WingNut722

So says Ken Holland on his big red hotline to Grand Rapids. Need another body! Johan Franzen's out for Tuesday against Anaheim and likely longer as he goes through concussion protocols from last nights head hit in tge game against Tampa Bay. Riley Sheahan has gotten the nod to join the big club. Although lately, it may not feel much different with the exception of the color uniform he'll be wearing, what with all the other call-ups the Red Wings have made this season to deal with injuries. The interesting thing is that, with Henrik Zetterberg (and his $6.08MM salary) on LTIR, the Red Wings have plenty of money in the bank to pay for all these extra forwards. Here's hoping the rest of the veterans step up to their full potential to help make up the difference and win some games. It's now or never for guys like Dan Cleary and Mikael Samuelsson. I'm quite certain their future with this club will be based very heavily on their contributions over the course of this month (Winter Classic excluded).

Here's your big chance, Gus- The Detroit Free Press reports that Jimmy Howard has sustained an MCL sprain and is out a minimum of 2-4 weeks while he heals. This will put his appearance at the Winter Classic in real jeopardy and likely eliminate him from Team USA representation. Howard has had a tough go in net over the last few weeks, but now it looks like he'll have plenty of time to think it over. Petr Mrazek, already up from Grand Rapids, can now send for a few extra pairs of clean underwear...he'll be in town for a while.

They may be now, but they weren't then. Matter of fact, this cockamamie system may have confirmed their reservation at the funny farm.

@fanaticV3.0 I have heard from several different, unrelated people who suggest the following: 5 points for a regualtion win 3 points for overtime win 2 points for shootout win 1 point for OT/SO loss I'm not thrilled with the OT scoring system either, but at least it's not this.... Can you imagine the ridiculousness in the standings??

Uhhhh..........not exactly sure how to respond to this....

@yave1964 Ya know I never thought about that. The Florida Panthers roster (at least this season) is very heavy on the North Americans. Still, now that I think about it, I don't know if it's that difficult to adjust. The Wings may have more European-born players, but that doesn't necessarily mean they play a European style. Babcock (Canadian) still calls the shots. Veterans like Zetterberg, Alfredsson, Datsyuk, and Kronwall have played the bulk of their professional careers on North American ice. While I agree they're traditional training is European, they are more or less North American players now. Still, you don't see Weiss missing passes or consistently being in the wrong spot. He melds with the flow of the team. He just can't (hasn't been able to) score. Just needs that puck-luck. The trick with Weiss is that because of his lack of offense, he's been relegated to third line, which greatly reduces his opportunity. This is not the way to get the guy out of a funk. Case-In-Point: Justin Abdelkader. Abby had difficulties getting on the scoresheet last season (or was it the season before). Same scenario as Weiss -- a very capable, young player who just needs to find it. Babcock put him on the top line with Pavel Datsyuk. 18-20 minutes of ice time per game and the kid went bonkers. Weiss needs the same prescription.

@yave1964 @SpikeDDS This may actually be better for the Wings. I hate to continue to knock on Howard, but he just needs to park it for a while. Gustavsson is more than adequate to handle the workload and Mrazek is still young and brash enough not to feel any pressure. He's still riding his Edmonton shut-out so he'll be fired up to play. Despite Spike's misgivings, I will miss Weiss. I like him, and as I mentioned in another post, as long as he doesn't give up, we shouldn't give up on him. The guy is "right there." He needs some puck luck...a dirty goal....a blooper, to get him on the score sheet and get his confidence back, then it's off to the races. He's not even going to get that chance now. The scary thing is that this groin issue could bother him for years if he rushes his return. As long as the Wings can take tonight's game against the Lightning, you'll hear a huge exhale coming out of that locker room and in the front office. They have the tools and talent to still compete without the likes of those sitting out.

@flyercanuck I don't know where the DRW scouting staff finds these gems without anyone else noticing, but they're out there. There are any number of news stories on these high-caliber players for the Red Wings, selected in later rounds of the drafts.

