krsmith17

Put Helm in place of Andersson and those lines would look great...

Wow, finally some decent lines... If the (for Helm) was next to Andersson's name instead of Jurco's, those lines would be as close to I would want them as they're ever going to get...

Dickie, he hasn't been playing great because he's been put into a checking role. That isn't his game. Babcock thought just because he's big that he should be a checker... that's ridiculous. He needs to be put in a scoring role with linemates that he can actually play with. And despite Jurco not producing, no Andersson has not been better in any aspect of the game...

I'm not going to speak of the reason for our low blocked shot totals throughout the season, however, last nights game, the Wings carried the play for the majority of the game. Of course Montreal were going to have more blocked shots... I don't think anyone on our team is "afraid" to block shots, I think if anything that comes down to coaching. We don't have a Gorges or Orpik or... Cody Franson... that blocks shots like its nobodies business, I think our defense has been doing a great job boxing out and limiting scoring chances though.

Good one... You must be Andrej's grandmother............... Cleary > > > Nestrasil

Khan is speculating that Pulkkinen may be called up to replace Jurco. If that's the case I'm going to be pissed... I really wish Andersson would just be removed from this team already. He is a scrub that provides absolutely nothing that any other player in our organization can't...

I'm really starting to think that Bertuzzi may have it in him to become more than a 4th line grinder. Chances are, he'll never become a top 6 forward at the NHL level, but a really good bottom 6 guy is very likely. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to watch many of his games this season, I'm pretty sure I only caught one at the beginning of the season... I watched about a dozen last year and I really liked what I seen, and by the sounds of things and the highlights that I've caught, he is becoming that much more of a dynamic player in the past 6 months. I'm definitely going to make a point to watch a Guelph game or two over the next couple weeks to see how much he has grown. He is currently ranked 7th in the league with 84 points (40 goals, 44 assists) and 1st on his team, 27 points ahead of the teams second highest point producer...

So... we should have held onto Nestrasil despite him being a marginal NHL player because he is "more of an asset than Dan Cleary"... Okay then... Nestrasil wouldn't garner any more interest in a trade than a 7th round draft pick... We waived him, it was the right move at the time, and in hindsight... it was still the right move...

Beat me to it zombo. That's exactly the way I took it as well.

Nor did I say that anyone said that the Wings are going to vanish off the face of the earth, I was referring to Nestrasil. You think just because he's on a bit of a hot streak right now that he is a good player? He is a marginal NHL player, playing on a terrible team, of course he's going to put up a few points. He had no place with the Red Wings, that is why he was waived... Cleary provides more to the team as a healthy scratch than Nestrasil ever had or ever would have. The roster spot is not being wasted because even if it were Nestrasil as the 13th/14th forward, chances are if there were any injuries, management would opt to call-up Pulkkinen rather than putting Nestrasil in the lineup. He's in Carolina now, get over it... I'm sure you will when he inevitably falls to mediocrity...

I disagree. I'd rather have Cleary as our 13th/14th forward at practice every day, in the weight room, and teaching the kids how to be a pro, rather than a scrub like Nestrasil. He might be a slight upgrade over Andersson, and even that is questionable. That coming from one of Andersson's biggest critics... Andersson will be the next to be waived, and he will be claimed by another team, and just like Nestrasil (and Leino and Ritola...) will have a decent stretch of games before vanishing off the face of the earth...

... neither do Nyquist or Tatar...

Yup, Nestrasil is a huge loss... Back when Holland waived Nestrasil, I thought it was the right move... I mean how was anyone supposed to know that this kid was going to turn into a superstar power forward in just a few short months... He could be the missing piece we need for a solid playoff run... Maybe we can trade with Carolina to get him back here... Tatar is probably too undersized though, no way he gets us a 6'2", 210lbs. power forward like Nesty... Oh well...

To be fair both McDavid and Eichel are at around 190lbs. But yeah, to never draft anyone under that mark is a little ridiculous...

I agree with everything except the part about Jurco. He's a big body that is more skilled than Abdelkader. He would produce if given the opportunity in my opinion.

He should have just switched Abdelkader and Helm if that's the case... I hate all 4 lines right now to be honest. Way too many players in roles they shouldn't be in... I'd like to see something like... 21-13-26 14-40-43 90-15-56 20-41-8

Apparently Nyquist and Tatar we're switched yesterday in practice and that's what they'll probably start with tonight. I hate these random lines that Babcock always throws together...

I think you're back peddling here now Jimmy, and if you're trying to retract your original statement, that's fine, but don't act like you didn't say it, or that I must have misunderstood... Here's your original statement "it's a bad sign that he has so many blocked shots because for a guy relied upon for offense, blocking shots means he was spending a lot of time in his defensive zone, where you can't score from." This is indicative of the team, not the player. The fact that the team was on the defensive as often as they were, and Franson would put his body on the line, can be taken as nothing but a good thing... Giveaways are on the player, not the team, but it has to do with the type of player more than the overall skill of the player. An offensive puck moving defenseman is always going to have more giveaways than a defensive shut-down defenseman. Remember how great of a puck mover Rafalski was when he was here? He also lead the team every season in giveaways. Hell even the great Nick Lidstrom was up there in giveaways every single season, often times having double the giveaways to takeaways... I'm not in any way saying that giveaways don't effect puck possession. I'm saying that a puck possession team doesn't reflect whether or not a player on that team should be higher or lower on giveaways or takeaways... That is entirely to do with each player individually and the style each player plays. I REALLY don't get what is so hard to understand about this... Anyway, Franson is in Nashville, let's just forget about it...

Larry Aurie's number 6 is also out of circulation. As far as I know it's just 6 and 16 that can't be worn, to go along with the obvious 1, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 19. And of course 99 is retired league wide...

