haroldsnepsts

I wouldn't be against moving him to the bottom pairing when he falters. There's the chance Smith could become another Kindl and never develop, but I still have hope for the kid. It's really only his second season and his issue seems between the ears. I wonder if he's just not adjusting to the grind of an NHL season and doing the little things right night after night after night. I don't think he'll ever be some offensive juggernaut but I think he can definitely be a valuable asset on this team's blueline. I keep trying to remind myself how Kronwall's development went.

I voted no but I don't think that roster is awful, or very far away from what will likely happen. It's not worth bringing in a middle tier guy, especially not a long contract but like I said some move to bolster the defense would help, even if it's just bringing in a big physical vet to play the bottom pair. And Lashoff has played well enough to maintain a roster spot. Kindl's the dead weight.

Hudler was entertaining while he was here. He's got a great shot and some nifty moves, but even when he was hustling back on defense, the guy is just too slow and small on an already slow Wings team.

Agreed. With all the guys going away, I won't be happy with a blueline that still has Kindl as a significant part of it. He'll be 27 years old going on his 5th season in the NHL and he still has all the same issues as his rookie season. I'd rather they cut bait with him and bring a solid vet into the mix. It'd also be nice if there was a deal made up front for a player to eventually take over for Z and Dats, but I don't really see that happening. I like the young guys, but I don't think there's new Eurotwins in there. And why is the Wings most consistent D-man now moved down to the 2nd pairing?

It's funny that the overrating of prospects even applies to coaching. If the Wings had to replace Babcock, I'd go with Sutter or Tippet probably. Tippet does a lot with relatively little. It'll be interesting to see how he does if he ever gets a top tier roster. Some coaches can make a mediocre team good but can't get them to the top.

Thomas goes a little Hextall on a Bruins player who was crashing the net at the end of the game where Boston was winning 6-2. At first it didn't look like much, but 38 seconds in it looks like a pretty good slash to Soderberg's neck. I don't know that I blame him though. Soderberg's stick was high on Thomas too. It sounds like the guy's maybe not the best teammate, but he's a very good goalie and a competitor. I loved his hit on Sedin from the Cup Finals.

That's my issue. I don't care that they're not playing him. I don't think he adds much other than staged fights and the occasional big hit, which often takes him out of position. I think Trotz basically benched him in the playoffs right before the Wings signed him, so I'm not sure what Holland was thinking. It's like he never even consulted Babcock or something. Throw on top of that the overpayment for him on too long of a term. I also modified the thread title a bit to give some indication of what the thread is about.

I figured I'd try the blue text so people would be more likely to notice the warning. I initially used red but then everything I posted seemed really angry. Now back on topic please.

To everyone managing to actually discuss the topic, kudos. As said earlier, I realize it's not easy to discuss the Olympics without delving into political issues, but please keep the discussion away from the political arena and relevant to hockey. Most of you have managed to do that. Thank You.

Honestly I wouldn't have thought so until I saw Wayne Simmonds play. He'll hit, fight, and can score, so he's one of the rare power forwards in this league. But he's also 6'2" and 175 lbs soaking wet. He must be one seriously strong dude.

Which is not the topic of the the thread. I wasn't the mod who deleted the posts, but would have had I seen them. And it has nothing to do with differing opinions. If you want to discuss your thoughts on whether or not you should be able to discuss politics here, feel free to PM me or any of the mods and we can explain the long history of political discussion here and decision to eliminate it from the forums. Or you could even start a thread in the appropriate forum like the water cooler. But making an off topic post in response to a warning to stay on topic will virtually guarantee its deletion. And to be clear, do not respond to this post in the thread. Now let's get back to the topic of the thread. Thanks.

I won't be able to catch the game tonight, but while you guys are watching can someone figure out a way for the Wings to acquire Wayne Simmonds? He's been one of my favorite players since he was no the Kings. And one of the skinniest power forwards you'll ever see.

As was mentioned, they're under contract in the NHL. Essentially they can only go because the NHL is allowing them to play hockey elsewhere during the season.

Please keep the conversation relevant to hockey and away from political discussion. I realize there's overlap here so it's tricky, but this is the hockey discussion forum. The topic involves political matters but try to keep the discussion about the implications to NHL players going. Not about terrorists, Russian politics, etc.

I think people are too easily dismissing just how inexperienced these kids are. When a rookie plays well at 14 minutes, that does not necessarily mean he will play even better at 19+ minutes. You have to consider the lines matchups and their defensive responsibilities. Part of the reason for relying on the vets is not just nostalgia. They've got years of experience that have led to better defensive and coverage instincts. The fact is they're more trustworthy shift after shift on a given night. That's not to say the young guys are bad in any way, just inexperienced. Babcock values players who won't screw up and cost the team goals, even when they're not producing much. With this many young guys in the lineup it's about finding the right balance. It's not as simple as "he scored playing 14 minutes so he should get 19 minutes and score more."

I said two of the best teams in the league. Not the two best teams in the league.

It's impressive Z is playing as well as he is, because you know even when he's in the lineup his back isn't 100%. Hopefully the Wings can keep rolling without him.

As I said in my initial post, the snobbery comment wasn't about some of the awful ideas they implemented for the event. The NHL was on the right track going right at the fact that outdoor hockey in southern California is unusual, but it's like they went with all their first bad ideas. There were multiple comments on what an embarrassment to hockey it was, about sun belt teams, about not deserving a game. If you cruise back through the thread, the snobbery is pretty obvious. As for what "belongs" at a hockey game, there were thousands of fans watching two of the best teams in the league play. In a market people dismiss as knowing nothing about hockey no less. That seems like it belongs. Why would the Kings and Ducks want to host an outdoor game in Michigan? The conditions for the Wings Leafs game was awful, as was most of the quality of the hockey. It was fun for the Alumni game but for the actual Winter Classic they honestly shouldn't count it towards the season given how bad the conditions were. Whereas the Kings game was low scoring but the ice was decent and there was actually physical play cuz guys weren't worried about breaking into a million pieces.

Let's get the discussion back to the game and not about which state is the most awesome.

There's definitely too many outdoor games and having Kiss play was awful, but the snobbery in this thread is hilarious. And people aren't being honest with themselves about the level of play in the Winter Classic under those conditions. Also, a few people don't seem to realize the Los Angeles Kings have been in the NHL for 47 years.

Specifically I was surprised by the raise AND the term AND the NTC. Seems like one or two of those should've made the deal more favorable, but apparently not. Holland finally throws cash around to bring in a free agent and he does it for friggin Samuelsson.

To me it's the whole thing. I can't believe Holland gave him a raise AND the NTC on that term. I'll be surprised if anyone picks him up. Sammy waived, Tootoo waived. Doesn't provide much relief but at least Holland is admitting his mistakes and starting to put his awful signings from that offseason behind him.

Stamkos. Like you said, you can't go wrong but I went with Stamkos because holy hell can that guy score goals.

And Probert had 186 PIM in 44 games. It was pretty awesome having two of the toughest enforcers in the league, along with plenty of other guys not afraid to mix it up. As a kid it was fun to sneak down to better seats and hang out by the bench during warm ups. I think the players were happy just not to get booed. But losing still gets old even with the brawling. The next season with the Wings coming back in the playoffs to Toronto after being down 3 games to 1 felt like winning the Stanley Cup at the time. Then Probie's season in '88. Man oh man...

Well that's a good question, and one I think the league struggles with internally. There's the camp who push for greater exposure and with it revenues, but I think there's also a camp who would love for it to remain the mostly Canadian small time but entertaining league that it was.