gcom007

Howard's too good to be a backup. He just needs to be on a team that doesn't have another starter like Mrazek. Needs to be dealt with at trade deadline or this summer. Pretty obvious at this point. Having a solid 1-2 punch in goal is great, but Mrazek's legit, and we don't need a $5 million backup.

One bad game and we're totally down on Howard? I think Mrazek is the future and Howard should be gone after this year, but Howard's been more than solid for the most part this year. I don't think any changes to the rotation are really necessary at this point.

Wow. Again? Got lucky last time, and you only get so many of those. Great start...

Ha, meant to say (and edited to) Mrazek.

Dodged a bullet there. Jimmy and Mrazek getting lucky early.

Remember when we were debating whether Larkin should be on the big club this year or not? Ha. Funny days.

Eh, tough to complain about this.

Makes sense, and I think it's another reason they'll gradually move towards starting Mrazek more. You can't just go all in on him while Howard's still here, especially when he's playing well. This may be a for better or for worse situation for awhile though...

This thread is utter and complete nonsense. I'm not saying I think Blashill is guaranteed to turn it around and be a great NHL coach. That remains to be seen, but that's the whole ******* point!!! Nine games doesn't mean s***! I had more tempered expectations than many because I believe the NHL is a far tougher test than anything he's faced before. I'm not convinced he's going to be a great NHL coach simply because he's been successful before. It certainly bodes well for him, though it offers no guarantee, especially at the NHL level. But I'm not even remotely convinced he's going to be a bad NHL coach simply because it's a "possibility" or because they've had a rough start. That's absurd at this point in time. We don't know anything yet. Nothing. Not a thing. We probably won't even know anything by the end of the season. This thread is pure silliness.

Seems odd. Neither has been close to the core problem, but I think Howard's definitely looked a bit better. End of the day though, I think it's clear to all that Mrazek is the future starter, and he's likely to get the majority of starts unless he bombs. They've got to keep getting him more experience so he'll be ready to takeover next year full time. I mean, does anyone seriously think they're going to keep Howard after this season barring a Mrazek meltdown? You've got to give Mrazek every opportunity to prove he's going to be the guy this season before you make that jump.

Too soon.

Do you remember the record after 10-15 games of the 62 win season?

This is quite the unfortunate showcase of mediocrity.

Did this asshat really just suggest that the Wings might trade Mrazek at the deadline?

Hey! Green just played defense! Real gud.

Abby's next contract is going to be interesting...

This had to be a very tough day for Babcock. He's dealing with an uphill battle in Toronto and went through an emotional time deciding to go there. Everyone talks about the money and I get that, but you know someone like Babcock agonized over this whole thing. Coming to Detroit for his second regular season game as coach of the Leafs on our opening night had to be intense for him. And then we beat them 4-0. I can't fault the guy for the weird response. I'd probably say something similar.

I like Cleary enough and I think some people take it way too far, but he definitely outstayed his welcome. He should've known better last year. This year was ridiculous. The only thing I'm not sure about is the AHL bit. I thought I heard that he was open to the two way deal and if he didn't make it, he'd be a sort of player/coach in GR. I thought that was the point of this contract, and why he was offered yet another opportunity this year. If that was the spirit of the deal and then he decided against it, it does sour me on all of this Dan Cleary charity somewhat. Still though, all in all, I like Dan Cleary for what he brought to this team in his better years and it's tough to knock him for wanting to stay a Red Wing. I wish he'd have gone out a bit more gracefully though.

Great game, y'all. Anyone know if the interview with Babcock and Blashill is posted somewhere online? I didn't get a chance to hear it well at all with people around chatting...

This thread is the highlight of my month. Only good thing about fall living down south is hockey coming back! Gamecenter purchased. Ready to go!!!

I here you in many ways, but I honestly think better he start here than come up randomly midway through. The grind of the regular season from the get go is a very different grind than one felt when you're a random call up at mid-season because someones injured. You get excited to be here and play above where you're at and when the struggles come, you flounder. Happens too often. I think it's fine to let guys develop, but if they're special and you're going to bring them up, do it from the get go or leave them.

Good for Howard. You'd have to be insane to root against him this year. Even if you think Mrazek is the future, the better Howard plays, the more valuable he'll be when we end up trading him. Best case scenario is to go through this season with both goalies to be pushing each other. Mrazek learns, Howard increases his value, Wings win more games.

This is the biggest reason I'm cool with him coming up this early. He likely is more ready than not ready, and the more time he gets with Dats and Z, the better.

It's going to be heartbreaking when this guy is gone. He is nothing short of a magical player. I hate this injury more than anything because it's cutting back on the time left I'll have to watch him play. But in any event, I can't wait to see him back out there.

It's Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey now! Of course there's no penalties.