Confirmed with Link: Wings sign (D) Libor Sulak

Heaton

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Feb 13, 2004
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That probably was the plan on Babcocian era, but not anymore.

Time to update your beliefs.

Btw, would be interested Sulak's defensive highlights. Could someone add a video?

Hmm, what is this based on? Larkin making the team? Or just the fact that our defense is really bad and easily replaceable?
 

Lil Sebastian Cossa

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Jul 6, 2012
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Hmm, what is this based on? Larkin making the team? Or just the fact that our defense is really bad and easily replaceable?

Our defense being bad and easily replaceable. If Libor Sulak was indisputably better than any of them, he'd be in Detroit. I mean, they had Ouellet, Jensen, or Witkowski that they could have easily sent down to make room if he was so good.

Or it's entirely possible that Libor Sulak is the exact same kind of player that those three guys are and he'd be a sideways move to re-shuffle the chairs on the deck of the Titanic, so the Wings let him just continue to play a bunch at GR.

E: Moreso, I'm saying if he's indisputably better than 50% of our defense, they'd make room. Most of the time someone is "held down", it's because there is an argument to be made to do so.

You may not like the argument, but there is one to be had.
 
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izlez

We need more toe-drags/60
Feb 28, 2012
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I know that when I'm evaluating defenseman, I look at their ability to score snap-shots from the point, and I stop there. What more could you possibly need?
 

Lil Sebastian Cossa

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I actually watched the videos. Impressive, but several of those slapshots? They're easy pickings for NHL goalies. Like the second video, the last unscreened slapshot where it goes between the goalie's pad and glove? That's a terrible job by that goaltender. It's a good shot, but it's really really bad goaltending.

And that's why you can't use activity in a lower league to say without question that a guy should be X in the National league. Sulak looks fast for the league the Pelicans are in. He, from the back end, blew past other defensemen on a breakaway, which is really not gonna happen in the NHL unless you are Erik Karlsson. Libor Sulak undoubtedly deserves a good look for some NHL time this season if he has a good pre-season. But he's got to have that good pre-season.
 
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lilidk

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I only saw him 2 games ,I think it was Olympic games. He is fest and he was main guy on defiance. His shot not that accurate, offensively he is not that good. On defence I think he did good job. If he plays more stay home I think he could replace Ericsson easily
 

Steve Yzerlland

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Jul 18, 2018
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Our defense being bad and easily replaceable. If Libor Sulak was indisputably better than any of them, he'd be in Detroit. I mean, they had Ouellet, Jensen, or Witkowski that they could have easily sent down to make room if he was so good.

Or it's entirely possible that Libor Sulak is the exact same kind of player that those three guys are and he'd be a sideways move to re-shuffle the chairs on the deck of the Titanic, so the Wings let him just continue to play a bunch at GR.

E: Moreso, I'm saying if he's indisputably better than 50% of our defense, they'd make room. Most of the time someone is "held down", it's because there is an argument to be made to do so.

You may not like the argument, but there is one to be had.
How could Sulak replace them when we are in cap hell? Waive Ericsson to test him out? And I don’t agree that you think “Babcocian” era was the only time younger guys weren’t getting opportunities. I have yet to see Gator or Helm get healthy scratched like AA was last year. Because he “wasn’t competing”. DRW still operates as Ties go to the vets until proven otherwise
 
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Steve Yzerlland

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I know that when I'm evaluating defenseman, I look at their ability to score snap-shots from the point, and I stop there. What more could you possibly need?
Sarcasm noted. But given our defence how could he be worse? 3 of the 6 are fringe Nhlers... I hate this notion we can’t play kids yet we are losing anyway!
 

izlez

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Feb 28, 2012
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Sarcasm noted. But given our defence how could he be worse? 3 of the 6 are fringe Nhlers... I hate this notion we can’t play kids yet we are losing anyway!
I AM eager to see Sulak in the preseason in the hopes that we found a diamond in the rough. But the odds at this point are still very long and 2 minutes of highlights are far from convincing.

