Vezina Watch

[jstewismybastardson]

I don't want to jinx a guy

Comeds should have started this thread lol

 

[Wingingit]

Comeds should have started this thread lol

As long as WW leaves it alone......

 

[esls79]

That would be incredibly dangerous. Someone could offer sheet the shit out of Mrazek and then what?

Has a goalie ever been tendered an offer sheet?

 

[dash]

Has a goalie ever been tendered an offer sheet?

Ed Belfour offered a cop a billion dollars once...as to your question esls, I have no idea.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Compensation and still have Howard.

So the shittier goalie and likely a low pick.

When did JFJ take over the Wings?

 

[forty_three]

It's becoming more and more apparent that Joonas Korpisalo will win the Vezina when he gets the Jackets into the playoffs.


And Torts the Adams. Obviously.

 

[tducey]

Mrazek's a heck of a goalie but Holtby wins the Vezina this year. Luongo and Crawford would be the finalists.

 

[dash]

Mrazek's a heck of a goalie but Holtby wins the Vezina this year. Luongo and Crawford would be the finalists.

I pretty much concur with this.

 

[Comeds]

I don't want to jinx a guy

Oh, jinxes aren't real!

 

[Comeds]

Just wanted to once again comment that jinxes are not real.

 

[pixburgher66]

Just wanted to once again comment that jinxes are not real.

Things I thought watching Jimmy Howard skate to the crease on Thursday night, for $500 Alex.

 

[RP-29]

I don't want to jinx a guy

 

[RP-29]

Looking at the big picture, at least his slump will help the Wings during RFA negotiations.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Looking at the big picture, at least his slump will help the Wings during RFA negotiations.

While true, the Wings are almost guaranteed to wind up spending close to $9 million on goalies. That is never a good allocation of money, particularly for a cap team that has some large holes to plug if they are to take the next step and become a contender.

 

[RP-29]

While true, the Wings are almost guaranteed to wind up spending close to $9 million on goalies. That is never a good allocation of money, particularly for a cap team that has some large holes to plug if they are to take the next step and become a contender.

Yeah, Holland will probably be forced to trade one of them in the next couple years.

From this pair of eyes, the large holes to fill are to the D corps. Thankfully, Holland managed to offload Kindl, which clears $2.5M off the cap. Ericsson and Smith continue to set this team back with their continued brainfarts in the defensive zone and Green and Kronwall have not brought as much as hoped for in the offensive zone. Unfortunately, the only two guys who have played pretty well - DeKeyser and Quincey - are the only two who are up for a new contract in a few months.

Offensively, the Wings are struggling. To those who don't observe the Wings play frequently, conventional wisdom would lead them to believe they need a high-end scorer, too. They really don't. The problem really is that the Wings have a whole roster of playmakers who hug the perimeter of the offensive zone looking for the perfect pass and when it's not there just fire shots towards the net from a distance. The only forward on the roster who sets up a net front presence with any kind of regularity is Abdelkader and most of the time no one is in position to pot a rebound because the perimeter playmakers don't crash the net. This was the same problem Babcock had the last couple years. An honest true Wings fan should point to the on-ice leaders - Zetterberg and Datsyuk - to crash the net more, which would be an appropriate example to the next generation of playmakers - Tatar, Nyquist, Larkin, Athanasiou. The only Wings goal yesterday was from a Blackhawks turnover at the blueline and rush the other way. Meanwhile, in the last couple games against the Hawks, guys like Toews and Ladd were camped and crashing the net for rebounds and tips and they got rewarded with playoff-style goals.

I think Holland could make some moves in the offseason to help this team get on the right path. A trade for Shattenkirk would be a good start. Trading Brendan Smith for a net-front-presence/dirty-goal-scorer would go a long way. Signing a guy like Ladd would be nice, but he's going to be too expensive unless Franzen and Datsyuk retire. Thoughts on who available might fit that bill?

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Leafs had interest in Smith when the Wings wanted Phaneuf. I'm sure they'd still have interest. Komarov would fit nicely as a pesky net presence for the Wings.

Not sure how much either team will want to deal with the either, though. Leafs could be good sooner rather than later depending on how things play out.