VM1138

Eaves has a hell of a shot, I don't know why they don't use him whenever they need a winger for Datsyuk.  

 

Helm's absence is really hurting this team.  It's like night and day when he's in/out of a game.  I was hoping to get him back in time for playoffs.  Now I just hope he comes back someday.

 For some of us, it's not so much rooting against our team as being ok with them missing the playoffs for the greater good of the team.  Getting a higher pick in not just the 1st round, but for the other 6 as well would do us some good.  Getting a top 10-15 pick could be huge this year, and then 40-45 instead of the usual 25 and 55.

 

That is just silly.  The difference in drafting between 16th and 17th is not going to be huge.  We should always prefer success now to potential success...maybe....in a few years...if we draft the right guy.

I'm all for keeping Cleary because he has heart, but give the dude 4th line minutes. He cannot compete like he used to and he is just too beat up to try and play top minutes. Sammy and Bert are a waste of cap, I would have rather splurged their combined salary and got a big body power forward. It is what it is.

 

I agree on Cleary.  We all trashed him because he can't handle top line minutes, but he's still a good checker or fourth liner.  Bertuzzi isn't a waste of cap space.  Right now, because he's injured he might be, but nobody but Datsyuk has hands like Bertuzzi up close to the net.  He's not 100% all the time, we need his reach, his hands and his every-3rd-game-or-so-offense.  

 

Bertuzzi is like Holmstrom.  He has a very specific role on this team.  He's not necessarily a 1st liner, but he belongs on a 1st line with Datsyuk.  He is what Babcock is trying to make Cleary and Abdelkader into.

Well if we make the playoffs,  and everyone is healthy, I would go with this line up....

 

Filppula - Zetterberg - Brunner

 

Franzen - Datsyuk - Nyquist

 

Abdelkader - Helm - Tatar

 

Miller - Andersson - Tootoo

 

Scratched

Bertuzzi

Emmerton

Eaves

Samuelsson

Cleary

 

Kronwall - Ericsson

 

Kindl - DeKeyser

 

Smith - Lashoff

 

Scratched

White

Quincey

Colaiacovo

 

Howard 

Gustavsson

 

You better hope Smith and Lashoff don't get caught in a bad matchup.  A dangerous top line would tear them apart.  Also, Samuelsson should play over Nyquist.  I know we're all high on him here, but he doesn't bring any hustle to the lineup and he hasn't found his scoring touch in the NHL yet.  Sammy, for all his flaws, at least generates some offense.  And there's a strong argument to be made that Bertuzzi's hands are worth quite a bit on chaotic playoff hockey.

I know that any team can win it once you make the playoffs, but I wouldn't bank on dumb luck like Holland seems to be doing.

 

I'm not giving up on this team, they could surprise us and magically click and get hot in the playoffs.  They've gotten hot before (not this year, though, so maybe we're due), but not making any moves doesn't help us any.  

 

The strategy seems to be to muddle through as best they can.  We've got very solid players, but we have very serious holes in every area except goal, and all the work ethic in the world doesn't matter if we can't match up against other teams.

I'd like to see a reporter ask Holland what his definition of 'transition' year is.

Because to me, that definition isn't 'lets let all of our talent age and leave while we hope somebody we drafted becomes a superstar.'

To transition, you need to get help.  You don't just hope your young players getting good barely overlaps with your good players getting bad.

I agreed that rentals weren't the way to go, buy how could Gaborik not have helped in a transition?  Pominville?  

Our prospects are good, but we will be very lucky if one of them turns into a star.  So most likely outcome is we will have a solid team for years, but without trades and UFA signings we won't be a great one.

I'm baffled by standing pat this year.  Last year made sense, but this just reeks of a missed opportunity.  It was a good deadline for a lot of teams.  These windows don't open often in the new NHL. Is the UFA class so great this summer?

Flip re-signing has nothing to do with Datsyuk.  Flip won't suddenly be our number one center if Datsyuk leaves, and we can always sign a Flip replacement.

It's too early to throw Holland under the bus and question the manhood of this organization.  Lots of overreacting.

That being said, being in transition is not an excuse for complacency.  You still have to tweak and improve what you have.  You dont just sit around and wait, or else you will never exit transition.  Like Holland said, we need a big star.  Or two.  We lost on J Bo, wanted Jagr but recognized he would be a rental.  It's not over.

I keep hearing these top line wingers being mentioned in possible trades for Flip and I just laugh.  We aren't going to get centerpiece players for our scraps. 

 

Scraps, no.  But Filppula isn't a scrap.  He's a good centerman who is defensively responsible and has occasional flashes of brilliance.  He could be packaged up to get a reliable vet (Gaborik) for a team who needs a defensive forward or needs to get stronger down the middle, and wants to get a little younger or cheaper.

 

Filppula, White (or Quincey) and a pick could be attractive.

Tired of seeing the Wings carry the puck for a weak shot from bad angles.  Go to the net.  

I think a rental makes the most sense.  It's going to be near impossible to land the perfect forward, so he will probably aim for a veteran scorer.

Was hesitant about him when he came back to the NHL, but he's proven he still has it.

Trade for him, rental or not.  We are making playoffs and need more scoring threat.

I remember when there was no cap, and you could trade away picks and prospects and fill the holes in your roster with free agents

 

The cap is an excuse.  We did fine under the cap up until the last two years.  2010 was derailed by injuries, but was still a good team.  Everything after that was just complacency.  

I remember when the Wings went all out and gunned for the Cup every year...

Sorry, Wings.  You had a good couple of wins, but you can't take the night off again.  These games coming up are absolutely must-win if you want to establish yourself in 4th or 5th place going into the playoffs.  You can't beat the crappy teams, but you've got to beat the other middling teams.