Number 37

[redwings56 1]

Alright, so not many fans can tolerate Samuelsson. That is fine I am one of those fans as well.

Lately though (last 2 weeks) he has been playing 300% better than I am used to seeing.

Now of course he hasn't been scoring goals compared to his 7-10 shots a game. That is fine as long as he is hitting, skating hard, not turning it over, most importantly not bringing his linemates down.

He has been playing great hockey, good passes (still a little hot to handle for the receiver).

I hope he keeps it up and maybe Zetterberg and Datsyuk could play on different lines for the rest of the year.

Anybody with similar observations? Or completely different about Sammy?

[OsGOD 3]

apart from 1 or 2 goals...

he is still shooting blanks in my book

[CAredwingsfan91 28]

i still hate him i always trade him away in EA 08...i got kane/towes out of it :banana:

[Cicada 4]

not a fan...

i just feel he's taking up a roster spot that a better play could inhabit.. it's not as if he's up and coming. He's in his peak years and he's not cutting it...

[GoCryWolfe 0]

He's next in my book, right after Lilja.

At times, he looks okay, but when they place the 2nd PP unit on the ice, he blows.

[Opie 308]

If the wings had some one better I would be all for benching him. Right now, for the role he plays the Wings don't have a better player.

Is he great, no, is he horrible, no.

He just isn't living up to some people's expectations.

The one thing I think hurts him in the court of public opinion is that for some one who shoots that much, he doesn't have a ton of tallies. But he does have 26 assists. I would prefer him not on the point for the 2nd pp unit but until the team is healthy that won't happen. Stuart will eventually be the other point on pp 2.

But all in all he does not hinder the team, nor does he cost them a game.

[Hank 0]

Alright, so not many fans can tolerate Samuelsson. That is fine I am one of those fans as well.

Lately though (last 2 weeks) he has been playing 300% better than I am used to seeing.

Now of course he hasn't been scoring goals compared to his 7-10 shots a game. That is fine as long as he is hitting, skating hard, not turning it over, most importantly not bringing his linemates down.

He has been playing great hockey, good passes (still a little hot to handle for the receiver).

I hope he keeps it up and maybe Zetterberg and Datsyuk could play on different lines for the rest of the year.

Anybody with similar observations? Or completely different about Sammy?

I've never been a huge Sammy supporter, but it's not his fault he's a top 6 forward on this team. He can't hit the net and he seems to have too many brain-farts in the offensive zone.

He's a perfect 3rd line player. This team definitely could use a true scoring winger on the top two lines.

[irishtemper14+25 11]

i still hate him i always trade him away in EA 08...i got kane/towes out of it :banana:

agreed, but i normally just give him away...i dont like taking advantage of the game with sammy i only go for a 5th rder lol i just want him off my team

[kylee 727]

trying to be as unbiased as i can...

Sammy has picked up his play the last couple weeks, and even hustling for the 50/50 pucks.

he's netted a few, and his shot was the reason Franzen was able to get in position and score the game winner last night. id like to see Sammy keep it going and hopefully carry it into the playoffs of course.

lets not forget, he was the one who scored the two Wings goals against San Jose to put them to bed last spring.

[Deke 0]

Gretzky once said "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take". It's obvious Gretzky never met Samuelson and Samuelson obviously took this advice too seriously.

If you are a goalie and you see samuelson coming into your offenfensive zone, just face him. He'll hit you in the chest every damn time. Samuelson doesn't really shoot the puck, he just moves it in the general direction of the goalie.

Sammy also has an attitude problem. I remember a goal a while back when he shot it from the point, but homer knocked it in. The camera showed a funny shot afterward of him pouting about it like it should have been his goal.

If Sammuelson would just fake the shot and pass every now and then he'd fake out every goalie in the league and rack up the assists. Either that or he needs to shoot low off the blockers and generate some rebounds.

Last year in the playoffs he did exactly that. I can't remember the game, but instead of shooting it he faked a wrister and then turned his stick to make a nifty wrister pass to another foward who scored. It's funny, I can't remember which series it was or the goal scorer because the fact that Sammy actually PASSED overshadows the entire event.

What I don't get is why Babcock gives him so much ice time. Or trusts that guy on the point with the puck on PP. He's ALWAYS out of position when the other man on the point tries to clear it over to him to get out of pressure. Then the puck bounces off the boards and out of the zone while sammy is looking like a deer in headlights.

