GDT: Preseason Game 4 WINGS vs pens 5:00 et (FSD, NHLN)

[Fil Larkmanthanasiou]

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

It sure is nice to have a legitimate #1 NHL line. I really think Bertuzzi-Larkin-Mantha are going to have a spectacular year if they stay healthy. We won't have a ton outside of them, but the other teams are going to be worried when they hit the ice.

 

[Ghost of Ethan Hunt]

It sure is nice to have a legitimate #1 NHL line. I really think Bertuzzi-Larkin-Mantha are going to have a spectacular year if they stay healthy. We won't have a ton outside of them, but the other teams are going to be worried when they hit the ice.

I think we'll finish ~20th overall with better PP/PK & 5on5 stats, assuming we're mostly healthy, lots of decent depth. Fun times.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

I think we'll finish ~20th overall with better PP/PK & 5on5 stats, assuming we're mostly healthy, lots of decent depth. Fun times.

I think we are a bottom five team, I don't think one line can carry you enough. We also cannot sustain a major injury to any of Mantha, Larkin, Howard and really probably Athanasiou since he will be responsible for pretty much whatever offense doesn't get supplied by the first line. We shall see, it is a part of developing and getting better. I think they will take steps, but our blue-line is bad and we are not a deep team. I do think they will be fun to watch, but I don't have much in the way of winning expectations.

 

[Lampedampe]

I think we'll finish ~20th overall with better PP/PK & 5on5 stats, assuming we're mostly healthy, lots of decent depth. Fun times.

While I certainly agree that things are looking up and that the BLM line looks legit, I just don't see 10 teams with a worse roster. Right now i'd say;

OTT - dead last
LA, ANA, DET, MIN - battling out in the bottom 5. Wings looking the worst on paper out of the bunch imo.

 

[theYman]

They should have put the Bert Ehn Erne line together for 1 shift at least. Would love to see it just once.

 

[TheOtherOne]

They should have put the Bert Ehn Erne line together for 1 shift at least. Would love to see it just once.

If the team was cool enough to give us that, they would have already given us Frk-Ehn-AA long ago.

 

[Gniwder]

It's perhaps petty to complain about reffing in the pre-season, but man has it been ****.

It's nice to see that the refs are in playoffs mode already.

I realize that, nor am I suggesting he should replace either on the PP, but for asset mgmt. purposes & staggered integration, I'd have him in the RW lineup w/Bowey. Until we're rid of Daley & E, they can both be pressboxed. 4 Righties on most nights sounds good, even if 1 has to adjust to their offside.

You want to take a prospect that's never played in the NHL and start them on their off side. OK...

Daley and BigE will get replaced by Cholo by the end of the season. I'm not worried about them, since they'll be gone at the end of the season.

 

[dtown77]

Again.. let the best 6 defenseman play. The ones who earned the spot. While I understand the "situation", I hope Yzerman stands true to his word and using my words sets the example that if you earn a spot the organization will reward you. If you didnt make the cut, kick rocks. Set the tone Yzerman

 

[Ghost of Ethan Hunt]

I think we are a bottom five team, I don't think one line can carry you enough. We also cannot sustain a major injury to any of Mantha, Larkin, Howard and really probably Athanasiou since he will be responsible for pretty much whatever offense doesn't get supplied by the first line. We shall see, it is a part of developing and getting better. I think they will take steps, but our blue-line is bad and we are not a deep team. I do think they will be fun to watch, but I don't have much in the way of winning expectations.

I could see why most pundits & media would think that, it's the predictable route for sure, but I respectfully disagree. With Hirose, Filppula & Nemeth, Bowey adding depth + the kids' callups + the training improvments/systems/equipment & staff that SY implemented, it'll add some offense, improve the D + better vibes for everyone...you could feel sparks of it last year with the kids & Larks line, that positivity is contagious & SY is a proven winner. This is the most excited I've been about a start to the season in ~5-7 yrs, Larks echoed the same in the pregame, as did Mantha who eluded to most skeptics writing them off already. I think they pleasantly surprise us. I could even see us in a chase for a WC spot for a short while, only to drop back to ~20th.

 

[MBH]

It's not even the regular season yet and the Bert-Erne stuff already sounds like a broken record.

 

[MBH]

Too early, but Yzerman didn't make moves to improve the season. He made moves to placehold for the coming rookies. I don't see major improvement this year.
We're weak at center. We are heavy in bottom line forwards. We have one of the worst defenses in the league and our goaltending is average at best.
Our top line had a nice night against third and fourth liners and AHLers.
When they start facing checking lines and top lines, shit will get real.

I expect 24th to 29th.

 

[Ghost of Ethan Hunt]

It's nice to see that the refs are in playoffs mode already.


You want to take a prospect that's never played in the NHL and start them on their off side. OK...

