9/24 Exhibition GDT : at Red Wings 6, Pittsburgh Penguins 1

[TheXym 2,606]

Sounds like our kids kicked some serious butt tonight. A good sign for the future.

[jimmyemeryhunter 2,747]

Sounds like our kids kicked some serious butt tonight. A good sign for the future.

6x the butt bud.

It was good.

[TheXym 2,606]

6x the butt bud.

It was good.

Too bad I was in a rehearsal. So far, our kids and 4th line lost to Chicago's vets in OT, our other squad beat Chicago, and now the kids wrecked shop in Pittsburgh. A great preseason thus far, IMHO. The news about Pavel seems to be a big plus as well. I think it is going to be a good year for our boys. I'm looking forward to tonight's highlights.

One question, I saw Halloran screwed us on a no-goal call (costing Larkin the hat trick?) Was it a toe in the crease, actually interference, or the classic Holmstrom call for apparently farting into the crease because there was no part of the Wing in the crease at all?

[jimmyemeryhunter 2,747]

Too bad I was in a rehearsal. So far, our kids and 4th line lost to Chicago's vets in OT, our other squad beat Chicago, and now the kids wrecked shop in Pittsburgh. A great preseason thus far, IMHO. The news about Pavel seems to be a big plus as well. I think it is going to be a good year for our boys. I'm looking forward to tonight's highlights.

One question, I saw Halloran screwed us on a no-goal call (costing Larkin the hat trick?) Was it a toe in the crease, actually interference, or the classic Holmstrom call for apparently farting into the crease because there was no part of the Wing in the crease at all?

bert actually interfered with the goalie which was unfortunate, because the puck was going in with or without Bert being there.

He made up for it by making a beautiful pass to Larkin at the end of the game though, it was good.

[number9 3,297]

I'm not usually one for lofty predictions on prospects, but Larkin is definitely setting himself up for the C as soon as Z is gone. These are exciting times.

[LeftWinger 4,936]

Damn, since you said that it reminded me that Z still has 6 more seasons on his contract...sure glad the CBA took care of these 10-13 year contracts.

[DatsyukianDekes 2,428]

Damn, since you said that it reminded me that Z still has 6 more seasons on his contract...sure glad the CBA took care of these 10-13 year contracts.

You sure are one positive guy.

[LeftWinger 4,936]

Let it be known, I did not bring him up!

Franzen looked ok, typical of a guy who was out for 9 months and was just trying to survive the night. Didn't hear his name too much other than talking about his injury. Guess it was a good thing. We'll see what he says about the day after his first game.

Manxy, there was nothing negative about what I said. Did I say we are STUCK with him? No, if all you want to do is attack, please ignore and move along.

[DatsyukianDekes 2,428]

Let it be known, I did not bring him up!

Franzen looked ok, typical of a guy who was out for 9 months and was just trying to survive the night. Didn't hear his name too much other than talking about his injury. Guess it was a good thing. We'll see what he says about the day after his first game.

Manxy, there was nothing negative about what I said. Did I say we are STUCK with him? No, if all you want to do is attack, please ignore and move along.

Wasn't an attack, just pointing out the obvious trend in your posts. I guess that means Red Wings hockey is back.

[kickazz 5,459]

Damn, since you said that it reminded me that Z still has 6 more seasons on his contract...sure glad the CBA took care of these 10-13 year contracts.

What are you trying to say? It sux that he still has 6 more years on contract?

[LeftWinger 4,936]

Kickazz, Nope didn't say that at all. What sucks is, back when all these contracts were handed out (and I understand the whole cap circumvention reasons) some of us as fans didn't really realize how long the contracts really were and now we all are and unfortunately these players just won't be but hollow images of themselves in 5-6 years. They cannot retire due to the CBA rule before their contract is up either, but I just said that it was nice that the new CBA put a cap on the lengths of these contracts.

Just think how the Minnesota fans are going to feel in 5 or 6 years when they realize that Suter and Parise still have a 4 or 5 more years on their contracts. Hell, Jersey is still paying Kovalchuk until when, 2023 and beyond?

At first we are all just happy that they signed and had a smaller cap hit, then you realize, damn, that is a long time! Z definitely does not suck, just that when the OP said Larkin just may be captain when Z leaves, it made me realize Z isn't leaving for at least 6 more years. Probably a good thing, just when you realize how long the contracts were, it kinda hits ya in the face for a minute.

9, forgive me, the way you asked if I was serious about going back through the thread its like you already pulled something up and was ready to spin it in your usual way...

