Dabura

Probably already posted, but - Colin Hanks: https://twitter.com/ColinHanks/statuses/457336190333493249

Logan Couture weighs in on Datsyuk: https://twitter.com/Logancouture/statuses/457338106169937921 EDIT: Whoops, guess I was beaten to the punch.

Or does he? (Sochi revenge?)

That was seriously a perfect game. I'm sitting here pinching myself.

One down. Three (15) to go.

For me, it's really simple: I don't like our top four. Kronwall-Ericsson / DeKeyser-Smith = blah. Why roll with that, especially given our annual injury woes? If we can add Dan Boyle for a deal that makes sense (incredibly unlikely), I'm kinda thinking we should pull that trigger. Doesn't have to be Dan Boyle, of course, but you get what I'm saying. I don't want to just kind of float through Datsyuk's remaining years of service. I'd like to see us make an honest push for actual Cup contention within the next few years, rather than saying, "Well, Sproul and Ouellet and Marchenko are coming, and once they're here, WE SHALL BE INVINCIBLE. Maybe. I think." The kids are the future, and the future is just about here (talking about the blue line, not the forward corps), but I'm having trouble getting behind this whole wait-and-see-and-assume-the-best thing. If we're gonna free up considerable cap space this summer, and if we're pretty sure we won't really be looking to bring in any new big-money top-sixers, and if Quincey's gone and Kindl and Lashoff aren't essential and Almqvist is probably getting moved, and if our D corps is far and away our biggest area of concern...then I'm pretty sure we could do worse than adding a veteran top-four defenseman. "But this veteran guy is so old!" And this kid guy is so young. This is all kind of silly. We're splitting hairs. My point about Sproul and Ouellet being so young was simply that there's no rush. It's not like Nyquist where he's 24 and has absolutely nothing left to prove in the minors and he could be playing top-six minutes for us but instead we're going with Cleary. I get that everyone wants as many kids as we can possibly fit. But Sproul, Ouellet, Marchenko - we're very likely talking about sheltered third-pairing minutes (if that) next season. Which is fine, as long as we're not 1) counting on them being the difference between beating Boston in the first round and losing to Boston in the first round, and 2) saying NOPE. WE CAN'T SIGN ANY UFAs. NO TRADES EITHER. WE'VE GOT THESE KIDS AND THEY WILL DO JUST FINE BECAUSE THEY'RE KIDS. WE NEED MOAR KIDS. ADAM ALMQVIST? IS HE A KID? GET HIM ON THE ROSTER SO I CAN SHOOT HIM INTO MY VEINS. I want another Cup with Z and D. A Dan Boyle could really help that cause next season. I don't get the life-or-death we-need-ryan-sproul-and-we-need-him-now movement. I get the we-need-an-elite-defenseman-and-we-need-him-now mindset.

And that is why you work for the Oilers.

That's what I'm saying. We shouldn't shy away from immediate gains just because we have quality kids on the farm. I don't necessarily think we should trade Kindl or Lashoff, I was just saying that's always an option if we're worried about a logjam or whatever. QuinC sux. True, he's improved, but he's playing for a contract. Even if he'd be willing to take a pay cut and play severely reduced minutes, the pairings look problematic. I'd want Kronwall and Ericsson as the first pairing, DeKeyser and ? as the second, and Smith and ?2 as the third. So, if we re-sign Quincey, he slots in right where he currently is (next to DeKeyser, on the second pairing) or - oh gawd - next to Smith. I guess Kronwall-DeKeyser / Ericsson-Smith / Quincey-? is a possibility, but...meh. (I'm not even considering bumping Ericsson down to the third pairing or putting him with DeKeyser.)

He should probably be making third-pairing money, but, whether he stays or goes, he's likely going to get top-four money. If he doesn't, he should fire his agent.

Again, the only kid we really need to worry about is Almqvist. Ouellet is 20, Sproul is 21, they're first-year pros, they're not pounding on the door and threatening to walk if we bring in some outside help. Same idea with Marchenko. Our blue line is already plenty young (isn't that what we hate about it?), and injuries/depth will be an issue, and Quincey isn't necessarily returning, and Kindl and Lashoff can be traded if necessary.

