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He. Never. Retired. Before. Today. He. Never. Quit. What don't you get? He battled injuries, should every player just end their career after battling an injury? Now if he tries a come back next year, you have all the right to start complaining, but to bash him for trying his best to see what he can contribute and if he can hold up one last time is just mind boggling to me. I hope you never have to face a decision in your life to move on when you still feel you can perform. I know it was hard as hell for me to finally just give up my dreams and go to school instead of battling for my chance to get a scholarship playing in the USHL, I couldn't imagine actually having the gifts that Forsberg does and having played at that high of level just to have your career ruined by a foot. It has to be an awful feeling, which was evident in the press conference.

We also had the second easiest schedule with weeks off between games. We need a physical, quick DMan who has a willingness to clear the front of the net.

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http://www.nesn.com/2011/02/islanders-zonon-konopka-defends-teams-actions-after-mario-lemieuxs-criticism.html I like Konopka.

This team will be in the playoffs every year as long as Illitch is around.

#1 - How many Stanley cups do you guys see us winning? 3 #2 - Is Jimmy Howard capable of winning a cup with this team? Yes. #3 - Will Kronwall still be on this roster? No. #4 - Will Chelios be re-signed ? Like somebody said as a coach

Subtract his 6 goals in 51 games? I can't bring myself to do it...I just can't. Although seriously, I don't see how Hudler is adding to our scoing depth when guys like Cleary and our bottom 6 guys are chipping in with more goals than before. They're the difference this season. Not Hudler. For the record, I don't expect much from Modano when he comes back. He was struggling to begin with and now hes been out the game for so long...I've got some spiced potato wedges with some ketchup and they taste good.

Sorry, but I have NO love for that guy. If he had gone out properly....accepted that his career was over, and he couldn't do it anymore, fine. But for him to Favre it up for the last 8 or so years, I'm coming back, well, maybe, play 15 games here, 9 there, quit, come back, quit, wait 9 months then come back again, just give it up already.

So losing Hudler would improve the team's scoring? No. The difference between last year's roster and this year's roster is scoring depth. Subtract Hudler and you're asking a 40 year old Modano coming off a serious wrist injury to be the difference in scoring depth. Moving forward, this team will have one less young forward who's a proven scorer. I'm not sure how positive that is given that we have far more proven bottom 6 players graduating to the NHL than we do top six players.

Not at all. One player doesn't make a team. If they Wings had Cooke (ewwww) and he continually was doing dirty stuff, the Wings wouldn't be known as goons, just for having a goon. Mario didn't call out goons, he called out a team playing with the intent to take a pound of flesh from their opponents during that night. If I had a problem child, there is no reason I shouldn't be able to call out a family of O'Doyles. It's hypocritical, but it doesn't invalidate my argument. Smokers are right when they say smoking is bad, alcoholics are right when they say alcoholism is wrong. I do agree, though, his comments were melodramtic. But having Cooke isn't the same thing and it isn't hypocritical since Cooke can pot you 40 points a season if he really tried. he does the same stuff OV does and same stuff Briere does, and hell, even Mike Richards throws those exact same hits. Mario was right, and Matt Cooke is completely irrelevant. Cooke has never tried to Bertuzzi anyone and never began to pummel a guy he just blindsided that was clearly hurt. All of Cooke's cheapshots, you can find identical hits delivered by highly reputable players, but again, he's never suckerpunched or hit a down opponent who was obviously injured. Plus, Cooke can continually pot at least 10 goals a season and put up 30 points. Gillies has 9 goals in his entire 12 year career. Matt Martin, thus far in his early early career is a goon. Cooke is a dirty version of Steve Ott basically. So no, it really doesn't pertain to what Mario was saying. Matt Cooke walks the line and crosses it sometimes, but what Mario is arguing is that an entire game shouldn't be all about cheap shots. So either you (not specifically you) cannot see that or your (not specifically you) pure unadulterated hate for everything Penguins and Crosby is getting in your way. I hate Crosby and the Penguins as the next person, but at least I can see it from mario's/an owners point of view.

but but but its queen mario. i agree totally with this harold. thank you for not jumping on the poor mario crap that some are doing. It has everything to do like you said. so there is nothing wrong with cooke doing his dirty work over and over but its bad when another team does it to you?

the inevitable outcome of this affair is that people feel much more sympathy to the Isles and much less (if there were some left) to Bettman's pamperboys. and that Mario is whining... did anyone expect something better from him?

