11/6 All Hands on Dreck GDT - Red Wings @ Rangers - 8:00 PM EST (NBCSN)

[The 91 of Ryans 3,014]

43 minutes ago, marcaractac said:

I wonder what position Yzerman has in mind for December trade 

Goaltending

[ChristopherReevesLegs 7,022]

27 minutes ago, krsmith17 said:

Average ice time doesn't have much to do with where players are slotted in the lineup though. I don't care if our 4th line gets played a bit more than our 3rd line some nights, or our 3rd line gets played a bit more than our 2nd line some nights. What I care about is slotting players together that compliment one another... I also don't want to see guys that have zero skill, playing in the top six, while players with skill, get weighed down by the worst bottom six in the entire league.

Perlini may be getting top six minutes, but he sure as hell isn't playing with top six forwards (aside from a scattered shift). Erne has been playing in our top six and shouldn't be anywhere close to that. Erne sucks offensively. Put him on the 4th line. Perlini is good offensively. Put him in the top six. It's really not that hard...

So far Perlini has played the predominantly with Hirose/Nielsen/Abby/Erne/Athanasiou/Filppula, with Hirose and Nielsen being the most.

Should Perlini be on the 2nd line more regularly with AA and Fil instead? I guess maybe. I'm just not so sure it matters too much. Fil and AA are def better, but not by a whole lot. I don't think playing with them suddenly alters his stat line by much.

He's getting the PP time he should and is playing a middle 6 role with top6 ice time. I'm pretty much indifferent to who his middle 6 line-mates are. Everyone is pretty much garbage in that mix.

Erne is being used sparingly, getting less time than DLR was. 10 min a game as basically the 12/13 forward. My only complaint about Erne's usage would be his icetime on the PP. He's being used as the net front and he's just not that great. But then I look down the list of those who could possibly replace him on the 2nd PP unit and there really isn't anyone. Maybe Nielsen? Well he's not really proper for net front... Maybe Abby? IDK I guess I'd rather just have Erne gain the experience than Abby at this point...

[Akakabuto 1,748]

42 minutes ago, marcaractac said:

I wonder what position Yzerman has in mind for December trade 

We still need centermen. Thats my bet. 

[ChristopherReevesLegs 7,022]

Just now, Akakabuto said:

We still need centermen. Thats my bet. 

**Looks around the the league for small, LHed, poor-performing centermen**

Bonus if their greasy italians

 

[Dabura 12,207]

1 hour ago, marcaractac said:

I wonder what position Yzerman has in mind for December trade 

You may be snarking (not sure), but this is a low-key sharp observation. Was thinking about it last night...

• Erne = Muscle guy
• Biega = Lesser Nick Jensen guy
• Perlini = Goal-scoring winger guy
• Fabbri = Playmaking center guy

I think I'm gonna start a running list of potential targets, as we now know Yzerman is looking to add players who fit a certain profile. Specifically: low-risk, high-reward 22- and 23-year-old RFA reclamation projects with good draft pedigree (former 1st- and 2nd-round picks).

Relevant: https://www.spotrac.com/nhl/free-agents/rfa/

I still like Haydn Fleury as a possible target. He's the only perfect fit I can think of without really digging into other teams' depth charts, which I haven't done in a while. Jake Virtanen seems to be doing pretty well now. Daniel Sprong seems to be a dingus who refuses to grow his game and has pretty much played himself out of the NHL. I dunno that Julius Honka makes much sense at this point. Maybe Puljujarvi?

Edited November 7, 2019 by Dabura

[ChristopherReevesLegs 7,022]

15 minutes ago, The 91 of Ryans said:

Goaltending

Someone do the research and figure out goalies that could be available.

I heard Grubauer just went down for the Avs. Maybe they want another shot at Bernier?

EDIT: NVM they have some random KHL goalie that's playing well (of course)

Edited November 7, 2019 by ChristopherReevesLegs

[marcaractac 3,962]

17 minutes ago, The 91 of Ryans said:

Goaltending

This is where my mind went as well. They kept games close last season, but have been brutal this year. 

 

2 minutes ago, ChristopherReevesLegs said:

Someone do the research and figure out goalies that could be available.

I heard Grubauer just went down for the Avs. Maybe they want another shot at Bernier?

EDIT: NVM they have some random KHL goalie that's playing well (of course)

f***! I swear I'm goalie cursed in fantasy hockey

[krsmith17 7,191]

11 minutes ago, ChristopherReevesLegs said:

So far Perlini has played the predominantly with Hirose/Nielsen/Abby/Erne/Athanasiou/Filppula, with Hirose and Nielsen being the most.

