krsmith17

darkmanx, haven't you heard? Mantha sucks, Pulkkinen sucks, etc, etc... Slight tongue in cheek on my part...

No way we should sign Meyer. Mantha made him look like a pylon in the final scrimmage a couple days ago, and Mantha sucks... Imagine how he would look against NHL talent...

By "struggle in the AHL", do you mean, put up over 0.5 points per game in their first season pro (after coming off a pretty serious injury)? And by "dominate at NHL level" do you mean elite, top 10-20 in the league? Or do you mean very good NHL player? If it's the former, I would say doubtful, if it's the latter, I would say, Darren Helm (31 points in 67 games), Riley Sheahan (38 points in 79 games), Tomas Tatar (32 points in 58 games) and Tomas Jurco (28 points in 74 games), are all reasonable examples, and that's just current Red Wings forwards... No, none are super-stars, but none "suck" either... and that is my point. Mantha will be fine, Pulkkinen will be fine, and neither will suck at the NHL level...

Yup, Mantha sucks! Pulkkinen sucks! and Larkin too will suck if he struggles at any point next season. Or if he absolutely dominates the American League and then struggles in his first stint with the Wings... Only on LGW... I think we should package all these guys together, along with Svechnikov, who will no doubt suck too, and prized defenseman Saarijarvi for a player that does not / will not suck... By the way Datsyukian-Deke, management actually comes out on record every single year and says that so and so (top prospect) will be given every opportunity to make the big club. We've heard it with well seasoned guys like Nyquist and Tatar and we've also heard it with guys fresh out of junior like Mantha. Fact is they're not going to say the kid has no chance to make it (when in reality, it pretty much is...), what benefit is that? What motivation does he have going into camp? Every kid wants to believe they have a shot, it would make no sense to tell them otherwise...

I would assume 25...

Which don't you understand? Bringing Paetsch back because he's up on gambling charges? Or bringing Grant back after a season in Milwaukee? If it's the former, I'm sure Holland must be banking on him being able to play, and if he can, he is a huge asset for the Griffins. He's one of their top defenders and a great mentor for the kids (on the ice, maybe not so much off...). And if it's the latter, I'm not a huge fan of this signing, but it doesn't really hurt too much either. He can be a serviceable 4th liner, chip in a scattered point and "keep the flies off" our kids. With the departure of Porter, we do need some veteran leadership in the room and Grant is a familiar face. He will likely see limited games / time on ice, so I don't see it as a bad signing...

I doubt he gets in any games, unless there are a significant number of injuries down the middle. While Datsyuk is out, I expect it to be Richards, Sheahan, Helm, Glendening OR Zetterberg, Richards, Sheahan, Glendening. And once Datsyuk returns (which may not be that long) I think it will be Datsyuk, Richards, Sheahan, Glendening... So unless two or three of Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Richards, Sheahan, Helm, Glendening are out at the same time, I don't expect to see Larkin up. Even then, they would probably elect to put Andersson in over calling Larkin up... Larkin's going to be a great player for us in the future. I don't see any reason to rush him. Let him develop his game in the minors for one full season and call him up for the 2016-17 season. I say zero games... http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2015/07/if_dylan_larkin_isnt_ready_for.html#incart_sms_app

I don't understand this talk about Nyquist not being very good defensively...? I think he is one of our top defensive forwards, at least when it comes to stripping opposition of the puck. He's very Datsyukien when it comes to pickpocketing opponents. No, he doesn't play on the penalty-kill, nor should he, with the likes of Glendening, Miller, Helm, Abdelkader, Ferraro / Callahan / Andersson in the lineup. I'm not sure what Nyquist will get, I think some people are over shooting what he should get / will get and others are under shooting. I have full confidence in Ken that he will get a fair deal done over the next week or so...

Pulkkinen disapeared against Utica? That's news to me... I'm pretty sure he had 3 or 4 points in that series, and led the team in shots on goal In the series... We ran into a very hot goaltender in Markstrom. It happens. I think he played great the entire playoffs though, including against the Comets... I agree on Jurco being a big player this year... Yet another player that Babcock completely mishandled...

