1984Echoes

Melifonwu.

I thought the Ravens were on the Redskins/HOGS track this year... Just steamrolling everybody in their way... Whoops!

"He who wins the Red Zone... Wins the game" ?

Whoever wins... Faces the Chiefs. Super Bowl.

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/06/donald-trump-roy-cohn-relationship How Donald Trump and Roy Cohn’s Ruthless Symbiosis Changed America In 1973, a brash young would-be developer from Queens met one of New York’s premier power brokers: Roy Cohn, whose name is still synonymous with the rise of McCarthyism and its dark political arts. With the ruthless attorney as a guide, Trump propelled himself into the city’s power circles and learned many of the tactics that would inexplicably lead him to the White House years later.

Holy Shenanigans Batman!!!

3 dead US Troops in Jordan attacked by drone from Iranian backed militia. Possible 34+ additional injured. If not War, Iran is courting a direct military response from the U.S. This is the escalation Iran wants and the U.S. needs to place at Iran's doorstep. Not in their neighbor's (Yemen, Syria, Iraq) yards... https://www.yahoo.com/news/biden-three-americans-killed-many-164752549.html Three US troops are killed and dozens are injured in a drone strike by Iran-backed militia in Jordan BY ZEKE MILLER and LOLITA C. BALDOR Updated Sun, January 28, 2024 at 3:04 PM EST

Carpe diem dude!

By. Harris. (And congrats to Colt!).

I. Am. Hugely. Impressed.

Butterflies actually popping up for a Lions game... I don't remember the last time...

You're still misstating. I've already said if it takes a 1st and a 2nd, then do it. And as you've pointed out, it might take Kasper/ Cossa/ etc. to swing the deal. I've agreed. "Nothing of value" is not correct. In fact it's complete BS because I've already stated otherwise. Which is why I don't appreciate you misrepresenting what I have said. Trying to get away with as little value given as possible? Of course that's my position. That's what ANYONE's position would be, including NHL GM's. But when it comes down to getting the deal done, you have to give talent to get talent. I've never said anything otherwise. But yes, I'd love to minimize the cost, and throw in excess prospects (to me, like Wallinder, Johansson, 1 of Cossa/ Augustine I'm good with and have already said so, etc...) if it minimizes trade cost. And I'd love to also trade guys who become excess if a trade is made for a high-end talent. For picks or whatever coming back. NONE of what I've said deserves "worse than a sports talk radio caller". IMO. We're done. I'm not arguing this anymore. Your caricatures were rude.

I never said that or anything like that. You are purposely misconstruing what I am saying. To what end: be clever? Did you think you were being clever here?

Hanifan and Lindholm are leaps and bounds better.

I'm hoping so... It takes two to Tango.

If you trade a D'man for a D'man (Ghost for Hanifan, just as an example); how has a hole been created? Promoting Edvinsson is a separate issue, IMO. Although that makes 1 of Chiarot or Matta expendable (Hanifan becomes #1 with Seider, plus Edvinsson as a #3 with Walman #2, or the other way around? Plus Ghost, plus... so how many LH'ed defenseman do we need on the Wings BTW...?).

I'm on board. I think we could throw Chiarot in there too, and maybe even Kane. I think I mentioned earlier I'd like Yzerman to be both a seller AND a buyer this deadline... I'd like him to buy a couple higher end players... if that's possible.

PS: The flipside is that: If you let too many young guys fester in the minors because of an unwillingness to make trades... their value deteriorates. You can lose organizational value by just... sitting on prospects. IMO.

Two highly regarded goalie prospects: Augustine and Cossa. And we have two current NHL goalies at different levels of reliability... Lots of LH'ed defenseman both NHL'ers and highly regarded prospects: Chiarot Gostisbehere Maatta Walman Edvinsson Albert Johansson William Wallinder Maybe even Shai Buium or Larry Keenan if another team were interested (highly debatable, but still...) If we were to trade for a #2 Center (Lindholm, just as an example): How many #2 Centers do we have, aside from the traded for guy (and Larkin at #1) Compher? Copp? Kasper? Danielson? That would make (5) #2 Centers now, or shortly in the future... Seriously? Yzerman has NOTHING that he can trade with? (And sometimes a vet is needed to be included to match up salaries... etc..). I'm sorry, but I disagree. Yzerman is in a position NOW... IMO... to start making team building moves that put this team at a much higher level. I DO think he would have to be careful, because to your point, an overpay in prospects/ picks could be as much of a setback as a step forward, organizationally... But I believe Yzerman has the ammunition to consider strong team-building moves... if he so chooses. One guy coming in and a couple going out are fine by me... And I think Yzerman has enough to work with... Just my 2 cents.

