solarion

If we do, it's Hronek and Sulak ...maybe Cholowski imo. The offensive production from the blueliners has been abysmal since #5 retired. Bizarre that some scream about the Green re-signing...the Wings would generate nearly nothing from the back end without him. Remove he and Kronwall from the roster and the Wings are dead last in the league in offense imo...even with decent forward lines. It ain't for nuthin' KH takes a swing at every puck moving dman that hits the market. It's pretty obvious what this team needs to improve, just finding/signing those guys is a PITA. Imma go watch tape of #5 now...dood was a freaking machine...

Congrats, enjoy yourself. I thought about going, but can't swing it with the work schedule...love me some Traverse City though. ...wine tours <hiccup> Probably only Zadina goes ahead of Rasmussen all five were in the same draft imo.

...ba but, I like goose. Oh wait, I see what you did there. Prospects are like shiny new toys. When they're still in the box they hold so much promise and potential, then when time comes to translate that potential to actual points on the score sheet...well then the luster comes off for many and it's on to the next toy. Nyquist was a dead last 4th round draft pick that turned into a > .5ppg forward that plays a solid two way game. That pick was money, and if/when he's traded for a 1st, like Tatar was, it'll be tough for even the most pessimistic fan to spin that into anything other than a huge win. If Berggren "only" turns into Nyquist 2.0, I'll be delighted with the pick...kid sure looks like he has the tools. He was generating chances nearly every time he touched the puck in that development camp scrimmage that made it to the utubez.

You're right, 33 in a couple weeks...practically a spring chicken. Do. not. want.

No, I think tanking on purpose could make the Wings into the Edmonton Oilers. They're highly unlikely to make the playoffs in 2018-2019 anyway. The only reason to intentionally ice an inferior team is to get a better draft day lottery ticket.

Ummm...yes? The league already has an Edmonton Oilers and a Buffalo Sabres. Stinking up the ice year in and year out hasn't brought a bunch of hardware to either of those cities. ...it just makes them the brunt of a lot of jokes.

You added Hicketts as the 7th D and Rasmussen either plays with the Wings or goes back to the WHL...where he'll learn nothing. I just want to see the best team out on the ice. Clearly that includes Zetterberg if he's willing and able. If not then perhaps Zadina gets a look. ...and that d corps should be wide open to anyone that can steal a roster spot. Same same for Veleno. Unlikely, but if he can take a spot from a vet, then he should get time with the Wings. There's no playoff streak to protect, now it's just about bringing up the next generation as quickly as they're able to make the transition.

Lots of people have been clamoring for years for the Wings to get younger, and now that they've fallen from relevance, you advocate putting as few young guys as possible into the lineup just for a better draft day lottery ticket? Just doesn't compute for me. If this is a business, and it is, putting a stinky team on the ice year after year is bad business. The Wings have been really lousy for two years in a row already, they shouldn't be trying to stink up the ice just so they can emulate the Penguins of the early 2000s. A number 1 draft pick would be great, but there's no guarantee that will happen even if the wings get < 70pts this season.

With that dman corps(e), it's likely to be a long season even with the very best players under contract out on the ice. Plus with the lottery structure there's no guarantee that coming in dead last even lands Hughes, but it could screw up some of the guys' development. This franchise shouldn't be modeled after Buffalo or Edmonton, they're better than that. It's not like Zetterberg or Kronwall are going to be around a whole lot longer irregardless of what the roster looks like throughout this year. I rather the young guys learn from the best vets and don't get accustomed to losing night in and night out. The Wings may have shaved a year off their rebuild time by making smart trades for picks and drafting well. They already have an extra 2nd and a couple extra 5ths coming in 2019, so they're well on their way to getting back into relevancy imo...no need to pull their already weak punches.

He wants the team to tank and said as much. I too would like to see Jack Hughes drafted by Detroit, but I don't want to see that mess we saw last season if there's any way to avoid it. The captain should play if he's willing and able. Zadina should be on the team if he can outplay someone for a roster spot.

...or someone is traded. "Sorry Luke, ya had a nice run bud, but we traded you for a bag of pucks..."

Dunno if this was posted anywhere...din't see it. Drapes takes a swipe at Cleary around the 34:30 mark. Too funny.

