krsmith17

Forwards Zetterberg - Datsyuk - Abdelkader Cole - Sheahan - Tatar Nyquist - Weiss - Pulkkinen Miller - Glendening - Helm Defense Kronwall - Ericsson DeKeyser - Quincey Smith - Zidlicky Power-Play Sheahan Pulkkinen - Datsyuk - Tatar Kronwall Abdelkader Nyquist - Zetterberg - Cole Zidlicky For f***s sake, if you're going to have Pulkkinen on the power-play, utilize his shot. Stop putting him in the middle of the ice. Let him float around the left side of the ice and wait for the one-timer a la Ovechkin and Stamkos...

I agree 100% with this, although you better be careful what you say on here... I had a very similar post removed by the mods a few months back and a warning point (whatever that means...) added on my profile for "calling out" a few people that call themselves fans...

We have a proven track record in slowly developing our prospects. Mantha was no different, nor should Larkin be any different. He will be a stud, but he definitely needs more time developing his game before he's ready for the NHL. There is no need to rush him.

Yeah, Buppy that was a poor choice of wording. Our depth at defense is fine, we're lacking quality on the back end, definitely not quantity. Although I do disagree with us having the same problem at forward soon... I think we are loaded with both quality and quantity up front for years to come. Defense is by far our biggest weakness, and what needs work in my opinion.

If anything we should be looking to package a couple forwards for a defenseman, not a defenseman for a forward (especially one that will be 36 going into next season). Our forward depth is unbelievable, and our defensive depth is lacking.

Lol this wasn't meant to be another huge Smith debate because I'm sure everyone else is just as sick of them as me and Kip, I was just making one snarky comment...

Sigh... Okay so if someone said DeKeyser has been our best defenseman lately you would spend your time going through footage of the past 5 games pointing out every turnover would you? You would point out that awful coverage in last game, when he allowed a weak pass from the other end of the ice get past him to a wide open Boyes for a clear cut breakaway... No, you only go through such lengths to prove Smith's blunders... The point is, a lot of people on here (you especially) are undeservedly extra critical of Smith's play. He has cut down on his turnovers, he does sometimes try to make the cute play instead of keeping things simple, but he has been improving leaps and bounds since the beginning of last season. His game has never been about defense but he has improved in that area immensely, all while providing a spark offensively. He will continue to get better, and I believe he will grow into a legit top 4 defenseman. Time will tell... zombo, I am very laid back, I just hate the constant nit-picking over Smith's game, when he has been playing very good hockey of late. I love DeKeyser and I do think he is a better defenseman but he hasn't been sharp at all lately and you never hear anything about it, other than the subtle comment in GDT's.

It was a joke, relax... And no I'm not trying to "catch you" doing anything. I just found it funny how you said it's easy to pick on the third line, and that's what you constantly do. Smith turns the puck over, worst defenseman ever... Kronwall or DeKeyser turns the puck over, no big deal... It was probably Smiths fault for being on the ice 20 feet away... Yeah, zombo. There's no way Smith is a top 4. I mean, Babcock always plays his players in their appropriate lines / positions... Smith has no top 4 potential because I mean, you, Kip, number9 and a few others don't see it... He's a career bottom sixer. That's if he even lasts in the NHL...

kipwinger - "It's always easy to pick on the forth line, or third pair defense"... (a.k.a. Brendan Smith)... No kidding eh?

I'm sure someone is going to come along and say, "you know not every prospect works out right?"... That's the thing though, pretty much every player mentioned above is as close to a sure thing as it gets (aside from maybe Callahan). It's not like we're talking about Turgeon, Holmstrom, Tvrdon, etc. (although I don't think it's out of the question that any of these guys make it either). Sure, it's going to suck when Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Kronwall retire but we're going to be in great shape thanks to Mr. Holland. Our defense doesn't look too bad for the future either, with DeKeyser, Smith, Ericsson, Marchenko, Ouellet, Sproul, Jensen, (Wheaton, McNulty, Nedomlel). Like I've said before though, I do believe we do need to concentrate on drafting defense in this years draft (especially the first round).

whoever (Callahan or Bertuzzi)

I agree with everything you said there Kip except the last part. I do think he is a lot more likely to become as good as a Crosby then he is to top out at any of the Oilers top players. But will that put whatever team that is lucky enough to draft him over the top into a Cup contender? No, not with him alone. It's still going to take great drafting and developing of the players around him. I definitely agree that a team doesn't need these number one picks and generational talents to have success and also, as shown by Edmonton, getting these type of players don't guarantee anything...