Should Perlini be on the 2nd line more regularly with AA and Fil instead? I guess maybe. I'm just not so sure it matters too much. Fil and AA are def better, but not by a whole lot. I don't think playing with them suddenly alters his stat line by much.

He's getting the PP time he should and is playing a middle 6 role with top6 ice time. I'm pretty much indifferent to who his middle 6 line-mates are. Everyone is pretty much garbage in that mix.

Erne is being used sparingly, getting less time than DLR was. 10 min a game as basically the 12/13 forward. My only complaint about Erne's usage would be his icetime on the PP. He's being used as the net front and he's just not that great. But then I look down the list of those who could possibly replace him on the 2nd PP unit and there really isn't anyone. Maybe Nielsen? Well he's not really proper for net front... Maybe Abby? IDK I guess I'd rather just have Erne gain the experience than Abby at this point...

Honestly, I think the drop-off from Filppula / Athanasiou to Nielsen / Hirose is pretty significant, and I also think the payoff in playing a capable goal scorer (Perlini) on a line with the former two, would be significant as well. This roster is pretty awful, but I do believe that some small tweaks could make a fairly big difference. Not losing every game by 4+ goals to winning games, big, but maybe being in a few more close games, big...

[marcaractac 3,962]

1 minute ago, krsmith17 said:

Honestly, I think the drop-off from Filppula / Athanasiou to Nielsen / Hirose is pretty significant, and I also think the payoff in playing a capable goal scorer (Perlini) on a line with the former two, would be significant as well. This roster is pretty awful, but I do believe that some small tweaks could make a fairly big difference. Not losing every game by 4+ goals to winning games, big, but maybe being in a few more close games, big...

I feel next season will be a lot more like last season. Competitive, but bottom of the standings. Many of these tweaks we need we will see in summer, I feel. 

Yzerman is clearly trying to minimize the damage now, but that is quite the task. 

[krsmith17 7,191]

9 minutes ago, Dabura said:

You may be snarking (not sure), but this is a low-key sharp observation. Was thinking about it last night...

• Erne = Muscle guy
• Biega = Lesser Nick Jensen guy
• Perlini = Goal-scoring winger guy
• Fabbri = Playmaking center guy

I think I'm gonna start a running list of potential targets, as we now know Yzerman is looking to add players who fit a certain profile. Specifically: low-risk, high-reward 22- and 23-year-old RFA reclamation projects with good draft pedigree (former 1st- and 2nd-round picks).

Relevant: https://www.spotrac.com/nhl/free-agents/rfa/

I still like Haydn Fleury as a possible target. He's the only perfect fit I can think of without really digging into other team's depth charts, which I haven't done in a while. Jake Virtanen seems to be doing pretty well now. Daniel Sprong seems to be a dingus who refuses to grow his game and has pretty much played himself out of the NHL. I dunno that Julius Honka makes much sense at this point. Maybe Puljujarvi?

Yeah, Virtanen would have been my choice, but I'm kind of hoping Yzerman is in talks with Holland on Puljujarvi... We should have a ton of guys that Holland would just love to have on his squad... Puljujarvi for Helm and Saarijarvi...

[ChristopherReevesLegs 7,022]

1 minute ago, krsmith17 said:

Honestly, I think the drop-off from Filppula / Athanasiou to Nielsen / Hirose is pretty significant, and I also think the payoff in playing a capable goal scorer (Perlini) on a line with the former two, would be significant as well. This roster is pretty awful, but I do believe that some small tweaks could make a fairly big difference. Not losing every game by 4+ goals to winning games, big, but maybe being in a few more close games, big...

Well we're probably gonna see a change soon. Fabbri is either going to be 2 or 3 C, so I'm guessing we'll see either:

Hirose - Filppula - Perlini
Hirose - Fabbri - Perlini

Or maybe Blash blenders everything?

It's kind of ominous with Nielsen and Green being benched and trades going on...

[marcaractac 3,962]

1 minute ago, krsmith17 said:

Yeah, Virtanen would have been my choice, but I'm kind of hoping Yzerman is in talks with Holland on Puljujarvi... We should have a ton of guys that Holland would just love to have on his squad... Puljujarvi for Helm and Saarijarvi...

Puljujuarvi for AA, straight up. AA is exactly what the Oilers need. Someone fast enough to keep up with McJesus.

Just now, ChristopherReevesLegs said:

Well we're probably gonna see a change soon. Fabbri is either going to be 2 or 3 C, so I'm guessing we'll see either:

Hirose - Filppula - Perlini
Hirose - Fabbri - Perlini

Or maybe Blash blenders everything?

