OT: Red Wings @ Blackhawks Game 7 Open Thread
The top-seeded Blackhawks have battled back from a 3-1 series defecit to force a decisive game 7 in Chicago. This has been a great back-and-forth series, and is a fitting way to end the in-conference rivalry between these two great Original Six franchises.
Zetterberg and Datsyuk have come up huge when it has mattered most for the Wings, both this season and in years past. Jimmy has been phenomenal in net this year, and he may have what it takes to steal this game in Quick-like fashion. Toews seems to have found his game a little bit in the last few games (when he is not whining), and Crawford has been solid in net despite 1 bad goal. This should be a nerve-racking affair.
8:00 p.m. ET - NBCSN, CBC
I'm heading off to the United Center shortly, and I'm hoping it will get quiet in there real quickly.
LET'S GO RED WINGS
Yes let's dump the rookie Smith for struggling in his first ever playoff. Stop saying stupid things.
part of his post was. Young guys make mistakes, as simple as that, you don't dump a high rookie draft pick because he looked like a rookie in his first playoffs.
Stated facts? "Absolutely awful play."
Yah great analysis.Smith pissed me off as much as anyone this series, but you don't dump someone with his potential for one bad playoff as a rookie.
He struggled the entire year. He has no talent. Dump him now or regret it later.
you don't think Smith has any talent. You act as though mistakes from a rookie are not expected. The Wings young guys will take alot from this season, and be better moving forward, no reason to dump any of the young guys.
He has no talent? You don't watch much hockey, obviously.
it's one thing to be a rookie who makes a few mistakes but shows flashes of brilliance. It's another thing to be so awful that you look like you belong on a high school team two or three times every game. Smith is to the Red Wings what the free safety was to RichRod's defenses. He has to make huge improvements to his game to achieve mediocrity.
Not necessarily. They've got 2 buyouts they can use over the next two years
Franzen's deal would be too much to buy out. We're stuck. No one else I can really think of using it on.
I think the buyouts aren't like normal buyouts, but more like releasing a player. The salary won't count against the Cap, but the player receives a salary 1/3 or 2/3 or his original contract depending on his age (if you're over/under 26). So really, they could buy Franzen out no problem, it's just that if he's bought out, the Red Wings can't renegotiate a new contract with him for 1 year.
So essentially it's just a release. If the Wings don't want to buy Franzen out, I could see them using 1 on Samuelsson, since he's got a 3 million cap hit
And the overreaction of the night goes to you!
Yes, Smith was bad, but let's let a player (Smith) play more than 70 games before we decide to "dump him"
died. They gave everything they had against a better team in this series.
We need two top 6 forwards.
they let Cleary walk and Bertuzzi retires.
Ok. I'm going to stop watching hockey for the year. Not that I'm not interested, I just don't need to watch the media vocally fellate Sidney Crosby and continue to call Hjalmarsson "Jar-mul-son".
Bert, even though signed, will be gone. Filppula is going to ask for way too much money and isn't worth it. Brunner, nyquist, and helm would be a great 3rd nice.
is a restricted FA
Filp, Cleary, Brunner, Miller, and White are UFA's. Andersson, Nyquist, Smith, and Kindl are RFA's.
I think we'll definitely resign all 4 RFA's, and sign Brunner and Miller. Cleary is probably a favorite to be resigned, White is probably gone for PT somewhere, and with Filp it just depends on how much money he wants
I heard this morning on Matt Sheppard's radio show that talks between the Wings and Flip broke down after he wanted 5MM/year. Sorry, he's not worth that much. I'm not sure how much of that was negotiating jostling just to get them down to his number once they refused that but if that were the case, talks wouldn't have broken down to the extent that they have. He was saying some guys off Chicago that they couldn't sign might be a good fit or even Horton off Boston. Also am I the only person that thinks Brunner could be better used playing on the second line at least? He doesn't strike me as a high energy, grind it out in the low boards kinda guy you want coming off your third line and to be honest, I've felt like for years we could use a good right handed shot on our top units (Sammy doesn't count). Maybe leaving him in there with the likes of Pavs and Zetts could help him a bit. I get he had some growing pains to work through during the first season so you don't want him playing the best minutes but I think he should step up in a bigger role on the second line next year.
I feel the same about Filp as I did Hudler. I don't *want* him to leave, but I just can't justify keeping him for the amount of money he wants with the production he has.
