Line Combos: 2016-2017 Detroit Red Wings

[Pavels Dog]

So Frk gets waived, Pulk-miss the net stays.

Bertuzzi and Russo get waived to GR when they had the best preseason out of anyone.

AA and Mantha still up in the air? Looking like they won't be on the roster.

Ericsson and Helm make around $4 million each. Howard $5 mil.

Am I understanding the state of the DRW correctly?

Miller-Glenny-Ott has been our best line in pre-season.

Obviously they are therefore our best players and should play 20+ minutes per game.

 

[Heaton]

Miller-Glenny-Ott has been our best line in pre-season.

Obviously they are therefore our best players and should play 20+ minutes per game.

Normally our best players in the preseason get waived and sent down to GR, so hopefully that's the same with Ott and AA can stay!

 

[Heaton]

Holland basically confirmed all waiver eligible players (minus Larkin) will be going down to GR.

I'm sure they'll 'earn a spot' when they're not waiver eligible next year or whenever that is. Luckily they'll be up at times during the season and might stick then when the players without upside show that their floor is pretty low.

 

[jkutswings]

Hang on, lemme spin the Wheel o' Holland to get an answer on that one:

*spins large wheel of oft-used cliches and watches*

And the cliches are flying by! Which one will it settle on? It's slowing down...coming to a stop...

"We like our team...Kicking...tires...
It's...a...man's...league."

*wheel stops*

And we have a winner! Hear ye, hear ye! This latest round of waivers is due to... It's a man's league! And thanks for playing the Wheel o'Holland! Now a word from our sponsor:

Wheel o'Holland is brought to you by ESNTV. The Elder Statesman Network brings you quality programming including Matlock, Murder She Wrote, and, coming this fall, Perry Mason! All your "experienced" players will be sure to slip into their orthopedic shoes, turn up their hearing aids, and gingerly settle in to watch! So hike those plaid pants back up to your armpits, and be sure to check out ESNTV! (It's a fair piece better than yelling at those kids to get off your lawn again.)

 

[Mijatovic]

Opening Night Roster (IMO based on what we know, not what I want)


Abdelkader - Larkin - Tatar
Zetterberg - Nielsen - Nyquist
Sheahan - Helm - Vanek
Miller - Glendening - Ott

Smith - Green
DeKeyser - Marchenko
Ouellet - Ericsson

Mrazek
Howard

Extras: Pulk, Sproul

LTIR: Kronwall, Jurco
GRG Callups: Athanasiou/Mantha

If pre-season is any indication, I would like to see:

• Vanek move up and Zetterberg move down the lineup
• Oulette to hit the bench when Kronwall comes back.
• Jurco to take over from Miller when he gets back.

 

[Heaton]

Yikes, based on what Holland and Blashill have said it doesn't look good for AA and Mantha, that doesn't bode well for the future when they're not even making it difficult for them to send them down.

 

[Heaton]

 

[Claypool]

Yikes, based on what Holland and Blashill have said it doesn't look good for AA and Mantha, that doesn't bode well for the future when they're not even making it difficult for them to send them down.

Mantha didn't look great during the preseason. Had some nice-looking goals and scoring chances for sure, but his overall play was subpar Certainly didn't look ready for a full-time job in the NHL.

AA looked just ok, but didn't normally stick out like he did last season.

 

[Heaton]

Mantha didn't look great during the preseason. Had some nice-looking goals and scoring chances for sure, but his overall play was subpar Certainly didn't look ready for a full-time job in the NHL.

AA looked just ok, but didn't normally stick out like he did last season.

Yeah, seems like they're at least two years away from getting consistent top 6 IT, if it even happens at all. I was really hoping to see some promise from our young players this year. Bertuzzi looked good but we have almost no one knocking on the door that might make a real difference.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Yikes, based on what Holland and Blashill have said it doesn't look good for AA and Mantha, that doesn't bode well for the future when they're not even making it difficult for them to send them down.

They honestly weren't good enough to force Holland's hand. AA was better last pre-season and Mantha is going the right direction but isn't ready for a full-time NHL job. Big fan of both but in the situation of having to steal someone's job you need to be more than good, you need to be undeniable.

We have a solid forward group top to bottom. Hard to say anyone in the lineup doesn't deserve it. And we have great injury call-ups. Depth will be one of the few things we really have going for us this year.

