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Good lord, we were consistently among the top 3 teams the first half of the regular season till injuries plagued us during the second half and playoffs. And people like you take for granted that WE MADE THE PLAYOFFS....For pete's sake most of teams who DIDN'T make the playoffs are not going to be rebuilding. Why in gods name would we???? Guess What? Since 2009 we have been RELOADING...Kennys been waiting for the right FA's to hit the market....Farms been gettin riper and riper...We've allowed Helmer and Abby to fully replace Drapes and Maltby...Ericsson and Filppula are breaking out.....Basically the point is your thinking way too much in the short term.... We are not going to win every year....But we are going to be competitive EVERY YEAR. We run a system that allows us to do this and NOT have to rebuild. You'd think 16 years would enough be for people to realize this but apparently not. I swear sometimes I think you guys just want to see headliners like RNH and Landeskog come to this team and that's it. The numbers he "threw in our faces" were completely skewed to his point. We have some of the best numbers in the league. There is not even much I can say about that because they speak for themselves. Our numbers were still better than most this year and it was A down year. Emphasis on the A in "a down year". I'm all for a reality check. The team needed one and think the best thing that could have happened was us going out in the first round. Kenny got a little wake up and the players got a little wake up. Now lets take that reality check, add some depth this off season, and play like we want it. If we add Parise or Suter this off season (let alone both) I will feel baddddd for the other teams in the league lol. Those would be 2 HIGH caliber players added on to an already HIGH caliber team.....But good god sir this not a time to rebuild or even think about rebuilding...Unless somebody completely screws stuff up we won't be rebuilding for a longggg time.....reality checks are good but PANICKING IS NOT....at least act like u have some composure AGREED....and it's coming (Nyquist, Smith, Andersson, the rest of our stacked farm, not to mention the various FA's we are seeking) we just have to be patient is all. Can't win it all every year boys.

In my post.

Why isn't Filppula in your spreadsheet, and why is Cleary? Seems to me you handpicked the forwards that fit your agenda and left off the ones who didn't. (Parise/Hudler) Flip could easily shoulder part of Datsyuk and Zetterberg's loads as they get older, as can guys like Nyquist or Parise if we are lucky enough to land him. Then you have a ton of prospects with potential and good depth guys who haven't been given a shot with the Wings yet, all of which can transition into the line-up in the same way D and Z did. Also their names are Datsyuk, not Datsyk, and Fedorov not Federov.

Didn't you already over sing this tune on another thread...like...a couple days ago? No matter, I'll happily present you the real truth again. First off, Cleary and Bertuzzi CAN play in the top 6, but they will likely see time in both the bottom and top 6 to make room for our YOUNG players (yes despite your oversights we do have them). We also may add another top 6 forward like Parise through FA this year which would also force those two into the bottom 6. Now let's look at scoring percentage...since injuries will inherently impact and flaw all the stats you chose. Datsyuk (Top 6) 2007/2008 = 118% 2008/2009 = 119% 2009/2010 = 87% - down year 2010/2011 = 105% 2011/2012 = 95% Zetterberg (Top 6) 2007/2008 = 122% 2008/2009 = 94% 2009/2010 = 94% 2010/2011 = 100% 2011/2012 = 84% - down year Franzen (Top 6) 2007/2008 = 52% - down year 2008/2009 = 83% 2009/2010 = 77% 2010/2011 = 72% 2011/2012 = 72% Cleary (In and out of the Top 6) 2007/2008 = 66% 2008/2009 = 54% 2009/2010 = 53% 2010/2011 = 67% 2011/2012 = 44% - down year (nagging injury) Bertuzzi (In and out of the Top 6) 2007/2008 = 58% 2008/2009 = 66% 2009/2010 = 53% 2010/2011 = 55% 2011/2012 = 53% Those numbers are the definition of strong top 6 players and VERY consistent play.... 87% (Datsyuk) 84% (Zetterberg) are also arguably not AT ALL down years for a top 6 forward. Yet, because Datsyuk and Zetterberg are among the top 10 forwards in the league (offensively AND defensively, and yes even at this age) we'll call those down years for them You also conveniently left Filppula, Nyquist, and Hudler out of your evaluation....Those are 3 young players who WILL be on this team next year. (Hudler the only one who may get cut, but who would be likely replaced by an upgrade anyway) Nyquist (In and out of the Top 6) 2011/2012 = 38% Filppula (Top 6) 2007/2008 = 46% 2008/2009 = 50% 2009/2010 = 63% 2010/2011 = 54% 2011/2012 = 81% - (break out year?) Hudler (In and out of the top 6) 2007/2008 = 51% 2008/2009 = 69% 2009/2010 = did not play 2010/2011 = 50% 2011/2012 = 61% Hate to burst your bubble but we have one of the highest scoring and most capable Top 6's in the league....And players like Nyquist/Filpulla/Hudler are getting better and taking on larger roles in the Top 6, While Datsyuk and Zetterberg continually show us Lidstrom-like ageless play....And even if we add no one to the top 6 this offseason...that still leaves us with 8 players who are capable of playing in the top 6... While our team does have its problems and things that should be modified, the fact is the problem is not Datsyuk or Zetterberg......Your whole argument seems to rest on the fact that you think we need All-stars like Yzerman/Federov and Datsyuk/Zetterberg in order to win cups.....Guess what? It's not about the name on the back, it's about the logo on the front. This is a TEAM game, and no player or pair of players can carry any team to a cup....We need a well rounded team with all the right role-players and leaders....and right now we need size and grit in the bottom 6, a back up goalie, and maybe a sniper....not a new Datsyuk or Zetterberg Where is crymson when you need him to knock some sense into people

Dean Lombardi: actually smarter than he has sounded? Hell just might freeze over.