Like I said, I'm not saying he should not be traded, I'm saying he doesn't "suck"... You don't lead the entire American Hockey League in goals by a wide margin, despite missing nearly half the season and "suck"... And to suggest he won't be an NHL player is ludicrous. I think he will be a legit 2nd/3rd line winger / power-play specialist. Again, he is not slow, he is just a very awkward looking skater. There are also a number of different sources that stat that he has been working on his skating. No one in the entire organization, and very few in the entire league, have a shot as powerful and accurate as this kid. I'll hold on to him, to see what he can do under a coach that will without a doubt use him properly. To throw him away without even giving him that opportunity would be foolish in my opinion...

I agree LeftWinger. Blashill will absolutely use him correctly, something Babcock never did. And that's exactly where I'd like him to slot in, on the 3rd line with Sheahan and Jurco and on the left faceoff dot on the power-play. He will be a huge threat if he is used the same way Blash used him in Grand Rapids, but I think we all know that Calder candidate is out of the question... Kip, you've watched him play? I haven't... Is he any good? I heard he has quite the shot... That little one trick that you speak of... He can do that better than anyone in the Red Wings organization. You don't trade that away unless you're getting something similar in return (which we wouldn't). I'm not saying, he's going to score 40 goals every year and he is irreplaceable... What I am saying is that it's ridiculous that he is getting written off after 34 games in which he was very poorly utilized, knowing that we have a new coach that actually used him properly and he produced... a lot...

Pulkkinen is far from "slow"... He has a very awkward stride but he can actually get up and down the ice pretty quick. He's not Helm fast, but not many are. I bet if there were a race between the entire team, he would finish somewhere in the middle. But yeah, it is completely unreasonable to think he would produce more than Tatar, being much more productive in the AHL...Pulkkinen - 121 points (65 goals, 56 assists) in 119 games and Tatar - 196 (87 goals, 109 assists) in 265 games... Also very similar numbers to start their NHL careers... Pulkkinen - 8 points (5 goals, 3 assists) in 34 games and Tatar - 8 points (5 goals, 3 assists) in 27 games...

What makes anyone thing that Pulkkinen's game can not or will not translate to the NHL? He has been more productive than Tatar at every level. He is slightly bigger, one year younger and will be a better player in my opinion. His right handed bomb is exactly what this team needs, but yeah, he sucks... Maybe we can convince some team to give us a 7th rounder for this scrub...

I'm assuming Hicketts will be playing one more season in the WHL with Victoria, I haven't heard anything about him making the jump yet. You're right on Porter, I completely forgot that he signed with Pittsburgh. I haven't heard any news on Aubry either, but I'd like to see him back and he would be a good replacement for Porter. As for Paetsch, I was under the assumption that he would face probation and community service. I could be way off base on that but I doubt the Wings would re-up him for another two years if he were serving a sentence in jail. I hope he's back, he's a great mentor for the kids, and he's still very productive on the back end.

Griffins have re-signed Jeff Hoggan and Tristan Grant (back after one season in Milwaukee) to one year deals and Nathan Paetsch to a two year deal. It looks like we will see a very similar team as we seen last season. I'm thinking something along the lines of... Bertuzzi - Larkin - Mantha Athanasiou - Miele - Zengerle Tvrdon - Nosek - Frk Hoggan - Porter - Nastasiuk Grant - Campbell Ouellet - Marchenko Paetsch - Sproul Lashoff - Jensen Evans McCollum Coreau Of course things can change if any of Andersson, Ferraro or Callahan are sent down, or if any of Marchenko, Ouellet or Jensen make the Wings out of camp, but that's what I'd like to see as it stands right now...

I've heard that mentioned as well. I'm just really not a fan of having a forward playing the point on the power-play, be it Samuelsson, Williams, Hudler, Alfredsson, Zetterberg, Tatar Richards, etc... especially when you have 3-4 capable defenders that can be quality quarterbacks with the man advantage. I like Richards in the middle of the ice like Dastyuk on the first unit, orchestrating the play.

I love how you list their weights as if it's part of the negotiating process... No way, Nyquist gets close to what you're suggesting. I'm willing to bet he gets a very fair contract, nothing close to what Saad is getting in Columbus...

