Jeremy Laura: Wings B Team falls 5-2 against Caps

So good to have you back, my friend!! Like the idea of a tag-team partner working with you, will give you some down-time; very smart!

Admittedly, I've not been watching too many pre-season games, either due to work or not being able to watch via the interwebs. From what I have seen, I think the kids may start in GR, which is ok by me. The young guys look good, and we have enough veteran presence to ice a decent team every night. Ed Sods may well be served with some more greening in GR, in my opinion (and with limited viewing....). Chiarot & Mo Sides seems like a pretty good 1D. Berggren has flashes of brilliance, Bert looked awesome in the highlights I watched. Husso/Ned is going to be something to keep an eye on. I still think that Husso will regress numbers-wise this season; he doesn't have the team in front of him this year that he had in STL, just makes sense to me. I think Joe V should go to GR as well....Zadina seems like he's snake-bit to the point of making a mistake ends his drive, not sure how to get after that.

Now, all of the above is put forth as on opinion. And the issues from the past few years can be addressed via Gru...LaLonde, sorry. He's got his hands full, for sure. A better coaching staff will help, but he's going to have to get into the heads of these guys and advocate for the change we so desperately need. This will take time, as we well know. The thing is this team seems to have the makings of a bubble team that will break some SCPO contending team's hearts....and MAY surprise us all be sneaking in (but I've no delusions of that happening this year....). I can see some serious changes already on the ice; passing, positioning, etc... But this is going to take some time.... LaLonde has the ability to turn this team around. I think 1 more year and we may see this Wings team being spoken of highly to contend for the SCPO.

Again, a long way to go, the kids need some seasoning, we've got solid leadership behind the bench, and a good group of Vets who are going to do well.

My question is the RFAs......and looking at the potential for the Salary Cap to jump unexpectedly high this off-season. I see Larking going for ~$9m x 7-8, which seems to be right.....this is going to be interesting!!!

I think Edvinsson and AJ are headed to GR together. At least in the short term, top pairing minutes vs bottom pairing. Although wouldn't be against seeing at least one of them on day 1.

Hoping to see Copp in action tomorrow night, along with what I hope is the final dress rehearsal for the home fans. This is the lineup I am thinking for next Friday. Would prefer to see Vrana and Zadina together and get rid of Erne.


Bert - Larkin - Raymond
Vrana - Copp - Perron
Kub- Ras - Zadina
Erne - Veleno - Soderblom

Mo - Chiarot
Hronek - Maata
Lindstrom - Osterle

I think suter might beat out Veleno and sunqvist probably gets soderblom’s spot when he is healthy but otherwise that looks about right.

I think Edvinsson and AJ are headed to GR together. At least in the short term, top pairing minutes vs bottom pairing. Although wouldn't be against seeing at least one of them on day 1.

Hoping to see Copp in action tomorrow night, along with what I hope is the final dress rehearsal for the home fans. This is the lineup I am thinking for next Friday. Would prefer to see Vrana and Zadina together and get rid of Erne.


Bert - Larkin - Raymond
Vrana - Copp - Perron
Kub- Ras - Zadina
Erne - Veleno - Soderblom

Mo - Chiarot
Hronek - Maata
Lindstrom - Osterle
- DRW1991

I do hope Copp works out. Was excited and that 2nd center position really needs some stability. I don’t know if they’d rather give Soderblom top GR mins to start or go ahead and let him get the NHL experience. He’s been a nice surprise. I think mis season injuries will let us see some kids in action. GR could be well worth the watch this year

So good to have you back, my friend!! Like the idea of a tag-team partner working with you, will give you some down-time; very smart!

Admittedly, I've not been watching too many pre-season games, either due to work or not being able to watch via the interwebs. From what I have seen, I think the kids may start in GR, which is ok by me. The young guys look good, and we have enough veteran presence to ice a decent team every night. Ed Sods may well be served with some more greening in GR, in my opinion (and with limited viewing....). Chiarot & Mo Sides seems like a pretty good 1D. Berggren has flashes of brilliance, Bert looked awesome in the highlights I watched. Husso/Ned is going to be something to keep an eye on. I still think that Husso will regress numbers-wise this season; he doesn't have the team in front of him this year that he had in STL, just makes sense to me. I think Joe V should go to GR as well....Zadina seems like he's snake-bit to the point of making a mistake ends his drive, not sure how to get after that.

