joesuffP

I'd like to see a dynamic player on the blueline but I'm not so sure having an elite #1 is the end all be all to being a perennial contender. The defense needs to take a collective step forward while Kronwall and Ericsson take steps back and their offensive output should increase just by the new distribution of minutes. Wings can be a great team without a Norris winner if we have a balanced defense that compliments each other and the teams game plan

Most would say no to that deal as Red Wings fans but I think it's pretty realistic considering all Winnepeg really needs is a goalie. It would be a tough decision for sure but I might pull the trigger on this deal if I was Holland. Wings have done well in the past without elite goaltending and goalie prices are going to skyrocket by the time Mrazek wants to be paid if he's a top 10 goalie

Jets seem so stacked to me don't know why they can't make any noise in the league

Pretty subtle slick move. Pav's went to the outside when most players would try and breakthrough the middle. Barely handled the puck really

Everyone throws out sooooo many hypotheticals around here, I'd rather not stress myself looking at that and look around the league where deals for players we'd want have been made. Taylor Hall and ummm... Ya can't think of any other guys that you describe. In other words elite scorers in their prime. Holland absolutely would have traded Nyquist/Tatar for him but I bet he didn't even get a phone call because they didn't want anybody on the roster Btw Shattenkirk, Fowler and Trouba still haven't been traded. Obviously theirs more to making these deals then giving up Nyquist and Tatar

Wow that was vintage Datsyuk. This thread is going to be awesome. Might kinda start following Pav's new team pretty closely

I think the slow footed big defensive shut down defenders are a dieing breed in this league

This is actually what I imagine Blashill going with minus E for Sproul and probably Mantha being an injury call up. I think Blashill's strategies and line combos were a mess last year but for most of the year he had the right guys in the lineup

I doubt Ott plays very much and Miller is the perfect extra forward. Only way these guys play a significant amount of games is if theirs injuries or the young guys suck

I think Blashill being in his first year as head coach fell back on Babs philosophies especially when things started to go south for him. Hopefully he finds his own identity that suits the team. I'm expecting him to have a much different approach this year. There's a lot of pressure for a rookie coach to demote long time veterans in his first year especially if they missed the playoffs. He would have taken a lot of heat. Last year was a tough year for the whole team I don't think anybody in the organization was satisfied with their season

Ya this board would hate Ryan if he played for the Wings. Franzen 2.0

Ya someone like Fowler? I'd rather keep what we have and see if Smith and DD can elevate their game then trade for an everyday top 4. If the Wings trade their high end prospects a true #1 has to be coming back

So what's up with this World Cup of hockey? Not hearing much about it other then it starts on September 9th I believe?

We're calling Jurco and Smith offensive guys now? Based on what? Everyone is so good at pointing out the problems with the team without providing any better solution We can't score so play Smith and Jurco more who also can't score... Rock solid logic

And those great possession teams don't have 4 skilled scoring lines either which was the main point of the debate

Jurco plays with Glen and Miller who dump and chase only because theirs no room for him in the top 9. Crappy situation for a young guy but the other forwards are just better than him theirs no denying that. Don't think he was told to remodel his game it's just the way the fourth line plays. I'm sure Blashill would be thrilled if Jurco started playing more aggressive and creative offensively

Pretty elaborate speculation

Vanek I havent watched play very much I don't have any expectations of him at this point. Helm is a very versatile player although I think he's overpaid. Don't think anybody in the system can do what he does night in night out tbh. He's a useful guy we can slot all over the lineup in any role. I expect the team to function better as whole with Blashill having more experience and individual player stats from last year don't reflect the type of player they really are. Helm will produce while being a high energy guy that's solid defensively

Not like it's impossible to retool into a championship team while being competitive and making the playoffs. Wings just drafted and developed two blue chip guys in Larkin and Mrazek already with other guys knocking on the door. The future looks good for the wings. A couple vet signings and suddenly this team has no direction or future

Imagine how much better it will feel to win a cup without tanking Wings win a cup and they're right back to being the model franchise, doing things the right way. It's not like the team will never be good again. The future core is emerging right in front of us. The Wings are a few young guys having breakthrough seasons away from being a very good team All the doom and gloom around here is ridiculous. We're a doomed franchise until the end of time because the streak I think years ago when Dats and Z were good Holland sacrificed the future for trying to win with a somewhat mediocre team and I think that's why we are left with guys like Nyquist, Tatar and aging vets to lead the team. Now because of our struggles we're seeing high end prospects just starting to make the jump into the NHL. We haven't had blue chip guys like this in a very long time

I'm sure the players take pride in the streak as well.... If the wings were to tank LGW would be irate demanding they fire Blashill/Holland Fans in general want their cake and to eat it too or... They'll just find something new to complain about You think if we were a lottery team but Mantha, AA, Bertuzzi and everyone was playing it would be all la di da... It would look really ugly with these hyped prospects looking very bad. Maybe if we had a team like that Larkin wouldn't have emerged and pretty much changed the outlook of the future We have a lot of young guys just blossoming into their NHL careers or entering their prime. I think Holland has had a good outlook on the future while ensuring they're a competitive playoff team. It's not like he's trading all our youth for vets and going all in on a bad team. The only struggle here is the kids have a lot of competition to make the team but they are definitely part of the future

Last year looked like a team with no identity or direction which I attribute to inexperienced coaching. If Blashill gets better and having a more experienced coaching staff, there's potential for massive improvement. I think last year was an anomaly

Sorry I never meant to get snippy just the comment about Sarijaarvi bugged me don't really want to get into an argument over it

Jurco, Smith didn't want Larkin to play in the NHL last season, always going off about Sproul. Pretty much every big underachiever this team has I'm just saying writing off Sarijaarvi at his age when he has done well thus far in his career is ridiculous

You're usually pretty wrong about the guys that you fanboy so I'm excited to see Sarijaarvi become a stud Imagine writing off someone's career while they're still in Junior hockey excelling..