PS: If Yzerman could hold onto Edvinsson and get a Hanifan... We have a crapload of LH'ed defenseman to trade (both NHL'ers and prospects): Maatta, Gostisbehere, Chiarot, Albert Johansson, Wallinder, etc... PLEASE someone have an interest in a couple of these guys as part of a package...

The only thing that would hold me back on Cossa is we still need a #1 goalie. Is that Cossa? Maybe/ maybe not. I have no clue. And I don't know what the Org "really" thinks about him. Maybe they're ready to trade off Husso (probably zero interest in him though with performance & contract...) Or... maybe Yzerman is perfectly fine with trading Cossa for one of these guys and signing Augustine and throwing him to Grand Rapids for a short while before bringing him up to the Wings... I don't know the answers to any of that. But... if Yzerman trades Cossa... I guess I just "Trust in the Yzerplan". If it happens... it happens. But we need a #1 goalie. And we need a couple bigger, tougher, two-way players (1 each for offense & defense, at least, IMO. Maybe 1 offense and TWO defenseman the way our defense currently looks...)

I have a few thoughts... 1) Just in general: I think Yzerman is trying to figure out how to get this team into the playoffs, and he wants to get them in now. That's why he signed/ traded for a boatload of players in both 2022 and 2023. 2) But we're still a fringe playoff team, at best. And maybe not even that. 3) At the top level (organizational), I think Yzerman wants not just to get this team into the playoffs, but to create a sustainable, year-after-year, high-level playoff team (with chances to get into the Stanley Cup). I mean... obviously. 4) So #3 is the one I am really keying on... not just the sustainability, but at the highest level. The Wings will have to - MUST - rely on Yzerman and their scouts to continuously unearth drafted gems in order to keep a pipeline full, to sustain any kind of competitive team. I think that's a minimum. One of the keys, that Yzerman himself pointed out, was that the Wings cannot just rely on 1st or 2nd rounders drafted, but that they have to have the ability to find "gems" later in the draft. I don't see that, yet. Soderblom? Big and slow, but also agile in short spaces and top-notch stick-handling/ puck-control/ scoring ability... but still very iffy as an NHL'er. A liability on defense. Carter Mazur? A scrappy guy... not in the NHL yet and I don't know what we get with him. A scorer? Middle 6? Bottom 6? Nothing but a depth guy? Or more than that? Lombardi? Fast, but small. Better than Berggren? Or, not really? So... we have a lot of 1st or 2nd rounders on their way up... Not all of them will make it. We have excess in an area or two, but nothing concrete yet. Some guys are further away, and might make an impact (Pellikka, Danielson, Augustine), but noone is on the doorstep showing they'll make a huge impact, except maybe Edvinsson. 5) So I'm thinking... how is Yzerman going to create a high level playoff type team? He's not going to rest until he accomplishes that... right? And... I think he's going to want a mix of high-end vets to both get us there, AND to show the new rookies added to the team each year how to get it done right. I'm just guessing here... 6) So... on Kane: I mean, I love that he dominates the puck, and is showing that to the current team. A vet leader for this Wings team. I agree with buddha that I sign him for 2 more years at around $5mill total ($2.5mill AAV) and be done with it. The only thing that throws me off (not the only thing... he's 35 and had his hip resurfaced... I don't see longevity here...), is Vegas with "intense" interest, per the rumor mill. What does "intense" mean? A 1st rounder? That's way too much for Kane, and it would be at the end of the 1st in the late 20's, at best... But should Yzerman say no to a "king's ransom" or huge overpay if offered by Vegas (or anyone else)? 7) I actually want a different type player than Kane. Not the excellent puck control... we SORELY need that. But I'm looking for the big, tough, high-end two-way players that are ferocious on defense AND offer significant offense. It's why I have an interest in high end players like Hanifan and Lindholm. I would pay the trade cost to get them, AND pay them a going-rate contract. I think they add more to this team, and get us not only into the playoffs but at a higher level, than the Patrick Kane's of the world. And if Yzerman can somehow talk a team into more players and less high draft picks, if that's even possible... I am all for that.

Wild guess is an impacted wisdom tooth...

This. (Quite a change from our last conversation on Hooker...)