Drake_Marcus 890 Report post Posted September 21, 2008 after what i saw of helm, i'm astonished he isn't the odds on favorite for the 13th place. He impressed far beyond expectations last year. That's the thing- he did impress during the playoffs. He impressed the Wings too much to make it a good move for them to delay his development by having him sit in the pressbox as the 13th forward instead of playing ing the top six in GR all next year (aside from call ups). Same goes for Leino. Really, this is a contest between Downey and DMac is everyone else plays like they did last year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drake_Marcus 890 Report post Posted September 21, 2008 If Leino makes this team, mark my words, it will be a fourth-line spot. He's new to NA hockey, his defensive game is relatively shaky, he's probably not going to be in the best of shape relatively speaking -- he's not gunning for Hudler's spot, or Cleary's, or Flip's. Anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional. Or what, you honestly want to give him top-6 minutes or put him on a checking line? Yikes! Helm's headed for GR, I imagine. Kopecky has a spot, which is fine because he's a better overall pick than Downey or Mac. Between Downey and Mac, the former might be the slightly better choice, only because he's pretty good at one thing (and only one thing), whereas Mac...is over the hill. I agree 100%. He'd be pushing someone else aside from the 4th line, possibly Maltby if he doesn't step his game up over the first half of the season. Maltby's stock is apparently falling fast... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FinRedWing 172 Report post Posted September 21, 2008 I think it will be decided between Downey & DMac as well. But you'd think they'd give Leino some chance to show what he's got (apart from the training camp),he's only got a 1-year deal so he's not our usual long development project. And Helm will be probably playing in the playoffs again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scotty 0 Report post Posted September 22, 2008 For the love of God, let's hope Babcock or Holland or whoever is making the decision on the 13th forward has enough common sense to keep Downey on the roster ALL season. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SwedeLundin77 460 Report post Posted September 22, 2008 If Leino makes this team, mark my words, it will be a fourth-line spot. He's new to NA hockey, his defensive game is relatively shaky, he's probably not going to be in the best of shape relatively speaking -- he's not gunning for Hudler's spot, or Cleary's, or Flip's. Anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional. Or what, you honestly want to give him top-6 minutes or put him on a checking line? Yikes! Helm's headed for GR, I imagine. Kopecky has a spot, which is fine because he's a better overall pick than Downey or Mac. Between Downey and Mac, the former might be the slightly better choice, only because he's pretty good at one thing (and only one thing), whereas Mac...is over the hill. Yeah, and everything I wrote was at some point, over the summer, said by someone in the Wings organization... I read it. Sure it is my opinion as well, but the guy has that kind of talent. They won't let him waste away on the 4th line. It's either 2nd or 3rd line, Grand Rapids, or back to Finland. It's not delusional, I'm no expert at putting out an NHL roster, but neither are you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dabura 12,232 Report post Posted September 22, 2008 (edited) You don't need to be Mike Babcock to see truth of the matter, which is that Leino is not gunning for a position on the second or third line. It's the fourth line he's shooting for. Leino himself would probably tell you the same. I've seen the guy play -- and these are full games I'm talking about, not YouTube clips and obscure scouting reports translated into broken English. He obviously has talent, a whole lot of it. But like I said, he's new to NA hockey, his defensive game has holes, and conditioning is surely going to be a concern (if not right now, then certainly by the end of an 82-game regular season, especially if he's playing top-6 minutes every other night). Our third line would be the first or second line on more than a few other rosters. Leino isn't cracking that block, and he's not expected to. I'd love to be proven wrong, but I'll be amazed (literally amazed) if I am. Edited September 22, 2008 by Dabura Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
norrisnick 1 Report post Posted September 22, 2008 Maltby. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hockeytown0001 7,652 Report post Posted September 22, 2008 Helm's performance in the playoffs last year would have secured his spot with just about any other team in the league. I was impressed, but another season of conditioning in GR would improve his game even more. That being said, I hope its an enforcer like Mac or Downey. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
