Zion 93 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 Brian Engblom is right. The Ducks have the best defense. Our defense is too small for the bigger teams, and too slow for the faster teams. We need depth on defense now, or I'm predicting as early as a first-round exit. If Cleary really is done, then we certainly may be, also. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rice 42 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 (edited) That's funny, because we have pretty much the same defense as last year and we almost beat the Ducks without Schneider and Kronwall. Kronwall is out, obviously, and he's a bigger part of the defense this year -- and rest assured, the Wings will pick up at least one defenseman at the deadline. I'm betting Lebda is moved in favor of a bigger guy. A few bad games and our defense sucks...unbelievable. Actually scratch that, it's time to rebuild. Edited February 13, 2008 by ARice89 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lou_Siffer 1 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 Of course Anaheim has the better defensemen, i never understood how anybody could even debate that fact. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nkuehnl 0 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 Of course Anaheim has the better defensemen, I never understood how anybody could even debate that fact. Really, especially since Niedermayer returned. We need a scoring forward much more than we need another depth defenseman. A couple bad games doesn't suddenly and permanently make our defense slow and stupid. Rafalski's had a bad couple of games. Lidstrom didn't look very sharp tonight. Lebda and Chelios have been alright. Lilja is still trying to deke through 3 people when coming out from behind the net, but he's not bad otherwise. Meech has even been decent since Kronwall went down. Acquiring another defenseman would be a nice, but it's a luxury, not a dire need. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YoungGuns1340 1 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 Of course Anaheim has the better defensemen, i never understood how anybody could even debate that fact. Haha, I know right? Like Engblom is suddenly some genius...I wish I got paid to sit in front of a camera and state the obvious.. In reality though, we cant have a defense like Anaheim does. Why? Because in the real world, the cap doesnt fit three defenseman making 5.75+ million per year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YoungGuns1340 1 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 Really, especially since Niedermayer returned. We need a scoring forward much more than we need another depth defenseman. A couple bad games doesn't suddenly and permanently make our defense slow and stupid. Rafalski's had a bad couple of games. Lidstrom didn't look very sharp tonight. Lebda and Chelios have been alright. Lilja is still trying to deke through 3 people when coming out from behind the net, but he's not bad otherwise. Meech has even been decent since Kronwall went down. Acquiring another defenseman would be a nice, but it's a luxury, not a dire need. Not a dire need? Do you know what Lebda, Meech, Chelios, and Lilja all have in common? Being bottom pairing defenseman. Theres not one guy in the bunch who could be a legit #4 or better, and when you have 4 guys in your bottom 4 who should only be in your bottom 2, then yes, defense is a dire need. Especially when not a single one of those four guys is a physical powerhouse, nor a PP anchor... Hell, even with Kronnic in our lineup, weve still lacked that #4 Dman all season, and itll be our downfall if we dont get that addressed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
esteef 2,679 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 This is all bulls***. We need a better coach!! Git'er done Kenny! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lfd250 1 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 Huh, and yet Lebda and Cheli would be a top pair on some other teams. I'll give you meech, but then again isn't he suppose to be a third pair d man or he'd be playing every game? My mom says if you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all so I won't comment on Lilja. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rice 42 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 Huh, and yet Lebda and Cheli would be a top pair on some other teams. Which ones? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nkuehnl 0 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 Hell, even with Kronnic in our lineup, weve still lacked that #4 Dman all season, and itll be our downfall if we dont get that addressed. It's news to me and the rest of the league that Chelios, Kronwall, and Lebda haven't been effective 3rd/4th guys. Another defenseman that could man the point would be wonderful, but actually being able to score goals when the Datsyuk line is on the bench is a necessity. There's only two teams with the defense you're talking about, and there's going to be cap trouble in Ottawa and Anaheim as soon as this summer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LidsFan 68 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 I think that our defense is good. Watching Lilja can be scary at times, but he is not a bad player. I do wish that our guys were a bit more physical, but maybe we can pick up a big strong defenseman at the trade deadline. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HomeNugget 2 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 Which ones? grand rapids, peterborough Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
esteef 2,679 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 I think that our defense is good. Watching Lilja can be scary at times, but he is not a bad player. I do wish that our guys were a bit more physical, but maybe we can pick up a big strong defenseman at the trade deadline. Exactly, but you obviously haven't been drinking tonight! Cheers to Lilly! esteef Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Jeremy88 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 (edited) Our defense is great. We're just in a slump. You can't expect every player to give 100% every night. Lidstrom is the best defenseman in the NHL. Rafalski is a great defenseman and great match for Lidstrom (sometimes a bit inconsistent though) Kronwall has a lot of potential, and he's also a great 2nd line d-man right now. Lilja is really inconsitent. One game he plays incredible, the next game he gives the puck up and costs us a couple goals. He's not the kind of guy I want to have to depend on come playoff time. Chelios is getting old, but he's still a good player. Keep his shifts short and he'll play well enough to help us in the playoffs. Lebda has a lot of potential, and if he plays alongside Chelios, the two of them will be able to play strong defense against the other teams 3rd and 4th lines. Meech has a lot of potential, but I can't see him as a guy who we can depend on in the playoffs just yet. Edited February 13, 2008 by Jeremy88 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lou_Siffer 1 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 Haha, I know right? Like Engblom is suddenly some genius...I wish I got paid to sit in front of a camera and state the obvious.. In reality though, we cant have a defense like Anaheim does. Why? Because in the real world, the cap doesnt fit three defenseman making 5.75+ million per year. Yeah, thats definitely not a good idea to have that much money invested in your D. Theyve somehow managed to pull it off, cause of Neidermayer's mini vacation, but it definitely wouldnt work with all those guys back there next season. Even Huskins who i thought was total crap last year suddenly seems to be pretty dependable. I dont think theres much comparison between the two D's. The Wings forwards overall obviously play better defensively though, which does help to offset that difference and maybe gives off the impression that our actual defensemen are really good. But they arent. Too small, and Rafalski, man he puts up a ton of points but he sure seems prone to gaffs. We just need some bigger bodies back there who dont make a ton of mistakes, even if they dont score points for s***. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
