Richdg

If we miss the playoffs again he will be gone. I hope!

We are 2 points ahead in the standings. But the team does look better and is playing better. There is far more energy on the ice most nights. We are much faster most nights. The last couple of years the team looked like if we gave up 3 goals they knew we would lose the game. They don't play like that anymore. They know they can score 3 or more goals. Doesn't mean we are going to win but the effort is there all 60 mins most nights. I still think with better coaching we win more, but that is another thread.

I miss said it. They struggled to make it is what I am trying to say. missed often and made it as the 8th seed and left the PO's early. My point is they had the best BL corp in the league and didn't win anything. Go back 25 years. When the RW's finally started winning We did it with a BL made up largely of other teams castoffs. Yes we draft Nick and Vladdy. But Rouse, Ramsey, Murphy, Samualsson, Krupp, hatcher, Chelios, Ward, Papa Bear, etc.... we all pick ups. Most had 0 offensive ability. They were good solid mistake free defensive first players. It was our F group that produced all the points, most of which we drafted and developed. Every year when we get into the draft talk I talk about drtafting F's and trade for Dmen.

The Pens have a very good defensive BL and 1 great offensive Dman in Letang. The last 2 years they alsoi had Daley helping with the O. Yes DD you agreed with me about the Preds. They had a great D but couldn't score. They had the best Dman in the game in Weber in the prime of his career and missed the PO's more often than making it. Plus Jones Josi etc.... Yet they couldn't score and didnt make it to the PO's. That is my point. Moving our O to get better at D may not make us a better team, which is the goal. As for replacing a Mantha, there is no one in our organization as good as he is. Period. He is a potential 40+ goal scorer that can set himself up offensively and play physical. I love Svechnikov but he isn't in Mantha's league. Mantha tops out at 40 goals 80 points. Svechnikov is more a 25 goal 60 point guy-he is a very good play maker. Yes he is a potential top 6 F but he is not a potential top 2 or 3 F like Mantha is. Fact is Mantha is our best F. Better than Larkin AA or anyone else. He is a potential top 20 player in the league. Like Shanny was.

If we traded a great young F for a great young Dman are we better? For the last 10 years or so the Preds have had the best BL corp and 1 of the top 3 G and they barely made the playoffs. It wasn't until they added high end F's that they became a great team. So does having only one good group work? I would say no. The Kings, Pens, and Blackhawks have all won multiple SC's over the last 10 years or so. All have had great F's and great Dmen. So do we have both? No. Do we have enough assets to make the trades required to have both? No. We have to draft and sign UFA's. If we had 6-8 young high end F's that would be different. But we are not there yet.

and a bad back. But we are winning without him being a major producer.

Let me finish the thought. Lets free up the cap space. Then resign Green and sign Carlson. Now we can have the following BL corp: Daley-Carlson Dekeyser-Green Oullett-Jensen 2 really good pairs. All 3 are balanced LH and RH. Not to mention we kept all of our good young F's. To do that we need to free up 14+ million. Which is what happens if we LTIR Kronwall, buyout Ericsson, trade Helm, Nyquist, and maybe Tatar. Is it a SC winning team? Not yet. But its a team that makes the playoffs and is on the upward swing.

yes but that is only a 48 point pace vs his totals for the year. Same with Tatar. He got hot the last 30 games last year.

Trading our best player for a Dman in the hope we become a better team is a pretty big risk. As all deals are. The first thing we have to do is free up cap space. We have zero. A top pair Dman is going to cost 8+ million. Even if we moved a young RFA F which all 3 are that doesn't give us the room we need. Now there are some veteran UFA top pair Dman available this summer. Go after them. Then instead of subtracting to add, we are just adding. Having a team with Mantha, Larkin, AA and Carlson is better than just having Mantha, Larkin, and a top Dman.

There are several reasons. 1. Mantha is here from the start and playing great! Remember he was in GR the first 15 games are so. AA and Larkin are also better and here full time. 2. We have had far fewer injuries than last year. 3. Howard has been great like year and healthy to date. Mrazek is also better. 4. Witkowski and daley. Daley has helped the BL and Witkowski has added toughness and energy. Something that Blashill talked about the other day. "The bench has a buzz on it when he is in the lineup". 5. Fewer errors on the backend. Smith and all his turnovers are gone.... Ericsson is playing better, Jensen is better, Green is better, Oullett is playing more, etc.... Now is that coaching? Is that just developing? Is that just players having better years? Ya a little of each I think. Those are the good. Because there is some bad. Z is far below last years pace. Tatar is off to another slow start.

How many true #1 Dmen ever get moved? The only deal I can think of was subban for weber...2 Dmen moving for each other. Becasue they are so hard to find no one trades them. So draft and develop. It is the only answer. Maybe sign a guy like Carlsson.

Something that has been bugging me since the line brawl with the flames. Why was ericsson standing there not protecting his G? I dont expect Nyquist or Z to get involved in the rough stuff, not their game. But it is part of Ericssons-he is pretty good at it. Standing there when your freaking G is getting involved is not cool at all. Howard has been awesome when healthy the last few years, and there is the concern. we dont need him to get hurt. Ericsson should have been much more active and allowed Howard to stay out of it.

