one thought…

there is no need to rush anyone back at this point, the team is winning, and after thursday the wings have 5 days off.  I say rest up Frazen, Drake.  Keep the winning lineup in tact for now, and then in those 5 days off decide who to put where.  It would be something to win the remainder of this road trip and come back from the break fully healthy.  A little more time for Ellis and Downey now, is just going to make us that much deeper later in the season.

and who knows maybe Hasek retires in the time.

Posted by Jdunc from Flint, MI on 10/29/07 at 07:57 AM ET

I think you’ve got to keep MBFC together until they stop dominating (literally) everyone they play against.

This is a nice “problem” for the Wings to have, right now.

As for the rest of the roster decisions, I have no clue. I’d probably leave the Filpulla/Hudler/Sammy line in tact because they’ve played well a few games going now, and have points to show for it. I’d get Franzen on the third line and give him PP time with the second unit, moving Sammy to the point.

Posted by Nathan on 10/29/07 at 08:23 AM ET

Hudler’s play last night made this an issue.  If he’d have been invisible again the slam-dunk answer is Franzen on the left wing of the Flippula Samuelsson line.

Now it’s a “problem”.  Short term I say move Downey out and give Franzen his spot on the 4th line, likely centering that unit with Kopecky and Ellis while Draper/Maltby/Cleary is still used on the third unit.

Then once Franzen gets back to a complete 100% Babcock has a tough call to make.  At the end of the day I think Hudler gets bounced down to the fourth line because Franzen is a kind of player Babcock wants, and Hudler’s just not.  Also, a Franzen-Filppula-Samuelsson line is a tougher matchup for opposing offenses.

If Hudler gets hot, he stays.

Posted by HockeyinHD on 10/29/07 at 08:24 AM ET

I agree with keeping the Happy, Flipper, and Sam line intact for the moment.

Posted by Moocat on 10/29/07 at 08:37 AM ET

WOW: I haven’t the slightest idea who plays or sits.  It doesn’t seem that toughness or grit has been a problem for the Wings so Downey is not a must keep. Of course, one can make the case that his presence alone keeps the opposition wary. Granted.

That said, I think I know what Babbles will do. When Franzen and Drake come back, Ellis, Downey, Hudler and the returnees will all be battling for roster spots. This decision will be made during those wonderfully closed practices; everyday will literally turn into a try out.

$*$& ! I get nervous just thinking about it, I can’t imagine what the players go through. Good for Babbles to elicit that kind of effort though.

Also, we need to get Howard back to GR ASAP! He needs to be playing a lot in game situations.

Posted by srt on 10/29/07 at 08:44 AM ET

I think that Hudler has earned Babcock’s respect. He clearly worked on his skating. He’ll never be a guy that plays great defense, but his effort is better than last year and he’s got a lot more burst in his legs. Case in point: he wouldn’t have scored that goal last night if this were last season’s edition of Jiri Hudler.

I think that either Drake or Downey need to be in the lineup at all times, but never both (injury situations excluded). Drake is obviously the more useful player with his PK experience.

I think Downey’s definately out with those two guys coming back. Ellis (sadly) is probably back to the 13th forward role, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that role is flipped between Ellis and Kopecky.

Posted by Nathan on 10/29/07 at 09:27 AM ET

SRT,

I’ll agree with you on getting Howard back to Grand Rapids ASAP. I was at the Griffins game yesterday and watched them get spanked by Peoria 7-1.

But it was still fun as i took my daughter to her first hockey game and Brad Ference flipped a puck over the glass right to us.

Posted by TheFreak on 10/29/07 at 09:37 AM ET

Wait until Franzen is 100% healthy.  Who knows, by then the problem may solve itself by someone else getting hurt--unfortunate, true, but hardly unlikely.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the players in and out of the lineup are continually rotated-play two games, sit one for example-as long as they are all playing well and no one else gets hurt.  It’s worse than being in the lineup every day, but better than not playing at all, and it keeps everyone sharp to cover for injuries, slumps, or lousy matchups.

