Better compete level tonight, do you think, overall?
Mike Babcock: Yeah, I mean, it was a muddy track out there for both teams. The ice was just awful. There wasn’t a lot of room. Guys were trying to make an impression. I don’t know if it was fun for anyone to watch, but our guys were competitive. Our goalie was really good.
First full game for Jhonas Enroth this preseason. What did you see from him?
Babcock: I thought he was solid. He gave us a chance. In the first period, they were better than us, and he gave us a chance. I thought he made some real key saves.
Can you speak to Frank Corrado’s camp?
Babcock: He’s in a position now where has to stay in the NHL. That’s why he got moved last year. [The Canucks] tried to get him through [waivers]. He’s right there on the cusp. That’s the biggest challenge. You want to go from being an AHL player to an NHL player, and then you want to go from being an NHL player to playing regularly, and then you want to go to a top four [role]. There’s always progression you want to make, and he’s in a battle.
With the one preseason game left now, are you satisfied with the amount of time you had to evaluate?
Babcock: Yeah. I mean, things get clearer and clearer. You get excited about a kid early, and as the lineups get better and better, you’re not quite as excited about them anymore. That’s just the way it is. I thought Kapanen had another really strong outing. Good skill. I thought Holland was one of our best forwards by far. I liked the Dermott kid on the backend. For the rest of us, we’re just grinding and trying to scratch and claw and find a way to make the team. We’ll watch our team play again tomorrow against the same Detroit team – obviously different players – but the same group of guys, and see how that goes and then make our decisions.
How much carryover will you have from tonight’s lineup to tomorrow?
Babcock: Only if it’s injury-based. At the start of the day, I was going to have a complete lineup. Now I need a couple of guys.
