Ericsson to be paired by Lidstrom

[HockeytownRules19 902]

I mean "with" not by lol

Very interesting! I like it!

Lidstrom - Ericsson

Stuart - Rafalski

Kronwall - Salei

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2010/10/red_wings_pair_jonathan_ericss.html

Edited October 5, 2010 by HockeytownRules19

[russianswede919293 95]

Interesting...

[dobbles 252]

well thats interesting. i agree that ericsson looked great with lidstrom in 08. the down side of having E on the top pair is that someone from the top 4 had to drop down. while it might hurt some ego's, i don't think its a huge deal as long as babcock can distribute minutes accordingly. every year as lidstrom has gotten older, theres talk of reducing his minutes. perhaps this change can finally allow that to happen. roll all 3 pairs throughout the game.

[Carman 387]

If Ericsson can't play well with Lidstrom then that's all the management needs to know.

[Guest mindfly]

I do not approve of this, so they expect ericsson to stop Heatley-Thornton-Marleu etc? good luck.

[Heroes of Hockeytown 694]

I do not approve of this, so they expect ericsson to stop Heatley-Thornton-Marleu etc? good luck.

I don't think they're that worried about the playoffs just yet, mindfly.

Carman has the right idea. This is basically the ultimate litmus test -- if Ericsson can't perform with Lidstrom by his side, then all is truly lost.

[Octopus's Garden 147]

I really dislike this move actually. If Ericsson can't get his sh*t together playing against 3rd and 4th liners, then screw it. It's not worth downgrading the top defensive pairing to just shake him out of a preseason slump. This puts an awful lot of pressure on Lidstrom to perform on both ends of the ice -- even more than he already has.

I guess the plus side is that our 3rd line pairing of Kronner and Salei might just destroy everyone.

[Hockeymom1960 5,107]

All I can say is it's about time. He should have been paired with him a long time ago. If you're going to be the best you have to play with the best.

[Guest mindfly]

All I can say is it's about time. He should have been paired with him a long time ago. If you're going to be the best you have to play with the best.

Ericsson to be the best? lol

[hooon 1,089]

I don't like it. Hopefully its just temporary to get Big Rig going. I really wanted to see Kronwall take the next step and play on the top pairing, I want him to get going offensively like he was before he got hurt last season.

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

So Kronwall is relegated to the 3rd pairing just because Ericsson isn't good enough to play with anyone but Lidstrom?

That says all you need to know.

[Carman 387]

So Kronwall is relegated to the 3rd pairing just because Ericsson isn't good enough to play with anyone but Lidstrom?

That says all you need to know.

3rd pairing doesn't exactly mean 3rd pairing TOI.

Wings aren't going to have Lidstrom and Ericsson play 30 minutes a night, and Babcocks not taking Kronwall off the PP or anything.

Over exaggerate more.

[Hockeymom1960 5,107]

Ericsson to be the best? lol

You need to work on yourself too

[b.shanafan14 733]

Ericsson has struggled in the preseason, but playing with a six-time Norris Trophy winner could help him cut down on mask the hell out of his mistakes.

Not entirely sure how to feel about this move, on one hand, that is 3 pretty equal pairings on the back end (1-6, 2-5, 3-4 talent-wise). Then again, I would still kind of rather have two great pairings and one mediocre/subpar pairing that sees less ice, call me traditional . Feel like we are wasting awesome to cover up awful.

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

3rd pairing doesn't exactly mean 3rd pairing TOI.

Wings aren't going to have Lidstrom and Ericsson play 30 minutes a night, and Babcocks not taking Kronwall off the PP or anything.

Over exaggerate more.

I know that. I don't need Crosby-boy telling me that I was exaggerating.

Ericsson will be getting more icetime with Lidstrom than anyone else even strength. He's not better than Kronwall, and belongs on the 3rd pairing even strength.

I want to see Kronwall log some major minutes in the prime of his career. In the next year or two, he will be our number 1 defenseman, so it's time to see how he handles top line minutes and playing against the best players on the other team with Lidstrom.

[Carman 387]

Not entirely sure how to feel about this move, on one hand, that is 3 pretty equal pairings on the back end (1-6, 2-5, 3-4 talent-wise). Then again, I would still kind of rather have two great pairings and one mediocre/subpar pairing that sees less ice, call me traditional . Feel like we are wasting awesome to cover up awful.

I see where you're coming from. But I don't think this move will last a long time. This looks like just a way to help Ericsson's confidence to get him to play like he used to. Now if this move lasted a couple months I wouldn't be a fan of it, because it would just be masking Ericsson's poor play. But I think of it more like a boost to get Ericsson some confidence before we give Kindl the reigns to see what he can do in the 6th spot.

I know that. I don't need Crosby-boy telling me that I was exaggerating.

Ericsson will be getting more icetime with Lidstrom than anyone else even strength. He's not better than Kronwall, and belongs on the 3rd pairing even strength.

I want to see Kronwall log some major minutes in the prime of his career. In the next year or two, he will be our number 1 defenseman, so it's time to see how he handles top line minutes and playing against the best players on the other team with Lidstrom.

You are the one dwelling on Babcock's lines. If you haven't realized by now Babcock shuffles the lines as much as anyone else in the league. This isn't a long term move.

Edited October 5, 2010 by Carman

[robb himself 143]

I am in favour of this move.

Having Ericsson paired with Lidstrom will definately help Ericsson get his confidence back. Like it said in the article, I thought Ericsson looked great and played the best hockey of his short career when he was paired with Lids and actually was able to hold his own and shut down the other teams top lines. If this experiment doesnt work out for him then we will be seeing a lot more of Kindl out there. Its that simple...

This move also gives us three solid puck moving pairs with Lids, Raf and Krons all on different lines each with big bodies beside them.

I am optomistic about this move.

Be about it...

Edited October 5, 2010 by robb himself

[dropkickshanahans 463]

I don't get how this benefits us. How is our top 5 supposed to be our bread and butter when Ericsson is part of it and not Kronwall?

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

No move is a long term move when it comes to lines.

Should we never discuss line combos and defensive pairings anymore?

[Carman 387]

No move is a long term move when it comes to lines.

Should we never discuss line combos and defensive pairings anymore?

Not saying that, but this is a different situation then most other line pairing discussions. This is pretty much a last ditch effort to get Ericsson back to where he was. We would be a much better team if Ericsson can get his confidence back and play like he did, then just staying pat.

[dragonballgtz 273]

About time Babs listens to me.

All Ericsson needs to do now is play a simple game. Don't worry about jumping in the rush, just keep it simple with a good first pass. Add some tough play in the corners and all is good.

[Datsyerberger 279]

Looks like Babs plans to go 20/20/20 with the D. Each pair should be capable of that.

I actually see this as a vote of confidence in the team... willing to experiment to get the younger guys some good experience.

Edited October 5, 2010 by Datsyerberger

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

If Ericsson needs confidence, he should just grab Patrick Kane in our first game, and start pounding away.

That always seemed to give Ericsson more confidence in the past.

[Hockeymom1960 5,107]

If Ericsson needs confidence, he should just grab Patrick Kane in our first game, and start pounding away.

That always seemed to give Ericsson more confidence in the past.

Now this I can agree with.

[DatsyukianDekes 2,428]

If Ericsson needs confidence, he should just grab Patrick Kane in our first game, and start pounding away.

That always seemed to give Ericsson more confidence in the past.

Isn't the Ducks our first opponent ?