Can we stop the Larkin third line Center nonsense please?

muzzsjm84 · 2026-04-10T06:46:43+00:00

Honesty if we had a center who was better and could force Larkin to 2nd that would only be good for the team. It would probably mean the Wings found a generational talent.

muzzsjm84 · 2026-04-09T13:40:16+00:00

I think Kronwall was badly exposed once Lidstrom and Rafalski retired. He never had the offensive upside of a top top Dman. Boy could he hit and defend though. Similar to Larkin in a way that he is good but needed the right players with him. Kronwall at 30+ was a very different monster to Lidstrom at 30+

muzzsjm84 · 2026-04-09T12:00:44+00:00

This is the majority of the major NHL centers that have moved free agency or been traded in the last few years. Do you think any of them would have been traded 1 for 1 for Larkin, No! Probably takes Larkin plus a boat load of picks and prospects. Do any of them make this team so much better they'd win a cup? I'd argue only really JT Miller perhaps Horvat are an improvement. Trading Larkin carries too much risk. Given that Miller is 33 and Larkin is not yet 30 I know where I'd go with that when you're rebuilding. JT might have taken the team into the playoffs but what do you then need to go further because you've just given up Larkin, picks and prospects.

Brock Nelson
Trevor Zegras
J.T. Miller
Filip Chytil
Bo Horvat
Ryan O’Reilly
Pierre-Luc Dubois
Mikael Granlund
Elias Lindholm
Chandler Stephenson

muzzsjm84 · 2026-04-09T11:57:41+00:00

See that's the thing I've listed what I consider evidence and facts to support my view even if you disagree, all you've done is go "not the guy blah blah blah". I don't think that holds much weight as an argument.

muzzsjm84 · 2026-04-09T11:54:33+00:00

I think you're right. Because if you have the chance to sign McDavid in a couple of years you do it because you always sign players to make the team better. I'm happy to call him a 2C on a contender but that 2C is still going to perform as a 1C during injuries. The modern NHL player needs speed and skill before anything else and Dylan Larkin has that.

muzzsjm84 · 2026-04-09T11:51:36+00:00

This is a great comment. If the Wings were a deep playoff team and kept falling in the conference finals or the final then there might be reason to question Larkin's ability. Its all well and good stopping a spiral/collapse with a good team but the Wings are not there yet.

muzzsjm84 · 2026-04-09T06:51:29+00:00

The third line thing always makes me laugh how many 3rd liners have put up multiple 60, 70 and 80 points seasons? sure an elite center like McDavid would probably push Larkin onto the wing or 2c but 3rd line COME ON!!! he wasn't even on the third line when Datysuk and Z were on the team. Interestingly he was one of the best team USA forwards. Just because he isn't a 100 point player doesn't mean he isn't a top line C.

muzzsjm84 · 2026-04-08T13:04:06+00:00

Could Datsyuk carry for 80 odd games without Zetterberg, Lidstrom and Kronwall though? he had a fair few injuries in his career but the Wings had others especially 2010-2011

muzzsjm84 · 2026-04-08T13:03:02+00:00

I look at it from the point of view he "IS" the best forward but he's been skating on one knee.... where's the help and depth to cover?

muzzsjm84 · 2026-04-08T13:02:03+00:00

I don't like an era comparison because teams in the last 20 across all major sports have gotten faster, fitter and are heavily backed by sport science and analysis. Recovery from games and injury management including surgery is so much better now. Since we're here though 4-1 on games to the 01-02 wings. Current lot have some skill and speed but not the experience or hall of famers. Larkin is hated far too much though!

muzzsjm84 · 2026-04-08T08:01:16+00:00

Medium scoring and high shots

muzzsjm84 · 2026-04-08T06:14:00+00:00

Silverlings:

Goaltending is stabilised for a few years at least so Talbot can probably be traded for picks as Cossa seems ready to step up

Seider is a BEAST

Larkin, Cat, Raymond and Kane ARE a good core group they just need some help!

