Dabura

I'd say he's probably two or three years away from full-time NHL duty, so I wouldn't worry too much about the makeup of our current D group and our current pipeline.

I love Boqvist and would be absolutely thrilled if we got him. Every high-end Swedish D prospect gets compared to Erik Karlsson, but, to me, Boqvist is maybe the first case where the comparison is genuinely appropriate. Like, straight-up: he has all the tools and natural ability that a defenseman needs to become the next Karlsson. And it should be noted that he's only a month away from being eligible for next year's draft, so he's one of the youngest players in this draft class -- point being: he's an extremely promising prospect. He's going to need to get much stronger. And, like Karlsson, his defensive game leaves something to be desired. But you don't want a Karlsson for his defensive game, you want him for his offense. My only concern there is that he's probably more likely to become something like a second-pairing PP specialist than he is a bona fide cornerstone defenseman. Arguably a higher ceiling than Bouchard, but also arguably a lower floor. But if we're looking for someone who could, potentially, become a Karlsson/Doughty/Klingberg-caliber defenseman, Boqvist would be my pick.

srsly

Last night was very good for the tank. https://www.nhl.com/standings/2017/league

I am shocked. Shocked!

That's the nice thing about the top portion of this draft class -- lots of choices. Dahlin, Svechnikov, Zadina, Tkachuk, Hughes, Bouchard, Boqvist, Dobson, Smith, Wahlstrom, Veleno...even if someone doesn't like some of the top names, there's still a lot be excited about.

His straight-line speed isn't anything special, but he's a great skater overall. Very agile, very mobile. Hughes is the best skater in this draft class and he's definitely a creative playmaker. Kind of like Larkin, if Larkin were a 5'9 defenseman. Some highlights, if anyone's unfamiliar with any of Hughes, Bouchard, Boqvist:

Yeah, I'd have to go with Bouchard. Hughes and Boqvist are both outstanding prospects, though, and either one would be a major addition to our pipeline. If we're picking in the top seven or eight, I think we'll be ok. Right around 8th or 9th...there could be a dropoff starting there. But then, Matthew Barzal went 16th overall, so who really knows. It's all a crapshoot.

https://www.nhl.com/news/henrik-and-daniel-sedins-bond-with-vancouver-goes-beyond-hockey/c-297668062?tid=277548856 Great players, even better people. The hockey world will miss having them on the ice.

I agree with moving down if we land at 3rd, assuming 1) Svechnikov has been taken and 2) we know Bouchard will slide to the spot we're trading down to. Bouchard + Veleno would be fantastic. There's a whole cluster of guys I'd be really happing getting in the middle of the 1st round or towards the end of it. Rangers have three 1sts... http://www.mynhldraft.com/NHL-Mock-Draft/ They're aggressively trying to pull off a quick rebuild (gave up Stepan in order to move up in last year's draft). They could be a good trade partner, depending on where the cards fall.

Of all the non-Dahlin consensus top defensemen in this class, Bouchard could be the safest bet for a future top-pairing guy. Dunno if he'll be as good as Pietrangelo, but I think it's a decent comparison; Bouchard doesn't necessarily wow you with any one facet of his game, but he does everything at a high level and can play in every situation and can log big minutes and can drive a team's offense while also being accountable on the defensive side of the puck. Big body, very smart, very skilled, cool as a cucumber at all times, great skater, natural PP QB, great first pass, great shot from the point, seems to be emerging as a natural leader...just an all-around excellent prospect. He's a guy who just gets the job done. I love Boqvist for his legitimately Karlsson-esque raw talent and his creativity and I love Hughes for his skating and playmaking ability, but Bouchard is probably a safer pick. Certainly we have a glaring need for a minute-munching, all-situations, top-pairing enginer-driver type, arguably more than an electric offensive defenseman with a smallish frame and an unpolished defensive game.

https://www.nhl.com/standings/2017/league Can't pass the Islanders, as they'd win the ROW tiebreaker no matter what. The Blackhawks won tonight, so now we can't pass them either, because they'd win the ROW tiebreaker no matter what. If the Oilers get two more points, we won't be able to pass them, because they'd win the ROW tiebreaker no matter what. So, we can finish 29th / 3rd-worst, 28th / 4th-worst, 27th / 5th-worst, 26th / 6th-worst (our current position), or 25th / 7th-worst (the Oilers' current position). (This, of course, doesn't factor in the potential 1-3-position slide in the final lottery order.) We're currently three points away from the 29th / 3rd-worst Habs. They have two games left: one against us and one against the Leafs. We're currently three points away from the 28th / 4th-worst Coyotes. They have two games left: Canucks and Ducks. We're currently two points away from the 27th / 5th-worst Canucks, and they'd win the ROW tiebreaker no matter what. They have two games left: Coyotes and Oilers. Should be an interesting finish.