If I were Babcock I'd tell samuelson for every shot he fires I'm going to fine him 1,000 dollars. For every pass he makes I'll give him 100 dollars. For every assist I'll give him another 1,000 dollars. He'd shape up quick and stop taking retarded shots that he'll never make.

[Hank 0]

Gretzky once said "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take". It's obvious Gretzky never met Samuelson and Samuelson obviously took this advice too seriously.

If you are a goalie and you see samuelson coming into your offenfensive zone, just face him. He'll hit you in the chest every damn time. Samuelson doesn't really shoot the puck, he just moves it in the general direction of the goalie.

Sammy also has an attitude problem. I remember a goal a while back when he shot it from the point, but homer knocked it in. The camera showed a funny shot afterward of him pouting about it like it should have been his goal.

If Sammuelson would just fake the shot and pass every now and then he'd fake out every goalie in the league and rack up the assists. Either that or he needs to shoot low off the blockers and generate some rebounds.

Last year in the playoffs he did exactly that. I can't remember the game, but instead of shooting it he faked a wrister and then turned his stick to make a nifty wrister pass to another foward who scored. It's funny, I can't remember which series it was or the goal scorer because the fact that Sammy actually PASSED overshadows the entire event.

What I don't get is why Babcock gives him so much ice time. Or trusts that guy on the point with the puck on PP. He's ALWAYS out of position when the other man on the point tries to clear it over to him to get out of pressure. Then the puck bounces off the boards and out of the zone while sammy is looking like a deer in headlights.

If I were Babcock I'd tell samuelson for every shot he fires I'm going to fine him 1,000 dollars. For every pass he makes I'll give him 100 dollars. For every assist I'll give him another 1,000 dollars. He'd shape up quick and stop taking retarded shots that he'll never make.

On a good day! 90% of the time he shoots it into the netting, the glass or the hotdog vendure in section 216B!

Sammy's just far too inconsistent to be on the top two lines. He'll score 3 goals in 4 games and then go 20 games with 0 goals and 4 assists. His offensive game is very limited. I do like that he shoots more than anyone else on the team. It's just a shame that he has the accuracy of a 90 year old with prostate issues.

If Zetts or Dats shot as much as him they'd both be 60 goal scorers. And they should shoot more. They're by far the best goal scorers on the team but they waste too many opportunities passing to stone-hands wingers like Sammy.

[Never_Retire_Steve 35]

It's funny how when he came into the league everyone was like "who the hell is this guy and why did we sign him?" Afterwards, everyone started to love him because he blew expectations out of the water...... now everyone hates him again.

I think people need to look at his history. To me the guy just seems so useless.

[ashenhigh 9]

i still hate him i always trade him away in EA 08...i got kane/towes out of it :banana:

Lol. You gotta DL NHL view and raise Kane and Towes overalls.

Sammy's confidence must be to high ever since that those two goals he scored to knock off the sharks in game 6 last year.

Edited March 6, 2008 by ashenhigh

[Hank 0]

It's funny how when he came into the league everyone was like "who the hell is this guy and why did we sign him?" Afterwards, everyone started to love him because he blew expectations out of the water...... now everyone hates him again.

I think people need to look at his history. To me the guy just seems so useless.

Very true. His best season came after the lockout ended. But in that year everyone was still getting used to the new standard of officiating so there was a lot of PP's. And a lot more space. Sammy took advantage of both.

But now that the game has tightened up to pre-lockout standards, Sammy has crashed backed to earth and settled in as a decent defensive player who can cap you 12-15 goals a year.

Like I said, he's valuable as a 3rd or 4th line player making under $1M/year. So in that regards he's pretty useless and overpaid.

Nobody here can seriously tell me that there isn't anyone else in the NHL that can get as much PP and ES time as he does and not score 10 goals in 64 games. Especially playing with the likes of Zetterberg almost every night.

I'm almost positive you could throw Dick Axelsson, Cory Emmerton or Justin Aebeldecker (sp?) in the same position as him and they'd put up the same numbers. And for far less $$$ too.

[Never_Retire_Steve 35]

Very true. His best season came after the lockout ended. But in that year everyone was still getting used to the new standard of officiating so there was a lot of PP's. And a lot more space. Sammy took advantage of both.