@yave1964 - Love the thread titles you come up with! Weiss had a honey of scoring chance in the middle of the third. Probably the best scoring chance he's had during his drought. A clean, beautiful shot, but Tim Thomas snagged it. I'm pulling for the kid, really I am. He's not getting down on himself at all. And as long as he doesn't give up, the Wings shouldn't give up on him either. 41% in the faceoff circle, though, could be improved. The Red Wings went flat-footed after being up 2-0. It's ridiculous how they always think they can do that. Was glad to see The Kids getting their much-deserved respect. Nyquist and Tatar getting the nod for the shootout was a huge compliment from Babcock. Instead of going with regulars, Datsyuk and Bertuzzi, or even Franzen, Babcock showed real class and faith, and solidified their place on this team. Jimmy Howard didn't pay bad....he just can't win in shootouts. Matter of fact he made several huge saves and kept decent control over his rebounds. Abdelkader, again, is playing hard every minute of every shift. He may not make the scoresheet, but he's out there, visible, making things happen. I love watching him play.

@SpikeDDS Trade Quincey... He is such a liability with his lousy play. His salary is way too high to overlook. He came to this club with the chips on his side when Detroit needed a D-man in a bad way. That's not the case anymore. I know @yave1964 thinks he can stay on as a bottom D-man, but I'm sure we can get that kind of performance for a smaller salary. Might even give us a little cap flexibility to bring yet another Griffin up in case of *gasp* further injuries. Looking forward to Datsyuk's return. Will be interested to see what he does. He's been gone long enough to lose a step or two, but not long enough for the rust to form. If nothing else, it'll be a moral victory for the team, and likely a chance to send Emmerton back down I-96.

@yave1964 Would've been a helluva game to watch...... I'm happy with the two points, though.

Detroit Free Press reports that Todd Bertuzzi will be back in the lineup tonight against New Jersey. This is his first game back after nursing a sore shoulder. It's also said that Damien Brunner will be a healthy scratch tonight for the Devils. Brunner has not been performing well since signing with NJ, and hasn't found the back of the net in over a month. Aren't you glad we did re-sign him? Bertuzzi will be on the first line with Franzen and Weiss, giving Stephen another golden opportunity to make some points and get his production rolling. I hate this....the Wings are local to me tonight and I can't go!!!!

@flyerrod I would have mentioned that, but I'm still sore over the loss! :wacko:

@yave1964 I think Howard's problems have festered enough that he needs to just park it in the chair for a while and think it over. Gustavsson can handle a back-to-back, and the proof is in the pudding. Gustavsson can mind the store while Jimmy focuses purely on his technique. The way Gus has been playing should provide Jimmy with the peace of mind that he can spend as much time as needed. There's nothing wrong with a tandem goaltending team...just ask Toronto!

@yave1964 Another point to add was the play of Justin Abdelkader. When the Red Wings came out slow in the first period, it was Abby's hustle that gave them life. He was the fastest one on the ice for a while. For some reason, the power play decided to go completely anemic after the 5-on-3. It was an awful waste of time with the man-advantage, and the Flyers certainly gave them plenty of opportunities. The got behind and then they got flat-footed, and then they got beat...hard. Five unanswered goals....sheesh.......... Mike Babcock was very quick to say in post-game interviews that Gustavsson will be starting against New Jersey on Friday. Now this may have been scheduled all along as the Wings will be coming back to Detroit immediately following to meet the Panthers on Saturday, but I would sincerely hope that if Gus plays as well as he has against the Devils, he'll also get the immediate nod against Florida. It's time to give them man his due and let him play. Jimmy needs to sit down for a while and think it over. Detroit needs to take all three of these next games and put some distance between the rest of the division in the standings.

@SpikeDDS There's no room in the salary cap to bring someone up unless Holland puts someone on LTIR. The easy, immediate switch would be if Todd Bertuzzi is ready to come back. If he is, then the Wings have their full compliment of forwards tonight. But to answer your question, the likely call would be Luke Glendenning again.

@yave1964 Yikes! I hadn't heard any scuttlebutt on this. Perhaps this could be why his production has slowed in the last few games? Hopefully this is more precautionary than reactionary.

