The Detroit Red Wings are winning the Cup this year.

[Winger98]

The Wings aren't a bad team, and no one else in the east is a great team. There isn't a team in the east I look at and think we can't beat them. The west is a different story.

 

[Bench]

The Wings aren't a bad team, and no one else in the east is a great team. There isn't a team in the east I look at and think we can't beat them. The west is a different story.

We'll see what happens with Kane. And how Lucic works in LA.

The Ducks are prime for another run. And while I love the look of St. Louis, the disappointments are hard to ignore. But yeah, you can pull like 5 teams from the West that I'd say the Wings would be easy underdogs assuming there's no big shifts in the regular season.

 

[Marky9er]

The powerplay should be a monster. If it puts them in contention, I think they may cash in some youth for a very good rental D, and if Marchenko is 'real good' on the third pair....I think the sky is the limit. I really think that there is an all in (on D&Z window) protocol if things go a certain way this year.

 

[Bench]

'real good'

The real question is how long before Babcockisms leave our vernacular.

 

[NervousPerson]

If Carolina could win it with that team, this years Wing's team can do it.

 

[SpookyTsuki]

We'll see what happens with Kane. And how Lucic works in LA.

The Ducks are prime for another run. And while I love the look of St. Louis, the disappointments are hard to ignore. But yeah, you can pull like 5 teams from the West that I'd say the Wings would be easy underdogs assuming there's no big shifts in the regular season.

well, we seem to be able to smash the ducks. and also they choke in the playoffs, So theres 2 teams down. Alot of teams we could probably beat out of experience.

 

[Eggberto]

Taco Ball is easily one of if not the very best not sober food out there. It is all about the fire sauce my goodness.

I'll jump on the hype train. Mrszek and Howard are going to form an unbeatable tandem in goal and the addition of Green and the elements he provides will catapult Dekeyser into a whole new level of awesome. We are going to beat the snot out of Babcock and Toronto on the 9th and not look back the rest of the way. By the end of October we won't even remember who Datsyuk is, and once he returns we will finally stomp every atlantic opponent we face. All the way to the cup.

 

[SpookyTsuki]

Taco Ball is easily one of if not the very best not sober food out there. It is all about the fire sauce my goodness.

I'll jump on the hype train. Mrszek and Howard are going to form an unbeatable tandem in goal and the addition of Green and the elements he provides will catapult Dekeyser into a whole new level of awesome. We are going to beat the snot out of Babcock and Toronto on the 9th and not look back the rest of the way. By the end of October we won't even remember who Datsyuk is, and once he returns we will finally stomp every atlantic opponent we face. All the way to the cup.

If we beat Babcock on the 1st day, we win the cup.

 

[Electric Thunder]

I smell a 2015-16 playoff avatar in the making..

 

[jkutswings]

Taco Ball is easily one of if not the very best not sober food out there. It is all about the fire sauce my goodness.

I consider Taco Bell to be a modern miracle, but not for their food.

I'm convinced that their marketing department has learned the jedi mind trick, and is using it on America.

I hear or watch a Taco Bell commercial, and I find myself thinking it would be tasty to have lunch there. So I do. And I promptly realize that I've just paid to eat very mediocre tasting food, not to mention any subsequent digestive distress.

But then I hear or see another commercial, and the vicious cycle repeats itself yet again. It's UNCANNY, I tells ya!

 

[Wirtaneh]

Speaking of the other teams, Red Wings were doing quite doog against western teams. Of course they would be a huge challenge in the finals but overall I'm not scared of any of those teams.

 

[Winger98]

We'll see what happens with Kane. And how Lucic works in LA.

The Ducks are prime for another run. And while I love the look of St. Louis, the disappointments are hard to ignore. But yeah, you can pull like 5 teams from the West that I'd say the Wings would be easy underdogs assuming there's no big shifts in the regular season.

I think Kane will be fine, and the bigger question for LA is what will happen with Voynov. If the legal stuff gets sorted out and Voynov is cleared to return, the Kings have the cap space to add him back into the lineup. Putting him back in the lineup makes that blueline a real force.

 

[Laser Rayzor]

I think Kane will be fine, and the bigger question for LA is what will happen with Voynov. If the legal stuff gets sorted out and Voynov is cleared to return, the Kings have the cap space to add him back into the lineup. Putting him back in the lineup makes that blueline a real force.

Voynov is going back to Russia.

http://news.nationalpost.com/sports...russia-voids-final-four-years-of-nhl-contract

 

[Marky9er]

Speaking of the other teams, Red Wings were doing quite doog against western teams. Of course they would be a huge challenge in the finals but overall I'm not scared of any of those teams.

doog.
doog laer.

