union drone

I think that I can hear Bettman's screams of ecstasy all the way from here!

I think that Lidstrom will be part of the conversation, but unless he is dominant for the final 30 games of the season, the Norris will probably go to someone else. Players in the conversation (in semi-approximate order of consideration, IMHO): Chara Green Lidstrom Markov Wideman Boyle Keith Blake Vlasic Rafalski

Although I am not at all against retiring Kelly's number, the four cups with the Leafs is a BIG mark against him, especially considering that the Leafs were a) Detroit's most hated rival, and b) two of those four Leafs Cups were won AGAINST Detroit in the Finals.

The idea of "automatic disqualification" for players who didn't start their career in Detroit is positively SILLY! Let's say a hypothetical player played his first 20 games for, say, the Isles, gets traded to Detroit, goes on to play 1000+ games in Wings uniform scores 500+ goals, 1000+ plus points and wins several personal awards and is critical part of a cup or two, you would automatically disqualify him??!?

As a HIFK fan when I was living in Helsinki, yeah, Jokerit's logo is pretty weak. But seriously Jokerit = Jokers, which does have a lot of potential for good logos. I think that Tappara, however, has the best logo in SM-liiga, hands down. It's just a big battleaxe!

The logo for Ilves, a team in the Finnish SM-liiga looks like it was drawn by a kid in kindergarten. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilves

This could go either way. A team that goes down and has to constantly battle back does pay a price, but on the other hand being clutch and without panic is playoff hockey, regardless of how many goals are given up. Bottom line: it would be nice to see the D tighten up and have the wings win 5-1, instead of 5-4, but being able to pull clutch wins is priceless.

Even if the Wings get fleeced in the off-season as a result, I think that the Wings should try to win now with the deep lineup that they have. Sure, a Hudler trade might be good in the long-term while keeping the Wings of the present competitive, but there are a lot of competitive teams that never win the Cup. Also, for every draft pick that pans out, there are several that go nowhere. It would be a roll of the dice trying to get a player of Hudler's calibre via the draft.

Very true. Not to take anything away from the Sharks, but post-lockout point totals are inflated. Three points are awarded for every game that goes to OT. It used to be that a 100-point team was a powerhouse. Now, a 100-point team might be a road team in the first round of the playoffs.

Although the Wings can certainly put together quite a few effective line combinations, imho, only ZDH is greater than the sum of its parts. A case in point: ZDH > Z + D + H

In addition to the Wings' poor defensive start, it certainly doesn't help the +/- when a large chunk of the scoring comes on the powerplay. Even strength goals against + PP goals for = lots of mediocre +/- stats

Allll we are saaaaaying... is give Meeeech a chaaaance. :hippie:

Unless Shanny is asking for double what he is worth, I can't imaging at least a half dozen teams not being interested in him. How many teams out there would turn down a 20+ goal 40+ assist veteran winger who has loads of playoff experience and nose for the net? If McCarty can wiggle his way back into the NHL, Shanny sure as hell can.

Babcock is the guy with his finger on the trigger behind the bench. If there is a problem behind the bench that is not him, it is still his problem. Edit: Engrish

I posted this elsewhere but thought that it would go well here too. Top reasons why the Wings of '08-'09 are not playing to the standards (thus far, at least) to the standards of the Wings '07-'08: 1) Although offensively ZDH = HDH, and defensively HDH is no slouch, ZDH > HDH in possession of the puck. We seem completely unable to play keep away this year, and it all flows from the style and rhythm of the top line. 2) The defense is a sieve. Some of this is mental mistakes, but I'd bet that at least part of this is related to #1. 3) Babcock, as good as he is, made very good use of Todd McLellan. Now that he is gone, there is a big hole to fill. 4) In times of trouble (when you neeed a helping hand... sorry!), there is no longer the sage advice of Mr. Bowman. 5) In a lot of games (excluding the game vs the Sharks) we play well early, get a lead, then get lazy and let the other team score, only to wake up when we realize that we're down with 5:00 left in the game. We can only go to that well so often. We need a 60 minute effort. 6) Last season, we always had a forward in a position on the ice to help the defense. At times it was like having 3 defensemen. Also, if a D-man was caught, there would still be two men back, instead of giving up a 2-on-1 or a 3-on-1, it would be at worst a 3-on-2. 7) Two words: Chris Chelios What's to keep Cheli from... Seriously though, Lebda was at least average when playing with Cheli. Now, what is he doing? Don't get me wrong, I am not pushing any panic buttons, we still have a great record and all... but overall the writing is on the wall that this team might not be up to the standards of last year.

Top reasons why the Wings of '08-'09 are not playing to the standards (thus far, at least) to the standards of the Wings '07-'08: 1) Although offensively ZDH = HDH, and defensively HDH is no slouch, ZDH > HDH in possession of the puck. We seem completely unable to play keep away this year, and it all flows from the style and rhythm of the top line. 2) The defense is a sieve. Some of this is mental mistakes, but I'd bet that at least part of this is related to #1. 3) Babcock, as good as he is, made very good use of Todd McLellan. Now that he is gone, there is a big hole to fill. 4) In times of trouble (when you neeed a helping hand... sorry!), there is no longer the sage advice of Mr. Bowman. 5) In a lot of games (excluding the game vs the Sharks) we play well early, get a lead, then get lazy and let the other team score, only to wake up when we realize that we're down with 5:00 left in the game. We can only go to that well so often. We need a 60 minute effort. 6) Last season, we always had a forward in a position on the ice to help the defense. At times it was like having 3 defensemen. Also, if a D-man was caught, there would still be two men back, instead of giving up a 2-on-1 or a 3-on-1, it would be at worst a 3-on-2. 7) Two words: Chris Chelios What's to keep Cheli from... Seriously though, Lebda was at least average when playing with Cheli. Now, what is he doing?

Marty Turco ...especially when he plays at the Joe.

One word: clutch scoring :banana: ok, ok that's two words.

Let's also not forget that the last couple of games were ones in which we were either tied or trailing most of the game. I don't expect the grind line to see much action when you need a goal just to force OT. I know Maltby was out against Chicago, but still the fourth line didn't see much time there either (Mac and Drapes included).

IMO, Ozzy looked like money in the bank in the shootout vs the Kings. A lot of the regulation goals that he has given up he's had no chance on (e.g. deflections, unlucky bounces, D-man mistakes). When the D starts playing like they should the GAA will start to drop. Is it just me, or does it seems like scoring is up so far this season (in general)?

You can start with the 4% who voted to ban fighting on the FSN poll.

Although I agree that Sammy made some questionable plays last night (shot selection, taking penalties), I think that his overall play has actually been pretty good. He seems to come out on every shift with energy, trying to make something happen. Yeah, there are times that I wish he'd pass instead of shoot, or show a little restraint in his attempts at "chippy" play, but I really can't complain too much. He also seems to show some chemistry with Zetterberg and Mule, to whom he will often look to pass (with better results).

Lids' mistakes so far this season seem more mental than anything. Age doesn't make you decide on making an errant pass or chase down a puck in the offensive zone at the wrong time. The mental game is what should be the easiest to fix for Lidstrom.

For all the trashing that Chelios got here before the season started, I'd bet there are a lot of people right now who wish that he was in instead of Lebda.

It's a long road trip, so all I'd hope for is to play well and get a 'W'.