I wouldn't mind bringing him back if we didn't have the atrocious Ericsson deal on the books. One narrative that has quieted down is Kronwall's future...could something "flare up" this summer and push him to LTIR? Here is what an Ericsson buyout looks like: https://www.capfriendly.com/buyout_calculator/jonathan-ericsson#results The nearly $6m would put us in an even better spot to give the contracts to the younger kids and $1.5 against the cap seems somewhat minor? Especially if you consider Helm, Hank, Kronwall would all have expiring/expired contracts and Nielsen would be in his final year, which would make him a deadline candidate. The FA that year is deeeeeep too: https://www.capfriendly.com/browse/free-agents/2021
We are off to a nice month of March with last nights loss to the Jets. We have an insane schedule this month, so now is the time to make our descent in the standings. A Howard groin pull would be quite welcomed at this stage. Outside of losing games, here is what I am looking for to end the season: - Call ups of Svech and Hicketts. We only have four call ups for the rest of the year and two of them were Bert and Coreau (paper moves to make them eligible for the AHL playoffs). I want to see Hronek get called up but I would give Hicketts the opportunity to finish the season. Shutting down Kronwall and waiving Booth would be the best corresponding moves. - I want to see Larkin hit 60 points and Mantha hit 30 goals. Both are possible, though not probable. - I want to see Z’s ice time cut down so AA and Bert can continue to play top six minutes. There is no reason for Z to log the minutes he is currently playing at this point. - I want Coreau to split starts with Howard. Embrace the tank already.
Depends on when the draft would be. We should have most NMC’s off the books by the time Seattle goes live, so that’s nice. I don’t think at this point that playing any prospects now would impact who would be exempt from the draft. It’ll probably impact this years class though.
Also it’s how much we struggle with zone entries I am really thinking my non Dahlin preference is Hughes. His size doesn’t concern me because his top end skill is so elite. The way he moves the puck through the neutral zone reminds me of Cale Maker. I think he’s more talented than Maker, he just lacks that size.
we need to lose our next 8 games. We will most likely be dogs in all of them. Time to go on a Tigers like collapse to end the season. Let's go.
For all the annoying shit Blash does, no one can say that the guys have quit on him. Sadly, that’s exactly what we need to crack the bottom 5.
My preference is still Hughes but it’s hard to not be excited about Boqvist. We definitely need to be in the top 5.
The Banks - regarding expansion draft implications (pay wall): https://theathletic.com/259422/2018...-2020-might-impact-the-red-wings-version-1-0/ Some nice recognition for Pope from THN: "David Pope, LW, University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks (NCHC) – Pope has used his time in college very well. The 6-foot-3, 194-pound senior is a lot stronger than he was coming into Omaha, while his skills and skating have also developed. The Detroit Red Wings pick was one of the NCHC’s top scorers with 40 points in 33 games (including a league-leading 20 goals) and now he and the Mavs have a conference tourney date with North Dakota. NHL arrival: 2019-20"
Nielsen is done for the night with an upper body injury. Shut him down for the season and call up Svech.
This is a wild game. The fact we are only a goal down annoys me. We will probably get this into OT. No more points cunts. But with that said Mantha has two goals so that’s cool.
Svech called up to replace Nielsen. Ideally we would roll out: Mantha - Z - Nyquist Bert - Larkin - Svech Abby - AA - Helm Frk - Glenny - Witkowski/Booth
Saw lines earlier today: Bert- Z -Goose Frk - Larkin - Mantha Abby - AA - Svech Poop I really like the balance of tonight - that second line could be a nightmare with Larkin having two snipers to choose from. AA's speed should help keep Abby and Svech's feet moving all night. In regards to goalies, The Atlantic had an interesting piece praising Petruzzelli, he sounds like he could be a really reliable goalie, arriving in 2022 (?) In the meantime it seems Matej Machovsky could jump Coreau soon, he excelled in the Czech league and has a chance to carve out a spot in GR.
Look at wings last 5 games of regular season. You know damn well they will win all 5 of them, and finish with 7th-8th worst record of season.
This is a good read... https://www.freep.com/story/sports/...etroit-red-wings-russian-five-book/407073002/
Another big loss tonight, though we almost stole a point. Of course all was not well, as Z played 24 minutes while Svech only played 5. We are 13 points out of the playoffs; it’s time to look forward to next year. Z is a gamer and I appreciate that but he needs to accept reduced minutes so the kids can play more.
Saw this stat on HF, and while I get it, it’s pretty crazy that it is happening. Only 11 forwards in the entire NHL have logged over 1000 minutes this year. Z and Nyquist are on the list. Larkin will be making the list soon himself. Z playing that much is insane. It’s time to reign that back in.
Mrazek with win 4 as a Flyer. One more win, coupled with a Flyers playoff birth (which seems likely) upgrades our 4 to a 3 this season.
Khan is reporting that Green has a herniated disc in his neck and will likely need offseason surgery. That explains why we couldn’t deal him.