 

[Heaton]

They honestly weren't good enough to force Holland's hand. AA was better last pre-season and Mantha is going the right direction but isn't ready for a full-time NHL job. Big fan of both but in the situation of having to steal someone's job you need to be more than good, you need to be undeniable.

We have a solid forward group top to bottom. Hard to say anyone in the lineup doesn't deserve it. And we have great injury call-ups. Depth will be one of the few things we really have going for us this year.

I understand what you're saying, but until it actually happens, I don't believe this is actually possible. I think it's just something they have to say every year just to pretend like it's a possibility.

Barring injuries, the rosters are set back in July, unless AA or Mantha were scoring multiple goals a game, which no one in the NHL does, they were destined for GR. Which is fine and it's an unwritten rule of the organization, but it's still beyond frustrating.

However, their play this offseason hasn't left much to be desired, they need to be the best players on the team if they get called up to really make a statement this time. Otherwise, I fear we might in the same situation next season, not many roster spots are open in 2017 either.

 

[PB37]

How did Russo look for you guys in camp/preseason games?

 

[Claypool]

How did Russo look for you guys in camp/preseason games?

Promising, but still needs more time in the oven if he's ever going to make it.

 

[WingedWheel1987]

They honestly weren't good enough to force Holland's hand. AA was better last pre-season and Mantha is going the right direction but isn't ready for a full-time NHL job. Big fan of both but in the situation of having to steal someone's job you need to be more than good, you need to be undeniable.

We have a solid forward group top to bottom. Hard to say anyone in the lineup doesn't deserve it. And we have great injury call-ups. Depth will be one of the few things we really have going for us this year.

Only way 99% of the prospects on the team make the Wings is if they run out of waiver immunity.

It simply does not matter if you outperform a veteran or a slightly older player.

This is a fact.

Anthony Mantha is not going to be any different next off season.


The Wings are in no position to stash away prospects till they are 23-24 years old.

No NHL team is in that position because it takes away valuable ELC years from that players contract.

XO and Sproul should already be waived at this point. They have no future and only exist for the beat writers to spew out nonsensical puff pieces.

IDK how anyone can conclude that the Wings have a solid group of forwards from top to bottom. It's basically just ignoring reality.

You have a 3rd line being centered by someone who struggles to put up 30 points a season.
A top line that is about to be centered by a 20 year old who ran out of gas after 40 games last year.
A 4th line that will once again end up being useless like it has been the previous five seasons.
A 2nd line that is ehhh ok, but there are certainly quite a few teams with better 2nd lines.

So maybe a 2 line team on a good day? The Wings were a two line team last year and the year before that, and i certainly wouldn't call the 2015-2016 DRW forwards "solid from top to bottom"

 

[Yemack]

Hang on, lemme spin the Wheel o' Holland to get an answer on that one:

*spins large wheel of oft-used cliches and watches*

And the cliches are flying by! Which one will it settle on? It's slowing down...coming to a stop...

"We like our team...Kicking...tires...
It's...a...man's...league."

*wheel stops*

And we have a winner! Hear ye, hear ye! This latest round of waivers is due to... It's a man's league! And thanks for playing the Wheel o'Holland! Now a word from our sponsor:

Wheel o'Holland is brought to you by ESNTV. The Elder Statesman Network brings you quality programming including Matlock, Murder She Wrote, and, coming this fall, Perry Mason! All your "experienced" players will be sure to slip into their orthopedic shoes, turn up their hearing aids, and gingerly settle in to watch! So hike those plaid pants back up to your armpits, and be sure to check out ESNTV! (It's a fair piece better than yelling at those kids to get off your lawn again.)

although I dont agree with the message, it's a nice one

 

[Shaman464]

I think Svech had the best camp of any of the waiver exempt prospects.

 

[Claypool]

I think Svech had the best camp of any of the waiver exempt prospects.

I think Bert was better and more consistent over the entire preseason. To me he was the best prospect this preseason.

 

[Wood Stick]

I think Bert was better and more consistent over the entire preseason. To me he was the best prospect this preseason.

I agree. I would have liked to see him against a regular line of NHLers on a consistent basis. He had a really good 15/16 preseason too. Here's the NHL capable players right now, how do you guys recall these guys?

Martin Frk*
Tomas Nosek
Double A
Anthony Mantha
Tyler Bertuzzi
Chevy
Eric Tangradi

 

[Pavels Dog]

Only way 99% of the prospects on the team make the Wings is if they run out of waiver immunity.

