chaps80

I know the Wings are not buyers this deadline, and Hanzal is an upcomng UFA, but he could be worth a look. Big, strong, has a mean streak and goes hard. Difficult guy to play against and often used to shut down other teams biggest scoring threats. More of a defensive oriented forward, but would make room for the little guys like Nyquist who can score but have problems doing it because they're so easy to push around. He's a player i've always liked and I think he'd be a huge asset to the Wings going forward. Only problem is Arizona is going to want more than he's worth (i'm hearing a first and a prospect. Crazy.), and the whole UFA thing. If there was a guarantee he would resign in Detroit and Arizona would get more realistic with the return they want, what do you all think of Hanzal coming to Detroit?

I agree. Wouldn't want them long term. There's enough long term deals already, most of em horrible. Would be nice for a couple seasons though to help the rebuild get off the ground.

Nah, there's no way. They don't need another first round loss. Personally, i'm sick of the whole 5 and done (maybe drag it to 7 if Mrazek stands on his head again). And maybe once The Streak is officially over, the rebuild will finally get serious. Plus a top 5 pick wouldn't hurt. Screw the playoffs, honestly.

It really is something the Wings need. Big players who can skate and contribute offensively and defensively that aren't afraid to use their size, stick up for teammates, and get into the odd fight. I'm not talking mindless zombie enforcers that would get outskated by Timbits league kids. They've been pushed around for years, and management is obviously aware of the issue, but won't do anything. No reason to expect that to change I guess.

And foolish.

I agree it was the right move, but for awhile there Mrazek would have a solid game but wouldn't get the next start. It's hard to earn your job back when your coach insists on playing the other goaltender regardless of how you play. It took Coreau to fall on his face for Blash to give Mrazek a solid string of starts. I know Blash and Mrazek weren't seeing eye to eye for awhile, so that may have something to do with that. And Mrazek fighting his way back absolutely will make him stronger and show him that just cause your down, your never out if you want something bad enough. Goalies have down periods, and Holland said something in an interview about this being the first time Mrazek has faced true adversity probably since junior, so it was hard on him and he got pissed off. He just needed to relax, work hard, and figure things out for himself. Seems like he has. Exactly.

It's funny seeing post like this an the other one saying we have the worst goaltending in the league. Mrazek has been excellent since Blash actually let him play more than one game before shoving clown show Coreau in his way. Amazing how a goalie can pull himself out of a slump or bad season when you stick with him. Maybe Blash learned a coaching lesson? Yayyy Blash!! Only hundreds more to go buddy!!

Hahaha never saw that before. Makes sense now, thanks.

Solid response. Nice. He's not a player who is going to get you a lot of points, but he makes up for it in other areas. Defensive ability being one. The Wings can kinda use that. And yeah, he gets injured now and then due to the kind of game he plays. He's like Abdelkader, just better. His contract and Helm's look so bad when you see what other players are out there in the same salary range.. I'm not exactly sure what Arizona is asking, but rumours indicate it's way too much. No team will give a first for him, much less a prospect on top. And I do agree the Wings aren't in the market to be buyers at the deadline. Maybe wait until he hits free agency (if he does) then try to sign him, but only if one of the big dead weight contracts go out.

No, but do they need a player like Hanzal? Absolutely. Like I said, there would be hurdles to jump for him to come here, and it might not be realistic right at this time, but it's more realistic than most other names i've seen thrown aorund here lately. OK? Lol

Absolutely. Not that it would happen. I'm hoping Larkin rebounds with the kind of play he showed in the first half of last season at some point. Right now it's been over a full season since he regressed, but everyone on the team regressed for the most part.

Yeah I knew he was a Detroit native. Didn't know about the NTC though. I read the reason he left was Holland wasn't gonna give him the money and term he wanted. Ottawa gave him 2 years at $3 million per. He did pretty good with them the next season. Played 70 games, got around 30 points, and helped them make the playoffs. Then he was traded to Buffalo in the Lehner deal and retired in December.

Well he's shown if he's put with top players, he can compliment them and thrive. But if your lookin for him to be the key to your offence and a leader, wrong guy.

Not saying it was a bad deal. They didn't lose anyone significant for the 26 game rental, just Legwand was a weird target. He wasn't a player that would have the kind of impact to make the Wings a contender, especially at that stage of his career. He may have been the only guy available at a reasonable price though, and if the main goal was continuing The Streak, he helped get that done.

