‘Round and ‘Round the Table Goes

Pardon my absence, but here’s what’s been discussed around the table this week:

First, On the Wings tackles the absolute farce that is Nick Lidstrom’s dropping off. I had many thoughts, but this sentence sums up my stance rather justly:

Let’s be clear – if his “off year” is to be a Norris finalist, score 16 goals and 59 points, and maintain his place in the top ten of the league’s plus/minus leaders… it still a pretty damn good year.

Yesterday, our good friend Kyle at Babcock’s Death Stare took a look at graduating prospects and asked what we all expect of Ville Leino, Jonathan Ericsson, Jimmy Howard, and the vision of perfection for 45 seconds at a time, Darren Helm. I didn’t go on and on about Helm like I usually do, but made sure to add the two-word tag “folk hero” to my prediction.

And today, the Chief tackles a wide range of topics – rivalries, Dallas Drake, and comparing the ’98 team to this upcoming season’s. Shockingly, I was able to inject some more Darren Helm love into my answer:

Dallas Drake brought something besides motivation for the Cup, and that was a presence. A presence in the room, a presence on the ice, you felt every single shift. I think that energy is brought in a kid like Darren Helm. I dare you to tell me that your heart doesn’t beat just a little bit faster when he came screaming off the bench and in on a forecheck.

We’re coming to a close this week – but it’s been awesome. Here’s hoping we continue Roundtabling during the season.