1984Echoes

How Skubal is handled will tell us nothing. He's on the wrong timeframe. If we pay him according to Boras, we'll be paying for his 30+ years (age), for too long (10 years), and for future injured years. So... No thanks. Wrong timeframe. Most of Avila's players are on the wrong timeframe. Dingler and Keith most likely would join in the Harris-McGonigle-Clark timeframe, possibly Jobe if he can stay healthy and reach his potential... But I think a lot of Avila players are going to be shunted off the team when Harris finds better options more akin to his philosophy.

If it's McGonigle, Clark, Briceno, or Jobe (if they reach that level)... Then... Yes.

This is so completely beyond the pale it's ridiculous: I would like to see the SPECIFIC QUOTE where someone has said this. Aside from YOU. I want receipts, as chas likes to say.

Nor Imai... not a word and he went to the Astros. Bregman chose the Red Sox (last year) which I understood... But nothing of significance for the Tigers, no Tucker, no Bregman, no... anything. I'm starting to get the feeling that Harris prefers, and is comfortable with... Only... bottom-feeding. And there's nothing wrong with that... treasures can be mined out of the bottom of the barrel sometimes (injury recoveries, Flaherty/ Finnegan, etc...). But also, some hot garbage, with last year as a really good example. It can't just be ONLY that. Bottom feeding trying to find some lost treasure. Is Harris capable of finding higher end talent on the market? Or does he even have any interest there? Or do they have zero interest in the Tigers? Or is Harris only a bottom-feeder? Can he build a top-end championship competitive team? Out of bottom feeding only? Or will he surprise us one of these years and make a franchise altering trade or free agent signing that sets us up nicely? The answers, to me... will determine whether Harris is a long-term answer to our GM position or whether he was only capable of fixing the Avila errors and... nothing more. Building a true draft and development organization is a huge plus for me. I think he has this Org positioned nicely for the future and therefore I am still heavily on his bandwagon. But the ability to build top-level championship competitive teams is the end goal to me, not building a really good farm system. So... We'll see.

The "tell" will be... If, and what, they actually do when (if) they hit NHL regular season ice.

I don't think that is any more telling than MBN or Cossa not getting called up. They (the Wings or, probably more specifically, Cleary and Stevie Y) simply like "cooking" or "seasoning" the young guys until they are basically "overdone" or "overripe", or at least it seems that way to me. They want these kids to go through championship runs with the Griffins for the "experience"... fine. They want kids to keep working on eliminating as many warts as is possible down in GR... OK, fine. But I've been watching a lot of Griffins hockey recently (I recently found an AHL "channel" on my streaming....) Cossa, Wallinder and Tuomisto all look great. Fantastic. Now... this is AHL so I don't know what that means exactly in the translation to the NHL (whenever that day comes)... And obviously the Wings are "seasoning" them, still, in the AHL... but when I watched them, they each were able to use their size to control the puck. To block the opponent from "stealing" control, through reach (Wall & Tuom), size (Wall & Tuom) or simply "blocking out the sun" and providing no easy access for an opposing goal (Cossa). I saw excellent defense, and some offensive skill from both of the two D with zone clears, outlet passes, and even a couple of goals scored. They have the size to hold their own against forechecking and AHL size... obviously NHL size and toughness is another level altogether. But I'm not a scout, so what do I know? My guess though, is that these two are viable NHL defensemen, even if we don't know where they end up in the NHL (2nd pair, 3rd pair, 7th/8th D'men?) until they actually show what they can, or cannot do, at the NHL level. And we might not even see that until 2026-27. Maybe Tuomisto's skating or toughness isn't NHL good enough to be anything more than 7th D, or Wallinder's, same. But I no longer doubt them. I've seen enough to believe they are viable options. Somewhere. On the Wings. And I believe them to be bigger, faster, and stronger than Chiarot-ASP and they could easily be the Wings 2nd pair... right now... even with a lot of rookie/young kid warts or mistakes in the NHL. But that's just me. And... Even if Stevie Y prefers to keep "seasoning" them all 2025-26 AHL season long.

