, Nosek and Glendening down the middle in a few years, I don't think it would be the worst thing, but then we run into the problem of having to squeeze in all of the wingers... We'll have Dastyuk (may sign another 1 or 2 one year deals after this contract is up. Would he be a center or winger at that stage of his career?), Zetterberg, Franzen (if he's still healthy and able to play), Nyquist, Tatar, Jurco, Pulkkinen, Abdelkader, Helm, Mantha, Athanasiou, Bertuzzi, Svechnikov, Ferraro, etc. There also may be another couple players fighting for that 3rd line center spot by that time as well. Nastasiuk, Turgeon and Holmstrom could all be in the mix by then... Anyway, long story short, I think he's a good player and was a great add at the time, but I'm not sure if he'll ever have a place in Detroit...

Zombo, that comment was tongue in cheek to say the least... I was 100% kidding. I figured the "lol" would have been enough. If I were on my computer instead of my iPhone I would have used the eye roll emoji. Maybe that would have gotten my point across... Seriously though, when it comes down to it, I think Jammark will be a "decent" NHLer, but will we severely miss him on this squad in a few years? I highly doubt it... Speaking of which, what happened to Backman? As far as I know, he didn't play a single game in the tournament. Is he injured?

If you're looking for highlights, I'd highly recommend checking out and / or subscribing to Slapshotgoal on YouTube. He/she does a great job of highlighting this tournament for us every year, as well as a ton of highlights from our prospects in various leagues throughout the season.

Red Wings advance to the finals!

A goal and 2 assists for Janmark in the prospects tournament? We clearly lost that Cole trade... Lol Hold them off for another 4 minutes boys...

Damn Janmark with an assist on that one...

My thoughts as well... If it is early indication though, I do hope there are changes coming...

Anyone else catch that first goal by Larkin? Speed and forechecking from Athanasiou made it happen, but a great finish by Larkin. https://t.co/4OkPITUlnq

F***ing Janmark... Svechnikov ties it up!