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In an ideal world Ericsson would be on the 3rd pair with Marchenko and we pick up a top guy to pair with Dekeyeser.

I think we should go for Boyle. He bridges the cap for the kids to come up and he would be huge for puck movement and the pp. He's also a vet that you know will be highly motivated to win a cup before retiring. Next season you run.... Kronwall- smith Dekeyser- Boyle Big E- marchenko/ouellette I like the looks of that

I don't think they mean that adding a "Top 4" defenseman will automatically push someone else down a notch. That would all depend on defense pairings (chemistry) and possibly even situations. They just mean someone of that caliber, who can compete with our four best.

It'll never work, Holmgren only makes shockingly poor decisions when 30 goal forwards are involved (Richards, Carter, Lecavalier, Van Riemsdyk). Simmonds has only ever had 29. To think, one more goal and Holmgren would probably have shipped him to Detroit for Daniel Alfredsson's youth.

I've been a 'Wings fan for 33years. The Red Wings have played with class, dignity and style for so many years, and it makes me proud to be a wings fan! Watching this year's playoffs has been disgusting, from Duncan Keith's "wakey, wakey" taunting of the obviously concussed David Backes, after two, vicious, non called slashes, one of them on Backes(probably having him hear"footsteps", setting up Seabrook), and Matt Cooke, not much needs to be said there, how about Marchand and his "which leg did I hurt?" moment. There is no point to a regular season if it is no holds barred in the post season. I'd rather watch my team get bounced in the first round, than watch them play with no class and make it to the finals. Detroit has won championships by staying classy, and I'm OK waiting until they can win with class, not the garbage that Boston and Chicago feel fits their fans! I grew up in Ken Holland's hometown, my Dad was close with his Dad, all class acts, there is pride in winning with integrity, pride is nonexistent without integrity! STAY CLASSY DETROIT!!

Seriously this is one - if not the best - end of season interview I've listened from him in a loooong time. Holland wanting to watch even more from Boston is a great thing, a lot of teams can learn a lot from that almost perfect team. You can tell he is pissed but Holland really makes a lot of good points when it comes down to the development of our young guys fans and the media would absolutely label Mrazek a bust if he craps the bed for 10 games..Let the kids develop in the AHL and bring them up, when Blashill and Babcock are saying they are ready. That was my biggest complaint with the Cleary signing the guy blocked a spot for Nyquist. The best example to me is Jake Gardiner, some Leaffans had NORRIS! threads about this kid two years ago and now they want to trade him, no need to put young 20 year olds - non exceptional players - through this kind of crap. I also appreciate his honesty about Weiss, the guy has to hit the gym like crazy maybe even 5 - 6 times a week just to make up for that 18 months span and personally I really don't know what to expect from this guy anymore, so hopefully our FO will keep in touch with him over the summer. It's true the Wings are starting to draft bigger and I absolutely love it but some bigger bodies are needed right now and they are available for cheap, tough fourth line guys are making around 750 - 1.000 k that's nothing compared to average NHL salaries. Don't know but after listening to Babcock, Zetterberg and now even Holland I really believe them getting antsy could lead to a better future.

This just in, Ken Holland at Meijer, doesn't like the sound of the watermelon after doing the "knock" test, will wait and see how things playout as selection isn't ripe enough or overripe, will talk to Babcock via Kik during the summer

I keep coming in this thread to type something sarcastic like we need groins made out of mithril and we need our fans to stop being whiny ******* but then I just meh and go eat some ice cream.

Am I the only one who thinks trading Helm, Smith and a 1st for Kesler is insane? With his style of play, i'll be shocked if he can play at the level he has (when healthy) for 4 or 5 years. If we're gonna be trading young NHL level players, Kesler is not the idea candidate. Trade for someone entering their prime, or stick with what they have and reassess at the deadline. We're finally rid of Cleary. We don't need another player whose body will start to break down on him in the next few years. Especially at that price. Edit: Also, with the improvement Smith showed over the course of just one full season, I think it would be crazy to give him up now. Also unlike Kesler, most of Helm's injuries have been freak injuries. We can't give up on him when he is finally healthy and is only now gonna get a healthy summer of training in.