And the "how could he POSSIBLY be worse than Ericsson?" theory has been tried with:
Sproul
Ouellett
Marchenko
Almquist
Lashoff
Smith
Renouf
Russo

...they were all worse than Ericsson.
Turns out "Fringe NHLers" are still better than 99.99% of professional hockey players in the world.
 

Steve Yzerlland

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I AM eager to see Sulak in the preseason in the hopes that we found a diamond in the rough. But the odds at this point are still very long and 2 minutes of highlights are far from convincing.

And the "how could he POSSIBLY be worse than Ericsson?" theory has been tried with:
Sproul
Ouellett
Marchenko
Almquist
Lashoff
Smith
Renouf
Russo

...they were all worse than Ericsson.
Turns out "Fringe NHLers" are still better than 99.99% of professional hockey players in the world.
If he is worse put Ericsson back in the lineup win win. No downside to playing Cholo, Hronek and Sulak next year unless we are winning games without them which I doubt we win a lot either way so it’s better to play the kids.
 

Lil Sebastian Cossa

Opinions are share are my own personal opinions.
Jul 6, 2012
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How could Sulak replace them when we are in cap hell? Waive Ericsson to test him out? And I don’t agree that you think “Babcocian” era was the only time younger guys weren’t getting opportunities. I have yet to see Gator or Helm get healthy scratched like AA was last year. Because he “wasn’t competing”. DRW still operates as Ties go to the vets until proven otherwise

JENSEN
OUELLET
WITKOWSKI (if they felt like losing the forward flexibility for a little bit)

All of them could be dumped or shuffled to GR with no ill effects. No, he couldn't replace Kronwall, Ericsson, Daley, or DDK. But those aren't the only D on the team.

And frankly, Ericsson wasn't even that abysmal last year. He's still not a good defenseman by any far cry, but the Wings had MUCH bigger problems on their roster than having Jonathan Ericsson on it last season.

Then... Let's give Sulak time after the TDL.

Tatar GONE
2M of Mrazek GONE

All of a sudden, you have all kinds of money with which to pull up an ELC contract.


And AA gets healthy scratched because he gives up on and blows plays that he has no business giving up on. He's getting benched as a punishment for his lack of engagement. It's like a smart kid that just doesn't do his homework. You don't reward him or not punish him even if he gets better grades than the stupid kid.

I have yet to see Helm or Abdelkader noticeably (as in, so noticeably that average Joe fan watching can notice that they've taken the foot off the accelerator) take a shift or so off like AA.

For his measureables, he should be one of the top 2 or 3 players on this roster. But he isn't. Maybe giving AA the 3M is a sign they're going to start to trust him and he'll take that and run with it. But *****ing about AA getting punished while vets don't is completely off the mark. If they did what AA did, they'd be cut and off the roster or the equivalent of what you can do with a laggard who makes 4.25M or 3.85M. They don't, though. If AA is so ****ing dramatically better than them... Why did he have 33 points in 1087 minutes of ice time and Helm 31 in 1167? Give AA 1167 minutes and at his average pace? 35 points. And that's with him getting some PP time and Helm absolutely none and Helm getting a good bit more PK time. AA is a good player. He's not a great one. And he has nobody to blame for that but himself.
 
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Henkka

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Jan 31, 2004
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I only saw him 2 games ,I think it was Olympic games. He is fest and he was main guy on defiance. His shot not that accurate, offensively he is not that good. On defence I think he did good job. If he plays more stay home I think he could replace Ericsson easily

Sulak wasn't at Olympic roster. It was 2018 World Championships.

And that was Austrian-based Hockey League he dominated on those videos (white and red jersey). There is also teams from neighbor countries like Czech, Croatia, Italy and Hungary.

That's a lot lower level than Czech's Top level or Finnish Elite League.
 
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HIFE

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May 10, 2011
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The only games I've watched Sulak was last season's prospect tourney. His skating was so bad, like out of the 80's. He's also not very athletic/agile. The 180-200 defensemen in the NHL are the elite of the elite. Sorry but already age 24 I don't see LS ascending those ranks.
 
