CAR vs WSH - Series Thread

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

34 minutes ago, amato said:

MR ******* GAME SEVEN! 

Except for the one he lost when he was at Washington.  Those are the players you hate.  They always hurt your team but blow it when they play for you.

21 minutes ago, Dabura said:

You gonna be ok there, bud? Want me to draw you a bath, maybe put on some Dashboard Confessional?

You better have some good hand lotion if you're going to enjoy a series between the Hurricanes and the Islanders.  

[Dabura 12,207]

5 minutes ago, GMRwings1983 said:

You better have some good hand lotion if you're going to enjoy a series between the Hurricanes and the Islanders.  

I'm in it for the chaos and schadenfreude; tears are all the lotion I need.

[gcom007 1,465]

I still think we should’ve kept Mrazek...

 

 

Bring it motha uckas!!!

Edited April 25, 2019 by gcom007

[BringBack19 110]

4 hours ago, gcom007 said:

I still think we should’ve kept Mrazek...

 

 

Bring it motha uckas!!!

It wasn’t working here for either party. I’m happy for him but not upset with moving him under the circumstances. Don’t forget he is playing for a contract so let’s see what happens next year...

[Hockeymom1960 5,107]

58 minutes ago, BringBack19 said:

It wasn’t working here for either party. I’m happy for him but not upset with moving him under the circumstances. Don’t forget he is playing for a contract so let’s see what happens next year...

Really it doesn't matter which goalie we kept, this team can't play in front of either one of them currently.

[BigWillieStyle 662]

7 hours ago, GMRwings1983 said:

 

You better have some good hand lotion if you're going to enjoy a series between the Hurricanes and the Islanders.  

 

Don't worry, it looks like Amazon has us all covered. 

 

Looks like they also included some Dashboard Confessional for those that needed it. 

 

Big Brother is definitely watching.

Edited April 25, 2019 by BigWillieStyle

[LeftWinger 4,958]

Carolina will probably re-sign him unless his ego prices him too high.

I was always a Mrazek over Howard guy, but I don't have any tolerance for players who have this attitude. Of course it works the other way as well, management cannot low ball them either. Good for Petr and the Canes. I'm still on The Isles wagon though.

[gcom007 1,465]

3 hours ago, BringBack19 said:

It wasn’t working here for either party. I’m happy for him but not upset with moving him under the circumstances. Don’t forget he is playing for a contract so let’s see what happens next year...

Nah, I know. I said what I said somewhat in jest. It definitely wasn’t working here, though I don’t think the situation with him and Howard was handled well and I do wonder what would’ve happened if Howard was dealt and there wasn’t a sideshow in the locker room. In any event, it was real fun being out in North Carolina and watching the Canes beat the Caps. I’m fully on board this bandwagon at this point. 

[Jonas Mahonas 1,872]

9 hours ago, gcom007 said:

I still think we should’ve kept Mrazek...

 

 

Bring it motha uckas!!!

Mrazek was not one of the 6 callers ahead of Jimmuh!

[Dabura 12,207]

3 hours ago, BigWillieStyle said:

 

Don't worry, it looks like Amazon has us all covered. 

 

Looks like they also included some Dashboard Confessional for those that needed it. 

 

Big Brother is definitely watching.

Freaking Koreans.

[BringBack19 110]

5 hours ago, Dabura said:

Freaking Koreans.

Build a wall!

[Neomaxizoomdweebie 3,083]

1 hour ago, BringBack19 said:

Build a wall!

LOL. They already have one.

[chaps80 1,591]

On 4/25/2019 at 7:28 AM, LeftWinger said:

Carolina will probably re-sign him unless his ego prices him too high.

I was always a Mrazek over Howard guy, but I don't have any tolerance for players who have this attitude. Of course it works the other way as well, management cannot low ball them either. Good for Petr and the Canes. I'm still on The Isles wagon though.

He'll be re-signed, he's earned it. Teammates and fans love him, big part of this run so far. He's not gonna be asking for crazy money, but i'm sure he wants term. They'll work something out. 

[kliq 3,755]

On 4/25/2019 at 12:47 AM, gcom007 said:

I still think we should’ve kept Mrazek...

 

 

Bring it motha uckas!!!

Ill give Mrazek a ton of credit for his play on Carolina, but I still dont think we made the wrong decision for a couple of reasons.

