chaps80

The thing is, many refuse to give Mrazek a clean slate after last season. And for the most part, it’s the people who never wanted Howard replaced. You felt he was worth keeping and worth a shot at getting back on track. Mrazek hasn’t played much, so it’s hard to gauge where he is with 8 starts and 3 relief appearances. He was good against NYI the other night. Withstood a barrage of shots. If the team doesn’t want to give him a run for a few games, then just alternate each game. Jimmy can still play, and Mrazek gets a decent chance at playing fairly regularly. There is NOTHING to lose by doing that. Both goalies have bad numbers for the amount of starts they each have. It’s not like Howard is putting together a Hart/Vezina combo season carrying the team. Among ‘starters’, Jimmy ranks very close to the bottom. Among ‘backups’, so does Mrazek. That should point to the D as the obvious issue, which it is. Honestly, if Howard was traded, there are options in the off-season if Mrazek doesn’t get his s*** together again playing full time. He’s kind of another Elliott. He’s a good goalie and is playing well enough to hold the starting job right now, but has his bad times, and is very replaceable.

Yep. Blow er up. Love to see this team finish 31st. Doesn’t guarantee Dahlin, but it’s a guaranteed top 4. Picking 8th (9th cause Vegas) again this season isn’t good (or bad) enough.

I never check standings. I just look at the Wings record on game recaps and it never looks good. Be nice if it was worse, but as bad as this team is, they won’t bottom out with this roster. Maybe deadline day fixes some of that. Lol

This isn’t aimed at you, just used it for the Howard hate part. I don’t hate Howard either. It has nothing to do with disliking him. It’s disliking this team’s direction in regards to a situation he’s part of. I still have my Howard jersey, I haven’t burnt it outside on the front lawn while screaming at the sky. I just think the team needs to move on from him if they want to move a goalie, like they do with many current veteran players, regardless of if he’s playing better than Mrazek currently. His numbers aren’t THAT great. He’s currently 16th in GAA out of the 18 goalies who have played at least 25 games so far. Only Craig Anderson has a worse sv% than him out of the 18. It’s very easy to turn it into a “this guy vs. that guy” thing when it comes to goaltenders in comparison with forwards and defencemen, because each team only carries two. It can seem like hatred, but it’s not.

This is all true. They need to ditch some veteran forwards somehow so Blash has no reason not to play Mantha and AA on the top lines. Right now Blash has excuses to toss them elsewhere in the form of those vets. When there is no option to do that and they know they’re counted upon for lots of the offence and must produce (like the way Larkin currently thinks of himself), I think they’ll settle in and have more consistency in the work ethic department. If they don’t, this team is worse off future wise than we currently think.

Common theme this season though. Not taking advantage of chances. Lots of almost-sure-goal chances missed this season so far. Big goals to miss out on, especially when this team has lost quite a few one goal games, But as much as I like winning, this team NEEDS to lose.

I’m not fooled. This roster needs to be burned down at deadline and in the off-season. Even buy out a bad contract if needed. They can’t really tank with the roster as is. Right now they are in the worst spot possible imo. Not bad enough to guarantee at least a 4th overall pick, and not good enough to make the playoffs. Time to bottom out.

Yep!! Helm, Nielsen, DeKeyser and Errorsson. Toss in Coreau for sweetener Work that phone Ken. Hextall would send him a golf vacation package for that laugh I bet.

Good job! Hasn’t Daley played goalie once or twice this season already?

Too bad he never grew up to be a Red Wings player. Guys a beast.

Appreciated. Just shows what happens when you give a promising young player a chance with the big team early, stick with it, and let him develop. He had a down season last year, but it’s all experience he needs to become a future leader on this team. I just wish Mantha and AA would get the same opportunities. All three of them should never be put anywhere below third line, and that’s if they’re really not working hard. Most of the time they should be on the top two. This team is soooo slow with developing and promoting their own prospects, unless they’re obvious standouts. That was fine in the contending years, but not anymore. I

The Red Wings did not hold a morning skate but six players went out on the ice: Howard, Mrazek, Ouellet, Witkowski, Booth and Frk. Good to see the goalies and scratches and fourth liners out there working. Makes sense.

