Kacie

Sheesh, I said it was interesting, not some be all, end all defining stat.  Mostly for those of us, myself included, who felt like all the signings was just more of the same.  Or as Valenti said, up until the DeBrincat trade, the other signings didn't get the blood flowing to the nether regions.  It was also from July 4th, so the trade hadn't yet been made which is why Kubalik and DeBrincant were not included.  Carry on with the over analysis.

Departed skaters Bertuzzi, Hronek, Vrana, Erne, Suter, Oesterle, Hagg, Zadina & Sundqvist combined for 50 goals and -40 for Red Wings last season. Skaters acquired Compher, Sprong, Gostibehere, Holl & Kostin combined for 63 goals and +43 in ‘22-23.

Interesting tidbit from Pat Caputo.

Sorry for doubting you, Steve...Mr. Yzerman, sir.

Not sure if anyone else caught the interview with Larkin at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, but when asked about the upcoming season he said something to the effect that the Wings need to bring in "talent".  He wasn't shy last season about the Bertuzzi trade and how it took the wind of out the sails of the team when they felt they were close to getting into the playoff hunt.  Why sign the guy for 8 years and hang him out to dry?  Is he going to hang around another 2-3 years just to make the playoffs?  I feel like DeBrincat would get them to the floor and actually improve the team.  

Reimer, Lyon and Holl.  Can't contain my excitement. 

14 hours ago, lordstanley said:

With the caveat that I may change my tune 24 hours from now if July 1 takes a surprising turn.

Yzerman in his 4 years has taken a steady, conservative approach without a sense of urgency. That isn't inherently good or bad. Canadian teams often prematurely rush the process by signing a big name due to fan or media pressure to do something now, do anything. But goodwill Yzerman has built up from his playing days and Tampa tenure and the fact that enough fans have been sated by 4 Cups in 11 years has caused many to take a puffball approach to his record. 

There is the hope and expectation that he will replicate what he did in Tampa. That was first real executive job. He might repeat it. But any success depends on luck as well, and no guarantee that lightning will strike twice. Exhibit 1: drafting good fortune the Wings had in the late '80s and early '90s versus lack of lottery luck the past 7 years. Many examples of entrepreneurs making a ton of money and fame launching one business but then not hitting paydirt again the rest of the way. Past is only a partial indicator of future.

Yzerman has made a bunch of little moves and on balance more than often not they've been small wins. But when I look objectively at all of his drafts and trades and signings so far, I count one and only one move that lives up to the Yzerman hype so far - drafting Seider when almost everyone saw that as a reach. True that likewise he hasn't made any disastrous signings, trades or picks so far but it has been safety first so far.

Maybe that's ok, provided the Wings progress bit by bit. But willingly giving up on Vrana, Bertuzzi and Hronek presents the first real challenge of the Yzerman era. Without replacing them this weekend, the WIngs will likely be a worse team in 2023-24 than they were in 2022-2023. I was hoping for better 4 years in. Not that I blame him, there's still no other GM I'd rather have at this point, but we need to catch a break and it has been awhile since the Red Wings have. 

Thank you for saying so well what I didn't take the time to say in my frustration.  All of this.  The assumption that just because Yzerman built the pieces for Cup wins( but they didn't win until after he left), the conservative approach, the puzzling moves.  I'd also add staying with Blashill too long.

I'd disagree though that the Wings were just lucky in the 80's and 90's with their draft picks or that it was other teams lacking.  They had an owner and management who were obsessed with winning and rolled the dice.  We can look back now and say it's so obvious, but it wasn't really then.  

Obviously, no one wants a quick fix and multiple old, cap busting free agents.  But yes, I believe the rebuild should be farther along by now and I think you can get into the playoffs without sacrificing long term success. We hear endlessly about culture.  Eventually going year after year of not making the playoffs is going to take a toll on players and fans.  

Meh, I'm growing a little tired and frustrated with let's trust Yzerman's mad genius approach.  Am I expecting multiple Stanley Cups the next few years?  No.  But to not even sniff the playoffs after 5 years?  Come on, Seattle made the playoffs in their second year of existence, we know what Vegas did.  If Ken Holland or literally anyone else was doing a similar thing, fans would want his head on a platter.  Similar to the Tigers, they're losing an entire generation of fans who couldn't give a crap about hockey anymore.  Jimmy D got the Wings from Dead Wings to WCF in less than 5 years.  