As far as Brunner, I could see that happening. Assuming Helm is healthy, we could roll something like this:
Franzen - Datsyuk - Abdelkader
Brunner - Zetterberg - Nyquist
Andersson - Helm -
Miller - Emmerton - Eaves
I'm a bit stumped about Franzen and Cleary though. If we ditch Franzen, we'll need someone for the first line (Horton maybe?) and we could use some more meat on the 3rd Line (assuming Andersson can play wing)
Transition from center to wing isn't as bad as the other way around. Centers have more responsiblities and are like the PG of the team. I think he could be fine doing that. He's a big bodied kid who could add 10-12 lbs of muscle and be a nice force down low and in front of the net. Throw him out on the second PP unit and let him stand in front. Brunner is capable of manning the point and it gives us a right handed shot back there for a double one timer option.
At the very least, it's time to get rid of Franzen and Filppula.
I can't see them re-signing Filppula. We're probably stuck with Franzen, given that injury prone, one-dimensional goal scorers who no longer score goals aren't a hot commodity.
Lots of dead weight just taking up sweaters, and lots of salary cap space too. Time for Holland to make some big off season moves.
Choke.
and outgunned in this series and still pushed Chicago to the absolute limit. They only had one chance at home to close the series out, it was going to be difficult to close Chicago out in their building in game 5 or 7.
Seriously? Listen, I'm not a Wings fan (I am a Habs fans so I know all about choking) but to call what the wings did this season choking is ridiculous. They beat the #2 team in the conference and forced the top team to seven games (while being the #7 seed).
Aside from the Penguins, the Hawks are the most talented team in the NHL and to push them the way the wings did was anything but choking. The better team won, but the other team put up one hell of a fight. I give credit to the wings for a damn good run in a playoff that they barely made it in to. My habs on the other hand, getting battered by the #7 team in the conference...that was choking.
Unless we get rid of Babcock, I think Datsyuk is gone too. Rumors came out throughout the whole year that Datsyuk hates Babcock and would rather finish his career in the KHL anyways. I would rather have Datsyuk than Babcock
You would rather have Datsyuk than Babcock? Are you fucking insane? Btw, your rumour is BS. Multiple reports have indicated that the Wings are looking to lock up Datsyuk before anyone else this offseason.
Pavel's impact on the game. Sure offensively, there are guys who are better, but it would be hard to find a better two-way player than Pavel when you consider how good he is defensively.
With that said, he and the Wings may part ways when his contract is up, but it certainly wouldn't be because Pavel doesn't have a huge impact on the game. I honestly haven't heard any rumors about a problem between Babcock and Pavel though, no idea where you're getting that.
I'm not a wings fan but as an ouotsider who knows a little bit about hockey I have to say that if you think Pavel's impact on the wings is greater than Babcock I think you're mistaken.
Now don't get me wrong, I think PD is a great player, probably the best two-way forward in the game right now and with the puck on his stick is pretty damn impressive. I think he is one of the top players in the NHL right now, without question. Babcock, though, is one of (if not the) best coach in the NHL. What he got out of a pretty mediocre team this year (especially in the playoffs) was one of the more impressive storylines in this strike shortened season in my opinion.
I'm not saying I believe this guys rumor about the two, but if I am a GM and I have to make a choice between keeping Babcock and PD I go with Babcock for the simple reason that great coaches are far harder to come by than good players. Babcock has shown he can win without great players before and there is certainly not an available coach out there that could fill the void he would leave if he was fired.
If anyone is to blame for the state of the redwings right now it is the GM. The players played their asses off this season, the coach did everything to get the most out of those players but the bottom line is that Detroit has fallen back in the pack as far as talent is concerned, it's as simple as that.
Word is Datsyuk is going to play in Detroit next year (last year of his contract) then go back to Russia to finish his playing career at home.
1. That's a stupid rumor about Babcock/Datsyuk, where did you hear it from? Because it hasn't shown up pretty much anywhere
2. Pavel probably will go back to the KHL....in 2014 when his contract expires, or maybe a little later if we get him to sign a 2 year extention or so. But even if he wanted to go to the KHL right now he can't. The NHL and KHL have a transfer agreement, where if one player is under contract in one league, he can't jump ship for the other league
I will bet anyone on this board $1000 that Datsyuk will be a Red Wing for the next two years at least.
I hope you end up winning that bet.
I'm guessing he'll retire as a Red Wing at around age 40. There might be some truth to the Datsyuk and Babcock rumors though, as those same rumors were around when he signed his last deal (2007, I believe).
Overall a great series, next year it will be for the Cup though.
will have serious cap problems. They won't field the same strong team and could dump good talent like they did after their last Cup win.
I doubt they have the same success as this year during the regular season, for the reasons you mention and the fact that it will be a full season. I do feel much better about the way the team is run now (last 6 years or so), much more consistent and quick to recover, after all its only been three years sine the last cup win.