So far so....so-so

[WingNut722]

The season is just over two weeks old now and the Red Wings are a stunning 4-3-1, good enough for third place in the Central Division and ties with Nashville with 9 points. It appears everyone was right that the big hole in the Wings' game is a formidable presence on the blue line, left by Mr. Lidstrom and Mr. Stuart. True...the Red Wings are allowing the second most shots per game in the NHL (which is a good indicator of the defense). However, Riddle me this, Batman....

How much of this defensive slump is the absence of Lidstrom and Stuart, and how much is due to the injuries to our remaining defensive corps? Namely Colaiacovo and Ian White. Also, while it wouldn't necessarily reflect the Shots Per Game total, how many more goals might Mikael Samuelsson have scored so far? Darren Helm?

Would having Jonas Gustavsson around have taken a bit of pressure off Jimmy Howard?

So where exactly do we stand? Ian White is expected to start tomorrow night against Calgary, which will help, particularly on the power play. Other than that, the defense does appear to need improvement although they're not playing bad. Detroit needs to score more goals up front. Getting the power play into shape will go along way towards that (Yes, I'm talking to YOU, Coach Renney!). Tom Renney was brought on specifically to rehab the man-advantage for Detroit which has been slipping the past few seasons. Right now, he's not making a huge case for himself. While it's not likely that the Wings will win the Division, as Chicago and St. Louis are just too strong and well-balanced, if things stay the way they are, Detroit will likely find itself out of the playoffs.

The disappointment right now is Kyle Quincey. He's making too many mistakes and taking too many chances on the depleted lines. Methinks we could be seeing him shipped off somewhere along with some draft picks for a better defenseman. With the cap space that the Red Wings have and the healthy crop of youngsters in tow, Ken Holland could make a top-heavy offer for a strong, veteran defenseman. I also doubt very much that he'd wait until the trade deadline to do so.

What say you?

[yave1964]

IMO the number one problem the Wings are encountering right now, even more than the injuries on the blue line is the lack of scoring from the third or fourth line. We are talking zip from these two lines, Tatar has been called up from the Griffins hopefully to help with this.

IMO it would not be a bad idea to move Filpulla to third line center between Tatar and Cleary, with Nyquist taking Val's spot on the second line. I feel for Eaves coming back after missing a year but he provides zero offense, Drew Miller and Emmerton are dead weight, Abdelkader frankly does nothing either. I think the Wings would look best with lines of:

Bertuzzi Datsyuk Nyquist

Franzen Zetterberg Brunner

Cleary Filpulla Tatar

Tootoo Helm Miller

Abdelkader and Samuelson as the extra forwards, Eaves gone, Emmerton in Grand rapids for insurance

We signed Huskins off the street and called up Lashoff who frankly is not ready. Injuries to the blue line have decimated a thin corps, we really should have signed Wade Redden, but water under the bridge now. Kindl is getting power play time right now for Gods sake, of course Samuelsson and White would be playing the point if healthy.

4-3-1 good for 9 points. Borderline playoff team, I think with some healthy players coming back, cap space available for a blue liner we will be okay. Again, if we dont get the third and fourth lines going it is a moot point, we are doomed without some secondary scoring. Tatar and Nyquist bring a skill level that guys like Eaves and Emmerton never will.

[jammer2]

@yave1964 I dunno, a guy like Emmerton should get a decent shot, with decent linemates before he is counted out as dead weight. Don't know if it has tranlated to the NHL level, but I saw a pretty nifty, skilled player in the OHL. The talent is there, but he needs to be cast in the right role. Of course, with a team as deep as Detroit, that means producing from the 3rd and 4th lines first, then comes a move into the top 6....a task easier said than done.

I was expecting a break out year from Helm, so the injury must suck.