I didn't really want to start a new thread for this and this place seemed as good as any... I really hope Ottawa overtake that 2nd Wild Card spot over Boston. They're currently only 4 points behind with a game in hand and they play tonight in Ottawa. Huge game. Go Sens! Ottawa - 13 GR - 79 PTS Ottawa seem to have an easier schedule down the stretch, with 8 of their remaining 13 games at home and 3 games against Toronto (easy 6 points lol). Schedule: BOS, TOR, SJS, NYR, @TOR, FLA, @DET, TBL, WSH, @TOR, PIT, @NYR, @PHI Boston - 12 GR - 83 PTS Boston only have 4 of their remaining 12 games at home, and two of those are against Tampa and one against Anaheim. Schedule: @OTT, @FLA, @TBL, ANA, NYR, @CAR, FLA, @DET, TOR, @WSH, @FLA, @TBL We play both teams in the next couple weeks, so I'm hoping for an overtime win against Ottawa on March 31st (I'd even take an overtime loss if I knew it wouldn't affect our seeding and Ottawa ended up needing 1 point to pass Boston at the end of the season...) and a regulation win against Boston on April 2nd... Both teams have been playing very well of late, but Ottawa have been unbelievable. And it all starts with the goaltending they're getting from Hammond. Where the hell did this kid come from? Great story. I really hope they get in...

Kip, I admitted putting Abby on the 4th line wouldn't have been the smartest move. In hindsight it would have been awful because chances are we wouldn't have got the same production from whoever would have replaced him. But why the hell would you break up the best duo we've had on our team in the past couple weeks? Makes no sense. No two players on the Red Wings have been connecting together as much as those two in that span... Anyway, enough about that. We are extremely deep up front. If there's such thing as too many options, we've got it. We can ice a great lineup with everyone healthy no matter who's slotted where and still have some great talent not in the lineup. Our defense is the bigger issue right now...

I'm completely okay with you thinking it was "dumb", that doesn't bother me at all. But like I said numerous times, I could have put anyone else down there and somebody would have had something to say about it. That's the beauty of this Lines Thread. Nobody is going to make a lineup that everyone unanimously agrees to. Every lineup will get s*** on by someone, so whatever... But you do admit that it would be just as, if not more "dumb" to split up Abdelkader and Zetterberg at this point, correct?

You suggested splitting up Abdelkader and Zetterberg, and I asked YOU if splitting up Abby and Hank is any less crazy than putting Abby on my hypothetical 4th line... How is that not applicable to you? Only because you didn't want to respond... You also need to take into account how Abdelkader was playing prior to my suggestion and how he has been playing since. And also, that I specifically said it was nothing against Abby, but with us being extremely deep up front, someone would have to be relegated, and Abby was just my choice. It could have been Helm and someone would have argued, it could have been Jurco, and I personally don't like him there, or it could have been Andersson, and I'm not if any Wings fan likes him there... Anyway, don't bother responding. Carry on...

Kip, the same way you pick one word out of someone's post to argue it, you pick one sentence out of a post to respond to. You always do it. No response to the rest of my last post, but I understand why you wouldn't want to respond to the second last sentence... I get it.

Beat me to it Son of a Wing, also to add to the eye ball test, is it really that smart to separate Abdelkader and Zetterberg right now? I mean think back on Abby's crazy streak over the past few games. Why did he have that streak? Because of Zetterberg and his amazing vision and stretch passes. Not saying Pav couldn't or wouldn't pull off the same magic because he has obviously proven that he can and most likely would. But really, is suggesting splitting up Abby and Hank any less crazy than I was a couple weeks ago for suggesting putting Abby on the 4th line??? And by the way, I am admitting that it would have been a bad move...

