Ansar Khan offers his take on what the Wings will look like when they are all healthy. The team’s depth is certainly going to have a problem, if you can call it that, for Mike Babcock, who will have to figure out a way to distribute ice time to 13 forwards, only 12 of which can be dressed at one time, with a full complement of defensemen (I’m assuming Josh Langfeld, the 14th forward, will strictly be held in reserve).
Archive for the 'The Team' CategoryPage 2 of 7
Well, with the two trade deadline deals significantly altering the Wings’ forward corps, I thought I’d put out what I think are likely lines.
I don’t think the Wings are interested in breaking up the top line, which just so happens to be one of the hottest in hockey. So, Holmstrom-Zetterberg-Datsyuk likely stays the same. For tonight, Valtteri Filppula will fill in for Zetterberg.
The two acquisitions were made with the aim of regaining a productive second line, so I see Robert Lang playing between Todd Bertuzzi, when he’s healthy (projected to be mid-March), and Kyle Calder. Until Bertuzzi suits up, it looks like this spot will be filled by Johan Franzen, and then Mikael Samuelsson, when he returns. However, if Calder proves to be less of a scorer than the Wings appear to hope he’ll be, his spot could be filled by Samuelsson as well. Clarification (08. Mar, 7:20 PM): last sentence should end, “with Bertuzzi taking the other wing.” - Matt
The third line will likely consist of Dan Cleary, Kris Draper, and Kirk Maltby. Cleary showed a scoring touch earlier in the season, but that seems to have become dormant as he has re-assumed his role as a defensive forward. Still, that line can be a scoring threat as all three players create good energy. With Cleary out, Matt Ellis or Josh Langeld will probably see time here, though Calder could as well, if Samuelsson takes his spot on the second line.
For now, the fourth line will be a bit of a revolving door. With three Griffins on the roster, it is likely they will play together fairly often, but that leaves Jiri Hudler without a clear spot. I suspect we’ll see something like Hussey-Hudler-Langfeld/Ellis tonight, and Filppula-Hudler-Langfeld/Ellis once Zetterberg returns. If the regulars all become healthy, Hussey, Ellis and Langfeld will go back to GR and the fourth line will be a bit of a toss-up, with the only sure pieces being Filppula and Hudler, though one of them will sit out each night. The two remaining spots could be filled by whoever is slumping out of the Calder, Franzen, and Samuelsson group.
So, there are my thoughts. Of course, we can never be sure about what Babcock will do, though the #1 line seems to be about as close to a surety as we’re likely to get. The others, not so much. The combos I list, and their qualifications, are the best guesses I can offer.
George Malik and Christy Hammond have recaps of the Wings’ open practice on Saturday. Be sure to check them out.
Looks like Jimmy Devellano has gotten a little dose of reality as far as the subject of a possible move to the East for the Wings is concerned.
In yesterday’s Free Press, the team senior VP was quoted by Helene St. James as saying,
“I can assure you if anybody from the Eastern Conference moves West, we’ll be the Western team to go East.”
In that same piece, St. James had a counter-quote from NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly that took the Wings’ argument and negated it by basically saying they’re too big a draw in the West to switch conferences.
Well, Devellano heard the comment from Daly and went from confident and brash to becoming the martyr spokesman of a persecuted team. He told the Windsor Star’s Dave Waddell,
“There’s no question we’re the victim of our popularity. That’s been the case for a number of years now.
“The reason is because we’ve produced excellent clubs year in and year out. We’re the team in the United States in my opinion.
“We’re needed by NBC and Versus and we’re needed to draw in other rinks in the Western Conference. It’s just a fact.”
Whatever truth there is in that (and there’s a lot, obviously), it sounds whiny and probably won’t help the team much in convincing other owners to let them move. I can see it now: “Come on guys, we make you more money than any other team in the West, but we hate the travel. So, uh, vote ‘yes’ and let us move to the East so you can have half-empty arenas every night rather than just the nights our boys aren’t in town.”
The Wings’ only hope is that the Western owners realize that the Pens are going to be an enormous draw themselves. Then again, they’d be more likely to respond, “Well, then we’ll keep both of you and give up Columbus.”
This gets into another aspect of this situation that Devellano touches on: the parochial selfishness of NHL governors. With regard to the failed vote on schedule format change, he had this to say:
“The resistance is mostly in the east because of travel advantages. New Jersey can go to most of their road games by bicycle after dinner.”
