GoWings1905

I get that. I'm sure Holland would be open to the right deal, but I can't envision that happening for a lot of reasons. Mainly due to the fact the Red Wings can address most of their needs on July 1st without giving up valuable assets in the process. Sure, Ryan is available, but say goodbye to Filppula probably and definitely Smith for starters. I just don't see the point with the opportunity to add significant pieces just days away.

I haven't seen any indication reported that Holland was going to aggressively pursue trades at the draft. I truly don't understand the panic with nothing happening so far. The Red Wings have plenty of cap space and the front office has stated all along they planned to utilize free agency to address their needs. I will be worried on July 2nd if the Red Wings haven't made moves. Until then, I was never expecting anything major to occur this weekend. There's not much need for it.

The upgrade looks very nice. Thanks as always for your hard work and time, Matt.

Excellent deal for both Helm and the Red Wings going forward. If Helm can just improve his scoring touch -- in addition to everything else he already excels at on the ice -- this contract will look like a steal down the road. I couldn't agree more with Holland in saying Helm is a perfect third line center. The Red Wings (specifically the bottom six forwards) are a different group when Helm is healthy. His energy, speed and tenacity on the forecheck can't be matched. Sounds like everything is going well in Helm's recovery too. Hopefully the same is true with Eaves. Would love to see those two on a line with Miller causing chaos next season.

I really fail to see the point of the Red Wings making trades right now. Why give up valuable assets when they have the ability to address their needs through free agency very soon? They have the cap space to sign the top free agents available without giving up major pieces of the team now and in the future. Trades would be a nice fallback option after July 1st maybe, but I don't see any reason for Holland to start making deals at the draft.

I'm happy everything worked out well for Stuart. It sucks to see him with a team like the Sharks, but I will never fault Stuart for doing what is best for his family. All of the negative comments being thrown at Stuart are unfair. I remember after the Red Wings won the cup in 2008, it was widely speculated that Stuart would end up going back out west then. He sacrificed and gave the Red Wings four more years of service and steady play on defense. I do feel Stuart is on the decline, but the timing of him leaving is really unfortunate for the Red Wings. Lidstrom, Rafalski and Stuart all gone within a year -- overhauling 3/4 of a top four on defense that quickly is quite the challenge. There was nothing flashy about Stuart, however he was extremely reliable and consistent. He could eat up minutes and was the best penalty killer/shot blocker on the team. Ericsson looked capable of sliding into that role and now we have to hope Quincey steps up and improves his play as well to help fill the void. As for the above claiming Stuart "quit", that's why I never read the comments on any MLive article. I swear the most obnoxious, fickle and ignorant fans all flock there. It is the same thing with the Tigers too. Ansar Khan is really good in his coverage of the Red Wings, so the articles themselves are worthwhile, but you end up hating humanity reading the comments.

That entire series at Wrigley was something else. I swear it seemed liked there were more Tigers fans judging by the crowd noise and all of the apparel in the crowd. I also read the Saturday game where JV pitched in Cincinnati was the largest attendance in Reds history at Great American Ball Park besides Opening Day games. Pretty cool to see how much support the Tigers get on the road. Sadly, it also speaks to the downfall of Detroit/Michigan as a whole and the relocation that has taken place. Very impressive starts from Fister and Max to get another series win this weekend. Having Fister back is such a boost to the rotation. It has been said numerous times already, but maybe the Tigers are finally finding their groove. Only two under .500 now and three back in the division. Austin Jackson really stirs the drink offensively. His plate discipline is on a completely different level than a year ago. He might be the best leadoff hitter in baseball and that's huge when you can get runners on base with Miggy and Prince to follow in the order.

That was an excellent read. This world needs more people like Nick Lidstrom. Still hard to believe he is actually retired.

Anything can happen still obviously, but I feel better about Suter becoming a Red Wing every day. If the draft passes and his rights do not indeed get moved, it will be even more of a relief. It's going to be a hell of a disappointment on July 1st if he doesn't sign here with the expectations rising.

That's sweet. Did you feel your allegiances being torn a little?

Z is the next captain. It isn't a matter of lingering doubt -- the team waited until training camp to name Nick as well and that was clearly a slam dunk decision. Babcock acknowledged during Nick's retirement PC that the organization would spend some time discussing it, but it was pretty evident who everyone expected to win out. I'm definitely not opposed to Parise/Suter getting in on the "A" rotation should either or both sign in Detroit, but no way does either end up wearing the "C".

Yeah, I agree. I don't see this as a positive development for the Red Wings at all. You know Nashville is going to make Detroit give up more to get Suter's rights than any other team. If the Predators have other viable options for Suter (they obviously will), the last move they are going to make is sending him to their perceived "rival" and a division opponent. I just don't feel comfortable at all knowing some other team has Suter's rights before July 1st. Sure, he may be aware of a looming offer from the Red Wings, but there is a pretty good chance he gets a very appealing deal from whoever acquires the rights. No one really knows for certain what Suter is looking for beyond the speculation. I have no clue what the asking price will even be, but I almost feel like Holland may have to pay it if indeed Suter becomes available.

Same here -- that game as a whole was incredible with Z tying it very late in regulation and Nick capping it off in OT. The thing I remember about Nick's goal was how he pulled it to his backhand instead of shooting it on the forehand with Kiprusoff out of position. He probably could have easily buried it since Kiprusoff was sprawled out on the ice. It's like even Lidstrom's mistakes aren't mistakes.

