Ericsson - Top 4 D by next season?

[CanadaBoy 151]

I was reading an ~1 month old issue of sports illustrated and something caught by attention.

Detroit consultant Scotty Bowman believes that Ericsson will be a top 4 NHL defensemen - possibly by next season.

Discuss

I hope he will be good by the time Lidström retires.

[Zion 93]

Needs more playing time to develop. Move Lebda?

[rick zombo 3,739]

One can only assume he plays this year in GR.

Then into the top six rotation next year.

He might be top 4 material by next season, but who's he going to usurp? Lidstrom, Rafalski, Kronwall, Stuart?

Man, what a D !!!

[JayUp88 1]

This is a good problem to have....

[Cicada 4]

pretty sure he'll be in GR this year, unless he has an AMAZING training camp..

but yet...top 4 in the future defninity, but not next year - our top 4 is pretty set already

[rick zombo 3,739]

If Lidstrom plays 2-3 more years, imagine the top six:

Lidstrom - Rafalski

Kronwall - Stuart

Ericsson - Meech/Lilja/Lebda/Quincey/whomever

One of the best parts of this is the time it will give the Wings to be patient with Kindl and Smith. Pretty great situation.

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

pretty sure he'll be in GR this year, unless he has an AMAZING training camp..

but yet...top 4 in the future defninity, but not next year - our top 4 is pretty set already

Even with an amazing training camp, I just can't see him playing for Detroit this year barring injuries. The Wings are already in a cap crunch and you can eliminate his $900,000 without worry. To top it off, he can get top pairing minutes in GR and be even better prepared than if he were to get bottom pairing minutes not even on a nightly basis.

[DatsyukownzU13 1]

If Lidstrom plays 2-3 more years, imagine the top six:

Lidstrom - Rafalski

Kronwall - Stuart

Ericsson - Meech/Lilja/Lebda/Quincey/whomever

One of the best parts of this is the time it will give the Wings to be patient with Kindl and Smith. Pretty great situation.

This could possibly be our D for next year. I'm hoping that Ericsson impresses in the camp, becuase I really do not want a bottom pairing of Lilja and Lebda (that's brutal for the amount of talent we have in our system).

[LEBDA22 0]

Why are so many of you wanting to move Lebda? I think he pretty much showed a lot of you last season that he can play. He may not have the most accurate shot, or be the pounding d man everyone wants, but he sure proved he belongs on this team in my eyes. Most of you want someone on the team who doesnt have that much NHL experience rather then have a Vet ( can we consider Lebs as a vet now?) He had a great playoff run, not too many mistakes like others, yet most of you are willing to part with him. Sometime the people on this board amaze me. Give up a proven player for someone not to many people are familiar with. If I recall this is the same team that won the Cup in 2008 , with the exception of Hossa. Why cant we just leave it the way it is ?

[Shutemdown 23]

This could possibly be our D for next year. I'm hoping that Ericsson impresses in the camp, becuase I really do not want a bottom pairing of Lilja and Lebda (that's brutal for the amount of talent we have in our system).

Why does everyone hate Lilja / Lebda so much. It's like no matter what they do or how well they play, no one will ever give them credit.

Lilja is a great defenseman. Look past some of his obvious f*ck-ups, he plays the game well. He's smart, he can block shots, and he knows how to use his size. Who doesn't like HUGE defensemen? This is all besides the fact that he's great on the PK (Anyone who would like to contest, he was paired with Lidstrom on the 1st PK line for a reason.)

Lebda is also a great defenseman. Together, these 2 played very well together. Lebda had a little bit more speed and knew how to pinch in on the play and help out with offense. I, personally, thought Lebda was a great offensive defenseman. I know all you out there that like stay at home d-men, but I liked his style of play.

And honestly, say whatever you want, I never liked Stuart that much. Besides personality flaws (West-coast wife had his balls in a jar on the shelf), he seemed lazy at times, was prone to looking nervous with the puck and making costly turnovers FAR too much. Lastly, show me one HUGE, BONE-CRUSHING hit that he supposedly made. Everyone praises him for his physical play, but I haven't seen it yet at all. Hell, he looked afraid to hit anyone half the time in the playoffs. For his salary, I don't really think he's worth it. Lilja and Lebda are a steal at their salaries.

[Louisville 112]

Why does everyone hate Lilja / Lebda so much. It's like no matter what they do or how well they play, no one will ever give them credit.

