Confirmed with Link: Mike Green to Detroit 3 years/6m per

[Dotter]

Blash likes Kindl

I don't recall Blash ever coaching Kindl or having any experience with him.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

I don't recall Blash ever coaching Kindl or having any experience with him.

Had him on a conditioning stint down in Grand Rapids and has talked about him a couple times since he took over. Has talked about Smith a couple times since taking over. Guy he hasn't talked much about, Quincey...

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

More on Kindl and Blashill...

"I thought when he came down he did a great job for us," Blashill said. "You can say, well, it's an NHLer coming down and playing — you have to stand out, and he stood out. He did a great job.

"When he's playing his best he's a great puck-moving defenseman — he's going back for the puck, he's seeing through the forechecker making the proper passes. I think that is the number one ingredient for a defenseman to be great, is their ability to play the puck out of their end, because then you just don't play any d-zone and you play in the other team's end and that's the formula to win."

"He's got really good ability, he's a really good person," Blashill said. "He's done a great job of persevering through tough times over the last few years. Hopefully he's put himself in position to compete for spots at camp."

http://www.freep.com/story/sports/nhl/red-wings/2015/07/04/detroit-red-wings-kindl/29702905/

Not sure what that means for alignment, but it is clear Blashill from conversations sees getting more out of Kindl and Smith along with the acquisition of Green to really improve puck movement out of the back-end. Ericsson with a healthier finger from the get go and Kronwall along with the continued development of DeKeyser should see a much better puck transitioning team. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. Maybe Blashill is just throwing sun on Smith and Kindl because he thinks they need it and Babcock shot their confidence. I think he is right either way, it will be interesting to see who runs with the opportunity.

The only guy we are hearing nothing about is Quincey and I think that is because his playing style doesn't really do anything for Blashill and he doesn't have any idea where the fit is. But that is purely my opinion on watching what is happening so far.

 

[Frk It]

More on Kindl and Blashill...







http://www.freep.com/story/sports/nhl/red-wings/2015/07/04/detroit-red-wings-kindl/29702905/

Not sure what that means for alignment, but it is clear Blashill from conversations sees getting more out of Kindl and Smith along with the acquisition of Green to really improve puck movement out of the back-end. Ericsson with a healthier finger from the get go and Kronwall along with the continued development of DeKeyser should see a much better puck transitioning team. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. Maybe Blashill is just throwing sun on Smith and Kindl because he thinks they need it and Babcock shot their confidence. I think he is right either way, it will be interesting to see who runs with the opportunity.

The only guy we are hearing nothing about is Quincey and I think that is because his playing style doesn't really do anything for Blashill and he doesn't have any idea where the fit is. But that is purely my opinion on watching what is happening so far.

Oh no. Sounds like Blash is falling into the trap many of us have over the last few years.

I understand him gravitating towards a player like Kindl, but he is just way too inconsistent. There are several times where I see him do something and go to myself, "I get why he was a 1st round pick", but they are just so few and far between now. I mean sometimes he is taking it up the ice with space and he just looks dynamic in a way that 90% of our defense doesn't, or he walks the line on the blue line on the PP like a high-end guy for a brief moment, but again this does not happen even close to enough as it would need to in order to warrant a roster spot. He does not engage at all in his own end, and he does not produce a lot even if he does some visually impressive stuff sometimes.

He might fit into Blashill's scheme better than others, but the rest of his game just is not good enough to be a regular. You can't have the puck all the time, and when you don't he is horrendous.

I will say I think Babcock ruined his development to an extent, and at this point I don't think it can be undone. I never saw Babcock be as hard on anyone as he was on Jakub Kindl, there was a pretty unrivaled level of disdain there.

 

[sarcastro]

Babcock had the philosophy of taking a guy that is struggling to tread water and hold his head under. The idea being if he's cut out for your team he'll claw his way to the surface, and if not, he drowns and who cares.

Blash doesn't seem like that kind of coach. Will be interesting to see how his approach works on a guy like Kindl.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Oh no. Sounds like Blash is falling into the trap many of us have over the last few years.

