gcom007

But what part of the team hitting the wall is really Babcock's fault? Again, look at the teams Holland's put together starting with the 2009/10 season. We've been losing major pieces to our defense, not replacing them with even one person of note. We keep signing a bunch of random forwards, sometimes to terrible deals, and sometimes just too many of them. We've had more guys walk away, for better or for worse, and probably the most notable signing to a new player that we've made in some time is for Weiss, who's been a complete non-factor this year due to injury. Hell, I'm getting scared we're going to start hearing stories about sled dogs soon the way that one's going. Oh yeah, and again, you've got the absurd amount of injuries, including to our two best players and clearly the leaders of this team. I could say so much more if I wanted to go into more detail, but I'm trying to not turn on the former History major part of my brain when I post. Bottom line, when you look at the way this team has been built since 2009/10, with Ken Holland as the GM making the deals, yes, it's clear that we are swiftly declining in far too many ways, and anything about the team that's hitting the wall tends to have much more to do with the guys Holland signs and the holes he ignores. It says a lot that in far too many cases the last couple years, we're a better team when most of the outside guys Holland signs in the offseason are out of the lineup. And I mean, for crying out loud, we've got players eating up a ton of cap room that aren't even playing because they're not good enough, despite how decimated this squad is. These signings aren't even making it to the wall, they're spontaneously exploding in mid air! -> (Tangent: I don't feel this applies to our 3rd and 4th line types though, and I think Holland's ability to find guys like Miller and Eaves who are cheap but have a lot of upside to be one of his strongest assets, which is also why I don't get why he isn't more willing to be more aggressive with higher end talent, if it takes more money to sign top guys but you excel at finding $1 million players that perform like $2 million players, you're in a good, balanced situation, much better than overpaying for mid-level talent that ends up performing like low-level talent, if they even dress for the team...) <- And back to the main point... I think you could make an argument that Babcock has done the complete opposite of hitting the wall, as he's taken a broken, unbalanced team, missing it's two most important players for much of this season, replaced with a bunch of guys without NHL experience, and he's been able to craft them into a team that against all conceivable odds is still in the hunt for a playoff spot. Last year he did it too, and look at the stink we made in the playoffs. This year he hasn't even had the benefit of a solid Jimmy Howard to compensate for the lousy defense, but they're still finding a way to be in the hunt. That to me is just incredibly impressive, and I would absolutely not want to lose a coach who's managed to keep pulling this off, all the more so given who much worse things are this year. If anyone's hitting the wall with the team, it's Ken Holland, not Mike Babcock. I'm fed up to the point of thinking he needs to be gone, even while recognizing that in canning him, we may get someone who shakes things up and does even more damage. But we need to move on from the way Ken Holland's been doing things in the cap era, and we need to do it before Dats and Z become ineffective or out and out retire from the NHL. If Ken Holland can find a way to move on from the way he's done things, fine. I have nothing against Holland personally and I think he does have strengths that would be of benefit to this team if he would change his strategy to stop overspending on aging mid-level scrubs and spend more on higher-end talent that can make a real difference most nights while leading a younger squad. But if Holland's going to continue as he has been, he absolutely needs to go, and soon, because as positive as I can try to be about this team right now, it's becoming more and more clear all the time how screwed we'll be in 3-4 years at the given rate of decline. It's already a lot harder and it's going to be damn near impossible to improve this team from the outside with our fading reputation. As good as our kids are, we're going to need to be able to do that, on defense two years ago and on offense more as Datsyuk and Zetterberk decline. I doubt we're going to get great draft positions so long as Dats and Z are still here too as they'll go a long way towards helping us stay out of the gutter. But on that note, what really makes me think Holland needs to go is that he's utterly squandered what should've been some of our best years with two superstars. We are a competitive team nearly every night you have a healthy Datsyuk and Zetterberg in the lineup. Just look at how things went in the playoffs last year; clearly, we're not as far removed from the contender class as it sometimes seems. If Holland had done a better job of planning for a strong defense ready to transition out of the Nick Lidstrom era, that alone would keep us in the true contender class, and I believe we'd have at least one more Cup win to show for it. When you consider that he also could've made many significantly better decisions with the offense, going all the way back to the summer of 2009 (*cough Hossa *cough), you just have to shake your head. But we really do have the core of a team still that is capable of being a true contender, even right now once we move past some injuries. We need a GM who sees that and is willing to go for it, because we need some serious success just to strengthen this franchise's reputation and get it back on players lists. We are going to need that sort of leverage to build a team capable of transitioning out of the Datsyuk and Zetterberg era, because as strong as we've been and could be in the draft, we're going to need to be able to go out and sign or trade for the right guy to fill the right hole when we need it, and you absolutely can't plan for every hole that presents itself years ahead through smart drafting. So much for staying concise, but the more I think about what this team could and should be doing, the more frustrated I get. Holland needs to dramatically change his game plan this summer, without fail, or he needs to move on or move into another role and let someone else take over. Like I said, it may end up being a worse situation than we're facing now, but it could be better. If Holland stays on as GM without changing his ways, I can see no other outcome than the Red Wings being in huge trouble in the next 3-4 years. It's time for Holland or someone else to step in and take some big chances and make some big bets on this team being a real contender. It's time to stop accepting mediocrity. This team deserves better.

