Neomaxizoomdweebie

"Always two there are; no more, no less." So who is the other S(m)ith Lord? Is he the Master or the Apprentice? My guess is: Abby Won Kenobi (AKA: Darth Kader) Or maybe Hank Solo, Lark Dywalker, Wit Fisto, Darth KronMaul, Ta Tar Binks, or Qui Gon Jen-sen? With episode 8 coming out, someone needs to do a Star Wars GDT.

I was thinking more of the viewpoint from the players, not management. If ur boss at work was making a lot more money than you and had less work to show for it, how likely are you to listen to him/her? But then again, by that time Larkin, AA, and Mantha will have had their paydays and Abby will be on a new contract that hopefully is more reasonable so that may not matter.

If you sit Ericsson, who do you replace him with? The only serious top 4 D on this team are Green, Daley, and DeKeyser. Kronner's knees won't allow him to play there full time anymore. Ouellet and Jensen are clearly bottom pairing guys, would either of them be better in that role? Nooo. Bring up Hicketts, Russo, or Hronek and play them there with those minutes? They would get destroyed and their confidence and development along with it. No thanks. I don't want to put an untested, unproven kid into a situation that he is not ready for. That's what guys like E are for. They can handle it. Is Ericsson a top pair D? Of course not. He is being asked to do way too much and everyone knows it, including E. He knows that each game he is being set up to fail, but he goes out there anyway, like a good soldier following orders. As much as he aggravates me sometimes, I still respect E. More importantly, I admire his loyalty and commitment to this team as shown by his willingness to always do what he is asked to do. He never questions what is asked of him. He never runs away from responsibility. He never blames anyone else. He's not afraid to drop the gloves for his teammates either. What other dman on this team does that? No one. Sit Ericsson? Until we get a top pair D, or one of the kids are ready, me thinks not.

Kronner will retire before Z, so he wont be the next Captain. The Wings don't just give the "C" to veterans. Yzerman was all of 21 when he was given the captaincy in '86, ahead of guys like Ogrodnick and Gallant (alternates) who were older and had more experience at that time. Abby won't be getting the "C". Guys like MacKenzie and Ott may have worn it, but they weren't being paid above what they were bringing. Abby is. Not a knock on Abby. The guy comes to play every game, which is admirable; but, you can't have ur captain making twice as much money while putting up half the points of the guys he's leading. Abby will continue as an alternate. Larkin is the new "Yzerman". Has anyone at that age made the roster since Yzerman? He plays center. He puts up points. He leads by example. He's a quiet leader. Will he be as good as Stevie Y? No, but he will be the next Captain in the mold of Yzerman.

Backstrom - Ovechkin - Green

There are only like 10 what I would consider "elite" dmen. The teams that have them aren't giving them up. There are say 15-20 what I would consider "good" top pair dmen out there. They can be had for the right price. The Wings have the pieces to pay THAT price w/o Mantha is what I was saying.

Correct. That's why I said "fun stuff". That trade single-handedly built the Avs mini-dynasty LOL! Mine too!

I voted for the kids. It wasn't a choice, but I also wonder if the "streak" had anything to do with it. Last year the team was playing with the possibility that they could be the ones to end it hanging over their collective heads. Not good for dressing room morale for sure. By the trade deadline it was obvious that management had given up on the season and that couldn't have felt good to the guys. Now that the "streak" is over and the "rebuild" is on, there is less pressure and lowered expectations. The guys can just go out and play. I think that's also a part of it. Not really what you asked for, but I hope that's OK Kip.

I'll take the blame for it. I kinda started it with my post. I certainly wasn't trying to troll anyone with it. I was poking fun at myself as much as anyone cuz I too thought Smith and Jurco were better. That said, I agree with you. It can be both. Smith and Jurco just weren't that good to begin with, and they were developed/used poorly. It doesn't have to be one or the other.

He was always a "Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst" type with me. Liked the guy, really wanted him to succeed somewhere, but yeah, he was always low hanging fruit unfortunately, the D equivalent of Jurco (who I also wanted to succeed). I just don't like seeing any former Wing end up like that. Just wearing the Winged Wheel even once makes me want to root for you. But in the end, I am not surprised, just disappointed.