I understand him gravitating towards a player like Kindl, but he is just way too inconsistent. There are several times where I see him do something and go to myself, "I get why he was a 1st round pick", but they are just so few and far between now. I mean sometimes he is taking it up the ice with space and he just looks dynamic in a way that 90% of our defense doesn't, or he walks the line on the blue line on the PP like a high-end guy for a brief moment, but again this does not happen even close to enough as it would need to in order to warrant a roster spot. He does not engage at all in his own end, and he does not produce a lot even if he does some visually impressive stuff sometimes.

He might fit into Blashill's scheme better than others, but the rest of his game just is not good enough to be a regular. You can't have the puck all the time, and when you don't he is horrendous.

I will say I think Babcock ruined his development to an extent, and at this point I don't think it can be undone. I never saw Babcock be as hard on anyone as he was on Jakub Kindl, there was a pretty unrivaled level of disdain there.

Yeah I hopped off the Kindl train a while back.

Unless Blashill can teach him to play the way he did with a contract on the line from here on forward, he will likely become just as dissatisfied with Kindl moving forward.

I think Kindl and Smith are guys he knows were mistreated a little bit. His comments are you get a chance with me... If they wind up in the same situation well that is going to be on them, they have run out of excuses. But they are both guys that probably need something positive being put out there on them. After all we often forget the human element of this, for Kindl in particular he has been enduring a never ending nightmare under Babcock. Now I think we all agree a lot of that was his own fault, but Blash is trying to pump air in his tires. I think that is a part of why the first thing all those guys that played under Blashill in Grand Rapids constantly talk about how much they love playing for him and communicating with him. He has an understanding of what each guy needs and at this point I think to rescue Kindl that is what he sees, Kindl will be on his last chance as a result, but I think it is good for him to have a vocal supporter in his new head coach.

Kindl needs to play to contact or he will finish out his NA career in the AHL and be in Europe shortly. He is adverse to both giving and receiving contact and that needs to change right now.

 

[Frk It]

Babcock had the philosophy of taking a guy that is struggling to tread water and hold his head under. The idea being if he's cut out for your team he'll claw his way to the surface, and if not, he drowns and who cares.

Blash doesn't seem like that kind of coach. Will be interesting to see how his approach works on a guy like Kindl.

Yeah interesting that Blashill said Kindl has "persevered" many times. I would say the opposite is true, most recently.

It was just crazy how unwilling Babcock was to let Kindl play through mistakes. He literally turned it over once in our end and he was done for the night. And the next one.

But Smith was given a way longer rope, and so was Ericsson.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Oh no. Sounds like Blash is falling into the trap many of us have over the last few years.

I understand him gravitating towards a player like Kindl, but he is just way too inconsistent. There are several times where I see him do something and go to myself, "I get why he was a 1st round pick", but they are just so few and far between now. I mean sometimes he is taking it up the ice with space and he just looks dynamic in a way that 90% of our defense doesn't, or he walks the line on the blue line on the PP like a high-end guy for a brief moment, but again this does not happen even close to enough as it would need to in order to warrant a roster spot. He does not engage at all in his own end, and he does not produce a lot even if he does some visually impressive stuff sometimes.

He might fit into Blashill's scheme better than others, but the rest of his game just is not good enough to be a regular. You can't have the puck all the time, and when you don't he is horrendous.

I will say I think Babcock ruined his development to an extent, and at this point I don't think it can be undone. I never saw Babcock be as hard on anyone as he was on Jakub Kindl, there was a pretty unrivaled level of disdain there.

Agreed. Kindl has a lot of talent, but to me his issue is that his decision-making isn't quick enough for the NHL game. He doesn't 'think' the game fast enough for the NHL. He's one of those guys that could be a top-pairing d-man in almost any league in the world except the NHL.

 

[rx7dryver]

Don't forget lashoff. Dude could do no wrong in babs' eyes.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Yeah interesting that Blashill said Kindl has "persevered" many times. I would say the opposite is true, most recently.

It was just crazy how unwilling Babcock was to let Kindl play through mistakes. He literally turned it over once in our end and he was done for the night. And the next one.

But Smith was given a way longer rope, and so was Ericsson.

Smith's rope was to not play his game though and almost existed solely because Kindl was his other option. Still did he really give him lots of opportunity to play his game. Even at Smith's brightest moments next to Kronwall and DeKeyser, Babcock found a way to separate them quickly. Oh and the no PP..... Some rope Babs...

