b.shanafan14

I know I don't mean this, and I'm going to regret it the moment I hit "post", but sometimes I wish we had Toronto media in the room to ask point blank, even purposefully incendiary questions of the coach like "Coach, AA seemed to have a lot of energy out there, create scoring chances, and carry play, what was behind your decision to play Tatar/Nyquist/Richard more while he rode the bench?"

Goodbye, Pasha :'( Sorry we wasted the best years of your career on Todd Bertuzzi and Dan Cleary.

I know I don't mean this, and I'm going to regret it the moment I hit "post", but sometimes I wish we had Toronto media in the room to ask point blank, even purposefully incendiary questions of the coach like "Coach, AA seemed to have a lot of energy out there, create scoring chances, and carry play, what was behind your decision to play Tatar/Nyquist/Richard more while he rode the bench?"

Goodbye, Pasha :'( Sorry we wasted the best years of your career on Todd Bertuzzi and Dan Cleary.

UNBELIEVABLE!!

It really has been a chore to watch the Red Wings play this season. As others have said ad nauseam, we can't handle the puck or complete a pass the majority of the time. It rolls, it hops a stick blade, its too fast, its too slow, it surprises the receiving player, its too far in front, its too far behind, etc. etc. The team for the most part looks lost. For me there are three major causes: our back-end is absolute garbage, our set plays are predictable and leave little margin for error, and our forward lines change by the shift.
All of these are problems this team has had to some degree for the last several seasons, but the third has been a constant source of frustration I feel is seldom mentioned. Hockey is a game of chemistry and timing. You need to have an understanding of linemates' tenancies, speed, role, and skillset. Comfort with linemates can sometimes take time, and when a team is slumping as a whole, all the more. Few things are more infuriating than to see our guys practice with particular line combinations for a few days, get into a game situation, and after a bad first 10 minutes, we shuffle everyone hoping for a spark.
Am I the only one who finds this practice absolutely absurd? Lines need time to gel, and teammates need to work themselves out of their slumps together. Shuffling lines at the rate Blashill has been doing, and Babcock used to do, would seem to throw off timing from shift to shift and frustrate players to no end. Its all the more infuriating to watch us break up the lines that are producing to lift underperforming players. Why can't we complete a pass? Our centermen are playing with upwards of 6 different wingers every game. I have to imagine its all the worse trying to break out of a rut when you are constantly hitting the reset button on your chemistry and having to adjust your attack, all while your defense is allowing the opposition to gain momentum on the other side of the ice.

When I first heard the Wings were approaching Brad Richards, I was repulsed. When I heard one-year term, I actually got a bit excited. It is very unlikely the Wings will want to rush Larkin unless they absolutely have to. We are down our best center until November with Pavel out. Helm is preferred on the wing and could use a serviceable 3rd liner while Larkin seasons another year in the A. We have some money to spend as long as its only for this season. This would also all-but guarantee Cleary is out.
I still think we need to trade a defensemen or two for picks/prospects, but Richards for one year in a limited role would be a marked improvement at center. Also hoping Andersson was signed to sweeten the pot when moving some of our extra D.

$4M for 5 seasons is absolutely reasonable. All offers above that are desperate/reckless, and I wouldn't consider the Wings either. This is going to drive the price of coaches up huge over the next several years. Hope we don't see owners locking out because they have to pay their coach and GM too much now
I will say this: it's a little silly to be worrying about the "best coach in the world" getting paid more than $4M per season when we have Weiss at $5M per season and throw Cleary a charity million, AND they count against the cap!

I can see it now....
-babs goes to buffalo
-toronto fans try to claim they'll outbid detroit for blashill
-blashill signs in detroit
-toronto is mathematically eliminated from the playoffs

With the latest offer appearing to be somewhere in the neighborhood $50M over 10 seasons (with one rumor putting the total offer at $60M after additional incentives), how could you blame anyone for leaving? I'm at peace with the result either way, but my guess would be Babcock to Buffalo. They made him an offer he can't refuse, and as much as I'd like to lament another top-end free agent going elsewhere because Holland didn't want to pay market prices, we really shouldn't expect them to match.
A $50M+ offer for a head coach is a desperate offer made by a desperate franchise, with no viable alternative in their system, willing to do anything to succeed and in sore need of a win. The Wings are not nearly in such a desperate position, and with many already believing the team could benefit from Blashill's fresh perspective, Babcock is commodity that the Wings feel no need to overpay for. Of course the Wings want him to stay, he is likely the best coach in the world, and in many ways if he does come back, I would expect him to do so with renewed conviction. If Babcock turns down obscene money to stay with the Wings, it would be a clear statement that the Wings aren't going anywhere, a massive morale and PR boost for the organization.
If he does leave, it appears clear that the money was too good to pass up. Clean break, no hard feelings. The Wings will be forced to turn a great page and move on to the Blashill era. And honestly, I think that is the best way for it to happen. Blashill leading the Wings in the NHL is still an unknown quantity, and the organization seems both nervous to move on (especially from a coach like Babcock) and hesitant to lose another great coach/personnel person they've trained to another franchise (McLellan, Maclean, Nill, Yzerman & half of his staff).
I'll likely be happy whatever the outcome because I know the Wings will have a great coach one way or another. But I will say this: Babcock @ $5M < Blashill < Babcock choosing Wings over Money.