Jimmy, in my opinion, he was way off base, that is not jumping down his throat... And the give me a f***ing break comment was directed at frankgrimes for saying that the Leafs wouldn't trade with us to make us better because they want us to get bounced from the playoffs early so that Babcock goes to Toronto... That is absurd... Passive aggression? Seriously? I don't take any offense to anything he said, I'm just having trouble understanding where he's coming from. It makes absolutely no sense to me. I'm also having a hard time understanding why you're getting so offended here... I haven't said anything that hasn't been said on any discussion board before... You see a defenseman blocking shots as a bad thing? Really? Kronwall is our best offensive defenseman and he leads our team in blocked shots every single season, although still not close to the amount Franson blocks... In what world is blocking shots for your team a bad quality to have? What about hitting? Is that a bad thing too? Also, it does absolutely make the argument less true... In no way does the amount of takeaways or giveaways a player has, have anything to do with the amount of puck possession of their team... It has everything to do with the style of defenseman. I'm not sure what's so hard to understand about that...

number9 - Gotcha, and yeah, that's definitely a possibility, and in which case, LGW would implode... nawein - Yeah, I was watching the game on Friday when it happened. The hit didn't look that bad to me, and I was really surprised to hear in last nights game that he would be out for the remainder of the season. I should have said that by soon, I meant to start next season...

number9, I agree that Nosek was somewhat hyped coming in to this season, but it's been a long time since there was any sort of hype on Tvrdon. Many thought this guy was a complete bust, suffering injury after injury. He is definitely coming along nicely this season, and I think he still may have an outside chance in cracking an NHL lineup in the next few seasons. Maybe by this time next year he could turn himself into a solid trading chip for us. This is why I think that there still may be a glimmer of hope in Frk turning his game around. The few games I've seen him play this season, I thought he played reasonably well. I think he deserves a spot with the Griffins over a few players they're currently playing, and he's definitely too good for the ECHL. He's currently in the top 3 in the league in point per game, with 35 points in 26 games. I expect him to be a serviceable player in the AHL next season, and we'll see what happens from there... I agree on Callahan, and disagree on Mantha. He started slow but he's really starting to come on of late. I wouldn't be surprised though if he's still down in Grand Rapids for another full season next year. I hope Callahan gets his shot soon and steals Andersson's spot in the lineup...

Jimmy, I'm not sure who's throat I jumped down?... Unless you mean when I said, "I think you're way off base"? If so, yeah, I totally jumped down his throat... There were plenty of people that agreed with me that Franson was the best option available (and he absolutely was). For those that didn't see it, either didn't watch him enough or were misinformed of the type of defenseman he truly is... I bet if we did a poll prior to this trade, "Should we trade for Cody Franson?", it would have been split down the middle, if not swaying slightly in the yes column... This team puck possession relation to player giveaways and takeaways is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. It has nothing to do with the team as a whole and more to do with the style of defenseman. Offensive defensemen tend to pinch and gamble in the offensive zone, whereas a defensive defenseman rarely jumps in and plays it safe. Who's going to have more giveaways in general? Of course the offensive defenseman would. Take a look at PK Subban on a really good team with 71 giveaways and only 17 takeaways, and then Erik Karlsson on a really bad team, with 69 giveaways and 39 takeaways. I suppose we wouldn't want either of those guys either would we? Drew Doughty who is on a pretty average team this year, has 60 giveaways and only 6 takeaways. Talk about a garbage defenseman... And no I'm not saying Franson is anywhere near the level of any of these players, I'm just comparing their numbers as offensive defenseman and showing that it is the type of player, not the team... Now, the cause to have to block so many shots has more to do with the team as a whole and the fact that he does block as many shots as he does, shows what kind of player he is. He is an offensive defenseman that can also play very steady defense. As for us never knowing if he was in fact the player that could have put us over the top, and it being pointless to argue the cost because we'll never know, I couldn't agree more, which is why I said, "Franson isn't coming here, so this conversation is pointless"... Either way, Franson is a great player, and exactly what this team needed. We missed out, and at this point, I hope we stand pat at the deadline, unless a deal comes along that we can't refuse...

Flashy, I think you're way off base on so many things here that I don't even know where to start... Unfortunately Franson isn't coming here, so thi conversation is pretty pointless at this point. I'll just say that, we are "that" close, and he could have absolutely been "that" guy, that potentially put us over the top. Ouellet is way overhyped around here, and Franson would have been an upgrade over every single defenseman in our entire organization not named Kronwall, so yes, I'd trade away Ouellet for that in a heartbeat. How is it a bad sign that a defenseman that is relied upon to generate offense hits and blocks shots? It just means that he is well rounded. I'm not even going to touch the worse team equals more takeaways and better teams equal more giveaways argument... That's just ridiculous... Either way, he's not coming here and people are trying to say that he isn't what this team needed... so whatever. Nashville got much better today, let's see if we make any moves or stand pat. Now that Franson is off the table, I'd just assume do nothing...

Griffins roll over the Wolves tonight 5-1. Another unbelievable game for Athanasiou with a goal and 2 assists, the most impressive was the assist he made on Zengerle's goal. He has unbelievable hands, and is so strong on the puck. I cannot wait for this kid to crack the Red Wings lineup. I think it will be a lot sooner than people would think. Mantha also had a very strong game with a goal (empty net) and an assist. Tvrdon continues to impress me, he had another very good game with a nice goal on a shot coming down the wing, and an assist, and also got robbed point blank on two great opportunities... Pulkkinen had a good game as well, with a goal on a breakaway, and ripped it just wide on another couple chances. Kindl had a decent game, wish he would stay down in Grand Rapids though...