Did he? Must not have been very often. I remember him on the bottom lines or a healthy scratch and injured a lot. Missed a full season with a concussion.

Eaves always had talent. There was just no room for him in Detroit and he never reached his potential. He also plays on a line with Benn and Seguin in Dallas. I'm sure that doesn't hurt.

Yeah, it was one of the top guys too. Datsyuk? It just seems like such a weird move looking back on it. Checking out his stats he had 11 points in 21 regular season games. Not bad. Nothing in the playoffs though, not that the Wings lasted long. Then took off for Ottawa. I forgot Eaves was part of that deal as well. No, but the Wings didn't have Legwand long either. I dunno if he ever really wanted to be in Detroit considering the playoff series they had with Nashville and the Wings always crushing their hopes. Haha But I know he was asking for too much money, and only Ottawa would pay it.

Didn't Holland trade Jarnkrok as part of the Legwand deadline deal? I still wonder wtf possessed him to make that move. How is Legwand in any way the final piece for a team's playoff run? Lol

Trouba couldn't help this defence with the way it is. Maybe once there's a good supporting cast for a legitimate number one Dman, then look to make a deal. But DD, Green (if kept), Errorsson, Kronwall, XO, Smith (if kept), Jensen, and Sproul just isn't gonna cut it. Keep the pick unless the trade is straight up and just can't be refused. No other "sweeteners" from Detroit like Nyquist and a second, and sure, go for it.

Doesn't mean anything. Not like there's a rush to get him in. The Leafs are doin fine. Maybe he's working with Marchenko, getting him integrated with the defence, and has a timeline in mind for when he will play him. He took him for a reason. It seems too much of a coincidence that a bunch of teams pass him over and Babcock, his former coach, snags him. Holland should go there now. Holland for Lou, straight up trade.

I still think Osgood should have won it, but Z was playin at the same deserving level, so either way. But in 2009 had they repeated, Osgood would have won it no doubt. Some say Malkin may still have won it over Ozzie in a losing effort, but a player on the losing side winning the Smythe is rare. Last time it happened was in 2003 when Michelin Man won it, and I think before that it was Hextall way back in 1987.

Well anyone would be happy if Datsyuk's ghost contract and Chychrun ended up landing Stamkos. Least I would hope so. I don't hate Nielson, I just hate his contract. For what he has brought so far it's way too much. But it's def possible that it could just be bad coaching and playing on a disorganized team many nights that's prevented him from living up to the deal.

It's about time there was a story that presents the total truth. Holland has screwed the team up royally just to keep The Streak going in order to keep his job. His free agent signings and contract extensions are all over the map and most make zero sense when it comes to building a team under a salary cap. It's like he thinks "Well, we can't afford this player, or don't want/need him this long, but what the hell. If the player doesn't work out or the contract doesn't fit under the cap, i'll worry about it later, maybe just waive someone." He lost Marchenko to Babcock for nothing. Babcock obviously sees something in him, or knows how he can help him become a solid productive everyday player on his defence corps. While his point production may have been dismal, his defensive numbers were excellent. Holland may have been able to get a late pick for him at one point, but other teams knew his situation and knew he'd have one of Marchenko or Sproul on waivers in order to get Smith back in the lineup and they waited it out. And still we have broken Kronwall and Errorsson who scores more on his own net than the other teams. Holland can never make the tough choices and move an underperforming vet somehow instead instead of taking the easy route with the low paid younger guys, who we need more. It's doable, other teams do it, like NYI with Halak. Holland would have kept Halak and waived Griess. Cause veteran loyalty.

Funny thing is, he's already on a long term deal worth fairly big money (by NHL standards) from Minny that was bought out. So with his $2.6 million contract with Detroit, he's making nearly $8 million this season. He IS getting paid like a top player in the league right now. I agree on the short term deals too. One season at a time at a max of $5 million, and that's generous. He's had some injuries and played for a few teams. A player with his skills should have no problem finding a solid long term home. I remember when Buffalo signed him to a $10 million a year deal. They didn't get their moneys worth. Neither did other teams.

Thing is, he misses the ball often. If he didn't have a history of bad contracts and being unprepared for major changes, the Chychrun deal might have just slid by without too much notice even though he didn't get his target (Stamkos).