Off the top of my head... Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Rappaport's Testament: I Never Gave Up Foo Fighters - The Pretender Foo Fighters - All My Life Queens of the Stone Age - Millionaire Papa Roach - M-80 (Explosive Energy Movement) Ministry - Bad Blood The Beatles - Helter Skelter Limp Bizkit - Just Like This Anything with Tom Morello on it Hendrix - Voodoo Child (Slight Return) Wolfmother - The Joker & the Thief P.O.D. - Boom (The Crystal Method Remix) Pantera - Five Minutes Alone Stone Temple Pilots - Down KMFDM - Juke Joint Jezebel (Mortal Kombat version) Red Hot Chili Peppers - Get on Top Muse - Knights of Cydonia Anything by Andrew W.K. Suddenly I feel incredibly dirty.

Also: we know he can handle a possession-centric system (because he plays for Darryl Sutter). That's not always the case with big, mean defensive defensemen.

I'm not a big Quincey fan, but I wouldn't just let him walk because "Well, we have some good kids, and we'll see where they're at. After all the good free agents have signed elsewhere."

I would trade Almqvist. Sproul and Ouellet are still very young; there's no rush. Marchenko's probably ready to be our #6, but there's no rush. Quincey, Kindl, Lashoff are all replaceable. So, we shouldn't be afraid to bring in outside help. It's not like Sproul and Ouellet are gonna bolt to the KHL. I like Matt Greene. We could use a guy like him. I'd wait to sign him in free agency, though.

Context is key here. Timonen's their Kronwall, and he's just about done. Streit's 36 and nothing really special. Coburn, Grossman, Gustafsson, Hal Gill. In a word, woof. When was the last time you heard about a Flyers prospect? Can you name a Flyers prospect, just off the top of your head? If so, is he a defenseman? If so, is he any good? If so, which do you feel is the more likely outcome: that he a) is developed with care and patience and becomes a solid top-four defenseman for the Flyers, or b) gets traded for Douglas Murray? This summer's crop of UFA defensemen is terribad, and I doubt many top-end defensemen will be moved. So I'd say they actually did pretty well. Side note: wonder if they'd be interested in any of Kindl, Lashoff, Almqvist. Lashoff is big and mean and simple, and they like big and mean and simple. Almqvist could be the second coming of Timonen. Kindl could be a low-risk high-reward add.

lol wut

http://www.cbc.ca/sports-content/hockey/opinion/2014/04/eastern-conference-first-round-playoff-preview.html

You know what else I love? Firstly, that we're too old young. Secondly (and this is what the Chief was mainly saying), that people's memory stretches back only as far as 2012. (OMG KINGS OMG!!!) Huge upsets that no one could've predicted? They pretty much never happen. Just look at the Wings... '95 - Wings beat the Devils. '96 - Wings beat the Avalanche and went on to beat the Panthers. '97 - Flyers beat the Wings. '03 - Wings beat the Ducks. (What ever happened to that Mark Babcock fellow? He seemed nice.) '04 - Flames did upset the Northwest Division champion Canucks in the first round, but even if they'd somehow managed to knock off the Presidents' Trophy winning Wings in the second round (they didn't), the Pacific Division champion Sharks very likely would've been waiting for them in the WCF. Sorry, but the Flames were not going to eliminate three division champs. No one eliminates three division champs in a row. '06 - Wings beat the Oilers. '12 - Wings beat the Predators. '13 - Ducks beat the Wings.

http://kuklaskorner.com/a2y/comments/expectation-management I love being an 8 seed. I love the playoffs. I love hockey. I love the Detroit Red Wings.

I was really tempted to go with Nyquist (duh) or Zetterberg (duh). But, ultimately, it has to be Kronwall. I don't see how it could be anyone else. He plays the most minutes. He gets the toughest assignments. He's used in all situations. He's first or second on the team in points while being far and away our best, most valuable defenseman and the reason our blue line isn't among the worst in the league. He became The Leader in Z's absence. He only missed a few games. He's adjusted and elevated his game. Through all the ups and downs and injuries and changes, he's been the one great constant.

I felt this deserved a thread: Babcock and Holland On The Radio [Winging It In Motown]

Hey. What if the Red Wings and Blue Jackets square off in the ECF? Does the universe implode?

Playmaker, I think you're making something out of nothing here. What was confusing to me about your initial post is that your version of events doesn't clash with what Babcock and Holland are saying. Here's what you said: This might as well be a Babcock quote, or a Holland quote. All three of you feel 1) Babs leaned on the kids out of necessity and 2) they flourished. Babcock and Holland are pretty much telling it like it is; I think you're seeing spin where there really isn't any. Holland has admitted he messed up. Babs is saying the kids are the s*** and they saved the season. Everybody's on the same page about what went down this season.

I voted Kronwall.