And the Wings are going on five-game road trips two time zones away.
To Devellano, the Wings are due to be repaid by the rest of the league, as he says they supported the cap system as a fix for the NHL’s financial troubles, knowing it’d hurt their ability to dominate the market.
“We don’t have a major problem with that, but at the same time nobody wants to make any sacrifices for us.”
Of course not, Jimmy. Not only did the team’s success create a dependence on the draw the Winged Wheel brings, it brought about feelings of jealousy and envy. There’s no way the other owners are going to go out of their way to help the Wings as long as they’re just good enough to cause Joe Fan to buy tickets.
(via Snapshots)
Paul Lukas has a long piece that discusses the NHL’s new jerseys on Page 2. I personally think the cut is fine, but I’m withholding final judgement until the Wings release their versions. Given the assurances that teams will have a ton of freedom on what they do, I’m relatively confident they’ll look good. Just as long as it’s not much of a departure for their current look.
Admin note: posting will be light this week due to the Break. We’ll return to regular programming on Friday, but until then, it’ll be mostly link posts such as this one.
Update (3:36 PM): I’ve been told that I sound patronizing in this post and, reading over it again, I have to agree. The thing is, when I was writing it, I had frantic “let’s trade Draper, Maltby, and Schneider for Doan” message boarders in mind. IwoCPO definitely is not one of those, by the way - I just got on a tangent after reading his post.
Seeing the team score more goals would definitely be a good thing, but I, for one, am going to try to be satisfied with a hard-working, defense-oriented team because I feel they can be successful if they perfect it.
The team, in general, is playing well defensively, with just a few loose ends that could be tied up (i.e. giving up a couple goals despite allowing only 20 or so shots). Why take the team in the opposite direction? - Matt
Update (1:13 PM): Just a clarification on my snarky comments below:
I believe the team needs offense, of course, and that they need to get the power play going. But I also believe they’ll have more success if they continue to stress defensive play and not offense at the expense of defense.
Folks, this team is not going to blow out the opposition as frequently as Wings teams in the past have done simply because Babcock is emphasizing team defense. Can they and will they dominate offensively at times? Sure. They certainly have the personnel for it. Most often, however, we should be seeing consistently strong defensive efforts instead of dominating offensive performances. This is a Mike Babcock team, after all.
The power play is miserable and needs to be fixed, but, realistically, we can expect one or two PPGs per game. So we’re still not going to see 5-6 goal games.
This team needs to continue allowing only 20 shots a game. They just need to stop giving up a couple goals, which means Hasek needs to be more dominant.
Defensive diligence, not offensive dominance, is the hallmark of this team. It means they’ll be streaky, winning a few and then losing a few. It means they’ll get blown out occassionally but it also means they’ll do the blowing out themselves every once and a while.
In the end, they’ll be in the middle of the pack in the standings as well as offensive categories. They’ll be on top in defense, however. Get used to it, Wings fans. - Matt
It’s a bit of a slow news day so I’m taking the day off from blogging - unless something happens worth posting about - so I can focus on class, work, and homework.
I will point you to A2Y, though, so you can read IwoCPO’s take on solutions for ending cheap shots against the Wings. Basically, they need to increase their offensive output by getting the power play going. Once that’s done, they can score PPGs after unrelated phantom calls and then thumb their noses at the opposition bench as they revel in retaliation for a hit on an earlier un-penalized play.
Revenge’ll be sweet, if they can just get the power play going! Other teams will still be able to deal out concussions and charley-horses left and right, but, by golly, they’ll regret it when the Wings score one or two power plays. Just pray they don’t put their potential for supreme defensive prowess on hold and start allowing goals as they work on fulfiling their much more limited offensive potential.
Be sure to read IwoCPO’s scathing report on the Wings’ 6-2 loss to Nashville last night.
I only caught clips of the game, but saw more than I needed to see. So, a few comments:
It was monumentally stupid to start Dominik Hasek against one of the worst teams in the league and then start a rookie goaltender against one of the best, especially using the lame excuse “We wanted to end the losing streak!” Okay, maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if MacDonald’s teammates hadn’t abandoned him to get shellacked, knowing that he would get no relief in any case.
Iwo thinks Datsyuk’s on the trading block. It’s hard to argue with that, given how uninspiring he’s been this season. Yeah, he breaks out some moves every once and a while, but he rarely finishes. Would the Wings be able to get anything decent in return, though? Everyone in the league knows the same things about Pavel we know: he doesn’t show up for the playoffs, he needs set-piece-cannon linemates to pass the puck to, he’s rendered useless in tight defense if not motivated, doesn’t play hurt, and so on. Pavel’s star is certainly falling in Detroit and has to be around the league as well.
