DickieDunn

Larsson is also good sized and has 3 years of NHL experience. There's no way Pulk and a second gets him though.

The Devils are a mess. They're in a spot where they need to rebuild but they have almost nothing in the AHL so they're full of mediocre vets. Larsson is a prime example of why you need to let your players develop instead of tossing them right into the fire at 18 or 19, especially d-men. I'd like him, but in reality the Devils don't need to trade him, so unless Lou goes full retard and just gives up on him, it'd probably take something like Sproul, Pulkinnen and a pick to get him, and that's too much. Right now, their best bet is to sell the farm at the deadline and move every player age 30 or over they can get so much as a 7th round pick for and revamp their amateur scouting department so they can actually draft well.

Are you really comparing Backman to Zetterberg and Datsyuk? 20 pounds is a lot of muscle. Hicketts is a depth signing for a future AHL plug, not because he has a good shot of being an NHL player. Backman can make it if he gets stronger and decides that he wants to put in the effort of winning a spot. Otherwise an NHL doesn't need a guy who's going to say "this is too hard, I don't want to get better and win that much." What is my statement is wrong? He had a rough start to the season and hasn't earned ice time, his response was to go home instead of sticking it out and proving he's as good as he thinks he is.

Almquist is in Sweden because he's too small and isn't fast enough to make up for it, and is therefore a defensive liability. Weber and Diaz are considerably heavier and stronger. If Backman needed more time to prove himself, he should have stuck it out instead of running home when things were tough. In order to play in the NHL, you need skill and mental toughness. Backman's actions show that he doesn't have the mentality to make it right now.

Had Mrazek stopped 2 of the first 3 it would have been over.

I'm sure it was frustrating. He wasn't being sat because there was some conspiracy against him though, he was sitting because he wasn't food enough. That means either he's really not that good, or he is that good but wasn't putting in the work. Again, he had lots of chances, it was up to him to take advantage of that and didn't. People are acting like he played 5 minutes a game and was scratched 80% of the time.

He still shots left. They don't need a d that can play the right side they need one who shoots right.

What he did in a 10 game stretch last year is irrelevant to what he's done this year. If he was better this year, he would have been playing. He was sitting instead, and hat tells me that he's dropped off. This is what Holland and Blashill said this year. Holland: “I’ve been in the game since 1975 in pro hockey, for 10 years as a minor league goaltender. Adversity and competition are wonderful things, and learning to fight through the adversity, learning to fight through the competition, learning to compete every day in practice and wait for your opportunity to get in the lineup and take somebody’s job, that’s what we’ve tried to build the Red Wings on." Blashill: “What I’ve talked to him about is making sure that when he gets his opportunities, he’s ready to play great,” Blashill said. “That’s the No. 1 thing he can control is his play. He can’t control my decision on who to play. 2 things stick out to me in those quotes. First, Backman wasn't prepared to play at a high level when he did play. Second, he doesn't deal well when things aren't going his way. If you can't do those things, I don't care how talented you are, you're not an NHL player.

He played in 2 regular season and 10 playoff games last year. That's not nearly enough to establish anything. Tatar scored 39 points in 73 games last year and showed he was an NHL player. Those are two entirely different situations.

He had several opportunities. He apparently didn't do anything in camp, practice, or 18 AHL games to prove he was better than a career minor league plug who hasn't scored a point this year.

So he should have earned his playing time, but he should have been given playing time even if he wasn't earning it, while Evans, who despite his lack of an NHL future who has been doing his job, should have been benched. The bottom line is that Backman didn't do enough to prove he was good enough to play in the AHL. End of story.

Upside is meaningless unless it's reached

If you do that at Walmart, going home alone is the best you can hope for. Going home with a walmarter is way worse.

13 games plus camp and practices. If he's not one of the Grifs 6 best be should stop complaining and do something about it. If he go home we'll regret it about as much as we regret Ryno, Almquist, Larsson, and the other prospects bwho bailed because they couldn't handle earning ice time.

I don't know, I don't watch a lot of other teams. I do know that players who have tough guys on their teams get run a lot though, and that if the only reason you're an NHL player is because you're good at hitting people and pissing them off then you're not going to not do that because some knuckle dragger will want to fight you, so those types of players really don't do much to protect their teammates. Even when every team had a couple guys like that, it was usually the fighters from each team throwing down with each other. Rat bastard runs star player from team A. Team A sends out goon to kill rat bastard. Team B sends out goon to protect rat bastard. Goon A and Goon B fight. Rat bastard continues as before.

With the "uncoachable" comments and Hall's reduced production, I don't think it would cost as much to get him. Tatar, Kindl and a D prospect not Sproul or Ouellet might be enough. I don't know if I want Peaches Jr. either. Detroit has 3 second pair D right now, I'm not sure why they need another. I'd rather move Kindl without bringing an NHL d-man back to make room for Ouellet.

I heard last time the Pens were there Crosby stood up and yelled "me! Me!"

I smell troll.

Varlamov didn't have the police report that Voynov has, at least not that's been released. He also wasn't actually suspended, which means he was paid. There are a lot of professions where certain things get you paid time off during an investigation before you're formally charged. This is and should be the case here.

The number of coaches the legos (because they're always rebuilding) has more to do with poor management than anything else. I would think that if Hall came to a team with so many established players and a respected coach he'd be reined in bit and pay attention.

Mrazek hasn't shown nearly enough at the NHL level to think he could back a team to the playoffs. I've seen too many can't miss prospects that have missed, especially goalies.

Did all these days players bang the same chick or something?

I'm pretty sure the Wings have Kindl on the block. If nobody wants him they can't trade him, though, and I don't think they want to put him through waivers.

That's basically giving up on the season and of you're wrong about Mrazek it screws the team over long term. I'd much rather trade Mrazek.

Darren McCarty cold cocked LePuke then continued to pummel him while LePuke turtled. Were you upset at McCarty?