48 replies to this topic

[South Dakota wings fan]

^^ Smartest guy on forums.

Anywho, Glad quincey resigned, I love this kid, Im hoping he can play a good defensive game, deliver some nice timely hits, and drop the mits from time to time. I got to see him a few times last year in person, and watched him the year before quite a bit, I think he brings another dimension to our team. We have the known puck movers, now we have a gritty guy who can play a good offensive game also.. Im excited, I hope he can earn a spot this year.

Lids - Rafalski
Stuart - Kronner
Lilja - Chelios
Quincey - Meech

Thats my top 8 D-Men, For a good offensive team you'd put Cheli in, because of his good positioning. For the physical teams you'd put in Quincey, and for the teams where you can run up the score pretty easily throw in Meech.. Meech is also the 14th Forward also basically, So yah.. I like it.. Anything Lebda could do, Meech could do better..My fondest memory of Meech was when he played last year and there was a little shove. I think it was against Anaheim and Meech said "I'LL F####ING KILL YOU" i just rolllllled laughing. But after seeing him play in a 4th line energy roll.. I can tell he's just an all around solid addition for our team..

One thing to remember though, is that if Meech was so much better than Lebda, why didn't Meech knock him out of the starting line-up in the regular season or playoffs?

[egroen]

One thing to remember though, is that if Meech was so much better than Lebda, why didn't Meech knock him out of the starting line-up in the regular season or playoffs?

Lebda seemed more consistent and mature on defense... but IMO, Meech shows more potential, and is more effective jumping into the offense, despite Lebda's speed.

[Datsyerberger]

Well, it looks like Lidstrom is getting closer and closer to being traded out of here.

Don't worry, GMR.. for what it's worth, I lol'd.

[YoungGuns1340]

Of course Chelios knows his role on the team... he's so old that any contract he can get would be worth respecting. If he still wants to play, he knows it will be in a limited role for limited money. He doesn't have a choice.

That being said, why all the Lilja hate? I always thought he and Lebda made a good 3rd line pairing. I don't understand AT ALL what you meant by him NOT know his place on the team. I think he knows EXACTLY what his role on the team is... Big body, get into shooting lanes, kill the penalty, block all of their shots. And he's always done a pretty damn good job at it. Sure, someone needs to go, but I STILL don't understand some people's reasoning as to why he should go.


Saying "he doesn't know his role on the team" doesn't hold much water until you try and explain why... maybe give some examples?

1. Reading comprehension is key.
2. Why all the Lilja hate? Read where I state "I think Lilja gets more flack than he should..."
3. An article ran in the Free Press October 10th, 2006 (full article is only available if you pay for it, so I dont have a direct link) about how unhappy Lilja was with being scratched. In the article he states how if he gets benched repeatedly, he'll have to ask for a trade. Hence, Lilja doesn't understand that his role on this team is not for him to get ice time, but rather for him do what hes asked to when called upon. And with the depth that the Wings currently have on defense, its not out of the question that Lilja will be riding the pine at some point this season. We saw it in the playoffs.

[YoungGuns1340]

Lilja is our leading hitter, leading shot blocker and plays an important part on the PK, which will be even more crucial to the team this season since Chelios' role is supposedly going to be reduced this year. Trading him makes less sense than trading one of Lebda or Meech who are both offensive-minded, smallish defenseman. I would say trade both Lebda and Meech so we have enough cap space to bring up Downey or Mac whenever needed. We can also use Ericsson as the first-call up from GR due to injuries that way.

Chelios' role was already reduced. And it had no ill effects on our PK. If Chelis role on the PK was that crucial to its success, he wouldn't have been a healthy scratch.

Also, Liljas importance in regards to hitting and shot-blocking are not nearly as crucial as they were pre-Brad Stuart and now with the emergence of Kronwall. Lilja may be #1 on the team in both categories, but the #2 on the team is Stuart. And Kronwall is not far behind at #3. What is particular to note is that on the Red Wings, Lilja is specifically asked to use the body, because the lack of hard-hitting players Detroit has. If Stuart were asked to do the same, he'd likely have bigger hitting stats as well. But undoubtedly with Dustin Brown setting the tone, few Kings players were specifically asked to pick up their hitting game.

You might illustrate this by taking a look at Brad Stuart's integration into the Red Wings. While Lilja may have lead during the regular season, Brad Stuart lead during the playoffs in both categories. Lilja averaged 2.4 hits per game to Stuarts 2.8. Lilja averaged 1.1 blocked shots per game to Stuarts 1.3.

