Kp-Wings

Just got home and tuned in... stupid work schedule. Can anyone update me on what I missed? I don't really like reading through this whole topic. Also, how's Downey been doing? Any fights, goals, or anything from him?

The game should be available online on either 1270 or 97.1's website. Unless those stations don't plan on covering tonights game (dunno why they wouldn't though).

I'm glad to see Downey getting noticed. Hopefully he makes the team.

Ugh. I'm going to be clutching at straws with this... Forwards: Zetterberg - Datsyuk - Holmstrom Cleary - Filppula - Emmerton Drake - Draper - Maltby Ellis - Franzen - Downey Extras Keefe - Grigorenko - Clark Defense: Lidstrom - Sopel Chelios - Rafalski Ference - Kindl Extras: Quincey - Pyett Hasek Osgood Actually, I like that roster, even though it's overstacked.

It can't hurt to give Downey a chance. Babcock said he wants to carry 14 forwards... right now, including Grigorenko, we are at 13. I see no harm in giving Downey the last spot, and put him in every once in a while when there's injuries, or against teams like Anaheim. Player wise, he is better then Norton. He hits hard, has decent puck-handling skills, and is a great forechecker. Fighter wise, he isn't great, but he's also still better then Norton. The Norton comparisons given by some around here are pretty off base: Downey is a way better player. I'd really like to see Downey given a chance. He won't cost us much, about $500,000 or so, and he'd be great to have as an extra forward.

Wait... so you mean they won't be in any of the pre-season games? Reason I ask is I haven't heard any news of them being sent back to their respective teams yet. Clark and Keefe weren't on the list of 12 cut/junior bound players that was released recently.

Lebda can skate, and that's about it. He doesn't get complimented, because he doesn't do anything. All he can do is skate. He has below-average offensive ability, isn't physical, or very good defensivily either. He's an average defenseman, at best. I've advocated many times trading him... but his trade value isn't worth much. On that note: the Lebda-Kronwall comparison shouldn't even be made. Neither of them have really proven anything. I like the style that Kronwall plays over Lebda, but for someone who has never shown the least bit of offensive capabilities at the NHL level, and is injury prone to the extreme, he sure does get the approval ratings around here. As for who I'd take instead: it's hard to say at this point, but probably neither.

Michael Ryder Brian Rolston Mike Knuble That's all I can think of right now. There are plenty of guys that I want, but it's hard to say if their respective teams will be out of the race by then. I think we do have a semi-good chance at the names I listed. Ryder and Rolston both play on fringe playoff teams that might not make it next year, and Knuble played on the NHL's worst team last year. It's still hard to tell at this point, though, since all three of those teams could have great seasons. Now, on the opposite end of the spectrum, there are two guys I hope the Wings get rid of at the trade deadline: Tomas Kopecky and Mikeal Samulesson. I don't think I need to explain why, either.

Good for Berard. I'd like to see him regain his form. On the subject of Boulerice: he's had concussion problems dating further back from the infamous knockout from Downey. I've always like Boulerice as a player, but his injury problems are really catching up to him. As you seen, Lou, he had no fights after November. Also: lol at Rory. The fans ate him alive in Vancouver, now he's going to Philly, where the fans are almost even worse. I'd be surprised to even see him make it.

Downey's been great so far. I really hope Holland signs him on as like a #13 forward or something. It'd be nice to have him for games against teams like Anaheim, when the going get's rough. Keefe is really impressive. If given the right opportunity, we could breed a good fighter right through the system, and he could be like a McCarty-type player (he has shown some offensive capabilities, especially in this training camp). At worst, he'd end up another Ryan Barnes. Neil Clark I don't know much about yet... I'm trying to find out some more about him though. He looks like another we could put through the system, and see how it turns out. Fighters aside: I like Sopel for making the team. He seems to be playing pretty well so far, and has decent NHL expierence. I think he'd be a good fit for our blueline.

The Schneider hate is pretty ridiculous. He only played here for about 3 1/2 seasons. If he had spent his whole career here, then up and left, that'd be one thing. But he's played for numerous teams before he came here. And since he also lives in California, it makes sense for him to play close to home. To actually wish the guy harm and cheer for injury is stupid. I could understand that treatment for Bertuzzi... he's a piece of s*** anyways that deserves anything he gets. But Schneider is a good guy, and has done nothing wrong. Good luck Matty, and get better soon. (plus, you all seem to forget the fact that our replacement, Rafalski, is a better player)

Nickelback - Too Bad

The fighters were all brought back, so all is well on that front! I'm looking forward to see what Emmerton can do in pre-season. He has a lot of hype following him since he was drafted, so I'd like to see what he can do.