Red Wings: Andreas Athanasiou-Dylan Larkin - Tomas Tatar Justin Abdelkader -- Henrik Zetterberg-- Gustav Nyquist Luke Glendening-Frans Nielsen- Darren Helm Anthony Mantha -David Booth- Martin Frk Danny DeKeyser - Mike Green Jonathan Ericsson - Trevor Daley Niklas Kronwall - Nick Jensen Jimmy Howard Petr Mrazek Scratched: Xavier Ouellet, Luke Witkowski Injured: None Flyers: Claude Giroux - Sean Couturier - Wayne Simmonds Michael Raffl - Valtteri Filppula - Jakub Voracek Jordan Weal - Nolan Patrick - Dale Weise Taylor Leier - Scott Laughton - Travis Konecny Ivan Provorov - Andrew MacDonald Robert Hagg - Shayne Gostisbehere Travis Sanheim - Radko Gudas Brian Elliott Alex Lyon Scratched: Jori Lehtera, Mark Alt Injured: Brandon Manning (upper body), Michal Neuvirth (lower body)

Mrazek before tonight’s game getting psyched talking to himself: ”Play well tonight and I might be traded by Christmas!!” “f*** yeah, it’s onnnn!!”

It was a thing ten years ago when Jimmy Howard was coddled. AHLer till he ran out of that option at age 25 because he wasn’t ready. No matter how he’s played through his career, he’s always gotten another shot at top job, or at least given enough starts to try to get going again. Even when Mrazek was playing Vezina level hockey, he was still being given starts, even though he was playing horrible. Why can’t Mrazek get starts when Howard is playing well again? Blash treats him with kid gloves. Never calls him out, starts him after horrible outings. Why? because he’s easily rattled. Maybe that’s why he’s never been a big game goalie and consistently failed under playoff pressure. Giving Mrazek more starts wouldn’t be coddling him, it would be smart. What’s to lose by trying to get him going? His stock falls? Can it fall much lower? Teams would still take him. He gets injured? Highly unlikely? Team drops in standings? Who cares. Anyways, it’s pointless arguing with you guys. Can’t see the big picture. All it is is “Jimmy is playing better so we keep him”.

You really think teams would want Jimmy at the deadline and give up a 2nd rounder or more? For what? He’s not really known as a big game playoff goalie or anything. No ones trading for Jimmy for playoff insurance. Guy has played 5 playoff games since 2014 and he was a disaster in those, and even got injured. You usually have great posts, but come on...

He still speaks the truth. Holland should have been off the “make the playoffs” train since the manhandling by the Bruins in 2014. Only reason they lasted 7 against Tampa in 2015 was Mrazek. 2016 they lasted 5 games. Dumb deadline deals for vets near retirement (Erik Cole’s career was done after his injury before the playoffs even began) and routine off-season band aid fixes like Nieson and Daley. The good times are over. Play as much youth as you can, no matter the result. Does it really matter if the losses pile up more? No. They’re doomed anyways. High first rounders are good for rebuilds and stuff too.

It’s still a dumb move future wise. Teams are calling about Mrazek when he’s barely played and his numbers suck. What does that tell you? It’s an opportunity for them. A huge one if he plays fairly regularly and turns things around. Could be a steal and a half. Not many teams get calls about their backup when he’s in the situation he’s in. You would think they’d have better options with backups who have played more and have better numbers. Any trade for him is potential based, and the possible return greatly outweighs the pittance they may get him for. Wonder if anyone’s asked about Howard?

Great article here by Krupa on the Wings “process”. Basically refusal to pass the torch to youth like they should be. Mantha still not playing enough, AA not playing nearly enough, Bertuzzi ( if healthy) and Hicketts not being on the opening night roster, and not playing Mrazek enough to get him back on track. Trading him for a pick now would be miserable management of his career. Riding the “hot goalie” doesn’t matter, because they aren’t doing anything anyways. Basically, stop worrying about wins and playoffs and giving vets ice time. It’s rebuild time. Let the kids play, learn and make their mistakes now. Doesn’t hurt anything. https://amp.detroitnews.com/amp/108700394

I miss this guy. Where’s he been lately? Been worried. Thought he may of died from alcohol poisoning watching this season unfold. But he’s ok. Good good.

