Lilja, as of late

[Yzersyukstromberg 0]

I'm completely with you on this....as of today, I'd say Lilja is the most improved player on the Red Wings this season. The guy has really done a great job in limiting his mistakes, which used to be a major problem for him in the past. I like the fact that he's taking more shots, and that he seems to be much more comfortable back inside his own zone with the puck. If he keeps this up, he might just justify himself getting a contract extension of his own...

[stormboy 47]

lilja is lazy and he sucks.

someone had to.....

[uk_redwing 495]

[55fan 5,133]

I've liked Lilja for a while now. It started because of his shot blocking, and then when he started fighting, I liked him more. I'm glad to see that the rest of his game is improving.

Not to mention, he is in the lead with the most points in the "Hottest Current Red Wing" contest, which is ever so important.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

Never was one of the many that wanted him adios in his early part of his career, but he wasn't always playing great to say the least. This is probably been without much question his best/most consistent season with Detroit so far. Glad we have him.

Yippee for Lilja.

[elriqo28 2]

congrats on the lift of the suspension....sinner!

[wingnut40 176]

Has hell frozen over? I'm glad he's finally getting some recognition for his play. Y'all always bashed him just because you needed a whipping boy. I've always been a Lilja, and Sammy, supporter, so it's good to see I'm not the only one who's noticed the improvement.

[Mors 201]

Here's the thing about Train. Game in, game out, he's a solid stay at home defenseman who hits and blocks shots. He PKs like a beast and will occasionally drop the gloves to boot.

Then, out of nowhere, he makes a mistake so baffling and horrendous you wonder how he could possibly be a regular in the NHL (see: Teemu Selanne).

Looking over the whole of his time here in the Winged Wheel, I can't see how anyone could be disappointed in his play.

Pretty much sums it up, I don't think Lilja was an unjustified whipping boy at times, he has made some incredibly bad plays in the past. Solid play so far this season though, can't fault him at all compared to the rest of the defense.

[xBrave_Heartx 0]

I can HONESTLY say, i never was on the Anti-Pain-Train Bandwagon..

can you?

[WingNut 25 5]

I think Lilja has been great. His gaffe against the Ducks during OT in the WCF was really awful but it could have happened to anyone. It is history and can't be changed. I think he's had a very solid season and does his job well.

[VM1138 1,921]

The thing that makes me nervous is that he might be trade bait. Let's face it, with everyone underperforming we're not going to get anything for most of our players. Lilja being a player who is vastly improved and reliable now, he may be one of our few chances to get some player with motivation or some grit at the deadline.

[GoWings1905 2,694]

The thing that makes me nervous is that he might be trade bait. Let's face it, with everyone underperforming we're not going to get anything for most of our players. Lilja being a player who is vastly improved and reliable now, he may be one of our few chances to get some player with motivation or some grit at the deadline.

With the current state of the Red Wings defense, I can't see Lilja being moved. Kronwall and Stuart haven't been very reliable as a second pairing and trading Lilja leaves the Red Wings with a third pairing of Lebda/Meech and Chelios. For a struggling PK unit, trading Lilja (the second best penalty killer on the team) leaves a serious void. Rafalski and Kronwall getting more PK time scares the hell out of me. Unless the Red Wings think Ericsson is ready to come up and play top four minutes, Lilja is a very valuable commodity to this Red Wings team.

[Ms_Hockey 0]

i was thinking the other day that i haven't seen a lot of lilja-bashing threads on lgw, and decided to check some stats.

it is interesting that lilja is tied for second in +/- among our seven/eight d-men (depending on whether you count meech as the 8th) at +9--tied with rafalski and second only to lidstrom. he has a better +/- than hudler, filppula, sammy, and cleary.

i realize that +/- isn't an all-telling statistic, but i think it says something about lilja's tighter defensive play lately. i haven't seen nearly as many giveaways from lilja as i have kronner and rafalski. he's blocking shots, making some hits, and even scoring a little bit (he's on pace for a career high in points).

just thought i'd point out that lilja's actually playing pretty well for us right now. anyone else agree/disagree?

Agree entirely.

I had gotten into the habit of saying "I hate you, Lilja" whenever he skated out on the ice. To my own joy - I haven't said it at all this season!

[Wombat 26]

There are some players like Hossa that have the skill to show up and be able to play Red Wings hockey from the start. Then there are guys like Lilja that need some time to adjust their game to the Wings system. It sure looks like he's gotten to the point of mixing his strengths (shot blocking, PK, stay at home D) with the Wings puck possession system. He's clearly a very important player for the Red Wings because he can provide what many other Wings do not. I think he's been really good this year.

[esteef 2,679]

Great post!

Suck it Boll!

esteef

[under_par_00 45]

Great post!

Suck it Boll!

esteef

I was at that game. It was great to see a real fight at a Wings game!