Agreed. He sometimes acts as if fans and players are an inconvenience to running a hockey league.

The only people Uncle Gary loves screwing more than the fans is it's employees.

The biggest sticking point in the last CBA negotiation was the hard Salary Cap. Since that was the biggest thing the players were against, and the owners got the hard cap anyway, there's always the chance that this CBA negotiation will go smoothly. I could see the main sticking point this go-round being the players share of the revenue, though. The article brings up a good point, though. Last time around, there was heated rhetoric and blame gaming from both sides for months leading up to the cancellation of the existing CBA. Whereas there hasn't been anything that I've seen this time. Hopefully that means that both sides realize another lockout would be catastrophic to the league and the players alike. Get this thing done in a timely manner, please. The last thing we need is another round of millionaires vs. billionaires fighting a very public war over money.

Unfortunately I couldn't see it tonight, but what else is there to say about Justin Verlander? He could easily have five no-hitters or so by now. I remember a couple games last season where he got extremely close against the Indians and Angels. Those are just off the top of my head too, so I'm sure there's more where he has gone deep and just barely missed it. Once in a lifetime talent. He's such a treat to watch.

Smith is far more scrappy than Yandle. He throws plenty of hits, and has an edge to his game that is absent from Yandle's. The Kronwall comparison is pretty bang on. They're comparisons. I don't think that anyone is saying Nyquist is going to be the next Datsyuk. As mentioned, a lot of these comparisons were made by Red Wings management and staff, so I suppose they're ridiculous too. What do they know about hockey?

If only more Wings fans could be like you.

Sounds good to me

The issue with Pulkkinen is he'll likely be limited to a pure offensive force. He's got a great shot and solid offensive instincts, but he lacks speed and defensive awareness. I think he could wind up as a solid top 6 guy, but I'm not sure about the "great forward" tag that Rich mentioned. You could toss him on a line that covers up his lack of speed/defense... a good complimentary player, I think. Could throw guys like Tatar and Tvrdon into the conversation too, but I have more faith in Nyquist, Jarnkrok and Jurco. Sure there is, which is why I'm skeptical about Jurco. Nyquist has shown he can excel at the AHL level, and looked right in place on a line with Datsyuk. Jarnkrok's playing in the SEL, which is right on par or higher with the AHL. At times during the currenty IIHF tournament, he's looked like the best player on Sweden. I agree that you can never fully predict how good a player will be, but Nyquist and Jarnkrok have looked right in place with NHL caliber players.

Hard to say with guys that have yet to play a single professional hockey game. There is a huge step from juniors to the minors, and an even bigger step from the minors to the NHL.

Does anyone understand the term "Cinderella team" anymore? The Kings were one of the worst teams in the league halfway through the season. They were able to sneak in as an 8th seed and were able to feed off a weak-willed Vancouver team and have been flying high since. I fully expect the Rangers to win the East and take the Kings, as much as I'm rooting for them.

O6 and Euro6? Um...you think the travel is bad now. Try that commute. I'll pass.

LMAO no one can make Franzen look like that...However my point is I would rather have Semin @ 4 then Hudler @ 4.

Says he's going to play... WTF. You're at 50% you fricken moron, you're doing more harm than good!!!! I'm livid.

Am I the only one who likes to sit and enjoy a game, show, or concert?

I'd like to keep Hudler if possible. He DOES score, even if he's not a difference maker. And since our problem is lack of scoring depth, I'd rather keep him and just plug him back on the 3rd line where he's had most of his success.

He still has a job because he was pretty much brought in to implement a cap. He lost us a season and a half of hockey, but he got the owners what they wanted. If there's another lockout, that pretty much solidifies it for me that Bettman needs to go and has done more damage than good to the NHL. In theory now that they have the cap, it shouldn't be nearly as contentious. But Bettman has the diplomacy skills of a sledgehammer. He's already used the realignment proposal to make the NHLPA look bad and set a very divisive tone, so it's hard for me to be hopeful. My prediction is that now that they have the cap, they're going to try and notch down the percentages to make it even more profitable for the owners. To me it was still a massive concession for the players to have their salaries tied to league revenues. They have zero control over increasing revenue for the NHL. They don't market the game. They don't choose the cities that get franchises. They're the talent. My understanding is that on top of that they have a portion of their paycheck's put in a slush fund all year, then it's given back to them at the end if the league meets it's projections. Otherwise it goes to the league. The owners have a pretty sweet deal with the cap, and we've still seen that some of them can't help themselves from giving awful contracts to players. In terms of profitability of the league and franchises, player salaries aren't the biggest factor anymore.

what else does the league want? The got their "parity" throughout the league, revenue is up, they got the Cap in place, they got their "KID" the Cup (maybe one wasn't enough and they need changes to make sure he gets every two out of three?) I don't know what else the league would want from the players. If the NHL suffer another lockout or lose of an entire season, it is over. It cannot survive another whole, half or any part of the season being cancelled... I cannot see why Bettman still has his job, half a season lost in 1994-95, entire 2005 season lost AND now this possibility!?!? Why does this fool still have a job? He has done hardly anything GOOD for the NHL and tons bad!

hudler's replacement