kliq

This roster is very deep, what it lacks is high end talent. We are filled with mid pairing d-men and 2nd/3rd line forwards.

Not implying it did, but the correct information should be out there, hence my post. I agree Mrazek has played like garbage, anything less then and F has bias written all over it. In GAA he ranks 43rd out of 47 qualified goaltenders http://www.espn.com/nhl/statistics/player/_/stat/goaltending/sort/avgGoalsAgainst/count/41 In Save % he ranks 44th out of 47 qualified goaltenders. http://www.espn.com/nhl/statistics/player/_/stat/goaltending/sort/savePct/count/41 To compare, Howard ranks 2nd in Save % and 3rd in GAA so I don't buy "its the defense" argument.

Are you seriously trying to sell the idea that playing on Chicago has hurt his public perception? Toews gets more love and media attention then anyone in the NHL not named Crosby and has been talked about for years as if he is the 2nd or 3rd best player in the NHL. If Towes didnt play for Chicago and lets say played for Carolina, at best he would be thought of as a Patrice Bergeron. More likely, he wouldn't even be talked about. Playing on Chicago with Seabrook, Keith, Kane, Hossa and company has given the illusion that he is an all time great. Very good player, but not as good as the media makes him out to be.

McElhinney was claimed by the Leafs.

Really? Why? He's good defensively, plays the PP and PK, and he has 23 points in 41 games so he is on pace for 46 points (career high is 58 and 52). For a second line center in the NHL that seem pretty good to me. He shouldn't be an all star, but I think he is pretty close to his ceiling. Considering how poor we are offensively under Blashill, he's exceeded my expectations.

Even worse, no movement clause. Cant even waive him if you wanted to.

There is probably a lot of truth to this. The handling of Jurco has been awful, but at the same time he hasnt done himself any favors.

Nielsen is a very good 2nd line center, nobody should be criticizing him for playing the way he is playing. FIrst line centers get about 8+ mil per year, he gets 5.25 which fits right line in for a second line center. With that being said, he is not an all star caliber player. Its not his fault that we dont have elite players around him right now.

Your probably right, but as far as what GM's say to the media I take that with a grain of salt. The one thing that does put doubt in my head however is the streak. I am not sure I believe management and ownership value Blashill over the streak and if they believe another coach could save it, I could see that being the deciding factor.

Was that off Millers skate?

He isnt elite or close to it, but for a contender that puts him on the 3rd pairing and PP, he could be a big difference maker.

Contract has nothing to do with it, you don't pick all stars based on whether or not their output is equal to their contract. With that being said, I agree he was a bad choice. I thought Zetterberg should have made it, though I have a feeling it was known he wouldnt go. If not him, I would have picked Mantha.

I think you may be over-estimating how good the teams above us in the division are, or you have no faith that we fire Blashill (I'm guessing this one). If we fire Blashill and get our injured players back, I think we have a very good chance of getting that 3rd seed.

I'm going to assume that the European wave wasn't until the 80's/90's, so with that being said I have to give the edge to Lidstrom. Lidstrom played against the best players in the world, not just some of them. He absolutely dominated which is evident with his 7 Norris trophies, and he did it for a lot longer (20 seasons to essentially 11). It may seem unfair to penalize Orr due to injuries, but when the debate is who is the best ever I have to take it into consideration. I would have to think as well, if all those European players of the 70/80's were playing in the NHL, Orr would have had greater competition and therefore not been as dominant during his peak. Either way, they were both great players and I have an absolutely tremendous respect level for both. 1A and 1B in my book.

Any legitimate scout would tell you that the difference between a 22 year old defenseman and a 26 year old defenseman is enormous as defenseman take a lot longer to develop then forwards. Your financial argument makes sense IF the probability of Foote becoming a 1A guy is equal to Trouba's, which I believe it is not. Given the amount of defenseman that are busts/letdowns that go in the top 10 every year, the chances of Foote being another one IMO are pretty high. This is not an indictment on Foote, the kid very well may become a star, but I do not believe the chances are as high as they are with Trouba. You can compare Trouba to DD all you want, but just repeating something over and over again doesn't make it true. As far as acquiring both, sure I am open to that but from what I have read Winnipeg does not want to trade Trouba for anyone except Larkin plus which Holland is not willing to do, so moot point. Samuelsson.....way too early to start talking about the 2018 draft.

You know what's easier then drafting a stud top 5? Signing one via UFA lol. The Wings definitely need to make a run for Tavares. Having Tavares, Larkin, and AA down the middle would be absolutely amazing and in a few years possibly the best 1-2-3 punch in the NHL. With that being said, I dont see it happening.

For the most part I think your expectations are a bit unrealistic, though I hope you are right. As far as Nyquist/Tatar, I dont even consider it for a 4th. I would rather use one of them in a package for a d-man.

Trouba is 22 years, DD is 26, for a D-man that is a HUGE difference. You cannot compare the two, very very weak argument on your part. Please do not twist my argument around to fit your narrative. What I said was that Trouba has the POTENTIAL to be elite, I never once said he is currently elite. I cant remember anyone ever saying that DD had the potential to be elite, not even close to the same situation.

Talking about a player's trade value has nothing to do with "wanting to get rid of them". Ott is an impeding UFA, therefore he is being brought up. Its no different then Green, Smith, Miller, or Vanek. Where did you get the impression that is a "worry"?

I think Vanek could fetch a 2nd rounder, but I dont think Green will get anything close to what Yandle got. He may be able to fetch a first rounder, but I'm not sold on that. Smith could probably get us a 3rd or 4th. Miller and Ott will likely get us low picks or "future considerations". As far as the others, most teams dont acquire talent at the deadline that are not impending UFA's. So I dont see us getting good value for guys like Tatar, Nyquist etc. Moves like that are made in the off-season, or at least used to. Personally I would like to hang on to Nyquist and trade Tatar but I think we should be open to all and any offers.

Did Orr play against the best of the best? Or when he played was is predominantly a North American league?

With that type of thinking this team is going nowhere. If an elite d-man comes your way you take him. Also, by the time he would be due for a big contract, Howard, Green, Vanek, Miller, Ott,and Smith will all be gone. Plus I would also bet Kronwall will be on LTIR ala Franzen come two years from now. Cap space will not be an issue. Look at what the Leafs did with Phenuef, Kessel and Clarkson, you dump a few contracts and you are fine.

You can't evaluate a player solely on OHL points. Sproul had 66 points in 50 games, Ekblad had 53 points in 58 games. I dont think anyone would argue Sproul was a better player going into the draft then Ekblad. I couldn't care less that Trouba is from Michigan, and that truly has zero to do with me wanting us to acquire him. I dont live in Michigan (same goes for krsmith17) so why would I care. I want to acquire him because he is a player who has 1A D-man upside and wants out of his current situation. Name me another player in the NHL that is 22 or younger with that upside and wants out. If players like Ekblad or OEL were available I would want them to, but they are not going anywhere.

No he's not a UFA, he's is an RFA again. Trouba is only 22 and he has quite a few years left under team control. I believe most guys become UFA's around 26 or 28.

I think the lack of assists is more the issue here, but then again look at who he has been playing with.