krsmith17

How is all of what I just said, true only of last year??? We have been injury riddled for the past few years... Are you saying that we haven't? Of course last year was a hell of a lot more than any team is used to missing but the previous years we've still lost a lot of man games. The biggest thing about last year was that we lost so many games to such key players. That won't happen again any time soon, in my opinion. Last year we missed 421 man games, in 2012-13, 243 in a shortened season (415 estimated over a full season), 2011-12 wasn't too bad at 223, 2010-11 256 and 2009-10 311... So on average, we have missed 325 man games to injury over the past 5 seasons, but yet we haven't been injury riddles over that time? And like I said before, it is perfectly reasonable for you to suggest that things will not change on the injury front this season due to past seasons, but I do believe that it will be different, and much better this season. Maybe because, I truly believe that Hank is feeling 100% better than he has in a couple years, I think Pav has been rehabbing his knee all summer and he will come in ready to go, I think Weiss will finally be able to play at 100% for the first time in a Red Wings jersey, I think Helm will surprise everyone and play 75+ games this year, etc, etc... I may be hopeful, but I think it's a lot better than being doom and gloom all the time. If you really think something needs to change, and I'm not really arguing that, I think maybe something needs to be done about the training staff or something... Who knows, but the least of our problems last year was Alfredsson, and I think he could be another great addition again this season...

Because when you've been injury riddled for an entire season leading up to the playoffs, key players have been over worked and are much more mentally and physically drained then they would have been otherwise. There is a lot to be said for a team that is in position to rest key players down the home stretch of the regular season, and we could very well be in such a position this season. Do you not think that if Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Alfredsson and Kronwall were all relatively healthy for this season that they wouldn't massively benefit from a few games off, heading into the playoffs? I certainly do... Another thing is, just because a player is in the lineup, does not necessarily mean they are healthy, especially when it comes to playoff hockey, everyone knows that...

Really Kip? That's what you got out of what I said?... Well no, you clearly don't understand my logic correctly and that is not at all what I am suggesting. I never once compared Jurco to Alfredsson, my comparison was between Alfredsson and Andersson, in which I would take Alfie 11 times out of 10. Now, if we're talking Jurco or Alfredsson I would again choose Alfie but for very different reasons, because of the reasons I have already, clearly stated... Jurco does need more time in the minors. Yes, start half the team in the minors... That's clearly what I was suggesting... C'mon man, if you're going to argue a point I make, at least make it somewhat relevant to what I'm saying. What I'm saying about how much improved our season is going to be, has no baring on the playoffs. Although, I'm pretty sure anyone that sees how high my expectations are on our upcoming regular season, would only assume that I think that will translate into success in next years playoffs... So yes, my standards for the Detroit Red Wings are much higher than just making the playoffs. I'm not saying that we are definitely going to win the cup this year, in fact, I would be surprised if we did. However, I do believe we have just as good a shot as anyone in the East. You have your views on why we have struggled so mightily over the past few years and I have mine. My opinion is that we have been cursed with the injury bug and that has spoiled any chance we've had at success over the past few years. People will say, we haven't been healthy, so why is that all of a sudden going to change? Which is an obvious legit question, but I believe we will be...

That's your reality Frank, and to be quite honest I feel bad for you and all the others on here with the negative attitude toward the team and management. Like I said, I will place a hefty wager on the Wings finishing significantly higher than they did last season. I will also bet that they face half the amount of injuries they did last season. Things don't always have to be doom and gloom. The future is bright and that brightness is a lot closer than many of you think.

Does anyone actually think that if Jurco starts the season down in Grand Rapids, he is stuck down there?... I don't believe for a second that we will be hit nearly as bad with injuries this coming season, but yes, there will absolutely be injuries. Let's say we start the season with Jurco and no Alfredsson, a player gets injured and now we have Jurco and Andersson in the lineup. Whereas if that same player got injured, it could have been Jurco and Alfredsson instead of Andersson. Is there anyone that would choose Andersson over Alfredsson?... Depth is huge!

Yeah, it was definitely a huge mistake to bring back the same team from last season... I mean we only made the playoffs, despite what may have been the biggest rash of injuries to key players that any team has ever had to endure in a single season... I would wager a rather large amount of money that the Detroit Red Wings will finish with more points (94+), and as a higher seed (7th or higher) than last season. I'd even go as far as to say that I believe they will finish with more than 110 points this season and quite possibly challenge for the division...

