Richdg

I like this kid. 6-2/210 LHed shooting RW. Has scored 15 goals in 23 games for the Storm so far this year. Has one more year of Junior left after this year. Might be the replacement for Abby in a couple of years. Maybe an upgrade offensively.

Many of us have been iffy to hating Blashill since he was hired. Even so the players seemed to like playing for him. But the last 2 games, giving up 16 goals to a bad Habs team that struggles to score AND looking lifeless while doing so, makes one ask. Has Blashill finally lost the team? No he doesn't assemble the roster. Yes he makes bonehead moves. But these last 2 games were 100% on the players. They simply didn't care. So your thoughts? I think he has. I think he forgot to be his own man/coach and the players now seem him as a pretender. Just my 2 cents.

I have typically started these around the first of the year, so off to the races! Before we get into the draft a quick review of the organizations strengths and weaknesses. Strengths: we have a ton of guys that can skate, handle the puck, and shoot the puck. F's and Dmen. RHers and LHers. We have a very good pipeline of young F's on the team or that will be here soon. Weaknesses: Very little G depth and while we have several good young Dmen, most lose their waiver protection next summer and have to stay with the Wings or risk being lost. There are 2 types of players that the organization lacks completely: Front of net forwards that can screen a goalie, deflect shots, bang home rebounds and pound on the other teams D behind the net and in the corners. We also have 0 Dmen that can clear the crease and pound on the other teams F's behind our net and in the corners. We need some Dave Backes type forwards and Marc Staal type blueliners. Another G prospect in this draft is a must and if a good C is available in case one of Larkin, Sheahan, or AA don't pan out that would also be wise with Datsyuk down to his last year-next season. Picks available: we have our 1st, 2nd, no 3rd, and then the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th. Yes there is a chance that Tor could give us the 3rd they owe us this year for signing Babcock, but most expect that to happen next season. Standings: as of today Washington is running away with the EC at 56 points. There are 9 teams between 40 and 46 points including us in the EC. I said before the season that we would once again finish between 6th and 10th in the EC. To date nothing has changed that opinion. Add in the teams from the WC and the best guess is we will be drafting once again between 14 and 22. We will either just make the PO's or just miss making it, we are talking about a 4 point swing one way or the other. Yes it is possible we have tragic injuries and fall apart-unlikely or that we could get red-hot and make a deep run-also unlikely IMHO. So the 14th to 22nd spot seems about right-as of today. One last thought. The last 3 1st round picks (Mantha, Larkin, and Svechnikov) are 6-4, 6-1, and 6-2 respectively. They average out to 6-2.5 inches tall. Now for some names to watch for by round, starting with the 1st. 1st round: Julien Gauthier RW 6-3/225 from VDO. He is the perfect front of net player. Currently he has 29 goals and 8 assists in 33 games. All of his goals come from inside of 15ft. he is actually a very good skater with good speed. he just loves to play the Holmstrom type of game and is very very good at it. ISS has him as the 11th best player in their December ranking. Most mock drafts have him going from 15th to 25th. He is a RHed shooter as well. That would balance out Mantha or Svechnikov who are both LHed. Logan Brown C 6-5/220 from Windsor. very good 2 way Cman. Think a taller version of Sheahan with slightly better offensive abilities. A future 50 point guy and solid 2/3 C in the NHL. ISS had him ranked at 8th in December, but every mock draft has him lower than that. Most in the 18th-20th range. Nathan Bastien C 6-4/210 from Miss. Another good 2 way C but with better offensive upside than Brown. He started this season rated as a late 2nd round guy/early 3rd round. But his offensive game has shown up and he is a big riser. He was 22nd by ISS in december. Most other sites haven't updated yet and are still showing him in the second/third round. Markus Niemelainen D 6-5/200 from Saginaw. finnish Dman who skates well and plays good D. Have yet to see a scouting site/service that doesn't have him in the top 30. 25th is the average spot of his rankings. Most Finnish defenders tend to have a physical side to their game. I would be fine with any of those 4 guys. My hope is Gauthier. he fits our biggest need and would complete an awesome top line down the road. If taken we could have the following 2 top lines: Mantha-larkin-gauthier Svechnikov-Sheahan-AA or AA-Sheahan That could be 2 very good lines. I will do the second round a bit later. There are more Dmen that fit our needs better in the second than in the 1st. Most of the 1st round Dmen are smaller guys that are good puck movers. Not the crease clearing guys we need to find.

