GoWings1905

Pass. We have enough centers on the team already and Filppula has spent enough time developing on the third line. This season is a chance for Fil to prove he can center the second line and produce. I want a gritty, third or fourth line forward (or two) that can kill penalties.

Hossa by far. Who the hell voted for Kopecky?

Wishful thinking. Booing Hossa is stupid. If that's what makes you feel better, then by all means do it. However, what exactly are people going to boo Hossa for? I can understand because he plays for the Blackhawks now, but any other reason to do so is lame. People bitched on here all season about how "classless" Penguins fans looked for their hatred of Hossa and now our fans are going to turn around and do the same thing we mocked them for doing? To each their own. If Hossa is as bad as some people make him out to be on here, maybe you should all cheer him that he isn't wearing a Red Wings uniform next season.

Great point. I can't figure it out either. Afflalo never got a chance really and why did the Pistons waste a first round pick on Sharpe last season? I hope Kuester turns out to be that offensive genius because the Pistons are going to be pathetic on defense. The only free agent big man I would even really care to sign now is Glen Davis. The problem is he is restricted and the Celtics can match any offer. I would still rather go after Tyson Chandler and dump Prince in the process. Might as well get rid of him too since nobody else on the roster can play defense now.

Mr. Davidson loved Joe Dumars. I think the lack of accountability stems from that.

What is wrong with Hudler being one-dimensional when the Red Wings NEED that dimension very badly right now? Not every player has to be a great two-way forward like Z or Datsyuk. Hudler is hardly ever on the ice enough anyways to really have a negative effect defensively.

Hudler is in the prime of his career, coming off a 57-point season. Offering him a one-year contract would be a complete insult. The window of opportunity to make money in a professional career doesn't come around frequently. Hudler deserved the same contract (or very close to it) terms as Filppula. It was just unfortunate that he got absurd money in the KHL, which overwhelmed a very fair offer from the Red Wings. To insinuate that Hudler doesn't care about the Red Wings by not taking a contract well below his value isn't very reasonable. This whole situation isn't really the Red Wings nor Hudler's fault. It was tough circumstances from the KHL that left Hudler to make the best decision for him personally.

You have to take the good with the bad. Although with you, I am not sure you ever see the good in the Red Wings.

Yes, I am aware of this. That doesn't make Holland "lazy" because he hasn't signed one yet. There are plenty of forwards remaining still that can fill the role the Red Wings need. Losing out on Moen isn't the end of the off-season.

You do realize Holland said this was coming months ago after Z and Franzen signed right?

Moen wasn't the only "gritty" forward remaining in free agency. I do think Moen would have been a nice fit here, but the Red Wings still have options.

I didn't want to see Kopecky injured per se, but I really appreciate what Beauchemin did.

Antonio McDyess is gone. Total bummer - I am more upset by this than losing Billups or Rasheed just for the fact that 'Dyess deserved to win a championship with the Pistons. He was the only guy the past couple seasons that showed up to play every night and I appreciate that very much. He played the game with a ton of heart and conducted himself as a marvelous human off the court. The problem with 'Dyess was he cared too much and the rest of the Pistons didn't care enough. It was a pleasure to have him in Detroit and he'll go down as my favorite Piston from this group of players. At least 'Dyess went to a team where he can contribute and have a legitimate shot at a championship. Nobody deserves to win it all more than him. I am very glad he went to the Spurs as I can root for him much easier there than I could had he signed with the Celtics or Cavaliers. The Pistons are certainly getting younger (which is good) if nothing else this summer. It was time to get some new, younger players on the team. The frontcourt depth still scares me - we have three players signed and one of those is Kwame Brown. I still expect Joe D. to trade either Rip or Prince for some frontcourt help. My first choice would be Tyson Chandler. Villanueva and Gordon add scoring but we need some tough, interior defense. The Pistons will get torn to shreds down low if they don't add a strong defensive presence that can rebound. Villanueva isn't a great defender, Maxiell is undersized and I don't really count Kwame Brown as anything more than a body with six fouls to give. To me, I don't see how Gordon can possibly come off the bench, which makes Rip the obvious choice to go. I am going to withhold any judgment on Kuester until he gets a chance to prove himself. Not fond of the decision, but Dumars should be held accountable more than the coaches from now on. Interesting summer so far to say the least for the Pistons.

Travel.

It appears the deal is for three years at three million per season. The Red Wings couldn't afford that.

The Red Wings really need a goal-scoring, top-six forward now. That isn't happening because most of the quality free agents are gone and the Red Wings have minimal cap space anyways. Losing Hudler is tough for me because it appears Holmstrom isn't capable of playing on the top two lines anymore. That leaves Z, Pavel, Mule, Fil and Cleary and someone else (Leino?) to fill out our scoring lines. Our scoring depth has taken a major hit this summer. That being said, if Hudler does indeed leave, I want Travis Moen. Stick him on the third line with Helm and let them cause havoc on the ice. We aren't getting a sniper for two million dollars so we may as well become a tougher team to play against.

The Red Wings better play some damn good defense next season.

Good call. That's like saying Patriots fans are jealous of the Lions.

Dumars fired Curry to make John Kuester the head coach? Flip Saunders was considered an "offensive genius" too and he actually had experience. Curry got a raw deal and Dumars keeps making very questionable decisions. I don't get it. Nothing against Kuester, but this is a huge frickin disappointment.

It is a well-thought out and personal response. However, I find it hard to believe Ozzie would take the time to care enough about those comments to generate a response. People have done nothing but tear Ozzie down for most of his career. Go back and read MOST of the threads on here during the regular season. That was bad enough and we are (most of us) Red Wings fans. My point being Ozzie proved the doubters wrong by being the Red Wings MVP. I don't think he needs an online message board to further his cause.

Tough road trip. The Twins are a pain-in-the-ass team to play as always. I think they win the division unless the Tigers make some moves before the deadline. Time to come back home and get some distance on the Twins and White Sox in the Central. Congrats to Granderson, JV and Jackson for making the ASG. Vote for Brandon too even though Ian Kinsler probably deserves that last spot.

How many 57-point players do you know that make $1.5 million? You don't like Hudler. We get that by now, but at least try to use some logic in your arguments.

Pass. I would be all for Travis Moen, although that is highly unlikely if Hudler and Leino sign.

Datsyuk - Z - Holmstrom Franzen - Filppula - Hudler Leino - Helm - Cleary Abdelkader - Draper - Maltby I would much prefer Cleary over Holmstrom with Pavel and Z. However, Holmstrom may as well not even dress if he doesn't play with the Euro-Twins. Homer is completely useless on the third or fourth line. Regardless Pav and Z need to play on the same line with Hossa gone now. They are too good and have too much chemistry together to stay apart. Lidstrom - Ericsson Kronwall - Stuart Lilja/Lebda - Rafalski

I could see the Pistons making a trade with the Hornets, but for Tyson Chandler instead of Chris Paul. I would rather see Prince go, though my gut tells me Rip is gone because of the Gordon signing. Rip's contract is pretty large too so maybe we could get McDyess back (hopefully) as well if a trade goes down. I still think Boozer or maybe even Millsap is possible in a trade with Utah. I have read Chris Kaman rumors, but that would be terrible. Joe D. is meeting with Avery Johnson this weekend. I think he'll be the coach by Monday.