While watching the numerous giveaways and lapses by the Lightning in the first two periods, I realized, that yeah, it actually was Blashill that was the problem.  Sure, some new faces, but when you see  who's missing and how well the team is playing, hard not to come to that conclusion.   Austin Czarnik?  Oesterle?  Newsy getting the most out of players.  

It costs money to evacuate.  There were hundreds of thousands of residents to evacuate and only a few thousand shelter spaces.  Not all were for those who are disabled, not all are for those who have pets.  It sounds easy to say, go somewhere.  Where do they go then? How many have oxygen tanks or walkers or wheelchairs, in addition to memory, cognitive, incontinence and other health issues?    They're supposed to hop in their car and drive 300 miles?    Also, up until the night before, Tampa was expected to be "ground zero".  Not everyone has thousands or even hundreds of dollars or a car or place to go.  I thought the judgmental assholes were put in their place after Katrina?  Guess not.  If you truly cannot imagine, consider yourself fortunate.  

As if any conversation wouldn't start and end with Seider and Raymond.  

I gotta learn how to post tweets!  Seems like going from Calgary to Cowlumbus is...makes no sense.  

Gaudreau to the Blue Jackets, according to Elliotte Friedman

38 minutes ago, oblong said:

In the next few months I bet we will see a doctor or even a mother prosecuted for performing an abortion that will have been done to protect the mother’s health. It will be a mother in her early 40s with two teenage children. An upper middle class family.  The kids will be honor students and athletes.  That’s the kind of thing that needs to happen so that the general pro life public who thinks this is just about birth control sees the real world consequences.  Too many people assume it’s about loose women just wanting to have guilt free sex and just call themselves pro life because of that.  Like Rosa Parks the test case has to be carefully selected. 

In the pre-Trump era, maybe.  Not now.  Little kids being murdered in Sandy Hook and Uvalde didn't move the needle.  I can't really see anything that will get the cultists to change their mind.  Unless the Democrats can actually get their shit together and get a cohesive message and dictate the narrative and get the media to stop both sidesing everything, I really don't see it happening.  Their owning the Libs.  That's all they want.  They couldn't care less about anyone dying.  How many of them died of Covid just so they didn't have to wear a mask or get a vaccine?  I've lost hope that anything will actually get through to the psychopaths.

2 hours ago, Motown Bombers said:

Yeah I'm the one with the AR15 when I still haven't gotten a straight answer on how Biden, Schumer and Pelosi are to blame for the Republicans overturning Roe. Best I got was Pelosi endorsing one representative and Biden making a comment of McConnell being reasonable. 

You've answered your own question.  We need more Democrats in the House and Senate. Everyone agrees with that.  How?  The Democratic party has been saying, vote for us, we'll make your lives better...lower drug costs, health care, abortion rights, student loans, the environment, housing. What has been accomplished on any of those matters? Now we've got out of control inflation and a recession on the horizon on top of that. If you're a 28 year old with massive debt, can't afford a place to live, can't to go to the doctor, now you can't get an abortion, everything costs more, what's going to make you vote Blue?  They did that in 2018 and 2020, has anything really changed for them?  All they get is a collective, what are we supposed to do?  The fillibuster, Mitch, Fox News, it's not our fault we can't get things done.  What specifically is the geriatric leadership doing to fund or promote candidates or anything of that matter to get them elected?

They sit back and let the Republicans direct the narrative and they have no come back, no defense, no collective definitive message.  But just wait, now they're really mad and outraged, things will really change *this* time.

13 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

Pelosi got the bill passed in the house. One more Democrat in the house is meaningless in regards to codifying Roe. The bill passed the house with only one Democrat dissenting. Tell me, how does Pelosi get it passed in the senate? Remember, 49 of 50 Democratic senators passed it in the senate including pro-life Democrat Bob Casey.

At some pint, you actually have to start blaming the people who overturned Roe such as all the justices appointed by Republicans and confirmed by Republican majorities. 

So what happens in 2022 if there is a majority in the Senate and it can't get passed due to the Pro Death Democrat in the house?  Whattya gonna do?  

Yeah, the Tigers keep losing because the Yankees are so good.  I mean Avila has only had 8 years.  To heck with winning, we can cheer those Miggy milestones!  We can't expect to win when everyone else is good.  It's not that we suck, it's just other teams are good.  Nothing we can do about it.  Stop blaming the Tigers, blame the rest of the league!

