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I just want the best players in the world on NHL ice. If that means they're all NA or all South American, or Euros or some combination, then so be it; all I care about is talent.

I just want to see the wings be the first team to score a goal in pittsburgh's new arena and for somebody to throw an octopus on the ice.

I put it in quotation marks and added an additional subject line... from every marketing class I've ever taken, I thought the purpose of a title was to be attention grabbing, while the content has the information? I'd be quite alright with Fraser being promoted to Assistant in Detroit, and Chelios taking a job in GR (whether it be head or asst. down there) and as I said in another reply - I'm also in the camp that I want McCrimmon gone one way or another, and although I think all coaches should work their way up so to speak, I think Chelios will eventually be a coach in this league anyway and I would have no problem with this move...

The good thing about Cleary is he's extremely versatile. He can play on the top line, bottom line, PP, PK, against the opposition's top players, in the last minute of a close game. You mention Plekanec blueadams, but he's one of the top players available (just short of Kovalchuk and Marleau) in a very shallow free agent pool. Some team will overpay for him. And actually I don't know that there are many 70 point guys out there making around $4M after they go through free agency anyways.

At least 10-15 more goals? Also the ability to play top 6 minutes.

Hmmmm, lets see I joined in August 2003 and have over 3200 posts, you just joined last March and have 56 posts, now I am not calling you a troll just because you just joined, but my stats alone say that I am not a troll here, there may be a lot of folks who don't agree with my opinions, which I think is great, what kind of forum would this be if everyone held hands and sang koom-by-ya together? We love difference of opinions here, that is what makes this place so great! And if you read my post, I said I would like to see more gritty North American players, that is not saying I am against European players, Fedorov is my all time favorite player, but just because some of us don't like the players like Hudler, we are haters. I do not call the folks who prefer hudler style players North American haters, do I? Also, there is a difference between saying "You hate European's" and "You're a Euro-Hater?" Uh.... is your real name John Kerry?

I copied the 'Euro' nickname right off the IIHF report. I don't care if you're a card carrying KKK member, I posted the information for the board for people that are interested. Please put me on ignore and do not respond to my posts, and I'll do the same for you.

ummm....aren't Swedes European?

Maybe he would teach some of those young kids some dirty little secrets

Toews, fine. Two years in a row a BH on the cover? ***. Kane ever getting it in the first place? Retarded.

Thanks Matt, looks great!

Hahaha. It was 3 games where he carried us on offense, even in those Jimmy was just as important or more in getting the wins. His 'slow parts' accounted for around 60 or so games. Regardless of value, 18 goals in a full season is not what you want out of your top 6.

if bertuzzi comes back...we have two line options: 1: Filppula-Datsyuk-Holmstrom Franzen-Zetterberg-Bertuzzi Hudler-Helm-Cleary Miller/FA-Abdelkader-Eaves ...i think that keeping hudler in that third line, with two players that have no hands, is a huge waste of his talent. 2: Hudler-Datsyuk-Holmstrom Franzen-Zetterberg-Bertuzzi Abdelkader-Filppula-Cleary Miller/FA-Helm-Eaves ...now we've got filppula on that third line, again, with two players that have no hands, and again, imo, that's a huge waste of talent. if we replace bertuzzi with someone that can be productive on a third line (aka...can play defense, create a little for himself), then this team looks a lot better: Filppula-Datsyuk-Holmstrom Hudler-Zetterberg-Franzen ???-Helm-Cleary Miller/FA-Abdelkader-Eaves

Bertuzzi had a stretch of 8 games in which he did well. That's it! IMHO, that is not enough. You could make the argument for about 7 other forwards who had hot stretches and helped the team. You could make a better argument for HOWIE! If it wasn't for Howie the Wings would no doubt not have made the playoffs. Maybe without Bertuzzi the Wings play the Hawks in the first round, avoid the long travel, oust the Hawks and move on. You could do these would've, could've, should've's all day long. The fact is that Bertuzzi is getting older and slower. Draper was given a contract when we thought he was worth it.... and now we wish he never got that last contract. You don't give an old fart with history of health problems a two year deal at his age. Plus the Wings will have to deal with his legal distractions that have been reinstated click here. This is something the Wings don't need.

