krsmith17

I usually agree with you Dickie, but I can't disagree with you more on this one. Be honest, how many Griffins games do you watch? I've watched a ton, probably 80% of them over the past few seasons and Pulkkinen is proving to be the real thing. I was skeptical of him as well, even as recent as 8 or so months ago. He has by far the best shot in the entire American League and would definitely rival some of the best shooters in the National League. He is a very under rated passer and has been above average defensively this season as well. He is a right handed shot, which as we all know, Detroit are in desperate need for. If anything, I think Pulkkinen is being severely under rated by some on here, and apparently you are one of them...

Smith, Kindl, Pulkkinen and a 2nd round pick for Tyler ******* Myers? That was a joke right? People agreeing that this is a reasonable deal, are joking right?...

The one against the Bruins was definitely a dive but I think the one against the Devils, he just lost an edge...

We don't need, nor is there any chance we get a "number one defenseman". We already have a number one in Kronwall. We are looking for a top 4 (right handed) defenseman.

I'm by no means a fan of Kessel, but I personally love that he called him an idiot. It was a stupid ass question by a stupid ass reporter, trying to get a rise out of Kessel... and it worked. I would have done the same thing. Good stuff.

As much as I'd love to have Van Riemsdyk, I'd rather take Franson if the option was there. He fills a bigger need on our team in my opinion.

Yeah, but it didn't necessarily need to be Cleary. We would have had an extra roster spot by sending Jurco down. I would have had Callahan on our forth line, Cleary getting in scattered games as he is now and Jurco and Pulkkinen dominating the American League.

True, but since when does Holland give two s***s what the fans think? He does what he believes is best for the organization, period, as he should. You mentioned Cleary getting in more games, and I honestly don't think that would have been the worst thing. Cleary playing 4th line instead of wasting away Weiss, Weiss playing in Jurco's spot and Jurco getting more development in the minors. Anyway, I think it was the wrong call to have him up this season, but I've beaten that to death, and we'll never know either way, so I'll drop it... lol

I agree Son of a Wing, but I'm not really over valuing anyone, just wondering what we could get in that package. I mean, it seems decent to me, and I think other GMs in the league would think so too. I'm not saying we should get Weber, but it has to give us a decent right handed top 4 defenseman. Could we get Justin Faulk from Carolina?...

For sure, but at some point a trade needs to be made to improve the team. I think that point is now. We haven't seen much in trades in the past 5 years and for good reason, we were retooling on the fly. Now that we have a decent team and are relatively healthy (*knock on wood*) for the first time in a few years, we have a team that is capable in making a run. And with a few minor tweaks / additions, I think this team can be a real threat. I completely agree with what you're saying though, Holland hasn't strayed from his process, and it has proven successful. But we all know this team needs help on the back end, and we're not going to get that without giving up something of significance. We're loaded at literally every position on the farm and we're soon going to run into a problem when it comes to fitting them all in. I know they're not all going to make it, but for the ones that do, I don't want to lose them for nothing...

I disagree Kip, and Smith does get more ice time than Ouellet, despite Babcock's unexplained animosity for Brendan. We're both overly biased when it comes to Smith, so let's once again drop it... Until next time...

My question though is, if we agree that that is a pretty decent package, why is it so difficult to find a trading partner? We're always linked to every player that is on the trade block. When there is a list of teams that are in on a player, Detroit are almost always there... Is Holland really that inept in making a trade or is the conspiracy theory true, that every team asks for more from Detroit, which I find very difficult to believe...

Lol f*** You Kip... Smith is awesome... But in all seriousness, Smith is better than Ouellet right now, and I'm not so sure Ouellet will be better in the future. The sample size is way too small at this point. It is very possible, but we all know that better prospects have played better than Ouellet for a handful of games and then fell off. I find it very difficult to believe that Ouellet would garner more interest than Smith. Possible but doubtful in my opinion...

I agree that Jurco will be fine, however I do think another season down in Grand Rapids would have been better for his development. I also don't think Nyquist or Tatar would be the players they are today if they were full time NHLers at 21 years old, without putting in their time in Grand Rapids. Jurco was basically thrown into the NHL after just one season in the minors whereas Tatar and Nyquist spent 3-4 years down there. It's just not the way we usually handle our prospects in Detroit, and I personally prefer the slow approach. And yes we were forced to have him up last season due to injuries but he didn't need to start this season up in the NHL.

I like Ouellet and I'm not saying we should trade him but with the abundance of defense prospects that should be NHL ready in the next couple seasons, and him garnering the most interest of the group, would people be open to trading him in a package for a top 4 right handed defenseman? What kind of defenseman do people think a package of Ouellet, Kindl, Andersson and our first could get in return? Ouellet is a top prospect and should be playing in the NHL, Kindl is a former first rounder, and in another system could become a good depth defenseman, Andersson could provide center depth and penalty killing. I know it's not an overly great package but I think it's better than some here believe it is. Just curious what people think we could get in return for something like that...

