149 replies to this topic

[kipwinger]

Great game. Plays smart and confident with ice time. Good hit, good scrap, and showing flashes of offensive acumen. It'll be great to see him every game from here on out. Makes Kindl look like Ericsson, and makes Ericsson look like a beer leaguer... well, like worse of a beer leaguer.

Are we watching the same team? I've thought Kindl has looked like a completely different player of late. I especially like his work on the powerplay. If our bottom three defensemen are any combination of Kindl, Smith, and Ericsson I'm not complaining a bit.

I doubt Ericsson is going anywhere. If Smith can continue to play well, maybe next year could look like this:

Lidstrom-White
Kronwall-Quincey
Ericsson-B.Smith
-Vandermeer

Pick up a bottom 6 player for Kindl and sign Jim Vandermeer.

Why would we trade Kindl? Has his rookie season somehow left you with the feeling that he's a useless throw away player?

Edited by kipwinger, 04 March 2012 - 07:50 PM.

[haroldsnepsts]

Are we watching the same team? I've thought Kindl has looked like a completely different player of late. I especially like his work on the powerplay. If our bottom three defensemen are any combination of Kindl, Smith, and Ericsson I'm not complaining a bit.

I agree. Kind seems to be taking step backwards the second half of the season and I'm not sure why. when given the opportunity, he's had some brutal gaffe's like turning the puck over on the blueline for a clean breakaway. And Ericsson has steadily improved this season. He's stepped up his physical play and has had fewer brainfarts. In general looking fairly poised.

As I said in the GDT, you'd never guess that Kindl is actually 10 lbs heavier and an inch taller than Quincey because he plays so soft. Hopefully E and Kindl will get healthy and can learn some things from Quincey.

Smith has looked very good so far. It was unfortunate to lose him for 5 minutes when the D was already shorthanded, but he really didn't have a choice since Shaw jumped him. And he handled himself well. I can't wait until he's a regular in the lineup. He should leapfrog right over Kindl and Ericsson.


Here's the fight.

[newfy]

I agree. Kind seems to be taking step backwards the second half of the season and I'm not sure why. when given the opportunity, he's had some brutal gaffe's like turning the puck over on the blueline for a clean breakaway. And Ericsson has steadily improved this season. He's stepped up his physical play and has had fewer brainfarts. In general looking fairly poised.

As I said in the GDT, you'd never guess that Kindl is actually 10 lbs heavier and an inch taller than Quincey because he plays so soft. Hopefully E and Kindl will get healthy and can learn some things from Quincey.

Smith has looked very good so far. It was unfortunate to lose him for 5 minutes when the D was already shorthanded, but he really didn't have a choice since Shaw jumped him. And he handled himself well. I can't wait until he's a regular in the lineup. He should leapfrog right over Kindl and Ericsson.


Here's the fight.

I was stuck watching the chicago feed on centre ice and they interviewed Kane between periods. Apparently after his hit there was a lot of talk to Smith from the Chicago guys and Smith mustve known they were going to be gunning for him.

Nice to have a guy who can play regular minutes and pump little twats like Shaw when need be

[winger30]

The kid can fight and is it just me or shades of fischer wearing number 2 out there I miss fischer.

[newfy]

Babcocks post game interview was pretty funny. Saying he wasnt a fan of playing with only 4 d but because he did so well he can scrap all he wants when they have 6. Babcocks gotta love that dimension of his game

[dirtydangles]

anyone have the video of the hit on kane?

[jollymania]

anyone have the video of the hit on kane?

it is on nhl.com

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?hlg=20112012,2,976&event=DET269

Edited by jollymania, 04 March 2012 - 08:19 PM.

[redwingfan19]

all i have to say about smith is:

fap fap fap

[Echolalia]

Okay I love this kid. He should not be in the AHL any longer, and he needs to be playing 15-20 min a night. Ericsson can handle that work load despite popular belief, Quincey sure as hell can handle that work load, Kindl has really stepped it up now that his job is on the line, and he has shown he can handle that work load. I don't see any reason why next year we can't have 3 defensive lines averaging 20 min each/night.

[wolverine1817]

I <3ed the fight

watching it now... is that just a good decision by Shaw to take out a defenseman like that? Smith didn't even have a chance to deny the fight when Shaw just came and rocked him

Edited by wolverine1817, 05 March 2012 - 01:47 AM.

[canadian wings fan]

great tilt. This kid looks like a keeper

[hooon]

it is on nhl.com

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?hlg=20112012,2,976&event=DET269

We need a YT or a gif of this beautiful hit. I hate NHL.com, have to watch a 35 second advertisement for a 5 second clip.

[Nevermind]

I liked how Smith handled himself in that fight.

I didn't like how he kept his visor on though. Then again, he did get jumped in the first place.

[wolverine1817]

Yeah, I'm sick of those idiots from Chicago calling him a ***** for keeping his visor on... only they would claim that the guy who was jumped was a ***** for not preparing enough for the fight that he didn't know was about to start, while standing up for the guy who sucker punched him twice ha

[LeftWinger]

I have had season tickets to the Griffins for the last few years so I have seen Smith for a while. Last season, he did pretty well. Same with this season. I will say that he didn't standout like Kronwall did when he was a defenseman with the Griffins.

I really feel that one of two things has to happen....

1. Smith moves back down with the Griffins to get more seasoning at the AHL level.
2. Smith moves up to the Wings and learns under the tutelage of Lidstrom. I think in order for Smith to excel, he needs first or second line minutes. To have him playing 7 minutes a night at the NHL level is a waste when he can play 20-25 minutes.

The Red Wings allow their prospects to over-ripen in the minors. I am ok with that as the track record is excellent when the Wings do this.

I certainly hope you are kidding? Smith is the type of defender this team needs...he hits, fights and clears the front of the net, why on Earth would you want to change his game to a Lidstrom type? Don't they have enough Lidstrom type defenders?

[Danielsm]

That fight was awesome. He gets hit in the face twice out of no where and just turns in to rage mode and manhandles the dude for the rest the fight.

[LeftWinger]

The kid can fight and is it just me or shades of fischer wearing number 2 out there I miss fischer.

It's just you...tragic how Fish's career ended, but I think that incident is more defining his career than his career did. He had ONE good season and was horribly inconsistent the rest of them...sorry, but I think the sympathy bug has clouded everyone's memory of him. He was great in 2002, but before that, not so great and when he got pummeled by Scott Thornton he turn into, well, Ericsson...

[sputman]

it is on nhl.com

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?hlg=20112012,2,976&event=DET269

oh man that's great.

kane trying for a highlight reel goal then BAM!

[stinky fish taco]

anyone who complains about smith keeping his visor on is a fool. did they even watch the scrap? shaw dropped his gloves and hit smith with two quick punches before smith even had time to react. so he's supposed to take his visor off...when?

if they were both dropping the gloves and squaring off, that'd be different...but shaw basically tried to get the jump on smith and smith did what he had to do.

[sputman]

shades of his brother there (#24)