It's kind of ominous with Nielsen and Green being benched and trades going on...

Would love to see Stevie flip Nielsen and Green for more projects. 

[krsmith17 7,191]

3 minutes ago, ChristopherReevesLegs said:

Well we're probably gonna see a change soon. Fabbri is either going to be 2 or 3 C, so I'm guessing we'll see either:

Hirose - Filppula - Perlini
Hirose - Fabbri - Perlini

Or maybe Blash blenders everything?

It's kind of ominous with Nielsen and Green being benched and trades going on...

I'd go with...

Bertuzzi - Larkin - Perlini
Hirose - Athanasiou - Mantha
Fabbri - Filppula - Erne
Abdelkader - Helm - Ehn

6 minutes ago, marcaractac said:

Puljujuarvi for AA, straight up. AA is exactly what the Oilers need. Someone fast enough to keep up with McJesus.

I'd do it.

6 minutes ago, marcaractac said:

Would love to see Stevie flip Nielsen and Green for more projects. 

I'd love to see it. That, or picks...

[marcaractac 3,962]

2 minutes ago, krsmith17 said:

I'd love to see it. That, or picks...

Hell yeah. Retain maximum allowable salary if need be.

[Dabura 12,207]

2 minutes ago, krsmith17 said:

Yeah, Virtanen would have been my choice, but I'm kind of hoping Yzerman is in talks with Holland on Puljujarvi... We should have a ton of guys that Holland would just love to have on his squad... Puljujarvi for Helm and Saarijarvi...

I've gotta think Virtanen performing pretty well right now + VAN performing preetty well right now means we wouldn't be able to get Virtanen cheap at this point in time. The absolute most I think I'd consider giving up is Cholowski.

Puljujarvi might be a more realistic target. I dunno tho. I have no idea how Holland feels about him.

I wouldn't have thought de la Rose could get us Fabbri, so there's that to consider, I guess. Sometimes it's not just "Does this guy score at roughly the same rate as this guy?" Sometimes it's just about addressing needs. (I think de la Rose should be a really good fit with that Blues team.)

[Dabura 12,207]

15 minutes ago, ChristopherReevesLegs said:

Fabbri is either going to be 2 or 3 C

Well, that's the hope. If the Wings aren't 101% sold on you being a full-time centerman, your ass is playing on the wing. It's been that way forever and I assume it's continuing under Yzerman, at least for the time being. Hopefully Fabbri plays well enough that he gives his bosses no choice but to run him at center.

[ChristopherReevesLegs 7,022]

5 minutes ago, Dabura said:

I've gotta think Virtanen performing pretty well right now + VAN performing preetty well right now means we wouldn't be able to get Virtanen cheap at this point in time. The absolute most I think I'd consider giving up is Cholowski.

Puljujarvi might be a more realistic target. I dunno tho. I have no idea how Holland feels about him.

I wouldn't have thought de la Rose could get us Fabbri, so there's that to consider, I guess. Sometimes it's not just "Does this guy score at roughly the same rate as this guy?" Sometimes it's just about addressing needs. (I think de la Rose should be a really good fit with that Blues team.)

The response I've seen from Blues fans is that the team did NOT need another warm body. A lot of fans are expecting DLR to get waived down to Peoria.

Good guy Doug Armstrong was basically just doing Fabbri a solid and sent him somewhere where he would have a good shot of restarting his career.

Bulju is interesting because he's performing well in binlan and the window is closing on Holland. Bulju needs a contract by Dec 1st or he's ineligible. That binlan article from a few days ago said the door is completely closed on him returning to the Oilers, so Holland needs to trade or he loses an assets for nothing. Tick tock kenny

[Dabura 12,207]

17 minutes ago, krsmith17 said:

I'd do it.

You like Puljujarvi that much, eh? Interesting.

[krsmith17 7,191]

5 minutes ago, Dabura said:

I've gotta think Virtanen performing pretty well right now + VAN performing preetty well right now means we wouldn't be able to get Virtanen cheap at this point in time. The absolute most I think I'd consider giving up is Cholowski.

Puljujarvi might be a more realistic target. I dunno tho. I have no idea how Holland feels about him.

I wouldn't have thought de la Rose could get us Fabbri, so there's that to consider, I guess. Sometimes it's not just "Does this guy score at roughly the same rate as this guy?" Sometimes it's just about addressing needs. (I think de la Rose should be a really good fit with that Blues team.)