But now that the game has tightened up to pre-lockout standards, Sammy has crashed backed to earth and settled in as a decent defensive player who can cap you 12-15 goals a year.

Like I said, he's valuable as a 3rd or 4th line player making under $1M/year. So in that regards he's pretty useless and overpaid.

Nobody here can seriously tell me that there isn't anyone else in the NHL that can get as much PP and ES time as he does and not score 10 goals in 64 games. Especially playing with the likes of Zetterberg almost every night.

I'm almost positive you could throw Dick Axelsson, Cory Emmerton or Justin Aebeldecker (sp?) in the same position as him and they'd put up the same numbers. And for far less $$$ too.

Ya, everyone that questions his abilities should look at his stats before coming to the Wings and then re-examine their complaints.

[Barrie 900]

In a Salary Cap world, Sammy is one of those guys you need to help stay under the Cap. Lilja is another one of those Salary Cap type players.

Edited March 6, 2008 by Barrie

[Guest Jeremy88]

I think he does a decent job for what he's paid. Not everybody can be a Datsyuk or Zetterberg.

[Airborn 0]

He's a good skater with good size and a heavy shot, which makes you think he has a ton of potential. However, despite his size, he's not very physical, doesn't drive to the net, and most of his considerable amount of shots are from bad angles that rarely generate scoring opportunities.

I also think he's somewhat misused on this team. First of all, he has no business being on the point of the powerplay. This, I feel, is where a lot of the frustration against him comes from. Secondly, he needs to play without the puck (ala Hull/Shannahan), which means pairing him with a center who can get him the puck.

I saw a lot of chemistry between him and Hudler when Zetterberg was out. I have to admit I'm surprised Babcock hasn't tried reuniting them, since each of them had their best stretches playing together and have slumped considerably since they were seperated.

[mark the red 0]

Sammy isn't the best and he isn't the worst by a far margin. I do think he is usless on the power play. I blame the coach rather than Sammy for this though.

As far as him rushing his shot and not aiming for corners, I want to remind some of our board brothers [and sisters] of Dan Cleary. It took him a while to get his confidence going before he started putting the puck in, with any regularity. I think in time Sammy is going to "arrive" also.

On the positive side, he is one of a select few Wings, who have a gritty side to him. He is also willing to stand his ground and agitate the opposition. During the recent losing streak he was not one of our guys who was invisible. He showed up every game and you knew he was there.

I think the coaches see him as an investment that is going to pay dividends down the road.

[Grittzkey 1]

I dont mind Sammy anymore. he's fine in my book, Its not like we have a top 6 forward to take his place or anything.

[Deke 0]

I dont mind Sammy anymore. he's fine in my book, Its not like we have a top 6 forward to take his place or anything.

I bet Grigorenko would have been better.

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

When I saw Number 37, I had to pause a second and remeber who it is. Sammy hasnt been bad lately, but we still dont need him. But at least he isnt playing poor.

[Williams29fan 6]

As far as him rushing his shot and not aiming for corners, I want to remind some of our board brothers [and sisters] of Dan Cleary. It took him a while to get his confidence going before he started putting the puck in, with any regularity. I think in time Sammy is going to "arrive" also.

Cleary has worked is ace off to get where he is in the NHL and the wings organization and works to improve his game constantly. If not babs would not play him night in and night out.

Sammy is constantly taking horrible shots, he's alway in the wrong spot, His passes maybe accurate but not even close to being able to handle. He is horrible on the point for the pp. In my mind its like he got his 20 goal season a few years back and now he always seems to do something wrong everytime he's on the ice. I honestly think he has great potential but is not trying improve his game at ALL.

[Hank 0]

Cleary has worked is ace off to get where he is in the NHL and the wings organization and works to improve his game constantly. If not babs would not play him night in and night out.

Sammy is constantly taking horrible shots, he's alway in the wrong spot, His passes maybe accurate but not even close to being able to handle. He is horrible on the point for the pp. In my mind its like he got his 20 goal season a few years back and now he always seems to do something wrong everytime he's on the ice. I honestly think he has great potential but is not trying improve his game at ALL.

He has tools, but no toolbox.

[Salviaman 104]

#37 shall now be called "Big stupid doo doo head dummy" by me and anyone else who thinks that Sammy is a "Big stupid doo doo head dummy"