Pre game talk from Drew Doughty, or as I call it "Things I wish Franzen would say:" http://espn.go.com/blog/nhl/post/_/id/30492/greene-niemi-in-for-kings-sharks-game-7

And I was the crazy one on here who never bought the concussion rumor...people weren't using their heads on that one.

That Zetterberg guy is double shifting every game! He's a BEAST!!

Yes please! We need a tough "****** bag" on this team. Hockey embraces these guys and we need to as well, I really do not understand this notion of class and respect, it's never been in hockey and will not be in hockey. It's way to tough and physical a sport. Sign me up for the mcgratton jersey!!

In the lexicon of the medical community, he suffered from a case of the:

King Henrik, eh? Tonight's the night.

Holland's notorious for keeping current players or bringing former players back because, in addition to loyalty, he feels like "he knows what he's getting with them". He's dusted off this quote on several occasions in the past. I'd say the uncertainty (How good will Smith be? How good will that 1st be? How many good years does Kesler have left?) would be more of a turn off for Holland than loyalty. But yes, Kelser's still in his prime (maybe a touch past it) and this would be the closest thing to a 1996 style Shanahan deal this generation of Wings would see.

Well you definitely don't break up the kid line, so Sheahan stays where he's at. But I don't think there's any reason why Helm couldn't get quality ice time on the fourth line. The grinders did it for years. You don't have to like Drew Miller. Babs does, so he's not going anywhere. If we were to sign a guy like Thornton (which we won't) he'd likely be the 13 forward and be in the press box most nights. That's just the truth of the matter. As for Niskanen...26 pts. as a rookie is not unremarkable, it's pretty impressive (especially since Dallas was horrible back then). He then improved to 35 pts., which is good by any objective measure. His numbers then dipped as his ice time did, and went back up as he earned the ice time back, culminating in a 48 pts breakout season which happens to coincide with his being at an age where defensemen typically have breakout seasons. If Brendan Smith put up 26 pts. in his rookie season people around here would devolve into wild throes of ecstasy considering they're ready to lick his balls after the 19 he managed this season. Again, Niskanen's for read dude.

Comparing Holmgren to Holland is just further proof that you have an agenda and there is no limit to what facts and opinions you'll twist to get there. We get it. You hate hate Holland. You hate that he traded Jarnkrok. And on and on and on. I feel like, right now, if Holland were able to trade his receeding hairline to Phoenix for Yandle, you'd have something negative to say about it.

No. No. No. No. This team has 9 bottom 6 forwards and a lot of players that are either out of options in GR, or should be getting their chance soon. A 35 year old goon who can't make the NHL and whose team is losing to the Griffins in the Calder cup playoffs is not the answer.

Holland hasn't been known to be a great trader either. I think Holmgren and Holland both spent many years in elementary trading their deserts for brussel sprouts and not realizing they got had.

Niskanen is definitely an interesting player. But please let Detroit trade Glendening, he's going to be the new Cleary if they don't. Mark this down, Babcock can be fickle, but I see this guy being the soft, stone handed staple of the Wing's line up for decades to come.

So in the "Offseason Needs" thread I posted my realistic offseason plan, which was to sign Niskanen and promote from within. Here I'm going to post my dream scenario, which actually might not be too off base. Sign Niskanen, and trade our 1st, Helm or Abby (not both), and Smith for Ryan Kesler. We don't need a first, we've already got too many NHL quality prospects, and we can easily handle the loss of Smith and Abby or Helm. No knock on any of those guys, but I love the thought of this Z-Dats-Kesler Franzen-Weiss-Nyquist Tatar-Sheahan-Jurco Miller-Glendening-Helm/Abby Kronwall-Ericsson Niskanen-Dekeyser Marchenko-Quellet/Sproul Note: If that rookie third pair was shaky you can always trade for a veteran third pair stay at home guy with any of the 2 million quality prospects we've got. Double Note: This package for Kesler is better than both Pittsburgh and Anaheim's packages which reportedly "nearly landed" him at the deadline. It should work. If not, add some combination of Kidl, Andersson, Bachman, Pulkkinen, Callahan, or Ferraro until it does.

