http://fox17online.com/2013/01/12/kentwoods-mike-knuble-accepts-tryout-with-detroit-red-wings/ cos he's exactly what we need
true, and i can't see any way we sign him. probably just showing him some courtesy and respect. there's no space for him on the team even allowing for nyquist, tatar, andersson, sheahan et al staying in grand rapids. but still....
Fine with me. Have always liked Knuble. Would be nice if he would accept a trip up to GR. Kenny really needs to make a move.
That'd be a great depth move in he accepted that. Plays in his home town until injuries. Nice veteran presence for Sheahan and the others.
GR is the key thing for me- great move if the purpose is to mentor kids playing for the Griffs, but he shouldn't even sniff time with the Wings unless we have an Old Testament plague of injuries to the forwards.
Don't want him in Detroit. Don't want him taking from development in Grand Rapids/. Here's hoping he tries hard, but the Wings pass.
I don't even want him in Grand Rapids to be honest really don't want a 40 year old Holmstrom type around to get called up instead of Tatar actually getting a shot in the NHL if there's injuries and you just know that he would
I hope he is going to Grand Rapids, this move doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Holland deserves all the ribbing he will get in this thread. Unless there is a trade in the offing I am completely confused by this.
i just realized knuble is yet another example of KH's tradition of signing/showing interest in players who used to play here. KH should inquire about mike ramsey and jamie macoun. PK could use them. and maybe we can get larry murphy on PP again. but i always liked knuble, and he would have been a very good addition just a few years ago. i wish he had come here instead of washington. would have been an upgrade over homer and bertuzzi, imo. maybe not better on PP than homer, though.
Like someone else said, I could see Knuble making the roster if Detroit made a trade with another team and moved an NHL forward in a deal involving a defenseman. Still, I don't know whether he'd be more of an upgrade over a guy from Grand Rapids. It's funny, though. Holland did mention in an interview recently that he feels like in the past he's worried that the team was too old, and how right now he's kind of worried that they're too young... so maybe he's interested in a veteran presence like Knuble.
Everyone rolled their eyes when Ken Holland brought in Dan Cleary, Andrea Lilja, and Mikael Samuelsson back in 2005 for a try out, too.
Looks like Holland is really preparing for massive injuries and takes these 6th line incurance policies in consideration.
I think there's a big difference between those three and Knuble, simply because of the age difference. Those were all guys in the prime years of their career. Knuble is just an old guy coming off a year where he was a healthy scratch at times. Knuble had just an awful year last season in Washington. Two years ago, he played just like he always played and he was a plus player. Is last season a sign of what he's capable of at this point in his career, or was last season just a bad year and he has done work in the offseason to make sure he gets back into shape and is ready to play 48 solid games? In reality, Knuble is a big body who has almost 300 NHL goals. The guy was a consistent 20+ goal scorer for 10 years... if he's impressive in camp, he could be an upgrade to a lineup full of small forwards who like to pass. He's a right handed shot, too.
The point is that some people are getting worked up over what is essentially a minor roster move, if any. What if Knuble comes to camp and blows people away? Chill out.
I was watching that "Blood game" between Detroit and Colorado few weeks ago. Mike Knuble debuted on that match in NHL (march 1997). he was 25 years old on that time. Kind of rare North American late bloomer. He has had a pretty decent career since.
I said both sides of it... I'm not saying that it's a bad idea to invite Knuble to camp. I view it as an opportunity to potentially improve the offense. I said at the end of my post that he's a big guy who shoots right handed, which are two things Detroit wants to have on their roster. I also know that he likes to shoot the puck, which is another thing Detroit wants on their roster. I apologize for sounding not so chill.