Aussie_Wing

Forward Igor Grigorenko (Togliatti, Russian Elite League) is on pace for one of the worst offensive years of his career, with just one goal and seven assists in 19 games. He is earning $1 million this season, MLive.com reported in June. Oh boy, what a waste...

Thanks for the report J-Swift, great read. He scored 26 goals in 66 games last season, and this season he already has 20 goals in 23 games. It would appear he’s worked on his shot and has become a better scorer.

Emmerton scored 2 goals and also had an assist tonight. He was named 1st Star. He now has 44 points from 23 games this season, only 4 points from the scroing lead.

Join the club.

Grigorenko has 1 goal in 17 games. Not good.

32 points loss to the Warriors. The end of an era I'm afraid, we are no longer an elite team.

Ok, anyone worried? We're 2-3, the new zero tolerance rule is tearing this team apart, and we have a clueless coach. Our bench was great last night, with Maxiell, Delfino and Murray all contributing however it wasn’t nearly enough.

Sure, that's a fair point. But I think for a teenager to register 5 shots and have 6 hits, plus a goal, is mighty impressive. Regardless of what he did or didn't achieve beforehand is not really an issue, this game is reflective of what he mighty be capable of.

Latendresse scored his first NHL goal last night, he also put up 5 shots, had 6 hits and was awarded the 1st Star.

Darko's back (sulking) ... Link

Kindl almost made Red Wings out of training camp ... Link

Ok I know it’s only one game, and I’ll probably be abused, but I already have my doubts. After an unbelievable pre-season from Jason Maxiell he played a mere 11 minutes, and during that time he had 3 points, 2 rebounds and 3 blocks. Now I don’t know what more he could have done to gain the trust of Flip, but it’s obvious that he won’t see much time this season despite the fact he’s ready to contribute. Delfino came on in the second quarter and was a massive spark. He hit a couple of threes, grabbed a few boards and appeared to be the spark we were missing. But instead Saunders barely played him in the second half, and he finished up with less than 12 minutes. 8 points at 75% and 3 rebounds, but obviously not enough production for Flip. I cannot stand Saunders and I have no confidence in his coaching ability.

Well the new season kicked off today and the Bulls absolutely slaughtered the Heat in their 'Championship celebration night'. I was expecting to hate Ben Wallace but I just couldn’t bring myself to cheer against him. And boy are Chicago going to be a force this season.

Anyone getting a little bit excited about Miroslav Blatak? He’s already 24 but appears to be developing quite nicely. He’s a fine offensive defenseman who stands at 6’0 although the major concern is his lack of strength. According to Red Wings Central if he fails to become stronger he will be released. But I think if he can overcome this obstacle he could be a good player for Detroit. He has 7 points and 16 PIM’s in 16 games in the Swedish League.

Thanks for the update SpiritFan, much appreciated. Well I really like what I’m hearing about this kid; hopefully he can continue putting up good numbers. One of the main attributes the Wings lack is genuine speed, so this gives me hope for the future.

With the belief that Grigs will never set foot in North America, that trade is basically Gagne for Samuelsson. I highly doubt the Flyers would accept.

Yeh I read that and it's very promising indeed, especially this...

I'm starting to wonder if he'll ever be here...

Why has it all fallen apart?

Good to hear. Seems as though he was a bit of a steal with the 290th pick in the 2004 draft. The Wings will give him all the time he needs to develop too.

Well Maxiell sure has been tearing it up during the pre season. He had 21 points and 8 rebounds today, and is averaging over 14 ppg while shooting 57.1%. He's also averaging 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. Hopefully he continues this form during the regular season.

Kindl had 2 assists and also scored a shorthanded goal. So a 3 point night, as well as being +2 and having 4 PIM's.

Jimmy Howard is in net, and has stopped 21 of 22 shots. Valtteri Filppula also has an assist.

Gagner is a year younger than Corey Emmerton, our 1st pick in last years draft. Gagner already has doubled the point tally of Emmerton. Interesting...

Latendresse is rated as an 8.5 on Hockey's Future, while Abdelkader is at 6.0. Abdelkader was taken with pick 42 in the 2005 draft, Latendresse with pick 45. Abdelkader is a few years off playing in the NHL, Latendresse has already played 5 NHL games.