I think they are just reposting last years article with a new title and a few amendments. Seriously, they have been saying this since they lost Hossa, Homer and Rafalski...

You mean, aside from the one you've got chilling on our third pair below Brendan Smith on the depth chart? lol. How did Ericsson being injured get him demoted to the third pair? He went from our most reliable defensive defenseman to Brain Lashoff because of one signing? Edit: Also, even if we sign Niskanen he wouldn't play on the top pair with Kronwall, since they're pretty much the EXACT same type of player, good offensively and adequate defensively. They're also both undersized for their position. You're far more likely to see Kronall with Ericsson, and Niskanen with Dekeyser. That would make all Brendan's supporters upset, but out of the five he is CLEARLY the fifth best, so he'd be right where he needed to be.

I realize it's a grey area but let's keep the discussion about this lawsuit and its relevance to hockey, and away from the political realm. Let's also keep it away from anything related to that boring sport where really tall guys try and get a ball through a circle when they're not taking 500 timeouts.

We don't need a Top 4 guy. We need a puck moving top 2. Smith and Ericsson and Dekeyser are fine as 3 spots, and make is much deeper. I mean...Dekeyser on the third pairing is crazy deep. But none of those guys is that top pair offensive defenseman we need to play with Kronwall.

I have a question. After seeing how smith played with kronwall(great for those who may struggle with the answer). And we still have Ericsson and dekeyser so WHY DO WE NEED A TOP 4?!?!??!??? Unless someone is planning to be moved? I mean I'd like a right handed guy but this kind of blows my mind.

I'll believe it when I see it. Kenny is all talk right now

Unless a guy like Weber is being shopped, I say going after Niskanen or Boyle should be the priority. Boyle only if he can't get Niskanen. At least Boyle can bridge the gap to the kids taking over the blueline. If any forwards are traded, I'd imagine it would be for bigger, gritty forwards. We have a lot of guys with skill, and some with size. But if the opportunity presents itself a legit power forward type, I figure that's the only way kids should be traded. Luckily Jurco may very well grow into that role, though it never hurts to have a couple guys like that. If that need were filled, at least then Franzen would be a player that would be depended on. he could alternate between the 2nd and 3rd line, depending on whether he is hot or not. I'd be ok with Mule staying if the team had the leisure to put him on the 3rd line to be a responsible defensive forward when he is in one of his scoring funks. It is the fact that he has always had to be in the top 6 that really killed the team's scoring when he went cold. In the end, I'd like to see him used in the Homer role again. When it comes down to it, that's what cause him to break out as a scoring beast to begin with. It was after that he started playing as more of a skilled forward, which made him very streaky. He is a big body, and showed in the past he is good at deflections. It would be a good role for him when age starts to slow his production. Props to Weiss for never using it as an excuse, even though most of us knew better. The few games he did play, he always worked his ass off. He just never had that jump he has always had in the past. Really hoping summer treats him well. If it does, I am confident he will be an impact player for this team next season. Edit: Also awesome to see he is doing the Gary Roberts thing this summer. As long as there is no set backs. he'll be ready to kick some ass in camp.

I agree but we have to keep a contingency plan in place to have him up the year after - we have to have some expiring contracts for Mantha or Pulkkinen barring a trade that opens up roster spots for them.