The first being that I think he is a product of the Carolina system. Look at how well Curtis McElhinney is playing who is also having a career year. In previous years McElhinney would be a low end backup maybe even a 3rd stinger (he was literally placed on waivers in September and claimed by Carolina), and Mrazek was a low end starter at best. Both go to Carolina and skyrocket their play, that is a tell and an indicator that they are products of the system. Same thing that is going on in New York right now with Griess and Lehner. Bring Mrazek back here with our D, you dont get this Mrazek.

Secondly, Mrazek always had talent, I dont think anyone (or at least many) said he didn't. His problem was his inconsistency. Now maybe he will prove me wrong in a year from now, but I just can't see him playing like a high end start for the long haul, he's too streaky and he's up and down which is usually a result of an emotional player which is pretty much the word on him. Even this year in the 1st round, the games he won he let in (0, 1, 2, 3) goals, games he lost he let in (3, 4, 6). Now it is playoffs, and its against Washington so I'll give benefit of the doubt, but I dont think he'll be a high end starter for the long haul.

I hope I'm wrong, I always liked him, but I don't think I am.

[kickazz 5,459]

11 minutes ago, kliq said:

Ill give Mrazek a ton of credit for his play on Carolina, but I still dont think we made the wrong decision for a couple of reasons.

The first being that I think he is a product of the Carolina system. Look at how well Curtis McElhinney is playing who is also having a career year. In previous years McElhinney would be a low end backup maybe even a 3rd stinger (he was literally placed on waivers in September and claimed by Carolina), and Mrazek was a low end starter at best. Both go to Carolina and skyrocket their play, that is a tell and an indicator that they are products of the system. Same thing that is going on in New York right now with Griess and Lehner. Bring Mrazek back here with our D, you dont get this Mrazek.

Secondly, Mrazek always had talent, I dont think anyone (or at least many) said he didn't. His problem was his inconsistency. Now maybe he will prove me wrong in a year from now, but I just can't see him playing like a high end start for the long haul, he's too streaky and he's up and down which is usually a result of an emotional player which is pretty much the word on him. Even this year in the 1st round, the games he won he let in (0, 1, 2, 3) goals, games he lost he let in (3, 4, 6). Now it is playoffs, and its against Washington so I'll give benefit of the doubt, but I dont think he'll be a high end starter for the long haul.

I hope I'm wrong, I always liked him, but I don't think I am.

Was at peace reading your post until the bold. I hope you're wrong. He's no longer a Red Wing and is enemy.

Edited April 30, 2019 by kickazz

[Neomaxizoomdweebie 3,083]

This team was never going to be any better with Mrazek instead of Howard. Mrazek was not a long term option and the smartest move financially was to trade him instead of re-sign him. I don't care how he plays in Carolina, it doesn't change the fact that he wasn't good enough in Detroit.

[gcom007 1,465]

11 hours ago, kliq said:

Ill give Mrazek a ton of credit for his play on Carolina, but I still dont think we made the wrong decision for a couple of reasons.

The first being that I think he is a product of the Carolina system. Look at how well Curtis McElhinney is playing who is also having a career year. In previous years McElhinney would be a low end backup maybe even a 3rd stinger (he was literally placed on waivers in September and claimed by Carolina), and Mrazek was a low end starter at best. Both go to Carolina and skyrocket their play, that is a tell and an indicator that they are products of the system. Same thing that is going on in New York right now with Griess and Lehner. Bring Mrazek back here with our D, you dont get this Mrazek.

Secondly, Mrazek always had talent, I dont think anyone (or at least many) said he didn't. His problem was his inconsistency. Now maybe he will prove me wrong in a year from now, but I just can't see him playing like a high end start for the long haul, he's too streaky and he's up and down which is usually a result of an emotional player which is pretty much the word on him. Even this year in the 1st round, the games he won he let in (0, 1, 2, 3) goals, games he lost he let in (3, 4, 6). Now it is playoffs, and its against Washington so I'll give benefit of the doubt, but I dont think he'll be a high end starter for the long haul.

I hope I'm wrong, I always liked him, but I don't think I am.

I get what you’re saying, and if you noticed my follow up, I acknowledged that my comment was made somewhat in jest. It’s fun to stir the pot a little.

That said though, I do think goalies can take time to develop, and I think the Wings could’ve handled the whole situation better. He was young coming in and probably not totally ready to take on the role of starting goalie, especially with Jimmy Howard still around. That whole situation was a bit of a tension-filled mess. I really do wonder if things might’ve gone smoother had Howard been dealt.

It seems like Mrazek performs best when he’s the guy carrying the weight and he knows it. He seems to thrive with that pressure, and the biggest reason I would’ve liked to have kept him is that he seems like a goalie that performs in the playoffs, and he seems to be getting better in that world, which shouldn’t be shocking as he grows and matures. 