Good win, but this team, man. Where’s that effort EVERY game? How do you look that good and be 2-5-4 in the last 11 games? It’s like we’re back to 2008 one night then in the present the next. Lol

The first of the two is a moot point. Mrazek had the better stats that season overall, he wasn’t as bad as people think he was. Always hear that he’s been bad for two seasons. It’s been one season. Does that justify not giving him a proper chance to redeem himself, especially after the expansion and attitude and work ethic comments, which by all accounts, he worked hard in the off-season to correct? I don’t think it does. Yet he’s had what? 7 starts and 3 other appearances when Howard has already lost the game for the team? And as a bonus, he gets stuck with two of those losses. Like I said, if he’s not gonna get a proper shot, then they should trade him. It’s not the smartest move right now, but it’s better he gets at least a shot elsewhere than riding pine in Detroit. He’s skill set hasn’t dissapeared. He needs to work stuff out by playing.

Guess i’m just a bit pissed with this team lately, and to me, trading the younger goalie is a step backwards. Was he given the role going into 2015/16? I thought he stole that one for a bit due to his play? His play fell off, Howard got the job back. Fair enough. Then he lost it two games into the playoffs. When he signed his extension going into 2016/17, he was named starter heading into the season. Howard was on the trade block, presumably done in Detroit. Yet he wasn’t. That’s where things get a bit messed up and I think Mrazek got the s*** end of the stick. He had a bad season, Howard is still around, gets the job back because he decided to dig in and work harder at the right time after losing his job? Should have been to little, too late, and Mrazek should have had a chance at redemption. Howard is a 9 year vet that’s had enough chances already. I’m tired of the round and round with this guy, but seems he’s not going anywhere soon, probably till he retires, so I guess I should get used to it. Howard outplayed him two years in a row? You sure about that? Mrazek had a GAA of 2.33 to Jimmy’s 2.80 the first of the two. And let’s just not compare playoff stats in the same timeframe.

It’s different when you have the players the Oilers do, and the expendable assets they do. That’s what going all in on a full rebuild for years when you clearly need one does. Detroit has a roster at the cap limit full of bad veteran contracts they’re stuck with until they expire, and have only begun to give their other top two young forwards a proper shot. Not much in the way of assets, Long road ahead!

Yes. before he is traded, if that’s indeed the goal (not the first time Holland’s dangled a player out there to see who bites and what the return is, then decide not to make a move), then they need to see if he can increase his value by playing him more. Or if Holllands on the fence, then maybe if he does well, he will stay. Perfect opportunity to at least do that before shipping him out. I’ve read a few articles with differing opinions, but the subject of him being mishandled and having a very short leash has come up. I think he fully expected Holland would trade Howard so he could have a proper go and focus better. With a young goalie you want to become your long term starter, you can’t say to him “Your our guy”, then when he starts having problems, yank and bench him and throw the guy he supposedly replaced (that should have been traded) back into the starting role. Blash is always worried about not putting Howard down after a bad game, because it can shake him. But Mrazek gets treated how he does and he’s supposed to battle through and suck it up. Other opinions are that he still remains a valuable asset, and not hanging onto him unless the return justifies it is jumping the gun . Any interest in him is teams taking notice that he isn’t playing, and hope to trade for him and get a bargain price of $2 million and a half assed pick for a player with potential they can work with, give opportunity to, and turn into something great. People say he’s had “many opportunities”. Not really. In the end, Holland will do whatever he does. He’s traded, he’s traded. We move on. But it would make the organization look ridiculous if they dumped him for next to nothing at this point and it blew up in their face. If they were contending, maybe that wouldn’t matter. But they aren’t, so it does matter.