I was all aboard this train right up until the Tatar trade. Need them to get swept the hell out of the first round so their 1st pick becomes a mid-rounder. Sorry, Knights, nothing personal, strictly business. Nashville, Winnipeg, Washington, maybe New Jersey. Those are the teams I wouldn't hate to see win the Cup this season. I guess.

That being said, he's our little methhead. <3

Wings haven't won a Cup since Brett Lebda left. Wings haven't made the playoffs since Joakim Andersson left. You can keep all your fancypants Fedorovs and Datsyuks and Bill Ranfords and Robert Langs. I know who the real MVPs are.

I'm not even pissed at the Wings. They aren't really playing any different than they have all season long. I'm pissed at the Penguins for gifting us two points. I'm pissed at the Sabres and Senators for being tire fires. I'm pissed at Bobrovsky and the Jackets for letting us score four goals on them instead of the usual one or two or zero. I'm pissed at the Habs for being the Habs. I'm pissed at the Blackhawks for being the Blackhawks. I'm pissed at the Oilers for being the Oilers. I'm pissed at the Islanders for being the Islanders. It's the Wings versus the world and the world has chosen to throw the damn match.

This points streak is now officially pissing me off. And it pisses me off that it's pissing me off.

Posted about this in the official offseason thread, figured I might as well make a thread about it. http://themalikreport.com/2018/03/24/friedman-weighs-in-on-khs-future/

Ultimately, it's all going to come down to drafting. My biggest gripe with Holland is that his scouting and drafting machinery hasn't produced a single high-end NHL defenseman since Niklas Kronwall, who was drafted 18 years ago. My second-biggest gripe with Holland is that his scouting and drafting machinery hasn't produced a cornerstone player since the Datsyuk and Zetterberg home run picks of 1998 and 1999, respectively. That, more than anything else, is what concerns me about Holland handling a rebuild, where scouting and drafting is everything. For years now we've heard Holland say that "there's no hockey store" and that "this is a draft-and-develop league." Well, money-where-your-mouth-is time is here. The good news: our five most recent first selections -- Mantha, Larkin, Svechnikov, Cholowski, Rasmussen -- were decent-to-excellent choices, Athanasiou was a steal, Bertuzzi's looking like he was worth that 2nd-round pick, and Hronek has been awesome for two straight seasons now. Also: 11(+?) picks in the upcoming draft and 10(+?) picks in the 2019 draft is huge. But, as Holland and Draper and everyone has said, this organization needs home run selections. If we get a couple over the next couple of drafts, Holland is golden. If we don't, then four years is probably the upper limit on how much time Holland has left as GM of the Red Wings.

Even with Dahlin, we're probably not a playoff team next year. Can't seem to find it right now, but I remember reading a Holland quote a few weeks ago, something to the effect of "The team will be changing, but I'm not really looking at next year. I'm more focused on 2019, 2020." I believe he also recently said the organization wants players who can help us four or five years from now -- the implication being that while everyone wants a really quick turnaround, The Powers That Be are pretty much treating this as an actual, honest-to-God rebuild. Not a scorched earth teardown, but also not a we'll-be-back-in-a-year "reload." I'm tired of Holland, but maybe we're starting to see a Holland -- or an ownership-Holland dynamic -- that we haven't seen before. Dunno if that *excites* me, but it does give me some hope.

Meanwhile, in Vegas...

If he wins the Calder, he should give it to Taylor Hall.

Final score: Coyotes 6, Blues 0.

After two periods: Coyotes 4, Blues 0. Madness! Coyotes and Canucks have been winning games lately. And they play each other next week, so one of them's guaranteed to get at least two more points before the season's over.

Canucks blow three-goal lead in the 3rd but win it in OT!