I find it crazy that some people still actually believe that the best thing for the team and for the player (Jurco) is for him to play with the big club to start next season. It is not. Jurco would benefit in so many ways from playing another year down in the minors. He is still a kid, and could use another partial to full season down with the Griffs, getting top line minutes, top power play time, working out the kinks in his game, because believe it or not there definitely still are some kinks in his game. Even if we weren't going to re-sign Alfie for whatever reason, I would still want Jurco down in Grand Rapids to at least start the season. Signed, Jurco's biggest fan.

I'm actually really surprised about the people that would have been willing to trade Yzerman for Gretzky. I wouldn't have even considered trading them straight up, let alone the other pieces that would have had to be involved to get that deal done. Yzerman was my favorite player back then and the sole reason I am a Red Wings fan today. To be quite honest, if Yzerman would have been traded back then, I would probably be an Oilers fan today... Scary... I'm definitely glad that Holland and Jimmy D are much more loyal to this team and players than most fans would be... How many people would trade Zetterberg and pieces to Pittsburgh for Crosby? I know there are definitely quite a few that would but I definitely would not. Hank is our captain and I wouldn't want to lose him, even if it meant getting the best player in the world for him. Even knowing that Zetterberg may only have another 5 solid years left and Crosby has another 15, I still wouldn't do it. Crazy? Probably, but that's my opinion...

I definitely think Filppula was one of the most under appreciated guys of recent years. I personally loved the guy and was very sad the day he signed with Tampa, but for the most part, many fans grew very frustrated with him. In my mind, the biggest reason was because a lot of people expected him to be a player he wasn't. He was never projected to be an elite center, he was always a pass first player, so it was unfair to expect him to completely change his game and become a shoot first player. I think some people realized how much he was missed last year, but of course others will always say they're happy he's gone and he isn't worth $5M per year. I'm really looking forward to see what Weiss can do when finally healthy, but I still think Filppula will out produce Weiss again this year and for the full 5 years on their contracts...

It is beyond ridiculous how much professional athletes make these days but if this contract ever ends up being below market value... sickening...

I personally love the direction this team is going. I think the plan for a few years has been to get younger, due in part to the salary cap, as well as bigger, evident by our past few drafts. We have a lot to get excited about as fans. There is going to be a ton of talent coming up over the next few years, and a lot of these kids have the size and strength to go along with the speed and skill. Sure, we have struck out on the past 2 of 3 free agency periods, and we haven't really done anything at the trade deadline, but I do believe there is a plan in place and Kenny sees the bigger picture. Unlike most fans that are very eager for the quick fix, Ken is very patient and knows that it's going to take time to get back to the top, he know what it takes to build a contender, and doing so without ever having to tank is pretty remarkable.

Great post lomekian! I fully agree with your assessment on pretty much every point.

Yeah, I understand that. I'm not saying I don't like the deal, I just think it is over payment right now. I think he definitely has the potential to be worth more than that and for this to be a great deal in a couple years. But that's just what it is, potential. I just think RFA's can't negotiate with any other teams so their leverage goes down significantly. I think it's over payment, but because Tatar doesn't deserve it, but more because I don't think Holland 'had' to over pay that much...

Wow, way more than I thought it would be, and I do think it's over payment but like a lot of others are saying, I'm just happy to have him re-signed.

I think because the Wings have had such bad luck with injuries the past few years is a reason to believe that that luck has got to change... and because we have had such short seasons the past few years is a reason to believe that the players that need it the most (Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Franzen, Kronwall, Weiss, Helm, Howard) will be getting the rest they need. The fact that Zetterberg has said that he feels like he's years younger and that his back hasn't felt this good in years, is reason to believe that he may have a relatively healthy year. I also think a long summer off will help the other guys listed as well. I think for anyone that states that half the team will be injured after just two months of hockey is a bit ridiculous. Just my opinion... As I've stated over and over again, I don't have any problem with negative predictions, I have a problem with people predicting the whole team will be injured... or wait for it... My prediction, Cleary sucks... a lot of thought put in to that one...

See LeftWinger, we do sometimes agree on things. I would even be somewhat surprised if it is as high as $5M though. My guess has been all along and still stands at around $1.25M per, so $3.75M over three years...