Here's the problem with Bertuzzi. Like Holmstrom, he's productive when he's surrounded by great players on a top line (hank, pav, mule, flip, huds, etc.). But, also like Holmstrom, he's plain worthless on a third or fourth line. He's not talented enough to create scoring opportunities for himself. He's a liability defensively. He can't skate. He won't hit. Etc. Etc. Etc. So, if we bring Bertuzzi back, like Homer, he MUST play on a top two line. That means one of these three talented players - Mule, Flip or Huds - will waste away on the third line with Cleary and Helm/Abby. Filppula-Datsyuk-Holmstrom Franzen-Zetterberg-Bertuzzi Hudler-Helm-Cleary Miller/*???*-Abdelkader-Eaves Draper (Ritola) ...am I the only one who doesn't want to see Flip, Mule, or Huds waste away on that third line??

I recall a third line of Hudler-Filppula-Samuelsson in the 2008 SCF. Granted, we will never be able to get that kind of depth again but I think the addition of Hudler adds more balance to the Red Wings. The problem in the playoffs was our bottom two lines stunk. Two energy lines doesn't cut it, even when the top six forwards carried the team like they did. We need a third line next season that is an offensive threat. Whether that means going with Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Filppula each centering their own line or Helm developing more of a scoring touch, something has to happen if the Red Wings want to contend for a championship next season. I think Bertuzzi will be back with the Red Wings, but in doing so they almost have to play him with Datsyuk or Zetterberg to make the signing worthwhile. A healthy and productive Cleary will go a long way to bolstering some offense on the third line.

How much time does it take to issue a memorandum saying hits to the head are banned, and anyone found in violation of that will be suspended without pay for however long the person they hit is out of commission? The person you hit is out for the year? So are you.

* Star players are exempt of course. esteef

Hossa should be be on NHL 11. This pro all star carried his team through the playoffs and won the cup he deserves. This should also earn him a spot on the cover.

I dont get all the Bert hate. The guy pretty much ran the team when EVERYONE was injured. He plays decent defense, impossible to know off the puck, and likes to bang bodies every now and again. I love the guy and hope to god he stays, and id be happy if it were for another 2 years. I dont think another "cleary type player" will do much. Cleary was pretty invisible all year last year. I like him, but he didnt play like we are used to seeing him play. the only thing that cleary does better than bert is speed in my opinion. I say keep Bert and try and get the best bang for whatever buck we have left. I'd love to see afinogenov here, but i dont think we wil have enough to get him, so try and fill the third or fourth line with a cheap free agent somewhere. Keep miller and eaves too in my opinion.

The 3rd line in 08 really started going when Babs swapped Sammy and Cleary against Dallas. God that was a great line and so random I really hope Bertuzzi comes back, he was starting to get comfurtable on a scoring line again and then we got eliminated. If you watched him this year, he isnt lazy anymore, he actually skates. He tries to hard defensively now that he will never go out of his way for a big hit which pisses me off, but some of you are hypocrites. "Oh Bert cant play D, he doesnt hit" Actually because of trying harder to backcheck and play D he lays off the hits. I would love for some of the nasty he had against the Sharks and Jovo in the Phoenix series would come out a little more often, but beggers cant be choosers.

Almost 4 million/yr? Is this for real? Frolov, Whitney or Kariya could have been signed for that amount or close to it. Uncharacteristically bad signing by Holland.

i see this as a win for the blues..

10-15 more goals if he's playing top 6 minutes, sure...but what is it about him as a player that actually seperates him from eaves/miller?

...if you like those lines...how about loving these? Plekanec-Datsyuk-Holmstrom Franzen-Zetterberg-Bertuzzi Hudler-Filppula-Abdelkader Miller-Helm-Eaves Draper (Ritola)