Now, all of the above is put forth as on opinion. And the issues from the past few years can be addressed via Gru...LaLonde, sorry. He's got his hands full, for sure. A better coaching staff will help, but he's going to have to get into the heads of these guys and advocate for the change we so desperately need. This will take time, as we well know. The thing is this team seems to have the makings of a bubble team that will break some SCPO contending team's hearts....and MAY surprise us all be sneaking in (but I've no delusions of that happening this year....). I can see some serious changes already on the ice; passing, positioning, etc... But this is going to take some time.... LaLonde has the ability to turn this team around. I think 1 more year and we may see this Wings team being spoken of highly to contend for the SCPO.

Again, a long way to go, the kids need some seasoning, we've got solid leadership behind the bench, and a good group of Vets who are going to do well.

My question is the RFAs......and looking at the potential for the Salary Cap to jump unexpectedly high this off-season. I see Larking going for ~$9m x 7-8, which seems to be right.....this is going to be interesting!!!
- mcmastermike1968

The (very) little I know about the cap jump has a lot to do with what they’re hoping jersey ads are going to add to the revenue pot. Last year’s initial deals with ESPN+ and the other cable networks brought new money in, but they lost some eyeballs. Hoping they can re engage some fans but a big cap increase will certainly make things interesting

So good to have you back, my friend!! Like the idea of a tag-team partner working with you, will give you some down-time; very smart!

Admittedly, I've not been watching too many pre-season games, either due to work or not being able to watch via the interwebs. From what I have seen, I think the kids may start in GR, which is ok by me. The young guys look good, and we have enough veteran presence to ice a decent team every night. Ed Sods may well be served with some more greening in GR, in my opinion (and with limited viewing....). Chiarot & Mo Sides seems like a pretty good 1D. Berggren has flashes of brilliance, Bert looked awesome in the highlights I watched. Husso/Ned is going to be something to keep an eye on. I still think that Husso will regress numbers-wise this season; he doesn't have the team in front of him this year that he had in STL, just makes sense to me. I think Joe V should go to GR as well....Zadina seems like he's snake-bit to the point of making a mistake ends his drive, not sure how to get after that.

Now, all of the above is put forth as on opinion. And the issues from the past few years can be addressed via Gru...LaLonde, sorry. He's got his hands full, for sure. A better coaching staff will help, but he's going to have to get into the heads of these guys and advocate for the change we so desperately need. This will take time, as we well know. The thing is this team seems to have the makings of a bubble team that will break some SCPO contending team's hearts....and MAY surprise us all be sneaking in (but I've no delusions of that happening this year....). I can see some serious changes already on the ice; passing, positioning, etc... But this is going to take some time.... LaLonde has the ability to turn this team around. I think 1 more year and we may see this Wings team being spoken of highly to contend for the SCPO.

Again, a long way to go, the kids need some seasoning, we've got solid leadership behind the bench, and a good group of Vets who are going to do well.

My question is the RFAs......and looking at the potential for the Salary Cap to jump unexpectedly high this off-season. I see Larking going for ~$9m x 7-8, which seems to be right.....this is going to be interesting!!!
- mcmastermike1968

Good to be back! Larkin’s next deal is going to be very interesting. I wonder if Yzerman has his eye on any UFAs or trades early on to get things rolling. Either way he continues to amaze me with his never ending vision

I do hope Copp works out. Was excited and that 2nd center position really needs some stability. I don’t know if they’d rather give Soderblom top GR mins to start or go ahead and let him get the NHL experience. He’s been a nice surprise. I think mis season injuries will let us see some kids in action. GR could be well worth the watch this year
- Jeremy Laura

I completely forgot Suter, so I agree they could probably send him down. I could see Suter being a trade piece we have considering he is a pending FA.

Thanks JL,
I am not impressed with Husso's performance, I hope he gets it together soon. I would prefer Ned being the starter when the season comes.
Kuemper looked very sharp last night.
Larkin should settle soon for $9M x 8, hopefully with an NMC in the 5 first years and a 10-team trade list thereafter. Then get on to Bert, who gets a shorter contract of $7.75 x 5 with a 10-team trade list. This will allow him to be traded, which as much as it pains me happens fairly soon after this deal is signed.
I think Albert is more NHL ready than Simon. It is probably the maturity level more than the talent level that is supporting my decision. Eddy needs the higher reps in the AHL to settle and mature his game. However, they both probably start there.
I still hope Stevie would snag Nic Hague from LVGK. He would be a better pairing option with Hronek then Maata or ....there really is no other good option at 2nd pairing!