... because the new shiny toy is always better than the old toy... We have a lot of high end (forward) prospects in our system, but none of our defensemen project to be higher than a 2nd pairing guy (which is what Quincey is)... I think Ouellet could become a slightly better defenseman than Quincey some day (he isn't there yet), but I don't believe Marchenko will ever be anything more than a solid 3rd pairing shutdown defenseman. I think Sproul has the potential to be better than any of these guys, but he's clearly not there yet...

I was comparing their style of play more so than their production. However I do kind of disagree that Bertuzzi has a higher offensive upside. Abdelkader put up very good numbers (95 points in 124 games) over 3 seasons in the NCAA, while Bertuzzi did slightly better (172 points in 201 games) over 4 seasons in junior. Junior hockey is much easier to score than college hockey. Abdelkader also put up very solid numbers in the American League (76 points in 109 games). And although Bertuzzi has a much higher points per game pace to start his pro career, I'm sure he won't keep up that same pace. I'd be willing to bet, they end up having very similar numbers in the AHL when Bert graduates to the NHL. Either way, I love this kid, and I agree that he will be a great Red Wing very soon.

As long as Quincey is fully healthy and can play at the level he played at last season, I'd take him over anything we have in Grand Rapids. Neither Ouellet or Marchenko are an upgrade at this stage of their careers, and to be honest I don't think either ever will be (Ouellet has a chance). I think Sproul still has the potential to be better, whether he ever will be is yet to be seen... If the cap isn't an issue, which it won't be, I have no problem whatsoever in paying Quincey his $4.25M to play steady defensive hockey on the 3rd pair... Kindl on the other hand, I would like to see him traded, and I believe he could be for a mid to late round draft pick...

With the 1-3-1 power-play setup, using one defenseman, I think it kind of defeats the purpose of having that great left-handed (Kronwall) and right-handed (Green) offensive defensemen on separate units. I'd love to see two different units with two completely different setups, using the 1-3-1 with one defender on one, and the standard 3-2 with two defenders on the other. I've heard people say in the past that a team wouldn't adopt this strategy because it would be difficult to practice two different setups. I really don't think it would be at all, and I think it would really keep the opposition guessing... I'd like to see something like this... Power-Play Unit 1 Abdelkader Pulkkinen Datsyuk Zetterberg Kronwall Power-Play Unit 2 Nyquist Richards Tatar Green Smith

Why would you assume that Smith and Quincey would be a bad pairing based on their play together 2 years ago? Neither player are the same player they were back then, both have improved drastically. Quincey was a complete wreck, no matter who he was paired with and Smith was a turnover machine. I'm not saying that they would all of a sudden be money together, but I wouldn't assume they wouldn't be either... I think they could potentially be a very solid bottom pairing this season, if that is what Blashill elects to go with... I also agree on Ericsson. He's much better than he gets credit for around here in my opinion...

I am very high on Bertuzzi and have watched him a ton over the past year, from his time with Guelph (Memorial Cup) and his short time so far with the Griffins. I see him as an Abdelkader type of player, that can slot in anywhere up and down the lineup. He plays a very gritty game, hits everything, goes to the hard areas of the ice, and can chip in on the offense. Simply put, he's exactly the type of player that you win with... I'm also fairly high on Holmstrom, but unfortunately I haven't seen much of him, other than the World Junior's and a few clips of him playing for A.I.K. in the SEL. I do know that he is developing quite nicely over in Sweden though and has put up some incredible numbers. He broke SEL playoff point records held by the Sedins and Kopitars with 18 points in 15 games. I think Henrik Sedin had something like 12 points in 13 games or 13 in 14... Not bad for an 18 year old playing against men... In saying that, I don't see either as a lock in the top 6. They can both get there but I see both as 2nd/3rd line tweeners...

When Datsyuk and Zetterberg play together, sure Hank takes a fair share of faceoffs and I'm completely okay with that, but there is no question in my mind that Pav is the better center and Hank benefits much more from playing on the wing. If they're playing together I have no problem with them switching duties as they have in the past, I just don't want to see Datsyuk on Richards wing and Zetterberg centering another line. It would make no sense...

I could be wrong but I don't recall anyone saying that "he was so bad in the USHL that he's running home to Finland"...