F.Michael

I may be going out on a limb here, but I say we should offer Gardiner a 6 year deal with a annual cap hit of...

Gender reassignment for Nick - erm - ‘Nicole’?

I agree with giving our prospects every opportunity to play at the NHL level...However - what if a guy like Filppula is considerably better/more reliable than most of our prospects?

'A' cuz it's Stevie F-ing Yzerman.

Not from where I’m at...

Dubas screwed the pooch with Matthews by opening up the checkbook without any hesitation...Also at this point in time it looks as though Nylander got the best of Dubas as well. I would be shocked if Marner took anything less than $10 million...Dubas set himself up for this.

Be it Holland ,or Yzerman - I'm still expecting a few years of mediocrity...It comes down to luck at the draft, a few shrewd moves via trade/ufa, and keeping our rfa's in check with reasonable contracts.

Lucic can teach the finer art of spearing/cup checking to Tkachuk.

Krug? As for Trouba...Gotta be a weird feeling that he's finally signed a contract that's worthwhile for both player, and team.

Sad.

Seattle Whalers? I could only imagine the public outrage, and carnage that would ensue if the team took on the name that embodies the spirit of killing whales for their precious blubber.

This...People here need to come their senses for f**ks sake. The guy has been on the job for a few months, and some are already gathering supplies for the lynching. Another solid post. People need to chill, and give the man a few seasons to work his magic.

And as of right now it appears Trouba may only play 1 season for the Rags...

I can only imagine your reaction when he hires Babcock to replace Blashill...

Hicketts with the missing chicklets...Good depth signing.

Yup, and in his press conference he mentioned that the fan base needs patience...It'll take a few seasons, but I have faith that Yzerman will turn things around.

I'm not expecting much from Yzerman for at least this season - possible a few seasons.

Fun fact...There are more doctors in the USA/Canada than there are NHL players...Hell - there's a $hit ton more doctors in Canada alone than there are NHL'ers...

Which again begs the question...How desperate are we in need for a guy who'd become a top 4 dman on this team if we swung the trade? Maybe I should ask...Where does Yzerman feel the need is the greatest?

I like your optimism. I too love the way he played - along with the rest of the team in the last 15 games of the season! My point of view is that I'm on the fence as to where he goes from here...Will he be that late bloomer that can score 35 plus, or will he forever be a 'mid pack' winger by NHL standards?

How so?

I apologize for the confusion... Wings fans - like many fan bases tend to have a 'peculiar' opinion. As for Trouba - we all know he probably wants to play in Detroit...From the start of his pro career - he's been difficult to negotiate with...Many here say 'bravo' - others say 'cawksucker'!....I tend to agree with those are aren't exactly happy with how's he's conducted himself over the past handful of years. Risto - while not anything special - appears to have the makings of a good Dman in this league, but many Wing fans seem more interested in pointing out his faults while neglecting the fact that our very own Mantha isn't exactly lighting up the score sheet.

I was under the impression that we have a concern on D? Wouldn't Risto help in that dept - regardless of his +/-? I like Mantha - I really do, but where he is today - can we expect him to evolve into this 35 plus goal scorer that's 'untouchable' when it comes to potential trade discussions? This reminds me of the Trouba threads both here, and over at HF Boards...Mantha apparently brings more to this team than what some outsider could ever hope to - as in we value our own players more so, and downplay the value of others from a rival franchise...As for Trouba - he's doing what many Wing fans think is all ok, but according to many Jets fans - he was a jerk (and I totally agree with them - granted he's going by the rules currently in the CBA here, but lets be honest - Trouba is playing the role of a complete a$$hole)...Just think if we drafted some kid from 'Toronna' who was a life time Leaf fan did the same to us? We'd scream bloody f**king murder...Yeah - that went down this time last year only it happened to the NYI fanbase. I carried on a little too long here, but I think y'all get my drift.

So - let me get this straight...Ristolainen who's a 40 plus pts getter as a Dman for the past 4 seasons isn't anything special - however our tender child known as Mantha who also is a 40 plus pts getter for the past 2 seasons as a winger is all of a sudden vastly superior, and the thought of an even swap is ridiculous? .Isn't the school of thought that Dmen tend to blossom later - while the wingers shoot their load early in their career? I dunno...To me Mantha doesn't exactly strike me as the second coming of a Brendan Shanahan.....