The (very) little I know about the cap jump has a lot to do with what they’re hoping jersey ads are going to add to the revenue pot. Last year’s initial deals with ESPN+ and the other cable networks brought new money in, but they lost some eyeballs. Hoping they can re engage some fans but a big cap increase will certainly make things interesting
- Jeremy Laura

I don't like the jersey ad thought at all & personally think they may loose some viewers this year. As a 40 year fan that now lives in Texas I haven't even seen a game this year yet. I refuse to pony up $30 a month to Bally to watch hockey. I understand it is a business and they need to make money but that dips into my bourbon budget a little too much...

I don't like the jersey ad thought at all & personally think they may loose some viewers this year. As a 40 year fan that now lives in Texas I haven't even seen a game this year yet. I refuse to pony up $30 a month to Bally to watch hockey. I understand it is a business and they need to make money but that dips into my bourbon budget a little too much...
- TxWingFan

Can't stream games??

Attu Raty is a +4 with a goal and an assist so far tonight. Detroit gave up the 2nd rounder that NYI drafted him with in the Leddy acquisition.

Can't stream games??
- HenryHockey

Haven't tried this year as last year my internet wasn't fast enough to keep up and the lagging kills it for me. What site do you recommend if I can get it to work?

Thanks JL,
I am not impressed with Husso's performance, I hope he gets it together soon. I would prefer Ned being the starter when the season comes.
Kuemper looked very sharp last night.
Larkin should settle soon for $9M x 8, hopefully with an NMC in the 5 first years and a 10-team trade list thereafter. Then get on to Bert, who gets a shorter contract of $7.75 x 5 with a 10-team trade list. This will allow him to be traded, which as much as it pains me happens fairly soon after this deal is signed.
I think Albert is more NHL ready than Simon. It is probably the maturity level more than the talent level that is supporting my decision. Eddy needs the higher reps in the AHL to settle and mature his game. However, they both probably start there.
I still hope Stevie would snag Nic Hague from LVGK. He would be a better pairing option with Hronek then Maata or ....there really is no other good option at 2nd pairing!
- HenryHockey

So far this pre-season, Viro has looked better than both Johansson and Edvinsson to me. If i had to pick one of them to start the season with the Wings, it would be Viro.

I would love for the Wings to get Hague from Vegas but right now, i think Hague is a bottom pairing guy. I wish Yzerman would have traded for Sanheim from the Flyers or Theodore from Vegas when they were trying to clear cap space. Either guy would have made good partners for Seider and put Chiarot on the 2nd pair with Hronek where i think he belongs. Right now i think all the LDs are playing a spot too high.

I wouldn't be surprised if Copp got off to a slow start. He missed training camp and pre-season and will have to play catch up on top of being with a new team with a new coach and systems. I had reservations about him being a good 2nd line center to begin with but him missing time could make things worst. I hope i am wrong though and he lights it up right from the get go.

Grand Rapids will be a team to watch this season for sure. A lot of new prospects coming in. Last season, i couldn't be bothered much to follow them since aside from a few prospects, they were mostly all career AHLers.

@Jeremy,
Look above. ^ THIS is the community YOU built. Lord, how we missed you!!

GR will be very impressive, based on all the things I've read. I'm not a Ben C fan, never was...Mo Sides will carry him this year, methinks. That'll hurt our D-line. Copp's a 3C, in my opinion, would offer Suter's better suted (see what I did there?!?!?) for 2C because of chemistry; one can argue that Gru's new systems level the playing.....ice. I just don't see the 2line taking a ton of heat off of Ray-Lark-Bert ("RayLarBer"???).

Regardless, this season feels good, and will be fun to watch.

@Jeremy,
Look above. ^ THIS is the community YOU built. Lord, how we missed you!!

GR will be very impressive, based on all the things I've read. I'm not a Ben C fan, never was...Mo Sides will carry him this year, methinks. That'll hurt our D-line. Copp's a 3C, in my opinion, would offer Suter's better suted (see what I did there?!?!?) for 2C because of chemistry; one can argue that Gru's new systems level the playing.....ice. I just don't see the 2line taking a ton of heat off of Ray-Lark-Bert ("RayLarBer"???).