It simply does not matter if you outperform a veteran or a slightly older player.

This is a fact.

Anthony Mantha is not going to be any different next off season.


The Wings are in no position to stash away prospects till they are 23-24 years old.

No NHL team is in that position because it takes away valuable ELC years from that players contract.

XO and Sproul should already be waived at this point. They have no future and only exist for the beat writers to spew out nonsensical puff pieces.

IDK how anyone can conclude that the Wings have a solid group of forwards from top to bottom. It's basically just ignoring reality.

You have a 3rd line being centered by someone who struggles to put up 30 points a season.
A top line that is about to be centered by a 20 year old who ran out of gas after 40 games last year.
A 4th line that will once again end up being useless like it has been the previous five seasons.
A 2nd line that is ehhh ok, but there are certainly quite a few teams with better 2nd lines.

So maybe a 2 line team on a good day? The Wings were a two line team last year and the year before that, and i certainly wouldn't call the 2015-2016 DRW forwards "solid from top to bottom"

That's not how Larkin, Sheahan, Mrazek, Jurco or Marchenko made the team. Probably way more examples too.
The day 1 roster is not everything. Things change continually over the season. While it would be nice in some theoretical fantasy land to every year re-shape the roster based entirely on who performs well in 4-5 exhibition games with lineups composed of junior/ahl players sprinkled with some NHLers, that's simply not realistic. IF, and that's still an if, AA/Mantha are sent down they will still get their call-ups. Only if the team is healthy and plays well will nothing change, and in that scenario who cares? Realistically we'll get injuries and maybe will need to shake things up. If our forward group is as bad as you think (hint: it isn't) it won't be long until the kids start taking jobs. And no doubt guys like Russo and Coreau have shown enough to get a look or two during the year.

 

[korrowan]

I don't understand why Pulk is even getting a chance. All the kid does is miss the net over and over again and that is all he has to offer and he isn't even good at it.

 

[GoAwayDanCleary]

Forward group looks good until we get to Helm at 3C.

 

[Roomba With a Bauer]

http://www.freep.com/story/sports/n...-andreas-athanasiou-not-good-enough/91813846/

Good luck with the team this year, guys. I cancelled my GameCenter Live subscription last week. I am not wasting my money on a team that doesn't want to win. Maybe they will miss the playoffs and they can start doing what should have been done six years ago.

 

[njx9]

Well, I for one am glad that the team has decided to solely use some preseason games to judge AA, rather than his actual NHL games last year, in which he was better than most of our bottom 6, including the guy who just got extended for the rest of his career. If I were AA, I'd be asking for a trade, and if I'm Mantha, I'm going to spend my season getting ready to play for Las Vegas (unless the organization spends another season publicly trashing him and destroying his value, I guess).

 

[jolly roger]

Well, I for one am glad that the team has decided to solely use some preseason games to judge AA, rather than his actual NHL games last year, in which he was better than most of our bottom 6, including the guy who just got extended for the rest of his career. If I were AA, I'd be asking for a trade, and if I'm Mantha, I'm going to spend my season getting ready to play for Las Vegas (unless the organization spends another season publicly trashing him and destroying his value, I guess).

I agree completely. KH is a dinosaur who deserves what's going to happen with this lineup. He won't even have the young guys to blame. If I were AA I'd wake up my sleeping agent and get out. Guys who can't carry his jock are regulars in the NHL today.

Great signing Steve Ott, 3 goals in 2 full years in the NHL, -58 lifetime +-, 1475 penalty minutes.

 

[RedWingzz]

This organization makes me laugh sometimes. Blashill going on about how Mantha and AA were not good enough, blah, blah, blah, yet Pulkkinen is handed a roster spot? Based on what? What has Pulkkinen earned? Mantha could have scored 12 goals in the preseason and still would have been sent down to GR. Same with double A. They literally had no shot whatsoever at making this team..

Sometimes you gotta wonder why these young guys don't ask for a trade. These guys would be at worst top 9 forwards in 29 of 30 NHL organizations, ours being the anomaly. I can already see us struggling offensively again. I give it 5 games into the year, where we average less than 2 goals per game, and Blashill will rant on about burying our chances, yet Mantha and AA will be riding buses in GR.

These guys could already put up 40+ points in the NHL, yet get cut in favor of Teemu Pulkkinen? I've had it with Pulkkinen, why does he keep getting a chance? The guy is an AHL sniper, but it can't translate to the NHL, and never will.