Shaman

A few problems: #1 Players never come off injuries 100% healthy, even the most optimistic dates put Z's return at around the time the first round would start. So that puts him out of the game for 2 months, not at 100%, and against the best competition in the conference (as the Wings will most likely play the 1st or 2nd seed). #2 While the forward core on paper is good, this isn't a game played on paper. Other than Z and D there are no consistent offensive threats on this team. Nyquist and Tatar are both young, and are hot and cold. And Franzen is Captain Streak, he has a good week and he has a week where you don't notice him. #3 An NHL team isn't just a forward core anyway. The goaltending and the defense this season has been anyway from mediocre to terrible, depending on the night. The Wings won't beat Boston or Pittsburgh by trying to match them goal for goal, the way you beat teams like these is by having stellar goaltending and great defense, neither of which Detroit has.

My biggest issues with Holland stands as follows: #1 This move didn't address the Wing's biggest issue, which was lack of a true #2-#3 defenseman. When healthy the Wings have 7-9 centers on the team. #2 This move doesn't put the Wings in a better position than they were yesterday. They are still a team that is a bubble team and could very easily miss the playoffs. #3 It shows that Holland really doesn't have a clear plan in place. He was emphatic that there would be no trading for rentals, and no trading of youth. Then he trades a coveted prospect for a player that when the Wings are healthy would be a 3rd or 4th line center. #4 Success has been redefined by the Wings to mean competing for a playoff spot. This was a team a few years ago that defined success as competing for a cup. Why has that changed?

Please take him back... please? Please?

I'd rather see a clear plan and not half measures. The current plan is purely half measures, not wanting to either do what it takes to compete for a cup nor actually put the effort into a real rebuild. And to be honest I think that it will cause it to take more years to do it this halfassed way than it would to actually commit to a rebuild.

You obviously don't understand my line of thinking.

LGW right now: Not really sure you want a part of this.

Being mediocre is not the sign of pride, its a sign of being too afraid to take necessary steps to fix problems. Bottom line Holland either has to nut up and make a real trade that address the Wings need for a goal scoring winger and a top 4 (preferably a 2 or 3) that can run a powerplay. Know what they call a team that uses Ken Holland's bandage strategy? The Flames.

You still don't let Nashville fleece you for an aging center that is redundant around this time next month.

The Ownership is in Lakeland Florida right now.

Yeah until you look at the defense and the goaltending. Honestly, outside of Kronwall, and at times Ericcson, the defense has been bad this season. Dekeyser and Smith are both young, and in a few years will be able to step to top 4 roles, but right now both are just not quite there. Kyle Quinecy and Kindl both need to be dropped as soon as possible. Boston and Pittsburgh would have a field day against this D.

Lets see, one of two players who are on good contracts, are able to man a PP, and are pretty good defensively? I would have parted with one of Nyquist or Tatar and a B level prospect and a 2nd round pick easily. Why? Because they are under team control, they are relatively young, and they fill a need that doesn't disappear the second week of April.

Kyle Quincey is playing sold hockey? I mean the rest of what you said gentleman's disagreement, but KMFQ has been a trainwreck all season. He makes boneheaded passes, he's always out of position, he doesn't score, he doesn't block shots. I mean he's closer to the next Lebda than the next Lidstrom. And if you consider being first round fodder a saved season, you and I also deeply disagree on what a successful season is.

Desperate need for the next 3 weeks, and in 5 weeks he becomes the 3rd or 4th center on a team that has 7 centers. And again, the team still has KYLE MF QUINCEY in it's top 4 defensemen. If a top defenseman wasn't a more pressing need than I dont know what is.

Insane bottom 6 depth, fragile top 6 depth. And a Top 4 defense that has Kyle MF Quinecy in it. This team still has all the exact same flaws it had earlier this season, except now it has less prospect depth. If this were Ehrhoff you would have had a point, it's not, it's Legwand, who on a healthy Wings teams slots in as a bottom 6 center blocking Andersson, Helm and Sheahan.

Commitment to winning or commitment to being mediocre, same difference it seems. I want this team to commit to winning a Stanley Cup. Barely making the playoffs every year and then not going anywhere isn't success in my mind. And if the team can't realisitically compete for a cup that season, I want the team to put itself in a position to compete for it in the future. If that means cutting some veterans and letting the youth get a chance to learn the NHL game, so be it. If that means that a streak is sacrificed so the team doesn't throw away picks and prospects for bandaides, so be it. This move by Holland does not make this team a Cup contender, it makes it first round fodder, and it makes it a less viable team in the near future as well.

Haha, no problem.

Again if mediocrity is okay with you, fine. For me I look at this team and ask two questions: Can this team seriously compete for a Stanley Cup? If yes great. If not then I ask: Has the team increased it's ability to compete for one in the future. This trade doesn't make this team a serious cup contender, and it has hurt the team long term.

Yep, and in order to sell a few more beers, a few playoff tickets, the wings have jeopardized their future. On top of that they are not in a better position to win the Cups as they still haven't fixed their defense. Sorry if a meaningless streak is less important to me than the long term viability of the Wings as a team that that could win the Stanley Cup.

Okay, again in the NHL over 50% of the teams make the playoffs. To give you an idea how easy it is lets compare it to the NFL and MLB In the MLB there are 30 teams, 8 make the playoffs. Percent of teams that make it any given year: 26% In the NFL there are 32 teams, 12 teams make the playoffs. Percent of teams that make it any given year: 37.5 In the NHL has 30 teams, 16 make the playoffs. Percent of teams that make it any given year: 53% Not really as big a deal compared to other leagues, now is it?

Yeah, and you're pretty short sighted to not see that once the Blackhawks started to play the Wings seriously it was over. After game 4 the the Wings scored 5 goals in 3 games, it wasn't as close as people like to pretend it was.

Again, if the Wings are satisfied with being the new mid 2000s flames, and think making the playoffs is enough, they will not be able to draft a center in time to replace Z or D. It will be Nik Lidstrom all over again, where when they retire there is no one remotely able to step into his role.

Again, people keep talking about a playoff streak in a league where more teams make the playoffs than miss it. It's really not that special. Want something special? Once the Wings can start challenging the Habs for number of cups I will be really impressed.

The chances of drafting an a potential #1 center that will be NHL ready by the time the Wings need him (in the next 4 years) is exponentially lower if they do make the playoffs. Remember it took 4 years to get Jarnkrok and Sheahan to where they are today.

Sorry, but they don't have the defense or the goaltending this year, even if by some miracle they get healthy on the front end.