My pipe dream is that the Leafs continue to fall in the standings like they usually do around this time of year, and we make a trade for Cody Franson. I would give up a significant amount if we could land him, knowing that he would resign in the offseason. I've wanted him in the Winged Wheel since his days in Nashville... He's exactly what this team needs on the back end. Big, physical body, that clears the front of the net, hits a ton, blocks a ton of shots, can quarterback a power-play unit, has a heavy shot and shoots right handed...

I couldn't agree more Jesusberg. We've been on the same page in regards to how Jurco should have been managed, since before the season started. He could still use some more time in the minors and I honestly think if he spent as much time as Nyquist and Tatar down on the farm, he would have turned out to be the most talented among the three... now I'm not so sure... I love Jurco and I do believe he can still be a threat within a few years but I had extremely high expectations for him. Let's hope, this rare prospect mismanagement doesn't bite us in the ass. There really is something to be said for the way the Wings usually manage their prospects. I also agree with zombo. I love Pulkkinen and he is doing great down in Grand Rapids, I'm sure he will get a call-up at some point this season, but there is no need to make a trade, just to get him up here now... Especially if it would involve trading away one of our young up and coming kids. Makes zero sense.

Yeah, Canada should win every hockey game in international play on paper, but it would be ridiculous to think that no team can beat them. They almost always have the best team but they can obviously be beat. I think Canada are the deepest at all positions they've been in some time at the World Juniors tournament. They haven't gotten great goaltending in the past few years, but I think Fucale is capable in coming up with the timely saves, unlike years past.

I hate how everyone is saying, that USA didn't play their best game, when they played Canada. It definitely has absolutely nothing to do with Canada being the better team does it?... If I'm not mistaken, you're Swedish? So I can only assume you are saying that Sweden is the team that will give Canada it's first real test? Sweden are a pretty solid team but let's face it, there is no team near as deep and talented as Canada in this World Juniors this year. I'm not saying that they will 100% win gold, but on paper they should. That's why games are played on ice, not paper... and I hope for a good, close game if Canada and Sweden meet in the gold medal game, which I think they will. And I hope Canada come out on top. We'll see...

Patent Pulkkinen rocket shot as the two birthday boys celebrate that one. Teemu and Alexey. Very nice goal by Ferraro, showing off his speed on both of those, capping it off with an empty netter.

Nice goal too. Bullet shot from the point on the power-play.

I disagree with that. A late first round pick, which is what the Pens pick would be, can range from a first line player to a complete bust. I think the most common (or average) would be a second line player or 2nd pairing defenseman. I think this was a good trade for Pittsburgh.

Larkin was by far the best player for the States. Eichel didn't impress me at all, he tried to do way too much on his own. Seemed to forget that he had 4 other American players on the ice with him...

I was going to put this in the "Nashville has yet to lose 2 games in a row this season" thread, but I started going off on a tangent so here seemed more appropriate... Nashville are the only team to not lose two games in a row this season, but Nashville AND Detroit are the only two teams that have not lost two games in a row in regulation this season. I think the Wings have been pretty consistent this season. Sure, their goal scoring has seen it's ups and downs but the same goes for every team. The key is, when their goal scoring has gone through it's dry spells, they have managed to keep the opposition in check, lowering their goals against. In saying that though, I do believe that Detroit are much better off trying to win games 4-3, 4-2 as opposed to 2-1, 1-0. Unlike past years, this team is capable of scoring at a higher clip, but for whatever reason, Babcock would rather play defensive hockey over offensive hockey, which clearly is not the teams strong suit... I do think Babcock is a great coach, but I think a lot (maybe all) fans get frustrated with his line combinations, ice time distribution, constant coddling of certain players, while other (better) players remain in his dog house (for reasons unexplained...). I hate when people say things like, "Detroit are lucky they're getting all these "loser points", otherwise they wouldn't be in the playoff picture". No, not at all. This "loser point" as it is so often referred, is the same thing as a point for a tie, the extra point that is handed out to the "winner" is the one that should get the negative connotation in my opinion. These teams that are racking up points in the shootout are the "lucky" ones, and the "bulls*** winner in a shootout point" needs to go in my opinion. Teams shouldn't be able to make the playoffs based on a skills competition. The Red Wings are 1-7 in the shootout, while the Islanders are 6-1. If the Red Wings had a reversed record and 6 more points, they would be first in the league with 55 points, whereas, if the Islanders had a reversed record and 5 less points, they would be a borderline playoff team instead of being tied for second in the Conference. I hate using "what ifs" but that is a pretty remarkable difference, based on an aspect of the game that should be done away with, in a lot of fans opinions... Anyway, is this team a contender? I think they are a couple pieces away from being a true contender. I just hope Holland makes the necessary moves, without mortgaging the future. The pieces are definitely there, but let's just hope he doesn't move any of the "untouchables"...

I agree with the first part, however I think that is over payment for Yandle and major over payment for Green, who would be a rental. Everyone knows that I'm a huge Smith supporter, and I hate seeing him in every trade package. He has been playing great lately, and he's only going to get better. That last game against Boston, he showed some great offensive instincts and I think he is just about ready to break out of his shell and putting up some more points. No I don't think he is ever going to be a number one defenseman, but I think he can and will be a great number 2/3 guy in the next year or two.