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HockeytownRules19

Datsyuk to play Thursday? Weiss to be a healthy scratch?

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Switch Gus with Abby and those forward lines look decent. I hate Z getting stuck with Franzen and Abby. Why is the Wings best player last season getting relegated to the third line?

Franzen has looked really good this pre-season and he always had good chemistry with Z. Abby and Z also played well together last season, with Nyquist on the other wing. I don't think it's a bad line.

Ideally I'd have Nyquist and Z together but it's not the end of the world to try something different.

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Franzen has looked really good this pre-season and he always had good chemistry with Z. Abby and Z also played well together last season, with Nyquist on the other wing. I don't think it's a bad line.

Ideally I'd have Nyquist and Z together but it's not the end of the world to try something different.

I'm over trying to force Abby onto the top line after four years of trying now. He just doesn't have a skill set that translates to playing there. That's more on Babs than Abby though, as he would be an effective third or fourth liner.

Not the end of the world, but doesn't seem logical to waste the Wings best forward a season ago on the third line.

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I'm over trying to force Abby onto the top line after four years of trying now. He just doesn't have a skill set that translates to playing there. That's more on Babs than Abby though, as he would be an effective third or fourth liner.

Not the end of the world, but doesn't seem logical to waste the Wings best forward a season ago on the third line.

If the lines remain like this, I see us not really having clear cut 1st, 2nd and 3rd lines. Also we all know things will change when Pavel returns. Abby has been a better fit playing with Z than he has with Pavel at least.

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I'm also in agreement that Hank getting stuck with Franzen slows that line down. I'm not too sure about Abby but I feel like Goose or (Tatar) Tots would be better on that line, probably Goose more than Tatar, I think Tatar seems to flourish on a line where he is the go-to guy.

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What people need to remember...

#RedWings assign Xavier Ouellet and Petr Mrazek to Grand Rapids, but both can be brought back up for Thursday's game, if 2 other trims made.

Hopefully Holland and Babcock are still trying to trade Kindl or Lashoff to get Ouellet up here by Thursday

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If he's got "stone hands in front of the net" then he shouldn't be on the powerplay, since the powerplay is all about scoring and all.

Well we need 10 players for two power play lines. Last season Helm was 11th in points (despite missing half the season) and with Alfie gone, not to mention Datsyuk is currently injured, so that puts Helm square in the top 10 point producers on the team, at least for now. Just for the record, he was also 11th in points on the team two years ago, 12th on the team three years ago, and last year he only played in one game so we don't have any data to work with from that season. Anyway, if you want the team's best scorers on the powerplay, which is what you seem to be implying, Helm currently makes the cut. That is, unless you have a good feeling about Miller or Andersson out there.

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Well we need 10 players for two power play lines. Last season Helm was 11th in points (despite missing half the season) and with Alfie gone, not to mention Datsyuk is currently injured, so that puts Helm square in the top 10 point producers on the team, at least for now. Just for the record, he was also 11th in points on the team two years ago, 12th on the team three years ago, and last year he only played in one game so we don't have any data to work with from that season. Anyway, if you want the team's best scorers on the powerplay, which is what you seem to be implying, Helm currently makes the cut. That is, unless you have a good feeling about Miller or Andersson out there.

Well, I don't think it's inconceivable that the team could have kept around one or two defensive prospects to fill out the points on the PP. At which time you'd only need six forwards. And we've at least six who are much more qualified to do that job than Helm. Sadly, however, we've apparently got exactly two defensemen that Babs feels confident enough to put on the powerplay (and one of them is Dekeyser).

Justify it however you want. If you're comfortable with Darren Helm on your powerplay I don't know what to say to you.

Speaking of, why is it that Babs would rather have Helm and Nestrasil on the powerplay than Smith? I thought he was supposed to get a shot this year?

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Well, I don't think it's inconceivable that the team could have kept around one or two defensive prospects to fill out the points on the PP. At which time you'd only need six forwards. And we've at least six who are much more qualified to do that job than Helm. Sadly, however, we've apparently got exactly two defensemen that Babs feels confident enough to put on the powerplay (and one of them is Dekeyser).

Justify it however you want. If you're comfortable with Darren Helm on your powerplay I don't know what to say to you.

Speaking of, why is it that Babs would rather have Helm and Nestrasil on the powerplay than Smith? I thought he was supposed to get a shot this year?

Which is what I really don't understand. I get that DeKeyser looked good on the Nestrasil goal, but when was Smith even given the opportunity during the preseason? They're using the 1-3-1 formation on the PP, but you can slot Mule in front on the 1st and Nestrasil/Sheahan in front on the 2nd. Smith and DeKeyser could work point and the right half boards... but I suppose Helm is a better option... for some reason.