Lilja is a great defenseman. Look past some of his obvious f*ck-ups, he plays the game well. He's smart, he can block shots, and he knows how to use his size. Who doesn't like HUGE defensemen? This is all besides the fact that he's great on the PK (Anyone who would like to contest, he was paired with Lidstrom on the 1st PK line for a reason.)

Lebda is also a great defenseman. Together, these 2 played very well together. Lebda had a little bit more speed and knew how to pinch in on the play and help out with offense. I, personally, thought Lebda was a great offensive defenseman. I know all you out there that like stay at home d-men, but I liked his style of play.

And honestly, say whatever you want, I never liked Stuart that much. Besides personality flaws (West-coast wife had his balls in a jar on the shelf), he seemed lazy at times, was prone to looking nervous with the puck and making costly turnovers FAR too much. Lastly, show me one HUGE, BONE-CRUSHING hit that he supposedly made. Everyone praises him for his physical play, but I haven't seen it yet at all. Hell, he looked afraid to hit anyone half the time in the playoffs. For his salary, I don't really think he's worth it. Lilja and Lebda are a steal at their salaries.

and my personal favorite...

should I continue?

[Louisville 112]

actually, I'll continue because I like some of these.

not on the Wings but a great hit..

Stuart on Lang (when he played for Calgary)

and you want BONE CRUSHING? Here you are

[Guest Dump-N-Thump]

Yes.

Talent wise? Yes

On Detroit? No

I think Big Rig could be an NHL D-Man and i hope he gets a spot this year regardless of our D-Man crunch, If Big Rig earns the spot, He should get it..I would love to see a BigRig/Quincey pairing. But thats kind of far-fetched..

Im excited for training camp. the battle for 5/6/7/8 are going to be fun.

[Rivalred 630]

The Detroit Red Wings have one of the top Defensive Core in the entire NHL, if not the best. With the accumulation of good, solid, and young D the Wings are in a very good position going into training camp.

There are not need for the posts regarding Stuart is soft and Lilja is not effective. If the Wing's did not feel Stuart was effective we would not of traded for him or re-sign him. Lilja is a great shot blocker.

I feel people here are spoiled to some degree, expecting all our D to be Nick, Brian, and Nick Jr.

Let Jonathan Ericsson get 1 full year of experience in the NHL and he will do well.

Edited August 6, 2008 by Rivalred

[Opie 308]

Yes.

Talent wise? Yes

On Detroit? No

I think Big Rig could be an NHL D-Man and i hope he gets a spot this year regardless of our D-Man crunch, If Big Rig earns the spot, He should get it..I would love to see a BigRig/Quincey pairing. But thats kind of far-fetched..

Im excited for training camp. the battle for 5/6/7/8 are going to be fun.

RE:bolded part.

Biggest reason he won't be a top 4 for at least 3 years. It will take that long for an opening and there is no way Detroit trades him if he is that good. Maybe they entice him with PP time or something but this kid has 4 solid top 4 guys in front of him for at least 2 more years and I assume Lids will do a couple of 1-2 year stints after this contract.

Kronwall, Ralf, Stuart are all ahead of him on the depth chart and unless he is an amazing defenseman I see no way he beats out those 3 and that doesn't include Lids in the list.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Why does everyone hate Lilja / Lebda so much. It's like no matter what they do or how well they play, no one will ever give them credit.

Lilja is a great defenseman. Look past some of his obvious f*ck-ups, he plays the game well. He's smart, he can block shots, and he knows how to use his size. Who doesn't like HUGE defensemen? This is all besides the fact that he's great on the PK (Anyone who would like to contest, he was paired with Lidstrom on the 1st PK line for a reason.)

Lebda is also a great defenseman. Together, these 2 played very well together. Lebda had a little bit more speed and knew how to pinch in on the play and help out with offense. I, personally, thought Lebda was a great offensive defenseman. I know all you out there that like stay at home d-men, but I liked his style of play.

And honestly, say whatever you want, I never liked Stuart that much. Besides personality flaws (West-coast wife had his balls in a jar on the shelf), he seemed lazy at times, was prone to looking nervous with the puck and making costly turnovers FAR too much. Lastly, show me one HUGE, BONE-CRUSHING hit that he supposedly made. Everyone praises him for his physical play, but I haven't seen it yet at all. Hell, he looked afraid to hit anyone half the time in the playoffs. For his salary, I don't really think he's worth it. Lilja and Lebda are a steal at their salaries.

