Drake_Marcus

Ahh I gotcha. Yeah, he's got a bright future ahead of him. Maybe he'll be able to work 20 goals in there like Chara did this year! That'd make my year if he could I agree- we need more hitty guys to back up all the speedy, offense first kids we've got stocked up. Well rounded is definitely a very useful type of defenseman (as Ericsson proved by stepping in and filling Lilja's roll in the playoffs). And as far as the keyboard GM stuff goes... I'm as guilty as you are. It's definitely the best part of the offseason.

Fixed it. There's no semi about it- Ericsson is an offensive Dman- that's what made him an AHL allstar, that's what he's best at- shooting 100mph slapshots at the enemy on the PP. He also happens to be a fantastic defensive player. We'll see Ericsson's offensive skills show up more as he gets more time on ice and more PP time. It's just that the way he's been used so far has been in a defensive role. Well... aside from the times he was used offensively, in which case I'd like to point to his excellent (for a rookie) offensive stats when paired with Norris Nick Edit: Good pick Probie- that kid does sound like he could be a stud. Assuming he made the NHL, at worst we'd have a strong, large physical d-man that can lay people out. That's not bad at all.

pwned

Actually the reason why he dropped is because he is short and was one of the weakest kids tested at the combine. That doesn't change his level of skill. He won't be there when the third rolls around- bank on it.

The Wings knew Tampa was going to take Carter. They're not idiots. They wouldn't trade the pick otherwise.

I really hope the Wings get this kid. He has simply amazing amounts of skill. He's already broken one of Ovechkin's scoring records. Pick him up Detroit- you'll have an even more skilled Hudler at worst and hopefully Datsyuk's heir apparent in 4 years! This much skill doesn't fall into the laps of the Detroit Red Wings very often.

Bingo.

The fact that Palin is considered a candidate for the 2012 elections by many republican circles makes democrats around the US giddy.

He's definitely a franchise player. Think of who you could trade him for in the NHL. Virtually anyone near his age. The only people off that list are much younger than him and also franchise players.

That does say they wanted the guys on their list more than the guys who dropped down into their laps, though, which is what we've been speculating all along.

Maybe. If he did we can get his equivalent this year with our 32nd pick

Is that last photo after he broke Ovechkin's record for WJU18 scoring?

Yeah man, but look at the list of grinders and PKers we have... there's three of four million of them and about 4 legit scorers.

Yeah man- he'll look like that as an adult. Because some people just skip puberty and apparently this is one of them. That should tell you he'll be bigger when the Wings need him. I'd rather he look like that than a full grown man that happens to be short as f***.

f***. Nickelback? Spaghetti Bolognese is my favourite post workout meal. CSI is a pathetically poorly written show. Jessica Alba is someone I'd cut a toe or finger off of to bang. Zetterberg is like a solid gold statue of Darth Vader- f***in' sweet and totally worth killing that kid next door for.

The list of big Canadian future power forwards who failed to make something of themselves is a mile deep man. Does anyone here honestly think the Wings don't want size? Don't want a Lucic type of player? f*** no they do. They want that type of player bad. But they draft too low to get realistic shots at that type of player. So they draft the best available player and hope he gets big while maintaining NHL skill. A farm system full of skilled kids who haven't finished puberty is more likely to generate some big skilled adults than one stocked with big kids trying to learn to play at the NHL skill level. Think of it this way: do you want a smart kid or a physically gifted kid? You can get bigger and stronger, you can't get smarter or significantly more skilled.

Seconded. But not at the cost of skill. Give me Franzen- size and skill. Or give me Zetterberg- he's not big but he's a franchise player.

That makes you hate them? Not their team culture? Not their fans (who make NY fans look like aristocrats)? Not the rest of the cheapshot artists on their team? Not their history as a cheapshot factory that gleefully injures everything around them? Not the tasty Philly Cheese Steak that lures you into obesity with sweet sweet cheesy meat?

Seriously. "A lot" is almost an understatement.

You hit the nail on the head. And it's not just Holland and Co. that saw something was amiss. Carter fell about 10 spots based on non-insider predictions. That very, very rarely happens to future studs (unless they're Russian and people are scared of the KHL stealing them once the NHL team's put the development time in). Odds are Carter fell for a reason. I was sitting in my chair saying "Carter! Carter!" and got bummed when the Wings traded down. But that's the point isn't it, that's the difference between me in a chair and the guys sitting at the Wings draft table. I know s*** all.

Honestly, I don't see the point of drafting 3rd/4th line guys. 3rd/4th line guys are a dime a dozen compared to 1st liners. I say swing for the fences and pick your 3rd/4th line guys from the washouts that never managed to score at the NHL level. Heh, well I say that now because the Wings farm teams are awash in 3rd/4th liners but are starving for high end scorers.

Oh I agree with you there. He's not going to say "man, there's s*** all after pick 15!' then look a kid in the face that he picked after pick 15 and say 'we wanted to get you sooooo bad'.

Which tells me that those kids fell for a reason. The Wings wouldn't deviate from their planed player unless a better player unexpectedly fell down (ala Jiri Fischer). When Carter and Despres fell into the Wings laps and they brushed them off, what does that tell you about those two? Apparently the Wings plan to stick with the plan because they feel confident the kids they have in their sights are better than those two.

I literally smiled every single time they did it. Did anyone else notice the ticks and displeasure in his stupid little trollish face when he said the Wings' name during the trade announcement?

I'm not saying McKenzie is bad at all! I actually like him and respect his opinions. I'm saying that Nill is better. I'm sure that the Wings are better informed than McKenzie in these intimate details. Know why? Because the Wings hire a team of individuals full time to scout these kids 365 days a year. The Wings pay big bucks to these guys- they have a huge, well funded and diverse scouting network. McKenzie is very good at his job, but the Wings are the best in the world at theirs. McKenzie's coverage of the NHL Draft is but one small part of his job requirements. Today and tomorrow are the culmination of everything the Wings' scouts are paid for. This is it. This is their D-day.