Yup. It is that time of year. Still a fuzz early to know where we will pick, but most of us would be safe saying between 20-30. We have 6 picks IIRC: a 1,3,4,5,6,7. No second. As an organization we are still the weakest at F, but we are back to where there isn't a pressing need to go with a F in the 1st. That being said the talent from 20-30 kinda lends us to taking one. So some names to watch once we are on the clock: Jordan Greenway 6-5/225 LW He is big, strong, tough, has good skill and soft hands. Alexander Dergechev 6-4/200 C Known for his vision, oft hands, and he uses his size to bull his way around the offensive zone. Thomas Novek 6-1/180 C Great 2 way player, who plays with great speed and enegy. Very good play maker-average shot. Filip Ahl 6-4/215 LW. Big hulking Swede with good skating ability and a cannon for a shot. Needs to work on his intensity and urgency on the ice. Mackenzie Blackwood 6-4/205 G. Very athletic big G. Needs to work on his puck handling, but other than that should be a very good NHL G in about 5 years. Those are the guys that I would be thinking about. in fact I would even go so far is to focus on Novek as the 1A with Greenway as a 1B. The RW's have shown great love for puck controlling 2 way players, and he is very good at those things. he is a guy that 3-5 years from now would be in the same range size wise as Sheehan and Larkin. 3 C's all 6-2/205 or so. Not a bad group. No true #1's but 3 guys that all could be legit #2's. Guys that also are good at getting the puck to our wingers who are/could be, very pretty good snipers: Nyquist, tatar, Pulk, mantha, etc.... I know some are going to love Ahl-the whole Swedish thing and all, but he reminds me of Franzen. What of course none of us know is, what size is his heart? No idea. Will work my way through some other names of interest later on.

Ok boys and girls it is time to start thinking about the draft. before we get to the fun of who we draft, let's cover some other things first. 1. As of today we would be picking 14th. We have 50 points and there are 13 other teams with fewer points than us, 1 team with equal points but a game in hand. In other words-middle of the road again. 2. Quick review of last years draft. I loved and called for mantha in the 1st. the last week or so before the draft I started to doubt that we would take him if there, boy am I glad we did! Nat is the second round was also a good pick. The brain trust did a great job moving down and adding an extra second round pick, then IMHO completely pissed that pick away on Tuzzi. he was a 6th round projection t best, and there were tons of guys available for that pick that would have been better. other than that, a good draft. No reaches, covered all positions of need. 3. Ok let's talk needs. What does our team look like say 5 years from now? We have a nice pool of G's to pick from. Howard's career will be near the end, Marzek should be in his prime, with JP close behind him pushing. In other words, G is not a position of need early in the draft. if there is someone they like in the last 2-3 rounds, then grab a G. otherwise wait until next years draft. Dmen. Our strongest position. 5 years from now Kronwall and Ericsson will be at the end. But Kindl, DeKeyser, Smith, and lashoff will all still be 31 (Kindl) or in their late 20's. A nice deep core to work with. But it doesn't end there. On the LH side we have Almquist, Oullett, nedermol (speling), dehaas, Wheaton and McNulty coming. On the RH side we have marchencko, Sproul, Jensen, and maybe Nicastro on the way. No all of these guys will not make it. But 2 or 3 will. They are all also playing really well at the AHL level, which means we can make moves if/when needed-like now! Point is, we are really deep on D. have guys with size, speed, skill, toughness, RH and LH. A great young group that we can develop. Forwards. This area is much more of an issue. There are of course 2 groups when talking forwards: grinders for the bottom 8 and top 6 scoring forwards. We have plenty of the fromer and very few of the later. Look at the grinder tyoes that could be here: Abby, helm, maybe Miller, Andersson, Callahan, McKee-for a$$ whippings, Nat, little Tuzzi, plus whatever additional picks we have over the next 2-3 years. Plenty of bodies for the bottom 2 lines. Now when it comes to scorers it is a little more interesting. I see 4 guys: Nyquist, tatar, mantha, Jurco, and that is about it as of now. yes frk and Jarnkrok could turn into something, but both have a long long way to go. Now when looking at the scorers, there are 3 issues here: 1. All are LHed, 2. None are true centermen, and 3. There are only 4 guys! this is and should be our main area of focus in the draft, UFA, and trades for the next couple of years. Ok moving into the order. For now let's assume we finish 15th or so. It makes the math easy if nothing else. Our picks are then: 15th, 45th, 75th, 105th, 135th, 165th, and 195th if I have done my math correctly. so, who are the guys that could/should be available for each of those picks? With a focus on RHed F when possible........ Stay tuned.......

