number9

I agree. This season has been tension filled and exciting to say the least. I don't necessarily agree with all the contracts from this off season, but this rebuilding on the fly business will be masterful if successful. As of now we've only had a taste of the prospect pool... and so far the taste has been delicious. Nyquist, Tatar, Andersson, Lashoff, Mrazek, and Dekeyser, even in their limited roles, are all looking like career NHLers. Plus Ericsson and Kindl have begun to blossom. This season has only reaffirmed my belief in the Wings eye for talent, and we haven't even seen the Jarnkroks, Jurcos, Frks, Sprouls, Ouellets, Backmans, Sheahans, or Marchenkos yet.

the future is bright in hockey town, playoffs or not.

Again, of the top 100 skaters for this years draft, 16 are from the USHL, or 1 per team. Of the same list, 21 are from the WHL, or just under 1 per team. I realize that most hockey fans have the Canada thing going on, but the numbers do not support your beliefs.
Now for the top 10-20 players each year, the ones that will make the NHL in 1-2 years, they go to the CHL because of the stipind and the history. But those that are going to take longer 3-5 years to make the NHL and want to play college hockey, they go to the USHL and protect their eligability. Now, like I said, 10 years ago there was in fact a huge difference between the USHL and the CHL. But that isn't the case anymore. yes there are far more teams in the CHL. So they have more players and the law of averages is on the CHL's side. But if you look at the numbers of top rated prospects per team, it is very close/the same. Like I said, this year the USHL has more top 100 propsects per team than the WHL does.

I think Tootoo has been a major disappointment, which I expected.  There are too many shifts that he's barely noticeable.  He's a guy who could be a difference maker with a big hit or dropping the gloves in these big games against Chicago but he's mostly been a no show.

 
Franzen's talent + Cleary's drive and desire =  pretty good hockey player.
 
We have the technology, we can build him...

 
Really ??  They had Brobovsky a supposed Vezina candidate when Howson was around?  I don't remember that.  Isn't he like one of the major reasons why CBJ is in the race at all?  Didn't Howson fire Hitchcock who seems to be doing well in St. Louis?  Signed Wisniewski for $7m?  Rick Nash episode.  
 
I don't think he is the worst GM like Sather or Garth Snow but his name might be mentioned next in line.  

Prediction: Mrazek lives up to the hype, becomes #1 in 3-4 years, Jimmy is traded away to finish the last few years of his contract, signs here again as a 35-36 year old veteran to back up Mrazek in his last years. Kinda like Osgood/Hasek, not Luongo/Schneider 

Further news on Bouwmeester's awful game tonight. The highlights are here. Bouwmeester figured directly into three of the four goals-against that occurred while he was on the ice.

 

Goal-against 1: Bouwmeester was directly responsible for the 2-on-1 that led to this Jackets goal, as he pinched in to pick up a puck that was coming up the boards and completely whiffed on it (despite the puck being flat on the ice).
Goal-against 2: Bouwmeester completely failed to defend Calvert, who sniped it over him and into the net.
Goal-against 3: Bouwmeester failed to pick up a man coming late on the rush to his right, and also failed to intercept the pass to that player. Goal.

 

His other stats for the game included one shot, one hit, and zero blocks, and he was not on the ice for a single one of the Flames' goals.

 

This guy's first-pairing tag is very questionable. He is most assuredly not a #1 defenseman.
 

Can't believe anyone on here even considers him a top 4 guy. The #4 spot is the most I'd give him. He'd be a terrible player to bring into this organization. Underachieves like crazy. Zero intensity in his game. Rather have Huskins.

A big body D-man who doesn't use his size, is mediocre at moving the puck, and mediocre in his own zone. Yeah, that's what we need.

Ok enough of this stupid Crosby/Bettman b.s. please.  Doesn't anyone remember Crosby being one of the most outspoken critics of Bettman during the lockout?  They're both idiots, but this absurd conspiracy theory that somehow the league has a preference for the Penguins is getting annoying. 
 
Also, this is a thread about Dekeyser, not Bettman and Crosby.  This is every bit as annoying as people bringing up how Franzen is a floater in each and every single thread on this site. 
 
Crosby's marketable and the NHL is a business, get over it.  Or at the very least be creative with it instead of pandering to the lowest common denominator. 

Neal - Crosby - Iginla

Morrow - Malkin - Kunitz

Cooke - Sutter - Dupuis

Glass - Kennedy - Adams

Letang - Orpik

Niskanen - Martin

Despres - Murray

Even if we make the finals against PIT, we can't compete with that.... although u never know these days

The more I read about DeKeyser the more I want him. I keep hearing "phenomenal skater" "extremely hard and accurate shot from the point" "sound positionally in the defensive zone"

yes, yes, and yes?

Also he's 23. Nyquist is 23 and Lashoff is 22. He's likely nearing the end of development, so he could very well be ready for NHL time.

What everyone should have learned from this offseason is that YOU DONT BUILD FROM FA. You build through the draft like we have always done and are doing. 

And naturally as we have one of our weakest years, we also have one of the strongest prospect classes we've ever seen. The Red Wings have been the smartest organization in hockey for over 20 years and they continue to do so. Hockey requires more patience than any other sport. Red Wings have that, and that's why we win every 10 years instead of once every 50.

Trusting the system. The winning system.

The talk of Dats leaving is unsourced garbage. I'd put as much faith in that as Pope Jon Paul retaining the papacy.

Fil has become expendable, It sucks, I love him, but that's business. He's a pass first center that we already have enough of. Moving him in a package for a scorer or a power forward is the smart decision. At the same time I would hate to have him leave though.