Dabura

I fell asleep ten minutes before puck drop and slept through the whole thing. Seems like someone up there is looking out for me. Don't look now, but the Coyotes could pull within a single point of us tonight. Translation: finishing 29th overall is still very much a possibility.

I like Larkin, but he's no Tim Duncan.

Love it. I remember The Game. I remember that low feeling of futility, I remember the madness, I remember the improbable late comeback, and I remember the OT winner. I was ten years old. It was one of the greatest, most cathartic moments of my young life -- and I wasn't even a resident of Detroit or Michigan (and I never have been, for what it's worth). God. That whole rivalry was really something else. People say that about so many pro sports rivalries, but this one really was one of the modern greats, even if it only lasted for a few years. I miss it!

My question, though, is does he actually see opportunity? If he wants to be guaranteed a spot, would we guarantee it? Knowing how things work in Detroit (either he knows already or someone close to him is going to tell him), does he conclude that this is a place where he can step right into the lineup and hold down a top-nine spot and compete for big minutes? I hope the answer to all of these questions is "Yes!" But, I dunno, I have my doubts. This is the Red Wings. The Red Wings do Red Wings things, because old people. Though, I suppose the fact that he plays a "heavy" game and a "200-foot game" would score him points with Blashill and Holland. Not sure why I'm harping on all of this and being such a downer. I guess I'm just generally cynical about the state of the Wings and will probably remain so until I see some meaningful change in the way we do things. tl;dr I'm venting. (Watch, he signs with us and makes me look like an ass.)

Drafted by the Islanders, didn't sign an ELC with them. Isles felt they were deep enough on D. Maybe "discarded" isn't the best word for it, but the point was that I don't believe Russo was ever really in the position that Aston-Reese is in (coming off an outstanding season and 6+ NHL teams are trying to woo him). So, Russo signing with the Wings doesn't necessarily mean anything re: the possibility of Aston-Reese signing with the Wings.

The Devils are 0-8-2 in their last ten and are coming off a regulation loss to Arizona. F*** you, NJD.

True, true. Different players and situations, though. Russo was drafted and then later discarded, and we kind of scooped him up on the d-low. Aston-Reese is coming off a very impressive campaign and it sounds like a number of teams are aggressively courting him, two of those teams being the Pittsburgh Crosbys and the Edmonton McDavids. Even just an outside shot at playing alongside Crosby or McDavid has gotta be pretty tempting, right? I guess we'll see what we see!

Sorry for the confusion. I wasn't saying that you're saying he'd be a standout player. The point, I guess, was that "Is there a good chance that I thrive here (due in large part to the fact that there are some really freaking good players on this team)?" is going to be a consideration. And I don't think the Wings are appealing in that regard. Pretty much everyone on this team has had a miserable 2016-17 campaign. We can barely string simple tape-to-tape passes together. Is it possible he picks the Wings because of some personal reason? Sure! Maybe he's a lifelong Wings fan and it's always been his dream to wear the Winged Wheel. But, like, assuming he's not a lifelong Wings fan and that the Wings aren't going to look at him or treat him like a Mike Green (i.e. an established pro who offered things we flat-out did not have on our roster or in our pipeline).......ehhhh. I'm trying to look at things from his perspective and check off boxes, things that really sell "me" on this team and this organization. And...I'm not checking many boxes. But then, I'm not him. Whichever team he chooses, he'll have his reasons and they might be totally different from what I'm thinking.

I mean, I hope we sign him. But I'm not holding my breath.

I don't see the appeal, from his point of view. Even if Holland guarantees him a roster spot and tells him the coach can't scratch him, the Wings -- as a team and organization -- are not in a good place. There's virtually zero star power. Everyone's personal stats have taken a hit under Blashill, which could hurt Aston-Reese's chances of becoming a standout player and getting a big second contract. We aren't necessarily committed to a rebuild or any direction in particular, which, to anyone who knows anything about Ken Holland, means there's a good chance that Holland is going to try to sign two or three UFAs this summer, which would, in theory, push an Aston-Reese -- i.e. an inexperienced "kid" who's "got a lot to learn about being a real good pro" -- down the depth chart, possibly into healthy scratch/Grand Rapids territory (assuming he's not a healthy scratch or Griffin in the first place). We have a history of being stupid when it comes to managing young players, and it's very unlikely that Holland or Blashill or anyone in the organization would promise him "special treatment" in that regard. We play boring, stupid hockey. Etc. It sounds like at least half a dozen teams are very interested in him. We can say the fact that we're "rebuilding" means he has a relatively good chance of making our roster and quickly becoming an impact player at the NHL level...but I don't know if I buy that. Because Red Wings.

If I'm him, I have zero interest in signing with the Wings.

Our tank is no match for their tank.

"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick tires. And I'm all out of tires." - Ken Holland

Sheahan respects The Process Tank.

And even if it's a matter of effort (i.e. "Kronwall sucks, but he gives his all, all the time. Mantha needs to learn to give his all, all the time"), the first Rangers goal happened largely because Riley "Can do no wrong in the eyes of the Lord" Sheahan was inexcusably lazy/unfocused. And you could absolutely argue the Kronwall giveaway that led to the second Rangers goal was also inexcusable laziness/lack of focus. No, the organization is just run by arrogant dinosaurs.

Kronwall is horrible. The tank is strong. All is going according to plan.

NIELSEN! PP GOAL!

Another shorthanded goal against. I blame Mantha.

We could call him...Ginger Ale. Every time he scores a goal, Mickey takes a sip of "ginger ale." Like I've said, I'd be thrilled to have Tippett in our system. I guess it's possible the organization has soured on one-dimensional right-shot snipers, given the fact that neither Frk nor Pulkkinen panned out. But I think Tippett, with his size and speed (excellent skater) and physicality, has a higher ceiling than Frk and Pulkkinen ever had and has all the tools needed to become a top-line winger in the NHL, even if he is one-dimensional. Patrick and Hischier are the class of this year's, um, class. But Tippett is arguably the most exciting, tantalizing player available.

You know there's an entry draft every year, right?

We played well (at least by our standards) and they played not so well (at least by their standards). The Tatar-Zetterberg-Nyquist line was beastly. Howard was solid. The DeKeyser-Green pairing was poop, but Jensen looked really good overall and Ouellet scored.

Great win!

TATAR!

TATAR!