Why resign him? Why waste the money/cap/roster spot? We are not a team fighting for the PO's or cup. We are rebuilding! We dont need more below-average NHL players that are being overpaid. We need to move those guys!

Was wondering how things were going for Ras vs. Tippett vs. Vilardi-the 2 keys many said we needed over Ras. To date here are the stats: Rasmussen 32 games 24 goals which is .75 goals per game and 25 assists Tippett 43 games 29 goals which is .67 goals per game and 32 assists Vilardi 23 games 14 goals which is .61 goals per game and 29 assists. All have missed games for one reason or another. Rasmuusen and Vilardi for surgery/injuries and Tippet started in the NHL. None are dominating their league but are playing well. Really not much that seperates them at the Junior level.

Good topic. AA is going to be a problem. Might be the reason why his name was floated in some rumors. I dont expect him to sign for anything less than 4 million per. In fact I expect him to be traded because of this. I just hope in brings back a quality Dman. As for Mantha and larkin you are talking our leading G scorer and points guys. The building blocks for our franchise for the next 12+ years. You get them signed long term. I would offer Mantha 7 years at 5 mill per and Larkin 8 years at 5 million. Little high for now but should become a steal in a couple years. It also keeps the expiration dates seperate down the road when it comes time to resign them down the road. Now that what I would do. Is that what I think happens? No. I expect AA to be moved, Mantha to get low-balled and become a hold out, and Larkin to take a 3 year bridge deal.

Very good trade. Moved him before the NTC starts. Now use those picks smartly and we will come out ahead in the long run.

After a really rough start Geno is playing better. On Christmas day he had played 26 games had 2 goals 3 assists and was -8. Those number for a full AHL season come out to 6 goals 9 assists and a -24..... Yuck. Since then Geno has played 21 games with 5 goals 10 assists and is +5. Over a full season that comes out to 18 goals 36 assists and a +18. Which is about the same as last season. Not dominating numbers but a nice rebound to a really bad start. Last year he had 20 goals and 31 assists IIRC.

Good move. We as a team in a cap era can't afford to have 9+ million tied up on the G's. Mrazek was a RFA and was going to demand 4.5 to 5 million per year to resign. He has been a headace in the locker room. Time for everyone to move on. This is a deal that should work for everyone: the RW's, the Flyers, and Mrazek. I now hope he gets red hot and leads to Flyers to the finals! Then they will have to resign him and we get the other pick!

Holland can go and take the entire front office with him. They as a group are the ones that have struck out on every big name UFA the last 7 years, had no plan for when Lidstrom etc... retired, and up until recently havent drafted well. Its time for a new front office. Could the new front office be worse? yes. They also could be better. Doing the same over and over and expecting a different result is.........

Since we have a thread on Trouba already, I thought this would fit. Were else can we get a 6-5/225 scoring winger? No where. Through 4 games MANtha has 6 goals. Scored in every game this season so far. Tied to the MANtha watch is the who goes watch. Someone has to leave or be put on IR for him to be called up. I would not be shocked atm if AA and MANtha switch teams.

ok here you go: 14/15: 7th in goals, 20th in assists, 12th in points, 16th TOI/game, 34th hits, 74th in blocks, 46th in giveaways, 2nd in takeaways 15/16: 7th in goals, 58th is assists, 33rd points, 21st in toi/game, 64th in hits, 160th blocks, 78th in giveaways, 10th in takeaways 16/17: 2nd in goals, 66th assists, 37th points, 32nd toi/game, 50th hits, 131st blocks, 84th giveaways, 8th takeaways 17/18: 75th goals, 55th assists, 57th points, 51st toi/game, 38th hits, 96th blocks, 21st giveaways, 5th takeaways Again top 30 Dman that happens to be having a bad year to date. In other words.... we buy low. Which matters more? The 3 great full seasons or the bad half a season? he is 25. Turns 26 next month. Best is still to come. then so is NHL.com

Its real simple wish guy. Go to nhl.com.... stats.... put in the years.... combine stats... and imagine that you have the totals by player. A 6 year old could do it.