I think Buium has the highest upside of our Grand Rapids young defensemen... but he'll need time to get his legs back under him on the ice so I don't know if there's even a chance we see him with Detroit this season...? Maybe? I don't know what the odds are... But I hope he takes a roster spot on Opening Day 2026-27.

I think Ras is goosed on a line with Nate and Kasper. I think McLellan has been playing those 3 on the 3rd line... a lot recently... Swap Kasper with Finnie and see if we can both fix the top line (a little more strength needed) and keep the 3rd line on an upward swing. I don't think the 3rd line suffers from a Kasper-Finnie swap.

I think it's time to push Kasper back onto the 1st line. And not just because he is bigger/ stronger than Finnie. I just think he needs to be challenged to "step up". And yeah... I'm watching Finnie constantly put on his backside and it's going to get worse the next few months. Challenge Kasper to step it up, IMO. Danielson can center Ras (or the other way around) and Finnie... and maybe we could also get ourselves an effective 3rd line. Just a thought.

Holl is ONLY the answer for dumping Hamonic... I've never said otherwise. I agree that for the playoffs and for the next few months run TO the playoffs that ASP needs to be sheltered even moreso than now so he and Chiarot should be pushed down to 3rd pairing. How do we find a good defensive 2nd pairing (that also adds some offense?)...? Why... Wallinder-Tuomisto OF COURSE!!! (you expected anything different from m'wah?) 😁

Conversely... Let's say Ivey starts to recover in a way where he is, or is very close to, where he was at the beginning of last year. He's a restricted free agent, and I don't believe there will be big contracts offered to him this offseason... too much "prove it" is needed (health/growth/ceiling/defense?), IMO... So... If he actually DID get back to last year, before this season is finished... He and Ausar start as Cade's wingmen, pushing Duncan to the bench? If Ivey is hitting his 3's, we don't lose range, and gain some speed and D and secondary ball-handling... I'm going to guess he signs a 1 or 2 year "prove it" deal this offseason, with Detroit... I have no idea for how much money... but not prohibitive... As he works for another season or two trying to establish his "true" talent level. Which, IMO, we really don't know what that is just yet...

I am absolutely certain, 110%, that there is no god. But I won't quote any scientific fact this or scientific fact that... It's based simply on an understanding of human nature. Humans are curious, creative, and storytellers... so 50,000 years ago they created "The Happy Hunting Grounds" and didn't stop there, creating woodland spirits, animal spirits, river spirits, and on and on... All based on human storytelling. Man created "god" in his own image in order to describe all the things he couldn't understand. Now... Obviously... There is zero evidence there... so... my certainty is quite unconvincing... but I am not trying to convince you or anyone else to ummm... convert. Just a possible different perspective...

And this too... There is probably a breakdown of "unaffiliated" into: 1) Atheist 2) Atheist but afraid to declare so they call themselves agnostic 3) People like yourself who are true agnostics 4) Other...? 5) Per CMR & G2's definition... some call themselves "unaffiliated" even if they are Christian if they've decided to be unaffiliated with a church and therefore... But I wouldn't know what that breakdown is...

Which says PRRI would need to flesh out the definition of "unaffiliated" IE: respondents comments that would shed light on how THEY are defining themselves. You guys may be right... I am looking at it from one direction and not seeing the direction you're describing. I think respondents comments might shed some light...

No. Goalie first, fill in the blanks afterwards. Dude... you've been trying to trade Cossa from the moment we drafted him. This is not new. I mean from your perspective. Although I don't think I've changed on this stance either... I've always wanted to establish a dominant goalie as #1 priority; although I still want the "complete" team... just not at the expense of a potential dominant goalie. So, same answer as always, if Cossa is included... no to Rasmus and no to Hughes. Besides, wouldn't they make ASP redundant? He would be the first guy to consider being included in a trade of that nature... And no goalies until we know which one can dominate in the NHL. THEN I would consider a trade of the "extra" goalie or "blocked by our dominant #1 goalie" guys... IMO.

That doesn't sound very smart at all. He needs to figure out how to be less exposed/ more plate coverage...

And you don't just toss them to the curb searching for a 2nd pairing D'man. IMO.