Regardless, this season feels good, and will be fun to watch.
- mcmastermike1968

Right-o! Mo will make Ben better! Just like Shea made Ben better! I don't like his contract, but I think this is what Yzerman wished to recreate.

So far this pre-season, Viro has looked better than both Johansson and Edvinsson to me. If i had to pick one of them to start the season with the Wings, it would be Viro.

I would love for the Wings to get Hague from Vegas but right now, i think Hague is a bottom pairing guy. I wish Yzerman would have traded for Sanheim from the Flyers or Theodore from Vegas when they were trying to clear cap space. Either guy would have made good partners for Seider and put Chiarot on the 2nd pair with Hronek where i think he belongs. Right now i think all the LDs are playing a spot too high.

I wouldn't be surprised if Copp got off to a slow start. He missed training camp and pre-season and will have to play catch up on top of being with a new team with a new coach and systems. I had reservations about him being a good 2nd line center to begin with but him missing time could make things worst. I hope i am wrong though and he lights it up right from the get go.

Grand Rapids will be a team to watch this season for sure. A lot of new prospects coming in. Last season, i couldn't be bothered much to follow them since aside from a few prospects, they were mostly all career AHLers.
- dcz28

Yes, I really liked Viro also, more mobile. But I think Albert is better defensively and more physical, which is frankly what is needed more on the Wings' D right now. They are both the same size, and Viro is a year younger at 20.

Yes, I really liked Viro also, more mobile. But I think Albert is better defensively and more physical, which is frankly what is needed more on the Wings' D right now. They are both the same size, and Viro is a year younger at 20.
- HenryHockey

I disagree about Johansson being better defensively right now. Viro just plays a safer game and doesn't take as many risks. If there is one thing Lalonde has been stressing to the players in training camp and pre-season, it's to take some of the risks out of their games to be better defensively. That might give Viro the edge over Johansson in what Lalonde wants.

Coming into training camp, i was pretty sure Johansson had a better chance of making the roster than Edvinsson and Viro didn't factor in much although i did think Viro was good in the prospect tournament.

If it was up to me though, none of those 3 would be starting in Detroit this season. What i wish the defense looked like to start the season is:

Sanheim - Seider
Chiarot - Hronek
Hague - Lindstrom

To me that would be a very good balance of offense and defense from the back end as each pair has someone with offensive potential and a defensive player. All with decent size and skating with some physical playstyle on each pair. Unfortunately that is not what we have and i think all the LDs will have to play a spot above what they should be playing.


Good to see you are doing a bit better Jeremy and very glad to have you back blogging for us

Attu Raty is a +4 with a goal and an assist so far tonight. Detroit gave up the 2nd rounder that NYI drafted him with in the Leddy acquisition.
- HenryHockey

Wings also passed on him twice before that.

Wings also passed on him twice before that.
- DRW1991

Do you think they could have done w/o Cossa???? Or Buium? I do.
I felt at the time that the Wings grab 1 center with those picks and I would have been happier. Corson Ceulemans RD, and Attu Raty C, and that NYR 2nd we could have spent on Alexei Kolosov G. I think would have been better than spending 3 picks on Cossa. But time will tell.


"Sanheim - Seider
Chiarot - Hronek
Hague - Lindstrom"
I so like these pairings, but the Wings will have better within 2 yrs.

Do you think they could have done w/o Cossa???? Or Buium? I do.
I felt at the time that the Wings grab 1 center with those picks and I would have been happier. Corson Ceulemans RD, and Attu Raty C, and that NYR 2nd we could have spent on Alexei Kolosov G. I think would have been better than spending 3 picks on Cossa. But time will tell.


"Sanheim - Seider
Chiarot - Hronek
Hague - Lindstrom"
I so like these pairings, but the Wings will have better within 2 yrs.

- HenryHockey

I 100% wanted Raty, but Yzerman did not, not sure why. Hindsight 20/20 for 31 teams.

Wings lineup for the game against the Leafs tonight:

Bertuzzi-Larkin-Raymond
Perron-Rasmussen-Vrana
Kubalik-Veleno-Zadina
Erne-Suter-Soderblom

Chiarot-Seider
Edvinsson-Hronek
Maatta-Lindstrom

Ned
Cossa

Leafs seem to be icing an AHL team tonight with none of their top players playing.