The Central is looking so much better than last year.  The divisional games are going to be a lot of fun to watch.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 10/29/07 at 09:56 AM ET

Well whatever happens, Babcock won’t hesistate to put the big line back together if he feels the slightest inclination of a undeserved loss coming on.  Babcock may not be the creative line maker that some fans want, but he knows what wins. 

I think he’ll break them up and hope that the depth it creates won’t cut the productivity in half.  If Zetterberg becomes merely a ppg guy, I think he’ll put them back.

Posted by Heaton on 10/29/07 at 10:01 AM ET

A more competitive Central is a good thing.  Still wish it wasn’t 8 games against each team (thanks, Gary). 

Getting ready hear to watch the Sidney Crosby traveling circus on Thursday, finally get to see him play in person.  Wish Ovechkin was coming here this year too.  (thanks, Gary) O.k. no more crying from me about the schedule.

Having Chicago and St. Louis improving is good for the NHL and also good for us suffering Wings’ fans so we can get some competitive games to watch.

Posted by hockeychic from Denver, CO on 10/29/07 at 10:01 AM ET

Also, about Franzen being 100% healthy, this is Babcock we’re talking about, when Franzen comes back, he’s 100%.

Babcock hears Zetterberg sneeze and he’s about to get him checked out. 

He wears a tin foil hat and a matching tin foil suit.

Posted by Heaton on 10/29/07 at 10:04 AM ET

Also, about Franzen being 100% healthy, this is Babcock we’re talking about, when Franzen comes back, he’s 100%.

I think the entire organization is a bunch of mother hens--in a good way.  No point in somebody coming back early, hurting himself again, and missing three times as many games as if he had waited a while longer and been sure he was okay.

He wears a tin foil hat and a matching tin foil suit.

Halloween costume idea! 

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 10/29/07 at 11:21 AM ET

I think that Hudler has earned Babcock’s respect.

6:21
10:49
8:53
5:08
12:40
11:12

He may have earned ‘respect’, but he hasn’t earned IT. If he keeps producing, he will.  One goal, however impressive, doesn’t earn much long-term cache on this team with this coach.

I like that.

Posted by HockeyinHD on 10/29/07 at 11:28 AM ET

I honestly believe that Hudler is losing ice time because it’s harder to take that top line off than anything. When you’ve got a line that dominant, it’s hard not to play them, regardless of the quality of the rest of your team.

Posted by Nathan on 10/29/07 at 12:31 PM ET

That would imply Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Holmstrom’s IT has gone up the past 6 games, and it’s been pretty consistent.

Posted by HockeyinHD on 10/29/07 at 03:25 PM ET

Look, I don’t disagree with you’re comments about Babcock’s philosophy of giving out ice time. I simply think that Hudler has solidified his spot in this lineup. I believe that his efforts in-game this year have proven that he’s willing to work hard to stay in the lineup for 82 games, barring injury.

Now, there could be plenty of things going on at practice that none of us know about that could relegate him back to #13 when these guys get healthy, but like I just said… we don’t know that.

Posted by Nathan on 10/29/07 at 03:53 PM ET

So it turns out that Ellis and Downey are sitting; Drake and Franzen are back in.

I’m sad in that happy way…

Didn’t Franzen have a goal/ point streak before getting hurt? I hope he can pick back up. No, I can’t go on… I want Ellis in damn it.. 

Posted by srt on 10/29/07 at 08:49 PM ET

I’m moderately surprised Drake is in over Ellis, other than that it’s falling out as it pretty much had to.

Watch your six, Hudler.  (Um, that’s airplane talk, Chief.  I can’t translate that to Navy-ese.)

Still, Drake in and Ellis out.  That makes me a little sad, since I think Drake’s been mostly awful this year.

Nathan - I don’t see how one goal in one game during a stretch of 6 games where Hudler is getting minimal IT can lead one to anything approaching the conclusion that Hudler’s solidified anything.  IMO he’ll never have a ‘soldified’ position on this team till he starts putting up 50+ point seasons routinely.

In other words, if enough people outplay him for a second line spot, he’s toast.  When Samuelsson and Franzen were both out this was unlikely.  With both back the danger of Hudler getting passed for IT grows exponentially, because Babcock has always struck me as a huge fan of Franzen’s game.

Posted by HockeyinHD on 10/29/07 at 09:15 PM ET