Love it marcaractac. I agree with each and every one of those, with the exception of number 2. I think Zetterberg will have an unreal year as well, but I'm not sure if he will have a career year, statistically speaking anyway, 93+ points is definitely going to be tough. I will say though, if he stays healthy the entire year and puts up a point a game, I don't see how being top 3 in the conference could be out of the question...

LeftWinger, I don't have a problem with people actually predicting some negative things, as long as it's somewhat thought out. To have your only prediction as, 'half the roster will be injured by November', is just being negative for the sake of being negative, and yes, it is just to stir the pot or to piss people off. That's what many people find frustrating on here, some people just spew s*** just for the hell of it. I don't agree with a whole lot of your opinions, but at least there is some validity to your arguments. At least you do seem to care about the team. I respect our differences in opinion, and that's what keeps a discussion board going strong, but people just need to stop with 'the sky is falling', "Cleary sucks", "Holland sucks", "Howard is average", Kyle F*cking Quincey", etc, etc. Same old bulls*** over and over and over again... Another thing, people including yourself have got to stop doing is stating such and such opinion as fact. It most definitely is not "fact" that any individual player on our current roster will miss a single game. So yes, it is possible that any of Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Franzen, Kronwall, Ericsson, Weiss or Helm could play all 82 games this year. Unlikely? Absolutely. But it is definitely not impossible. Like I said, I predict all of these players to be much, much healthier this season, and I would bet that they average around 70 games each. Sure there will be one guy that might only play 60, but I bet another guy will play 80. Anyway, we can agree to disagree, and I do respect your opinion, because like I said, it was actually somewhat thought out... But for those of you saying we're doomed, and we're going to be in on the McDavid sweepstakes, that just isn't going to happen.

I will be the first to admit that the likeliness of ALL of my prediction to come true would be extremely unlikely. However, I don't think any single one of them are out of the realm of possibility either. The only individual player prediction that I stated that is somewhat unlikely is Cleary playing over 50 games and scoring over 20 points. I, just as much as anyone, wanted to see Cleary hang them up after last season, and possibly get a job somewhere within the organization. But since he is on the roster, I would love nothing more than for him to exceed everyone's expectations. As for the rest of the player predictions, I think they're all reasonably within reach, so if even half of them happen with another 2 or 3 coming close, I don't think it's impossible for us to finish in the top 2 or 3 in the East. Of course, a lot of things would have to go right for this to happen, but with so much that has gone wrong over the past few seasons, our luck has got to change at some point doesn't it? And hey, why not have a positive outlook on your favorite team before the season starts? There are 30 teams in the NHL, who at the start of the season feel they have a legitimate shot in competing, why not us?...

Wow Kip, really? Why all the negativity? Those are some extremely sad predictions...

It doesn't matter how positive people want to be about particular situations, there are always going to be 'the glass, completely empty' kind of people in the world. As a Red Wings fan, why would you choose to be so negative about the upcoming season? It just doesn't make any sense whatsoever... Why can't all the negative Nancy's and Debbie downers stay out of just one of the very few positive threads that we try to have on here? Nah, it's much more fun to predict that Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Weiss and Helm combine for under 30 games and we finish last in the Conference...

If you read in the *Notes at the bottom I said, "I think one of our defensive prospects will make the club. Although I would like to see it be Marchenko, I think it may be Ouellet, so I left him out". And no, I know he definitely won't be up unless he's in the top 6, so my top 6 in Detroit would be, Kronwall - Ericsson, DeKeyser - Quincey, Ouellet - Smith, with Lashoff as the number 7 guy and Kindl being traded. I'm not saying that is how it would definitely play out but it is very possible and one of the scenarios that I would like to see...

I agree that it would suck to lose him for nothing, as goes for any asset, but Landon Ferraro, in my opinion is a fringe NHL player at best. Besides we more than made up for the potential loss with all the other signings this offseason. Surely one of the 6 or 7 guys we signed (Miele, Zengerle, Porter, Nosek, Berschbach, Hirschfield, Campbell) will become equal to or better than Ferraro. Now if we lose Callahan for nothing, I will be pissed.

Ferraro is out of minor league options and would have to clear waivers before being sent back to the Grand Rapids Griffins. - Brendan Savage

My bet is he gets waived, clears and spends another year down in Grand Rapids. I'm really hoping Callahan sticks as the 14th forward and gets in some games...