Shaman

As is? Top 15, being an NHL ready player usually puts you in the first half of the first round.

91 when I play, because my favorite player growing up was Feds.

I hope you're wrong on both accounts, but if the Wings don't find some depth scoring, I don't see them going far either. As for the Pens winning it all? I'd rather see Toronto win it, and I hate the Leafs.

He's not Vezina worthy. Craig Anderson and Cory Crawford have him beat by a lot. As for his stats, hes still middle tier, hes the #1 in the middle tier, but, hes still middle tier. PS don't conflate middle tier with average. An average goalie would be a bottom tier starter in my mind.

Howard isn't average (in baseball terms average to me is replacement level), but hes not Vezina worthy either. Just by his stats all season, hes what I would consider middle tier, and near the top of it. He would be a starter on ~15 teams over their current starter.

Don't like this match up for a lot of reasons, including travel, their style of play, and their luck. Hope I am wrong, but, I think the Ducks in 5-6.

He had a shoulder injury that required him miss half of the next season. Every hurt your shoulder? I broke mine, and I play hockey (in beer leagues), and I can tell you, the fact that he was playing showed just how much effort he was putting in. Sorry that you think that he should have magically regenerated or something, but what about all the other players that also didn't give it all game 7?

If he comes back he needs to be in Abdelkader's "spot". Abdelkader after nearly a season with Dats is on pace for an impressive 20 point season (if the season was 82 games), which means, playing with Dats hes regressed from last seasons 22 points.

This is a nice development and all, but there is so little of substance to add.

The problem is over the last 10 games played by Detroit, Dallas and Columbus two of them have at least 12 point out of them, and its sad to say it isn't Detroit. If this trend continues, Columbus and Dallas will finish the season hotter than Detroit, and that's not good for Detroit's odds of making it.

Well there are 8 teams ahead of us in points and ROW, so this is how many angels can dance on a head of a pin.

NHL.com also said that Kronwall was a Norris favorite. So take whatever they say with a pound of salt.

I hurt my left knee after a bad fall, any love tap can cause a lot of pain now. So not knowing his injury history, I would say that I will reserve judgement.

Hard to tell, knees can get hurt by the stupidest of things, but a massive kneeing at full speed and both players are fine. I will with hold judgement purely because it could be one of those times.

Two .50 ppg declining, oft injured players out. I'd rather see Tatar and Nyquist up full time than either of them ever come back. As for that stat, I'd be more worried that of all the playoff teams this team has been scored on more than any other team in the top 8, and is only behind the Sharks for lowest goals for.

I think you're right, there's no way that Holland doesn't try to make some move at the draft or in the offseason to try to make up for deficiencies in the line up. I don't see any massive moves, but hopefully something to help smooth the transition. Though I still believe this team needs a major shake up to keep it competitive in the interim.

Draft well? Nill admitted that drafting Pavel wasn't some stroke of drafting acumen, but in fact dumb luck. As Mickey says 5 times a game 'Sometimes its better to be lucky then to be good'. For every gem you give me I can show you how other teams have done the same, maybe not with 6th or 7th round picks, but with picks after the 2nd round (which just about every scout will admit anything after the 60th pick is a crap shoot).

You're right, before the Tigers were relevant Holland was just ALWAYS offering HUGE contracts to RFAs from other teams. Pretty much his middle name that was... oh wait...

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/trade+deadline+winners+losers/8191683/story.html Ten seconds on google found the Sun says they lost too, if I cared enough I am sure I can find more. But, whatever, you and reality have a pretty causal relationship.

This is how I feel about Holland lately:

That was a joke based on when Anaheim, Calgary, and Edmonton upset stocked Wings teams and went onto the finals.

Its all the contradictory BS that Holland has been feeding the world that gets most of us. He says 'We need to get better via free agency, he s**ts the bed in Free agency. Then he says 'We will explore trades over the summer/during the season/at the deadline to address our needs', come trade deadline he sh*ts the bed again. Now he says 'We need to build around our youth and the draft' and yet, he keeps players like Sammuelson, Bertuzzi, Cleary, et al in the line up at the expense of younger NHL level talent in the minors, and also doesn't trade the tradeable assets to build more youth into the system. This is enough to make ones head spin. I wish he wouldn't treat the fan base like we are stupid and do what he says for once.

Yes, there's a certain formula for the low seeds that go a long way. #1: They are usually scrappy, and physical. #2: They usually are riding a really hot goalie and a good defense. #3: They usually do it when the Wings are supposed to win it all. But seriously, the Wings don't have the kind of depth or makeups that the last few teams that were low seeds that went far did, so I wouldn't hold my breath.

Because them having a mediocre playoff run is worth the team being worse in the future. Got it.

So you'd rather lose Flip in the summer for nothing when he asks for 5m?