Not-A-Podcast - Episode One

Under normal circumstances, this would be a post that introduces another podcast.  Due to a few circumstances, we were not able to get together to record this week.  Instead of a podcast, we're each going to write a few thoughts on some of the major happenings of the Wings in the last week.  Come for the DeKeboners. Stay for the Ouellections.

WOOOOOOOOUELLET!
Photo credit: Kevin

Dan(ny)(iel) Cleary Being A Healthy Scratch

Kevin: Absolutely deserved.  A player on the second line and power play only having three points in 18 games?  Yeah, no. I know he's one of Babcock's guys, which should tell you how bad it was for Cleary's game.  He wasn't a total waste defensively and on the PK, but wasn't Helmtastic enough on the PK to justify a roster spot being used. He also didn't have to dress up for Halloween because he's a zombie. Exhibit A:

This picture was not edited at all.  Zombie.

Michelle: Maybe this makes me a jerk, but this is pretty close to what I expected from Cleary when we re-signed him. I don't think he's as good a player as he was in the playoffs. He's 24th out of 25 players on the team in relative corsi at even strength. I still don't like that we re-signed him, and I'm still scared that we'll do it again.

Tomas Tatar (Almost) Being A Healthy Scratch

Kevin: Fuck this shit.  I'm taking my ball and going home.  I know he ended up playing, but my point stays the same.  If he ever sits in favor of Dan Cleary, I may lose my shit.  Hopefully, in Babcock's office.

Michelle: Tatar didn't end up being a healthy scratch, thanks to Daniel Alfredsson continuing the Wings plague of groinitus. I don't agree with the decision to plan to scratch Tatar though, especially after he plays well, and certainly not so that Dan Cleary can play. I'm trying not to let the frustration of the Wings current lack of winning cause me to be too harsh, but I can't agree with benching Tatar in that situation regardless.

Danny DeKeyser and Xavier Ouellet Not Being Old and Being Awesome

Kevin: We'll have more on Mr. WOOOOOOuellet later this week.  Spoiler alert: WOOOOOOuellet is good at the hockey.

Mr. DDK is also good at the hockey.  He's been playing some top line minutes with Kronwall recently and has not disappointed.  Yes, he makes some mistakes, but the fact that he's played less than a half season of NHL games so far tell you that he's going to be real solid.  I sound like a broken record saying this, but it's true, so deal with it.

Michelle: I'm running out of creative ways to say that Danny DeKeyser is an incredibly special player and I may be in love. As Kevin said, he's not exempt from making mistakes, but the number and severity of mistakes he makes are small, especially when you consider that he's only played 34 career NHL games. When Ericsson hurt his shoulder, it was DeKeyser, not Kindl or Qincey who got promoted to the top pairing with Kronwall, and that had to be the easiest roster decision Babcock's made all season. DeKe is smart, calm, doesn't panic, and most of the time just makes the correct, simple, effective play. What more could we ask for from a rookie defenseman? What, you want some offense too? Jeeze you're greedy. He's also 7th on the team in points with 2 goals and 7 assists; including a short handed goal and a power play goal. Kronwall is the only defenseman with more points at 12 (1G 11A).

I think Ouellet will be the next DeKeyser, the defenseman to come in and be surprisingly good, even early on. We'll have something special coming soon on Ouellet.

Patrick Eaves Being Waived

Kevin:  Hockey wise, it makes sense.  Every other reason just sucks.  I've met Eaves on multiple occasions and he always took plenty of time and interacted with all the fans. The way he worked his way back from his injuries was amazing and I really hope he does awesome things in the future.

Also, fuck the Wings for not having the decency to tell him before the reporters informed him.  That is completely unacceptable and I won't forget about it anytime soon.

Michelle:  :(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( *Thanks Kevin, that pretty much sums up my feelings*. The Wings are in a situation where people have to go somewhere, not many teams have cap space to take on more players, and it seems that for numerous reasons, teams aren't interested in trading what we have to trade. I understand it's a business decision that had to be made, but that doesn't make it suck any less. I like Eaves a lot, he's one of my favorite players to cheer for and it goes beyond hockey. I feel bad for Eaves and his family. He now has to leave his wife and 2 young daughters (and Rueben too) in Detroit and head to Grand Rapids. Basically, everything about this sucks.

Gustav Nyquist Not Being Called Up Anytime Soon :(((((((((((((((((

Kevin: Fuck this shit.  I know the roster situation - there are eleventy billion forwards on the Wings and the Griffins.  I know the financial situation - the Wings have about $1.34 in cap space.  I know Nyquist's waiver situation - once he plays two more NHL games, he would have to go on waivers to be sent down, and he would not clear them because duh.

I also know he's done all the developing he can do in the AHL and playing there will slowly start to hurt his progress (see my theory on Tatar, Tomas).  I know that he's an NHL player and brings more to the table than some of the current Wings.  I know that he is NOT the Wings savior this year.  He may provide some solid secondary scoring, but he's not going to be a point-a-game guy (yet).  I believe he would help the Wings, but the longer he stays in the minors, the longer it's going to take him to adjust to the NHL once he does get called up.

Michelle: I'm so tired of hearing and talking about this. I want Nyquist up, I think he can help the team be better, it's not going to happen any time soon, and there's nothing I can do about it.

Other Things That Happened During The Weekend Games

Kevin: I hate my life.

Michelle: It's getting tougher and tougher to find bright spots when the Wings go 2 weeks without a win, but I'm going to keep trying. Hey, at least we keep finding different mistakes to make in order to lose games, right? The Wings play ok, they lose. The Wings get outplayed, they lose. The Wings play well and do the right things, they lose. It's not all doom and gloom, and we shouldn't give up on the season. There is still time to turn things around and get back to winning and make something good out of the season. But each game that goes by where we lost yet again, makes it increasingly difficult for the team at a whole, for the players as individuals, and for us fans. Hopefully I don't have to dig this deep for happy thoughts for very long. Just win please, Wings... Just win.


And that's what we would have talked about on the podcast.  We'll be recording a podcast this week, so hooray for that.  Per usual, you can find us and yell at us/give us podcast and other topics on the twitter:

Michelle
Kevin
BlueLinePatrol

Or the e-mail:  bluelinepatrol@gmail.com

Until next time....GO WINGS!!