You talk of the goals he let in, but if you watched the games or read the commentary, he was clearly great and widely praised for playing so well against Ovechkin and company, the defending Cup champs, and his team didn’t show up the first couple games of round one. Holtby let in 6 goals in a game against a weaker offensive team. And he’s got two shutouts already. And what about game one of the second round? The Hurricanes as a team did nothing to help Mrazek; they looked tired and terrible, and Mrazek without a doubt stole that game for them.

Carolina is clearly a better team overall right now than the Wings the last couple years, but as you said, Mrazek has talent, and when he’s on, he’s on. If the Wings were likely to struggle either way, I’d rather bet on the younger goalie with the talent and see how he matures as the team matures. In the end, it simply got messy and the contract extension was going to be tricky, but again, I do wonder what would’ve happened had the whole situation been handled better earlier on. Mrazek may do something Howard has never done very shortly as well, make it to the 3rd round, despite Howard getting a chance to do so with better teams than the current Canes in front of him. Canes are a good team, but Mrazek has been a huge part of their postseason success. No one watching is arguing that. They win the Cup, he might get the Conn Smythe if the current trajectory keeps up.

And that’s looking like less and less of an outlandish suggestion every game.

[kipwinger 8,522]

A few things about Mrazek. The knock on him in Detroit,  and the reason Howard stayed over him,  was that he wasn't receptive to coaching.   He wanted to do things his way.   So he got bounced to Philly.   Sucked there.   Signed a bargain basement deal with Carolina,  which would likely have been his last NHL stop if he hadn't improved.   I think it's likely that he realized he better start listening and doing things right rather than free wheeling it in goal,  and THATS probably the cause of his improved play to a large extent.   

These coaches didn't get to the NHL level by being dumb.   If they tell you to play a particular way you should generally listen.  Guys who do,  like Cleary or Mrazek, have longer careers.   Guys who don't,  like Brunner or Jurco,  end up in 2nd tier leagues or in the AHL.   

[gcom007 1,465]

42 minutes ago, kipwinger said:

A few things about Mrazek. The knock on him in Detroit,  and the reason Howard stayed over him,  was that he wasn't receptive to coaching.   He wanted to do things his way.   So he got bounced to Philly.   Sucked there.   Signed a bargain basement deal with Carolina,  which would likely have been his last NHL stop if he hadn't improved.   I think it's likely that he realized he better start listening and doing things right rather than free wheeling it in goal,  and THATS probably the cause of his improved play to a large extent.   

These coaches didn't get to the NHL level by being dumb.   If they tell you to play a particular way you should generally listen.  Guys who do,  like Cleary or Mrazek, have longer careers.   Guys who don't,  like Brunner or Jurco,  end up in 2nd tier leagues or in the AHL.   

Definitely agree. I’m not saying he didn’t burn bridges here or put on the best face. I do think there’s an argument to be made that he had the talent that deserved a bit longer rope though. And again, for me, I wonder how the situation might’ve played out without Howard. I think he felt jerked around by coaching/management when he got signed to his deal and the Wings planned to move Howard and then didn’t, leading to a tense locker room situation between both players, and too much room for confidence to slip and get called into question. That sort of situation doesn’t help the coach-player relationship or anything in general.

[chaps80 1,591]

6 hours ago, gcom007 said:

Definitely agree. I’m not saying he didn’t burn bridges here or put on the best face. I do think there’s an argument to be made that he had the talent that deserved a bit longer rope though. And again, for me, I wonder how the situation might’ve played out without Howard. I think he felt jerked around by coaching/management when he got signed to his deal and the Wings planned to move Howard and then didn’t, leading to a tense locker room situation between both players, and too much room for confidence to slip and get called into question. That sort of situation doesn’t help the coach-player relationship or anything in general.

Well said. I believe he Wings being unable to move Howard, which wasn't really surprising because he was making 5+ million a year and was struggling, started the attitude problems he had. Some goalies are like that, especially young ones. Ya, he could have handled it better,  but age, being named the starter heading into the season after signing his extension, and lack of hurdles since he turned pro probably contributed to some entitlement. And when your unhappy with your situation, your not very receptive to coaching. Oh well, looks like he's smartened up now and become a team player, and he's much better for it. Looks completely different in goal now. Calm, focused, not being erratic and overplaying shots. When he has to use his athleticism to stop a shot he's a bit out of position on, he's able to, because he's not halfway out of the net. He has a huge competitive streak in him, and you could see that when he messed his knee up a bit in Game 2 and had to come out. Last thing he wanted to do.