(frank) that. No way you root for Boston under any circumstance
- Feds91Stammer

No! No way I root for the Pens or Trono under ANY circumstances! And Ottawa deserves an honorable mention.

Well now, that isn't very nice.
- dothedougie

Sooooo, yeah. (frank) BOSTON (and Dunkin' sucks, too!!!)!!!!

Sooooo, yeah. (frank) BOSTON (and Dunkin' sucks, too!!!)!!!!

- mcmastermike1968

I used to love the DET-TOR back-to-back way back in the day. Nowhere near a TOR fan now, NEVER liked OTT, TB can piss off (when we beat them, I laugh), PIT's a crappy town, Les Habitants crapped the bed when they destroyed the Forum, AVs still grate my cheese.....If it ain't HockeyTown...IT. AIN'T. HOCKEY!!!

Well now, that isn't very nice.
- dothedougie

My allegiance is with Tatar

My allegiance is with Tatar
- Feds91Stammer

Safe bet. Devils and Rags series is going to be a good one.

They say this is supposed to be an exceptional draft class and Yzerman now has 5 picks in the first 2 rounds! He also has two first-rounders for next year. I know it is hard to remain patient at times but building through the draft is the most sustainable road to success. And let's face it, as excited as we may have been about the playoff possibility for this year, I'm sure we can all admit that they are not even close to being a team that could make a deep run.
Still one more day until the deadline.... any more surprises from the GM?

This year is going to go down as one of the big trade deadline fiascos for some teams. It is so entertaining to see all the teams go all-in. I love that. Toronto is stacked, Boston is stacked, New York is stacked minus good defense, but they have a heckuva goalie. And Tampa Bay is still a heckuva team. We all know one team plays the spoiler, and that usually happens in the first round.

Sad to see Bertuzzi go. I love seeing him when his game was on. I also will miss Fil’s handlebar mustache last November.

I still think Yzerman has something up his sleeves. He doesn’t wanna see his team tank and get embarrassed. It’s all about culture, and helping the young guys. However, this could be an opportunity to trade a few more assets, and get some of the folks up from Grand Rapids to get a good look. We need to get tougher, and not get shoved around. And I would love to be able to have a player that would silence the Brady Tkachuk’s of the world. We need that Brendan Shanahan type player who is first line, talent, and first line toughness. Saying some prayers here!

They say this is supposed to be an exceptional draft class and Yzerman now has 5 picks in the first 2 rounds! He also has two first-rounders for next year. I know it is hard to remain patient at times but building through the draft is the most sustainable road to success. And let's face it, as excited as we may have been about the playoff possibility for this year, I'm sure we can all admit that they are not even close to being a team that could make a deep run.
Still one more day until the deadline.... any more surprises from the GM?
- Diller

You bring some good points to the table: We would've been eviscerated in the SCPO this year. I've been very leery about making it because it could show how bad this team may be, which would impact the desire for any potentially interested UFA from coming to us....shows how far we have left to go to be serious contenders, wo why would someone want to wait that long? Make sense?

As much as it kills me (and probably most contributors here), we ae on a good path to rebuilding this club: Draft a ton, germinate in the bus leagues, have a steady flow of players to back-fill losses, etc... This makes sense. And for the next couple of draft vents, we have a decent haul of picks, with more to be coming our way I'd think. It's painful, but I think The Captain is trying to build a legacy to rival the HockeyTown teams....which is harder than woodpecker lips to do. But I think it's a good path. Thankfully, this year is a great draft year... and we have a good pool of up & coming players in the bus leagues.

Now, any moves left? I'd think some of the depth guys could be sent (Haag, if anyone would want him), etc... But I think the big moves are done....no one saw Hronek being shipped off. I really wouldn't be certain. Many folks think Zadina should be shipped off....I've been a vocal advocate for him previously. I'm not as vocal now. I like the way he adjusted his game, bulked up, worked on his defensive capabilities. But the reality is, the high choice may have been better spent on someone else....up for discussion. Now that Bert's gone, I'm becoming more inclined to keep Zadina. We really don't have many others who would be wanted. Suter? Lindstrom? Ned? Again, wouldn't be surprised to see someone go; am more interested in who may come in as we have a bit of a gap in an established RD, which has been a pain-point for this team for a while. Still need a strong 1/2C to compliment Larkin until Kapser arrives and supplants Larkin from the 1C slot......

This year is going to go down as one of the big trade deadline fiascos for some teams. It is so entertaining to see all the teams go all-in. I love that. Toronto is stacked, Boston is stacked, New York is stacked minus good defense, but they have a heckuva goalie. And Tampa Bay is still a heckuva team. We all know one team plays the spoiler, and that usually happens in the first round.

