wings4thecup06

I reckon they'd probably give him 2 years as Howie's backup - 1 to get acclimated, 2 to excel. By that time Jimmy has 2 years left and it's anybody's guess.

I guess they need to find the balance. I guess I haven't seen so many games this year where the manager slowly trots out. I still like the idea, but it needs a bit of tweaking

This is an interesting debate. Basically we have 5 D (once DK is re-signed), and then there should be open competition for 6-7 between Marchenko, Ouellet, Sproul, Kindl and Lashoff IMO. Personally I think Kindl needs to go, he regressed horrendously last year. Keep Lashoff as a serviceable no 7 guy, and promote Ouellet. If he struggles, send him down, and bring up Sproul. They had enough faith to bench Kindl and play Ouellet in game 5 vs Boston. I think that says something. Realistically, what I think will probably happen, is the same 7 guys will start the year on D. If Kindl doesn't start to show improvement, then I think KH will make a deal to move him, because frankly, I think he has to. The guy has 3 years left at $2.4m, which really, isn't a bad contract for a former first round pick who's just quite not put it all together yet. I just get the feeling the Wings will give him one last shot and see what happens. Forwards is all really dependent on what happens with Alfredsson. If Alfie returns, I definitely see Mantha starting in GR. I doubt that they'd start him in Detroit over Jurco, especially considering how effectively he played on the kid line last season. I think Cleary will get his 10 games, unless he is absolutely horrendous in camp. Even then if he is, I think they'd just keep him around as a healthy scratch, and play him intermittently until he gets 10 games in. I'm really not sure how this is going to play out, but next week will be a big indication as to whether he's got anything left in the tank. Personally I'm concerned that if he's able to show he can still play just a little bit better than last season, yet not to the standard he was in the 13' playoffs, that he'll beat out someone who could really help our team - see Jurco. If Alfie decides his back can't take it, then things get really interesting. Suddenly that 3rd line winger gets opened up to Jurco, Mantha, Pulkkinen and Cleary. In that scenario I would have thought that Jurco would get the job, but who knows. Obviously, if Helm doesn't succeed playing top line minutes, then he may get dropped back down to the 4th line, in which case we could see Mantha anyway. I want Alfie to return, because I think his experience, right hand shot and slapshot could really help us again. And if he pots around 20 goals, I'd be more than happy, because lets face it. 20 goals is probably what we'd expect out of Jurco or Mantha if they were up here for a rookie season. that only applies to guys who are not old enough to play in the AHL and are on entry level deals - they either have to make the NHL or are sent back to juniors. Doesn't apply to Mantha, who's 20 in 3 days. So even if he doesn't make the Wings off the bat, he'll be in GR no problem and his contract works just like everyone else's.

Good idea, but could be abused. Baseball have implemented the coach's challenge quite well this year IMO. I guess you could use a bench minor as a deterrent if the coach is wrong, ala what happened when Bob Hartley tried to get Hasek's stick measured in 02.

I think management really sent a message to Kindl when they benched him for game 5 vs the Bruins and played Ouellet (who I thought played great). At this point, I'd really prefer them to roll with one of the kids than have Kindl back there. I get that it takes longer for D to develop, and if we had a much more bonafide top 4, then I think we'd be willing to be a bit more patient. But the fact that our D is this teams weak point, and that we've got 4 promising prospect who might be NHL ready or near to it, means that really we should be making those last two spots an open competition. And I agree with everyone on Lashoff, except that last year he did step up his physical game. I distinctly remember Ken and Mickey making note of it at one point. But still, he's a serviceable 6-7 at best.

Agreed on the diving rule. I always liked how it was fair game if you got the puck first. Plus, it left it up to the refs for some open interpretation

Would rather see it eliminated personally....

Just funny how we don't see a thread here about how happy Datsyuk is and how he says his knee is strong and healthy, and how Z says his back is the best it's felt in a long time. Instead, we're down to whining about Ericsson and his shattered finger. Quite frankly, I'm not surprised its taking this long to heal. After all, it was shattered......