I think the problem is fans have short memories. When we had everyone healthy on this team at the beginning of this season,..including modano,..this team was unbeatable. When we get everyone back,..we'll still be unbeatable. Now i'm the one who typed all that up and all,..but even I know the rebuttal to this has merit, When we won the cup in 08 we brought in Stuart who was exactly what we needed then. It stands to reason something similar wouldn't suck either.

Sorry to be pedantic, but what I think what you meant is: "What I believe would be best for the team in the long run is for Draper to retire." Draper "should" retire when Draper feels like he has no more hockey at a top level left in him, or when he decides to become a lover of the life of leisure. If this season is any indication, now isn't when he "should" retire. Personally, I'd welcome him back for another season or two if his play doesn't decline. Part of what has made this organization great is their dedication and loyalty to those that made this one of the most successful and respected franchises in all of sports. Illitch was clear from day one that he wanted to run his team like a family, and we've all enjoyed the fruits of this philosophy. I understand why many of you say that it's time to give the kids a chance, but, from where I sit, that's Kris' decision to make (with some help from Ken), and I'll support whichever decision he makes. Giving him the respect to go out on his own terms is what separates our team from, say, Dallas giving Modano the boot.

No. Draper should retire. He's played better this season than I thought, but there's younger and bigger guys we need on our 4th line. Draper is not going to be around for much longer anyway. He's been a staple of this organization longer than anyone but Lidstrom, however, it's time to move on.

Joni Pitkanen. Best available UFA defenseman. Would fit well in our defense and provide physical play. Will probably cost around $5.5m at the top end. Want another defenseman? The cap is projected to go up by about $3m, and with Lidstrom retiring in this scenario, that should be possible. Maybe the Wings can get away with trading Kindl and a pick or mid-level prospect for Meszaros. Figure that leads to a roster which looks like this: Datsyuk $6.7m Zetterberg $6.083m Franzen $3.955 Filppula $3m Hudler $2.875m Cleary $2.8m Bertuzzi $1.938m Holmstrom $1.875m Eaves $1.25m Helm $913k Abdelkader $788k Mursak $700k Emmerton $650k Rafalski $6m Pitkanen $5.5m Meszaros $4m Stuart $3.75m Kronwall $3m Ericsson $1.25m Meech $500k Howard $2m Smith $500k Pretty strong team, don't you think? Still around $2.3m in cap space if you don't think so.

This guy may be the hardest worker on the team. I am blown away by how well he's playing. He could be 27 years old and there wouldn't be a difference. Its a lot of fun to watch and my hats off to him. If I were Kenny, knowing how Kenny runs the Wings, Draper would be back next year and Emmerton would be traded at the deadline.

It absolutely pertains to Mario's comments. Mario releases a sanctimonious statement about protecting players and the integrity of the game, then he walks into his office and signs Cooke's paycheck. The Pens lead the league in major penalties. They lead the league in PIMs. It's not that his comments were wrong, they were just hypocritical and melodramatic ("I'm taking my puck and going home!"). If he wants to improve player safety and the integrity of the game, start by not giving dirty players like Matt Cooke a job. Use the Pens franchise as an example of how to improve the integrity and safety of the game, rather than sitting from on high and chastising the NHL for it and threatening to quit (again).

Thank god someone with some sense. I'll never understand the love LGW has for Carkner and Neil. It blows my mind people would be willing to move Kindl and Hudler for that trash out of Ottawa. Despite Hudler and Kindl's struggles I sincerely think people are overvaluing the Sens' players.

I think that as long as guys like Draper, Holmstrom, and Bertuzzi can keep being productive, then keep signing them. I love having a few wily veterans on the team. I think Bert's steal/goal yesterday was a prime example of that. Up until Chelios' last season, he was fun to watch out there with the "whipper-snappers". I recall one game a couple of years ago when Chelios (without looking) side-stepped a guy taking a run at him, causing the guy to board himself... Mickey laughed and said "I think Chris has seen that move a couple of times in his career!"

I think holland will sign draper til the day he decides to retire. Draper still has a lot of jump left and I wouldnt mind it with a lower cap hit

And he'll now get 10 more votes for the Norris, just because he's a + player.

I agree, great to see Nik at a plus. But, c'mon... Lets not dis Stuart now. If anything, everyone should now realize what a vital role Stuart played for our team... since he has been out, our defense has pretty much totally ******* sucked...

NHL getting fun again with these two brawls in one week, plus a goalie fight.

More fights in that one game than Detroit has in the entire season. Sigh.