krsmith17

Like I said before, Sproul is ranked higher because he has a much higher ceiling, but there is no question that he still needs a lot of more work (mainly on his defensive game) down in Grand Rapids. You're definitely reading in to these roster moves way too much. Jensen will be sent down to the minors before the Tuesday deadline. He is not being showcased for a trade, they just simply wanted to see him in another game (or two). Maybe a lot of that has to do with them not seeing much of him last year due to the injury but I think it's mostly because he has been a huge surprise the past couple weeks. Now they're trying to gauge who will be the first recall, which is the reason they kept all three (Ouellet, Jensen and Marchenko) of the most NHL ready defensemen. Why would you assume that they're showcasing Jensen and not one of the other two promising prospects? I don't see any of these guys getting traded until they see what they're going to get from each of them. In saying that, I wouldn't be surprised if one of them is traded by the deadline. Also, we didn't lose Almquist for nothing. He is still a part of the organization, but for him it was always a big uphill battle to make this team. My bet is that he either stays over in the KHL or moves over to the SHL. He won't make the Red Wings team and won't be offered another contract, and for good reason.

I think you're definitely reading too much into it... They just want to see more of him, That's it and that's all. There's no way they're showcasing him for a trade. He has been our best defenseman through training camp and preseason, and that includes Ouellet in my opinion. Plus like you said, he is a right handed shot, which is huge for anyone trying to make a team full of lefties. Our current seven defensemen are all lefties and the only righties we have up front right now are borderline bottom six guys (Glendening, Callahan and Ferraro) and Alfredsson if he ever gets healthy enough to play. What would make you think that Sproul is ahead of him? Sproul absolutely does have the higher ceiling and he will be the better player in the future but I would think that Jensen is definitely ahead of him in the pecking order as of right now. I think all 5 (Ouellet, Jensen, Sproul, Marchenko and Backman) will start the season down in Grand Rapids and one of Ouellet or Jensen (depending on who is playing better at the time) will get the call by November/December at the latest. Also, there's no way they keep any of the 5 as our number 7, it just wouldn't make sense. They want all of them getting huge minutes whether it's in Detroit or Grand Rapids, not sitting and watching...

toby91_ca - That's why I said they would more than likely send down one of their 8 defensemen (Miller) and then call up a forward to go with 13 and 7, hell they would probably be able to call up two forwards if they were making league minimum to go with the standard 14 and 7... ogreslayer - I don't see anything wrong with those options. In reality that's what Lashoff is our number 7 for, to fill up the roster and play a game in a pinch (eg. if a player gets injured or ill on game day and there is no time to call someone up from Grand Rapids. If we didn't have Lash, I think we would probably sign a cheap vet to fill that role instead of placing one of our prospects in the 7 slot. Boston wouldn't want any of their top prospects sitting as their number 13/14 forwards, they would prefer them to play big minutes down in Providence. So yes, it would be smart to send down a guy like MIller and either call up a mid level prospect or sign a vet at league minimum...

Teams don't need to have 23 players split up 14 forwards, 7 defensemen, 2 goalies, that is just what most teams tend to do. The only stipulation as far as I know is that you cannot go above the 23 man limit. So Boston are fine once they put Marc Savard on LTIR. They may then opt to demote Kevan Miller and promote a forward. Either way they do not have to trade a defenseman, and it is very unlikely they will look to trade one of their better defensemen.

No Kip, all I'm saying is that people, including yourself need to relax with some of the negativity on here all the time. Does it really need to be brought up every time he or any other player on the team makes a mistake? It sure as hell isn't brought up every time he makes a big play, not by you or the other haters on here anyway. The point is, a lot of people are very quick to point out his shortcomings but rarely ever give the kid praise when he's playing well. Anyway, like I keep saying, let's agree to disagree on where Smith is at or where he will end up because we clearly don't see eye to eye on this. Just drop it and I won't bring it up the next time you decide to ***** about him...