I don't think Babcock has hidden the fact that his faith in Howard is dwindling. He's been playing Gus way more than he normally plays a backup this season and he'd likely get more starts if he could stay healthy. I don't know what Howard's deal is this year, but we're not at a point where we simply need to send a message. That message has already been sent. Now is the time Howard needs to play and get ready for the playoffs if we make it. He needs to figure things out for himself at this stage in the game. He's not getting much help, to be fair, but realistically, he's capable of being better, and now he's getting paid a lot of money because of that fact, but he's not playing on that level. There's not much that need be said other than that he's got to find a way to be better, because whether he's getting much help from the defense or not, he's getting paid more than anyone on defense now too. He needs to be better.

Again, Holland? Maybe. Babcock? Absolutely not. That he's been able to do much of anything with the tools he's been given the last few years and then the injury situation that's plagued this team is enough to warrant him keeping his job. If you think many other coaches would be able to get this team to be competitive night after night with all of the injuries and the lack of solid defensemen, I think you're kidding yourself. Holland or a new GM has to get Babcock a team that is actually built to compete before we can start talking about getting rid of Babcock.

Well, disappointment has been par for the course this season. Frustrating.

I'm no fan of overpaying guys either, but Holland's absolutely been overpaying numerous players for awhile now. Just because they're not high end players doesn't mean that they're not blatantly overpaid. So if none of them are high end players, yet their salaries combined meet or exceed a higher end player's salary, it begs the question, if you're going to throw away millions, and on top of that have cap space to spare, why not spend more money on a higher-end player that at worst will still make your team more competitive most nights? I don't think we're in an era that lends itself to finding perfect trade and free agency situations. There's always going to be compromises that have to be made. But it's all the more true and will only get worse as Detroit continues to lose hold of it's reputation as a destination franchise. And we are not a destination franchise right now; we don't have the leverage we had ten years ago. We're going to have to do something that isn't exactly ideal to bring in a player or players that make this team a true contender, and it'd be a shame not to while Dats and Z are still here because we're really not far off right now. Many will bemoan the price we'll have to pay, but that's what happens when you don't better take advantage of good situations when you can and go above and beyond to prepare for major transitions before your back is up against a wall. And things aren't going to get better as Dats ages and Z gets more brittle. Holland needs to make a statement move before we slip further down players lists of teams they'd sign with or waive their no trade clauses for. If you thought it was hard to find guys at the right prices now, it's only going to get worse as we slip down the list of destination teams.

This brings me so much joy and amusement. Just when I thought Twitter had run it's course... Love it.

