This man won't go quietlyJust a brutal night for Detroit. On the heels of losing Game 3 to the Sharks, the Tigers lost in the bottom of the 9th to the hated Twins. The Metrodome may be gone, but the Twin mystique remains. Somebody may need to remind these two teams that it's May, because they're playing as if it's Game 163 all over again. I've never seen such intensity this early in a baseball season.
Maggs hit a sharp single to right field, and Cuddyer tried to throw him out at first. Maggs hurried to beat the throw and then shot Cuddyer a I'm-not-amused look. If I were a Twins fan, I'd love to see my team take advantage of the opposition loafing it. Yet, Maggs' disparaging look makes me wonder if there's some unwritten rule amongst the players that you just don't do that. No love loss between these two squads, folks.
I must give the Twins organization credit for a very classy tribute to Ernie Harwell during the 7th inning stretch. Word spread throughout the baseball community late last night that Ernie passed away after a fight with cancer. As a 92 year old man, Ernie opted to not receive treatment, so this day was unfortunately expected. I'm one of the millions of kids who grew up with Ernie. His voice was synonymous with summer. I'll always remember my Grandpa sitting on our porch swing, listening to Ernie on an old transistor radio. It's a scene that played out in a million homes across Metro Detroit. I'll have more on Ernie later... he will be missed.
As for the Wings, 10 hours have passed, and the reality is settling in. I know a Game 4 win won't do much for their chances, but I do hope they pull it out. It'll be damn tough to motivate. A sweep, though, just doesn't seem right for this series. Every game has been 4-3. So, so close. Right now, the Wings seem old and slow. But mark my words, they'll be back. This bitter series may just serve as a springboard for a return to prominence next season.
I'm thinking Babcock may want to split up Rafalski and Lidstrom. They had major problems with the aggressive Phoenix and San Jose forwards. Babcock also experimented a bit, pairing Ericsson with Lidstrom the past few games. That pairing may benefit both players, as Ericsson seems to settle down with Lidstrom. Rafalski should pair up with the new free agent signing... perhaps this guy. Or this guy. Both should fit under the Wings' cap.
Yeah. Brutal Day.
ReplyDeleteI'm not talented enough to properly give Ernie his due, but the comfort and joy he brought to Detroit for such a long time is incredible. I will be spending the next few days remembering him and reading the tributes by others.
The better team leads this playoff series. The Wings are not doing all of the things that
we have come to expect out of them in the last three years.
The officiating is still a joke.
The Wings will not be adding any free agents on D (barring an unexpected long term injury, Nick retirement, or someone signing with the KHL). Rafalski and Stu have no trade clauses; Kronwall & Jonny E are also locks. Kindl is out of options, so he will make the team as the #6 or #7 D. The only opening is for the #6 D between Lilja, Lebda, and Meech. The Wings have shown that they prefer to keep guys around that know their system, and they aren't going to spend more than ~$1M at this position. (I'd take Paul Martin as a top-4 D if Nick retires, but I'll pass on Derek Morris). The forward decisions will be much more intriguing. With the return of Hudler, and with Abdelkader and Ritola out of options, there will be some changes.
Good point about Kindl. I done forgot about him. He'll be coming up. I guess it was more wishful thinking that they'd shore up their defense. With Kindl, Meech, and Lebda still waiting in the wings, we'll be in store for more of the same.
ReplyDeleteThey'll still have money to spend.
I like both Ritola and Abdelkader. Having seen Ritola a handful of times the past three years, I'm afraid his upside is not terribly UP. At best, he can be Jason Williams during his heyday. That likely won't land him on the team. Abdelkader, of course, is a different story. He brings a lot to the table and is close to a lock.
I'm going to assume, they re-sign Abdelkader, Drew Miller, Eaves, and Helm (all restricted FAs). And Homer too.
Datsyuk-Homer-Franzen
Zetterberg-Fil-????
Cleary-Hudler-Abdelkader
Helm-Draper-Eaves
Drew Miller will fill in as necessary. That empty spot is currently Bertuzzi. I wouldn't be shocked to see him come back, as he's added quite a bit, notably in the regular season. Yet, Draper's minutes have been slashed this playoffs. Will he retire?
I'm guessing one more season. So, that lineup, as it is, will not excite many fans nor win the cup. They'll need at least one top forward not named Bertuzzi.
OR...
they decide Howard just didn't cut it in the playoffs, and they sign or trade for a goalie.
Oh boy. I could talk about the lineup next year forever.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with the Wings is that they don't have the depth they did a few years ago. They have 7 guys that need to play in the top six to be effective offensively. So whoever drops to the third line (Bert, Cleary, Fil, Homer) is playing with grinders/checkers, and is much less effective offensively.
Hudler gives us (potentially) eight top six forwards, so perhaps that is enough to bulk up the third line. If we can get one guy to develop into the 'next Cleary', a guy who can chip in 15-20 goals as a grinder on a scoring line, it would be a huge matchup advantage for the Wings. I'm looking at Helm, Miller, Abdelkader and Eaves as candidates.
As for the roster of forwards:
Pav, Z, Mule, Fil, Cleary, and Hudler have six of the spots.
The rest are up in the air to a certain degree. My best guess:
They resign RFA's Helm, Eaves, Miller, Abdelkader, and Ritola. They resign UFA's Homer and Bert.
Drapes (with a year left) and Malts (resigned for one more year) are sent to Grand Rapids a la McCarty to bury their contracts, provide playoff depth, and serve as coaches in training camp, or potential injury call ups.
J Will leaves.