Dabura

Could just be trying to make camp a little more competitive. Maybe it gives a kid like Pastrnak (who is awesome) some extra motivation.

Anthony Mantha of Detroit Red Wings could jump straight to NHL [NHL.com]

Just for the record, Quincey's contract should have no bearing on DeKeyser's contract, as Quincey signed as a UFA and DeKeyser is an RFA. The real sticking point is, as Holland says, finding a good comparable for DeKeyser. He's clearly a very important part of the team, but the book on him at the pro level is so very, very thin. It's an unusual situation. Additionally, Smith is heading into the final year of his first contract and we've got four or five kids looking to make the jump this season - so this contract will set an intra-club precedent that will be referenced in future negotiations. So you really want to get this right. Personally, I think he gets two or three years at around $3M.

The kids smell blood, like sharks. Or maybe vultures. Or maybe vulture sharks. (Vulks? Shartures?)

Stupid matchup, but I get it. This is a premier showcase. All these outdoor dealies are.

Ah, I hadn't seen that he declined the Wings' offer. Another swing and a miss on the blue line front.

I get what you're saying, but it's hardly apples and oranges. No one wanted Cleary, we took him on, it worked out. No one wants Diaz, we're giving him a shot, it might work out. Same fundamental situation - a player has washed out and needs a reboot. Diaz doesn't have Cleary's pedigree, but his numbers say he's underrated and underappreciated, with the potential to be a good 4D in this league.

Yup, good call. I just brought up Cleary because it shows the Wings themselves have had success with the tryout option at least once.

Eh, not necessarily. Cleary, for example, originally came to the Wings on a tryout basis. I like Diaz. I think he'd be good for our third pairing and capable of filling in as our #4 in a pinch. He wouldn't singlehandedly fix our blue line, but, at the very least, I'd take him over Lashoff and Kindl. Maybe even Quincey.

He's better than you might think.

Bob Duff mentioned he played for the Windsor Spitfires. Dunno if that's the connection or not. I like Fowler. But if we're going after a Ducks defenseman, I'd want Sami Vatanen. He's gonna be something special, IMHO.

Maybe Abdelkader moves back to center?

Local ties, I assume. This kind of thing is fairly common, e.g. Keith Yandle practicing with the Bruins.

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I've always liked the idea of Helm flanking Datsyuk (provided the other winger is a high-skill player, e.g. Zetterberg, with Helm being the pitbull of the three). My only issue with it - and it's a legitimate concern - is that our bottom six will be without our best bottom-six shutdown center and, arguably, our best bottom-six defensive forward, period. I want three scoring lines and a fourth line that can go up against anyone, anytime, anywhere. While I like Glendening a lot, a fourth line centered by him is not going to be as good as those same two wingers centered by Helm. And while I like Andersson and would probably take him as our fourth line center over Glendening in that role...he's not Helm. And while I love Sheahan, he was seriously sheltered this past season in terms of zone starts and quality of competition, so I wouldn't necessarily want him centering our (hypothetical) killer shutdown line that can go up against anyone, anytime, anywhere. Then again, Abdelkader on the fourth line and not the first = good. And Abdelkader, Miller, Glendening, Andersson, Cleary, Callahan (?), Ferraro (?) is a good pool; you could pull a better-than-average fourth line from it. And, again, I like the idea of Helm on Datsyuk's wing, even if he's out of his depth skill-wise. If he can stay healthy, he could be a respectable point-producer. About our situation at center - being overloaded at the position is a good problem to have. From a tactical standpoint, I know Babcock likes for his wingers to be capable centermen, mostly for faceoff purposes. Also, there's always at least one team that's dying for a good centerman. Edmonton, for example. I like Jeff Petry...

Bang on.

(Again, I fully understand The Plan. I get over-ripening as a development strategy, I've defended it a number of times. I just don't think Jurco needs the four-year apprenticeship. I don't think he needs much more - if any - time below. I think there's also a need on our team for a big, physical guy with hands and natural scoring ability. How many guys do we have like that? Franzen is big, but he's not especially physical. Abdelkader has no hands. We're not signing key free agents and we don't have much quality talent beyond our core players, so we can't necessarily afford to keep all our prospects down as long as we normally would.)

To be honest, all I really, truly care about is two or three years out from now. If another season on the farm is going to make Jurco a much better player in 2016-17 (when we will, hopefully, be legitimate contenders) than he otherwise would be, I'm ok with it. I just don't want it done for the sake of it being done, don't want it done for the sake of learnin' him what it takes to be a ZOMG NHL REGULAR. I'm fine with Pulkkinen having to go trudge through the mud; he's smallish, not a great skater, pretty one-dimensional. Jurco, not so much. But we'll see what we see.

I'm hoping we roll three scoring lines.

To be clear, in saying I think Jurco should - and might - start the season as a Red Wing, I'm not decrying the organization's development strategy. I'm talking about Jurco, who I think is a somewhat special case as far as Wings prospects go. He has good size, he can be physically imposing, he arguably does his best work in the dirty areas (around the opposition's net), he's incredibly skilled (i.e. he's not Abdelkader), and - maybe above all - he helped the team in a specific role this past season (one third of what was one of the most electric lines in hockey, Tatar-Sheahan-Jurco). The Wings haven't had many prospects like him. There's a good chance Jurco starts the season on the farm, but I'm willing to bet he spends most of this coming season as a Red Wing and goes into the 2015-16 season as a full-timer. I don't think management is going to give him the standard over-ripening treatment.

A few things: Who's to say Jurco isn't the next coming (whatever that means exactly)? Who's to say Jurco's not more special than Tatar or Nyquist and that ultimately he won't outshine one or both of them? Tatar played in 73 games last season and put up 39 points. Jurco - who's two years Tatar's junior (21 and 23, respectively) - did put up only 15 points last season, but he only played in 36 games. Had he played in 73 games, he likely would've been good for about 30 points, not far off from Tatar's 39. Does a player have to be The Next Coming to play in our top nine? A key reason why Tatar and Nyquist were held down so long: they're smallish skill players. Jurco has the makings of a top-six power forward. Just saying. If we opened the season with Tatar-Sheahan-Jurco as our third line, I doubt many people would be saying, "Clearly Jurco needs more time on the farm." Instead, I think we say what we said about that line last season: "This line is the s***!"

Also, I like Helm on the fourth line because he's one of our best defensive forwards, and I like having three scoring lines and a fourth line that can go up against anyone. Zetterberg Datsyuk Jurco Franzen Weiss Nyquist Tatar Sheahan Alfredsson Miller Helm Abdelkader FTW.

Not big on the idea of Zetterberg - Datsyuk - Nyquist. I really want a big body on that right wing. Jurco could use a little more time in the AHL, but if he's playing with Z and D, and his main job is to go to the net? I'd say he's ready for that. I don't think I want Alfredsson in the top six. He could be a matchup advantage on the third line. Maybe the third line doesn't have to be quite so sheltered with him on it. Sheahan's best suited for center, IMHO. At the very least, he gives us a big body at center, something we're otherwise sorely lacking.

Are you actually serious?