Dabura

Everyone knew Garth Snow needed at least one top-four defenseman. Just saying.

I want one more Cup with Datsyuk. Larkin may or may not become a franchise player. Odds are, he won't - and even if he does, that's years and years down the road. He's two or three years away from going pro, and then he has to spend at least one season on the farm, and then maybe he gets a shot with the big club, and then maybe a couple years later we can say this kid is looking like a key part of the team (at which point Myers might very well be our #1 defenseman). As for next year's first - again, what are we hoping for? "We need to think of our future. We might have the chance to pick a very special player who could help us for the next 10+ years." Well, Myers fits that bill, and he has a track record at the NHL level. And it's not like Mantha's going anywhere. Granted, our pipeline is definitely lacking in top-end centermen. And I know that Holland has to keep one eye on the distant future at all times. (I understand the long game. I know this season isn't really about winning the Cup.) But if we're not even going to consider moving Larkin (or Jurco or Sproul or, basically, anyone with good upside) for anyone, not even a stud defenseman with all the attributes we've been looking for...I don't understand that. If we had Myers and we were talking about maybe trading him to Buffalo for Dylan Larkin, I guarantee you none of us would be remotely on board with that.

When I say he's a cornerstone defenseman, I mean he's struck me as such when I've watched him play. He's not there yet, but that's because he's a 24-year-old defenseman who plays 24 minutes a night for the worst team ever. I believe, 100%, that he's got the goods to be a quality #1 or #2 on a playoff team. He just needs a better situation, and I believe the Wings would be a perfect fit in that regard. It would be risky, but, on the other hand, our top four leaves a whole lot to be desired and none of our prospects have proven anything at the NHL level yet (not that they've had the chance, but if we're talking about risk and uncertainty, Myers at least has a monster NHL season and a Calder Trophy and 24 minutes a night against the best of the best of the best on his resume. And a 6'8 frame and a RH shot. And undeniably great upside.) We've all been pining for That Defenseman. We've all been wondering if one of our D prospects can become a big-minute top-pairing defenseman. This is what we want. This is That Defenseman. This is that mythical unicorn, a young stud defenseman who shoots right and can be a legitimate #2 to Kronwall's #1 and wouldn't cost anywhere near "the farm." I love Tatar, but I believe that if we trade him and a 1st for Myers, we win that trade in the long run. I'd meant to mention the cap concern in my previous post, but I guess I figured if we've been scouting him hard for quite some time now (and we have) then we'd be prepared to "find a way to make it work."

To me, Myers is a young cornerstone defenseman. Which is exactly what we're looking for. Big, mobile, skilled, can move the puck, logs big minutes, goes up against the opposition's best players, plays in all situations, can run a power play, can bomb it from the point, can score goals and put up points, has incredible upside and potential...the kid is a stud. Has he been struggling? Yes, but that works for us, because it gives us an actual shot at acquiring him - and for less than he's probably really worth. And there's absolutely no doubt in my mind that if you make him a Red Wing and pair him with Kronwall, he's going to flourish and eventually become our undisputed #1 defenseman. And even if he doesn't quite reach those heights, he's still going to be one of our better defensemen. (Recall how bad Ericsson was and consider how far he's come as a Wing. Now consider the fact that Myers is way better than Ericsson was at 24 and has much greater potential than Ericsson's ever had.) All this for, like, Larkin and a pick? Are you kidding me? That's an absolute no-brainer in my book. I'd almost worry that the league wouldn't approve it. My impression was Murray wanted three or four key pieces, but it's sounding more and more to me like [Holland insists the price is way too high, Helene confirms the price is so high you'd have to be crazy to even consider it, and then Montreal gets him for a couple prospects]. We're talking about our first-round pick in next year's draft and how moving it could hurt us in the long run - but, to me, this is the kind of player we'd be hoping to draft with that pick, and this one's old enough and experienced enough that he can make a difference while Datsyuk is still around. We talk about the promise of Jurco and our D prospects - but it's unlikely any of them become as valuable as Myers could (and, I believe, would) be for us. And if we do move Tatar or Jurco, having Myers means we can afford to part with a non-Kindl roster defenseman (Smith/Quincey/Ericsson) and/or two or three or even four D prospects, which means we could go out and get a good top-six winger. If Dallas's D woes continue, maybe Nill considers moving Nichushkin for two or three of Smith/Kindl/Lashoff/Quincey/Ericsson/Ouellet/Marchenko/Sproul/Jensen/Backman/Hicketts? Maybe we'd have a shot at Ryan O'Reilly?