Edited September 25, 2015 by LeftWinger

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

No way is Larkin in GR to start the year, with Pav on the shelf and Helm iffy, he's definitely on the opening night roster. Kid has the goods. Bertuzzi had a great game after a quiet one the other night. Loving the kids, will take a few season to see most of em on the big club.... that's what NHL16 is for I guess

[kickazz 5,459]

No way is Larkin in GR to start the year, with Pav on the shelf and Helm iffy, he's definitely on the opening night roster. Kid has the goods. Bertuzzi had a great game after a quiet one the other night. Loving the kids, will take a few season to see most of em on the big club.... that's what NHL16 is for I guess

I dont know. Even with Helm and Datsyuk out the lines still look like this :

Nyquist - Zetterberg - Abdelkader

Jurco - Richards - Tatar

Franzen - Sheahan - Glendenning

Miller - Andersson - Ferraro

Pulk would get a spot before Larkin. And neither of them would be on the fourth line but rather on the third line. So you could shift Glendening for 4th line and remove Ferraro or Andersson and insert Pulk into third line spot with Sheahan and Franzen.

[kickazz 5,459]

At first we are all just happy that they signed and had a smaller cap hit, then you realize, damn, that is a long time! Z definitely does not suck, just that when the OP said Larkin just may be captain when Z leaves, it made me realize Z isn't leaving for at least 6 more years. Probably a good thing, just when you realize how long the contracts were, it kinda hits ya in the face for a minute.

Larkin could be captain when Z leaves sure but that doesn't mean we want him to be captain right away at the cost of losing Zetterberg. If anything I'm GLAD that Zetterberg has 6 years left because that will be plenty of time for Larkin or whoever to LEARN from him.

It's not like we were just jumping up and down waiting for Yzerman to retire so Lidstrom could take the helm.

Nor were we just counting the days till Lidstrom retired so Zetterberg would get captaincy.

So what if Larkin doesn't get captaincy for another 6 years? He could still be an assistant and LEARN from Zetterberg till 2021.

Who do you think Zetterberg learned from? He learned from Yzerman and Lidstrom. You want Larkin to become a captain without someone to teach him?

[PavelValerievichDatsyuk 1,935]

No way is Larkin in GR to start the year, with Pav on the shelf and Helm iffy, he's definitely on the opening night roster. Kid has the goods. Bertuzzi had a great game after a quiet one the other night. Loving the kids, will take a few season to see most of em on the big club.... that's what NHL16 is for I guess

Even without Helm and Datsyuk there's no room: (I know these won't be the lines)

Nyquist-Z-abby

Tats-Richards-Jurco

Mule-Sheahan-Pulkkinen

Miller-Glendening-Ferarro

Who you going to knock out? For me you can knock Ferarro out, but who's on the 4th line? I don't want Jurco or Pulkkinen there. Mule? Sheahan? I don't see how it works.

I think Larkin needs another injury to have a chance. The kids have been great so far this preseason, though.

[number9 3,297]

I dont know. Even with Helm and Datsyuk out the lines still look like this :

Nyquist - Zetterberg - Abdelkader

Jurco - Richards - Tatar

Franzen - Sheahan - Glendenning

Miller - Andersson - Ferraro

Pulk would get a spot before Larkin. And neither of them would be on the fourth line but rather on the third line. So you could shift Glendening for 4th line and remove Ferraro or Andersson and insert Pulk into third line spot with Sheahan and Franzen.

I'll preface this by saying I love Pulkkinen. I know people who've met him and they say he's super down to earth and literally lives and breathes hockey. However, I really do believe he is one dimensional based on his play. His foot speed is a lot better than what draft scouts suggested, but he is a slapper and nothing else. I think he's the type of player you put next to a really great playmaker like Datsyuk or Zberg, but at the end of the day he's closer to a Damien Brunner than a Brett Hull, as he's so often compared to. IDK though I could be 100% wrong, just my limited view.

My point is I think Larkin MIGHT deserve a nod before Teemu

Edited September 25, 2015 by number9

[PavelValerievichDatsyuk 1,935]

I dont know. Even with Helm and Datsyuk out the lines still look like this :

Nyquist - Zetterberg - Abdelkader

Jurco - Richards - Tatar

Franzen - Sheahan - Glendenning

Miller - Andersson - Ferraro

Pulk would get a spot before Larkin. And neither of them would be on the fourth line but rather on the third line. So you could shift Glendening for 4th line and remove Ferraro or Andersson and insert Pulk into third line spot with Sheahan and Franzen.

haha, beat me to it. My post is almost identical to yours! Although I don;t think ANdersson will be there (maybe just a hope)

[kickazz 5,459]

I'll preface this by saying I love Pulkkinen. I know people who've met him and they say he's super down to earth and literally lives and breathes hockey. However, I really do believe he is one dimensional based on his play. His foot speed is a lot better than what draft scouts suggested, but he is a slapper and nothing else. I think he's the type of player you put next to a really great playmaker like Datsyuk or Zberg, but at the end of the day he's closer to a Damien Brunner than a Brett Hull, as he's so often compared to. IDK though I could be 100% wrong, just my limited view.

Oh h*** no I don't take back what I said about his one-dimensionality a few months ago. There's a lot of things I change my mind on after I look at the situation but nah my stance on teammu stays for now. He is still totally one-dimensional and I wouldn't compare him to Hull. Although his slapper is REALLY good.

Maybe the others are right, more ice-time could do him good.