With the latest offer appearing to be somewhere in the neighborhood $50M over 10 seasons (with one rumor putting the total offer at $60M after additional incentives), how could you blame anyone for leaving? I'm at peace with the result either way, but my guess would be Babcock to Buffalo. They made him an offer he can't refuse, and as much as I'd like to lament another top-end free agent going elsewhere because Holland didn't want to pay market prices, we really shouldn't expect them to match.
A $50M+ offer for a head coach is a desperate offer made by a desperate franchise, with no viable alternative in their system, willing to do anything to succeed and in sore need of a win. The Wings are not nearly in such a desperate position, and with many already believing the team could benefit from Blashill's fresh perspective, Babcock is commodity that the Wings feel no need to overpay for. Of course the Wings want him to stay, he is likely the best coach in the world, and in many ways if he does come back, I would expect him to do so with renewed conviction. If Babcock turns down obscene money to stay with the Wings, it would be a clear statement that the Wings aren't going anywhere, a massive morale and PR boost for the organization.
If he does leave, it appears clear that the money was too good to pass up. Clean break, no hard feelings. The Wings will be forced to turn a great page and move on to the Blashill era. And honestly, I think that is the best way for it to happen. Blashill leading the Wings in the NHL is still an unknown quantity, and the organization seems both nervous to move on (especially from a coach like Babcock) and hesitant to lose another great coach/personnel person they've trained to another franchise (McLellan, Maclean, Nill, Yzerman & half of his staff).
I'll likely be happy whatever the outcome because I know the Wings will have a great coach one way or another. But I will say this: Babcock @ $5M < Blashill < Babcock choosing Wings over Money.

With the latest offer appearing to be somewhere in the neighborhood $50M over 10 seasons (with one rumor putting the total offer at $60M after additional incentives), how could you blame anyone for leaving? I'm at peace with the result either way, but my guess would be Babcock to Buffalo. They made him an offer he can't refuse, and as much as I'd like to lament another top-end free agent going elsewhere because Holland didn't want to pay market prices, we really shouldn't expect them to match.
A $50M+ offer for a head coach is a desperate offer made by a desperate franchise, with no viable alternative in their system, willing to do anything to succeed and in sore need of a win. The Wings are not nearly in such a desperate position, and with many already believing the team could benefit from Blashill's fresh perspective, Babcock is commodity that the Wings feel no need to overpay for. Of course the Wings want him to stay, he is likely the best coach in the world, and in many ways if he does come back, I would expect him to do so with renewed conviction. If Babcock turns down obscene money to stay with the Wings, it would be a clear statement that the Wings aren't going anywhere, a massive morale and PR boost for the organization.
If he does leave, it appears clear that the money was too good to pass up. Clean break, no hard feelings. The Wings will be forced to turn a great page and move on to the Blashill era. And honestly, I think that is the best way for it to happen. Blashill leading the Wings in the NHL is still an unknown quantity, and the organization seems both nervous to move on (especially from a coach like Babcock) and hesitant to lose another great coach/personnel person they've trained to another franchise (McLellan, Maclean, Nill, Yzerman & half of his staff).
I'll likely be happy whatever the outcome because I know the Wings will have a great coach one way or another. But I will say this: Babcock @ $5M < Blashill < Babcock choosing Wings over Money.

With the latest offer appearing to be somewhere in the neighborhood $50M over 10 seasons (with one rumor putting the total offer at $60M after additional incentives), how could you blame anyone for leaving? I'm at peace with the result either way, but my guess would be Babcock to Buffalo. They made him an offer he can't refuse, and as much as I'd like to lament another top-end free agent going elsewhere because Holland didn't want to pay market prices, we really shouldn't expect them to match.
A $50M+ offer for a head coach is a desperate offer made by a desperate franchise, with no viable alternative in their system, willing to do anything to succeed and in sore need of a win. The Wings are not nearly in such a desperate position, and with many already believing the team could benefit from Blashill's fresh perspective, Babcock is commodity that the Wings feel no need to overpay for. Of course the Wings want him to stay, he is likely the best coach in the world, and in many ways if he does come back, I would expect him to do so with renewed conviction. If Babcock turns down obscene money to stay with the Wings, it would be a clear statement that the Wings aren't going anywhere, a massive morale and PR boost for the organization.
If he does leave, it appears clear that the money was too good to pass up. Clean break, no hard feelings. The Wings will be forced to turn a great page and move on to the Blashill era. And honestly, I think that is the best way for it to happen. Blashill leading the Wings in the NHL is still an unknown quantity, and the organization seems both nervous to move on (especially from a coach like Babcock) and hesitant to lose another great coach/personnel person they've trained to another franchise (McLellan, Maclean, Nill, Yzerman & half of his staff).
I'll likely be happy whatever the outcome because I know the Wings will have a great coach one way or another. But I will say this: Babcock @ $5M < Blashill < Babcock choosing Wings over Money.