The players still decide do they not? None of us are in the locker room. We don't know who they will vote for. Yes I think Larkin is the favorite for the job. But that is today. If Mantha is a top flight goal scorer the next 1.75 seasons and has fought to protect his teams mates that will mater. it is also a point of negotiation. He is up for a big contract soon and it may come up. if the team and his agent are say 1 million per year apart on a 8 year deal you can always add a .5 million and a C to get the deal done. If I was going to place a bet it would be: Larkin -C Abby, Mantha, and DD with the A's. Once Abby is gone then I think Rasmussen will wear an A. Just because someone is groomed for a job-real or not, doesn't mean it is going to work. Blashill is a good example.

One of the topics we all talk about from time to time is who will be the next captain. we are seeing the young man make a very strong claim. Scores, skates, plays D, and fights for his teammates! Mantha with the C! Now get him signed to a 8 year deal Kenny!!!!!!!!!!!! PS Wait till Rasmussen gets here. 2 big young power F's that can do it all!

I agree with you that the coaching is better and that starts at the youth level. GK are also better with larger equipment. The league has become a defensive league. But the high end isn't nearly as good. There isn't a player in the league as good as Howe, or Gretzky, or Mario or Orr. They don't exist. The bottom on the other hand is better. Yes Yzerman would still score a ton. He would blow past most of todays Dmen and it wouldnt be much of a challenge. Same with Federov. Look what datsyuk used to do in todays game.... Federov was a way better player and athlete.

Yup. The only reason I watch is to see the growth and development of the under 26 crowd. Heck I spend as much time checking the minors, juniors, and college hockey now as I do the RW..... just to see how our guys are coming along. Hey Holland.... good job at getting me interested in those levels of hockey! So what you have posted adds weight to my standards on being a 1c a 2c and a 3c. Interesting. Now here is the part that hurts. How much money are we spending on all those average/below average 2nd/3rd line players........

Reality is the overall talent is down. Fewer high end players + a defensive first league. Look at us. Our 1c was a 120+ point Yzerman backed up by a 2c in the 120 point Federov. Now many get excited that Z had 60 points last year. Nice year yes but look at the production drop. In time yes it will change again these things go in cycles.

We have 17 million available with Franzen on LTIR to spend. That leaves zero room to actually improve the team. Only tread water. Mrazek isn't going to be allowed to walk and nobody wanted him or Howard last off season. There just isn't much of a market for G's. I can see each of Mantha, Larkin, AA, and Mrazek getting 4 million per. That still doesn't give us a 23 man roster either. Fact is at some point soon someone has to go. be it Nyquist who is the easiest to replace internally, or Helm, or LTIR Kronwall, or buyout Ericsson etc....

Yes! Move him! Now the rules on the CBA..... not sure if putting cash into a deal is allowed anymore. We have cash.... we need the cap. Heck I would take another pick for him. To resign Mantha, Larkin, AA, and Mrasek its going to take 12+ million and we dont have it. It might be closer to 16 million to get all 4 resigned.

I don't believe he is a 2c anymore. He is 33 and players do slow down as they get older. Now what makes a guy a 1c or a 2c or a 3c? To me a 1c is a guy that puts up 80 points per year, a 2c puts up 60 points per year and a 3c puts up 40 points per year. Others may go with a different standard, which is fine. But that is my standard. Yes there are other things to look at besides points I get that. But at this point he is playing great as a 3c with all the pressure off of him. Of course this means Blashill will now make him our 1c...... LOL

You mean now that he is playing at the correct level-as a 3c not a 2c he is doing well?

Just going through a few things posted by others. We have to remember Svechnikov was hurt to start the season and missed a big part of training camp. It does mess with guys... remember Mantha a couple of years ago? Rasmussen will be fine in terms of points. No I don't see a 80+ point per year guy. But he is a legit 30 goal 60+ point guy with a good amount of toughness. If he does that year after year we will all be happy. I could get behind a top 9 like this: Mantha-Larkin-Tatar Svechnikov-Rasmussen-need a speed guy here..... Lil Svechnikov would also fit great! Smith-AA-Frk

Ok this got weird. Yes Mantha is on his way to being a star. So is Larkin. There is more on the way. Svechnikov is coming maybe yet this year and I firmly beleive that if Holland gets in gear that Rasmussen can be here next year. AA is coming and even a guy like Smith isn't far away. That could be 3 top pairs or a great top 6. It has all the needed parts: size, speed, skill, strength..... The only real thing missing is experience. Which will come.

Mantha in the slot. Tatar on the left side. In close.

Tippett is on the bench not playing. The worst thing for development. btw i like tippett would have happy with either guy. interesting that you mention steenbergen. a guy that has been passed over in 2 drafts. think about that. back to rasmussen i like to go back to the preseason when we played the blackhawks and he was matched up vs toews and amisamov and held his own. won faceoffs vs those guys scored etc...