That's unfortunate. Abdelkader has already proven that he has a spot on the Wings as a terrific checker so I guess now it's just a matter of whether or not he adds a little offensive pop for next season.
If Leino had been playing better, I sort of wish this move could have been done sooner. Just wondering if the cap space that would have been gained going without a reserve would come in handy in the upcoming weeks.
Tbh, I would prefer someone else to go down (Leino or May for example), but if that means losing them for nothing cause of waivers, I guess this is a logical move.
Maybe Abdelkader will improve until next year (or playoffs if we make it), by playing quality ice time on the 1st or 2nd line in GR. He can build a little chemistry with the other prospects (Tatar, Mursak, Kindl, etc), so when they 'graduate', they can come up and have that same understanding.
Tbh, I would prefer someone else to go down (Leino or May for example), but if that means losing them for nothing cause of waivers, I guess this is a logical move.
Yeah, logic dictated that the first move Holland made was to send his only waiver exempt player to GR. There was no drama or thinking to this at all.
However, barring additional injuries we will soon face some tough decisions. When Franzen returns at least one player will have to go, and I don't think May makes enough money to be enough by himself (he's IMO the next logical choice), and Miller & Eaves have played too well to discard. So, we could be looking at Leino being traded, or perhaps Maltby. I think something fairly significant is around the corner.
And if Lilja comes back before the playoffs, the shakeup will be even bigger.
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Originally Posted by ProPAIN
Maybe Abdelkader will improve until next year (or playoffs if we make it), by playing quality ice time on the 1st or 2nd line in GR. He can build a little chemistry with the other prospects (Tatar, Mursak, Kindl, etc), so when they 'graduate', they can come up and have that same understanding.
I doubt Abdelkader will develop much over the next couple of months. The level of competition he's facing will be so much lower, he's really just in for a brief glory skate before he's an NHL regular. If we make the playoffs I'm sure he'll be recalled, and if not then he'll be on the roster for sure next Fall.
Yeah, logic dictated that the first move Holland made was to send his only waiver exempt player to GR. There was no drama or thinking to this at all.
However, barring additional injuries we will soon face some tough decisions. When Franzen returns at least one player will have to go, and I don't think May makes enough money to be enough by himself (he's IMO the next logical choice), and Miller & Eaves have played too well to discard. So, we could be looking at Leino being traded, or perhaps Maltby. I think something fairly significant is around the corner.
And if Lilja comes back before the playoffs, the shakeup will be even bigger.
Completely disagree.
May and Leino bring nothing to the team. Losing them has absolutely no impact on the club at all. The Wings didn't expend anything to get them, so losing them for nothing is a net zero. Clearing Abdelkader made the space for Williams, Leino and May leaving opens up the roster space for Homer and Franzen.
If Lilja comes back, losing Meech won't dampen my eyes in the least. Derek Meech won't be the first 7th round pick to not stick with the club.
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I doubt Abdelkader will develop much over the next couple of months. The level of competition he's facing will be so much lower, he's really just in for a brief glory skate before he's an NHL regular. If we make the playoffs I'm sure he'll be recalled, and if not then he'll be on the roster for sure next Fall.
Quick question... do people really think Abdelkader was good? I didn't think he stood out at all this year. At best he was a Dallas Drake-lite.
Indeed. Maybe a little more offensive 'flair' would be nice.
This.
I like his defensive game, his forechecking, and the hitting but his offense could use a little confidence booster thats for sure.
He will play 20+ a night in GR or close to, play every situation and hopefully he doesnt take this to heart. He's a full timer next season without a doubt so there's no worries.
May at least brings a spark on the 4th line and he is willing to sack up and drop the gloves when needed. There's a place for that on this team.
Leino brings nothing. Meech brings very little, and anything he does bring can be brought better and in greater supply by other guys. Those are the two top candidates in my book when they need to clear space. May would probably be next but he could be valuable if they get to the playoffs in the Dallas Drake type role.
I like his defensive game, his forechecking, and the hitting but his offense could use a little confidence booster thats for sure.
He will play 20+ a night in GR or close to, play every situation and hopefully he doesnt take this to heart. He's a full timer next season without a doubt so there's no worries.
I don't think he's got a whole lot of offense to give, frankly. He looks like a good solid bottom 6 checker and energy line player, but I don't see him becoming much of a scorer. I could be wrong though. Time will tell.
You're reading too much into it. Abdelkader is an NHL player, especially on this team. The rest of Babcock's quote backs that up:
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if you just look at it from a purely selfish view from his point, now he gets to play 20 minutes a night instead of battling for seven or eight or 10 and surviving. It’s probably his last chance for a couple of years to play that many minutes, power play, penalty-kill.'
In other words, yes he is an NHL player, but just a 3rd or 4th liner right now. So he's not going to play 20 minutes a night in the NHL, not for a couple of years at least.
What Babcock did was compliment Abdelkader, and attempt to explain why he's (justifiably) taking the demotion hard. Abdelkader > Leino. Abdelkader > May. Babcock isn't refuting that at all. Everyone knows why he's being sent to Grand Rapids, and it has nothing to do with his play.
Outside of his hitting I wasn't impressed by Abdelkader at all. heck, i would go a step further and say he should have stayed at Michigan State for his senior year.
Outside of his hitting I wasn't impressed by Abdelkader at all.
yep. hitting alone is not enough. half the AHL can play 4th line and europe is full of players who could play 4th line as well. gator needs to add something to his game in the NHL. and i'm sure he will do that. but he doesn't belong to an injury free NHL team at the moment. i hope he can return next season and adds more scoring. i can see him being a useful 3rd line grinder with decent scoring in the future. just not now.
This is probably the best move for Abs, when it comes right down to it. He's been ok this season, as a fairly consistant 4th line checker, but he has looked overwhelmed at times. His offense has been surprisingly non-existant on top of that; he hasn't scored a goal in, what, 2-3 months? The last time I recall him scoring was the 9-1 game in Columbus, and that was three months ago.
It's probably best that he gets some big minutes to contribute with down in GR; that'll get his confidence back up, in time for a recall for the playoffs (if we make it). In the mean time, focus on dumping Lenio/May/Meech. Either take what you can, in the form of cap clearing draft picks, or just cut ties altogether with waivers. It's fairly obvious that none of those three have any future here, so if the return isn't very good (or anything at all), fine. The cap space is the important issue.
Abdelkader has not been impressive.
His hits aren't usually even that hard. His defensive zone play needs work.
Finally, he needs to improve his skating, which is below average.
Abdelkader has not been impressive.
His hits aren't usually even that hard. His defensive zone play needs work.
Finally, he needs to improve his skating, which is below average.
Abby's skating is fine, but the problem is he doesn't exactly know what he's doing. I get the feeling the sum total of his instructions at this point are 'run around, hit people, and don't screw anything up.'
It never looks like he's actually playing a system so much as constantly being the middle guy in a game of 'keepaway', getting to a guy after he's made his play.
That doesn't mean he's slow, even Helm doesn't always get to guys before they move the puck and he's about the fastest NHL skater I've ever seen, he just has a really, really, REALLY limited role.
DETROIT -- Detroit Red Wings defenseman Andreas Lilja is close to returning to action and could be assigned to Grand Rapids (AHL) as early as next week for a conditioning stint.