Couldn't agree more Jesusberg. I really hope Babcock has his pairings... Kronwall - Ericsson DeKeyser - Smith Quincey - Kindl / prospect Lashoff

Nobody has said Brendan Smith is bad? Really? You can't be serious... There are numerous people on here including yourself that constantly ***** and complain about him, or even go as far as to say he should be traded... Some fans clearly don't see the potential in this kid, and to me that is frustrating, especially after witnessing first hand, our two top defenseman going through the same type growing pains at the same age. Fans just need to learn to be patient with players (and the team), but they want immediate success / satisfaction. Also, you don't have to "listen to me drone" about anything. I'm just stating my point, and that is that Smith is a really good defenseman in the making and he doesn't deserve half the s*** he gets on here from some fans. I find once a player rubs someone on here the wrong way, they will always be that player, no matter how much better they get over time. I also think that some of the users on here feed off of each others negative energy, it becomes the thing to do, ***** about specific players. eg. "Kylef***ingQuincey"... Anyway, you have your opinion on Smith and I have mine, so let's just leave it at that...

Mantha is not going to be healthy by opening night and he will start his season in Grand Rapids when he does get healthy. Although Nestrasil has improved, probably more than any player in our system over the past year and a half, he still isn't NHL ready, and certainly not for second line duties. Jurco will more than likely start the season in Grand Rapids unless we have another couple guys go do with injury (which I know, you are expecting)... It's also very unlikely any of our defense prospects make the team on opening night, let alone 3 or 4 of them, although I do expect one of them to make the team by November. More than likely Ouellet although he is probably ranked 3rd in my mind in regards to potential, he probably is the most NHL ready right now. There's also no chance Mrazek gets the nod as the starter ahead of Howard at this point, maybe in 2-3 years but not any time soon. It's bad enough that you would hand all these kids jobs but you would be getting rid of some really good players in the process. I know you hate the guy but you can't actually believe that Nestrasil is a better option on the second line than Franzen... Although Helm has been extremely injury prone over the past couple seasons, I think he will have a relatively healthy season this year and we all know when he is healthy, he is a great bottom 6 forward. Ericsson is our best shutdown defenseman and you want to get rid of him and hand a job over to an unproven kid? Unbelievable...

I don't get what some people expect from Smith but he's progressing quite well in my opinion. You have to understand that he is still very young for a defenseman in the NHL especially on the Red Wings. Most defensemen don't hit their prime until the age of 27-28 in this league, Smith is just 25 years old. It is a very difficult position to adapt to at the highest level. Let's just compare him to a somewhat similar type player that is currently in the Red Wings organization. although Niklas Kronwall is more of a two-way defenseman he was always known to be a power-play quarterback that can put up points. He was also a late first round draft pick. Both players were 22 years old when they got their first taste with the Red Wings. Kronwall played 20 games and put up 5 (1-4) points, Smith played 14 games and put up 7 (1-6) points. The following year was a lockout year for Kronwall, Smith regressed a little that year, playing 34 games and putting up just 8 (0-8) points. The following year at the age of 24 Kronwall played in 27 games, putting up 9 (1-8) points, while at the same age (last season) Smith played in 71 games and put up 19 (5-14) points. At the age of 25 Kronwall played 68 games and put up 22 (1-21) points, and I expect Smith to put up better numbers than that this season. I don't think 30 points is at all out of reach for him this season, while also playing much better defense, as long as himself along with the rest of the team stay relatively healthy. Also, speaking of Smith's defensive game, I think it has grown a ton in the past 6-8 months. I'll also compare him to another fellow Red Wing that everyone loved to hate just a few short seasons ago. Jonathan Ericsson was a turnover machine and was a disaster in his own end. Now look at him, he is probably our best shutdown defenseman. Why is so hard to believe that Smith will shore up his defensive game, even more than he already has over the past year? I think he will. I doubt anyone ever would have thought Kronwall would have been our number one defenseman and that he would have been as solid at both ends of the ice as he is. Or even that Ericsson would be a capable number 2-3 shutdown defenseman. If you don't think the same thing can happen with Smith in his development, that happened to our current number one and number two, I don't know what to tell you. If you don't see the growth and potential in Smith I don't know what else to say, but it is definitely there and only time will tell. I would be surprised if he doesn't grow into a number 2-3 two-way defenseman in the next couple seasons. Like I said, only time will tell...

