wings4thecup06

Agreed on Mrazek. It was abad game, but goalies, especially rookies playing that many games in a row, have off nights. He'll be fine. And like everyone else, he's got a couple things to work on but once he figures everything out, he'll be very very good. And really, the opener by Paquette was a defensive f*** up, as was his second were Mrazek was completely screened. The one he should have had back was Stamkos', but there's a reason that guy is a 60 goal scorer...

Well, the Ruble was pretty screwed right before Christmas, I haven't looked since, but who knows. It may change his mind. Of course, at the time of his last contract extension things didn't look quite this bright for the Wings as they do now. For the record. The last thing I want is to see Pavel go. But the talk around his last contract was about him going home soon. I'm keeping my expectations low.

I would lose my fruit if we traded for Myers. Agh. Just no. I don't care whether he's been stuck on a s*** team for years now, if you're good, it doesn't matter the caliber of team you have around you. I can just see it being a big mistake if they trade for him. As for Marchenko. I think the Wings have identified quite handily that Ouellet is ready and will be good to go. In other words, I don't think they're gonna trade him. They know what they have in him, and he's pretty much earned his spot. They need to know if any of the other young D guys are NHL ready now, and it's also a showcase to other teams so when the deadline comes around, KH can be like 'you know so and so, looked ready in his brief stint last month...' All it does is give the Wings more pieces to potentially move and more leverage. And let's face it. All 4 of Sproul, Ouellet, Marchenko and Jensen aren't going to play for the Wings if they all make it. There's just not enough spots. Not next year or the year after. So something's gotta give.

I don't know man, personally I don't see that happening. There were strong waves before he re-signed last time that he wants to finish his career in Russia. Yes, we've got a better team now that looks brighter, but it wouldn't surprise me one bit if Pavel left after the end of his current contract and went home.

Personally I'd take Mantha right now. The Wings haven't had that kind of size/scoring ability in one player in a long long time. And it's needed. Not as badly perhaps now with the seeming emergence of Nyquist, Tatar and Sheahan, but still, for the future, we're gonna need Mantha to be good. That's not a knock on Larkin. I would happily take both . Lets hope he continues to develop really well at U of M. How many years do people think he'll be there for? 2? 3?

But that is, honestly, what is most impressive about him and his game. I'd rather not notice him, because that means he's making smart plays, not getting caught pinching, not out of place and having players blow by him, not turning it over a ton. Tbh, I have noticed him a few times, but they've been on really smart plays he's made, and that's probably because I like to focus on the young guys when I watch the Wings these days. He definitely deserves to stay without question. It's about time. But, losing Kindl for nothing isn't worth it, but if the Kings can send Mike Richards to the AHL, why can't we send Kindl down there too?

I agree, but what I see is this team needing to win a playoff round or two this year with the kids, so that it makes them even hungrier. Sort of like what happened in 06/07. Got close, realised what was needed, and dug deep the following year and got the job done. After last years playoffs though, I think Tatar and Nyquist will want to prove themselves a little more come April. I do see KH attempting to upgrade the backend at some point before the deadline, but whether anything comes to fruition or not is another question. If it were me, I'd probably find a way to get something for Kindl and keep Ouellet in the lineup full time. Obviously, it depends who's available and what the cost is. No point selling the farm for one piece when that piece won't put us over the top just yet.

I would take the Lightning, just because we'd stay in first and try and open a gap. But make no mistake, that Isles game is gonna be a gem.

I just re-read the first post of this thread. And then laughed incredibly hard.

Yea I know, it's just the epitome of greed. Sorry, just hacks me off sometimes.

Thing I've found about Franzen is that he played really well the first 10 games or so. He looked re-energised, was properly engaged for most of the game. And then he just got streaky again. Which is fine, it's what we've come to know and expect. But concussions mount up. I'm not saying he's dropped off like some are, but head injury after head injury sure makes a difference, and the last couple of times he's been levelled to which you would have thought most players would get up fine from, he's got up really slowly. I agree with you though Kip, he's expendable not because his play has declined, but because he's been surpassed by others who work harder. If he retires early, the wings are subject to the cap recapture penalty right?

That is my biggest 'fear' right now. That Boston team is starting to heat up. And while I'd really love for us to meet the bruins again and DeKeyser to spear Lucic's nuts off and Smith to throw haymakers at Chara, that team when rolling is scary. They're way better than 8th in the East.

I don't think Tavares is getting fed up anymore.......