13 minutes ago, mtutiger said:

Have you considered that Cisneros lost because her message did not resonate with much of the district that she represents? Particularly those living in Laredo and along the border?

People talk as if the Democratic Party is magically pulling strings to get candidates elected, yet at the end of the day, it's the voters who ultimately decide these elections. 

It was the same damn thing when Biden won the nomination.... for some reason, people seem to just want to marginalize the views or feelings of the voters who maybe aren't hard core progressives and just treat them as sheep being herded by the national party.

Have you considered Cuellar won because he had to endorsement of the Speaker of the House? She literally went to Texas to campaign for him.  Isn't that what money and campaigning is for, to convince voters? My understanding is that she lost by a few hundred votes.  How does Pelosi say out one side she's Pro Choice, but campaigns for the Pro Death candidate?  Does a challenger have as much money as an incumbent?  Again, let's just keep losing, sending out the same message over and over and point our fingers everywhere else and not look at what can be done differently as democracy dies.

13 hours ago, Motown Bombers said:

267 out of 269 Democrats voted to codify Roe. How exactly did Democrats not vote with their leadership? McConnell was only one of 15 Republicans to vote for the gun bill. 35 Republicans literally voted against McConnell but somehow his leadership got them to vote with them. All 50 Democrats voted the same as Schumer so tell me again how the Democrats don't vote with their leadership? 

In the confirmation hearing for Kavanaugh, Murkowski was a no. In the confirmation hearing for Coney Barrett Collins was a number. That's the same number of Republicans voting against McConnell as Democrats voting against Schumer to codify Roe. Only difference is the Republicans had a small margin to work with. 

You have yet to tell me what Pelosi can do after 218 out of 219 Democrats voted to codify Roe. You have yet to explain what Schumer could have done after 49 out of 50 Democrats voted to codify Roe. Instead you blame Biden, when among other ridiculous things, blame him for not getting Republicans to codify Roe.

Maybe Pelosi could start by not campaigning for the only Democratic Pro Forced Birth candidate.

When your team keeps losing, you eventually have to look at why.  The first place to look in these instances is leadership.  At some point you can't keep blaming the other team for winning.  

4 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

Probably because there was more willingness from Republicans to work on the gun bill. If what it took was a little flattery of McConnell to get it done, then so be it. 

Go ahead with your firing squad on Democrats. Just remember that 267 out of 269 Democrats, or 99%, voted to codify Roe and zero, not even a single Republican, voted to codify Roe. Every justice that voted to overturn Roe was nominated by a Republican. Every justice that voted to overturn Roe was confirmed by a Republican majority. Every justice who upheld Roe was appointed by a Democrat and confirmed by a Democratic majority. Every state that has passed abortion bans have been red states. Every state that has codified abortion have been blue states. Go ahead, blame Biden and the Democrats instead of the Republicans.

You still haven't told me what Pelosi is suppose to do after getting 218 out of 219 Democrats to codify Roe or what Schumer is suppose to do who got 49 out of 50 Democrats to codify Roe. What exactly is Joe Biden supposed to do? How does he get a senator from a state that Trump won by 30 points to make the unpopular decision to end the filibuster? Explain to me what this new generation of Democrat would have done differently. 

You keep contradicting yourself.  You're saying all that Biden had to do was flatter ole Mitch a bit to get this done.  Then you basically admit the Republicans wanted this gun control lite which does very little so they can pretend like they care about Uvalde. Biden did nothing to convince anyone.  If it had any actual substance in it, it would have been DOA. You prove my point that the Republicans vote with their leadership.  The Democrats don't. Why is that?   Votes like that of Murkowski and Collins are tokens.  You know that if their votes are needed, they tow the party line.  

The Republicans convinced their base that Donald Trump was the second coming and that the election was stolen and incited thousands of them to storm the capital to end democracy was we know it.  But yeah, it's impossible for the Democratic leadership to convince people to vote for like health care and gun reform and all that other radical leftist agenda nonsense.

3 hours ago, Motown Bombers said:

The amazing thing is McConnell has been in the senate nearly 40 years and finally got Roe overturned. Schumer has been leader for two years and it's OMG Schumer can't get anything done. 

