Jeremy Laura: Wings vs Blackhawks pregame - with comments by Theo Fox!

Kane is a "maybe" Gonna need some help to beat these guys tonight. Maybe Bert is the guy to lead the charge! LGRW!!!

RED WINGS
Forwards

Tyler Bertuzzi - Dylan Larkin - Lucas Raymond
Robby Fabbri - Pius Suter - Filip Zadina
Vladislav Namestnikov - Michael Rasmussen - Adam Erne
Givani Smith - Mitchell Stephens - Sam Gagner

Defense

Danny DeKeyser - Filip Hronek
Nick Leddy - Moritz Seider
Marc Staal - Gustav Lindstrom

Goalies

Alex Nedeljkovic
Thomas Greiss

BLACKHAWKS
Forwards

Alex DeBrincat – Kirby Dach – Brandon Hagel
Dominik Kubalik – Jonathan Toews – Tyler Johnson
Adam Gaudette – Henrik Borgstrom - Dylan Strome
Reese Johnson – MacKenzie Entwistle – Jujhar Khaira

Defense

Calvin de Haan – Seth Jones
Jake McCabe – Connor Murphy
Riley Stillman - Erik Gustafsson

Goaltender

Kevin Lankinen
Marc-Andre Fleury

You forget Raymond who can be a one-timer option but even when he is, he rarely does one-timers and often passes the puck or stops it before shooting.
- dcz28

Pretty hard to take one timers when you’re on the wrong side of the ice.

Pretty hard to take one timers when you’re on the wrong side of the ice.
- Feds91Stammer

I've seen him on the left side a couple of times when Hronek wasn't on the same PP unit. When Hronek is on the same unit then he takes that spot.

By f….head sitting Hronek again even if wings win ( By the way Dekeyser with his strength couldn’t control a much smaller guy T Johnson) this coach needs to go we as fans don’t deserve to sit through another bullpoop year with this idiot as coach. The fans at little Caesar’s arena need to start chanting fire blashill at every game and get louder each game until this is done

I'm not surprised to see the Wings struggle defensively. Staal and DeKeyser are a year older and a year slower. Nemeth and Merrill couldn't find the opponent's goal with a map but they could play responsible D in their own zone, and they're gone. Nedeljkovic is at best a side-grade from Bernier, who was mostly very good the last couple of years.

My expectation was that this team would score more goals than last year, but also get scored on more. My hope was slightly better and significantly less boring. We'll see if that prediction holds.

By f….head sitting Hronek again even if wings win ( By the way Dekeyser with his strength couldn’t control a much smaller guy T Johnson) this coach needs to go we as fans don’t deserve to sit through another bullpoop year with this idiot as coach. The fans at little Caesar’s arena need to start chanting fire blashill at every game and get louder each game until this is done
- saintdog19

If Hronek was legitimately good I could see why you would be upset. Hronek isn’t anything special.

I'm not surprised to see the Wings struggle defensively. Staal and DeKeyser are a year older and a year slower. Nemeth and Merrill couldn't find the opponent's goal with a map but they could play responsible D in their own zone, and they're gone. Nedeljkovic is at best a side-grade from Bernier, who was mostly very good the last couple of years.

My expectation was that this team would score more goals than last year, but also get scored on more. My hope was slightly better and significantly less boring. We'll see if that prediction holds.
- Sven22

Once Vrana went down my hope for any exciting offense went away quickly.

Rasmussen is a bust. Zadina looks more and more like a bust. Suter and Fabbri are 3rd liners.

By f….head sitting Hronek again even if wings win ( By the way Dekeyser with his strength couldn’t control a much smaller guy T Johnson) this coach needs to go we as fans don’t deserve to sit through another bullpoop year with this idiot as coach. The fans at little Caesar’s arena need to start chanting fire blashill at every game and get louder each game until this is done
- saintdog19

Yeah sitting Hronek twice but give more ice time to Dekeyser is a great recipe for a high lottery pick. Can anyone tell me wtf is Rowney doing on this team? He brings absolutely nothing.

This is going to be another very long poopty season for the Wings.

Hronek is a good defenceman has shown it for 2 years as well as played very well in international tournaments he is one of our best young players. If you believe that Dekeyser should be playing over anyone on this team you are just wrong. By the way fire Blashill.