Holland's not in a position to be crafty like that. The people that are playing are playing simply because they're the best guys that aren't injured. But as s***ty as the situation is, it's obviously a plus that many of our assets are getting some great exposure and no doubt that in some cases, their value will increase. And I'll believe that Holland will trade for a top defenseman when I see it. I know we need it to really balance the team and defense out, but I don't think Holland's going to get it done. If he hasn't gotten it done year after year despite losing Rafalski, Stuart and Lidstrom, what's going to magically change now? Holland's more apt to hold on to guys in our system when they show flashes of brilliance, despite the fact that on several occasions, it's come back to bite him in the ass when guys sour on Detroit, the system, or just generally fall into a funk and struggle. It's important to keep guys that contribute and have potential, but it's a gamble, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to gamble on trading them when they're hot to bring in more proven talent. Especially when we really, clearly need a legit 1-2 defenseman to make this team consistently competitive.

I think this is about the most fun win of the season. Hell, make the playoffs or not, we're getting some damn good moments out of the end of this season.

THAT IS A WIN!!! Absolutely incredible.

If this holds, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow.

HOLY s***!!!!

Maybe I won't have to defend the idea of keeping Alfie another year for a couple weeks now. Good stuff.

Good stuff.

I'm really kinda getting tired of everyone blowing up when Howard has a good game, and I'm talking more on the media and coaching front. I don't think it's doing him any favors. He's struggled to have a consistent stretch the entire season and every time he has a good game, people make a big deal out of it and hope for the turnaround. Then he ends up struggling again a game or two later and people make a bigger deal about that. It's not like flipping a switch where having a good game is going to make a consistency problem better, and sometimes the way he responds to it all makes it seem like he almost thinks it is, and then when it isn't, he's just right back to the opposite extreme. I know it's never going to happen, but I just wish we could leave the guy alone for a few weeks and not focus too much on the ups and downs. Right now his biggest problem is performing consistently, and dwelling as little as possible on the ups and downs might help his mental approach to it all. I don't know if it's possible to ban him from doing media, but I'd love to see that go down. No need to have the media poking and prodding someone struggling when they already have a bit of a polarized personality. Bottom line, Jimmy Howard needs to get his head clear and find some balance. He's more than capable of being a much, much better goalie than he's been this year. He's not a technically perfect goalie, but not many are and I really don't think the weaker technical areas are ultimately what has caused him to struggle with consistency. I'm really more convinced at this point that it boils down to his mental game, and if he's going to improve in that area, he's got to get better about not getting too caught up on good and bad games and find a way to stay level.

Absurd. Truly, absurd. Can't blame the trainers on that either. When was the last game we didn't lose someone to injury?

And while we may not have had a great 3rd period, but bear in mind, we've had a lot of bad 3rd periods and we typically end up losing or heading to a shootout to lose. We pulled it off tonight. Ugly as it may be, we found a way to win. That's a positive worth acknowledging despite the issues. They obviously have to improve, but they didn't quit and scored a couple goals to ensure that we didn't lose or head to OT.

And I know E went down, but anyone want to take bets on how many hours will pass before we hear about the next forward to go down? I'm thinking 15, maybe 16 hours? Sadness.

The nerves are still on the fritz. I mean, I'm at a point where I've reconciled that there may be an upside to missing the playoffs in terms of giving Dats and Z more time to recover without pushing through pain and possibly having setbacks. A higher draft pick would be nice. I can wrap my head around the positives of it all. But damn, the drive to make it isn't something you can just turn off, and it feels good to win a game like that. And it felt great erupting with joy for Alfie's goal. Proved to be huge, and hopefully he can build off it. He still looks a bit gassed from the Olympics, but it's just good to get a cold streak out of the way. It's too bad we're not healthier, because with a quick rest, I think Alfie could come back a lot stronger. Anyone who thinks he's not still a valuable asset is just off the mark. There might be better options in the off-season, but there might not be, and we're lucky to have him this year.

Excuse me? What are y'all doing out there??? That's a play that should never, ever happen at this point in a game.

And, thanks again for that goal Alfie.

Oops.

THATTA BOY ALFIE!!!!!! GIVE THOSE TORONTO FANS SOMETHING TO YELL ABOUT!!!

They need to control these last few minutes. If they keep letting Toronto come at them like this, they're going to tie it up.

I was on the fence about that until the last replay from the cam behind the net. Clearly a kicking motion from that angle. Glad they made the right call. Franzen needs to come out of the box HUGE.

Now would be a good moment for Franzen to live up to his little quote from yesterday, whether this goal is allowed or not.