kipwinger

Stay at home defense is overrated.  I'd rather have guys who can get to loose pucks, get them up the ice, and make plays in the neutral and offensive zones.  It's better to have guys that can do something effective with the puck, than guys who clear the crease, block shots, etc. because for them to do what they're good at, you've got to be hemmed into your own zone. 

I've posted this before.  It's Daryl Sutter on why playing defense is overrated.  It pretty much sums up how I feel about this topic.

http://www.sportingn...n-sidney-crosby

Here are a few more good articles on the subject:

http://www.si.com/nh...valuable-in-NHL

http://www.cbssports...ring-defenseman

http://www.lighthous...type-defenseman

Did you just favorably compare Darren McCarty to Mario Lemieux, Pavel Datsyuk, Doug Gilmour, and Wendell Clark? 

He was a beloved part of a golden age team. He was here 10 years straight (plus parts of 2 in the comeback attempt) Maltby wasn't here much longer with 14 years. He has a Cancer foundation that raises money for research and is active in the community. He seems like a pretty good guy that just let his demons get the better of him.

 

I haven't read his book and don't know too much of his story, but there's many reasons why people turn to drugs. In hockey we've had a number of stories of enforcers dealing with depression that should guide most people against simplistically damning McCarty as you seem to want to. Maybe he was dealing something like Rick Rypien was. Maybe his brain looks like swiss cheese like Proberts did in the autopsy. I do know that McCarty's father died of cancer in 1995 (at age 49). Possibly that was a trigger to lead him down a dark path. Drugs are often a symptom of something else. Try a little empathy. 

You can pity a substance abuser without any particular need to glorify them, or make excuses for them, in the process. 

There may be a number of factors that contribute to his behavior.  There usually are.  But that doesn't excuse it.  And I'm not going to glorify McCarty when players like Draper, Maltby, Osgood, Kocur, Chelios, etc. contributed just as much on the ice, and represented themselves, the team, and the city twice as well off of it, without all the baggage. 

If Mike Green shouldn't wear 25, then I'd expect 18, 30, 33, 24, and 26 to be taken out of circulation as well.  Which is completely silly.  McCarty is a guy with a few high points, and a lot of "might have beens" in his career.  Nobody can take that from him.  But IMO, that's not worthy of the respect and admiration that gets heaped on him.  Pity maybe, but not respect and admiration.  That's reserved for the guys who continue to earn it. 

That second line is going to be sick. 

Hopefully Larkin and Nastasiuk will keep Mantha honest with their work ethic and pace. 

 

Don't forget about 3-on-3 play in OT. Hopefully the Wings can win more of those than they lose. One potential advantage Detroit has over a lot of other teams is that Blashill gained experience with this last year in GRs. Something many coaches in the league can't say.

This is a very good point.  I hadn't thought about it.  There should be a learning curve for a lot of coaches, particularly non-offensive minded coaches, for about a year or so. 

We'll lose the Conference Finals in 6.  To Columbus. 

Haha, Boston Strong!

 

Only if Babcock gets him when he's 40.

Brad Richards is Babcock's future 4th line winger.  David Legwand and Stephen Weiss beckon he join them. 

 

If Mantha turns out to be anything like Johnny Depp in this new Black Mass movie, I think we'll all be happy.

Don't believe the hype.  Johnny Depp can make even the most hardened of mobsters seem feeble, effete, and impotent.  Just like he did with pirates, and cocaine smugglers, and serial killers, and raving lunatics, and Willy Wonka. 

Maybe because Jeff Hoggan is signed to an AHL deal, earned his one-year deal last season and is the captain of the Griffins? I'm not the biggest fan of signing players based (mostly) on their leadership skills, but I understand that those guys have their place. It gets a little out of hand when it seems like overkill, and there's a big logjam within the organization. For example, I'm glad that Evans went to Texas with XO, Marchenko, Jensen, Sproul, Russo, Lashoff and Paetsch taking up spots in GR. At this point, I think there's plenty of veteran leadership in the organization - in Detroit and in Grand Rapids.

It's not necessarily one thing or the other with Cleary - it's a combination of things. It's certainly not that I'm worried about the impact of his contract on the cap or the Wings' roster. It's more that he's taking up another contract, which was handed to him. The reason (seemingly) he's been given his last three contracts is because he's chummy with Ken Holland. Maybe he can play at the AHL level and provide leadership, but so can Hoggan, Grant, Miele and Tangradi (I'm stretching a bit here). I just think the organization is set up well without Cleary, and that he didn't earn the contract.

I will concede, however, that if Grand Rapids didn't have both Grant and Hoggan, I'd probably be less annoyed (not that it matters, I'm just throwing it out there).

I doesn't matter whether it's an AHL contract or and NHL contract.  The intent is clearly to send Dano to the Griffs.  How do I know?  Because it's not coincidence that he signed for the exact amount that can be safely buried in the AHL without incurring an NHL cap penalty.  That wasn't true a year ago.  Or two years ago. 

I think we feel different because I'd love to have Cleary on a line with somebody like Mantha.  First, because Cleary was considered an under performing "floater" when he was first drafted too, and turned it around.  Secondly, because Dan has never been shy about digging in his teammates ass if they don't hop to.  I want him on the team to babysit Mantha alone. 

I doubt many of the people against the signing think Cleary's going to ****** someone's roster spot in Detroit. It's more along the lines of it being asinine to sign a consultant/advisor to a player contract. My beef is more with Holland than Cleary in this situation.

I don't know about that.  Jeff Blashill heaped praise on Hoggan, Paetsch, and Evans for being decent AHL players, but more importantly for being on ice leaders, advisors, and mentors for young players.  I don't hear anybody complaining that 38 year old Jeff Hoggan was just given a new contract despite the fact that he'll almost certainly not play in the NHL, and if he did...he would suck. 

Cleary is in the exact same position, he just makes more money.  Who cares?  His salary doesn't count against the cap, he's likely not going to take up a roster spot (barring HUGE injury woes), and if he does it will only be temporary and will only cost 900K. 

He was signed because he's not ready to stop playing, the organization wants him around, and because (here's the most important part) both his wishes and the organizations' could be satisfied without negatively impacting the big club in any way (nobody loses a roster spot, no money against the cap). 

Gotta think he wanted to go to Buffalo for some reason.  Otherwise every GM for a contending team would have cleared the decks for the guy.  I would have traded B. Smith a month ago if I new that I could have Cody Franson for 3.3 at 2 years.

Kronner-E

Dekeyser-Green

Quincey-Franson

Yes please. 

Brendan can go turn the puck over for Toronto if Babs loves his compete level that much. 

If Kopitar or Quick got caught with pills would their contracts be terminated?

Lol. About as quickly as Kane's will be.  Sports is a business, and the people that run sports teams operate them as such.  Every fan wants championships, new stadiums, and flashy free agents.  You do that by winning and putting butts in the seats.  And sometimes, to do that, GMs are willing to ignore the ethical imperatives.  I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying it is what it is.  Businesses exist to make money, not to enforce the social good.  Expecting them to do the latter, rather than the former, will always disappoint. 

Our very own Mike Illitch does plenty of unethical things in the name of our team.  Nobody calls him out on it.  So lets not pretend its just a  Kings or Hawks problem. 

Think of it this way. Vladamir Putin is the Vince McMahon of an entire country.  One of the biggest and most powerful countries on earth actually.  Awesome.