That's your problem Kip, all you ever look at is stats... This is an honest question, and I don't mean any offense to it whatsoever. Do you actually watch all of the games, or do you just look at the box scores and stat sheets after each game? You honestly believe that because Tatar scored 0.03 goals per game less since he's been put on Datsyuk's wing that he is better without him? Seriously?? Players and lines go through hot streaks and cold streaks, there is nothing more to it then that in my opinion. Fact is, the line of Tatar - Datsyuk - Helm looked great when they were together. That doesn't mean they have to score every single night to have success either. I agree barabbas, which is why I would honestly like to see Jurco sent down to Grand Rapids for the rest of the season once Helm comes back.

The locks in my lineup would be something like this... Tatar - Datsyuk - Nyquist - Zetterberg - - Sheahan - Miller - Glendening - Leaving 7 players (Cole, Abdelkader, Helm, Weiss, Jurco, Pulkkinen and Franzen (when healthy)) to slot in the other 5 spots. A couple weeks ago I was flamed for putting Abby in that 4th line spot and in hindsight it would have obviously been the wrong call. But in my opinion, of those 7 guys Abdelkader and Helm are the best options for that spot. However, both have proven that they fit well into the top 6 as well... I don't like Jurco down there because I don't believe it is benefitting his development and I would much rather see him sent down to Grand Rapids for the playoffs than see him wasted away on the 4th line. Weiss is worthless on the 4th line and I think he should probably be slotted in on the 3rd line. I think Cole can be used on any of the top 3 lines. If Franzen does come back for the playoffs this season (I am doubtful) I think he would be best suited on that 3rd line as well. Either way you look at it, we are extremely deep up front and at least one player is going to be sitting that probably shouldn't be, in favor of Joakim f***ing Andersson, or playing on the 4th line when they shouldn't be...

Why do you feel the need to argue everything anyone says? It's almost as if you analyze everything that's written here and try to pick out that one word that you can argue... So what if Datsyuk only assisted on 6 of Tatar's goals? Maybe "fed" wasn't the proper word to use, but can you argue that having Datsyuk on his line doesn't open up some space for Tatar, allowing him to score more? Or are you arguing that Nyquist shouldn't be on a line with Zetterberg for that same reason, despite being 3rd on the team in goals? Or are you seriously just arguing that one misuse of the word "fed"?... I'm sure you agree that Tatar should remain on Datsyuk's wing, so why bother researching such stats just to refute what he was saying? The premise of his argument still stands. Datsyuk and Tatar should be locked on a line together, and I believe Zetterberg and Nyquist should be locked on a line together for the same reason; they work really well together. On the other wing you can throw any one of Cole, Abdelkader, Helm, or Jurco and I'd be fine with that.

Also per Mike Babcock, Petr Mrazek will start on Thursday vs. Florida.

With the 8 extremely good young forwards that we have in our system right now (Nyquist, Tatar, Jurco, Sheahan, Pulkkinen, Athanasiou, Mantha and Larkin) I don't think we have much to worry about up front. I think all of these guys are / could be legit top 6(3) NHL players, and I think it's very possible that at least 1 or 2 could become elite. Defense is definitely our area of weakness right now and in the future in my opinion. We have 4, maybe 5 young defensemen (DeKeyser, Smith, Sproul, Ouellet, Marchenko) that could become top 4 guys. I think either way you look at it, we are set up pretty good when Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Kronwall eventually retire in the next 3-5 years (which by the way, is still a ways away yet...) As for the great Howard vs. Mrazek debate, I still think Howard deserves a shot to prove he is the Red Wings best option in goal for the time being. After all, like many have already pointed out, he was putting up great numbers and having an All-Star year prior to his injury. In saying that, I do believe he should be on a somewhat short leash, and Mrazek stealing the job at this point should be a real option. I don't think you go with the veteran goalie into the playoffs if the rookie is playing substantially better. I've always been a Howard supporter and still am, but I don't buy that the team just happens to show up when Mrazek (or Gustavsson) is in net, and play like s*** when Howard is in net. I think the teams play is a result of the goalies play. It's much easier to get going on the offense when your goalie is making the huge key saves in a game. If the goalie lets in a softie or two, it usually does effect the teams overall play. Howard is very capable in making big time saves from time to time but he is also known to let in a few weak goals at inopportune times. Another obvious contributing factor in the team playing better when Mrazek is in net, is his ability to play the puck. As cliché as it sounds, it really is like having a third defenseman back there. Howard has been awful 1on1 recently and has never learned how to play the puck. Mrazek is pretty good 1on1 due to his aggressive style, and can play the puck as well as any goaltender in the league. The kid oozes confidence and if he's able to string together another few great performances down the stretch and Howard struggles, I think he should be our guy for the playoffs. However, I do still believe it is Howie's job to lose...