 

[sarcastro]

I'll have what he's having.

 

[Winger98]

Voynov is going back to Russia.

http://news.nationalpost.com/sports...russia-voids-final-four-years-of-nhl-contract

Well, cross that off the list then.

 

[Datsyukian Deke]

Nicklas Lidstrom isn't walking through that door....hate to break it to you. The blue line is the Achilles heel of this team, and as we all know, has been since Nick retired. With the likes of Smith, Ericsson, & Kindl as inconsistent as they are...you don't win a cup with that much shakiness...not too mention Holland's man crush Cleary wasting a roster spot for another year due to whatever blackmail he has on Kenny...

 

[DavelPatsyuk13]

The Wings aren't a bad team, and no one else in the east is a great team. There isn't a team in the east I look at and think we can't beat them. The west is a different story.

We wrecked the West last year. Our biggest issue was against the East. Here's some numbers to consider.

Detroit vs Central (12-0-2)
Detroit vs Pacific (7-5-2)
Total vs West (19-5-4)

Detroit vs Metro (14-8-2)
Detroit vs Atlantic (10-12-8)
Total vs East (24-20-10)

Our strongest division by far was versus the Central with only 1 OT/SO loss against Winnipeg and Colorado respectively, neither of which I'd expect to be a force. Our weak point continues to be the Atlantic. We went 0-2-2 against Montreal. These are the problems that despite my belief that Detroit is better than we look on paper, will hold us back. I think our best chance is if we wind up playing a team like Tampa last season, where we can be the better team. (Also on MTL, I found in all expect one, maybe two games we outplayed them pretty bad at times, Price saved their tushes.)

 

[Mister Ed]

We wrecked the West last year. Our biggest issue was against the East. Here's some numbers to consider.

Detroit vs Central (12-0-2)
Detroit vs Pacific (7-5-2)
Total vs West (19-5-4)

Detroit vs Metro (14-8-2)
Detroit vs Atlantic (10-12-8)
Total vs East (24-20-10)

That stat is insane, especially considering the big teams in that division.

 

[DanZ]

Nicklas Lidstrom isn't walking through that door....hate to break it to you. The blue line is the Achilles heel of this team, and as we all know, has been since Nick retired. With the likes of Smith, Ericsson, & Kindl as inconsistent as they are...you don't win a cup with that much shakiness...not too mention Holland's man crush Cleary wasting a roster spot for another year due to whatever blackmail he has on Kenny...

If the Wings manage to get a top pairing d-man through trade, which I think a guy like Byfuglien is definitely possible, then they won't have anything close to a shaky top four...

Kronwall-Byfuglien
DeKeyser-Green

The bottom pairing doesn't matter as much, and I think it would be fine to just go with whoever is playing the best out of Quincey, Smith, Ericsson, Marchenko or Ouellet, although one or two of them would probably go the other way in a Byfuglien trade. Look at the bottom pairing that Chicago just won the Cup with. Our bottom pairing in 2008 was Lilja-Lebda...

If we go all in and nab a top pairing d-man before the deadline I think we contenders with a healthy roster.

 

[Ricelund]

Our bottom pairing in 2008 was Lilja-Lebda....

...with a top four of Lidstrom-Rafalski and Kronwall-Stuart. Even if they did acquire Byfuglien, the '08 defense was twice as good.

 

[Heaton]

...with a top four of Lidstrom-Rafalski and Kronwall-Stuart. Even if they did acquire Byfuglien, the '08 defense was twice as good.

And the Lilja-Lebda pairing played a lot of important minutes well

 

[Winger98]

And the Lilja-Lebda pairing played a lot of important minutes well

Hell, we had Dandeneult-Duchesne in 02. Duchesne played some of the most inspired hockey I've ever seen, though. Guy sacrificed his body and made all of the tough plays he was criticized throughout his career for not making. He upped his game in a big way.

 

[jkutswings]

If we go all in and nab a top pairing d-man before the deadline I think we contenders with a healthy roster.

Consider that:

1. That's about as rare a commodity as you can find in the NHL, so the demand will far exceed the supply, and the price would likely be very steep, even for a rental.

2. Depending on exactly what that price is, what would the rest of the roster look like? If the trade is Buff for Tatar, for example, then that sorta fills one hole by creating another.

I agree that Detroit would be a much more solid team with even another top-4 defenseman, but I'm skeptical that they could acquire one without losing Larkin or a significant chunk of their current roster, both of which seem very contrary to Holland's typical approach.

 

[SpookyTsuki]

And the Lilja-Lebda pairing played a lot of important minutes well

Also a reason the cup was lost