I wouldn't give up Cholowski for Virtanen... No way. Virtanen was more of a player I was suggesting we target toward the end of last season and earlier this season (for cheap). Now that he kind of seems to be finding his game, I agree, probably not a viable option.

To be honest, I think Armstrong trading Fabbri was more of a favor to him, rather than acquiring de la Rose. I wouldn't be at all shocked to see de la Rose healthy scratched at times this season, not qualified this summer, and maybe (if he's lucky) sign with another team next season, before ending up back in Europe...

3 minutes ago, ChristopherReevesLegs said:

The response I've seen from Blues fans is that the team did NOT need another warm body. A lot of fans are expecting DLR to get waived down to Peoria.

Good guy Doug Armstrong was basically just doing Fabbri a solid and sent him somewhere where he would have a good shot of restarting his career.

Yup, this.

[Learn2LuvIt 245]

14 hours ago, Dabura said:

I am 100% done with Howard. Great guy, I'm sure. Been an absolute warrior for this franchise. I thank and appreciate and respect him. But I'm done with him being The Guy in Detroit. Let's find someone else.

Agree.  Hard to watch Howard go through this.  Can't determine in my mind if it's him and his ability at this point in his career, if it's totally on our D and support they are giving him, or has losing and this team just put him into a major "funk" and only a change of scenery could bring him back to the level he once was.  I totally understand that a bad defense and bad goal tending aren't mutually exclusive.  A bad D corps can sometimes make even great goalies look bad.  But Jimmy has had a lot of goals get by him this year in which he should have made the save.  I just know that the days of Jimmy being super hyped and a staple of this organization are gone.

[Dabura 12,207]

Just now, ChristopherReevesLegs said:

Good guy Doug Armstrong was basically just doing Fabbri a solid and sent him somewhere where he would have a good shot of restarting his career.

I was wondering if that was a thing. Makes sense.

2 minutes ago, ChristopherReevesLegs said:

Bulju is interesting because he's performing well in binlan and the window is closing on Holland. Bulju needs a contract by Dec 1st or he's ineligible. That binlan article from a few days ago said the door is completely closed on him returning to the Oilers, so Holland needs to trade or he loses an assets for nothing. Tick tock kenny

Thanks for all the info.  I didn't know about that deadline.

[ChristopherReevesLegs 7,022]

1 minute ago, Learn2LuvIt said:

Agree.  Hard to watch Howard go through this.  Can't determine in my mind if it's him and his ability at this point in his career, if it's totally on our D and support they are giving him, or has losing and this team just put him into a major "funk" and only a change of scenery could bring him back to the level he once was.  I totally understand that a bad defense and bad goal tending aren't mutually exclusive.  A bad D corps can sometimes make even great goalies look bad.  But Jimmy has had a lot of goals get by him this year in which he should have made the save.  I just know that the days of Jimmy being super hyped and a staple of this organization are gone.

Agreed with your assessment. In fairness to Jimbo the defense has reached a new level of bad, but he's also letting easy ones get by. I honestly don't think he's reached the end of his career. The talent is still there. I think he's frustrated and suffering from the same thing the entire team is right now. How many 4 goals against games can you have b4 you bring a gun to practice...

[krsmith17 7,191]

2 minutes ago, Dabura said:

You like Puljujarvi that much, eh? Interesting.

I do. I think, assuming he comes back to North America, he will be a very good top six winger. He has all the tools, good skater, good hands, decent shot (right-handed), good vision... If he puts it all together, I think he'll be a better all-around player than Athanasiou...

[ChristopherReevesLegs 7,022]

5 minutes ago, Dabura said:

I was wondering if that was a thing. Makes sense.

Thanks for all the info.  I didn't know about that deadline.

Supposedly Stevie and Ken are there right now, along with over 100 NHL scouts. Poolpartys gonna move soon.

[Dabura 12,207]

2 minutes ago, Learn2LuvIt said:

Agree.  Hard to watch Howard go through this.  Can't determine in my mind if it's him and his ability at this point in his career, if it's totally on our D and support they are giving him, or has losing and this team just put him into a major "funk" and only a change of scenery could bring him back to the level he once was.  I totally understand that a bad defense and bad goal tending aren't mutually exclusive.  A bad D corps can sometimes make even great goalies look bad.  But Jimmy has had a lot of goals get by him this year in which he should have made the save.  I just know that the days of Jimmy being super hyped and a staple of this organization are gone.

There's also the age factor. Dude's gonna be 36 in March. That's not ancient, but, uh, it ain't exactly young either. I'm guessing his poor play is just a combination of old age and the s*** defense in front of him. Too much for him to overcome on many/most nights.