I'm not about to go through all 11 goals to pin point who is to blame on each one. I just pointed out that of the 3 goal videos you posted, one was mostly on Smith, one was mostly on Zidlicky and one was mostly on Kronwall... I'm actually quite okay with where Smith is playing right now. I'm not one of the people saying that he should replace Ericsson or Quincey although, I don't think it would be the worst lineup decision Babcock has made all year... Quincey hasn't been his steady self since coming back from injury and he's had a TON of turnovers in his own zone in that time. Whether they were at even strength or penalty kill is irrelevant to me, either way you look at it, he has been making a lot of boneheaded plays. Much more than Smith has. I don't think I even need to get into the Ericsson thing because anyone that has watched the past few games knows how awful Ericsson has been. Anyway, defensive game aside (we both know that isn't Smith's strong suit), are you actually able to sit there and deny that Smith hasn't looked really good offensively of late? He is flat out making things happen. There is no denying that. The points Will come.

Bahaha agenda much Kip? You can pick out 3 goals that were "somewhat" Smith's fault in the past few games in which 11 goals were scored against? So what? I'm sure I can pick out at least 3 for each and every other defender on the team that may have been part of the cause of a goal in that same stretch as well. All while not generating the same offense that Smith has. But he only put up 1 point in that stretch. Again, so what? The points will come. Whether you want to admit it or not, Smith has been playing great hockey lately and really making things happen in the offensive zone. There was a segment on during the intermission of the Columbus game where York, Elliott are Osgood were talking about how much Smith's game has improved and how much better he has looked as of late. They specifically mentioned how much his defensive game has improved as well as his instinct to read and jump up into plays. They also mentioned how difficult it has been on him having to be paired with so many different defensemen all season long. Chemistry and familiarity with your defense partner can do wonders for a pairing and Smith hasn't had that luxury. The other two pairings have been staples all year long but opposite of Smith has been a revolving door since the beginning of the season. He's been paired with Lashoff, Kindl, Ouellet, Marchenko and Zidlicky. That's not easy on any defenseman. There are many LGWers that have always bitched about Smith's play, but will happily admit that Smith has been one of our best defenders over this little stretch. But it's impossible for you to admit that. I don't get it. It really seems as if you really just want him to fail, just so you can say, "I told you so..." By the way, on that first clip, the goal was more on Zidlicky than Smith. I'm not saying that Smith wasn't part of the problem but so were the other 5 guys in red on the ice. Hartnall was Zidlicky's man that was wide open in front of the net. Smith was on his man (Anisimov) behind the net, just wasn't quite as tight as he obviously should have been. The second one was on both Smith and Kronwall, but definitely more Kronwall in my opinion. First, he bobbled the dump in and gave it right to Voracek, who then crossed over to Smith's side of the ice, it did seem like Smith was caught a little flat footed coming back on his man (Voracek), but Kronwall's man (Schenn) was left wide open in front of the net for the tap in. I'll give you the third one. Smith made a bad cross ice pass, but to be fair, he made at least 10-15 of those exact same outlet passes tape to tape in those few games, this one unfortunately ended up in the back of their net. Also, the last non goal was a bad decision, and he was just trying to get too cute with it. And although I don't like the outcome on that play, I do like that he is showing a little more confidence lately. The reason he has struggled all season in my opinion is because of the multitude of defense partners and lack of confidence. I think if he remains with Zidlicky for the remainder of the season his confidence will grow and with that he will continue to generate offense and eventually start to put up some decent numbers.