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I know the difference between the AHL and the NHL is pretty significant for any position, especially for a goaltender. But McCollum has been playing great down in Grand Rapids so far this season, he actually has better numbers than Mrazek. I'm not saying McCollum would hold his own at the NHL level or even that he would play well, but some are acting like there's no chance and that he is doomed for failure. And why? Because he had a terrible outing 4 years ago in a blowout game against the Blues that they already had lost?... Give me a break. I hope McCollum gets a chance to start a game and gets the W, if for no other reason but to keep his confidence up with the Griffs, and of course to prove the naysayers wrong.....

I'm over the Zetterberg thing. Have been for years. Don't really care. That said, I have to say that fight was underwhelming.

I would gladly take Hossa's slightly higher cap hit when you factor in everything else he does that makes him worth more money than Franzen. Hossa is an elite two-way forward. He has obviously slowed down some from six years ago, but so has his counterpart. Even if it cost the Wings another player or two, we are still talking about Marian Hossa. He scored 40 goals and the Wings haven't had anyone hit 30 since. Imagine Hossa for all these years on Pavel's wing instead of Bertuzzi, Abdelkader, Helm, etc. It would have completely changed the dynamic of the team.

I get what you're saying, but I feel like the last time Holland did this was when he traded for Stuart. Outside of there being some sort of emergency, or him wanting to bring back a familiar face, Holland just seems content to stand pat. Admittedly, I'm glad he has for the most part, as it's been great to stock up on prospects again. I think this team is in a different place now, though. I think it's time to pull the trigger on a deal for an offensive defender, whether we're in contention or not. I'm not sure we've got a bona fide top 4, offensive defender in Smith. Maybe it happens in a couple seasons, but I'm not really sold on it. Even if he has that potential, it seems evident that Babcock doesn't trust him, which makes me doubt he'll be played in a role where he can thrive. I know we don't have that in Kindl, and Ericsson has been suspect. In all honesty, Kronwall and DeKeyser are the only guys I trust in a top 4 role right now. I think Detroit is in a place where they have a piece like Smith (who may flourish in another role, elsewhere), and some other pieces a bit further away like Sproul, Marchenko and Jensen, Backman's rights, a draft pick, one of the extra forwards on this team. I don't think they have the assets to land an elite guy, but I do think they can make a move for a top 4 guy. I'm not advocating a deal for the sake of it - I'm not for overpayment. However, I do think this team needs a legitimate offensive threat on the back end, and that they have the assets to pull it off. Even though I don't think it's likely, I think it's time for Holland to pony up and take a risk.

No, but I don't think he needs nor should he have to be. If the wings can manage to play some solid hockey and score some goals then they won't have to rely on Mrazek to steal games.Edit: what I'm meaning to say is that we just need him to play solid.

Wait... What? the wings are in the playoff picture. If our team isn't good enough then we need to improve via trade, but we can't do that unless our team magically is better? You are now entering, the scary door

I think the more Mrazek plays the better he'll be

Holland doesn't make trades. He definitely wouldn't trade a goalie like Howie if he didn't have to, remember hasek/cujo. He won't trade a top 5/10 goalie

Absolutely. He's a player you build teams around. He's going to make the guys around him better and set a great example. He would've been a tremendous asset to this team and I truly believe it would've made for a much smoother last four years. Having another guy like Hossa in the lineup, especially on a team like the Wings, sets a tone and raises the bar of what's expected out of guys, and you can never have enough of that kind of energy. If you can land a guy who brings that to a team, you do what you have to in order to make it happen. Furthermore, he raises the profile of the team, and makes it all the more likely that we'll be on players radars when we're trying to cut deals in the future. The most frustrating part of that situation was that we really would've had one year of cap hell. One. Everyone knew the cap was going to keep going up and we were going to have more room to breathe moving forward. All we had to do was find a way to make it work for one year and we've got another elite two-way player on our team for the length of his career. And hell, if anything, it would've been a double blessing as we would've been forced us to move some clunky pieces for something as opposed to losing them for nothing as eventually happened, with no major benefits gained from keeping them around. But for the love, I've seen a lot of dumb stuff posted on here, but suggesting that Franzen is a better value than Hossa based off of points per game relative to cap hit is seriously one of the more absurd and utterly simplistic suggestions I've seen made on here.

When you google his name, google provides a short summary profile on the right side of the screen and it has him listed as 170 lbs. That's where I saw it, but clearly that's not a good source.

If there's one person on this board that agrees with you more than anyone else on this sentiment, it's kip.

I agree, I think the League did everything they could to help Pittsburgh win in 2009. There was also Game 6 when the refs forgot how to count to 6. I know a lot of NFL fans are crying "fix" with some of the weird calls the last 2 weeks, but I think the NHL is a lot worse when it comes to weird things going on with their officials. Bettman is a dictator if you ask me. Anyway, I think Ozzie should be in the Hall of Fame no question. He had 400+ career wins, and was one of the best big game goalies of his era behind Brodeur and Roy. Ozzie was more clutch then Belfour and Hasek.

I agree gcom007. I'm actually a huge fan of Weber despite what he did to Zetterberg. I'm sure Hank is over it, so I think it's time for fans to get over it...

I absolutely agree 100%. This is the time when we find out what kind of team we have. The leaders of this team have to find another level and get Mrazek some goals and the D has to play much better in front of him.

And about three weeks away from getting injured again. He can't be relied on. Plus, he isn't the future. Mrazek has to start even if Gustavsson is back.

So...because he's American?

That's just nuts.

I am still so, so, so bitter about letting Hossa go. It was a colossally idiotic decision.

And that's not something they can rather easily fix? He'll mature. Relax. There's a reason why a lot of smart people believe he's our goalie of the future.

Pats. I know some cheese heads that I cannot stand. Socks and sandles or black socks white shoes

mrazek will play to his ability, and take howies job. howie then gets traded for other needs. this is what i'd like to see happen.

Probably because we grew up Red Wings fans and they've only become "pussified" in recent years. I'm not going to stop rooting for a team because they're a bunch of *******, but I certainly have the right to mourn the loss of team toughness. And I don't necessarily want a talentless goon; I'd settle for Chris Neil, Matt Martin... even Lucic, or Proust. Anyone who actually still knows how to throw a check or stand up for a teammate will suffice.

Dan Cleary is still on this team because Ken Holland "gave his word". I just don't see Holland agreeing to a contract with a guy like Franzen and not doing everything he possible can to honor it. It's not his style. Which is both frustrating, and decent.