Whats also interesting is that in 05-06, Stuart averaged slightly more hits per game than Lilja did, both getting a little over 100 hits for the season. In 06-07, however, Lilja was frequently benched by Babcock. You'll also remember that at this time, the Wings wanted more out of Lilja. He wasn't performing up to his expectations and Babcock and Holland both went to the media voicing their opinions about how Lilja needed to play up to his size, and play with more of an edge. Hence, this season, Lilja had over 130 hits.

In short, a lot can be said for the demands a coach makes on his players. Lilja when asked to do so can offer up 130+ hits. When he plays for a guy like Lewis however, he gives less. Nearly 25% less to be exact. Therefore, it should be the general expectation that Stuart, knowing his role with the Red Wings, will perform accordingly, possibly even wiping out the highest season total in hits that Lilja has ever had as a Red Wing. Keep in mind that through 21 games, Stuart was able to put forth nearly 60 hits. That pace, through 82 games, is nearly 230 hits in one season. Do I expect Stuart to put up that many hits? No. Not at all. But to be worried about Liljas loss of 130 hits when we're effectively replacing him with a guy who is only 2 seasons removed from a 165 hit campaign should be the last thing keeping you up at night.

Edited by YoungGuns1340, 10 September 2008 - 08:56 PM.

[Aussie_Wing]

Chelios' role was already reduced. And it had no ill effects on our PK. If Chelis role on the PK was that crucial to its success, he wouldn't have been a healthy scratch.

Also, Liljas importance in regards to hitting and shot-blocking are not nearly as crucial as they were pre-Brad Stuart and now with the emergence of Kronwall. Lilja may be #1 on the team in both categories, but the #2 on the team is Stuart. And Kronwall is not far behind at #3. What is particular to note is that on the Red Wings, Lilja is specifically asked to use the body, because the lack of hard-hitting players Detroit has. If Stuart were asked to do the same, he'd likely have bigger hitting stats as well. But undoubtedly with Dustin Brown setting the tone, few Kings players were specifically asked to pick up their hitting game.

You might illustrate this by taking a look at Brad Stuart's integration into the Red Wings. While Lilja may have lead during the regular season, Brad Stuart lead during the playoffs in both categories. Lilja averaged 2.4 hits per game to Stuarts 2.8. Lilja averaged 1.1 blocked shots per game to Stuarts 1.3.

Whats also interesting is that in 05-06, Stuart averaged slightly more hits per game than Lilja did, both getting a little over 100 hits for the season. In 06-07, however, Lilja was frequently benched by Babcock. You'll also remember that at this time, the Wings wanted more out of Lilja. He wasn't performing up to his expectations and Babcock and Holland both went to the media voicing their opinions about how Lilja needed to play up to his size, and play with more of an edge. Hence, this season, Lilja had over 130 hits.

In short, a lot can be said for the demands a coach makes on his players. Lilja when asked to do so can offer up 130+ hits. When he plays for a guy like Lewis however, he gives less. Nearly 25% less to be exact. Therefore, it should be the general expectation that Stuart, knowing his role with the Red Wings, will perform accordingly, possibly even wiping out the highest season total in hits that Lilja has ever had as a Red Wing. Keep in mind that through 21 games, Stuart was able to put forth nearly 60 hits. That pace, through 82 games, is nearly 230 hits in one season. Do I expect Stuart to put up that many hits? No. Not at all. But to be worried about Liljas loss of 130 hits when we're effectively replacing him with a guy who is only 2 seasons removed from a 165 hit campaign should be the last thing keeping you up at night.

Excellent post.

Lilja looks to be gone, Stuart will cover what loss this leaves. He and Kronwall formed a very tough defensive unit during the playoffs and I would expect to see more of the same this season.

[Dump-N-Thump]

One thing to remember though, is that if Meech was so much better than Lebda, why didn't Meech knock him out of the starting line-up in the regular season or playoffs?

Lebda has the experience..

If you remember right, Meech knocked Lebda off the PP during the Defensive injury stint.. I'd think thats a good hint that Meech is better then Lebda offensively.. I've watched Meech create his own shooting lanes and handle the puck with poise..

[Dump-N-Thump]

I think that was the point: that a combination of players will need to be traded in order to get under the cap.

Or as was mentioned earlier we could trade Lidstrom and have all sorts of room for the trading deadline.

HE'S OLD AND HE'S EXPENSIVE! TM

[mindfly]

Quincey goes enforcer? lol
http://www.mlive.com...ight_for_s.html