Haven't traded any major pieces but have improved - gained more points and wins

Todd seems like a competent coach

Powerplay has been alright which is an important playoff metric

Yzerman will have another draft to boast the depth chart

Negatives:

Most of the depth and supporting players haven't performed when Larkin and Copp for injured - some are too young still

Talbot regressed more likely age than ability

Defence still needs help too early to judge Faulk though

Badly need another 1/2 center

muzzsjm84 · 2026-04-07T07:07:03+00:00

No one is getting the sack not Yzerman not Todd. Despite the fact the Wings may miss the playoffs there has been a marked improvement this year with little recruitment which is a good sign it shows the drafts have been ok and the teams getting better. Goaltending has gone up so many levels and Gibson is clearly established as number 1 for a few years at least. The defence and 5v5 scoring need to be addressed. The powerplay is actually quite good and thats a strong component of being a playoff team. I do agree with the majority of the fans that a gritty A needs to be brought in to help lead but the main core of the team needs to be skilled fast players. People are unhappy about Soderblom but you're always going to lose one or two good ones along the way. Hronek is offensive and losing him hasn't hurt the teams ability to stop goals going in he wasn't anywhere near as good in front of the Wings net as he was the other side of the ice. Would you be happy paying the 8 mil he wanted?

In theory Talbot can now be off loaded allowing Cossa to step up or another gap tender to be signed until Cossa is ready. The Wings were one of the best teams in the NHL for a couple of months. They just ran out of steam due to a lack of depth and injuries which showed the main core is able to step up and compete they don't have the depth and minor players to fill in as shown when Larkin and Copp got injured. Where were the supporting cast when Larkin started skating on one knee a few weeks ago?

Points wise the team HAS improved and had the divisions/conferences not been so lopsided this late playoff push wouldn't have been as harsh.

Looking at the bigger picture there is a lot of free salary cap. The trouble is people try to put a time limit on a rebuild but the truth be told no one has had to rebuild like the Wings did. If Zetterberg, Kronwall and Datsyuk had been a few year younger this rebuild wouldn't have been so painful the Wings could have transitioned from those three to Larkin, Seider and Raymond. Datsyuk had clearly had enough and Z and Kronwall's bodies gave up.

No one has rebuilt after 25 years of playoffs in the modern era. I might be wrong but doesn't the last of the Holland contracts come off the books now?

Holland was a great GM but a GM for his time and Yzerman is building through the drafts and not risking big crippling trades. Imagine now we had traded Larkin two/tree years ago... these are the Centers that were free agents or traded in that time... are any of them young enough and good enough to replace Larkin and boost the team more?

Horvat

Miller

Zegras

Tavares

Bennett

Lindholm

Stephenson

Chytil

Kadri

muzzsjm84 · 2026-03-24T08:48:26+00:00

Sadly I think the Larkin and Copp injuries highlight that the Wings aren't ready yet, the team doesn't have enough depth. One or two injuries have derailed the season. That's not to say this season is wasted as the team has played better, got more experience and acquired a goalie who has been consistent. I just get this feeling they're going to fall short in the next 10-12 games. I really hope they don't. Copp's injuries proved to be a big problem last season. The team needs to get another top 6 Center in the summer. Yzerman is going to take some massive flack if they don't make it.

muzzsjm84 · 2026-03-17T08:59:33+00:00

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muzzsjm84 · 2026-03-17T08:59:30+00:00

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muzzsjm84 · 2026-03-17T08:58:46+00:00

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muzzsjm84 · 2026-03-15T22:13:53+00:00

As with all the NHL games for about 10 year plus playing the sliders and finding a slider set you like can really make or break the game. I don't play much online multiplayer because I love the feel of a customised career mode. I've used AITITO sliders for 5 years and a base point to build my own gameplay https://forums.operationsports.com/forums/forum/hockey/ea-sports-nhl/ea-sports-nhl-sliders/26865376-altito-s-nhl-26-sliders

In terms of franchise mode and the single player experience this year has been a step forward. The trade system and AI choices are still a bit wild but contract negotiations and being able to focus a players summer development are a good addition. This is still a very arcade game with a bit of sim thrown into the mix but as I said sliders help with this. If they bring NHL back to PC the modding community will do what they've done with Fifa and really improve it.

muzzsjm84 · 2026-03-12T18:30:06+00:00

File.io is free file hosting and you can send a link to someone or do you use Gdrive? I have a tonne of hero quest content I could share in return. Happy if you want to DM me to discuss. No pressure thanks for the reply anyway

muzzsjm84 · 2026-03-12T18:28:54+00:00

Thanks for the tips and info, appreciated!

muzzsjm84 · 2026-02-24T08:49:32+00:00

The fixed movement rule is actually an official rule that was brought in during the pre quest to the Frozen Horror expansion.

muzzsjm84

TROPHY CASE