Uugh, I hate this time of year, little to no Red Wings related news, evident by the hot topics on the go the past week or so... Some of which include threads on ugly Christmas sweaters, clearance merchandise, and favorite player agencies... Is it September yet?... Anyway, I figured this could involve some interesting discussion so I'll start it off... 12 somewhat bold but in my opinion, fairly reasonable Predictions for the Detroit Red Wings 2014-15 Season... 1. Datsyuk and Zetterberg play a combined 150+ games and score a combined 120+ points. 2. Weiss plays 70+ games and scores 25+ goals and 60+ points (career year). 3. Helm plays 70+ games and scores 15+ goals and 35+ points (career year). 4. Nyquist scores 60+ points and Tatar scores 50+ points (career years). 5. Cleary plays 50+ games and scores 20+ points, while everyone still ******* and complains about him taking up a roster spot. 6. Tomas Jurco scores 75+ points... in Grand Rapids, winning the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy (MVP). 7. Anthony Mantha spends the year down in Grand Rapids and scores a reasonable (but disappointing to most fans) 40-50 points. 8. Kronwall matches his jersey number, and puts up 55 points (career year), is a finalist for the Norris Trophy but comes up just short. 9. Smith finally starts getting some PP time and explodes putting up 40+ points, while also improving his defensive play. 10. Gustavsson stays relatively healthy but struggles mightily to keep the puck out of the net, Mrazek gets called up and plays out of his mind for 10+ games. 11. Howard plays 60+ games putting up career numbers in every category, is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy but comes up just short. 12. The Detroit Red Wings finally have a reasonably healthy year and win the Atlantic Division, finishing 2nd in the East. Obviously there's not much of a chance that all these predictions come true, hence them being of the bold variety, and I'm sure there are some people here that would say that there is no way that any of them come true... But I'm willing to bet at least half of them happen or come relatively close...

We get it Kip, you don't like Babcock, he's not a great coach, totally overrated. You're right, the rest of the hockey world is wrong. Also, Smith sucks and will never be worth a damn...

Like I said, Babcock isn't perfect. He does misuse some of his players but for the most part I do think he does get the most out of most of his players. I do think Smith has been misused, I do think Tatar has been misused, I do think Weiss has been and may continue to be misused and I do think Legwand was misused in the playoff last year. But he does squeeze every ounce of talent out of guys like Glendening, Abdelkader, Miller, etc... Anyway, you're turning this into something it wasn't. Babcock is a great coach, there is no denying that but he has his faults. Smith is a great player in the making and he will get better. Keep dreaming themcityblues...

Absolutely. I do think Babcock is one of the best coaches in hockey. Does that mean he is perfect and does no wrong? Absolutely not. He misuses a lot of guys on the roster in my opinion and hands out questionable ice time to many of his players. The reason I think he is brilliant is because he squeezes every ounce of talent out of each and every player on the team. He pushes every player to be the best they can be, each and every season, game, shift... In saying that, I wouldn't be completely opposed to seeing what Blashill could do as main man behind the Wings bench. I love Babs but it may be time for him to move on... Maybe... Anyway, yes Smith has been misused and I just hope he is used to his strengths this season and gets a ton of power play time and puts up some points.

No, all of the statements you just made are opinion. The only one I would agree with is that Sproul has a better shot. I'm as high on our prospects as anyone but to say that any of them are better than any particular player in any particular area in a completely different league is, like I said, opinion. Yes, when we drafter Smith he was a very offensive minded defenseman and I'm not saying he has evolved into an all around two way defenseman yet but that is the plan in my opinion, in Babs mind anyway. How can you really expect an offensive player to produce to their full capability when they're not put in the proper situations to succeed. He needs more time on the power play, and if Babcock stays true to his word, he will get a lot more this season and he will start to produce at a much higher clip.

I appreciate that you can admit that "he wasn't bad last night", but he played a great game. And as good as Jensen looked out there, you can't be serious to think that he knows already what has taken Smith this long to learn... It was one game. I think he's a pretty solid prospect and I do agree with those that say that he is overlooked a lot because of the number of great defensive prospects we have in the system. But if he were to make the club out of camp (he obviously won't) he would be just as prone to mistakes and turnovers as Smith in my opinion. Defense is the hardest position to learn and to transition from the American League to the National League without any hiccups is very rare. Also, you have to remember that Jensen is only one year younger than Smith, so Smith is not that much more matured as a hockey player even though he has a full season and a half under his belt at the NHL level. Anyway, the point is that Smith will turn heads this year, and I just hope you're willing to eat the proverbial crow when he does.

