kipwinger

Ideally I'd like guys that are edgy, but at the same time know how to contribute.  I don't think bringing in any more Tootoo type guys is going to do anything.  But look at Columbus, they're a team full of scrappy, edgy guys, who still find a way to produce at the NHL level.  Not that I necessarily think that Columbus is some sort of organizational model or anything, but simple that a couple Foligno, Dubinsky, Umberger style players would be helpful. 

Note to all the argumentative types out there: I am not saying I want to be Columbus nor am I saying that the three guys I mentioned are available, or should be on our radar.  I'm just saying a couple guys with their skill set would probably help us out. 

I think a guy like Sheahan could go a long way if he develops into a top 6 guy. However, I don't think our toughness has to come just from the top 6 guys in the forward group. Dmen can also contribute to toughness and size and are on the ice at the same time as your top 6. 3/4th lines also can grind when they are out there. Not every team has a Lucic/Perry for their top 6 that can do it all. Montreal has gotten along nicely with a group of small players this year. 

 

Edit: Size and gritty dont usually translate to top 6 player all that often. These guys are usually special and are highly regarded by their team. Anthony Stewart isn't a top 6 player. Franzen has potential to be that guy and maybe thats what holland was banking on when he signed him. 

I like Sheahan fine, but he's another center.  I'm sick of watching this team move centers to the wing and then complain that they don't shoot/score enough.  I want actual wingers with some size, who can put the puck in the net.  They don't have to score 40 goals a season.  But if they could score 20-25 and do it from the crease/slot area then it would open up the ice for everyone else.  Ideally they'd play well on the boards and hang onto the puck as well. 

Def:  "INSANITY"- Doing the same things over and over and expecting different results.

 

This team, this coach and this general manager can give lessons on how to fulfill this definition.  But mostly, it's on Babcock and Holland.   Until there's some real wave-making; some reality checks; some courageous, gutsy decisions about who plays and who doesn't play because of lack of effort, this definition will hold for the Detroit Red Wings.  

In their last game against Columbus, San Jose benched Joe Thornton for the entire third period because he was playing like garbage.  Joe Thornton.  I can't even imagine what it would be like to see our team bench anything for playing like s***.  And obviously I don't mean Eaves, Kindl, Smith, Tootoo etc. etc. etc.  Pretty easy to scapegoat those guys and bench them, takes a little more guts to do it with your high end talent. 

Here's what I don't understand.  Even if we cut all the fat from the forward corps.  Let Cleary walk, buy out Bert or Sammy or both, and replace them will all the GR guys who deserve to come up, we're still one of the smallest and softest teams ever to be assembled.  You can't have a top six of Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Filppula, Tatar, Brunner, Nyquist, Jarnkrok.  They'll get forced to the outside, and wither away playing a perimeter game.  So it's pretty obvious that at some point some of these guys are going to have to be moved out and replaced with gritty guys with size right?

We cannot score. When will people understand this. 12 Dekeysers and 4 Howards on the ice, and we still CANNOT SCORE. Either we add 2 snipers in the off season and dump our garbage (white, Colo, Bert, Sammy, filppula, cleary) or we watch low scoring one goal losses for a while. Its not rocket science.

I don't know what you're talking about man.  Babs just said that Abby is a 20 goal guy IF this were a full season.  And obviously we'd score loads of goals IF Franzen brought it every night and IF Sammy and Bert weren't hurt, and IF Filppula would shoot more. 

Doncha see?  We're not a low scoring team, we're a dynamic powerhouse offense who has somehow earned the wrath of the gods through no fault of our own.  Probably by being so bad*ss for so long, if I had to guess.

Long story short, no need for scorers, we've just got to "compete harder" and "want it" more than the other guys.  WE'VE GOT SPIRIT YES WE DO, WE'VE GOT SPIRIT HOW BOUT YOU?!?!

 

yes... like i said, we need more goals, we can't win if we can't score. Saying the team didn't play well however is incorrect, Calgary had no business winning tonight,

I disagree.  It was sort of like, who's the smartest dumb kid.  They couldn't score and didn't really play much defense.  We couldn't score, didn't play much defense, AND actively gave them goals.  We were clearly the worse team because we scored their goals for them, those weren't lucky bounces, they were miscommunications and screwups.  Neither team was good, but we were probably the less...um...gooder?

Edit:  We gave them two goals by screwing up, they gave us one goal by being Canadian and therefore forsaken by God.

Just finished watching Columbus.  Late in the game, playoffs on the line, playing the second best team in the Western Conference and they were all over Anaheim in the third period.  Watching it, you just knew they were going to score. 

Compare that to us.  Late in the game, playoffs on the line, playing the second worst team in the Western Conference and we were nowhere to be found.  Watching it, you just knew we were f***ed. 

Ugh. 

"Some guys score goals and some guys don't.  We've got a lot that don't" - Mike Babcock.

eeesh, Brendan needs to take his own advice and keep it simple during his interviews.  Never thought I'd long for the days when Yzerman would say absolutely nothing at all during his intermission chats. 

Datsyuk eats little pieces of shyte like Hurdler for breakfast!

"I eat pieces of s*** like you for breakfast"

"You eat pieces of s*** for breakfast?"

"...no..."

Never miss a chance to perpetuate a rumor eh boys?  Pretty sure the reason his numbers are down since then have nothing to do with him getting a new contract.  Have a look at this...

http://espn.go.com/n...lina-hurricanes

Carolina has won two of their last sixteen games, and during that time have been outscored 62-26.  They're in the middle of a MASSIVE losing streak which, I hate to tell you, can't really be blamed on their (point per game) top line winger. 

Edit:  Four times during this losing streak he was recognized as the teams top performer, and has compiled 3 goals and 8 assists in those sixteen games.  Pretty sure it's not his fault. 

Sucks for Kent, he played well for us and I wish him the best. 

Well, Sharp is out if that's any consolation.

Not really, Sharp AND Hossa were both out for that 7-1 ass beating we took earlier this year from the Hawks.  We'd need Toews and Seabrook to be out for the series, and possibly have Stone Cold Steve Austin playing power forward for us, in order to win a series against that team. 

From Edmonton Journal:

awww how cute, he uses his accomplishments as a player to validate his management screw ups.  By that logic Wayne Gretzky should have been the greatest coach ever. 

So who would be the best?

 

There isn't a GM in the league that has faced the kind of losses we have and done any better at staying competetive. Most haven't been around long enough to try rebuilding on the fly and/or never even built a team successful enough in the first place.

The thing is, we were less and less competitive before all of our major losses.  We had two early exits from the playoffs before Rafalski retired and three before losing Stuart and Lidstrom.  They were already trending downward before the losses and they're continuing that trajectory in the wake of said absences. 

In one sense I suppose you're right, we're close to making the playoffs so we are competitive to an extent, but on the other hand I have a hard time feeling like we're all that competitive when we're competing with Dallas and Columbus for a playoffs spot and we're barely above .500. 

I'm not trying to be contradictory or anything, obviously no other GM has Ken Holland's resume, but to say he's currently the best GM in hockey is sort of a nod to his cumulative career and not because of anything he's done recently...which, of course, is nothing.