Sad to see Bertuzzi go. I love seeing him when his game was on. I also will miss Fil’s handlebar mustache last November.

I still think Yzerman has something up his sleeves. He doesn’t wanna see his team tank and get embarrassed. It’s all about culture, and helping the young guys. However, this could be an opportunity to trade a few more assets, and get some of the folks up from Grand Rapids to get a good look. We need to get tougher, and not get shoved around. And I would love to be able to have a player that would silence the Brady Tkachuk’s of the world. We need that Brendan Shanahan type player who is first line, talent, and first line toughness. Saying some prayers here!
- NC_Scott

I could not agree more about the toughness! When Tkachuk calls out the bench and runs amuck with no response it is no surprise that we get embarrassed in back-to-back games against them. The goon role is becoming a thing of the past but overall team toughness and standing up for each other will always matter.

You bring some good points to the table: We would've been eviscerated in the SCPO this year. I've been very leery about making it because it could show how bad this team may be, which would impact the desire for any potentially interested UFA from coming to us....shows how far we have left to go to be serious contenders, wo why would someone want to wait that long? Make sense?

As much as it kills me (and probably most contributors here), we ae on a good path to rebuilding this club: Draft a ton, germinate in the bus leagues, have a steady flow of players to back-fill losses, etc... This makes sense. And for the next couple of draft vents, we have a decent haul of picks, with more to be coming our way I'd think. It's painful, but I think The Captain is trying to build a legacy to rival the HockeyTown teams....which is harder than woodpecker lips to do. But I think it's a good path. Thankfully, this year is a great draft year... and we have a good pool of up & coming players in the bus leagues.

Now, any moves left? I'd think some of the depth guys could be sent (Haag, if anyone would want him), etc... But I think the big moves are done....no one saw Hronek being shipped off. I really wouldn't be certain. Many folks think Zadina should be shipped off....I've been a vocal advocate for him previously. I'm not as vocal now. I like the way he adjusted his game, bulked up, worked on his defensive capabilities. But the reality is, the high choice may have been better spent on someone else....up for discussion. Now that Bert's gone, I'm becoming more inclined to keep Zadina. We really don't have many others who would be wanted. Suter? Lindstrom? Ned? Again, wouldn't be surprised to see someone go; am more interested in who may come in as we have a bit of a gap in an established RD, which has been a pain-point for this team for a while. Still need a strong 1/2C to compliment Larkin until Kapser arrives and supplants Larkin from the 1C slot......
- mcmastermike1968

Harder than woodpecker lips! Lol

That is the best thing I have read all day!

With Bert gone then we better see Kubalik on the top line. And we sure as heck better see Vrana in the lineup now. As much as I like Bert and his energy / skill he brought to the team I think he can and will be replaced. At the age of 28 he was a bit on the older side of being part of a new core and with getting injured so often you have to wonder about his durability... but I guess time will tell.

I'd be fine if they dumped Zadina... As far as prospects... Edvinsson is still not quite ready. He's not close to what Seider was at the same point of their development. Been watching him this year in GR... he is getting better and starting to play more physical which is refreshing. I saw him drop the gloves and start throwing in one of the scrums in GR a few weeks ago. I think he knows people are going to test him to see how he responds.

With Bert gone then we better see Kubalik on the top line. And we sure as heck better see Vrana in the lineup now. As much as I like Bert and his energy / skill he brought to the team I think he can and will be replaced. At the age of 28 he was a bit on the older side of being part of a new core and with getting injured so often you have to wonder about his durability... but I guess time will tell.

I'd be fine if they dumped Zadina... As far as prospects... Edvinsson is still not quite ready. He's not anything close to what Seider was at the same point of their development. Been watching him this year in GR... he is getting better and starting to play more physical which is refreshing. I saw him drop the gloves and start throwing in one of the scrums in GR a few weeks ago. I think he knows people are going to test him to see how he responds.
- Vladdie_Kon1

Well Seider wasn’t ready at this point either which is why he was in the SHL.

Well Seider wasn’t ready at this point either which is why he was in the SHL.
- Feds91Stammer

Edvinsson is going to be stud... I don't think he'll disappoint. He'll get a chance to make his case in camp / preseason next year, but I'd be pretty surprised if he stayed up in Detroit. Too bad the Griffins are terrible... a nice playoff run in the AHL would definitely be good for him to get a taste of North American hockey playoffs.