Random post-game thoughts:
- I like Bert with Dats and Flip... for now. He gives that line a little sandpaper to go along with the skill.
- Cleary should probably call it a career after this season, but it's likely he won't; he'll try to hold on for three or four more years, and I expect Holland will sign him to a two-year deal during the summer.
- I'm not a huge fan of the fights right off the faceoff, but I absolutely love Tootoo and what he brings to this team. I always liked him in Nashville (I'm weird, I like Steve Ott too), and barring a complete collapse of his game, he'll play out his contract here.
- Quincey has settled down a bit and is playing decently, but I'm still not a fan; I think Kindl could easily replace him (and perhaps Ericsson) given the chance.
- Brunner really comes off as a second/third line tweener to me. He's certainly got good skill and speed, and a third line of Brunner, Helm, and Eaves would be pretty tough to match up against.
- Franzen has definitely worn out his welcome with me. I don't care if he scores 30/30 every year from this point on, his work ethic sucks, and I'd rather give that spot to Nyquist or Tatar.
- Emmerton is playing rather well so far, but with some of the young guys ready in Grand Rapids, he's redundant. Hopefully Holland can get a decent pick for him.
Does that mean he doesn't like the fighting or he'd just rather have Tootoo playing instead of sitting in the box and risking injury?
Babcock would rather have Tootoo out there wreaking havoc in the offensive zone and keeping other guys honest with hard, physical play. The first fight I wasn't fond of, but the second one was inevitable due to last game's demolition of Larsen.