 

[Frk It]

Yeah I hopped off the Kindl train a while back.

Unless Blashill can teach him to play the way he did with a contract on the line from here on forward, he will likely become just as dissatisfied with Kindl moving forward.

I think Kindl and Smith are guys he knows were mistreated a little bit. His comments are you get a chance with me... If they wind up in the same situation well that is going to be on them, they have run out of excuses. But they are both guys that probably need something positive being put out there on them. After all we often forget the human element of this, for Kindl in particular he has been enduring a never ending nightmare under Babcock. Now I think we all agree a lot of that was his own fault, but Blash is trying to pump air in his tires. I think that is a part of why the first thing all those guys that played under Blashill in Grand Rapids constantly talk about how much they love playing for him and communicating with him. He has an understanding of what each guy needs and at this point I think to rescue Kindl that is what he sees, Kindl will be on his last chance as a result, but I think it is good for him to have a vocal supporter in his new head coach.

Kindl needs to play to contact or he will finish out his NA career in the AHL and be in Europe shortly. He is adverse to both giving and receiving contact and that needs to change right now.

I think Babcock's ability to motivate and prepare a group is phenomenal, but I think if you don't align with the rest of the group he will leave you behind and not care or think twice about it.

I think Blashill seems to put more of an emphasis on individual relationships, to try to figure out what makes individuals tick, and then work with them to try to maximize their game. That's not to say he is trying to be everyone's "buddy", I think that is putting an unfair twist on it, but I think he is more interested in individual relationships than group think, and group mentality.

So Blashill might be able to get more out of guys that were "left behind" or did not fit in with Babcock. Or it might be too little too late. But I think we saw Blashill do a lot of this down in Grand Rapids, so I am hoping that approach helps out with Smith, and maybe Kindl.

 

[Frk It]

Smith's rope was to not play his game though and almost existed solely because Kindl was his other option. Still did he really give him lots of opportunity to play his game. Even at Smith's brightest moments next to Kronwall and DeKeyser, Babcock found a way to separate them quickly. Oh and the no PP..... Some rope Babs...

Well I was thinking compared to Kindl, he had a long rope. But yeah he still was yanked around a bit.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

I do think this is one of the more interesting things about the arrival of Green. He gets put with our best young stay at home D-man right now on the big club. He adds an element and he has an identity with how he plays. Who does that rub off on and how does that change the dynamic of the team? It will change for some guys and probably for the better and a couple are going to be caught out. If two former first round picks in Kindl or Smith take off that is a wonderful thing. Really would make him worth that much more in my opinion and quite frankly he is also a good guy for a guy like Smith to watch offensively day to day. His skill set aligns more with Green than Kronwall for instance as a model.

 

[Frk It]

Agreed. Kindl has a lot of talent, but to me his issue is that his decision-making isn't quick enough for the NHL game. He doesn't 'think' the game fast enough for the NHL. He's one of those guys that could be a top-pairing d-man in almost any league in the world except the NHL.

Yeah, if he did not have to worry about winning board battles or getting hit he might look like a stud.

Probably would be a way better big-ice player, to be honest.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

I think Babcock's ability to motivate and prepare a group is phenomenal, but I think if you don't align with the rest of the group he will leave you behind and not care or think twice about it.

I think Blashill seems to put more of an emphasis on individual relationships, to try to figure out what makes individuals tick, and then work with them to try to maximize their game. That's not to say he is trying to be everyone's "buddy", I think that is putting an unfair twist on it, but I think he is more interested in individual relationships than group think, and group mentality.

So Blashill might be able to get more out of guys that were "left behind" or did not fit in with Babcock. Or it might be too little too late. But I think we saw Blashill do a lot of this down in Grand Rapids, so I am hoping that approach helps out with Smith, and maybe Kindl.

Blash is still very big on the team concept and who knows maybe this will be something he figures out in a hurry in terms of why Babs behaves that way at the NHL level and you will see a harder Blashill. I doubt it, I think he has the team goals the everyone needs to pull on the rope mentality, but he wants to make everyone own it and he does it by owning his end of the relationship on a much more personal level.