datsyukismyfriend 4 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 Huh, and yet Lebda and Cheli would be a top pair on some other teams. is that a joke? did you mean minor league? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lou_Siffer 1 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 Our defense is great. We're just in a slump. You can't expect every player to give 100% every night. Lidstrom is the best defenseman in the NHL. Rafalski is a great defenseman and great match for Lidstrom (sometimes a bit inconsistent though) Kronwall has a lot of potential, and he's also a great 2nd line d-man right now. Lilja is really inconsitent. One game he plays incredible, the next game he gives the puck up and costs us a couple goals. He's not the kind of guy I want to have to depend on come playoff time. Chelios is getting old, but he's still a good player. Keep his shifts short and he'll play well enough to help us in the playoffs. Lebda has a lot of potential, and if he plays alongside Chelios, the two of them will be able to play strong defense against the other teams 3rd and 4th lines. Meech has a lot of potential, but I can't see him as a guy who we can depend on in the playoffs just yet. Meech has very, very limited potential. Ive seen absolutely nothing out of him to make me believe he's anything other than a 6th,7th defenseman / borderline minor leaguer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mackel 767 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 It's news to me and the rest of the league that Chelios, Kronwall, and Lebda haven't been effective 3rd/4th guys. Another defenseman that could man the point would be wonderful, but actually being able to score goals when the Datsyuk line is on the bench is a necessity. There's only two teams with the defense you're talking about, and there's going to be cap trouble in Ottawa and Anaheim as soon as this summer. PLEASE NOTE: The Cup will be awarded in June... we need not 1 but 2 quality defencemen.... not all stars but guys that can play solid hard hitting "D" eg. Steve Staios Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lou_Siffer 1 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 Huh, and yet Lebda and Cheli would be a top pair on some other teams. I'll give you meech, but then again isn't he suppose to be a third pair d man or he'd be playing every game? My mom says if you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all so I won't comment on Lilja. Wow. I'll take a list of teams whenever you get a chance (or even just 1), when you get a chance please. Thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rick zombo 3,739 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 Well, in tonight's game, Lidstrom played one of his worst games of the season(a rare bad game for him) and Babcock stuck his own head up his anus by again pairing Rafalski with Lebda early on which led to Nashville's 2nd goal. A healthy Kronwall and a minor tweak at the deadline will take care of any issues. Now if the only the forwards could score and the goalies would get hot again.............. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 Meech has very, very limited potential. Ive seen absolutely nothing out of him to make me believe he's anything other than a 6th,7th defenseman / borderline minor leaguer. Yeah, from a guy from Manitoba I was expecting alot more hitting and grit. He really has been a less flashy Lebda. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2probert4 8 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 That's funny, because we have pretty much the same defense as last year and we almost beat the Ducks without Schneider and Kronwall. Kronwall is out, obviously, and he's a bigger part of the defense this year -- and rest assured, the Wings will pick up at least one defenseman at the deadline. I'm betting Lebda is moved in favor of a bigger guy. A few bad games and our defense sucks...unbelievable. Actually scratch that, it's time to rebuild. I was in the chat room of this site during the game, and said that Lebda was bad, and immediately got jumped. Someone actually said Lebda was great and was almost as good as Lidstrom. When responding that only Pronger was close to Lidstrom I was told that Pronger sucked and Lebda was better. Guess that's what I get for going into a chat room eh ? There is a reason Lebda keeps getting shuffled around with different partners, and its not good. He was left standing on the Predators first goal near the net. Hes not the only one to blame tonight, the entire first period everyone stunk it up but they are going to have to evaluate their defensive corps and figure something out. It wasn't a typical Lids / Raffy night either. Howard did fine I think, the goal he allowed could have been stopped maybe, but he seemed to do ok Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Superman54 91 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 Our defense has been cold as of late but I really do not think we need to panic over it Kenny has his main priority to get a defensemen so "if" there really was a problem it would get better I always imagined wings with a strong defense, why is there a thread stating we have a less then stellar one? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2probert4 8 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 Huh, and yet Lebda and Cheli would be a top pair on some other teams. I'll give you meech, but then again isn't he suppose to be a third pair d man or he'd be playing every game? My mom says if you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all so I won't comment on Lilja. Im curious as to what team Lebda and Chelios would be first pairing? Grand Rapids perhaps ??? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SouthernWingsFan 854 Report post Posted February 13, 2008 Brian Engblom is right. The Ducks have the best defense. Our defense is too small for the bigger teams, and too slow for the faster teams. We need depth on defense now, or I'm predicting as early as a first-round exit. If Cleary really is done, then we certainly may be, also. It was said immediately after you made this thread, but I'm pretty much going to repeat it just to screwdrive it into your brain. This is the same defense more/less that helped the Wings go deep into the Western Conference Finals, and if not for a few bad bounces, the Stanley Cup Finals. Rafalski was inserted for Schneider. Once Kronwall comes back that makes them get more depth. This same d-core is going to lead to "another" first round playoff exit when this defensive core hasn't even had a first round exit to begin with? Way to think before posting there... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