Wings Continue To Show Interest In Tyler Myers [Kukla] Like I said there in the comments section (I'm Dont Toews Me Bro), I think Myers needs a change of scenery. Everyone bags on him, but he's a 24-year-old defenseman averaging just shy of 25 minutes of ice time for what might prove to be the worst team in modern NHL history. His confidence is probably shot, he's probably picking up bad habits - being a Sabre can't be good for his development. I think if you put him on a good team, he'll flourish. Victor Hedman is the comparable, IMHO. Would I like a Victor Hedman? Yes, yes I would. My only two untouchables in this discussion are Nyquist and Mantha. If the asking price is Tatar and a 1st, I seriously consider pulling that trigger.

I think the big thing is this team can't quite outscore its mistakes.

I mean, seriously. Bishop - one of the best goalies in the league. Hedman - one of the best defensemen in the league. Stamkos - one of the best players in the history of the game. Filppula and Callahan have been outstanding for them. Boyle was a great addition. Stralman and Garrison were great additions. Johnson and Palat are studs, and the former currently leads the team in points. Gudas is as mean and nasty and dirty as competent defensemen come. Drouin is going to be a monster. Morrow is the obligatory crusty veteran leader. This is a team that can score seemingly at will in an era when scoring is really damn hard. And they have elite goaltending and a top D corps. And great coaching. I want to say, "Well, why can't Kenny do that?!" But it's a different situation for them, because they have Stamkos and Hedman and Johnson and Palat and Drouin. That kind of talent deserves to have an honest chance at competing for the Cup every year. We're sort of working our way to a similar situation (or so we hope). It's a work in progress.

I'm really jacked up for this game. The Bolts are arguably the best team in the East; the Wings can make a real statement here tonight. Stevie deserves mad props. He's built a scary-deep team that's only going to get better, and better, and better, and better. They're going to be a top team for a long time.

Never take your enemy lightly.

3-0 Pens. Ten minutes left.

Pens are leading the Kings 2-0 with about 16 minutes left in the third. I'm thinking we'll be seeing a highly motivated Kings team tomorrow.

They do. No way do they make this move. Unless Thornton is a real problem in the locker room and needs to get shipped out ASAP and this is the very best they can do.

Definitely worth reading: http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=734378&navid=DL|NHL|home

He's probably the closest thing there is to a Scotty Bowman, though. That's the thing. Sure, let him walk, but whoever you replace him with, it's very likely that guy - bless his heart - is going to be a step down overall. Even if you remove actual coaching ability from the equation, you're losing a ton of institutional knowledge and, clearly, a vast network of contacts, connections. The man's almost a legend in an era where head coaches...well, there aren't many legendary types behind NHL benches these days.

He wasn't very good, but, to be fair, this was his first game in over ten months. Agreed. I think Helm for Petry and maybe a pick is close to being a good deal for us, because Petry can be a pretty good top-pairing defenseman. But even there, I feel Helm is too valuable. He makes us a better team, creates chances with his speed, backs off the opposing D, kills penalties, is arguably our best defensive forward in our bottom six, can set a physical tone with his forechecking. While we're overloaded at center, Helm shouldn't be one of the ones feeling the squeeze. Unless this is a really big deal for a really good player that we really can't pass up.

I can't see this happening. Certainly not anytime soon (i.e. before the trade deadline). Buffalo's going to want a lot, especially from a divisonal rival that's looking to build itself back into a perennial contender. (And that goes both ways. We don't want cast-offs coming back to haunt us.) While it'd be nice to have a Tyler Myers, I don't think Kenny can justify moving three or four good pieces for such a player at this point in time. Franzen is definitely flat-out off the table, as this team clearly needs all the high-end finishing ability it can get. Do we need a right shot on the back end, especially on the power play? God yes. But with the options we have in Grand Rapids, and with our team performing pretty well overall so far, I don't think we're desperate enough to make this kind of move. And that's sort of what you'd have to be to make this move. Desperate. Either your blue line really needs help, or you're a legit contender looking for that final piece to put you over. Neither applies to us, IMO.