The funny thing about complaining about Biden complimenting McConnell is that Biden got a gun bill passed that needed more than 10 Republicans to vote for it. Maybe Biden knows how this works after all. 

You tell me.  Since Biden knows how this all works and he got the gun bill passed.  Those were your words.   *He* got 10 Republicans to vote for it, right?  Why can't he get 2 Democrats and or a Republican to vote for an abortion bill?   You're trying to both sides this.  If he gets credit for getting the gun bill passed, he should then receive criticism for not getting the abortion bill passed.

2 hours ago, Motown Bombers said:

The amazing thing is McConnell has been in the senate nearly 40 years and finally got Roe overturned. Schumer has been leader for two years and it's OMG Schumer can't get anything done. 

The funny thing about complaining about Biden complimenting McConnell is that Biden got a gun bill passed that needed more than 10 Republicans to vote for it. Maybe Biden knows how this works after all. 

Has Schumer been able to get his entire party to align with him?  He has been in the Senate since 1999.  Overturning Roe v. Wade is the only thing the Republicans have done in the past 40 years? Biden got the "gun bill" passed, but it's not Biden's fault he can't get his own party to codify abortion?  He can't get Collins and Murkowski to vote with him, though they are supposedly pro choice?  Biden has it all figured out, yet here we are.  

This has been in the works since the '80's.  I don't know why anyone is acting surprised.  

I have little faith that the Democrats can capitalize on any of this.  They still don't get the game has changed.  They can't get any kind of unified message.  When you have Joe Biden praising Mitch McConnell, how can anyone expect to get anything done?  While Biden was a no brainer over Trump, his time has passed, along with Pelosi, Schumer, etc.  They need to pass the torch to the next generation who gets how this all works.  

3 hours ago, Archie said:

One thing I hope everyone has learned in this tragedy is you can't use the excuse that the police are there to protect you to take guns away.  Police officers are everyday people like we are and most aren't going to put their life on the line to save you or your family.  This isn't the first time police have not responded.  The officer at Parkland didn't or wouldn't go in the school either during the shooting.  If the shit hits the fan you are on your own.  Its better to be prepared.

That's bullshit...how convenient of you to forget the brave African American security guard who was probably being paid $12/hr give his life to protect shoppers he didn't know in Buffalo...plenty of brave folks out there. Remember all the first responders who died on 9/11? The Uvalde police force are cowardly pussies. Probably couldn't be bothered to save a bunch of brown kids. if 19 of them were afraid of one teenager with a gun, maybe that should tell you something.  Now they need security to protect themselves? Seriously, fuck them. 

Plenty of us healthcare workers put our lives on the line day after day and had to try and save assholes who insisted they didn't have Covid or that it was a hoax and not only had to worry about contracting the virus, but had to fear for our safety from all gun wielding Trumpturd assholes.  

54 minutes ago, Archie said:

Why should I not be able to protect myself and my family?  This country is very dangerous and the democrats and their policies are to blame.  It will only get worse as long as they are in office.  I'm not too worried because there is no way they are taking guns from people.

Why shouldn't I be able to protect my access to my health and life and that of my family?

If you're a legal gun owner, why are you opposed to a background check, a waiting period, proper identification?  

5 minutes ago, Archie said:

You believe nothing should be done to prevent perfectly healthy unborn babies from being killed so how are you different from Abbott if he truly will do nothing to prevent children from being shot?  If you are saying Abbott wants kids to be shot I think you're way off base.

You think nothing can be done to prevent perfectly healthy already born children from being slaughtered because of "muh rights", so how are you different from Abbott?

If Abbott didn't want kids to be shot, he could do something about.  He chooses not to change gun laws.  He chooses not to fund mental health initiatives.  He's choosing to attend a fund raiser while the bodies of the children were still warm.  He's choosing to support the NRA this weekend, instead of figuring out why the fucking trained good guys with guns sat there and did NOTHING while children begged for their lives.  That's evil.

27 minutes ago, Archie said:

Abbott isn't evil and the guy writing that is more evil than Abbott for saying that. Disagree with someones politics doesn't make them evil.  The killer was evil.  How could someone do what he did and not be evil.

The guy let people fucking freeze to death for a buck.  He's PAYING people to snitch on someone who will get an abortion, but will do nothing to prevent children from being shot.  That isn't political, that's fucking evil.