akustyk

I watched a couple SHL games with Janmark last year and can't say that I've been hugely impressed with him. That taking into account that SHL itself isn't really the highest level in European hockey... as for Cole... he could've proven valuable if the Wings advanced past 1st round in playoffs. that was the original idea of trading for him I guess

just watched the 1st period asking myself the same questions that came up early in this topic: who is this guy and why did he get the call before Sproul or Almqvist. he didn't look bad. for a defenseman 2 years away from NHL draft in his first ever game you can't ask for god knows what. but he was solid enough in his defensive game, used his brain and didn't cough the puck. but I do have to admit that I watched Canadian junior team anihiliate itself against Finland earlier this day. nothing that Wings or even Stars did this game was nearly that bad

not surprised either. too bad, one hell of a defenseman who could easily played at high level until his 40th in this league. yes, he was a SOB to play against but also a very intelligent player with huge skills and knowledge of the game.

how about something like this? http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/browse/2/recap/7197.html?tx_ttnews%5BpS%5D=1346450400&tx_ttnews%5BpL%5D=2591999&tx_ttnews%5Barc%5D=1&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=187&cHash=145372f9b6 I mean... not a Roman arena (in North America), but something big in a warmer climate... I've no problems with Outdoor games becoming annual gig, even multiple times a season. they're extreme fun to watch and fantastic opportunity to promote the game. IMHO better and for die-hard fan also much more interesting way to promote hockey. sure it doesn't make so huge impact as a single event, but..

Maple Leafs under MLSE are definition of spectacular failure. and they prove it over and over again. I'm waiting for their plan to celebrate introduction of Phaneuf to HHOF announced later this season. because... you know... by Toronto standards this guy is already a lock...

epic. only Maple Laughs could do something as epic. as if hockey fans in general had shortage of reasons to laugh at this abysmal franchise. now we'll get one more when Leafs hit their annual golf course in April...

one of my all time favorite players and one I dreamt of seeing with Winged Wheel among all our great Swedes. $5.5M sounds heavy but this is money Wings pay not only for on ice point production but for more veteran leadership and cup hunger. I hope wee see Ray Bourque or Dave Andreychuk like story in 2014... can't wait to see Alfie debut in Motown... välkommen!

never know. at some point (around 2008 AFAIR) it all looked like Howard was a bust and was given too much time in minors to eventually not reach the NHL quality. and fans lost their patience. then he came in and... you know the rest. McCollum might yet make it, you never know.

let me restate one thing I said before: this is a deep draft, and Mantha is Wings' highest pick since Kindl/Lapointe (I assume the later, knowing Wings traded their #18 pick to Sharks, being sure they'll get Mantha anyway) with scouting experts' consensus that the guy is ranked around #15 this year. so, yes, I absolutely think there's big chance for Mantha to gain good position in Wings organization and become a top 6 player sooner than later. Kenny won't rush him, that's for sure, but when he's in, he'll likely make more impact than guys like Nyquist or Smith who already impressed Wings fans. I'll even risk saying he might become Wings regular in late 2015-16 season and provide more impact than Brunner did this season. I'm quite OK with the fact that the buddy may have holes in his game at the age of 18. was he a complete player he'd probably get scooped right after Seth Jones or even before, right?

I don't like this "questionable work ethics" thing, but certainly hope Wings scouts included this in their evaluation and apparently thought this can be corrected. otherwise... we got a player with top talent and size. a guy essentially around this 18th pick which is higher than the Wings have drafted for a good while. if you think Wings could've picked him at this 18th spot than you have to pass Kindl and move all the way to 1991 and Marty Lapointe at #10. and this is a deep draft! 100% happy? maybe around 2017 when Mantha becomes Wings regular. but at this point it has all signs of good pick up. good draft, high pick, addressing Wings needs and bringing raw offensive talent.

no kidding... TSN (short from: Toronto Sports Network) is interviewing player drafted by Toronto... how is that possible? :D hearing Gauthier talk... I'm not sure I'd like him with Wings. dude sounds like someone who has IQ of a chimpanzee...

after the Bruins demolished Blackhawks in Game 3 I had an idea that this might work out and those f* would loose. but knowing how resilent those bastards are and how much sisu they have, I highly doubted Chicago will quickly lose the series like many predicted back then. I didn't expect them to come back that strong, though. hats off for amazing resilence and playoff spirit of Blackhawks. whatever people thought of them and how much undervaluated Quenville, they did great job in facing the adversity and playing through to the very end. that's a champion material, no doubt. it hurts to see them win it, especially this spoiled f* Kane get the Conn Smythe, but... they were the team to beat this year. too bad Wings couldn't pull off one more win in their series