[yave1964]

@yave1964 I dunno, a guy like Emmerton should get a decent shot, with decent linemates before he is counted out as dead weight. Don't know if it has tranlated to the NHL level, but I saw a pretty nifty, skilled player in the OHL. The talent is there, but he needs to be cast in the right role. Of course, with a team as deep as Detroit, that means producing from the 3rd and 4th lines first, then comes a move into the top 6....a task easier said than done.

I was expecting a break out year from Helm, so the injury must suck.

From Cleary, Helm, Abdelkader, Emmerton, Samuelsson, Tootoo, Eaves and Miller WE HAVE ZERO GOALS. That is third and fourth lines with nothing for production. It is broke we need to fix it, or it will be a long season.

[jammer2]

@yave1964 Those guys are not the super skilled types, they get there goals and points from speed and outworking the oppositon, winning the battles for the puck and turning them into scoring chances....are they not working hard, bit of rust from the long layoff? Maybe a comination of the two?

[yave1964]

@yave1964 Those guys are not the super skilled types, they get there goals and points from speed and outworking the oppositon, winning the battles for the puck and turning them into scoring chances....are they not working hard, bit of rust from the long layoff? Maybe a comination of the two?

Samuelsson and Helm have been hurt, (Surprise) Cleary has been playing hard but has clearly lost a step, Eaves missed a year and was not very good before that, I have always felt Abdelkader is our most overrated player, Frankly Miller and Tootoo have done a good job, but the other six not so much.

I dont think a team in the game can win consistently with zero from the third and fourth lines. Short term yes, long term no.

[Polaris922]

Samuelsson and Helm have been hurt, (Surprise) Cleary has been playing hard but has clearly Cleary lost a step

Fixed.

[Wingsallday]

We have to be consistent! Beat the big boys but lose to the weaker ones.. we have to pick a side!

[WingNut722]

Frankly, Tootoo's job is not to score. He's doing exactly what he's being paid for night after night....establish a tough presence that the Wings haven't had in years. Miller and Abdelkader have been working hard, but just not found the back of the net yet. Helm's only played one game, so he doesn't count in this discussion. Emmerton isn't really doing all that well except for decent numbers in face-offs. My beef is with Franzen. I'm not seeing anything out of him the way we used to. He doesn't move fast, he's not taking shots...Last night against Calgary, he had a beautiful opportunity in the second. An easy pass from Z from behind the goal line. if he one-timed it, he had an open net. Instead he juggled it and then gave up a turnover. Clearly not what is expected of you when you're making a bajillion dollars over 12 years..

I'm also a little surprised at Kronwall. He's been somewhat "quiet" this season. I know he has more responsibility as the "ranking" defenseman, but I hope he's not clouding his mind with it. He needs to lead by example, and to do, that, he needs to play the way he used to. The loss last night was tragic...something's gotta give....

[WingNut722]

Fixed.

Nice....

[jammer2]

@WingNut722 I know it's not Tootoo's job to score, but I really expected a bit more offense out of him with the Wings, thought he would have few more chances playing with more talented players....plus, I've always felt he had a tad more offense in him, and was held back by Nashville's defensive system....maybe I was wrong....who knows.

[WingNut722]

@WingNut722 I know it's not Tootoo's job to score, but I really expected a bit more offense out of him with the Wings, thought he would have few more chances playing with more talented players....plus, I've always felt he had a tad more offense in him, and was held back by Nashville's defensive system....maybe I was wrong....who knows.

Well, it could go either way. On one hand, yes, it's reasonable to expect more than just one point (an assist) after the first 10 games. However, he has spent a lot of time in the penalty box with the elevated number of fights he's been in so far. I truly don't think that kind of pace will continue much longer. I think teams are starting to recognize that Tootoo is around and they're watching out. Also, the Red Wings have spent a huge proportion of their ice time on special teams, in which Tootoo is not included. Either way he's sitting instead of skating more often than (what would be considered) normal. Once things settle down in these two key areas, I think he'll spend more time on the ice, and his point totals will start to rise a bit quicker.