Dabura

Agreed. Playoffs are the expectation now. Rookies can play, but they won't be asked to shoulder the burden of those expectations. Problem is, we discovered this team lives and dies based on one single veteran leader (Larkin). So that has to be addressed. And it seems Yzermanager's pretty hellbent on doing just that. Which makes me happy. Goaltending's also crucial, but maybe not as important as giving this team some more leadership and steadiness and confidence and swagger. (Though, I guess that and goaltending aren't exactly mutually exclusive.) I mean, sure - ideally we have a superstar prospect kicking down the door and/or we add Guentzel and Roy. But we don't have the former, and I don't get the sense that we've become a realistic destination for non-flawed marquee UFAs. So we have to work with what's actually available. And, with the collapse at the front of our minds, that means (flawed) leaders like the captain of the Rangers and the captain of the Lightning. Does Trouba suck? Yeah, kinda. Is Stamkos - at this stage of his career - a power play specialist who's gonna take exactly zero reps at center because he can't play defense? Yeah, I suppose. But there's a human element to this. We saw it in small bursts with Kane. If you put *STEVEN STAMKOS* in our top 6 (which means no Kane, realistically), that's what I call "introducing exotic energy" - and I'd expect the team to respond in a positive way, like with Kane. Even if all he's doing is helping the power play, that could be enough to get us into the playoffs. We're not getting into the playoffs without solid special teams. Trouba's big and physical and dirty. This sounds like cope, but, honestly, we could use some big and physical and dirty. He's not gonna beat you into a pulp, but I'd like to think there's a bit of a Kronwall factor where players don't feel 100% comfortable crossing our blue line or going into our corners because there's a possibility you'll catch a cement elbow from a psychopath (or his 6'6 D partner will sit on you). I know "being hard to play against" in "the new NHL" means you have real good fancy stats - but there's still a place for "Hey, my teammate just leveled that guy who took a shot at our captain and now I wanna level someone too. Let's f***ing go, I'm scoring the OT winner!" Hockey is still a game of momentum swings. Little things still matter. In the age of parity, I'd argue they matter as much as they ever have. (See: missing out on the playoffs because of a tiebreaker.) tl;dr F*** this league, we're gonna do a sequel to the 2002 team one way or another. F***ing candy-ass cap league.

People are saying MBN's another safe, underwhelming, high-floor-low-ceiling Euro and that Yzerman needs to cut it out with this crap. I get the frustration, but, to me, MBN's actually pretty close to what these people are clamoring for. Good size (not very tall, but he's got meat on his bones). Plays big boy pants North American hockey. Good at both ends of the ice. Can play in all situations (PK). Lethal shot. So basically: a modern power forward who probably won't take the usual 20 years to break into the NHL, given the selling points I just highlighted.

Bronze egg n-word.

Hearing the Wings are looking at bringing back Teemu Pulkkinen. Could be risky, but Elliotte Freidman noted that Pulkkinen has put on 400 lbs, so he may be better equipped to handle the rough stuff than he was before. 9 yrs x $4 billion should get it done. Mike Grindline McAllister Timbits Ciravelli (TSNCNBCESPN Ontario) believes the Wings have expressed interest in legendary basketball player Michael Jordan. Though Jordan has never played hockey, he is quite tall. Could be a good add, given Husso's injury problems, though Yzerman has said he expects Husso to be fully healthy come training camp.

It's possible - perhaps even likely - that there are unspoken agreements about such matters. That is: There's some dirty laundry you don't air (if only for legal reasons). ALRIGHT JAKE GIVE IT UP I KNOW IT'S YOU. WHAT ARE YOU DOING POSTING ON LGW.COM?

OK, you're right, Walman is in very good standing with everyone in the league and that's why we traded Walman and a 2nd for future considerations. It makes much more sense that this is 4D chess and that Grier is going to do us a super-big solid on the d-low. Sarcasm aside, I'm not saying the 4D chess angle is totally unreasonable. I just think the damaged goods angle fits perfectly. And I think it's borderline-incredible that so many people aren't even considering it as a possible explanation.

No one came out and said Vrana had a drug problem...and then it was announced that he had a drug problem. It's entirely possible I'm wrong and Walman isn't damaged goods. But if he's damaged goods and Yzerman was desperate to unload him and he knew GMs wouldn't take him for free...this is exactly what that'd look like.

It does if 1) Walman's damaged goods and 2) every GM knows it.