Zadina should start the season as a Griffin. If the captain plays then I'd probably waive Witkowski, scratch Frk and Glendening(not that Blashill will mind you). Rasmussen needs to start with the Wings. He can't start with the Griffins and he isn't going to improve playing against kids...he needs a roster spot. Scratching Bertuzzi or Mantha sounds like a recipe for a slow start...Wings need their skill/energy. I'd be okay with scratching AA, but we need him to get going, if only to increase his trade value.

Just haven't seen Veleno playing against pros yet and Rasmussen killed it in the playoffs...albeit on the wing. I hope you're right and Veleno does continue to develop. Certainly he has the potential to wind up more valuable to the organization.

Yeah, I was ecstatic when the Wings finally took him of the board at 36. I'd probably have taken him ahead of Berggren, but there were so many bargains to be had late 1st/early 2nd, at this point I think the Wings killed it with their picks.

If Melnyk continues to refuse to sell, he should at least start serving heads up on a platter to staunch the bleeding...starting with Pierre Dorion's. The team has been a mess since Bryan Murray's passing. Imma gonna get postal if Colorado wins the Jack Hughes sweepstakes because of this mess of a team and their misguided trades...they're almost sure to get a top 10 pick from the Duchene trade. ...humbug! #avsmustfail

That's a tough call though, given that Rasmussen is almost a certainty to begin the year wearing a winged wheel...he's more of a known quantity at this point. Course if he stinks up the ice I'll have no trouble putting Veleno ahead of him. Either way the prospect pool obviously took a huge leap forward with that last draft. ...and McIsaac? Opinions on Jared being ahead of Svech and Berggren?

Yeah, that team is being led by fools. Initially they offered him a piddly $5m...which is an insult for a guy that works his ass off for them both with and without the puck. Probaly he gets a bit more than that in arbitration and Melnyk/Dorion know it. Shame really, he'd likely have been their captain after EK leaves...now I think he just wants out of that dumpster fire, and I can't blame him at all. ZOMG if they lose Duchene after shooting themselves in the foot to upgrade from Turris...they're officially the laughingstock of the decade. They gave up WAY too much to get Duchene and like you said took themselves out of the Jack Hughes sweepstakes to get there. TERRIBLE trade imo...you have to figure Sakic is licking his chops watching the Sens implode.

Interesting. Pretty close to how I'd rate them...probably I flip Hronek and Veleno. That's pretty high up the depth chart to put McIsaac, but I like him, so no complaints here...dood seems like a steal at 36.

Yeah...GMs gonna G M. Waddell also brought in de Haan and signed him to a 4yr deal at a few hundred k less than what Faulk is getting. They now have 7 dmen signed for the season(1 on ELC) and they've got $27.6m tied up in those 7 blueliners. They still have questions in net AND their forward group is a bit underwhelming(imo). They've made Faulk expendable so that they can bolster other areas of need...methinks. Don't see Faulk in Carolina to start next year, but time will tell.

Best answer I've seen is from Ansar Khan, but that was way back on 7/9...haven't heard anything new since. Without Zetterberg, the Wings are a bit weak down the middle, and Veleno likely isn't a solution till next year. It'll be ugly if Zetterberg is on LTIR to start the season and either Larkin or Neilsen get bitten by the injury bug.

Yeah, seems like a Faulk trade has been in the making for the last 100 years...give or take. Word has always been that Canes management wanted too much. ...BUT NOW(lol) they've added Hamilton and de Haan, plus Faulk didn't exactly have a career year. If it's ever going to happen it should be soon™. Probably some other team overpays and the Wings don't get him...which I'm fine with.

He says Igor and I be like...don't be diskinn on the professor mang! Igor and Sasha. lol

True Faulk doesn't fix everything wrong with Detroit's blueline, but he's a good young right handed dman on a friendly contract. I think it'd be negligent for Kenny to not at least float some offers, since it's clear Carolina wants to move him. Rather see him go somewhere else than overpay though as he's not a franchise dman. I picture him as a solid #2 guy, so we'd still have to look for moar defensive upgrades, but at least the dman corps wouldn't be a total tire fire with him a part of it.