I’ve always liked Pavel, but this was the year he was supposed to step up and take a real leadership role and he hasn’t. It’s extremely disappointing. I keep waiting for him to break out again, but it doesn’t happen.
Sending down a young gun and bringing up Norton or Bootland may be a short-term solution but it’s something that’s doable. The roster needs a shake up and it needs some of the so-called leaders to stand up and take charge.
Anyway, no one is asking for another nine-game winning streak. But 6-2 losses to rivals, that extend losing streaks to five games, are not acceptable.
After the hit on Jason Williams, there was a lot of talk about how Raffi Torres felt terrible about it, as he watched the medical team work on him in the corner and talked about it after the game. Well, maybe the talk was true, but any remorse couldn’t have lasted long, as Ansar Khan reports:
Williams said Torres did not say anything to him on the ice during Saturday’s game. No, “Sorry about that, hated to see your face slam to the ice and all the blood spill out,” no “Hope you’re feeling better, too bad you had to be carried off on a stretcher.”
However, two of Torres’ teammates put him to shame:
Instead, Williams said Oilers defenseman Matt Greene came up to him after a whistle and asked him how he felt and forward Ryan Smyth told him it was good to see him back.
Impressive.
Khan goes on to point out that, though the hit was seen as clean by the team, no one went after Torres Saturday. To contrast, he cites the Oilers’ response to Danny Markov’s hit on Jarret Stoll, with Ethan Moreau and Steve Staios going after him over two games, as an example of a team willing to defend itself against physical play.
Khan notes that teams are still unafraid of taking runs at the Wings, even though the team is trying to become more physical.
Good points, Ansar. It does not bode well for their efforts at shedding their old reputation in favor of a new, tougher one, if they can’t even defend one of their own teammates. They may not be shying from physical play so much any more but there’s still a missing dimension.
Update (3:42 PM): Not everyone is happy with the Wings’ new style and Jamie Fitzpatrick of About.com is one of them. He contrasts the Wings with the high-flying Sabres and pretty much demonizes them for *gasp* winning games by playing good defense (or playoff hockey, as some are rightly calling it) in a post to his Pro Ice Hockey blog yesterday.
Apparently, “Detroit games are methodical, low-scoring affairs lacking in end-to-end action.” Excuse me? Fitzpatrick and I must be watching different teams. Methodical? Sure, methodically dominating. Low-scoring? Sure, for the opposition. Lacking in end-to-end action? BS. There’s been plenty. Rushes just get funneled into the boards. Sorry, Fitzpatrick, but here’s a clue for you: the defense isn’t just going to step aside, on any team regardless of the new rules. Especially not when you have the best defensive corps in the league (notwithstanding Chrisscott “We are the Media Darling” Niederprongermeyer in Anaheim), as the Wings do.
Sure, the Wings aren’t the Sabres, but then they’ve never been fast like that. So the contrast isn’t any more applicable this year than any other.
As for the idea that low-scoring hockey is automatically boring, that just demonstrates an entry-level understanding of the game. Goals do not automatically equate excitement, just as tight defense doesn’t not automatically mean boring hockey.
This part is especially rich and has to be quoted in full:
The Detroit captain, Nicklas Lidstrom, is probably the league MVP so far (Though if I had a vote it wouldn’t go to him, simply because so much of what he does - breaking up chances; closing off promising rushes - makes the game less exciting.)
Excuse me, what? I don’t know if Nick has been the MVP so far, having only watched Wings games so far, but you don’t make a statement that he is and then say he doesn’t deserve it because he, uh, does his job well.
There’s one more little gem. According to Fitzpatrick, if the Wings play like this in the playoffs and bump off some Sabres-like opponents (how many of those are there in the West, by the way?), “Then we’ll see much howling in protest, and the dreaded resurrection of countless schemes designed to increase scoring.” So, basically, the Wings will bring about the end of the hockey world by playing playoff-style hockey … in the playoffs. Wow. (via IwoCPO at KK) - Matt
… Both major papers today focus on how the Wings have asserted themselves in a new identity over the past nine games after becoming fed up with mediots like Damien Cox calling them washed up without Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan, etc.
