Echolalia

The Kessel acquisition is looking real good now

Listen man, I've been wanting him to succeed as much as anyone else here. When he's had solid games I'm one of the first to point that out in a GDT when I'm here, and I evaluate players beyond just point totals, so even if he isn't scoring I'm not necessarily going to jump to the conclusion that he's a bust. My post history can vouch for this and is readily searchable. Jurco has had games where he's hustled hard, where he's forechecked well, where he's forced turnovers and crashed the net, where his presence was known for the right reasons on the ice. I'm not saying every game of the entire year was terrible, and for sure you can go back and find some games like the ones you are referencing in your post. But for every one of those games there are several where he was invisible, where he wasn't contributing in any real way, where he was a step behind the play. And if you're not pulling your weight on your line, then you're an anchor. A line is only as good as the weakest link, so if Jurco is playing poorly then the whole line suffers. Jurco has done this and he's done it many times. Hence the repeated benchings over two separate coaching regimes, the stint in GR last season, the frequent and hasty drops from top 6 opportunities to fourth liner. He has the tools and hes proven to us all he has the tools. But its a matter of putting it all together and playing that way regularly instead of sporadically. And again, how long do you wait and give him that opportunity with players like Zetterberg or Tatar or Larkin, where he could easily go many games and be invisible and not contribute at all to the line?

If Ladd is hitting the market I would gladly take him. He and Abdelkader in the top six really balances our lines out, something Holland has been trying to accomplish for a while, now.

I'm slowly warming up to the idea of having Radulov. I'm still super hesitant about it and a two-year deal is too much for me. Best case scenario, though, is that he gels with the team well and makes up for the production we are losing in Datsyuk. Worst case scenario is that he's a locker room cancer and doesn't do much on the ice. Two years or more is a big risk to take when the potential outcome is so widely varying, and the Wings are already a fragile playoff team at best.

I never understood all the love for Jurco, and in continues to baffle me as more time passes. At first it was just Babcock not utilizing him properly, but then his boy Blashill became the head coach, whom he had a good working relationship with in the AHL. And then Blashill repeatedly scratched him and played him primarily in the bottom six as well. Its difficult to imagine two separate head coaches mismanaging the same player in the same way, especially when one of those coaches used him liberally in the AHL. Jurco has had opportunities in the top six and he has been unable to run with it on any of the chances he was given. To this, people respond that his opportunities weren't long enough and he needs more time to gel with his linemates. I can appreciate this to an extent, but at the same time, how long should a head coach attach an anchor to one of his top two lines to bog down the rest of the line with before he cuts the cord? If Jurco struggles on the top six for five games and we end up losing one or two of those games we're already talking about the difference between making and missing the playoffs. Should he go 10 games on the top six? 15? 20? I don't know the correct answer, but I do know that Larkin, Nyquist, Tatar, Abdelkader, even Helm had no problem making the most of the opportunity when they were put alongside Datsyuk or Zetterberg. The NHL doesn't reward potential. It rewards performance. And that's Jurco's biggest issue. Pulkkinen as well, for that matter. I would love for him to suddenly click and become the power-forward we've all been hoping for, and I'm not saying that it won't happen yet. But we can't hold the rest of the team back while we wait for Jurco to develop.

I like it. Very clean

I actually don't get that vibe at all. He already made a trade albeit a small one and the playoffs aren't even over yet. At the very least we know he's working the phones. I think the market is kinda muddy at the moment but it should open up a bit during/after the draft.

how does one quantify who the front runner is

Jimmy Howard and Jimjam's virginity. It was an exaggeration. My point is I don't think either of those players are going to be much in the NHL, and LGW tends to overvalue our prospects, and think we can just plug them in if we lose a guy like Quincey without changing the complexion or competitiveness of the team. Right now, even top 4 is beyond my expectations for either of them.

I forgot about this good point

I would take Shattenkirk. Quincey may not be back next year and our defense was already anemic with him in the lineup. The alternative is likely Marchenko or Oulette, and although half of LGW thinks one of these guys might be the next Dekeyser, I'd much rather have a sure thing in Shattenkirk and all he brings. Frankly, we need it.

I thought I read the plan was to start him in GR. Maybe I made that up

What's the word on this kid? Type of player? Projection? I mean we already have a Dylan so it's going to take a lot to sell me on this

Yeah I don't see any reason to be suspicious of his decision to leave either. He's already earned a ton of money, won a ton of awards, has been over here for a decade and a half and is getting older and more worn down, meanwhile his daughter is getting older without him in Russia, and he told us years ago he wants to finish his career off playing back at home in Russia. This is his chance to do that before his body can't keep up. It's also his chance to be with his daughter and watch her finish growing up. And he has nothing left to prove over here.

I agree. Typically not a fan of the styles of larger, more affluent houses. I've been exploring Zillow with my girlfriend and we've been put off from our dream of owning a mansion.

This was my initial reaction as well, but if Holland is serious about bringing in a defensman (and I don't know if he is), someone has to make way. Quincey happens to be a free agent right now so the timing is right.

I disagree with the bolded. Richards was a turnover machine and play killer for large parts of many nights. Every now and then he would have the wiley veteran play but he was also a hindrance to the team. I really hope he doesn't come back.

Was this the GR guy

I'm impressed with your stalking skills kickazz

I've accepted that he will be gone next year and am ready to see who (if anyone) is ready to pick up the slack. If by some chance Dats does come back I'll be pleasantly surprised.

Bertuzzi knows how to elevate his game. Love it.

Lol someone doesn't take criticism well

I guess if they're letting Bedard go when Howie allegedly has a strong relationship with him but Mrazek does not it tells you where the organization is going in terms of the future in net (if it wasn't already clear). But in addition to this being Mrazek's team going forward this might fuel more Howard trade speculation too.

lol I nailed it

My point was that being so early in his career it's not possible to say if a strong start is an anomaly or his baseline. It's kinda similar to when Nyquist came up to the Wings and scored nonstop for the second half of the season. Technically he's regressed from that level, but I don't think anyone is calling that period his baseline, so it's not fair to say he had a regression in his development. It was just an anomalous period that happened to be toward the beginning of his career. Is the same thing happening with Mrazek or is he actually that elite and did have a period of developmental regression? I don't think you can definitively say one way or another given the sample size.