Grigorenko has been a major disappointment, thus far. Hopefully he starts stepping it up. I'm impressed with the fighters. While I'm not counting on any of them to really make the team, all three (Downey, Keefe, and Clark) have been invited back, and weren't cut right away, like I thought they would be. Can't wait to see them in pre-season action! Sopel sounds like he's been doing good also. I'd like to see the Wings pick him up: we need another defenseman right now, so Chelios doesn't have to play in the top 4 and can be rested for the playoffs. I'm really looking forward to the pre-season games, to see what some of these guys can do.

Kopecky is not even a center, for one thing. He played it like once in juniors (Lethbridge) but hasn't played it all that much after that. The size thing is a joke. He isn't going to win faceoffs because of his size, because he never uses it to any extent. The ideal centers (in my opinion) would be this: Datsyuk Zetterberg Draper Filppula Filppula is not that great at faceoffs either, so he'd work fine with Draper or Drake or somebody. But he's a natural center anyways. Kopecky isn't a center. I hate Kopecky, and think he's totally useless. It would please me to an extreme to see Grigorenko or Downey or someone else make the team over him, but that's just wishful thinking on my end.

I don't mind this right now, but to be honest, having Draper on the wing is one of the stupidest ideas I've ever seen. His best skill is his faceoff ability. It really makes no sense to have the teams best faceoff man not playing center. Unless he does still take the draws, but it doesn't sound like he will. Kopecky... I'm not even going to go there. You all know what I think of him. These lines don't exite me at all (their pretty lame in my opinion), but I generally like Babcock as a coach, so I'll trust him on this one. He knows more then I do anyways.

Indeed it will. Though, Drake is one of my favorites on the Wings, so hopefully it's a good sign of things to come.

That's too bad. Best of luck Teppo, and hope you have a speedy recovery.

So then why exactly would Holland invite them if they had no chance in hell of making it? Some decent names on there. Neil, Shelly, and Peters are all legitimate heavyweights in the NHL right now. Guys like Simpson and Simon were big time fighters also during their heyday, and Marc Moro was a great fighter in the AHL.

Ideal tradeoffs: Sopel > Lebda Cullimore > Lilja Cullimore and Lilja are about the same, but because Lilja has done so much to piss me off in his tenure here *coughGame5cough*, I'll give Cullimore the benefit of the doubt. We don't even have to play him that much. Keep him around as a spare #7 defenseman, and maybe give time to Quincey or Kindl. Sopel and Lebda are both offensive defenseman, but since Sopel is much better, I'd rather have him. Only if he's willing to accept a cheap contract though. No way would I give Sopel the 2.4 million he made last season. Here's an ideal defense in my opinion: Lidstrom - Rafalski Sopel - Kronwall Kindl - Chelios Cullimore I don't expect that Kindl will be on the team to start, but I really wish he was. He has all the making of an all-star defenseman. He can learn a thing or two from Chelios also. I have Lebda removed from the list, which is merely a what I'd want to see on my ideal defense. In all reality, he'd probably be the #6 guy paired with Chelios, while Cullimore would be #7 (if he makes it), and Kindl would get his filler time down in GR. I shouldn't get too ahead of myself, since none of these guys are even officially on the Wings roster yet. Take it one day at a time at this point.

I'd rather just invite somebody healthy, to be honest. I don't know if Downey can be much worse than McCarty skating wise. He looked pretty bad last season with Calgary before he went down to injury. There are others I'd want instead of Downey, but I don't know if McCarty is one of them. But still: I wish Downey luck also, and it's nice to see Holland actually willing to give him a chance.

Hey, I said a chance. I should have specified by that I meant a very very very very very very very very very very small chance. As I said: I'm not jumping on the Lions bandwagon yet. They did go 2-0 a few years ago, and then didn't win a game for like 6 weeks or something. Anything is possible. Who would have thought the Tigers would have turned things around so drastically last summer after 19 straight years of futility and playoff no-shows?

McCarty is a dinosaur. Not that Downey is all that great, but at least he can still skate. McCarty, on the other hand, had hernia surgery and was already slowing down big time to begin with. There are others I'd prefer, but if Downey's the one given the chance here, I certainly hope he makes it. He is better than Norton on many levels, and having one fighter is better than none. (plus, I must disgress again the usefullness of having a fighter as the #13 forward rather then someone like Kopecky, who is extremely useless, or Grigorenko, who damn well should be a regular on the team once the season starts).

...and apparently, it's a ripoff of the old Calgary Flames montra from a few years ago. I do believe they used the same line. It's so nice to see the Wings organization thinking outside the box for a change. By that I mean using recycled lines for nothing.