Post-Game Talk: 17 games to go

[Wyzer Plan]

He tied for the record, I think 85 is a new record.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Other than folks who predict every year to be the year it all falls apart, I don't think anyone honestly saw this team being this bad. And it really wouldn't be surprising to see them back to being a playoff bubble team next season.

True, I didn't think it would be this bad. But heading into this season itwas pretty clear that if everything went really well for the Wings, they might be a bubble playoff team that gets knocked out in the first round.

 

[Red Stanley]

The team was built badly, so the outcome isn't that much of a surprise. What I find inexcusable is the giving up part. I don't care what the record is, if you're getting paid that much money to play a sport, you'd better ****ing play and compete every second of it. As an ex jock, people who look for excuses to coast make me so angry. The players (not all, but enough to make a difference) tanked this season as much as the coaches and the front office that stitched this monstrosity together. No respect.

 

[HIFE]

The team was built badly, so the outcome isn't that much of a surprise. What I find inexcusable is the giving up part. I don't care what the record is, if you're getting paid that much money to play a sport, you'd better ****ing play and compete every second of it. As an ex jock, people who look for excuses to coast make me so angry. The players (not all, but enough to make a difference) tanked this season as much as the coaches and the front office that stitched this monstrosity together. No respect.

The only game they've given up on was last night. Toronto they were the better team for the 2nd 1/2 (after it was 3-0 but still). Do people really think they weren't trying in Edmonton and Calgary? It would be delusional for fans to use "mailing it in" as an excuse for what a dumpster fire this roster is. Oh wait but we lost Vanek, Ott, Smith, and Jurco...lol.

I agree though absolutely pathetic to watch Nielsen and Green not going 100%. These are paid, key players brought in as examples of professionalism. Giving up and bowing your head should not be an option.

 

[Bench]

True, I didn't think it would be this bad. But heading into this season itwas pretty clear that if everything went really well for the Wings, they might be a bubble playoff team that gets knocked out in the first round.

I don't think it's unreasonable to expect them to be this bad again, given the data we collected this year.

We only anticipated them being a bubble team because we assumed Larkin and Mrazek would take a step forward. Given they have failed to accomplish this, and may not next year, it's likely we're looking at similar results next year.

I think this issue is compounded even further when you realize the old stabilizing vets in Kronwall and Zetterberg are operating at their top contribution THIS season. Zetterberg remains the best overall forward on the roster, so should he slip in play or become injured, you are looking at an even more hobbled forward group.

Of course if you maintain a rosy optimism about all the kids improving, you might feel differently. But given our primary hope, Mantha, plays wing, I'm not sure how much he can turn the fate of the team.

When I compare the Wings roster, player for player, they don't come out favorably against the vast majority of the league. So why would it truly be so surprising to see them in the bottom 5 again? They have a bottom 5 defense. They have bottom 5 scoring. They have uneven goaltending. I don't know. The math adds up to bottom 5 for me.

 

[Sadekuuro]

Expect it's more than that.. DeKeyser played on the top shutdown unit last year with Q in similar minutes. This year he's so, so bad defensively from the best on the team defensively the year prior. Contract has nothing to do with this.

Quincey was better than him last year. People didn't want to see it or admit it because it was KFQ, but it's true.

 

[Wyzer Plan]

Quincey was better than him last year. People didn't want to see it or admit it because it was KFQ, but it's true.

KFQ was probably our best defensemen not named green last year.

 

[Mount Suribachi]

Quincey was better than him last year. People didn't want to see it or admit it because it was KFQ, but it's true.

Probably true, but DDK has been trapped on the top pairing with no hope of respite. Quincey at least was only on the 2nd pair. Big difference in the level of opposition.

 

[LarKing]

In all honesty guys, this kind of season is exactly what we needed. I'll gladly take a bottom 5 finish over barely making the playoffs and getting manhandled again. I know it's hard now, but this will help our future so much more than barely making the playoffs yet again. It's beyond hard to watch but realistically this season is going very well for us.

 

[Winger98]

I don't think it's unreasonable to expect them to be this bad again, given the data we collected this year.

We only anticipated them being a bubble team because we assumed Larkin and Mrazek would take a step forward. Given they have failed to accomplish this, and may not next year, it's likely we're looking at similar results next year.

I think this issue is compounded even further when you realize the old stabilizing vets in Kronwall and Zetterberg are operating at their top contribution THIS season. Zetterberg remains the best overall forward on the roster, so should he slip in play or become injured, you are looking at an even more hobbled forward group.

Of course if you maintain a rosy optimism about all the kids improving, you might feel differently. But given our primary hope, Mantha, plays wing, I'm not sure how much he can turn the fate of the team.

When I compare the Wings roster, player for player, they don't come out favorably against the vast majority of the league. So why would it truly be so surprising to see them in the bottom 5 again? They have a bottom 5 defense. They have bottom 5 scoring. They have uneven goaltending. I don't know. The math adds up to bottom 5 for me.

I don't think anyone is saying it's unreasonable to see them finishing in the bottom 5, or that it would be terribly surprising. It just wouldn't be surprising to see them hanging around as a bubble team again.

All they really have to do is tighten up defensively and have a league average power play instead of a historically bad cluster bomb. And if all we're looking at is falling out of the bottom5 worst in the league that's a swing of all of 4 points right now. Even with our crap defense, that league average powerplay probably gets us at least that.

 

[jkutswings]

I don't think anyone is saying it's unreasonable to see them finishing in the bottom 5, or that it would be terribly surprising. It just wouldn't be surprising to see them hanging around as a bubble team again.

All they really have to do is tighten up defensively and have a league average power play instead of a historically bad cluster bomb. And if all we're looking at is falling out of the bottom5 worst in the league that's a swing of all of 4 points right now. Even with our crap defense, that league average powerplay probably gets us at least that.

Which is why I hope Blashill stays for one more year.

If this franchise truly treats this season as a total aberration, instead of as the next tier of a continuing trend, then any notion of returning to contention in the next 5 years is out the window, because they're just going to continue the nonsense for at least 1-2 more years, before any honest attempt at rebuilding even begins. A new coaching staff and a couple of small improvements, and they'll think that another few years of flirting with the 8th seed is something to hang their hat on.

I just hope that Mantha and Larkin don't get too brainwashed before progress begins, but it's a risk I'm willing to take, if it means finally acknowledging the reality of the roster, and shifting philosophy accordingly.

 

[HIFE]

Which is why I hope Blashill stays for one more year.

If this franchise truly treats this season as a total aberration, instead of as the next tier of a continuing trend, then any notion of returning to contention in the next 5 years is out the window, because they're just going to continue the nonsense for at least 1-2 more years, before any honest attempt at rebuilding even begins. A new coaching staff and a couple of small improvements, and they'll think that another few years of flirting with the 8th seed is something to hang their hat on.

I just hope that Mantha and Larkin don't get too brainwashed before progress begins, but it's a risk I'm willing to take, if it means finally acknowledging the reality of the roster, and shifting philosophy accordingly.

This is hilarious. The Wings have fallen so hard all I can do is laugh at the state we're in.

Can you explain what you mean by "brainwashed"? Are you saying Mantha and Larkin could develop a bad attitude by Detroit being a bottom 5 team for years to come?