Echolalia

I agree, but given the second half of last season and playoffs especially (as well as the bursts of talent that we occasionally see), I'm hoping and expecting Smith to develop at a faster rate than Ericsson did. Who knows whether he has the same plans, though.

This is an excellent opportunity for one of the kids from GR to earn a spot on the Wings. Lashoff and Kindl's roster spots are both low hanging fruits, but the kid(s) have to show they can pick em.

Yzerman, Lemieux, etc may be working the front offices now, but they're hardly "businessmen", and they're no where near the calibre of business-savvy that Bettman is, and they never will be. They spent their lives training to play the sport, not studying the finer points of labor relations, business, law, etc from IV league schools. As a fan you're more than welcome to hate Bettman for the changes that have occurred to the game, the lockouts and so on. That is perfectly acceptable and understandable. But from a business perspective, this guy is phenomenal, and the owners of the teams (ie the guys in suits who's pockets are getting stuffed as a result of Bettman's work) resoundly agree, as he's been the recipient of nothing but extensions and raises since he first started. Yzerman and company don't have the background or the unbiased vision to do what Bettman has been doing. They wouldn't bring the type of money in that Bettman has, and consequently, the owners wouldn't hang onto these guys for very long before tossing them to the curb.

I think 90% of people in this thread are arguing the same points to each other, but are actually in agreement with what Franzen is. Franzen is streaky. Franzen could be much better if he were more consistent. It is annoying for us as fans to watch Franzen not perform at the level we expect him to perform at, especially when the Wings need him to play better. Franzen's contract is long. Despite his shortcomings, he's still a solid point/goal scorer over an 82 game season, given his cap hit. It would be difficult to acquire a player with the same cap hit who could produce at a better level than Franzen over an 82 game season, at least right now. It isn't difficult to find someone more consistent than Franzen for a similar cap hit, although they will likely not put up the point total that Franzen does. It isn't difficult to find someone who gives it his all and tries to be a game-changer moreso than Franzen, with the same cap hit. Again, they might not have the points that Franzen has. Did I miss anything?

There's no guarantee that Quincey will be a Wing next season, and I'm personally not comfortable with Lashoff's play in a top 6 role. We could pick up Boyle (or whomever) for a year to cover Quincey should he leave, and bring up a kid from GR to win Lashoff's role, if they can take it. No, it's not a move that will put the Wings over the top to win a Stanley Cup, but it will fill a hole and buy more time for some of our prospects to continue developing, while also allowing at least one of them to fight for a full time position next year.

0.5ppg from a defensman is exactly what the Wings need. I think age and size probably turns most people off. Actually I think any acquisition that isn't for a star or franchise player is going to disappoint a big chunk of LGW.

I was going to say this. The free agent market is thin, and for all of Quincey's short-comings, he does have his strengths that the Wings need. I'm more comfortable with Quincey playing regular minutes than any of the kids from GR. Perhaps at the end of this season I'll think differently, but as it stands I think holding onto Quincey is in the Wings' best interest.

Based on the wording of his answer, it sounds like the question that was asked of Franzen had more to do with the regular season than the playoffs.

There's a lot of Stanley Cup Champion banners

Part of his job is to promote the marketable players, and Crosby is #1 on NBC's list. In his defense, there have been games where he very bluntly called out Crosby for not back-checking, or for taking a stupid penalty, etc.

I agree that he is annoying, and I don't think his charisma and how he carries conversations allow him to be an effective tv personality, but as far as broadcasters and analysts that work for NBC, I think Pierre is one of the least biased of the group.

Lol I love you guys

This voting contest really comes down to like 5-6 really committed fans spamming bots. So if Tatar wins, the five of you should pat yourself on the back for carrying him to victory!

Actually I'm in the same boat because I think Franzen is pretty solid as far as defense goes. He's not gonna win a Selke, but he's responsible.

Why is the definition of top six forward being the top 180 players in the NHL absurd? 6 top six players per team x 30 teams = 180, thus the top 180 players in the NHL qualify as top 6 players. In that definition, Franzen fits the bill with some of the numbers you posted, 139th in goals, 112th in assists, 102nd in TOI/G, 110th in faceoff win %, 122nd in points. This point becomes a little more pronounced when you factor in his 335th in games played. 139th in goals, 112th in assists despite being 335th in games played. That puts him at 67th place in points per game, which would make Franzen a top 3 forward in the league (the top 90 players in the league), but maybe your definition of top six forward is the top 90 players in the NHL, but either way his point pace fits the bill. I don't know where he ranks league-wide for cap-hit, but considering it's less than 4M/season, I have to imagine that it's not your definition of "top six" kind of money. I get the frustration with Franzen. He doesn't bring it every night, he floats, he's streaky. But to say he's not a top six player in the NHL? That's pushing it.

Looked like a headshot from the gif, but I don't see any charging.

Even ignoring the moral issues behind Neal's behavior, the guy has been suspended what, three times already? He's compromising the team he plays for when he gets suspended, and everyone else is left to pick up the slack while Neal serves his punishment. The Wings have already been struggling to ice bodies without selfish and irresponsible actions taking people off the ice. Then add to that the fact that he's endangering others while he's at it. He's incredibly talented, but his suspension history is making him unreliable. I think coaches like Babcock would go crazy having to deal with that kind of player.

There is so much luck that goes into drafting, especially after the first round, it's hard to fault anyone for picks that don't turn out. But could you imagine if the Wings had picked the cream of the crop for each round? Imagine if Detroit walked out of the 2005 draft with TJ Oshie, Jonathan Quick, Jared Boll, Keith Yandle, Darren Helm, Nathan Gerbe, Ryan Reeves, Sergei Kostitsyn, and Anton Stralman.

I feel like next year is gonna be the Babcock sweepstakes, and half the teams in the league are going to be slinging offers. Babs will sign with a team and there will be a scramble for all the other coaches. It might actually be a really interesting offseason next year.

Considering Fleury's shortcomings (although he looked decent this year), it might do the team some good to have a strong defense-oriented system in place.

was Salei a captain??

This is the first I'm hearing this. Where did you hear about #5 on your list?

I guess I should rephrase to: since the salary cap has been implemented, out of all the ways to acquire a player (free agency, draft, trading), trading (for me personally) is the least desirable. This is the only form of getting a player which requires a team to sacrifice assets. Although I do agree that sometimes I think its necessary.

I'm never a big fan of trading, but if the Wings make a trade this offseason , I want it to be for a top 3 defensman with an offensive upside. Spezza might be nice, though I personally wouldn't trade any assets for him this offseason.

BUT HES FROM U OF M HELP MY CAPS LOCK IS STUCK