ben_usmc

Abby is leading the team in hits (again), plays the net front role well, has more takeaways than giveaways, is defensively responsible, and provides good pressure in the corners. IMO he's doing exactly what is expected of him. He isn't the type of player that can carry line- he is a checker and can be a complimentary player like Homer and Cleary (was). The line is the problem, not his play.

Abby blows

Good news! Helm will be our deadline acquisition.

for the 1st time I actually believe it's a worthy pick up

The flames have to once again show why there mgmt sucks so bad

As I stated in about every thread since last year, bench Daniel Cleary.  I'd like to see Ferraro, because I haven't had a chance and everyone says Helm with hands

Get rid of Dan Cleary, that alone will show this team is serious about actually trying to win games. 

posted this in another thread but this is probably more appropriate for here:
Look at it this way if you roll with what we have, and go into the regular season with all this free cap.  Then we can have a very good idea on who can produce at this point (Nyquist, Tatar, Smith, etc...hell even some established players) and make trades accordingly.  Our defense is not good but I don't think it will be the abortion on skates that most here do.

I say this b/c while Lids was imo the leading Norris candidate before injury, after he cameback he wasn't his normal self.  Compound that with Stu who checked out very early and seemed basically one of our worst dman all year, and Quincey/White playing terrible= overall bad team d.  Now with the inclusion of Smith (who will be better then either a terrible Quincey/Stu) and from watching Q in both Col/LA (he will be better), White may not improve much, he I don't think he will be as bad as late last year either, then to me the defense looks like a wash. It won't be near the top, nor near the bottom...

Our offense to me has already improved Tootoo will bring out more in either Helm or Abby. Sammy (though I dislike the signing) is an improvement over Hudler in physicality, plus he certainly is more willing to shoot! Brunner sounds like he will improve Helm (but I'm not totally counting on that).  Nyquist in my opinion is going to blow peoples minds with a full season in the NHL. He looks a lot like Datsyuk so I have high expectations for him, last season in his time up he was at one point 7 for 7 points/games switching between 1st/4th line duties.  The most recent comparison to me would be Matt Duchene in that he would get knocked off the puck super easy because of weight but pops back up instantly and is always making something happen.  Tatar wasn't OMG amazing when brought up  but compared to the baggage this team has dragged around the last 2 years, I believe he will be an improvement.

Our goaltending should improve hell we were using Conklin (I thought it was a good signing at the time, and I admit I as wrong as hell)

Wildcard statement: Give Sheehan some more time with the big club.  The only NHL game he played in, it appeared he was great at maintaining control with people dragging on his back.

Overall my opinion is that we right now are about in the same boat as late last season.  Right now we will make the playoffs, but get dropped in the 1st.  Keep the cash until we see what we have and what's available, as long as we can just tread water while others start sinking then there is no point in throwing fist fulls of cash towards players just because it's what's popular (Suter/Parise) or trade away depth for (Ryan/Nash).

THEY TOOK MY JOB!!!!!!!!!

THEY TOOK HIS JOB!!!

If we get Suter for the 6.9 cap hit, and then turn our sights on Doan and could make that happen (granted Parise goes elsewhere), boy would I be impressed with Mr Holland.

exactly! oh think of the hitting!! Him and Tootoo would lay on others, with the subtraction of Hudler, entrance of Sammy again, and a full time Smith, really would make our team much more physical.

I haven't watched a TON of Parise, but from what I saw he looked very good but not worth $7-8 million good. I'd rather get Doan for $4.5 and then roll out what we have and wait for the deadline.

f*** you Ken Holland, seriously f*** you

50% Holland for bring back most of this trash, year after year, and not trying to upgrade the team, which may help in the long run getting Lids back.  Because he can make many improvements saying, look this is our plan for you to go out on top.  If they brought in one more hardcore vet like Iggy, Doan, Morrow, there would be even more motivation to win 1 last cup for Lids and a first cup for them.
30% Babcock, for refusing to make players be held responsible for there s***ty play and his refusal to make changes whether regular season or playoffs. Hudler at the point on the PP, ya that was a good idea.... Lets try it a good 15-20x before we finallyf****** realize that.  Also letting f***s like Franzen and them play most of the series on the top line when that useless ***** refuses to cut to the center of the ice, or bitching about lack of physicality yet letting them all play with out it is his own damn fault. His late line combos, bert/dats/mule line didn't do s***, Nyquist/Homer/Emmerton line... WTF?  But game 5 last 15min yeah lets finally put lines that looked good at certain points in the season or series back together, because what we did for majority of the time was oh so successful.
20% players, f*** most of you, excluding: Dats/Lids/Z/Nyquist/Helm

Wow! 46-0 Holland. That is just BS. I personally didn't vote because the poll only had two options, neither one correct. How is it then that not one person here thinks out of the two guys, Babcock was more to blame? What was Holland supposed to do? The market was what it was and it was clear that you had to overpay in order to get certain guys. Holland already overpaid once by trading our first round pick for Q but to me that wasn't that bad of a move. Our D is definitely better with Q in the lineup over Kindl.

Because teams are allowed to make moves before the season starts and even up to the point of the trade deadline

I'd probably cut off a pinky or something if we could Doan, Iggy, and Stewart this off season.  You want hitting, fighting, leadership and intensity!!!!

Bring in Chris Stewart!!!!! He was a healthy scratch the other day for S.L. and is a RFA, we can probably get him on the cheap since his fall from grace.  This dude a beast and everything we want in Detroit, that would be step 1.

The real s***ty thing isn't knowing Holland is going to do a damn thing, except sign some tired ass over the hill 3/4 liner and try to present him as the solution to our scoring touch(ala Modano) and probably some ex Red Wing (Sammy/WIlliams/Quincey) then give us some buls*** excuse about how he likes this team.  f*** him for believing in his own hype!
The asking price was too? ***** you supposedly have a top 10 prospect pool and $6 million dollars, we won't see 95% of these prospects for another 10 years, so shut the f*** up and have the balls to make af****** move for someone we can see.

Wow, a lot of talk about letting Hossa go. Get real, guys, that wouldn't have made any sense. If u want Hossa, say good by to the 3rd and 4th lines, and a good chunk of the starters.  Hossa is a fantastic player, but he costs too much.  Look at the Blackhawks now, they're are the perfect example of a 'one and done' team. Sure they won A cup, but at the cost of selling off almost their whole team in the off season

OMG not our amazing 3rd and 4th lines.. Please say it ain't so

One of our biggest problems is our 3rd and 4th lines have no identity, feel free to dismantel them