I think it is going to work, but we will have to find out. It sounds like when he was an assistant Lidstrom and Holmstrom didn't necessarily like some of his ideas. I think he has learned since then and he is prepared to lead us moving forward. Only the incredibly still long off-season to wait on this.

We need to make deeper runs just so the off-season isn't what like 5 months long.

 

[sarcastro]

Yeah interesting that Blashill said Kindl has "persevered" many times. I would say the opposite is true, most recently.

It was just crazy how unwilling Babcock was to let Kindl play through mistakes. He literally turned it over once in our end and he was done for the night. And the next one.

But Smith was given a way longer rope, and so was Ericsson.

He might have taken that page from Scotty. Scotty always had a whipping boy to use as motivation to the other players. For a while it was Ward. Even Sergei when he got stuck on defense.

 

[Dotter]

He might have taken that page from Scotty. Scotty always had a whipping boy to use as motivation to the other players. For a while it was Ward. Even Sergei when he got stuck on defense.

In Bowman's defense, Fedorov could have just as easily been a world class elite defenseman if that was the position he wanted to carve out for his career.

But, I regress, your point is very much taken.

As for Kindl, it'll be interesting to see how Blash handles him and if he can turn him around. The quotes TZE posted sounded like Blashhill recognized his confidence was low and was trying to build him up. But I do agree, when Kindl puts on his "A" game show, he is a very good bottom 4 defenseman. Consistency hasn't been his friend, however.

 

[BinCookin]

From what I gathered Green pretty much chose to be a red wing. All holland had to do was not screw it up. Frankly I am surprised that he did not low ball him.

People want to blame holland for all his mistakes.

And if he signs Green.

.... Green wanted to come here... its almost like Holland didnt even have to say anything, cant give him credit for that.

Sigh. You can like green, or dislike green. Like the contract or dislike it. But Holland is responsible for ALL actions. There is no "It was going to happen without the GM" Thats a stupid reason.

Just say you like his signings this year, and hated the ones the past 3 years. You are allowed to like and dislike holland at the same time.

 

[Dotter]

And in all fairness, Green could be a huge flop. I'm personally not that high on him. I remember when some people were ecstatic when KH let Filppula walk and signed Weiss. Then when Weiss proved to be a failure here, those same people turned on KH for getting the player they originally wanted to begin with. Lol

Green could turn out the same fate. But I certainly hope not. I'm hoping he gels right into the DRWs system.

 

[8snake]

Kindl is soft. His complete avoidance of anything resembling physical contact and almost scared demeanor on the ice isn't a product of hard coaching or unfair standards...it's a product of who Kindl is.

 

[Henkka]

People want to blame holland for all his mistakes.

And if he signs Green.

.... Green wanted to come here...
But Holland is responsible for ALL actions. There is no "It was going to happen without the GM" Thats a stupid reason.

Yep...

Holland has operated this team for almost 20 years and if some UFA decides to come here it's because Holland has builded his team attractive to join.

This is an undeniable fact. If this Green scenario was true, kind of same happened with Hossa. You do enough good general managering, and UFAs will call for you.

 

[Frk It]

Yep...

Holland has operated this team for almost 20 years and if some UFA decides to come here it's because Holland has builded his team attractive to join.

This is an undeniable fact. If this Green scenario was true, kind of same happened with Hossa. You do enough good general managering, and UFAs will call for you.

Green did say specifically he liked the winning tradition and reputation of the franchise. That is largely due to Holland's work over the last 20 years, even if I do not like what he has done more recently.

I'm sure the fact that our blue line is weak and gave him a great opportunity to play a lot didn't hurt either.

 

[Henkka]

Yeah, an opportunity and he is a lot better than Zidlicky was. If others keep same level and DeKeyser&Smith take a step forward, our defence is a lot better than at last season.

 

[minitrucker83]

I'm curious to see if Pulks can find some open space this year to use that one timer with Green on the blue line. We all know Green was comfortably feeding right handed Ovie one timers for quite a while with plenty of success.

 

[Anchor Town*]

Mike green who? Mike green mike green who? Mike green mike green who? Mike green mike green who? Mike green mike green who? Mike green

I don't get it