I like what our blue line has shown through these first four games. I like this emphasis on low-event hockey. I like the emphasis on structure and set plays. I like that every player seems to know what he's doing, what he'd like to do next, and what he'll do if things don't go according to plan. I like that when something does go wrong and the puck ends up in our net, it's because of a simple turnover, so all Babcock has to say is "That? Don't do that." I like that the D are jumping into the attack, that we're showing some physicality in our end, that The Forbidden Play - the breakout pass through the middle of the ice - seems to be throwing off the opposition. I like that we're no longer an adventure in our end, that we've calmed down, matured, grown, flat-out improved. I also like Jeff Petry. But when I look at our blue line...to me, it doesn't scream "Could really use Jeff Petry." I think he'd settle in as a good #3 or #4, and, frankly, that's not what we need. Certainly not if it costs us Helm. His shortcomings are familiar to us - mental lapses in the d-zone, soft plays, inconsistency. He was a strong possession player last season, basically serving as Edmonton's #1 defenseman, but I don't know if adding him moves our needle closer to true Cup contention.

Woohoo! Kid is very impressive.

Yup, we're boned.

If we don't sign "G.I." Joe Hicketts: American Hero, I will riot.

This is why I'm inclined to think he stays on for at least a couple more years. Mike Babcock is an alpha male. And he has an ego. (He wants to be the "biggest swinging **** in the room, any room.") And he believes in "Leaving No Doubt" that you are as good at your job as you'd have people believe you are. And, at this stage in his career, he wants a challenge that's going to push him to learn some new things and become an even better coach and hockey mind and person. And, finally, he believes in being a Good Man and doing The Right Thing and facing things head-on, head held high, "No big deal, I got this, because if I don't got this, well, that's just unacceptable. Because I'm Mike Babcock, and I'd like to think I'm a Good Man." Further, he's coached Lidstrom, and also Datsyuk in Datsyuk's prime, winning a Cup with them. All of this, taken together, says to me that he's going to want to guide the Wings back to contention and win another Cup with them in two or three years. Heading to Toronto or Pittsburgh would be easy, expected. A lesser coach might do that. A lesser man might do that. Power, money, media fellatio - all tempting. But is that why Mike Babcock's in this business? Not saying he doesn't want those things, but I feel like he'd want that golden ticket to Willy Wonka's factory only after he's "Left No Doubt" and helped coach a team that everyone had written off back to the top of the mountain. That way, there's no "Oh, that Mike Babcock. He's a great coach, sure, but you have to admit he's overrated. He gets Anaheim to Game 7 of the SCF, but he can't get the job done. He realizes this was a miracle run for the Ducks that he's not going to be able to replicate and he jumps ship to perennial contender Detroit. Any coach could've won a couple Cups with those Wings teams, and, actually, he only managed to win one. And those Olympic gold medals? Any person with half a brain could've coached those Canada teams to gold. Then, when things got really hard in Detroit and Lidstrom was nowhere to be found, he jumped ship again. This is a guy who, while certainly brilliant, knows how to pick his spots to enhance his aura. I don't rate him much higher than Dan Bylsma, tbh. If Bylsma had coached those Olympic teams, he'd have one Cup and a couple gold medals, same as Babcock. Scotty Bowman was - and is - a living legend. That's a man who'd really earned the right to pick a role of his choosing in an organization of his choosing. Babcock isn't necessarily the best coach in the league right now, let alone a Scotty Bowman. And no one knows that better than Babcock. That's why he left Detroit instead of sticking it out and trying to prove beyond any doubt that, like some crazy SEAL Ninja Jedi Master, you could dump him in the middle of the ocean and when you get home that night he'll be making love with your woman in your bed, because he's just that damn good."

MANTHA IS LAZY AND HE SUCKS

The Wings take on the Blue Jackets (this year's team to beat, IMHO) @ 7:30. Darby Llewellyn, Hayden Hodgson, and Ty Stanton will step in for Blake Clarke, Brandon Robinson, and Mitchell Wheaton, respectively. Jake Paterson starts in net. Martin Frk Tomas Nosek Anthony Mantha Tyler Bertuzzi Andreas Athanasiou Colin Campbell Marek Tvrdon Zach Nastasiuk Jerome Verrier Darby Llewellyn Dominic Turgeon Hayden Hodgson Mattias Backman Ryan Sproul Richard Nedomlel Joe Hicketts Ty Stanton Marc McNulty Jake Paterson

I love Mantha and Sproul.