Hronek is a good defenceman has shown it for 2 years as well as played very well in international tournaments he is one of our best young players. If you believe that Dekeyser should be playing over anyone on this team you are just wrong. By the way fire Blashill.
- saintdog19

Dekeyser sucks. I said that before Holland signed him to that poop contract. But Hronek is mediocre at best.

Yeah sitting Hronek twice but give more ice time to Dekeyser is a great recipe for a high lottery pick. Can anyone tell me wtf is Rowney doing on this team? He brings absolutely nothing.

This is going to be another very long poopty season for the Wings.
- dcz28

Rowney sucks. He always has. Pens fans always hated him.

Rowney sucks. He always has. Pens fans always hated him.
- Feds91Stammer

I have no idea why this guy was signed, how he wasn't waived before the season started or why he is still playing now. I've seen nothing from him since pre-season that makes me think this guy adds anything to a team. Not like this is a young guy that might get better, he's 32 years old ffs

Once Vrana went down my hope for any exciting offense went away quickly.

Rasmussen is a bust. Zadina looks more and more like a bust. Suter and Fabbri are 3rd liners.
- Feds91Stammer

Obviously losing Vrana was / is devastating but even without him this team probably still has a little more pop than last. Healthy Bertuzzi, Raymond, Suter, Stephens, Seider, Leddy vs Filppula, Helm, Glendening, Ryan, Nemeth, Merrill.

First and fourth lines are okay. Middle six is awful. D is bad, but could be less bad if Blashill stopped pretending DDK and Staal are still NHLers.

Obviously losing Vrana was / is devastating but even without him this team probably still has a little more pop than last. Healthy Bertuzzi, Raymond, Suter, Stephens, Seider, Leddy vs Filppula, Helm, Glendening, Ryan, Nemeth, Merrill.

First and fourth lines are okay. Middle six is awful. D is bad, but could be less bad if Blashill stopped pretending DDK and Staal are still NHLers.
- Sven22

Yeah like you said the bigger problem is the D. Having 3+ D in the lineup every night that are incapable of defending and/or moving the puck is bad.

I have no idea why this guy was signed, how he wasn't waived before the season started or why he is still playing now. I've seen nothing from him since pre-season that makes me think this guy adds anything to a team. Not like this is a young guy that might get better, he's 32 years old ffs
- dcz28

Had to be with being the 13th forward in mind so they could send young guys to GR. It’s the only logic.

Had to be with being the 13th forward in mind so they could send young guys to GR. It’s the only logic.
- Feds91Stammer

I would think they can do much better than him for 13th forward. At least get someone who hits hard and/or throws fists if he isn't going to be good defensively or provide some offense (yes i know he just scored a goal).

I have no idea why this guy was signed, how he wasn't waived before the season started or why he is still playing now. I've seen nothing from him since pre-season that makes me think this guy adds anything to a team. Not like this is a young guy that might get better, he's 32 years old ffs
- dcz28

Rowney played really difficult defensive minutes in Anaheim and handled them fairly decently.

As an "all situations" player he's pretty terrible. In a defensive specialist role he could be okay. Better than Glendening anyway, which is a low bar but still.

Not saying I would have signed him myself, but that would be the logic for it IMO.

I would think they can do much better than him for 13th forward. At least get someone who hits hard and/or throws fists if he isn't going to be good defensively or provide some offense (yes i know he just scored a goal).
- dcz28

He’s actually a decent defensive forward so he checks at least one box. Also it’s 2021 so looking for someone that hits hard or fights is pretty pointless.

Honestly if Blash is only willing to play one of Hronek or Stecher on D in the same game, I almost wish he'd try Hronek at RW and see if it works.

He’s actually a decent defensive forward so he checks at least one box. Also it’s 2021 so looking for someone that hits hard or fights is pretty pointless.
- Feds91Stammer

I don't know anything about how he played with other teams but with the Wings i don't see a decent defensive forward. I just see a player that doesn't do anything well.

Just because the Wings are weak at both hitting and fighting doesn't mean it isn't still part of the NHL. Yes the days of enforcers are over but fights and big hits are still part of the game.

Dekeyser and blashill are doing all they can to lose this game.

If I see one more comment about sending Raymond down after tonight's game, I will assume you are a leafs fan and do not actually understand the game of hockey!!! No reason whatsoever for him to be anywhere but where he is.

Wow you put guys in a position for one timers and you score a powerplay goal. Shocking.