Drake_Marcus

I don't think there's room for him unless Miller and or Eaves are let go. Otherwise I like this move. He gives size, shotblocking and has the ability to chip in offensively as well as fight.

There's something to be said for being drafted outside the first round... too many high draft pick kids think they're big s*** before they've even played a game in the NHL. I wish a few more of the first round busts of recent years could sit some of these kids down and tell them that all they've done is get their foot in the door. Smith has no reason to think he's such hot s***. He's three years past his draft year and hasn't played a single game of NHL hockey. He was considered a shoe in for the top three Hobbey Baker finalists but got snubbed because his defensive game wasn't dominant (although he's definitely improved it each year). Aside from last season he's yet to show us why he was drafted in the 1st. Smith needs to put up or shut up in the AHL. He should save any arrogance for when he's shown himself to be an elite prospect playing against men. And for the record-- Tatar has more reason to be cocky than Smith. Tatar was the youngest player in the AHL. He was the first Wings prospect to play in the AHL in his draft year since they started their affiliation with the Griffins. Tatar was a star for his home country at the WJ. What has Smith done aside from last season? I think Smith has the potential to be a top pairing defenseman but he's got to put some serious muscle on his frame and he's got to show that he has the same top end game against men.

Ericsson's got a very good first pass ability when he's confident. His biggest problem is that he's a gambler at heart and is willing to take risks when his job is to play a simple game. He definitely plays better hockey when he's getting more minutes as he's just not in the mold of a simple 3rd pairing guy like Lilja.

Ericsson's fighting is pretty dependent on just being bigger than the other guy. He's not really capable of going toe to toe with heavy weights even though he's got the size to. Sure he can manhandle a ***** like Perry but he'd get murdered by a real fighter.

Yikes. Then you're 100% right. We don't need the worst team in the league's cast offs.

True. I just find the early actions of Stevie unsettling. Originally I was excited he got his shot in Tampa. I signed up on the TB forums and figured I had a Leastern team to cheer for on nights the Wings aren't playing. That's all well and good. But once reports filtered out about him looking to grab Wings employees this early in the game I've started to get a bit worried. Now there's someone out there with the inside track and the credibility to realistically prove a greater chance of luring key managerial assets away from the Wings. The one thing that I'm confident about with Lidstrom retiring is that the architects of this franchise haven't disappeared (Bowman not withstanding). The idea that key pieces of that puzzle could walk away is pretty scary for me. The management is what sets Detroit apart... without that we could be one of those miserable teams we all joke about (Atlanta, Toronto, Edmonton, etc).

I know I have a DSM pdf somewhere on my harddrive...

Yeah, with Kindl and Ericsson on the team we have more than enough big players who don't use their size consistently.

You don't get the feeling that Mindfly is actually a well intentioned guy who has chronic depression? I've always thought he posted negative comments all the time because he actually felt that way.

I didn't know he was actually on the outs with them.

Fair enough, but I'm not so sure the politics are as simple as saying no.

Mindfly is just sad all the time. You know what player's name has to be mentioned to get our resident piss ant in here.

I have a hard time imagining them walking away from Lilja unless someone really tempting comes along. Holland likes sticking to familiar players... Still, I'm guessing the points is to generate discussion Excelby is someone I really wanted us to get back when he played for Atlanta... but as a Leaf he's been considerably less impressive. You can argue that it's the Leafs who are making him look worse, but the doubt is still there now. What about Brendan Witt? I'm not really familiar with Leastern teams so I'm not sure if he has anything left in the tank.

I hope no one here is under the illusion that deep down Yzerman is still thinking about the Wings' interests. Stevie is and always was a professional. His job is to get a Cup for Tampa Bay. If he can poach Andersson, Nill or anyone else he won't think twice about doing it. At the end of the day he's a member of the Lightning and will act accordingly. I just don't understand how his career with the Wings gives him any special rights in his dealings as the GM of Tampa. If anyone undermines the Detroit Red Wings it pisses me off. I don't care if it's Gordie Howe sitting on the shoulders of Yzerman holding a bag of Little Caesars pizzas. It's not cool to f*** with my team.

Two guys so far. I doubt his attempts to remove pieces of the Wings organization and move them to Tampa will slow with time. This is the worst time for him to go after Wings assets. Just wait until the dust settles. If he's willing to go after people in the first week you can bet he'll be contacting more and more people over the next few years. Maybe you're ok with someone actively trying to disassemble the Wings organization using the inside knowledge they gained as an employee. I'm sure Tampa's ok with that because that's definitely in their best interests. As long as they guy screwing you is someone you loved as a player it's ok?

No problem. I'm not that far from you right now (New Brunswick). I hope my post helped you a bit. If you're interested in more info about Wings prospects I suggest you bookmark www.redwingscentral.com They have scouting reports on everyone in the system.

But not Mindfly!

I can't help but laugh at the negative votes for this post. Where do you guys draw the line? At what point during Yzerman's career with the Wings did he get the magic "steal employees free" card? So let me get this straight: if you're beloved enough in Hockeytown you're allowed perform actions that undermine the security/quality of the team going forward without entitling fans to legitimately feel slighted? Wow... that's a sweet deal for Yzerman.

I honestly hope Yzerman stays away from trying to sign Wings management and employees for the remainder of his career in TB. If he becomes a vulture circling the management for the next 10 years it will definitely get on my nerves. The Wings let him move on and gave him their blessing. That doesn't mean it's cool for him to start picking away at this team's structure looking for people he can lure away from the Wings. Please Stevie-- leave Wings employees alone until they've clearly been released by the team. I'm tired of reading news clippings saying you've asked for permission to talk to X. f*** off with the poaching. There are 28 NHL teams a many more other pro hockey organizations to look for employees. Your inside knowledge of the Wings organization gives an unfair advantage (bordering on tampering) and raiding the organization that employed you for more than two decades is an extremely aggressive move to make against people that used to be your friends. Please move on and look for staff elsewhere... we just want to see our team left in peace.

In what parallel universe is Comrie going to play for 1.25 million?

After a Hart nomination, a fist full of selke trophies (assuming he wins this year) and four seasons between 87 and 97 points it's really hard to say Datsyuk isn't a superstar. The larger issue is that it's all but certain that Datsyuk has 'peaked' since he's going on 32 now.

Emmerton has to have a strong year this coming season to keep himself on the radar... he hasn't grown as much as hoped since turning pro. McGrath is either going to retire or be a career minor league player. He's got the heart and grit to play but his hands aren't good enough (or at least the results he gets aren't good enough) and he hasn't really done enough in other areas to make up for that. It's not a big deal-- no one had any illusions about him being a blue chip prospect. From what I've read he's well liked in GR and a very nice guy. Guys like him are critical to the success of the AHL. In that league the fans like a closer connection with the players and quality people like Evan are always fan favourites. Of the two Emmerton is more likely to play in the NHL. McGrath could make the jump with a lot of hard work but there's only so many years you can spend on the farm before your chances drop down to zero.

Considering the widespread joy around here when he was traded I really hope this doesn't turn into another Quincey situation where people pretend they were against him leaving (even though 90% of these people weren't) and blame Holland instead of the player who couldn't earn a roster spot on their own. I was unhappy to see Leino go (I had to drop him from my signature ) and I'm not terribly surprised that he bounced back. I am surprised that he put 16pts up in the playoffs so far, though. He'll likely never be more than a 2nd line winger but it sucks that he couldn't earn a roster spot here in Detroit.

Miller was a key member of the PK and potted 10 goals. He's definitely worth keeping.

Here are the final rankings from Red Wings Central: