The Defense

[Frk It]

It's the most polarizing aspect of this team (IMO), so I thought we could use a thread dedicated to it.

With Quincey coming back this week I really believe our top 6 should be: Kronwall, Green, Dekeyser, Smith, Marchenko, Quincey. I really can't justify Ericsson playing over any of those guys, personally. TZE recommended it might be a good idea to give E some time off, and I think that may be a good idea for a few reasons.

My pairings for this scenario would be:

Kronwall-Green
Dekeyser-Quincey
Smith-Marchenko

Have also had a more radical group of pairs I would like to see tried

Dekeyser-Green
Kronwall-Smith
Quincey-Marchenko

A trade would be ideal for our situation on the back end, but what would you like to see done with what we currently have going on? And is Kindl finally done here?

Click to read more...

 

[WingedWheel1987]

How do the Wings give a player time off when he still has four years left on his contract? It would make the Wings look bad and pretty much confirm that Ericsson's extension was a mistake.

Also it would go directly against the Wings culture in regards how they treat their veteran players.

Now I have no problem sitting Ericsson. He didn't deserve a six year contract in the first place.

I do like your potential pairings. Both of them. However the second one will never happen.

 

[Frk It]

How do the Wings give a player time off when he still has four years left on his contract? It would make the Wings look bad and pretty much confirm that Ericsson's extension was a mistake.

Also it would go directly against the Wings culture in regards how they treat their veteran players.

Now I have no problem sitting Ericsson. He didn't deserve a six year contract in the first place.

I do like your potential pairings. Both of them.

Forcing him on the top pair to try and justify his bad contract is a better option?

 

[Zetterberg4Captain]

Forcing him on the top pair to try and justify his bad contract is a better option?

i think if you bench ericsson you risk pissing off the swedish mafia on the team

clearly JE is not a top pairing dman ever but nor has he done anything lately to deserve more ice time or responsibility and yet here we're once again with this lineup card

once quincey returns one can predict with 100% accuracy what will happen, either
-smith will sit undeservingly so
-marchenko will be sent down

 

[Winger98]

How do the Wings give a player time off when he still has four years left on his contract? It would make the Wings look bad and pretty much confirm that Ericsson's extension was a mistake.

Also it would go directly against the Wings culture in regards how they treat their veteran players.

Now I have no problem sitting Ericsson. He didn't deserve a six year contract in the first place.

I do like your potential pairings. Both of them. However the second one will never happen.

depends if he's dinged up. If he's hurt in some way, which I think was TZE's premise, then sitting him isn't a big deal at all.

 

[WingedWheel1987]

Forcing him on the top pair to try and justify his bad contract is a better option?

I'm not happy about it either, but it is what it is.

 

[Classicnamesup]

4 more years? My god, it will be scary to see what E, Z and Abby look like at the end of their cotnracts. Franzen appears to have removed himself from that conversation.

 

[WingedWheel1987]

depends if he's dinged up. If he's hurt in some way, which I think was TZE's premise, then sitting him isn't a big deal at all.

Sure, but wouldn't that just be kicking the can down the road? Eventually Ericsson would be "healthy" again and more deserving players will be forced to sit because of his seniority.

 

[Electric Eric]

4 more years? My god, it will be scary to see what E, Z and Abby look like at the end of their cotnracts. Franzen appears to have removed himself from that conversation.

Yeah Franzen is LTIR for life now. As far as the other guys go:

Z: Plays until he literally can't handle it. Can't see him making it to 2021. Hello LTIR-R.
The R stands for Retirement.

E: Hips are becoming an issue for him. BUT I could see him possibly making it to the end of his contract. Other teams seem to value him as well, expansion draft him claim him.

A: His playstyle is going to make his contract horrid at the end. Luckily he's been pretty decent on the injury front. No idea what his future holds.

LTIR is the new cap circumventing contract. Watch this change during the next CBA negotiations.

 

[Chance on Chance]

i think if you bench ericsson you risk pissing off the swedish mafia on the team

clearly JE is not a top pairing dman ever but nor has he done anything lately to deserve more ice time or responsibility and yet here we're once again with this lineup card

once quincey returns one can predict with 100% accuracy what will happen, either
-smith will sit undeservingly so
-marchenko will be sent down

Yup, sucks for them too

marchenko really deserves to stay up

 

[GoAwayDanCleary]

Quincey does nothing but add more mediocre talent to a defensive corps full of mediocrity and zero potential. Easily the two most replaceable guys are Quincey and Ericsson.

Kronwall-Green
DK-xxx
Smith-Marchenko

That is a good, not great, group of guys if you get the right piece. E and KFQ just hold this group back in my opinion. I wouldn't call them bad players... I just don't think we need them.

 

[Winger98]

Sure, but wouldn't that just be kicking the can down the road? Eventually Ericsson would be "healthy" again and more deserving players will be forced to sit because of his seniority.