With the latest offer appearing to be somewhere in the neighborhood $50M over 10 seasons (with one rumor putting the total offer at $60M after additional incentives), how could you blame anyone for leaving? I'm at peace with the result either way, but my guess would be Babcock to Buffalo. They made him an offer he can't refuse, and as much as I'd like to lament another top-end free agent going elsewhere because Holland didn't want to pay market prices, we really shouldn't expect them to match.
A $50M+ offer for a head coach is a desperate offer made by a desperate franchise, with no viable alternative in their system, willing to do anything to succeed and in sore need of a win. The Wings are not nearly in such a desperate position, and with many already believing the team could benefit from Blashill's fresh perspective, Babcock is commodity that the Wings feel no need to overpay for. Of course the Wings want him to stay, he is likely the best coach in the world, and in many ways if he does come back, I would expect him to do so with renewed conviction. If Babcock turns down obscene money to stay with the Wings, it would be a clear statement that the Wings aren't going anywhere, a massive morale and PR boost for the organization.
If he does leave, it appears clear that the money was too good to pass up. Clean break, no hard feelings. The Wings will be forced to turn a great page and move on to the Blashill era. And honestly, I think that is the best way for it to happen. Blashill leading the Wings in the NHL is still an unknown quantity, and the organization seems both nervous to move on (especially from a coach like Babcock) and hesitant to lose another great coach/personnel person they've trained to another franchise (McLellan, Maclean, Nill, Yzerman & half of his staff).
I'll likely be happy whatever the outcome because I know the Wings will have a great coach one way or another. But I will say this: Babcock @ $5M < Blashill < Babcock choosing Wings over Money.

With the latest offer appearing to be somewhere in the neighborhood $50M over 10 seasons (with one rumor putting the total offer at $60M after additional incentives), how could you blame anyone for leaving? I'm at peace with the result either way, but my guess would be Babcock to Buffalo. They made him an offer he can't refuse, and as much as I'd like to lament another top-end free agent going elsewhere because Holland didn't want to pay market prices, we really shouldn't expect them to match.
A $50M+ offer for a head coach is a desperate offer made by a desperate franchise, with no viable alternative in their system, willing to do anything to succeed and in sore need of a win. The Wings are not nearly in such a desperate position, and with many already believing the team could benefit from Blashill's fresh perspective, Babcock is commodity that the Wings feel no need to overpay for. Of course the Wings want him to stay, he is likely the best coach in the world, and in many ways if he does come back, I would expect him to do so with renewed conviction. If Babcock turns down obscene money to stay with the Wings, it would be a clear statement that the Wings aren't going anywhere, a massive morale and PR boost for the organization.
If he does leave, it appears clear that the money was too good to pass up. Clean break, no hard feelings. The Wings will be forced to turn a great page and move on to the Blashill era. And honestly, I think that is the best way for it to happen. Blashill leading the Wings in the NHL is still an unknown quantity, and the organization seems both nervous to move on (especially from a coach like Babcock) and hesitant to lose another great coach/personnel person they've trained to another franchise (McLellan, Maclean, Nill, Yzerman & half of his staff).
I'll likely be happy whatever the outcome because I know the Wings will have a great coach one way or another. But I will say this: Babcock @ $5M < Blashill < Babcock choosing Wings over Money.

No roster limit? Scratch them all. Detroit Griffin time!

Maybe the question isn’t how they’re playing this bad, but how they ever played well?

Giroux dove. Datsyuk barely touched him and he launched himself like the Apollo 11. But LGWs is too busy ripping on their own team to notice.

Oh hey, that’s OK. Streit can totally drive Cole’s head into the ice. Keep calling those trips on Giroux dives.

Hey, at least someone on this team is dropping the gloves.

Howard wiffs on the first shot of the season. Picking up where he left off...

Dekeyser saw the deal Quincey got and realized he is worth at least 8m...he is double the player Quincey is.
Tatar I'm not surprised. He has a cocky attitude and frankly thinks he is better than what he is so I wonder how far off their numbers are to the wings. Is it a million or two? Couple hundred thousand?

All of the above. What does that tell us?

All of the above. What does that tell us?

All of the above. What does that tell us?