I actually feel bad for the guy. I was really hoping that a fresh start in a situation where he wasn't asked to play above his abilities would sort of reset his career. Really thought he "could" still be a compotent #4 with the right partner or at least a good #5. It's a shame IMO.

Brendan Smith will be doing a lot of "staying home" soon.

I don't disagree with your theory Dickie. It's just not Mantha that I would want to trade. When you look at how the "dynasties" are built in the NHL over the last 2 decades, I see a common formula: 2 elite F's and 1 elite D that you build around. Chicago has Toews, Kane, and Keith; Pitt has Crosby, Malkin, and Letang. Even the Wings started with Yzerman, Federov, and Lidstrom. The current Wings have Larkin and Mantha, and that's a start to build around. What they need now is that 1 D. With AA, Svech, even Rass, I don't know that Mantha needs to be the guy to go. Cornerstone D are the hardest to find, I agree. But power forwards with hands aren't easy to find either. And that's what I see Mantha developing into. If someone calls inquiring about Mantha and they have that 1D you want, you listen. But the only way I am trading Mantha would be a Shanahan for Pronger type deal, and those are rare. And I totally agree with you about the development aspect. Defenseman take longer to develop and reach their prime. Even if the Wings draft that guy this year it will be 7-10 years before he hits his prime and by then Mantha will be like 30 something? and Larkin pushing 30. So yes, if they want one they will have to trade for one. I would keep all their picks this year and draft heavily on defensemen. Then I would look at a trade over the summer involving some combination of AA, Svech, Nyquist, Mrazek and 2019's first (basically anything but Larkin or Mantha) for that defensemen. Karlssons, Doughtys, Keiths, etc are drafted. They aren't acquired thru trades, but really good 1D can be. And I think the Wings have the pieces to acquire one without Mantha.

https://www.blueshirtbanter.com/2017/11/13/16644520/brendan-smith-healthy-scratch-on-wednesday-new-york-rangers-nick-holden-steven-kampfer

Fun stuff: http://betweentheposts.ca/2017/11/matthews-leaf-days-are-numbered/ Yes. Yes.

That's true. But that act alone was worth the suspension IMO, and will have endeared him to Wings fans for years to come. Good on you Wit Fisto.

What else is new? Show me a clip from a game were he isn't involved in d-baggery.

UHHH...What?

Mantha is the next "captian"? Is that "officail"? "A" is more likely. "A" as in "amatrur". Seriously tho, Kronner retires first. Larkin gets an "A". Then Z retires, and Larkin then gets the "C". Then Mantha gets an "A".

I like your optimism. I hope you're right. But TBH, I'm picturing monkeys flying out of Mrazek's backside.

I was counting Big Luke as the 13th F. I always thought that was one of the reasons he was signed. Holland knew he was going with a 22 man roster, Wit gives him more flexibility. I am going to have to figure out who I am missing.

Yes and no. Larkin's projected numbers put him as an average 1C. Z at an Elite 2. Nielsen an Elite 3. You could make the argument that giving Z and Nielsen more ice time with better wingers would increase their numbers thus making them a 1C and 2C respectively. Z's career numbers actually make him an Elite 1C and Nielsen's an Average 2C. Both are trending down however, and I know I'm probably in the minority about Nielsen as a 2C. My point was to show: 1. The 2 best point producers on the team this year, and the only 2 who are putting up 1st line numbers (MANtha and Larkin) are both pending RFAs. That's good news for them, but not for the cap situation. Could be expensive to re-sign both. 2. As much flak as Abby, Tatar, and Nyquist get, they are still putting up 2nd line numbers. (I am still not buying Helm. He's a 3rd liner.) However, I don't know what the average number of games played was to generate those totals used in those charts. (If they're playing 10 or 12 more games to get those numbers, then their positions should drop accordingly.) 3. Based on points the lines should be: Z - Larkin - Mantha Abby - Nielsen - Frk Tatar - AA - Nyquist

Thanks. I was thinking we were running with a 13/7/2 roster. Must be forgetting someone.