Nope! There was only one game in my opinion that we got outplayed badly, game 3 if I recall correctly... The other 4 games regardless of the final score could have gone either way in my opinion... I also find it very funny that some people say that THAT series was the telling sign of what type of team we are... We were without our captain and best player for the better part of the series, every single player was worn out from the grind of the regular season because of the ridiculous amount of injuries we had. I don't think we will know exactly what this team is capable of until we see them fully healthy, or at least moderately healthy... We will see what this team is capable of at it's full potential in a few weeks, and a lot of people on here will refuse to eat crow and claim that they were behind this team 100% all along...

Come on now Kip, even you have to admit that Smith looked great last night. Jensen was awesome, but there is no denying that Smith did exactly what you say you want him to do (skate the puck out of trouble and get it to a forward) last night. Smith is going to take another huge step this year and even you will be impressed, mark my words.

kliq - Well said. Completely agree with both points. People are completely overreacting to these injuries. Like you said, the only significant injury was to Datsyuk and even that isn't all that bad. He will miss maybe the first few games of the season, it isn't an injury to his knee again so he can still skate and keep in game shape. He will be fine. Nyquist hurt his knee the other night, but he is saying he's okay, so until I hear otherwise, he will be fine. Helm pulled his groin, it's preseason, not the first time and definitely won't be the last time a groin is pulled in September / October. Now if we're still seeing them in December, there's a problem. Mantha was never going to make the team out of camp anyway, so like I asked before, would people be going this crazy if it had been Pulkkinen that suffered the same injury? I doubt it. Sproul, another guy that had no chance in making the team out of training camp, got a nasty hit from behind (that should have been a penalty...), he's feeling a lot better and will likely be ready to go for game one on the 10th against the Monsters. I love physical play as much as the next guy but an enforcer is not what this team needs. If we can get a guy that is more willing to drop the gloves and can still play solid defense, kill penalties and chip in a little offensively, by all means, I would welcome this guy. But where is he? Maybe McKee will develop his game enough to play in the NHL... Doubtful, but if he could become a great shut down guy at the NHL level, I would love to have that mean son of a ***** on our forth line standing up for our guys. But like so many people have said, no enforcer is going to prevent injuries. Guys are still going to take runs at other players, that will never change...

I'll never understand how a fan of a team can hope for a player on that team to fail... hoping that Cleary sucks, hoping he doesn't get in his 10 games is ******* ridiculous... As a fan of the team, and a huge fan of Cleary as a person, I hope he has a career year and blows every skeptic away with his solid play. I know it's not likely to happen at this stage of his career but I'm not about to hope he fails... I really hope that Nyquist - Zetterberg - Franzen line stays intact to start the season. I think they will dominate. @ Jesusberg - I know right? I wish Pulkkinen would be put in a position to succeed, on a scoring line. He's not a checker, so stop using him as one...

Beat me to it nawein. I was just about to say the exact same thing.

WTF??? Just checked at it isn't being broadcasted... ******* rotted...

I'd love to have those two lines as our 1-2 and then I'd throw out Helm - Weiss - Sheahan as our 3rd and some combination of Miller, Abdelkader, Glendening, Callahan, Cleary as our 4th. If only everyone could stay healthy. Agree on Babcock. Gets pretty annoying.

Love that top line. I would love for them to stick together for the season, but we all know too well that Babcock will change it up the first chance he gets. Nyquist - Zetterberg - Franzen Tatar - Datsyuk - Jurco Sexy...

If you don't mind spending a few bucks, HockeyStreams is a great site to stream the games. I get a years subscription every season to stream all the pre-season games as well as all the Griffins games and scattered junior games to follow prospects. I'd recommend the month subscription if you want to catch all the pre-season games or if you just want to watch tonight's game, you can just get a day subscription as well... Or you can try to find a s***ty quality stream...

Darren Helm-Pavel Datsyuk-Tomas Tatar Tomas Jurco-Riley Sheahan-Daniel Cleary Drew Miller-Joakim Andersson-Martin Frk Jeff Hoggan-Andreas Athanasiou-Colin Campbell Niklas Kronwall-Jonathan Ericsson Xavier Ouellet-Alexey Marchenko Mattias Backman-Ryan Sproul Jimmy Howard (first two periods) Petr Mrazek (third period)