Let me address each of these concerns in order:

1. The collective drive on these forums to replace Lebda and Lilja is less about these two being useless or terrible players and more about who would be playing in their place. Basically it comes down to:

A) As it stands now the Wings have 2 mediocre defensive prospects without minor league options (Quincey and Meech). Both have the potential to become good or maybe even very good d-men in the future. The problem is both need playing time and they need it badly. With Ericsson more then ready to play NHL hockey the Wings simply must evaluate and decide on the futures of Meech and Quincey this season. As long as Lebda and Lilja are around the job of fairly evaluating Meech and Q is a very hard one.

B) Lebda and Lilja hold little to no upside. We know exactly what they'll look like in 1 year, 2 years, 10 years. Trading them for rookies that provide nearly the same thing but have a ton of untapped potential may make the team better but likely won't make it much worse.

2. Stuart provides Lilja's stay at home play without the bone-head moves. That's the difference between a second pairing and a 3rd pairing d-man. He also provides big hits, although he has an annoying tendancy to sacrifice positioning to get the big hit at times. He was great against the Pens and certainly made the Wings much more dangerous by providing heavy hitting and giving Kronwall the chance to roam a bit in search of big hits.

[chrisdetroit 189]

I was reading an ~1 month old issue of sports illustrated and something caught by attention.

Detroit consultant Scotty Bowman believes that Ericsson will be a top 4 NHL defensemen - possibly by next season.

Discuss

I hope he will be good by the time Lidström retires.

It amazes me how everybody is so hot for this kid. He looks good but he has played 8 NHL games TOTAL.

People on LGR are drooling all over him because of his size.

2-3 years an he might make the Wings.

That's why the wings are so good. They don't rush their young players.

Patience. We will see if he is good in a few years. Until then, wipe that drool off of your chin....

[Opie 308]

It amazes me how everybody is so hot for this kid. He looks good but he has played 8 NHL games TOTAL.

People on LGR are drooling all over him because of his size.

2-3 years an he might make the Wings.

That's why the wings are so good. They don't rush their young players.

Patience. We will see if he is good in a few years. Until then, wipe that drool off of your chin....

The only reason people here are drooling over him is because names like Babcock, Bowman, Holland, and Yzerman are big on this kid.

If those guys are big on him I respect their opinion and knowledge a little bit more than your non-drooling 2-3 years out philosophy, so when they say, or more specifically when babs says he could have been a starter for them last year I tend to get pretty excited about a kid with size and skill that the NHL coach (who I wager knows more about him than say, an internet poster) is ready for him to crack his #1 in the league defensive roster, I may drool once in a while!

[chrisdetroit 189]

Let me address each of these concerns in order:

1. The collective drive on these forums to replace Lebda and Lilja is less about these two being useless or terrible players and more about who would be playing in their place. Basically it comes down to:

A) As it stands now the Wings have 2 mediocre defensive prospects without minor league options (Quincey and Meech). Both have the potential to become good or maybe even very good d-men in the future. The problem is both need playing time and they need it badly. With Ericsson more then ready to play NHL hockey the Wings simply must evaluate and decide on the futures of Meech and Quincey this season. As long as Lebda and Lilja are around the job of fairly evaluating Meech and Q is a very hard one.

B) Lebda and Lilja hold little to no upside. We know exactly what they'll look like in 1 year, 2 years, 10 years. Trading them for rookies that provide nearly the same thing but have a ton of untapped potential may make the team better but likely won't make it much worse.

2. Stuart provides Lilja's stay at home play without the bone-head moves. That's the difference between a second pairing and a 3rd pairing d-man. He also provides big hits, although he has an annoying tendancy to sacrifice positioning to get the big hit at times. He was great against the Pens and certainly made the Wings much more dangerous by providing heavy hitting and giving Kronwall the chance to roam a bit in search of big hits.

You need to be objective. Ericcson has 8 total NHL games under his belt. He's not ready yet and Lebda and Lilja have little to no upside? If that's so, why would anybody want them in a trade?

[chrisdetroit 189]

The only reason people here are drooling over him is because names like Babcock, Bowman, Holland, and Yzerman are big on this kid.

If those guys are big on him I respect their opinion and knowledge a little bit more than your non-drooling 2-3 years out philosophy, so when they say, or more specifically when babs says he could have been a starter for them last year I tend to get pretty excited about a kid with size and skill that the NHL coach (who I wager knows more about him than say, an internet poster) is ready for him to crack his #1 in the league defensive roster, I may drool once in a while!