@SpikeDDS @yave1964 Seems like something is clicking! Whatever it is they were looking for, looks like they found it. I've been very pleased with they way they've been playing. They're winning again, and I think the crew is just downright giddy about it. Good for them! More fun coming up with the Flyers and the Devils. These are definitely games they can win, a quick jaunt back to the Joe for the Panthers and then a nice easy break in Florida. My kinda trip!

@SpikeDDS I agree with @yave1964. Sammy goes. There's no way I'm giving up on Weiss now. He just needs to find it. Besides, Weiss is a center, and with Datsyuk gone, Franzen has also been playing center, although he should be on the wing. Once Pavel comes back, Franzen can go back to the Wing and we'll have our centers all squared away. Samuelsson is just old and creaky, and I would certainly send him down and replace him with Todd Bertuzzi (whom you conveniently left out in your opening entry ) I will remain on Dan Cleary's side to the end. I know he doesn't have the points so far, but he's a grinder. Reminiscent of the old McCartey-Draper-Maltby line. I won't get rid of him.

@yave1964 Despite being a little flat-footed after playing the previous night and jumping on a plane, overall they appeared to play well, They get a free day to rest before they take on the Big Bad Bruins on Wednesday. This will be a huge wake-up call. They've had a string of games against..."favorable" teams, and didn't do so well. Now they face the top team in the division. Hopefully Datsyuk will be cleared for game time.

@yave1964 Don't forget that most of the teams you rattled off are in the Western Conference. The Red Wings would often use an inter-conference game as a chance to play their backups since the points weren't as critical in the standings. Also, Kevin Poulin came in after Nabokov was injured in the first period. The other thing to consider is the schedule of these teams (i.e. is this the second game of a back-to-back). I wouldn't say that the Wings are starting to lose professional respect in the league. However, if they don't start putting together a string of victories, they will.

Very good point @jammer2. Another good reason to just leave him be.

@yave1964 I was unable to watch the game but I do recognize the change in zone philosophy. Many teams have been catching onto the puck possession style the Wings have played for the last 15 years. AN effective defense has been to line up all players on the blue line to disrupt the entry and knock the Wings off the puck. This is a much better way to confound that setup, plus it keeps the goalie on his toes too, and helps keep him off balance. Nearly 50 shots last night in regulation. Real happy to see that.

@yave1964 I had a thought the other day, that the team might be psyching themselves out and there is one person who is completely to blame for that -- Daniel Alfredsson. It seems Mr. Alfredsson has come to Detroit looking a Stanley Cup in what is expected to be his Swan Song and accompanying graceful exit from the National Hockey League. It may be that the Red Wings are now "trying" to play harder for Alfie's sake to get him that Cup (and you just KNOW Zetterberg would hand it off to him first...). It's possible this idea is getting into their heads and they're feeling pressure. Maybe not, maybe they're above that kind of juvenile stuff. But you never know......

@yave1964 I'm not sure the Red Wings need Del Zotto right now. I certainly wouldn't hurry up the trade just to get him. He is definitely having a slow season this year, and $2.5 million is a lot of money to spend on someone who's up in the air now. The Rangers woes right now are hardly focused on Del Zotto. Nash took a lot of time off and King Henrik also had a rough start, so I'm not exactly sure why Sather is so keen on getting rid of him. Over the last few seasons, you have been a very big proponent for acquiring an effective defenseman. However, I don't have too much of an issue with Detroit's blueline right now. If Kronwall can snap out of his funk, it will help to make up for the loss of DeKeyser. I think the issue is more in the net. Gustavsson/Mrazek are playing adequately for backups, but Jimmy has to be lights-out. Something is getting in his head and he's blowing a lot of easy saves and constantly giving up juicy rebounds. Jimmy actively challenges goal scorers by coming out of the crease, but he needs to catch to puck or stop it dead. There are too many goals from second chances that are scooped up on a 15 foot rebound with Howard way out of the paint. Despite that though, Detroit is allowing 2.65 goals against per game, which is right in the middle of the pack, but in Goals For, they are down in the bottom third. They need to make some chances and start getting some goals. There is way to much goal scoring talent in that locker room. Hopefully Alfie and Weiss will be back soon, refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to Rock 'n' Ruin. I'll bet you 5 HF Tokens that Weiss makes a respectable comeback by the trade deadline.