Dabura

Having a superstar goalie isn't a prerequisite. I think Jacob Markstrom, for example, has been low-key solid for the Canucks and might be capable of pulling a Binnington with the right team in front of him. I guess for me, as a Wings fan, the appeal of a hypothetical superstar goalie is that he'd take some pressure off our forwards and defensemen, hypothetically. It's possible to find some no-name guy who gets hot at the right time and backstops you to a Cup, but having a young top-tier guy in net would be nice. If we don't end up pulling a really great new core of skaters out of this rebuild, a cornerstone goalie could potentially salvage things.

Probably won't be able to learn much from Larsson this season, tbh. We're so bad and it typically takes non-elite goalie prospects so long to come into their own that I figure you'd pretty much have to throw out whatever he might do in the NHL this season, good or bad. It took Vasilevsky, what, three or four years to break into the NHL? I suppose that's a pretty good argument against drafting a goalie in the top 10. Maybe he radically changes your fortunes, but you're probably gonna have to wait a pretty long while for that payoff. Granted, if you're picking, like, 9th, that's probably true of any of the other viable options. But maybe this draft is deep enough that it's not the case.

Some people are saying he's the best goalie prospect since Vasilevsky. A few people are saying he could be the best one since Price. Like I said a few posts back, getting a Price/Vasilevsky probably redefines our paradigm; all of a sudden the defense isn't as big a problem as it's been and we don't necessarily need tons of firepower up front and we don't necessarily need a galaxy brain head coach. All we'd need, in theory, is what we seem to be building towards anyway: a good-not-great group of skaters that has to do everything by committee. Watching that Prospect Tournament game yesterday and seeing Romeo keep his team in that game reminded me that there's no substitue for a clutch af goalie. And we're just a few months removed from Binnington going legendarily HAM on fools. So, atm, I guess I'm open to doing the unthinkable and taking a goalie with a prime-ass pick in a deep-ass draft. In theory. Maybe. Possibly. Given the right circumstances. (See, this is why we need another 2020 1st.)

I'm all in on the Lafreniere HYPE!, so, uh, do what you gotta do, Mr. Y.

Honestly, I don't think a "merely" impressive showing in preseason would do it. I'm thinking he'd have to absolutely crush it. And that's assuming he has no shot at becoming one of our top two or three centermen straight out of camp, i.e. he'd have to be a (top-six) winger. Which isn't to say that I disagree with the idea that he needs to be playing big minutes every night, preferably as a centerman (and, therefore, as a Griffin).

Filapoola is the key to all this.

Yeah, that's what I'm expecting. He'd have to pull a Larkin and perform so well in camp that he looks like an unequivocal upgrade to our top-six winger group.

So do we think Veleno makes the big team out of camp?

"allergies"

Should've signed Hossa.

Go away, Holland, no one likes you.

They have McJesus and 50-goal-scorer Draisaitl and they finished 5 points ahead of us last season.

RNH will infect our team with Oiler Suck.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Schenn. But yes!

I love Joe Veleno.

Just got back. wuuuut SMIIIIIIITH! 6-4!

Stars take the lead. Wings trail 2-3. I may have to step out for the 3rd. He's been clutch af.

Wings score! 2-1! Smith with the goal. Stars tie it up. 2-2.

Wings pretty sluggish, sloppy this afternoon. Stars skating us into the ground right now.

Win it for Mr. MacLeod! Stars score early in the 2nd. 1-1. Romeo just stopped a penalty shot.

End of 1st. Wings lead 1-0. Goal-scorer = Gregor MacLeod.

They're saying his father passed away last night.

Randysavages scores! Wings lead 1-0! Wait, no, Randysavages with the assist. I dunno who scored.

Will do, pardner. Currently scoreless thru 10 mins. We look a bit shaky.