Detroit Sports nation on Twitter just said he will join gr for whatever is remaining in their playoffs after qmjhl playoffs. Don't know where they heard that from so don't take it as a lock.. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Am I the only one that thinks Sheahan would do better on the 1st line than Abby? He played pretty good in front of the net this season and has shown he has good hands. Obviously I'd rather have a guy like Vanek or Moulson on the top line, but if we strike out on FA then I would give Sheahan a look on the top line. Plays like these make me very curious as to how he could do with Z and Dats. I'd like to run this lineup a couple games just to see what happens. We know Nyquist and Franzen have shown good chemistry so that line could score some goals if Weiss can get healthy. A third line of Tatar-Helm-Jurco would be FAST. They could really change the pace of the game. 4th line is probably the best checking line we could do with our current roster. Z-Dats-Sheahan Franzen-Weiss-Nyquist Tatar-Helm-Jurco Miller-Glendening-Abby

Only you could think an NHL player would play for no salary. The original post said that Tootoo costs The Wings nothing and had trade potential. Tootoo does cost the Wings because he is under contract with them for another year at $1.9 million and any team could have had him for free, meaning they would not have had to give anyone or anything up to get him as a player on their roster. Which part of that was so hard to comprehend? But again, your fascination with everything I say is flattering.

Mantha's Val d'Or Foreurs just won their semifinal Game 7, so they're now in the QMJHL final. Mantha had no points, -1, 2 shots. His team was outshot 41-16, but won 3-2.

I can't get behind this, if I have to sit through another year of Abby on the top line, I'm going to lose it.

He wouldn't be free. Someone would have had to pickup his contract. Yea, I get what you are saying though.

Actually, he costs 1.9 million, couldn't crack the lineup when absolutely everyone was out of the lineup, he cleared waivers 3 times and absolutely no one was interested in taking him for free.

ken holland june 2014 "we like our team"

I don't see anything wrong with it. A business owner doesn't want to sell tickets to a certain group of people. It's fine by me.

I think the Wings might have been a little disappointed overall in Legwand... he had some really good games when he first got here and showed some flashes after that, but for the most part, he played his way down to 4th-line wing. I can't see the Wings being excited to bring him back (even after what they gave up to get him) and I can't see him rushing to sign here and play 4th-line minutes again (even though he's a local and had wanted to be here). Had he produced more, I wouldn't have been surprised to hear that the Wings wanted him back... And I agree with you on the D, they really do need a vet for a year or two, someone solid and responsible. I do want to see Sproul, Marchenko, Ouellet, and maybe the other guys, but don't want to have to rely on them just yet. It seems like the organization is talking out of both sides of its mouth... they are going to build from within (so, YOUTH) but they expect to be much better and make a deep run in the playoffs next year. Are they "blaming" the 93-point, 8th place finish and the 5-game first-round elimination on injuries? They were a factor, yes, but this is also a team in decline. Its key players are old, half of its support players were replaced during the season, and it has no budding superstars on the immediate horizon. Yet Holland wants to keep the band together. He won't trade anyone away because he never does, it sounds like he's not going to pursue any free agents of consequence (they might throw off his 2006-based team salary structure)... does he really think everything is just roses?

I wouldn't be surprised if the Hawks buy out Hossa this off season...that would be kind of funny

Whatever the reason, I still don't think its right to block someone from bettering their position.

Holland's done plenty of good things. And some bad. Just like Bowman. Just like pretty much everyone who has dipped a toe in NHL waters. Around these parts, I would argue he doesn't get enough credit. I tend to try and evaluate his work over larger periods of time that, IMO, have yet to expire.

Of course buy out the one guy who has some toughness anyway mixed feeling since I hope he gets back in the nhl

I would be legitimately happy if Holland did nothing else but sign Niskanen and let all the obvious free agents walk. You can always fill needs at the deadline, but I'd be perfectly happy going into next season with... Z-Dats-Abby Franzen-Weiss-Nyquist Tatar-Sheahan-Jurco Miller-Helm-Glendening Kronwall-Ericsson Niskenen-Dekeyser Smith-Quellet Sproul/Marchenko Edit: Obviously the means trading Andersson, Kindl, and Lashoff for whatever you can get (not roster players).

I'd go with neither. You need a complete team to go the distance.