GDT: Red Wings @ Sabres - 7:30 EST

[jkutswings]

So this is how the team responds after a heated Blashill meeting? Laughable stuff. Blowing up at the team, showing a clip of the standings, the guy is a joke. The players obviously have no desire or passion playing for him. The team is really average, but he still needs to go.

But I want to tank. So I'm torn. He's clearly the main for that job.

I definitely agree that Blashill is part of the problem. But having said that...

The guy is in a no-win situation. If he blows up on the team, but they keep losing, it looks like they've tuned him out. If he takes a more restrained approach, it looks like HE doesn't have the passion/intensity/urgency to get the job done.

At the end of the day, he's a mediocre coach with a mediocre roster, and it would take a lot of stars aligning in order to make lemonade from these lemons. But like you said, bring on the tank, whether it's voluntary or not.

 

[Flowah]

That's actually the saddest thing. Not being a bad team. Bad and boring teams I can live with. But that one of our warriors has damaged his quality of life to a level you have to wonder if the millions of dollars was worth it. I have this love/hate with sports when it comes to all the information coming out regarding CTE. When it's bad knees or a bum shoulder, sure, you expect that. It's the price you pay. But chronic migraines, fatigue, and personality changes? Ugh. Puts a bad taste in my mouth.

I wonder how much of NHL salaries take this into account.

You're talking about a job with an average of 5.5 years of play for players, the max being around 20 years if you're elite, maybe 25 if you're a freak like Jagr. With an extremely elevated chance for life altering injuries. Not just physical but mental which can be even worse.

It's gotta be a little insane to do that as a grinder for $1M or whatever per year.

 

[njx9]

Problem is how do you move guys like Gator, Helm, and Nielsen?

By including things no one wants to include. But why bother?

There is nothing short of full and complete regime change that will shake up this roster. The buck stops somewhere and, for all their failings, it's not in the locker room.

 

[Zetterberg4Captain]

They simply are not good

They lack elite talent

They lack the kind of a guy who can carry the team or motivate them through his play

The defence is the worst in the league once again

They're poorly coached

This is what we want to see. Fall long and fall hard in order to get back up again

 

[Pavels Dog]

I definitely agree that Blashill is part of the problem. But having said that...

The guy is in a no-win situation. If he blows up on the team, but they keep losing, it looks like they've tuned him out. If he takes a more restrained approach, it looks like HE doesn't have the passion/intensity/urgency to get the job done.

At the end of the day, he's a mediocre coach with a mediocre roster, and it would take a lot of stars aligning in order to make lemonade from these lemons. But like you said, bring on the tank, whether it's voluntary or not.

My problem is and has been for Blashill's entire tenure that the team can't even look very good for short stretches. You would think that if we can get our top guys out against a 4th line we would get some dominant o-zone time some of the time. You'd think we'd be able to have a powerplay that actually looks like we have a man advantage half the time. You'd think we would at least some of the time be able to put on some pressure when we're down by a goal or two late in games. But none of this happens under Blashill. Other teams 3rd lines outplay our top lines. Our PP is just a bunch of guys standing absolutely still watching eachother. Most of the roster displays a lack of compete. If Blashill's system has potential to work at a high level, you would think that even with a roster full of holes you'd see the system working at least once in a blue moon. But we don't see that. If we win, it's by mucking it up and grinding it out and frankly, getting lucky with goaltending or individual performances.

We have such a lack of talent that no one can expect the team to put together 10 awesome games in a row. Nor 5 games in a row. 3 is stretching it. But playing 1 great game out of every 10? Actually outworking the other team SOMETIMES? It should be possible even with worse talent than what we have.

 

[Mijatovic]

How did everyone not see this coming? A few flukey goals in the first couple of games whilst getting outplayed isn't winning hockey.

Could have seen this a mile away just with our team.

 

[TheMule93]

How did everyone not see this coming? A few flukey goals in the first couple of games whilst getting outplayed isn't winning hockey.

Could have seen this a mile away just with our team.

We did see it coming. We recalled that we started 6-2 last year and were likely to fall flat on our faces sooner or later. Most of us predicted that we'd finish bottom 10 in the league, if not bottom 5.

 

[WingedWheel1987]

The Wings had plenty of no-show performances with Babcock. It shouldn't surprise anyone that the frequency of games like this has increased with the Wings losing more talent. Blashill can't draw up a play where Ericsson stops being terrible or a play where Helm stops having stone hands.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

The Wings had plenty of no-show performances with Babcock. It shouldn't surprise anyone that the frequency of games like this has increased with the Wings losing more talent. Blashill can't draw up a play where Ericsson stops being terrible or a play where Helm stops having stone hands.

