rick zombo

I'd drive Helm to the airport if it meant freeing up space for Kopitar.

I don't think there is a single potential UFA in the last 10 years (including Suter) that I get more excited about becoming available than Kopitar. I would have to be sedated if the Wings signed him. And wasn't he a Red Wings fan growing up?

Except they got Zidlicky for JUST a 3rd. So I don't know what you're talking about. But it's good to see we're finally "under" valuing our players and prospects for a change.

Imagine if Stamkos, Kopitar, Ladd, Buff, Stall etc ALL make it to free agency?

I'm more worried about what that 3rd line's going to look like. But yeah, having another Abdlekader in the top six would be great. Preferably the version that showed up in the first three games. But unless Jurco or Helm really start to play, I'm not sure how to fix any of the lines right now. The lack of one more power forward and the fact that almost everyone is under-achieving has sort of put Blashill over a barrel. Although some of the under-performing could be his fault too. Complex.

According to Khan, Mrazek will be starting his 3rd in a row vs Ottawa this Saturday and 4th game in the last 5 . Is there even a battle anymore?

Ahhhhh f*** that's funny! They were pretty passive. They made Bel Biv Devoe look badass.

"Pump the Breaks A Bit" could have been a TonyToniTone song.

Holy f*** this thread. I'm embarrassed that I come here sometimes.

I know I know. It's still mediocrity. Right now, Blashill's not as good at getting this team to play middle-of-the-road hockey as Babcock was. What's the diff? Babcock's teams weren't ever that close to contending after 2009, and neither is Blashill's right now. But he has 73 games to do something about it. Babcock can't do anything about the fact that he's 0-5 with the Wings in the last 5 playoff games where they could have clinched a series. Regardless of how poorly Blashill might do, it's not like Uncle Mike left us at the alter.

Trade proposal To Anaheim: Tatar + Nyquist + Blashill To Detroit: Perry + Boudreau

What exactly was Babcock getting out of these guys the last 3 years anyway? Also, Babcock had a great team to start with in 2006 and time to figure things out after that. Blashill's had 9 games.

That's why I said….

This one was 100% on the forwards. Zero second chances, outside game all night. If Nyquist and Tatar don't stop constantly curling back towards the blue line in the offensive zone instead of north-southing it to the net, I may explode. That being said, in a close game like that, the winning team can't have two unassisted goals.

Actually that's not true. The forwards had very little going on, but the defense was alright. They moved the puck better tonight than they have all season and Carolina didn't really generate a whole lot. Your boy s*** himself on the 1st goal. Don't blow things out of proportion. They've already beaten the Leafs.

Yeah. Not that the Wings didn't suck anyway, but hard to see what the refs were thinking there in the 3rd.

Trade both of them for Corey Perry.

Marchenko looks great tonight. If he keeps this type of play up, then I'd be worried for ol' jangly-brained Smith. He might be the odd idiot out.

Jeez. And here I thought they were playing OK tonight. If you think this is sloppy then then I've got at least 4 games this year that would look like a cat in a blender.

Meh. He might help with a playoff run if he's healthy and if there's playoffs. He can rest for half a season for all it matters.

Which is basically what I said.

*Sigh* This is exhausting. They split up Zetterberg's line to get Nyquist going. You said it yourself before, it's where he works best. But then guess what happened? Both in Vancouver and Carolina, Larkin was slotted between Tatar and Pulkkinen and everything good started to happen. At least with tonight's line-up Blashill has a top 6 that has PROVEN to play well together. You wan to break that up because you have this weird itch that only Jurco can scratch. I don't undrstand it. Also, now you're just pooping hyperbole about Andersson. None of those guys are better.

Clever. Except they're both in the line-up and capable of taking draws at any point. You realize that right? That Glendenning can still take faceoffs at any time during the game. You just move him from the boards or the little red lines and put him at the dot. Guess who can't take faceoffs? Andersson if he's not playing.

I think he's useless. Andersson is less useless.

I called Pulkkinen a midget because he's small. You called Balshill a moron because you think you know more about who should play where then he does. Big difference. And while "balance" is nice and all, it's not and shouldn't be the only criteria for putting a line together. For example, if you have a line which Blashill called his "best" in Vancouver (he also commented that he loved their defensive game too), you don't change that by bringing a guy down from the bleachers who hasn't played half as well as any of those three, and throw him on that line just because you think it will achieve balance. Also, Ferarro blows. Andersson's better at what he does than Ray's son is.