Sup, 1997?
By Kyle Bauer
I’m back from a long long looooooong break where I intended on updating here and there but hey this should be used mostly for OU sports anyway. With the NHL trade deadline tomorrow, the Pistons in the stretch run and Tiger baseball in Lakeland right now, I have plenty to post about.
On the OU hockey show, I was recently lucky enough to interview M-Live.com/Booth Newspapers, Red Wings beat writer Ansar Khan who discussed the Wings trade deadline prospects with Corey, Brad and myself. Here's what he was hinting towards.
The Wings will likely get Fedorov back if anybody, while Darren McCarty just rejoined the Wings today. Mac is getting a contract and being assigned for a 2 week conditioning stint in Grand Rapids which by the end of that he'll get a shot and fight Downey and Drake for a spot in the line up and in the playoffs. I cant believe this is really happening I’m almost speechless about it.I’m actually not too pumped for McCarty coming back but hey miracles happen. He is tearing up the AHL right now and so far has tallied 7 goals and 13 points total in the 20 minor league games he split between the IHL's Flint Generals and American leagues Grand Rapids Griffins.
My worry is that similar to Maltby, he'll get a spot on the team and take up space from younger players in his mold that are hungry to make an impact, such as Downey, Hartigan, Ellis and Kopecky. Those three players could be the ex factor for the Wings to make a deep playoff run while standing up to physically imposing teams like Calgary, Anaheim and San Jose. Mac should come back in fine shape. Thankfully Babcock is making him earn that spot on the roster and that should leave little to no room for complacency on McCarty’s part. If he can make an impact, he’s welcomed and its nothing but a positive story.
Fedorov is actually tops on the Wings wish list because of his 2 way impact and affordability. If Fedorov comes back I will be excited for that because if you stick him on the second or third line, on the pk, on the point for the powerplay he'll fill some gaps. I’m not sure how much he'll score but sandwich him with Hudler and Fillpula, I think he'll open up some ice for them. Fedorov may not be able to score at the pace he used to but his versatility could be an asset to any hockey club, especially when you figure the gritty defensive battles the NHL playoffs usually hold. With the possibility of Sergei coming back it will bring back an old face to the Wings could pump some new life into their slumping offense and inconsistent defense. Fedorov will at the least improve the depth of this team with little question marks.
Vaclav Prospal is another rumored forward coming to the Wings. Prospal would make more of a scoring impact, likely larger than Fedorov but the detractor from Prospal is his lack of versatility. In my opinion he'll produce but he's a soft one way player. He's never been a playoff producer either and actually the Lightning won the Stanley Cup when the Anaheim Ducks were renting him. Tampa will likely want a good deal from the Wings in return for Prospal who is averaging almost a point a game. He would be the biggest point producer the Red Wings would get though.
The LA Kings Brad Stuart is a likely defensive candidate for the Wings which he’s solid, not nessacerly who I want but I could settle with that. I'm hoping for someone the caliber of Filip Kuba, who adds more size and consistency than Stuart who has struggled every since he left San Jose 3 seasons ago. But only big name defensemen have come up on the block so far and really only smaller offensive minded defensemen such Kuba’s counterpart Dan Boyle, Brain Campbell from Buffalo who wouldn’t be a bad acquisition but the price tag might be too high and then J.M Liles from the Avalanche who now look to be a buyer instead of seller as they just picked up free agent Peter Forsberg. Marek Malik is another rumored player to be on the way out of the Rangers but once again, the price tag might be too high. Price is a key factor on what the Wings are willing to deal because they do not have that much depth in their farm systems.
The Wings may not be able to swing for a defensemen at a reasonable price, that is where the Wings will need to look to the youth that has stepped up in the absence of the Detroit’s injured defense. I’m excited for Jonathan Ericson. If the Wings cannot manage to swing a deal for a defensemen hopefully he could come out of nowhere and step up, then maybe Quincey could join him if injuries continue to nag our defensemen. Ericson at 6'5 is the biggest defensemen the Wings have had since Jiri Fischer, who absence may had been the difference from the Wings getting to the finals last season. It's an old bit but size does matter deep in the defensive zone and Ericson is the first player the Wings have seen in a while that posses such an attributes.
Kyle Quincey has been another impressive youngster that seen playoff time last year in lieu of Mathieu Schneider’s injury. Quincey is once again on the smaller side but has been sound and capable during his time up with the big club.
Derek Meech, similar to Quincey is a smaller but another stay at home defensemen and a player who I think should be in the line up every night over Andeas Lilja, but he's getting his chance now and hopefully will in the playoffs.
With these 3 young defensemen, combined with a healthy Kronwall (which you cant count on) the Wings just might be ok as is, heading into and through the playoffs. The key for any Red Wings defensemen in the playoffs is playing tight in the neutral zone and tough out in front.
We'll see what the Wings do tonight and through tomorrow. Don’t expect a big move for several reasons the first being the Wings lack of depth with quality young players, second being that every team is still conceiving in the playoff race except LA, Tampa, Edmonton and Toronto. Remember, the Wings need a player who will fit their puzzle, not someone too big or too small. Fedorov, McCarty and Stuart among other may be the perfect fit.