It does make a big deal more feasible. But yeah, I'm kinda over this whole 4D chess thing. Yzerman's pretty much said that this rebuild's gonna take 90 years and that he can't pull a McDavid out of his hat so, welp, gotta be super-patient and keep swinging and missing on 2nd-round picks. Prove me wrong, Steven. Do something truly wild.

To me, it's pretty clear that he landed in Yzermanager's doghouse. (I remember Lalonde saying something like "He's not himself" when he was asked why Walman wasn't playing.) Idk, maybe I'm off on this, but it screams Vrana 2.0 to me, and I'm surprised so many people - like those on the HF boards - are all like "WOW THIS MAKES ZERO SENSE! I JUST CAN'T WRAP MY HEAD AROUND THIS!"

Reportedly Walman is a Swifty. Damaged goods. Many such cases.

REAL TALK HAPPY PANCAKE TUESDAY!!! (Also, something something trades something something.) LINEUPS RED WINGS Tatar Zetterberg Mantha Athanasiou Nielsen Vanek Abdelkader Helm Larkin Glendening Sheahan Ott/Miller DeKeyser Green Kronwall Jensen Ouellet Sproul Mrazek * * * CANUCKS D. Sedin H. Sedin Hansen Boucher Horvat Eriksson Granlund Sutter Megna Labate Gaunce Grenier Edler Stecher Sbisa Larsen Hutton Biega Miller HYPE JAM Papa Roach - "M-80 (Explosive Energy Movement)" LGRW!!!

I really hope so, cuz he clearly has nothing left to learn or prove in the SHL from a development standpoint. He needs to be learning the small-ice game ASAP and I need the closure of knowing whether his game translates to the NA killbox. I'm fairly certain it does, because he's just that good - but I've been wrong before. To be clear, I think he's got legit superstar potential and he's looking like a home-run pick by Not Kris Draper. But I've lost my patience with this rebuild and I'm all-in on cutthroat acceleration now.

Let's hope so.

I hate that I'm saying this, because this is the one thing I really didn't want to be saying at season's end... ...but... ...Carley Johnston really is not aging well. ...I fear this rebuild still has a long, long way to go. Larkin's a good 1C. Raymond could be an 80-point scorer next season. Seider's Seider. Edvinsson can, at the very least, log big minutes (which, if nothing else, should help Seider). DeBrincat proved his critics right this season, which blows, and I'm just glad Yzerman inisisted on a short deal for him. DeBrincat aside, these are positives. But...is that all we have in terms of tangible right-here-right-now Cup window core talent? Because...uhh...it's kinda feeling like it is, no? At least for the next two or three or four or five years. (So - the rest of Larkin's prime.) I've joked about Kasper and Danielson being ten years away, but, honestly, they might as well be. I don't see anyone in our pipeline being a big-time impact NHLer within the next two years. "ASP's going to be an absolute monster, bro." Yeah OK but when? He'll be in the SHL for another season and then he'll spend two seasons in the AHL learning the NA game and then he'll spend three years learning the NHL game and by then we'll all be dead. I'm dooming, I know. Apologies. I'm actually not even all that worked up about what happened tonight and how this season went to hell. And you know what? Maybe that's the real reason I'm dooming. It's upsetting to me that I'm not upset. That I don't actually care all that much. Because it means we've been adrift for too long. I don't want Lalonde back next season, but he'll be back next season. Getting 91 points out of this flawed roster is a respectable accomplishment. But I do think he kinda sucks. There's not a single thing I can point to and say "Now that's one area he's really improved, and I don't think another coach could do that the way he's done that." And there's lots of things I can point to and say "That's a bad habit that was there all season and still there in Game 82." Larkin, Raymond, Seider are golden. Jury's out on whether Edvinsson really lives up to his potential. We won't know for - wait for it - another two or three or more seasons. Perron can stay as a player-coach fourth-liner, I guess. Sprong showed why he's Sprong; I wouldn't miss him. The D group is just sad. It really is. We don't have a legit starting goaltender. The Patrick Kane Experience was fun, but I've kinda done a 180 on him over the past couple weeks. He took a lotta penalties in these last few must-win games. His hip may be OK now, but he's old and slow and if he's not scoring clutch goals in must-win games, then give the minutes and money to someone who can do that. I have to poop, so that's all for now.

I'll take it. On to the next one.

Gentlemen, start your clenchings.

We want the Cup.

That's probably our season right there. Cool.

Outshot 4-13 in the 3rd period of a must-win game. Outstanding.

Franchises on my s*** list: Carolina Winnipeg

SAY THAT TO MY FACE, YOU SACK OF OATMEAL RAISIN TAPIOCA

With the Caps winning tonight, this is now pretty much a must-win.

We are so back.