Between this and the comments made by Babcock earlier about Holland getting two votes, I swear some of the decisions made by these two are to spite each other. It just makes zero sense at times. Zero.

Edited by Jesusberg

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What did people expect ? It is incredible difficult for young player to make an NHL roster (granted if you aren't some goddamn talent). Pre-season is just an option to see where the prospects are and how much time they are still going to need, making the team is almost near impossible for 80 % of them. That being said what's the point of playing the same defense ? It didn't work last year and for sure won't work this year, so something gotta change here.

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Defenseman Xavier Ouellet and forward Andrej Nestrasil both still had no idea if they had made the 23-man roster or not when practice was over at Joe Louis Arena, Tuesday.

“You’re talking to the wrong guy,” Babcock when asked about the roster. “I think there are lots of players knocking on the door.

“I got my two cents in, so I get one vote,” Babcock continued. “He (Ken Holland) gets two. So he can win, 2-1. It’s almost exactly like that at home, I get one vote and my wife gets two, and I lose 2-1 lots.”

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Which is what I really don't understand. I get that DeKeyser looked good on the Nestrasil goal, but when was Smith even given the opportunity during the preseason? They're using the 1-3-1 formation on the PP, but you can slot Mule in front on the 1st and Nestrasil/Sheahan in front on the 2nd. Smith and DeKeyser could work point and the right half boards... but I suppose Helm is a better option... for some reason.

Between this and the comments made by Babcock earlier about Holland getting two votes, I swear some of the decisions made by these two are to spite each other. It just makes zero sense at times. Zero.

The only way I'd trust Smith on a 1-3-1 PP is if he was the 1 closest to the net. ;)

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Remember that things can still happen before thursday. And even if it doesn't, it won't be long before Ouellet is on the team one way or another. Babcock has clearly stated his wish by practicing XO with Quincey and having Kindl/Lashoff as extras.

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Well, I don't think it's inconceivable that the team could have kept around one or two defensive prospects to fill out the points on the PP. At which time you'd only need six forwards. And we've at least six who are much more qualified to do that job than Helm. Sadly, however, we've apparently got exactly two defensemen that Babs feels confident enough to put on the powerplay (and one of them is Dekeyser).

Justify it however you want. If you're comfortable with Darren Helm on your powerplay I don't know what to say to you.

Speaking of, why is it that Babs would rather have Helm and Nestrasil on the powerplay than Smith? I thought he was supposed to get a shot this year?

This is what doesn't make sense to me. I'm a bit surprised that they're going with 1 defender for each line, especially because Smith has the potential to be a difference maker on the power play, and Oulette (whom I think deserves to be on the team over Kindl and Lashoff, at least based on preseason performances) also showed he knows how to generate offense, albeit in a small preseason sample size. I would certainly rather Smith in over one of Helm or Nestrasil, specifically Nestrasil because I don't even know if he's a reliable NHL player yet. My biggest reservation on Oulette on the powerplay is during the preseason on the man advantage, he threw a terrible pass into the slot from the half-wall which was immediately picked off for a breakaway. It only happened once, but those kind of risky moves are exactly the thing that coaches get aneurisms over, so I can see Babcock (or actually, who's the PP coach now?) holding him off the powerplay in the regular season until Oulette is smarter with the puck.

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Granato is the PP coach now.

Maybe the thinking is to have more of a staying at home guy with a strong shot at the blue line to reduce the risk to run into a breakaway. As good as I think Smith is on the PP he's also very offensive minded. Not a problem with a second defender, but if you are the only one the team could get in pretty nasty situations when the puck is lost in the zone.

Edited by derblaueClaus

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Granato is the PP coach now.

Maybe the thinking is to have more of a staying at home guy with a strong shot at the blue line to reduce the risk to run into a breakaway. As good as I think Smith is on the PP he's also very offensive minded. Not a problem with a second defender, but if you are the only one the team could get in pretty nasty situations when the puck is lost in the zone.

I agree with this, and if Smith was on the PP, I wouldn't want him as the high defender. But if Kronwall or Dekeyser was the high defender, Smith could work one of the walls.

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Remember that things can still happen before thursday. And even if it doesn't, it won't be long before Ouellet is on the team one way or another. Babcock has clearly stated his wish by practicing XO with Quincey and having Kindl/Lashoff as extras.

Good point. Your logic seems downright Spockly in comparison to some other (over)reactions.

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Seems like Babs has really been calling out Holland lately, even comparing him to a nagging wife who always gets her way. I like that Babs is getting fed up, but this also doesn't speak too well for his contract negotiations if he and the GM are so far apart on things.

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