Wings 4th line

[BeeRYCE 2]

Cleary in the press box?

esteef

It's weird, I always forget about Cleary too... He's a great player, but if a person were to randomly walk up to me and ask me to name all the players on the Wings at the top of my head... I'd probably forget to say Cleary, sadly.

[Jake Ryan 1]

As long as Helm is in the line-up come game 1 of the playoffs, I don't really care (providing we make the playoffs).

[cupforwings 138]

As long as Helm is in the line-up come game 1 of the playoffs, I don't really care (providing we make the playoffs).

come on, really... we will wake the playoffs... and i agree.. the playoffs is Helms time

[NGKEIB 32]

Now that Franzen is out for a while, I think we'll see May much more.

The Red Wings practised with the following lines:

Filppula-Datsyuk-Holmstrom

Bertuzzi-Zetterberg-Cleary

Leino-Helm-Williams

May-Draper-Maltby (Eaves working in)

Franzen (out)

[Buppy 1,720]

May, Draper, and Maltby have all looked good so far, but it's unlikely they can maintain that level for another 79 games. Bert isn't young and hasn't been very impressive. Homer is pretty old for the roughness of his game. I think all 5 should rotate out of the lineup, to keep them fresher for the playoffs.

We have 13 forwards, so we should be using them. I think Eaves needs to get a shot with real players, since he spent most of the preseason with the likes of Ritola, Pare, and Emmerton. Maybe send Helm to GR for a week or two in order to get a good look at Eaves, and more time for May. (Assuming Helm is ready to come off IR shortly.)

I doubt Eaves will be waived, since he's on a one-way contract, and so would be exposed to re-entry waivers (assuming he'd get called back up).

[NGKEIB 32]

Keep May in the lineup. As babs said, when you have a player like that dressed your skill players won't be taken advantage of. I wish we would have just signed a younger enforcer in the off-season to begin with, rather then settling with Williams, and Eaves. Detroit already had enough skill, we just needed some more grit.

Part of me agrees with you, and I would have liked to see a guy like Asham, who is only a middleweight (albeit a very good one) who can still play hockey, and I wouldn't have minded getting someone like him instead of Eaves and May (though I do believe Williams was a good signing). On the other hand, the fact that we got May out of training camp means that we could get him for a very cheap price, which is good, taking into account the cap. He's also experienced, has character etc.

May, Draper, and Maltby have all looked good so far, but it's unlikely they can maintain that level for another 79 games. Bert isn't young and hasn't been very impressive. Homer is pretty old for the roughness of his game. I think all 5 should rotate out of the lineup, to keep them fresher for the playoffs.

We have 13 forwards, so we should be using them. I think Eaves needs to get a shot with real players, since he spent most of the preseason with the likes of Ritola, Pare, and Emmerton. Maybe send Helm to GR for a week or two in order to get a good look at Eaves, and more time for May. (Assuming Helm is ready to come off IR shortly.)

I doubt Eaves will be waived, since he's on a one-way contract, and so would be exposed to re-entry waivers (assuming he'd get called back up).

I think that the Wings have considered sending Helm down to GR, ostensibly for conditioning since he has missed a few games. That could be a good opportunity to see what Eaves can offer (and then sit one of Maltby or May).

[DMAC 25 18]

This.

franzen is injured, so we should put homer in his spot

[Buppy 1,720]

With Franzen's injury, not only do we not have to send anyone down when Helm comes back, but we can also have Abdelkader as well, for a full 14 forwards. It at least gives the option of rotating out the older players or guys who are struggling.

Babs has said that Flip will be moving into the top 6, and I assume Leino will see some time there as well, and possibly even Williams. I expect to see a lot of line juggling for a while.