Dabura

Clear and precise, lolz.

Wait, my bad. He's talking s*** on the Flyers. Gagne on Flyers' Cleary pursuit: 'It was like a slap in the face' *talking s*** on about Holy crap am I not with it today.

So apparently Simon Gagne is talking s*** on Cleary or something.

Change the name to Alfredsson? OHHH DISS

(This is what I was talking about, re: Tyler Bertuzzi.) So, are we all in agreement that Glendening is just about there?

I'd completely forgotten that Salei wore #24.

Source/Link? Not that I don't believe you. (I do.)

Kinda funny.

This may be way off, but his "attitude" may partially stem from the fact that he's 5'9. And that's what he's listed at, so he's really 5'7 or 5'8. Shorter hockey players always have to do a little more proving, at every level, and it can harden a guy, put a chip on his shoulder. Add to that the fact that he's European, which, of course, means he's an extremely soft player (sarcasm), and you can have an individual who's maybe a little angry at the world to begin with. Then he spends four years - four years - in the stage (AHL) right before the one that's spelled "true success" (NHL). And he proves himself as much as he can. And you can fill in the rest. (And there's a language barrier. And...) Also, because he's still a kid, he's still very much a work in progress. Now, that isn't to say that all players aren't works in progress. They are. Even the old ones. But you know what I mean. Point is, given where Tatar is at in terms of his overall development (the AHL can barely contain him; he's sick, in a very good way), sticking him in Grand Rapids for a fifth straight year, or even forcing him to split time between the big club and the small club (and you know he would/will be getting about four seconds a night under Babs) just isn't fair to him and would almost certainly be detrimental to his development. This worries me because any time a player finds himself in this kind of a position, the odds are good he's gonna be traded. I'm kind of rambling, but one last thing: I really like that he said this is the team he wants to play for. You might think every prospect says that about his respective NHL club, but, really, that's not the case. I think generally you get a lot of "Y'know, whatever Mr. So and So thinks is best, that's what I'll do. I love this organization, but I don't really have a big say in the matter, so I don't see a point in worrying about it." So, to me at least, it's refreshing to hear (read) someone say, "This is where I want to be. I'm pissed/worried/whatever because I want to be HERE." DANIEL CLEARY HATES KIDS. AND PUPPIES.

Apparently Alfredsson is keeping #11. http://kuklaskorner.com/tmr/comments/it-appears-alfredsson-will-keep-11

Yeah, Sproul's got a long way to go. Same with XO (Ouellet).

One more from here.

No Mantha? No Frk? No Athanasiou? No Sproul? No Ouellete? Etc.? Unless you're just talking about the next several years, in which case my bad. I think Sheahan has a real shot. He found another gear at the Prospects Tournament, and if you look at where he was at the start of the season and how far he's come...it's impressive. Also speaks to two lessons, I think: 1) we never truly know, 2) sometimes a new role or context can really change things (in Sheahan's case, he was the unofficial captain of the Prospects Tournament team, and he seemed to really "find himself" (for lack of a better expression) in that role.)

Some more Alfie pics from that set: 1 2 3 4 5 Awesome, as Stephen Weiss would say.

I'm just poking some fun at the fact that he's an eighteen-year-old boxer in the...Detroit Red Wings' pipeline. (We being known for our fisticuffs.) His skill set is actually pretty impressive, e.g. he's a really good skater. It's just a maturity thing, and that will come with time.

Duff: Wings lack gritty forward Pro-Cleary piece. He makes a good point: take away Cleary, and how much getter-done grit do we really have, especially come the postseason grind? And, as much as people hate the idea of Cleary playing in the top six...again, where is the grit there? Abdelkader. Maybe Weiss. Maybe Franzen, but, come on. I have to assume this is what Holland's referring to when he says Cleary makes us better. I mean, yeah, the leadership stuff is nice and all - but the tough, gritty, net-front element is something we're sorely lacking. Which is weird, because we have so many bottom-six roleplayers.

I think you can kinda put them in groups, organized by "readiness," for lack of a better word. So, like, Group A would be the locks, i.e. Nyquist, Andersson, Tatar, Lashoff. (I realize they're not locks, but you get what I'm saying.) Group B would, I guess, be, like, Glendening, Sheahan, maybe Ferraro, et al. Group C - Jarnkrok, Pulkkinen, Jurco, et al. Group D - Mantha, Frk, Athanasiou, Sproul, et al. Group E - Tyler Bertuzzi I think the guy with the most "leap frog" potential might be Mantha. While I believe Jarnkrok remains our best prospect, Mantha...well, let's put it this way: while on the one hand, yes, I can understand why he was available as "late" in the draft as he was, the only reason he didn't go within the top fifteen or even ten is that he's perceived as something of a long-term, "high-maintenance" project, relative to a guy like Jones. This is because of his "lack of consistent compete," or "Franzenitis." He needs an organization that really knows how to bring kids up the right way (patience, diligence, faith, etc.) The Wings have become, I think, a bit of a prospect factory. I get the sense that, while there's no real science to this business of development, the Wings are as good at it as anyone. Except when it comes to Tatar. OH YES I DID

How cool is that? He looks good in the Winged Wheel.

I mentioned this in another thread, but news feels kinda slow today, so I'm making a thread about it. http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/09/11/coyotes-gm-not-happy-with-absent-ekman-larsson/ Those Coyotes. Always something with them.

I can see him going to the Stars. As good as their first line may be, with Benn and Seguin (assuming), they're extremely shallow up front. Brunner could be a go-to guy there. Devils, self-explanatory. The Canucks...the Canucks? Huh, kinda surprises me. I sorta fear Torts would break him.

tmmlol don't know why (probably because it's funny, but I'm open to other possiblities) Anyhoo. Sarah Lindenau took this pic of Nyquist and Alredsson: http://theleftwinglock.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Nyquist-Alfredsson.jpg Cool.

Agreed. But more because I just friggin' want to see these guys as full-time Wings already! [/selfish] Oh, wait, you're talking about non-prospects?

That's a great idea, Harold. The trailing player, I mean. I'd add that the trailer should be allowed to yell at the shooter and talk trash, maybe even throw things at him.

Babs made a good point: 26 is about the age when players tend to really come into their own. Or did he say 34? Can't remember.

Sarah runs The Left Wing Lock. I'd be on board with you, harold, I mean with the whole of-course-management-is-going-to-do-the-right-thing-re:-Tatar, if this were the first time we're crossing this bridge. But, by this point, it's become another one of those classic Holland things... We like our team. Kicked the tires. Over-ripen/Tatar needs time. Etc.