When, just when, will this game, and the NHL, stop shooting themselves in the foot? Seriously. It's a niche sport, embrace it!! Instead of f****** around with these stupid ideas that just ultimately diminish other areas of the game in order to 'attract more fans' or 'grow the game'. Pro sports are really beginning to **** me off.

I know it's only been a week, but I've really missed the wings. LGW!!

Overall, I think I was happy with the way Teemu played during his call up. Better than last season's 3 games for sure. I still think he was over anxious to shoot at times, although that's probably a product of the fact that all everyone has been talking about is his slapshot, how good it is, and how he's the next Brett Hull. Still, he certainly didn't look out of place, and played reasonably well defensively. IMO, he's gotta make quicker decisions with the puck, cause a couple times he turned it over because he took too long. That being said, i was super happy for him when he scored. Here's hoping we see him back soon. We need that right hand shot and his bomb. Can you imagine if in a couple years time we could line up Sproul and Pulkkinen at the point of the power play?

The promising thing here is that they managed to find a way to win the game despite not bringing it. Yes the Wild didn't generate much on their own through 40, but that 3rd period should have been nowhere near close. Ericsson's blunder took me right back to the 07' playoffs and it was as if Lilja had been reborn. Regardless, everyone makes mistakes, and the Wings should have shut the game down. I have a feeling that they got a little over confident perhaps and with a 4-1 lead heading into the 3rd and the prospect of a week off, most players wanted to go on vacation. Still awesome to see Teemu pot his first in possibly his final game with the wings for a while.

Agreed 100%. This is a pure money grab from the league, and what's worse is that its totally depreciated the Winter classic in the process. In fact, what they probably should do, but won't, is not hold any outdoor games for a few years. Less is more you know?

Rivalries are an interesting one. I think the decline right now has a little something to do with the league trying to stamp out fighting (albeit very subtly), the speed of the game increasing, and things like the instigator penalty haven't helped. How many times have we seen players from any team about to fight, only for the refs to instantly break it up. The one I remember distinctly from this season was Iginla earlier in the year. Players are about to drop the gloves, are talking, and where years ago the refs would let them jaw and then get on with it, now they almost instantly step in. Now, I'm not saying that rivalries are born out of fighting. But you can just see the league slowly edging out the culture of fighting. Every rivalry needs someone to doll out some punishment and then a certain level of retribution to be enacted. Whether that be one team beating the other in the Finals (ala Wings/penguins), or someone to get smashed unfairly and then that guy gets served. If you ask me, the key thing for a rivalry to develop is multiple playoff meetings. Now that we're no longer in the same conference its difficult, but for a few years you could see the Wings/Ducks games starting to look a little something like this. Both teams were powerhouses. Both had beaten each other in the playoffs. Star players got involved (see Perry/Datsyuk fight). What does everyone think? Does a rivalry require every team to have guys who can fight? Or can it just be based on non-fighting physicality and the teams simply trying to beat each other?

Gotta keep Gus tbh. Mrazek will be around to more than keep the Wings floating above the water until Jimmy returns. Then Mrazek will go back down to GR, and Gus will periodically spell Jimmy down the stretch. Hopefully, the Wings won't be in such a dire situation that requires them to bring their A++++ game every night thanks to the healthy position we're in after 47 games, so giving Monster a game or two every now and then won't hurt, while having Mrazek in GR should strengthen them too.

Teemu hasn't looked bad in his call up, but I still feel he's squeezing his stick, a little too eager to shoot perhaps and has made a few poor decisions. I'm glad he's here, but I don't think the Wings are maximising his potential. Or maybe i just got spoiled last year because Sheahan and Jurco came up and contributed from the get go. Here's hoping he pots one tonight

Honestly, if you asked me, I think all this team really needs to have a legitimate shot is consistency in terms of offence and a slight upgrade on the back end (personally I'd be happy if they made Ouellet full time and shipped Kindl). Jimmy is back in top form, the D has been extremely solid and our special teams are among the best in the league. What's not to like?

I don't want to be Devil's advocate here, but one player does not a cup make sir. Those Hawks teams were stacked even without Hossa. And if we'd kept Hossa and had to lose Franzen, Hudler and Filppula, we probably wouldn't have won another cup just because the losses would have hurt our depth.

Me too but he looks way too tense right now. He's clearly squeezing his stick a little too hard. kid needs to relax a bit and it'll come. He doesn't look out of place, but you can tell he's trying to do a little too much right now

I love how, 6 years on, Hossa still stirs up the pot in these forums.