I am not going to pretend to know 1/10th as much about hockey as Bowman, Babs, Yzermann, etc. Their opinions are the same as mine - Ericsson will be in GR this year. He has great potential but he is not going to be rushed.

Lots of LGR posters want him in the starting line-up for the Wings THIS YEAR.

I have no problem with people on here drooling over his potential except when they insist that he is ready now and we should get rid of Lilja and/or Lebda to make room for him.

If the guys like Babs thought he was ready, he'd be in the line-up. They don't and he won't at least not this year.

[marcaractac 3,963]

He'll be on the 3rd pairing until Lids Retires, then I would imagine Kronwall will move up with Rafalski and Ericsson will play with Stuart.

[Guest Dump-N-Thump]

You need to be objective. Ericcson has 8 total NHL games under his belt. He's not ready yet and Lebda and Lilja have little to no upside? If that's so, why would anybody want them in a trade?

Proven commodities, Been there done that type players..

[Opie 308]

I am not going to pretend to know 1/10th as much about hockey as Bowman, Babs, Yzermann, etc. Their opinions are the same as mine - Ericsson will be in GR this year. He has great potential but he is not going to be rushed.

Lots of LGR posters want him in the starting line-up for the Wings THIS YEAR.

I have no problem with people on here drooling over his potential except when they insist that he is ready now and we should get rid of Lilja and/or Lebda to make room for him.

If the guys like Babs thought he was ready, he'd be in the line-up. They don't and he won't at least not this year.

What is LGR, did you mean LGW?

Due to cap restrictions, yes everyone's opinion is that Ericsson will be in GR. However what people are saying is that the moves could be made to make room for him because the coaches and staff have said that he is NHL ready. However he is one of two defenseman with the ability to go up and down without clearing waivers. There is a lot more to him being with the big club than just talent level.

As far as Lilja and Lebda they are trade able because they are experienced D-men on a Stanley Cup champion team. Lebda and Lilja would be upgrades on teams like Bos, Mon, Fla, Pit, and would definitely help out teams like Pho, LA, and others. It is not that I am saying they are useless they just happen to be the most trade able commodities.

Neither Lebda nor Lilja have a chance in hell of cracking this top 4, however in Tampa they would be top 4 easily. The league knows Detroit is against the cap and has a bunch of NHL ready (or experienced) defenseman that at least one will need to be dealt (odds are).

Do you really see Quincey or Meech garnering that much attention from other teams.

No one, at least from what I read, is saying the Wings HAVE TO or NEED to move Lilja or Lebda they are just saying it would make sense to trade Lilja and Lebda because of what has been said about Ericsson. Seeing as the thread was started about Bowman thinking Ericsson is ready and that it is general knowledge that to sign another forward or D-man(Cheli only) one or more D-men will probably be traded. So some of us draw the conclussion that trading one of the L's would make room for the other forward and also bring up a highly touted Defensive prospect, who for all accounts is NHL ready.

And it is not like anyone is saying Ericsson will get top 4 minutes this year, but he is a top 4 potential 24 year old d-man while:

Lilja 32 year old top 6 (at best top 4 on a bad defensive team).

Lebda 26 year old with top 6 potential.

I, for one, am not discounting what they did this past year, but in a cap world these guys are expendable because this team has the best top 4 in the league, and it costs them a lot less than it should, they have the ability to play around with the 5-6 pairings to figure out what Ericsson, Kindl, Meech, Quincey can do, plus they have the veteran Cheli to fall back on, who was a damn fine 5-6 last year.

[akustyk 84]

Ericsson is to unexperienced now to hand him top 6 minutes. he could get

top 6 job on most other NHL teams but this is Wings and standards are set

higher. to get starter job he really needs to prove he can be dependable

day and night.

I like his chances but let's not get ahead of ourselves. those guys need to work

very hard for roster spot with Wings. and you really don't get here for free

[omnipotent_hudler 0]

And honestly, say whatever you want, I never liked Stuart that much. Besides personality flaws (West-coast wife had his balls in a jar on the shelf), he seemed lazy at times, was prone to looking nervous with the puck and making costly turnovers FAR too much. Lastly, show me one HUGE, BONE-CRUSHING hit that he supposedly made. Everyone praises him for his physical play, but I haven't seen it yet at all. Hell, he looked afraid to hit anyone half the time in the playoffs. For his salary, I don't really think he's worth it. Lilja and Lebda are a steal at their salaries.

this has to be a fake post