Dabura

TBH, I didn't even read far enough to see that was the "reported" offer. Hoo boy. The internet is a magical place.

Almost certainly BS, but whatevz: Report: Red Wings present Winnipeg with mega-offer for RFA Kyle Connor [NHL Trade Rumors]

Excellent. I really appreciate the insight. Soon enough, LGW.com will have a network of Euro spies scouts all across Europe. Assuming he becomes a good NHLer, do you think he'd be a center or winger?

I think it's worth noting that Larkin is the only Wings prospect in recent memory who was ready to rock & roll one year after being drafted. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) And that was only because his skating was ludicrously overpowered. It was so overpowered, in fact, that it masked deficiencies in his game which were exposed in his sophomore year, leading him to struggle in that season, which in turn led some to wonder if the real Larkin was merely a pretty good winger. Most of us have had similar doubts about Mantha, Athanasiou, and Bertuzzi at one point or another, but they all seem to be rounding into form now and becoming the players we'd hoped we were getting when we drafted them. It just took them a while to put themselves together. QHughes versus Zadina is looking like it could be a worthwhile discussion this season. But even if Hughes has a big rookie campaign in the NHL this season, I'd expect him to hit a wall next season a la Larkin. He's a phenomenal skater with great offensive instincts and great playmaking ability. At the same time, his game is weighted overwhelmingly towards offense (the argument can be made that he's one-dimensional) and he'll probably have to put in a lot of work to grow his game if he wants to be more than a Torey Krug type at the NHL level. It kinda sucks that Kotkaniemi and Tkachuk already have a full NHL season under their belts, but they were taken before Zadina and I don't think it came as a huge shock that they were more NHL-ready. Though, either one probably would've spent last season outside the NHL if we had drafted him.

>Be Buffalo >"Hey, we might be kinda sorta good this season. Let's do this." >"OH S***! ONE-DIMENSIONAL POWER PLAY SPECIALIST WITH A BAD ATTITUDE! HAVE OUR 2D AND TWO 1ST ROUND PICKS! WE DON'T NEED THE PICKS! WE'LL BE FINE!" >Narrator: "They were not fine. Laine was a disappointment in Buffalo. Ristolainen thrived in Winnipeg. The 2020 pick was not lotto protected; the Jets got Quinton Byfield."

Sorry for no liveblogging. Medical emergency in the family. I might be less present here indefinitely. Or maybe I'll be posting even more frequently to keep my mind off things. Peace

Leave it to me to be defending Jonathan Drouin's honor as Mantha prepares to tear the NHL a new butthole. I am a dingus. 100% certifiable. Anyway. About Mantha. This goes without saying, but Looooooord Almighty would it be nice to see Mantha realize his true potential this season. Imagine he does. And imagine Bertuzzi establishes himself as a 50-point player (if only while playing with top talent). And imagine AA cements himself as a legit 30-goal scorer. Now imagine drafting a monster winger in Alexis Lafreniere/Lucas Raymond/Alexander Holtz and adding that player to the forward mix, a mix which also includes Veleno, Zadina, Rasmussen, et al. Bertuzzi Larkin Mantha Athanasiou Veleno Holtz Hirose Rasmussen Zadina Erne Pearson Svechnikov

Shift Work: Tim Stützle [Dobber Prospects] (Prospect Shifts is an elite, elite resource.)

Sure. Just saying he's technically not a 30-goal scorer yet.

Not all that meaningful, unless he puts it all together and becomes a juggernaut power-winger. (Which could be exactly what we see this season.) Mantha and Drouin share these qualities. Drouin's shot gave us fits in that one playoff series. It looks like he's about to become an absolute beast, but the jury's still out. It wasn't until very recently that everyone decided Mantha is prime years Todd Bertuzzi. I'm nitpicking (boredom), but Mantha hasn't scored 30 goals yet. But it seems inevitable that he's going to hit that mark, and I think it's fair to say he's proven himself to be the better goal-scorer. I dunno. *shrug* I guess I have a different and possibly flawed sense of what Bergevin is(n't) capable of.

That, and I think he also needs to get stronger in his legs and upper body. I'd expected to see more power and explosiveness in his skating stride after what I'd assumed was going to be a very intense summer of Rocky montage training. Anecdotally, I haven't seen it. I was also expecting him to be or at least *look* better equipped to handle the pushing and shoving and boxing-out and grinding and headhunting of the pro game. Anecdotally, I haven't seen that. (Skating is part of it.) There've been times where he's narrowly avoided a big hit and I've felt my heart skip a beat because I was honestly afraid he was about to have his spine snapped, Bane style.

Agreed.

Yup. wtf i hate yzerman now

HYPE! LGRW!

RIPE! Wait, no. PIPE! Dammit. One more try. HYPE!

what

Anyway, this was a great win. Got a bit dicey towards the end, but overall this felt kinda like a statement game -- for some players individually and for the team and organization. I know it's just preseason, but I'm still impressed, pleased, and heartened.

Zadina lives rent-free in your head. It's kind of adorable, tbh.

Same number as Veleno.

WINGS WIN! 4-1

OK, I'm sold. Cholowski should be on the opening night roster.

Safe to say he was always going to start the year on the farm. Missed an entire year, so it's gonna take him some time just to get back into the rhythm of pro hockey.

I will again single out Cholowski for praise. He's run the 1st unit PP like a boss, notched 2 assists, and looked sharp in the d-zone.

I definitely am. Love it. End of 2nd. Wings lead 4-1. (Mantha x 2, Rasmussen x 2)

We are all over them right now. Wow.