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Biggest hit of Hudler's career was against his own teammate. Holland needs to put an end to this charade already.

That's the funny thing about forums. As much as you Canucks fans try and police and refute what people say about your team all across the internet, people are allowed to think otherwise.

The decision should be fairly simple. We really do not need Ericsson at all. Take the $2mil coupled with the cap increase and find a legitimate top 4 defenseman. Ehrhoff or Bieksa would be ideal. This would bump Stuart or whoever down to the bottom pairing. Kindl should be ready to be our #6, and there you go, our defense has been upgraded. 2011 Lidstrom/Rafalski Kronwall/Ehrhoff Stuart/Kindl For 2012, we will have $12million freed up from Lidstrom/Rafalski. Use some of that to give Kronwall a raise. Use a $6-7million chunk for Suter, Burns, or Weber. I think after another year in the AHL, Brendan Smith will be ready to be a #4 right away. 2012 Kronwall/Ehrhoff Suter/Smith Stuart/Kindl

Jiri Hudler never came back from Russia. You said it well, he worked up from GR, played well despite his size and then the summer of 2009. Waited it out, handcuffing the Wings in free agency, left, and came back supposed to be a difference maker and failed miserably. Last night was possibly his worst game yet even when you don't mention the clumsy blind-siding of an actually effective player in Dan Cleary. He was called upon to take on big minutes, especially with the extra man and between him and Rafalski, managed to render all Red Wings powerplays worthless. I agree with the firing squad comment. Either way, give me Miller, Eaves, or Draper any day, and I have no idea why we couldn't have played Modano. Still baffles me, but that's Babcock's issue. Trade or waive Hudler, at least with Filppula's contract we get solid defensive skill, more hustle, and equal/greater offensive capability.

We're watching the games of two teams we don't particularly care about, whereas you're watching as a hardcore fan of one of them. Whose perspective do you think is likely more skewed?

I've found some images, my main problem is different websites claiming different years. (I've seen this one claimed as '36 and '37?) (I've seen this one claimed as '36 and '37?) (I think this is '54) (I think this is '55) (I think this is '50) (Not really sure what year this is at all)

And you rock the hardest for putting this together. Big thanks are in order.

Leino would never had succeeded here. And it's not like he's a great player. Yeah, he puts up some numbers, but only when playing with other great players. He's also not a hard worker and not the kind of player to make his own points by working hard.

The offer-sheet needed to sign Weber would cost the Wings four first round picks (two first round, a second, and a third if you believe Nashville won't match 6.5 million). Not only is this not a deal Holland would likely make because of how draft picks are valued, but Nashville would be crazy not to match any offer under 7 million. If anyone seriously believes Weber will be a Wing next year, I'll start taking that bet. The only UFA/RFA's I'd like to see the Wings go after are gritty forwards/d. The talented players are going to be looking to get as much of that cap raise as possible, and there won't be many deals. Konopka and Peckham are two players I would like. As far as forward talent is concerned, Franzen would need to be traded.

Perhaps I'm just being foolish here, but I do not understand why everyone is so eager to see Miller leave. I think he and Eaves are great together and reasonably priced for a defensively strong grind line. Sure he's not a 50 point player, but he stays reasonably healthy, plays hard in the corners, and he doesn't cost us that many penalties.

Yes. If this was 2004 and there was no salary cap.

You're ignoring the fact that he's one of the most one-dimensional players in the league, even more so than Holmstrom. Holmstrom can at least cycle the puck, protect it and go to work in the corners. He can also hit, and does. Hudler can pass and shoot, and that's all. If you didn't notice, he was belted off the puck repeatedly throughout the course of the year, and it became an epidemic against the Sharks. Further, his speed is really only a tad better than Holmstrom's, and whereas Holmstrom is mediocre on defense, Hudler is absolutely horrible. Hudler is a liability when he's playing more than a limited amount of minutes.

Did you know that, despite the fact Filppula has played second line (or even first line at times) for years now, Hudler has only four fewer points in his NHL career in 33 fewer games? He scored ten points in his first 33 games this season, and he scored 23 points in his last 33 games. Just saying.

I know this is almost 100 hundred percent not gona happen, but wouldn't simply scratching Homer make this team a lot better, and make line combos so much easier? Yes we lose his net front presence on the PP, but i believe that Mule should get back to doing that (2008 style) and Cleary is also very good at it. As well if we can get a guy like Brooks Laich I believe that he is someone that can play that role (I could be wrong about that though).

"My heart just isn't in it, anymore". Said 1 week before the playoffs. He's lucky to have seen the ice at all.

How much of that was the work of Datsyuk and Cleary? And he was totally worthless in the first half and in the playoffs.

You do realize that all three of Modano, Miller, and Abdelkader are not just Americans, but from Michigan right? The flat benching of Modano in the playoffs may have been one of his better decisions this year. Modano was terrible all year outside of a span of about two weeks early in the season where he played like a good third-line center, which is what he was signed to be. With Franzen being injured, I can understand the argument to have Modano in the lineup because he was once a great offensive player. But that's it. Was. He's not any better offensively than Drew Miller, Justin Abdelkader or Kris Draper now and those guys all have a physical game Modano has never had and defense Modano only surpassed at his peak. Taking out one of those guys to put in Modano just hurts the team. Modano had two games playing alongside Pavel Datsyuk. Valtteri Filppula have no trouble scoring goals with Dats; and Flip doesn't even shoot. What Modano needed was to not announce his retirement before the playoffs, and to not play like he was already retired. Of Red Wings players who played in the regular season, Modano would be #16 on my depth chart for forwards. He brought absolutely no value to the team.

You're not the only one. The guy has been nothing but excellent for us, always giving his all. I think he's a lock for at the very least an extra forward. He's cheap, does well, and seems to be a good locker room guy.

Kronwall and Weber as a top 2 pairings? IMAGINE getting hit by those guys on the blue line with your head down? actually imagine getting hit by their playoff beards for the next 20 years?

Big E is this close to being the next Lilja. He thought he was worth more too.

Rule 1: Never congratulate the team that beat you, whether it look them 4 games or 7. They beat you, they didn't graduate summa cum laude from Harvard. Rule 2: Never hope for them to continue winning now that they've eliminated you. That would be like asking an ex-girlfriend/boyfriend to send you tapes of them ******* their newest partner while you're still single on the couch eating Haagen-Daaz by the quart. Rule 3: Don't post that tripe here right after we lose a hard-fought series where we came back from the brink of being swept.

Why would any team give us anything but a bag of peanuts for Hudler?

My opinion of Hudler is based purely on emotions. I wouldn't mind him being gone, whenever we can get rid of him. He didn't have a good season this year and the way things played out with him going to the KHL didn't do him any good. He was cocky and thought he deserved more money from the Wings, once he got to Russia he ran his mouth about how the Wings were holding back his talent and we had to welcome him back with open arms because of the arbitration. If he wasn't so greedy and stuck around he might have improved and become a vital player on the team.

You guys are missing the big picture. Comcast just bought NBC. Winter Classic is on NBC. Now comes the tricky part, who owns the flyers????!

Yeah, the Firing squad.