Over the last 3.5 NHL seasons here are Faulks rankings for the league: 7th in goals 37th in assists 25th in points 22nd in TOI/game 34th in hits 100th in blocked shots 42nd in giveaways 3rd in takeaways He is clearly a top 30 Dman in the NHL. Not much debate about it. The weakness in his stats is blocked shots. Faulk plays on a bad team that is offensively challenged. The Canes have been a bottom 10 team offensively for the last 3.5 seasons. He has been their best offensive player for most of his career. May not have to big name of some others but he is very good and would make us better. We are a much better team with Faulk than we are with AA. But that requires Holland doing something. Sadly I doubt he will.

AA for Faulk? Yes. Or AA for Hanifan who also has been rumored to be available. I like Faulk, always have. He turns 26 in March so his best years are still ahead of him. In his last 3 full seasons he has scored 15 goals, 16, goals, and 17 goals. From the BL! Rhed shot and is signed for 2 more full seasons. Which gives us time to let more high end waste of money contracts expire: Nyquist, Kronwall, Ericsson, Mrazek, Howard, and Daley will all be gone/expired by that time. Plenty of time to resign him. No he is not a #1. He is a very good #2. Yes AA is fast. he is an exciting player. But will he ever be more than a breakaway specialist? He isn't much of a play maker or passer, which is why he has more goals than assists each year. Will he ever score 25 goals in a season? Heck will he score 20 in a season? Hasn't yet. He is only a couple of years younger than Faulk and plays F which is a position we have some depth and talent at, while we have almost none on the BL. This could be a good trade for each team.

Yes the % goes down, but that is yet to be seen. For whatever reason the second round is where you get a ton of great Dmen. As always the draft is a crap shoot. Lets wait for him to play a few seasons in detroit before we put him in the HOF or call him a bust. If he becomes a #1c or a #2c or a #1 f does it really matter? Nope. We need him to become a 25 goal + per year player. I dont care if it is as a winger or center or if its on the top line or second line. BTW at the time of the injury Rasmussen had played 22 games and had 16 goals and 31 points. Just for a reference Tippett had also played 22 games and had 14 goals and 31 points. Point is same production.

The position doesn't matter. Larkin was 15th and is becoming a #1. Getzlef was 28th IIRC and he is a #1. But at the same time the Oilers have taken a bunch of guys with top 5 picks that were supposed to become #1 C or wingers that haven't.

Not sure if the 10 games includes the mnors or not. I know Smith went to GR after last years Junior season. If he could play with the RW's for the last 8 to 10 and then go play the PO's with GR, maybe. But the way the Griffs are going not sure they are going to the PO's.

Geno has 3 goals in the last 2 games. Lets hope he is starting to warm up! Still 40ish games left in GR's season. Love to see him get to 20+ by the end of the year. He has 5 atm IIRC. 15 in 40 or so is doable for a guy with his talent. But if he stays hot for a while bringing him to Detroit after the deadline would also be good. Get him 20ish NHL games to get a better judge of where he is at development wise.

Malkin is a 2 behind Crosby.

If Rasmussen can be back Feb. 15th-6 weeks, TC will have 16 games left in their regular season. His legs and endurance should be fine. TC's last regular season game is March 18th. As of March 19th the Red Wings will have 10 regular season games left to play. Per the CHL-NHL agreement, players can play up to 10 games per year and still go back to junior. So, once healthy go play at TC and finish the season. Then bring him to Detroit and get a 10 game cup of coffee. Then everyone can see if he is ready/close to being ready/not ready for the NHL next season. Junior and Minors is not the same. Lets get him some playing time and find out. Its not like he is going to hurt our PO chances.

I think most if not all of us agree that Mantha, Larkin, and AA are our future and tbh our present. In todays game where there are so many penalties, why isn't he being used on the PK? With his height and reach he breaks up a ton of passes and shots. Its not like he is slow either. Get him on the ice! Let him learn to become a good penalty killer while we stink. It isn't going to hurt us. Play the young studs Blashill! In all situations! If that is how he needs to be used to get him 20 mins per game then do it! Might add a few more short handed goals.

I understand that. But I also understand speaking in generalities and the difference between opinion and stats. If I say I see player X as a 60 point per year player does that mean he scores exactly 60 points per year? Or does that mean that over several years time he will average around 60 points. It could be 58, it could be 63, etc.... If I saw a guy is top 10 in the league does that mean he is tenth? 5th? 1st? That one gets hard becasue everyone has a different opinion of players. Who is the best player in the NHL right now? Ask 10 guys get at least 7 answers. So you group them. Far to many get far to upset about things that don't really matter-our opinions about hockey. With that, Happy New Year!