I had to smile for this dumb photo but otherwise please f* off! seriously... that was one of the worst forced smiles I ever saw curious to see what will come out of this. Ruff isn't a bad coach to lead young teams, it might work for Stars...

me too with Marchand, but I've been a big fan of him for quite some time. yes, he's a pest. but he's also an uber talented at being pest and and the same time being offensive threat. and it's not like he was bad at scoring and generating chances. yup, I'd love to see Marchand with the Wings, hands down

even if this was true, there is lik 0,01% chance that the star D-men will become the difference maker in his first NHL season. more like: they draft him now, add some decent pick/trade next season and around April 2015 there are signs of good team DNA, provided there's also veteran leadership to show the way. and it may land them playoffs, sure, but that's by far not meaning they'd be any successful. see: Washington Capitals.

the truth is that Crawford together with Hawks defense are very solid. how much of that can be attributed just to Crawford's talent and how much is him and d-men working good together is difficult to say. but it is this combination the other team has to play against and it is working for the Hawks. period. there are definitely known cases of goalies who thrived in one particular team but a trade later in their career proved fatal to their reputation, i.e. Giguere + Ducks, Vokoun + Preds, Sanford + Blues, Kiprusoff + Flames... Crawford might just be one of them, but as of now it's moot point to discuss. Wings need to get through him and his defense and make no mistake - this is a capable combination...

tough call. Kings seem to have re-invented their winning DNA from the last year, but Sharks looked very impressive in their series. on paper it look like two very competitive teams and it comes down to matchups I guess..

haven't been a big fan of Ericsson in the past as he was waaay too mistake-prone and at times very Franzen-like in terms of effort. but I gladly admit he's taken the last step forward this season and matured to become a very stable defender. with his big frame and focus he's now a very solid player for the Wings. I've never been negative about Kindl as he had already had this steady, focused attitude and attention to playing sound defense. I kinda think it was departure of Nick Lidstrom which made those guys realize they don't have the comfort of being sloppy anymore but need to work twice as hard and think twice as much as they did with #5 before. as a group I think our defense AD 2013 is better than it was AD 2012. perhaps less talented altogether but working really efficient as units. if Smith and DeKeyser round up as nicely as Kindl we're in really good situation.

I feel bad for Habs who built a decent team and really looked like a contender this season. having said that... watching Therrien whine and blame everyone for his team's lack of effort and free whistles. oh, the memories of 2008 :D and Paul MacLean is poor gold in the interviews. he owns Therrien out there..

Canucks complaining about the other team diving? hell froze over...

I have only seen their games against the Wings. and sure, you can say Wings weren't really playing hard and at their best game. but those BJs looked good. and I don't mean Bobrovsky, but their whole team which had very decent teamwork and fine skill to watch. plus: Jack Johnson has really stabilized their defense and seems to be a huge leader behind their blue line. are they for reals? I dunno, but am more likely to think so than the other way around. on the other hand... watching some recent Saturday games of the Wings (against Hawks, Canucks) they also look like a very capable team. and then they keep floating around this 8th playoff spot as if undecided if they want in or out...

it would have to be a really huge prospect to be worth it. defenseman at 18 is very much work in the making and before he matures and rounds up to become top-4 guy it'll take a couple of years.(see: Kronwall, Smith, Kindl). and I'm not sure Wings are that bad in D as they are in the offence now. what is killing this team is lack of pure, creative talent up front. guy(s) who can singlehandedly produce scoring chances. Brunner is a great pickup but we need more than that...

wow! thanks a lot! good luck with the franchise in Nashville, it'll probably be tougher business now without Wings games driving up media and fans. on the side note: looking at the imparity of conferences and reading Bettman's statement (that this realignment is agreed for three years because no expansion is planned in this period) I'm willing to bet there will be a Seattle team joining division A in 2016 and probably some Salt Like City / Las Vegas to division B... good to see the move finally happening. curious to see what it means to current roster...

after watching the explanatory video of Rob Blake (oh... the irony... one of the dirtier big name D-men in this game history :D ) and especially the along the ice I have to admit it's been much clearer decision to make. it looked like a bit late on the original video, but it was waaaaay too late and absolutely targeted to the head. 4 games is about fair, dropping in Perry's reputation could have been more. should have been more I think....

hate this little a* Perry and hope he's gonna get it. but... I don't see a reason to any suspension here. the young guy needs to keep his head up and stop admiring his passes. otherwise bad things will happen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=dEylfgdwEnQ#t=9s it is a bit late and head is the main contact + Perry is no angel, so Shanaban may give him a game or two... but in all honesty - I'm perfectly OK if he rules against any suspension...