Aren't most decisions doing that? Let him sit, see if he can get healthy - if he's got a hip problem, it wouldn't surprise me if he can't get fully healthy - and then see who is healthy/playing well in a couple of weeks. At that point, Smith might have bombed again, Kronwall might be hurt, etc. If we're doing well, I think it's easier to keep him sitting until we stumble a bit.

 

[WingedWheel1987]

Aren't most decisions doing that? Let him sit, see if he can get healthy - if he's got a hip problem, it wouldn't surprise me if he can't get fully healthy - and then see who is healthy/playing well in a couple of weeks. At that point, Smith might have bombed again, Kronwall might be hurt, etc. If we're doing well, I think it's easier to keep him sitting until we stumble a bit.

That's fair, but i just don't think the primary reason for Ericsson's poor play is due to injury.

 

[Flowah]

Quincey does nothing but add more mediocre talent to a defensive corps full of mediocrity and zero potential. Easily the two most replaceable guys are Quincey and Ericsson.

Kronwall-Green
DK-xxx
Smith-Marchenko

That is a good, not great, group of guys if you get the right piece. E and KFQ just hold this group back in my opinion. I wouldn't call them bad players... I just don't think we need them.

You really think Smith is better than Q or E?

 

[GoAwayDanCleary]

You really think Smith is better than Q or E?

Yes definitely.

It's all about the transition game. Being strong in front of the net (which E is wildly inconsistent at) is nice and all but if that's all you are good at then you're worthless in today's league.

 

[SirloinUB]

Kindl has to go. Somehow, someway, somewhere, he just has to go.

As for the rest?

Individually, I don't mind Ericsson, Quincey, Smith or Marchenko. I personally believe they all bring something important to the table. E and Q are both soo strong and can go up against the big forwards of the NHL in a net Front battle. Both are solid PK guys but that is pretty much it. Marchenko is a good decision maker with a very good outlet pass and has shown a willingness to play a physical game. Smith has pretty good wheels, and decent offensive instincts. I think all of these guys have the ability to be a contributing member of a cup contender however none are good enough to carry a defense and this is the problem

To me the problem is having all 5 guys on one team. While none (excluding Kindl) of these guys are bad NHL dmen per say, the all have big question marks and an inability to compliment each other. They are good enough players on their own, but none have an ability to elevate the defense so here we are stuck with 4 good, but not great players who can't help each other.

 

[PelagicJoe]

I would roll with this.

Kronwall-Green
DDK-Quincey
One of Ericsson/Smith paired with Marchenko.

Dump Kindl on to any sucker that will take him for a bag of used pucks and that team's 2023 7th round draft pick and we come out ahead.

Holland should trade off a couple of extras, but knowing him he stands pat and lets Quincey walk next year as a way to create roster and cap space.

 

[TheOtherOne]

On the bright side, there's no way in hell Kindl ever plays for us again.

On the down side, we've heard that before.

 

[Actual Thought*]

I think you put the most banged up guy you have on short term IR and let him heal up a bit. When he comes back you put the next guy on STIR. STIR and repeat!

 

[14ari13]

I also think the player who is most banged up should rest and heal.
Ericsson is not bad at all. We need him for the board battles.
Ericsson is a giant out there.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Smith has had a decent little stretch of games but who cares. He should sit.

Kronwall-Green
Dekeyser-Ericsson
Quincey-Marchenko

Use 2nd and 3rd pairing against the best offensive lines, use the 1st pair in favorable matchups where they can create offense.

 

[14ari13]

Maybe rotation of those 7. Why not sit kronwall if he is nursing an injury.

I do not know if they can move Kindl.

 

[Frk It]

Maybe rotation of those 7. Why not sit kronwall if he is nursing an injury.

I do not know if they can move Kindl.

I know Kronwall has struggled by his standards, but can we really afford to sit Kronwall?

 

[Winger98]

Maybe rotation of those 7. Why not sit kronwall if he is nursing an injury.

I do not know if they can move Kindl.

I think you just waive Kindl if we can't trade him at this point. Maybe you keep him up and just bench him if you're deadset on not playing Marchenko, but if Kindl being on the roster is a problem, I think we just move him off of it anyway we can.

 

[J15]

Smith has had a decent little stretch of games but who cares. He should sit.

Kronwall-Green
Dekeyser-Ericsson
Quincey-Marchenko

Use 2nd and 3rd pairing against the best offensive lines, use the 1st pair in favorable matchups where they can create offense.

This is might be the worst possible decision the coaching staff could make. Maybe he's teasing us, maybe he's actually growing under Blash either way he's been our best defenceman as of late and at this moment the Wings are a better team when he's playing.

And that's not even considering the fact that the Wings desperately need Smith to turn a corner and scratching him in the middle of the best hockey of his career will basically kill any confidence he has. Also think about the message that sends to the team... it doesn't matter how you're currently playing you're going to be judged solely based on your past play.

No matter how you look at it, this is would just be a god awful decision. If anything Smith is the one player I can guarantee will not be scratched.