Right... But you would still call yourself a Christian, right? Not a religiously "unaffiliated"... For example... A best buddy from college (brilliant dude, PHD in Accounting...) is Italian Catholic, his wife Cuban Catholic... And because he prefers discussing issues rather than being preached at, when he moved to PA to teach at University... He became a Quaker. Now I don't know the ins and outs of the Quaker church, I am just guessing based on his description that there isn't so much preaching as much as discussion roundtables (on religion, on issues, etc., etc... again, I don't know how they function exactly...). But he would still call himself Christian even if he is not a fan of church. He would pick one of the dozen choices that he would feel appropriate for himself. IMO, Christian is still Christian, even if not a fan of "church".

And we don't EVEN need to go there... Because if he can't hit adequately better than Mendoza... I believe we have better options. By adequate... I mean, IMO, that he needs to be a .240 plus guy, bare minimum. And an OBP close to or above .330... that, with his defense make him a starter. At least for now...

I wouldn't offer Cossa up. It's just too hard getting a top goalie on the team. Which, obviously, Cossa is NOT... Yet. And that to me is the problem. Until we have a dominant goalie in the crease, I am NOT trading Cossa. Or for that matter, Augustine, Postava, or Gylinder. I'm not saying DON'T trade a goalie... I'm just saying WAIT to trade a goalie (or 3) until AFTER we establish a young, true #1 goalie. Not until we establish our next #1... would I want to make goalie trades. It's almost like QB in football ("if you don't have a true #1 QB... you don't have a QB...). Ideally, I would like Gibson to be pushed over to 1B goalie... which is certainly "not yet". Since we seem to be stacking up decent forwards in the minors (so not counting Kasper or Danielson who are on the Wings) like MBN, Genborg, Plante, and possibly Lombardi...? Buchelnikov... I'm sure there are more... And we also have a few defensemen who are not all going to make it... but some team may want at least one D prospect included in a trade... I would rather deal from a strength, plus draft picks, to get a difference-making forward. Just my 2 cents. PS: Also, a Wing or two might go into a trade to match up salaries (if needed) so... who do we have on an expiring that could be part of a trade...?

I've had a lot of conversations with friends/ people in a meetup/discussion group/ etc... Who no longer believed... But were terrified to "come out" specifically because of this... They were "Christian (and some Muslims, who have it even worse) in name only".

I don't think there is a fix for this. The injuries are from playing violent smashmouth Dan Campbell football. On both offense and defense. There will be no way to reduce the injury count. And I don't want them to because it's winning football. However.., That also tells me that it will be valuable for Holmes to manage the cap in a way that we can sign multiple inexpensive veterans that both cover key positions as well as reduce some of the drop off in case of injury. This seems wildly prohibitive however, so it seems unlikely to me... But I still say Holmes will need to find a way to add lots of depth that is good enough to cover an injury or several, and inexpensively. So... The last point is: I think Holmes is going to have to figure out how to stockpile 2nd and 3rds and 4th and 5ths... instead of trading them all away... In order to draft and develop lots of competent young talent that can step up. Related to this is: I think he doesn't need to take wild swings on iffy players (injury risks mostly) anymore as the core talent is high enough to always be competitive. The search for any way to add talent (even huge injury or other risks) to a talent-bereft team no longer applies. IMO. Another terribly difficult task I am asking of Holmes but... There it is. The injuries aren't going to stop. Not the way they play. Better "next man up" plans are required because of that... IMO.

Say Ivey is still on the team after we trade for a 3 & D guy. Just for speculative purposes... And let's call him (traded for guy) a small forward. That would push Duncan to the bench and with him and Ivey and Stew coming in, that might just be a pretty dangerous bench... But we would require Duncan's replacement to have range, otherwise Cade will be suffering greatly with the starting 5... and he would definitely have to be better D than Duncan. (Hence 3&D (need)).

No. But maybe a 6th or 7th (draft pick... sorry if unclear...) from a desperate team down a goalie. And I think the team needs to turn over the 1A starting goalie position to Gibson (32 years old) and make that trade of Talbot (38 years old), even though I love what he's done as a Red Wing... to make way for Cossa as a 1B (for now).

"Pretend Christians"? To avoid being ostracized or persecuted...