Apparently, the team had a meeting after they lost to the Sharks on October 19th, though they didn’t turn it around immediately, losing to Edmonton on the 21st to finish up a four-game road trip. When they returned, however, they got their revenge on San Jose and have been winning ever since.
Ted Kulfan especially makes a big deal out of how they’ve been getting wins in ways totally different than in recent years: on the strength of their five-on-five play and penalty killing rather than their power play, with a focus on team defense rather than flashy offense, with physical play rather than shying away from contact.
Both Helene St. James and Kulfan are right. This Red Wings team is different. There is a hardworking attitude that you didn’t used to see, with everyone demonstrating good effort consistently. The Wings have always had good defense, but it was always secondary to their offense. This year, it’s central to their strategy. And unlike last season, their opponents during this stretch have not all been mediocre. They are beating good teams with dominating defensive performances.
I know that the win-streak will end eventually and that they will inevitably have rough spots this season, but I think that this team could have what it takes to succeed. The Detroit teams of recent years certainly couldn’t get it done. Maybe a team with a completely different style and work ethic can get the job done instead.
Still, it’s a long season, and a nine-game winning streak in October and November will mean very little in April. Last year was a major reminder that success in the regular season may be fun while it lasts but it doesn’t mean playoff success. I’d rather the Wings have less success during the season so that they have motivation to succeed in the postseason, when it counts.
… In light of the announcement yesterday of a deal between the NHL and YouTube, Helene St. James wants to see NHL players try the old Diet Coke-and-Mentos thing. I think she’s getting the hang of this blogging thing.
The Wings will face the Calgary Flames for the first time this season tonight at the Joe. The two teams split their 2005-2006 meetings 2-2, with the Wings winning the first (6-3) and last (2-1) games, and the Flames winning the middle two (1-3, 2-3). They’ll face each other three more times this season after tonight.
The Flames are 14th in the Conference with a 3-6-1 record and have lost two in a row, including a 4-2 loss to the traveling Washtington Capitals Monday night. Their efforts at stopping this losing streak will not be helped by the fact that they will be away from home for the next three games - they have lost four in a row on the road. Then again, they will be headed to Columbus next and then St. Louis so maybe it won’t be so hard.
One reason for the Flames’ early season troubles is goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff, who was ridiculously good last season with a 2.07 GAA, .923 save percentage, and 10 shutouts. This year, however, he has a 2.82 GAA and a .908 save percentage, with just one shutout (he also only had one shutout by this point in the season last year). Kiprusoff isn’t the only reason the team is struggling, as blame rests more on the offense, which is 27th in the league in scoring with 25 goals.
However, for once Flames fans, apparently, can’t pin blame on Jarome Iginla, who usually starts out seasons slow. The Calgary Herald reports that Iginla leads the team with six goals and eleven points so far. It’s his teammates that aren’t producing and GM Darryl Sutter is fed up, according to the Calgary Sun. He called up two minor league players yesterday in order to send a message to his team that there will be replacements in the lineup if they don’t get on track.
The NHL’s preview predicts Kiprusoff may sit tonight so we could see Jamie McLennan instead.
The Wings are looking to win their fourth in a row after dropping three on a road trip between October 16th and 19th. Tonight will be their first game back after a successful two-game road trip to Dallas, where they won 4-3 Friday night, and St. Louis, where they won 3-2 on Saturday. Unfortunatly, the homestand doesn’t begin quite yet, as the team will have to travel to Chicago to face the Blackhawks tomorrow night.
The Freep discusses the Flames today, noting that they are considered to be one of the better teams in the conference, and reminding us that they have just had a bad start. The Wings know this and are expecting a “tough” game tonight.
Ted Kulfan writes about Dominik Hasek today, saying Dom is due to break out. Based on reports from the Stars game, I’m willing to believe that.
There’s nothing new on the injury front. Norton still hasn’t been cleared, though he may be today. Samuelsson is making his return to the ice tonight, meaning one of the rookies will have to sit. I imagine it’ll be Kopecky or Hudler, not Filppula.
Tonight’s an important game, with the Wings looking to maintain their momentum and the Flames looking to gain some. It should be exciting, with two of the better hitting defensemen in the league pitted against each other. Dion Phaneuf is a little more high-profile than Danny Markov, but tonight the spotlight should be on both of them. The Wings need a win to keep up with the division-leading Predators.
Also, Ansar Khan makes a return to his Wings blog, after spending the last month covering the Tigers.
