Dabura

What I'd really like to see - as an "experiment," if you like - is Z and D each sort of mentoring one of Gus/Tats, taking them under their wings, molding them into potential future Euro Twins. If that makes any sense.

Also: WAHOO!!! I checked back at just the right time!

Nyquist > Tatar (at this point in their respective careers) I do think Tats should get a look in the top six, though. And I've gotta think it's gonna happen soon enough, unless we start rolling along, which I'd be fine with.

Best. Jerseys. Ever.

Waiving. Shooting Sammy into space. Sinking Sammy to the bottom of the sea. I think that's about it. Maybe also LTIRing Alfie. Agreed. I was thinking Miller might work. But then, Cleary on the fourth line...that's a very slow "energy line." I guess it's all moot, though, since Weiss should be back.

He's staying! http://hfboards.hockeysfuture.com/showthread.php?t=1543695 Oh, sorry. Beaten to it. I guess it's not "official" yet. But I'd say it's extremely promising. If so, ugh. And I saw the horse blink just now.

Hello, Melnyk. How goes the Cooke investigation?

Even without Weiss and Alfie, the first line could be improved without changing the second line. Which is a positive thing.

Cleary doesn't have a NTC. And the horse isn't dead yet.

Irrelevant? I get the sense that he left his heart in Colorado. It seems like whenever I read something about him in the press, there's some mention of how he has good friends on the Avs and how he practices and works out with them in the offseason, or something like that. And, frankly, he was much better (or, at least, more effective) (or, at least, not as terrible) as an Av. So, let's say Quincey hits the market. (It's probably a 50/50 call at this point.) Joe Sakic gives him a call. "Well, Kyle, you know we've got an up and coming team, a lot of firepower up front. But where we really think we can improve is on the back end. That's where you come in. We'd like you to consider coming back, Kyle. We'd like you to consider coming home." Hell, I almost want to be an Av just from reading that!

I'm not giving Holland any sort of pass here. After all the bad decisions he's made, and now it's "Well, you have to understand: this is a really tough situation"? You're supposed to be the best GM in sports, you soggy, droopy boob. He can start by waiving Cleary. I really don't care "how that would look," or if it's "bad business." Re-signing Cleary in the first place sent a bad message and was not exactly a brilliant business move. And, at some point, playing this "Now you have it. Now you don't!" game with one of our best and brightest in Nyquist (and, perhaps, Tatar), "doesn't look good," and is most definitely "bad business." It'd be one thing if this team were stacked, or even just performing well. But Nyquist helped snap a seven-game losing streak. Because this is a team of scrubs, at least up front. If we were in the West, we'd be toast. Get something done, Ken. Stop telling us how hard it is and make something happen to make your team better. /weekly rant

Nyquist is essentially a high-end top-six forward. Exactly the sort of piece we need right now. Exactly the sort of piece a ton of GMs would like to add. This isn't some middling checking-line grinder whose presence/absence is more or less inconsequential. We need skill, speed, youth, secondary scoring in the worst way. Nyquist gives us all of that. But Dan Cleary. An enforcer without the whole enforcing thing. And all of this comes after Holland's "Guys! It's all about our young homegrown talent! That's why I'm not doing anything! This is really important! Parity!" campaign. Not to be overly dramatic here, but...what was Ken Holland really done lately? Take a paid vacation, Ken. Go play some golf. I have a block of wood that can fill in for you.

That's what we said at the beginning of the season. If he's sent down again, I will riot. This is an absolutely ludicrous situation. Blah blah blah.

He's ok, I guess. I feel like Zetterberg could never win the Hart, because we also have Datsyuk, and vice-versa. Harding might be the early Hart favorite at this point.

Something that's not getting enough attention and props: our special teams. Definitely a major strength for us right now.

We can't risk NOT keeping him up!

I love this pic. The Hurricane guy is the eye of the Swedish National Team Dance Party Storm.

It just occurred to me: we have a second line now!!!

So, I was thinking. If we take Nyquist out of this game, that puts us back two goals. I know it doesn't really work that way, but shut up. Anyway, that means we score two, they score two (throwing that last garbage goal out the window), and...we go to overtime. Again. And you KNOW we lose, whether in the five mins. or the shootout. All of which is to say: Nyquist makes us better. Not in a Cleary way (which isn't even a real thing, just a Babcockian invention), but a legitimate wow-that-guy-looks-good-out-there and wow-that-guy-scored-two-goals-for-us way. This game was a clean, clear measure of his importance to this team. He's not just some middling bottom sixer, a kid in a Man's League. He can be an impact player in the top six right now, no waiting period, no adjustment, just keep him rolling with good linemates. He is what Holland seems hesitant to call him: a real difference-maker.

Waive Tatar? Even Holland's not that wacko. The thing with Nyquist-Tatar is, IMHO, Nyquist is this good right now largely because he was up with us in the playoffs and gained some great experience and confidence. Tatar can sit every now and then, fine - but experience (or a lack thereof) is the thing with him. That's what he needs more than anything else. Experience.

CRAIG BUTTON Dan Cleary IS a bad play.

I sincerely hope not.

I love Gustav Nyquist.

I want to make a thread called "How Much Better Would This Team Be Without Kyle Quincey?" We'd use fancy stats to prove that Quincey has singlehandedly cost us 10 games and provided absolutely nothing positive.

How many two-goal leads have we given up this season? 14?