SoupGuru

I remember a few games ago when three Red Wings caught a high stick and not one of them was called. I'm of the opinion that refs don't consciously favor one team or another and make equally bad calls between the teams. Sometimes it favors us but it seems most of the time it favors the other team... I chalk the difference up to me being a little more obsessive about the Wings Oh yeah, has anyone else noticed that Rooney is the worst ref ever?

It's too bad but I think he gets a lot leeway from the refs for his size. If a big boy got such a running start at someone they'd be whistled for it, no doubt.

During that Nashville game, I couldn't count how many times Kronwall was out of position or put himself out of position by trying to check the puck carrier only to have him slip by... causing Kronwall to play catch-up and hook and grab or have a teammate bail him out.

What talent? What exactly are Kronwall's talents? I'm sorry to single you out because this is really a question for all those people that come in here making general statements like that. "He's definitely a top 4 defenseman." "He's way better than XYZ." "He's got all sorts of talent." As if this talent is so glaringly obvious that we all see it too. But I don't. Will someone please detail to me exactly what Kronwall's talents are?

Is there also a reason why Lebda is 7th on the team in +/- and Kronwall is 25th? No, I'll just give you my opinion: Lebda is twice the defenseman that Kronwall is now and will still be the better defenseman 5 or 10 years from now. I'm not saying that because I think Lebda is so good but more because I think Kronwall is so bad. Maybe I'm wrong and I hope I am. Kronwall might have great skill and ability but his problem is he's not smart enough to play in the NHL. He makes bad plays. Over and over and over. If I saw any indication that he's learned something this past year I might change my opinion but he's still making those same bad plays. He has to make the simple play over and over and over.

How much time do we give him to come around? How much time do we spend to "develop" him? Quite frankly, Kronwall's big problem is that Lebda is on the same team. Lebda has even less experience than Kronwall but has developed 10x as fast and over the course of a year has become a very reliable defenseman. This makes it seem crazy that we should be giving Kronwall breaks because he needs more time and experience. With Lebda, you can see his development - but I swear Kronwall makes the same boneheaded mistakes he's been making all year. As I've said before, we have lots of player that need time to develop and need to gain experience. You'll find all those guys in the minors until they can contribute at the NHL level.

Lidstrom plays the game more with his head than his body. Sure, he's got great talent too, but that's not what makes him such a great player. I remember a quote from Babcock earlier this year on some of Kronwall's struggles by saying something like "He's got to make the simple play, then make it again, and again, and again." I think that's Lidstrom's game: takes very few risks, always makes the safe play, is never out of position... those things take brains more than brawn.

I'd love to see Tkachuk in Detroit. He's exactly what we need. We already have scorers and playmakers... what we don't have is space for those guys to work with. All a team needs to do is get physical to shut that down. With someone like Tkachuk, we let our other guys do their jobs. Not to mention that he can score on his own quite well too...

How much does that crazy bastard cost?

I don't see it happening at all either. I just think if the stars aligned (heh), he'd be worth going after since I hate him when we play against him because of his abrasive style and severe lack of fear. He's an agitator like Avery or Maltby but is still willing to drop the gloves with anyone and everyone. I heard about his health issues too and that really sucks. I hope he does what's best for his family.

I forget where I heard it but he chipped a real tooth and fake one.

What makes you say that? I get tired of hearing people state that like it's a fact without any support. What exactly to does Kronwall do that makes him a top 3 defenseman in your eyes? As far as Lebda is concerned, I think he's pretty solid defensively. He's smart and he's modeling his game after Chelios which I think is great. His offense isn't great but he's still playing well above what we all though he was capable of.

Drake?! I've never heard that name come up in trade talks but that would be totally awesome! He plays hard and with an edge. Let's go Wildcats!

Do you guys think this lack of team toughness might come from Babcock? I realize we don't have any players regarded as "tough" but you'd think if this was another team, even the little guys would take exception a lot more often. It makes me wonder if Babcock isn't the one clamping down on physical play - especially considering what he said after this last Flyers game.

We have a lot of players with potential. Some with a lot of potential. Most of them are in Grand Rapids or elsewhere in the world, gaining the experience necessary to compete at the NHL level. When they're ready to contribute, they're brought up and are eased into the system with more ice time as they mature. I think some people are hinting that Kronwall isn't contributing as much to his team as he was expected to. You can have all the potential in the world but if you suck now, there's no reason to be on the team. Is it acceptable for other players on this team to suck so long as they have potential? Williams has a lot of potential but he's a little snakebitten now as well. He just needs to find his stride and get comfortable again. We've all seen that he has skill and is capable of putting up numbers. But why is everyone screaming for him to get the boot and yet everyone is willing to wait years for Kronwall to come around?

But is this necessarily a risk? What other players could we get for the same cash? Players that are already playing at a high level and have a bright future? It just seems we have a lot of money sunk into a player that isn't performing as well as expected with a couple of questions about his future.

I do too. Not for the Calder thing so much, but because he plays with an edge and just makes you so angry at him with all the pushing and facewashing after the whistle. I think a lot of teams and players around the league hate him. How many players on the Wings are hated by other teams? Maltby? He's pretty insignificant these days. Chelios? Maybe for the way he played in the past but probably not too much today. Yeah, we should have someone like that.

I'd trade Kronwall for Barret Jackman

I've been a bit of a lurker here and now that this topic comes up, I've got to comment. I don't like Kronwall. Not personally, of course, but as a defenseman for the Red Wings. His defense is characterized by always choosing the risky play over the safe one, trying to force the puck, bad turn overs, and deciding to pinch at the wrong time. Any one of those should raise questions... His offense is virtually non-existent. He steps up into the play only to try to make a stupid pass that gets picked off and there's a two on one against his defensive partner. He has poor shot selection and suffers from the same poor decision making the marks his defensive game. And I'm sorry, but even if you're injured, being around practices and in the locker room of an NHL team for four years should leave something of a mark on you. Someone already brought up Lebda and I agree totally. You can make all the statements you want about Kronwall needing to develop and gain experience and grow into his position but that kind of looks silly when Lebda's only played less than a year and has made huge strides in becoming a very reliable defenseman. That youngster is pretty solid although he may make a bad choice or two but you can see he's learning and maturing. I think he has the perfect role model in Chelios and if he continues the way he has, he will definitely be a huge asset for the Wings. So how does Kronwall get so many passes on being inexperienced when right next to him is someone that proves it's hogwash? I'm sorry your guy's intro to me is on such a negative note but it's something I've been frustrated about for a while now and once I saw this thread, I had to vent. But now that my cherry is popped, I'm sure I'll be back for some more of the light hearted stuff.