That's interesting. All the teams that haven't participated in a game yet minus St Louis are expansion/relocated teams from the 90's on. How growing the game coming along Gary?

A tremendous well done to HSJ for stirring the pot again.... http://www.freep.com/article/20140910/SPORTS05/309100164

Either of those would have been great. But they're not big media markets for Hockey. It's all about the $$$ essentially. And its a joke, recycling the same teams in match ups that frankly, interest no body, watering down the entire thing. At least last years game had some history to rivalry.

I think your prediction is probably more likely Kip, but it all depends on who he's got around him for support. Should be fun to watch!

Does anyone know if the prospect tourney games are being broadcast online anywhere?

Having been to many a football (sorry, soccer) game here in England, and then seen the contrast at Rugby games, I am tempted to classify most football fans as hooligans, but I shall refrain. That being said, I tend to feel that segregating home and away fans breed hatred and animosity (at least it does here in my experience). Most fans spend most of the game exclaiming profanity towards the referees, or other fans, or the teams. Contrast to the many games of rugby i've seen, where fans are freely integrated, and convivial with each other. The same I've seen at the 10 or so NHL games i've seen in the states and canada. I also went to a Swiss National League game a few years back and they were chanting the entire game. It's nuts. Personally I prefer things the way they are right now, and am against segregation, but that's only due to my previous experiences here. Whether they would turn into that if its tried in the NHL, who knows

Exactly. You can be the most dominant player in juniors against kids, but playing against men is a different story. Still why I think it's better for him to get his feet wet in GR first rather than making the big club off the bat.

No, No, Maybe and No

Yea he's 20 in 8 days. 50 goals as a 17/18 year old isn't half that bad.

I believe (if my memory serves me correctly) that he had the choice of Detroit and Boston. EDIT: This seems to suggest the Bruins were at least interested, but Alfie chose the Wings http://www.ottawasun.com/2013/07/03/bruins-reach-out-to-alfie Agreed. And I wouldn't be surprised to see one of them gone and a kid called up by December.

I agree. But I guess I would have preferred that competition to come from the 4+ D prospects we have, rather than another average NHL D man.

The only thing I have about this Diaz signing is, do we really need another borderline 4/5/6 D man guy when we've already got 4 guys in GR who are practically knocking on the door, and in most other teams would be rounding out the 3rd pairing? I'm all for improving the club, but it seems everyone here is automatically willing to give Diaz a job lest we forget though that he was traded twice and only played in 4 playoff games last year for the Rangers.

I'm really excited to see how this plays out. After a day of thinking about it, it could work really well. Helm might get a breakaway per game if he plays with D and Z As for the 4th line debate, I agree with Krsmith. Andersson had one good year, but IMO doesn't bring enough even to warrant 4th line playing time. With his limited offensive upside, he's better suited to the 3rd line, but now we've got Sheahan. And I'd rather have Glendening on the 4th line. There's a reason he played against some of the toughest lines in the league last year. He might have stone hands, but so what? His career potential is a 4th line shut down guy, not a 20 goal scorer. Yes he needs to improve his face-offs, but he's well aware of his strengths and weaknesses.

I'd give DK $4.25-4.5m AAV for 6 years. There, that was easy wasn't it?

And it gives a chance to fully evaluate whats there when the team is healthy from the start, so management can work out who is expendable

I can't way to watch a full season of a more mature Tatar. The guy is just so exciting when he's out there

Exactly. And this is why I wonder why people are so hesitant about this. personally I think it's a great idea. With Pavel and Hank together, we don't necessarily need someone with all the tools of a top line winger. With Helm's speed and his ability to crash and bang and generally create havoc, and Pavel dishing the puck, it frees Hank to shoot more. (remember, it wasn't so long ago that he scored 40) Plus, I think Helm's offensive ability is a tad underrated. He's got better hands than Abby for a start. And he scored 12 goals in only 42 games last year, well above his career pace, playing 3rd line minutes. With a better quality of line mates surrounding him, who's to say he can't get 25 in a full season? And if it's not working, then change it up. But there's certainly no harm in trying.