Daley and BigE will get replaced by Cholo by the end of the season. I'm not worried about them, since they'll be gone at the end of the season.

It doesn't have to be Kaski, nor did I say that it should. BTW, Seider just played an Entire game on his offside, on the top pair to boot...how'd that workout? OT win.

 

[BeersHockey]

Bowey looked good tonight. Want to see that kid given big minutes, sink or swim - I think he has it in him.

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

Bowey first star. That Jensen trade was a winner for the wings.

 

[MBH]

Bowey looked good tonight. Want to see that kid given big minutes, sink or swim - I think he has it in him.

Bowey has lots of tools. Too late to find toobox.

 

[lomekian]

Bowey has lots of tools. Too late to find toobox.

Perhaps - the weakness of the wings defence core might give the time and space to do so. Either way, he's already been better for us than he was for Washington...

 

[lomekian]

Too early, but Yzerman didn't make moves to improve the season. He made moves to placehold for the coming rookies. I don't see major improvement this year.
We're weak at center. We are heavy in bottom line forwards. We have one of the worst defenses in the league and our goaltending is average at best.
Our top line had a nice night against third and fourth liners and AHLers.
When they start facing checking lines and top lines, **** will get real.

I expect 24th to 29th.

Agree with you here. We have a good but not great first line, partly carried by Larkin, but with great chemistry. We have a goalscorer in AA. Hronek may progress to being a #2 d-man. The hope is that we are a bit better than last year, the kids continue to grow behind our young leaders and the vets play well enough to have some trade value for the rentals.

Presumably influenced by the talent shortage and the stacked top 10 of the 2020 draft, Yzerman is in no hurry to drag us back to the bubble unless its part of a natural upward curve through the growth of young leaders.

 

[Coachcorner]

Agree with you here. We have a good but not great first line, partly carried by Larkin, but with great chemistry. We have a goalscorer in AA. Hronek may progress to being a #2 d-man. The hope is that we are a bit better than last year, the kids continue to grow behind our young leaders and the vets play well enough to have some trade value for the rentals.

Presumably influenced by the talent shortage and the stacked top 10 of the 2020 draft, Yzerman is in no hurry to drag us back to the bubble unless its part of a natural upward curve through the growth of young leaders.

Does y'all still have green playing on the first pp unit? Or is it hronek. I think Bertuzzi - Larkin - Mantha will be crushing otha suckas teams real hard this season is what' I've been thinking. But my question is the one concerning the D.

 

[Gniwder]

It doesn't have to be Kaski, nor did I say that it should. BTW, Seider just played an Entire game on his offside, on the top pair to boot...how'd that workout? OT win.

Pens played their B team, no Crosby or Malkin.

Seider also muffed some pucks with his backhand trying to get it back to his forehand. That's not going to work against NHL top lines. It's disadvantageous to have a D playing the wrong side.

 

[Martinez]

I think we have our little version of Boston and Colorado’s first lines. Scorer with size, grinder/pest with skill, and a man in the middle making it all happen. Of course not as good as those two lines though.

 

[SCD]

Seider also muffed some pucks with his backhand trying to get it back to his forehand. That's not going to work against NHL top lines. It's disadvantageous to have a D playing the wrong side.

To be a top line defenseman, he has to comfortable playing both sides and proficient with his backhand. At 18, this is the time to develop that, not shelter him.

 

[MBH]

Perhaps - the weakness of the wings defence core might give the time and space to do so. Either way, he's already been better for us than he was for Washington...

Yeah, sorry, I meant that as a question.
I like Bowey.

 

[ShelbyZ]

I was at the game last night and when they showed Kaski on the jumbo screen, I wondered if he was just Mitch Callahan with a fake ID...

I thought Veleno looked great, Hirose struggled a bit but was OK, Ehn was hustling pretty good, Seider/Bowey and Cholowski were probably the best on D and Smith was fun to watch.

I don't recall being impressed much by Zadina or Kaski...

 

[Gniwder]

To be a top line defenseman, he has to comfortable playing both sides and proficient with his backhand. At 18, this is the time to develop that, not shelter him.

Righties don't play the left side in the NHL. I can't remember a single time Niskanen, Green, Karlsson, etc, played the left side for an entire game. They do wind up there on powerplays, and I agree that he needs to work on it but the NHL is not the right place for that kind of development.

What everyone else has been saying is that he needs big minutes in the AHL to work on this such as PP, PK, and it probably won't hurt to line him up on the left side for a few games as well to work on his backhand. They have too many righties anyways.

Edit: Look at the only Wings D that plays his off side, it happens to be BigE. He did his development in the NHL, and he has a bad habit of doing back hand pitchforks, with no clear target. In the defensive zone, he just lofts it to center ice. We should have higher expectations out of Seider, he needs to develop in the AHL, instead of learning panic moves in the NHL.