I agree that lack of talent (and overpaying mediocre talent) is the biggest problem with the Wings, but everyone not named Zetterberg regressed under Blashill. He's part of the problem as well.

The silver lining is he's not disguising just how crappy this roster is as well as Babcock did so it should shorten an already lengthy rebuild.

 

[Giacomo]

What happened?

 

[WingedWheel1987]

I agree that lack of talent (and overpaying mediocre talent) is the biggest problem with the Wings, but everyone not named Zetterberg regressed under Blashill. He's part of the problem as well.

The silver lining is he's not disguising just how crappy this roster is as well as Babcock did so it should shorten an already lengthy rebuild.

While Blash is certainly a downgrade over Babcock, I think the majority of the regression can be attributed to Datsyuk's decline and eventual retirement.

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

What happened?

We're tankin for Dahlin?

 

[Redder Winger]

Sheahan had failed miserably here. If he does great in Pit, great. His career was over here.
For all those that think "should have traded our anchor contracts".... ya thats why they are anchors, we cant trade them...

WHen you're the GM who signed the anchor contracts, you don't get to use the anchor contracts as the excuses for the young players you can't sign, or the young players you trade away, or the RFA goalies you can't qualify.

It's your job to right the ship, not keep throwing passengers overboard.

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

Poor Jimmy played a solid game, And once again no goal support.

 

[Redder Winger]

Montreal needs help.

When you're a desperate GM, you have one friend. The more desperate GM.

 

[Redder Winger]

I'm not sure how long Blashill will be around after last night's game.
I keyed on Zetterberg in the third period.

He made several giveaways in his own end. He didn't look like he cared much, one way or the other.
Maybe he was tired from playing 20:30 or whatever.

But I get the sense that he and Blashill don't get a long much and that Z doesn't think much of him as a coach.

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

I'm not sure how long Blashill will be around after last night's game.
I keyed on Zetterberg in the third period.

He made several giveaways in his own end. He didn't look like he cared much, one way or the other.
Maybe he was tired from playing 20:30 or whatever.

But I get the sense that he and Blashill don't get a long much and that Z doesn't think much of him as a coach.

Z was the one happy when Blash came in. Z publicly said it was time to get rid of Babs. How do you get this so called "sense"

 

[TheMule93]

Z was the one happy when Blash came in. Z publicly said it was time to get rid of Babs. How do you get this so called "sense"

Z was happy to move on from Babcock. This does not mean he is happy with Blashill.

Also, Zs thoughts on Blashill initially have no bearing on his thoughts on Blashill now. Opinions can change over time.

Also the claims that Z is unhappy are baseless. We don't know how Z feels unless he comes out and says something.

 

[Martinez]

We're tankin for Dahlin?

Yup, losing against Vancouver and buffalo. Grade A tanking.
Just when I complement blashill for getting the guys flying out there they come out flat the last two games.

 

[Hammettf2b]

Why does Blashill insist on having Kronwall on the PP. Also, make the Green/Frk line the first unit. I'm tired of this seniority bullshit

 

[Redder Winger]

Z was the one happy when Blash came in. Z publicly said it was time to get rid of Babs. How do you get this so called "sense"

Reports that Zetterberg ignores Blashill.

A lot of times, after a bad game, you hear the captain echo the coach.
With Z, you don't see it.

Based on his comments, I don't think he cared much for Blashill's reaction to the bad game.

 

[Hammettf2b]

Reports that Zetterberg ignores Blashill.

A lot of times, after a bad game, you hear the captain echo the coach.
With Z, you don't see it.

Based on his comments, I don't think he cared much for Blashill's reaction to the bad game.

Are we back to the Swedish Mafia theory again?

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Reports that Zetterberg ignores Blashill.

A lot of times, after a bad game, you hear the captain echo the coach.
With Z, you don't see it.

Based on his comments, I don't think he cared much for Blashill's reaction to the bad game.

Reports from where exactly?

 

[Ezekial]

Are we back to the Swedish Mafia theory again?

Theory of the Swedish Mafia is only a theory like how gravity at one point was a theory.


That shit is real.

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

Yup, losing against Vancouver and buffalo. Grade A tanking.
Just when I complement blashill for getting the guys flying out there they come out flat the last two games.

By the look of thing, It's looking more and more that this team is going to come out more flat then not.