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Wooren

no longer perennial 4th place losers
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The only games I've watched Sulak was last season's prospect tourney. His skating was so bad, like out of the 80's. He's also not very athletic/agile. The 180-200 defensemen in the NHL are the elite of the elite. Sorry but already age 24 I don't see LS ascending those ranks.
Skating is easily Sulak's best asset, at least speed-wise.
At the World Championship he quickly became the Czech number one defenseman (not much of a competition, but still) and looked like an NHLer to me. Now, I thought the same of San Jose's Radim Simek last year (who spent the whole season in the AHL and struggled a bit), but I would be very surprised if Sulak doesn't get at least some NHL game in the upcoming season.
 

Goalie guy

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Jul 8, 2011
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Skating is easily Sulak's best asset, at least speed-wise.
At the World Championship he quickly became the Czech number one defenseman (not much of a competition, but still) and looked like an NHLer to me. Now, I thought the same of San Jose's Radim Simek last year (who spent the whole season in the AHL and struggled a bit), but I would be very surprised if Sulak doesn't get at least some NHL game in the upcoming season.
You think this kid gets in over Hronek or Cholo? I think this kid is lucky if he makes the Walleye.
 

Winger98

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I'm not sure what really separates Sulak from Russo, and Russo we gave away for essentially nothing. I hope the guy takes off, and I expect him to get some NHL looks just because he's older and I don't think the Wings will be as concerned with screwing with his development to call him up and sit him on occasion.
 

Pavels Dog

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I'm not sure what really separates Sulak from Russo, and Russo we gave away for essentially nothing. I hope the guy takes off, and I expect him to get some NHL looks just because he's older and I don't think the Wings will be as concerned with screwing with his development to call him up and sit him on occasion.
Sulak is bigger and can skate much better.

He looked pretty good at the WHC, often paired with Hronek. A little unpolished, a little Brendan Smith like almost, but nice tools.
 

Wooren

no longer perennial 4th place losers
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You think this kid gets in over Hronek or Cholo? I think this kid is lucky if he makes the Walleye.
I don't know much about Cholowski, Sulak outplayed Hronek at the WHC however. Hronek could step in as a PP specialist, but in the defensive zone he is still a bit lost. Sulak is the more complete player, although he also makes some bonehead plays sometimes.
 

Winger98

Moderator
Feb 27, 2002
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Sulak is bigger and can skate much better.

He looked pretty good at the WHC, often paired with Hronek. A little unpolished, a little Brendan Smith like almost, but nice tools.

Sulak's a little bigger, but it's not like Russo is a midget. In the end, I think you get the same from either guy.
 

ShelbyZ

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Apr 8, 2015
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I still think Sulak ends up making the team as the #7 guy. Not because he's better than Hronek/Cholowski/Hicketts/etc., but because his age and contract status probably means they have to expedite the process to find out what they have in him. Given that he's played in pro leagues and pro level tournaments, it probably isn't as important for a 24YO guy like him to play big minutes in the AHL like it would be for the other D prospects.

Not sure how it affects the coming season, but his "European Assignment Clause" may dictate that he has to be on the NHL roster by a certain date or he can go back to Europe. He's also an RFA after this season and would have another year of waiver exemption (unless he plays 60 games this season) if he re-signs. I doubt he'd be interested in re-signing if there's a chance he'd be back in GR.
 
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Rzombo4 prez

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May 17, 2012
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Sulak's a little bigger, but it's not like Russo is a midget. In the end, I think you get the same from either guy.

Eh, the difference in size is more than marginal. When you consider that Sulak has superior mobility you realize you are looking at two very different players. This is not to say that Sulak is better at everything (I think Russo actually manages the puck better from what I have seen). Russo is a career AHLer because he doesn't move well enough for his size and is somewhat slow to close gaps in the defensive zone. Sulak brings a totally different bag of issues (i.e. decision making with the puck) to the table.
 
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