Games like tonight are a prime example why it's getting tougher to believe the Tigers are going to turn it around. Very winnable game against a terrible team and the Tigers give it away because they can't make simple fundamental baseball plays in the field. Everyone knew the Tigers defense was going to be s***ty, but it's pathetic that even routine plays are an adventure for basically every player besides Austin Jackson. The offense isn't good enough to bail out horrible defense. Losing is one thing, but watching sloppy baseball in the process really frustrates me as a fan. I'm running out of patience with Scherzer and Porcello too. Too much potential and neither of them can consistently turn in quality starts. With Fister out, it's imperative those two give the Tigers some reliable arms behind Verlander and neither has come through. I hate to make excuses because the Tigers are doing just fine losing games on their own, but all of the injuries are really hurting the ability to make a serious push. Dirks was hitting the ball very well, Avila is invaluable behind the plate and obviously not having Fister severely weakens the rotation.

2008 part two in Tiger town...

Agreed. I was curious to see Nick's emotions in particular. He's always so stoic -- never really gets overly excited or upset in any situation. He really had to fight back the tears at the beginning and especially when he talked about his family. I knew Stevie and Draper would have trouble getting through their announcements because they are both more emotional, but Nick is like a robot. I'm not even saying that as an insult at all -- he's just a very lead by example, follow my actions type leader. It was tough to see him even getting choked up.

Just got done watching the PC on DVR and it still seems surreal. You knew it was coming someday soon, but yet I still can't imagine the Red Wings coming out in October and Nick Lidstrom won't be on the ice. Obviously this is a very sad day for the entire organization and us fans, but more than anything I feel extremely proud today. Nick Lidstrom represents everything I love about the Red Wings. We are so blessed to have witnessed his class, leadership and out-of-this-world talent for two decades. It truly is the end of an era too. I feel like some of the fondest memories of my childhood just got the final chapter closed today. Stevie, Nick, Ozzie, the Grind Line members, and probably Homer are all gone. It was such a treat to grow up watching some truly incredible hockey players and teams. We will never see anything again quite like the run the Red Wings had during the Lidstrom years. I really can't even describe in words how special Lidstrom was. I've never seen a better hockey player and likely never will. Maybe perfect truly is the best term. Thanks for the many, many memories Nick! You're the best #5.

I feel sick to my stomach. I had a feeling Nick was done, but you never wanted to see the day actually arrive.

NJD/LAK: 4-2 Thanks again for doing this NFM!

Just went way down IMO. If the Devils lose, Parise has the motivation to see how close they were and may want to finish the job. If they win, it may be tough to pry a player away from a team coming off a championship. I guess everything still revolves around the money situation, but it would have been more ideal if the Devils went out in the first round.

I don't really want the Devils to win a 4th cup either. Not that it really matters, but I want the Red Wings to have more championships between the two most successful franchises in hockey the past two decades. I also don't think the Devils going deep is very helpful in the chances of landing Parise. Four rounds of playoff revenue is a nice bonus even for a team with as much financial trouble as the Devils.

I guess I wouldn't hate it entirely, but I think there are better options at backup goalie through free agency. Namely Vokoun or Harding would be my top choices.

Definitely see your point and I agree with the desperation portion a great deal. I think it's pretty evident now the Red Wings need some new blood that has not won previously. However, Parise does not strike me as a player that is going to get complacent from winning a championship or signing a new contract. He's a leader -- he works hard all of the time, much like Datsyuk and Zetterberg do for the Red Wings. So I guess my answer is not at all. I somewhat feel the Devils going deep isn't a good thing for the chances of landing Parise, but if he does make it to free agency, I still view him as the top priority.

20 LOB in two games for the Tigers. They are just giving wins away because their powerful offense on paper can't drive in runs at all. Poor Fister has pitched very well and hasn't gotten a lick of run support yet. The Indians aren't anything special, but it proves that fundamentals and even a little clutch hitting can win baseball games. The Tigers were on the receiving end of some terrible umpiring tonight too. They actually take pitches for once and get screwed on balls outside of the strike zone. Nothing is going their way and the frustration seems to really be building from the players and coaches. I'm sure JV will salvage something from this series like usual tomorrow, but that's just going to mask the Tigers issues for a couple hours again. I still think they can/will turn it around, but I would be lying if I said my optimism in that isn't shrinking more by the day.

This is extremely frustrating to watch right now. Jon Morosi tweeted earlier that the Tigers had lost their swagger from the second-half of last season. Couldn't really have summed it better -- except adding that I think the most important element to that "swagger" (Victor) isn't around and it appears they are sorely missing the spark he provides. Tonight's game pretty much represented the Tigers season perfectly so far. The defense was atrocious, even though Porcello didn't help his own cause much with another poor outing. The Tigers gave away so many outs, which led to runs. I didn't expect this team to be a stalwart defensively, but sloppy mistakes like Boesch dropping a line drive or Porcello throwing the ball away prove extra costly when the offense isn't there to cover up the errors. The offense is a huge disappointment. It looks beautiful when everything is clicking, but I guess the way the Tigers are constructed just isn't my ideal concept of a baseball team. Too much reliance on power and very little plate discipline outside of Cabrera and Avila. The Indians were aggressive on the bases and used their speed to manufacture runs. The Tigers have one player that can cause damage when he gets on base and he's injured at the moment. Everything is just too stagnant most nights -- struggle to get scoring chances and when they do, it gets wasted with double plays or waiting on a homer to get runs in. Jimenez got let off the hook with six walks. The Tigers will find their groove and hopefully an extended winning streak sooner rather than later, but this present version isn't at all entertaining nor living up to their expectations.