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Happy to have helm back but too bad it's at the expense of nyquist. I mean in all honesty helm should be playing with nyquist and Tatar to make up the deadliest 3rd line in hockey

Helm, full speed ahead!

By page 3 all threads lead to Franzen.

Difference is bad games for Franzen is effort based, and that to me is very hard to comprehend. I don't mind if he goes into slumps, I do mind when he isn't trying to make a difference in other ways of the game. He can be more physical, he can be better in the corners, he can drop the gloves for teammates, but he doesn't do it all the time. I watch more than just score sheets, and that's why I'm disappointed in Franzen, and not Brunner, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Abdelkader who ever else goes on a slump, because you don't hear Babcock calling them out on not coming to the rink every night.

If Franzen can go 15+ games without a goal multiple times the last couple years and never drop off the top two lines then Brunner should be safe from the press box. Especially since Brunner has more points and twice as many goals as Franzen this year.

Babcock is working on this new strategy that involves having 4th liners play on your top two lines. He believes it will take the league by storm.

Yikes. What a litany of craziness.

I'd be cool with trading Filppula, but I don't want us giving him away for nothing. I'd trade him for Nathan Horton. Both are UFAs at the end of the season. From the sounds of it, Filppula is gonna want upwards of $5 mil/year, an amount I don't feel he's worth. He's likely hit his peak and he's a bit older. Boston probably won't go for it at this point in the season, though. Guys like Horton are the kind of guys we need to be targeting with us moving to the east.

I would take Burrows from Vancouver whenever they are ready. They can have Flip and Franzine...

Tatar has 2 goals in three games since rejoining the Griffins. esteef

Franzen would need to have 20 hits per game in order for anyone to give him a break. He has been playing with hustle ever since his return.

Except he hasn't. Since his breakout he's had one major slump. At the end of '10-11, where he went 14 games, then another 8 right after finally getting one. From March '08 to that point his longest slump was 6 (twice), and he only hit (or missed, maybe you'd say) 5 three other times. Last year he went 6 games early in the year, then 8 near the middle. Those were the only times he went more than 4. This year he went 6 (3 before his injury then 3 after). He's not nearly as streaky as people seem to think. Some people just hate Franzen, but Brunner still has that new car smell. For Franzen, going 2 games without a goal is like Brunner going 20. If you want someone prone to goal slumps, it's Zetterberg. This year already he's gone 11, then 9. Last year 13 then 9, plus a 6 and four differest 5s. '10-11 he went 11, 9, three more 5s. '09-10 he had a 12, a 9, three more 5s. His tendency to go cold is why he's gone from scoring 30+ to low 20s. But he's a hero so we don't care about that...

Well, what is being lost in this discussion is that finally Dan Cleary has been put back on the 3rd line!

Well it must have been an important game for the canucks, because Luongo played how he usually plays in important games.Datsyuk showed off his pinball skills. Howard proved just how average he is stopping 33 out of 35 shots. Zetterberg broke the scoring slump. Burrows is making progress (I only saw 2 dives from him).

Yikes. Seeing people on this board freak out at every minor change Babcock makes is getting really, really old. Brunner was ineffective last night. He got dropped to the third line and soon afterward helped set up a goal against easier opposition. And in case anyone has completely forgotten, the Wings dominated the 2nd and 3rd periods last night and ran away with the game. It is not in the least bit unusual for a player to get demoted when he is having a very difficult game. Any of you who watch a lot of hockey should know that. He's not in danger of being dropped out of the lineup.

he played better than Z the last 10 games, so your argument is invalid. he need good passes to score, but either Z nor franzen was able to do that! dats and brunner would be a beast together!

Here's a thought: Can Mr. I just foot the bill to move the entire city that Pavel's daughter lives in to somewhere in Michigan? Instead of Pavel going back to Russia, let's bring Russia to him.

First off, Eklund is a terrible source. Second, Byfuglien is more of a forward than a defenseman. As any Jets fan will tell you, he is extremely prone to making boneheaded errors in the defensive zone.

If I had come to this forum before going to NHL.com to check the result, I would have concluded we had lost - based upon the top half dozen threads all being of the trade/buyout/sack everybody type. This season has been the worst for knee-jerk reaction threads after every loss. If we're going to get a glut of knee-jerk reaction threads after every win, well, lets just say there aren't enough facepalms in all the world for that

Trade the entire team for Hudler.

Still don't like.

Miller is overrated. He has never been one of the best goalies in the league. He had one exceptional season and a great stint in the Olympics. Beyond that, his play has been unexceptional. He's four years older than Howard, will command a higher salary, is not notably better, and is not homegrown like Howard. The fact that Miller is from Michigan is completely irrelevant in this event.

I think Filppula is more valueable to this team than Franzen. So there. Good luck finding someone to take on a lifetime contract given to someone for one good playoff season.