I’m back from a long long looooooong break where I intended on updating here and there but hey this should be used mostly for OU sports anyway. With the NHL trade deadline tomorrow, the Pistons in the stretch run and Tiger baseball in Lakeland right now, I have plenty to post about.
On the OU hockey show, I was recently lucky enough to interview M-Live.com/Booth Newspapers, Red Wings beat writer Ansar Khan who discussed the Wings trade deadline prospects with Corey, Brad and myself. Here's what he was hinting towards.
The Wings will likely get Fedorov back if anybody, while Darren McCarty just rejoined the Wings today. Mac is getting a contract and being assigned for a 2 week conditioning stint in Grand Rapids which by the end of that he'll get a shot and fight Downey and Drake for a spot in the line up and in the playoffs. I cant believe this is really happening I’m almost speechless about it.I’m actually not too pumped for McCarty coming back but hey miracles happen. He is tearing up the AHL right now and so far has tallied 7 goals and 13 points total in the 20 minor league games he split between the IHL's Flint Generals and American leagues Grand Rapids Griffins.
My worry is that similar to Maltby, he'll get a spot on the team and take up space from younger players in his mold that are hungry to make an impact, such as Downey, Hartigan, Ellis and Kopecky. Those three players could be the ex factor for the Wings to make a deep playoff run while standing up to physically imposing teams like Calgary, Anaheim and San Jose. Mac should come back in fine shape. Thankfully Babcock is making him earn that spot on the roster and that should leave little to no room for complacency on McCarty’s part. If he can make an impact, he’s welcomed and its nothing but a positive story.
Fedorov is actually tops on the Wings wish list because of his 2 way impact and affordability. If Fedorov comes back I will be excited for that because if you stick him on the second or third line, on the pk, on the point for the powerplay he'll fill some gaps. I’m not sure how much he'll score but sandwich him with Hudler and Fillpula, I think he'll open up some ice for them. Fedorov may not be able to score at the pace he used to but his versatility could be an asset to any hockey club, especially when you figure the gritty defensive battles the NHL playoffs usually hold. With the possibility of Sergei coming back it will bring back an old face to the Wings could pump some new life into their slumping offense and inconsistent defense. Fedorov will at the least improve the depth of this team with little question marks.
Vaclav Prospal is another rumored forward coming to the Wings. Prospal would make more of a scoring impact, likely larger than Fedorov but the detractor from Prospal is his lack of versatility. In my opinion he'll produce but he's a soft one way player. He's never been a playoff producer either and actually the Lightning won the Stanley Cup when the Anaheim Ducks were renting him. Tampa will likely want a good deal from the Wings in return for Prospal who is averaging almost a point a game. He would be the biggest point producer the Red Wings would get though.
The LA Kings Brad Stuart is a likely defensive candidate for the Wings which he’s solid, not nessacerly who I want but I could settle with that. I'm hoping for someone the caliber of Filip Kuba, who adds more size and consistency than Stuart who has struggled every since he left San Jose 3 seasons ago. But only big name defensemen have come up on the block so far and really only smaller offensive minded defensemen such Kuba’s counterpart Dan Boyle, Brain Campbell from Buffalo who wouldn’t be a bad acquisition but the price tag might be too high and then J.M Liles from the Avalanche who now look to be a buyer instead of seller as they just picked up free agent Peter Forsberg. Marek Malik is another rumored player to be on the way out of the Rangers but once again, the price tag might be too high. Price is a key factor on what the Wings are willing to deal because they do not have that much depth in their farm systems.
The Wings may not be able to swing for a defensemen at a reasonable price, that is where the Wings will need to look to the youth that has stepped up in the absence of the Detroit’s injured defense. I’m excited for Jonathan Ericson. If the Wings cannot manage to swing a deal for a defensemen hopefully he could come out of nowhere and step up, then maybe Quincey could join him if injuries continue to nag our defensemen. Ericson at 6'5 is the biggest defensemen the Wings have had since Jiri Fischer, who absence may had been the difference from the Wings getting to the finals last season. It's an old bit but size does matter deep in the defensive zone and Ericson is the first player the Wings have seen in a while that posses such an attributes.
Kyle Quincey has been another impressive youngster that seen playoff time last year in lieu of Mathieu Schneider’s injury. Quincey is once again on the smaller side but has been sound and capable during his time up with the big club.
Derek Meech, similar to Quincey is a smaller but another stay at home defensemen and a player who I think should be in the line up every night over Andeas Lilja, but he's getting his chance now and hopefully will in the playoffs.
With these 3 young defensemen, combined with a healthy Kronwall (which you cant count on) the Wings just might be ok as is, heading into and through the playoffs. The key for any Red Wings defensemen in the playoffs is playing tight in the neutral zone and tough out in front.
We'll see what the Wings do tonight and through tomorrow. Don’t expect a big move for several reasons the first being the Wings lack of depth with quality young players, second being that every team is still conceiving in the playoff race except LA, Tampa, Edmonton and Toronto. Remember, the Wings need a player who will fit their puzzle, not someone too big or too small. Fedorov, McCarty and Stuart among other may be the perfect fit.
posted by Kyle Bauer at 1:41 PM
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