[number9 3,297]

Oh h*** no I don't take back what I said about his one-dimensionality a few months ago. There's a lot of things I change my mind on after I look at the situation but nah my stance on teammu stays for now. He is still totally one-dimensional and I wouldn't compare him to Hull. Although his slapper is REALLY good.

Maybe the others are right, more ice-time could do him good.

I mean comparing him to a HOFer is always ridiculous. What we're really talking about is the style of play. He's definitely a sniper. But honestly, I think even projecting him to be better than Hudler is a stretch.

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

Nice to see Larkin with the unofficial hattie.

[WingsAlways 486]

It would be foolish to not get Larkin a shot, he's head and shoulders beyond Pulks as far as hockey IQ. If he can perform at the NHL level and produces points, then put the kid in the lineup.

[nawein 324]

It would be foolish if we lost Pulkkinen so we could keep a waiver eligible kid up who may or may not make us better.

[DatsyukianDekes 2,428]

Watching the replays of last nights game. Bert and Larkin are gonna be realgud. Can't wait until they get up with the big club.

[Echolalia 2,961]

My buddy scored some pretty nice tickets for the game (13th row up from the glass on shooting end for two periods) and was kind enough to invite me along. Seems like what most people saw on TV echoes my thoughts.
Larkin is good. He's NHL ready right now. There were a couple times when he skated into coverage or tried using a hole which closed up around him I think faster than he was anticipating, but those things you get better with with more time in the league. But his vision, his IQ on the ice is excellent. He knows how to find quiet spots in the offensive zone. In the first period on one of his scoring chances he yelled "Pulkky!" before he was even in the slot to receive the pass. He had the vision to know that spot would be open by the time he got there, and the smarts to let Pulks know he wanted the puck before he actually got to his spot and stood still for easy coverage. He was also playing the point on the powerplay for a couple shifts, but it seemed like he had full reign of the ice, cuz he would pinch pretty low, go behind the net, cover the slot, then fade back to the blueline. He was always available to his team somewhere on the ice. At least in that aspect Blashill seemed to give him a real long leash.
One thing I did notice was that on defensive zone face off wins one of the set plays (at least including Larkin and Anithasiau) involved these guys completely ignoring any defensive responsibility and bolting for center ice after a clean face off win. They didn't look back to see where the puck went or if our D turned it over. They didn't fade to our blueline looking for a short breakout pass. They sprinted as hard as they could for center ice which obviously pulled Puttsburgh's defense off the blueline and opened up the path for our guys to skate out the weakside (or breakaway pass). Obviously the downside of this would be if the Wings turned it over we could potentially have a couple forwards way out of position, and likely a defenseman on the wall also out of position, but it's something to keep an eye on this year. Some other teams do this every now and again, but our young guys have wheels (and our defenseman are better when they have time and space to work and skate with), so this could be something Blash utilizes regularly. I did only notice it happen with Larkin and Anithisiau (or however you spell it). I could have missed it some other times.
I think Brendan Smith had a really solid game. I noticed that before faceoffs Smith seemed like he was doing the play-calling. He would skate to a couple guys on our team and tell them something or point somewhere before the puck dropped. It may have been more a case of him giving tips to kids new to the NHL, but either way he came off as a leader in that aspect, which was interesting to see. He's a risk-taker on the powerplay, which I'm not comfortable with. It didn't bite him in this game, but I can definitely see him trying to make a move around his man at the point and losing the puck leading to a breakaway going in the other direction. Maybe that risk is worth taking for the times he gets past his man and has free reign into the shot. Babcock didn't think so, Perhaps Blashill will. Time will tell.
Pulkinen has an excellent shot. He seemed a little more involved in other aspects of the game last night as well, which is actually was I was most excited to see.
Mantha seems like the type to hide in the offensive zone then strike suddenly, Brett Hull like. I don't like that, especially with how big a frame he has, which could be better utilized winning pucks in the corner or fending off defenseman. Having said that I did notice he forced several turnovers which lead to scoring chances.
Franzen looked like you would expect considering he hasn't played in almost a year. Howard looked steady. Bertuzzi seemed like he had a lot of energy out there. Other than that I can't think of anything else of note.

Edited September 26, 2015 by Echolalia

[krsmith17 7,191]

How the hell can people still suggest that Pulkkinen is one dimensional? He literally scored 3 completely different ways the past two games and not a single one of them was using his "holy slapper". His goal against the Hawks, he crashed the net and batted in a rebound. His first goal against the Pens was a wrist shot from the left circle, perfectly picking the top corner. And the second one last night was on a breakaway, picking the fivehole... Pulkkinen can and will score in a multitude of different ways, but not only that, he is an extremely good passer. Per Khan on quotes from Blashill... "Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill coached Pulkkinen in Grand Rapids and said he's more than just a sniper. "I told him that" Blashill said. "When he comes up here he feels pressure to shoot the puck. He can make plays too, and he's going to have to do that." He's not terrible defensively either. He's probably not going to win any Selke's, but I personally wouldn't want him to. He's got the confidence of the coach and there's not a question in my mind that he will be in the lineup on opening night. In my opinion, he's no more "one dimensional" than Tatar, and he's a fan favorite...