VM1138

Very good point. But regardless of the call, it's "technically" not offside.

Seems kind of strange for him to be fired, unless I'm missing something. Was he fired just over his crazy signings this summer?

To be fair, the anti-immigration lobby is more defined by class than religion. Unions and working class people are the ones who are most ant-immigrant, not any particular religious estbalishment.

You gotta love all the clever puns sports writers rely on in their headlines.

Exactly. And people have been saying the Wings are done since 2001 and we've won two Cups, appeared in the finals three times, and in the conference finals four times since then. I honestly don't think a Babcock-coached Wings team could have a truly disappointing season. They simply work too hard. I think last year they got beaten not juts because of injuries but because they didn't work as hard. This year, more players are going to have to step up. 2009 was sort of a bizarre year for the Wings, and I think 2009-10 will be back to 2008 "normal."

Yeah, so far lots of other teams have gotten better and Detroit has made (at best) a lateral move. I'm not on Holland's case because I trust him and I still expect this team to make the Finals against any and all odds. Still, though, it does make you worry for now, even though we know there's not much Holland CAN do right now.

Grier. That's who I'm thinking, too. He's the only player anyone has mentioned that really doesn't have any downside at all.

We can still trade Hudler. I mean, we dont' want him here if he doesn't want to be here, but there are lots of teams that aren't as hard working or classy and need a scorer. In fact, if the league sides with the Wings against Hudler, it would be much better because instead of losing him for nothign we'd get something. Maybe that's what Holland's waiting for.

Samuel L. Jackson + Pavel Datsyuk = Absolutely freaking win.

Bad ass or not, the Leafs will still suck and miss playoffs. So....no, they'll just be a joke.

I kind of want to wait until camp, too, but then again I do feel the need to sign at least one player just to make sure we're not hurting too bad from lack of depth. You know, grab a decent player while they're out there.

Nichols and Grier are basically the only ones on there that don't have a huge downside competing with their upside.

Maybe because it makes the cap irrelevant?

Well, this offseason has been pretty miserable so far. We've lost: Hossa Conklin Samuellson Hudler Kopecky We've gained: Leino Howard Helm (Presumably) I'm not sure if we "gained" in this department. It's great to have them, yes, but they're going to be rookies and can' tjust step in and fill in for veteran players. Plus, they don't count because by using them we drain our depth for emergencies. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't dare doubt Ken Holland like some people do on here, but one has to wonder: we know that the team couldn't stay completely together, but did he picture it getting this bad? His plan previously was to make a play for a gritty forward in mid-July and trade a defenseman just before the season begins. Is he altering his plans? The team got hit hard the past week or two and the free agents that are left aren't all that impressive. I would imagine Holland would be looking for a forward a bit sooner than he expected, just to grab whatever talent is left out there. But here's another thing: I've never been one of those guys calling for the retirement of half our team. However, do you think that Holland may be subtly applying pressure for someone to step down to free up space? I have doubts if that's even possible, even if Holland were that kind of guy. Anyways, how does everyone see Holland adapting to the current "crisis" the team is in?

In my mind, no team but Detroit could have beaten Anaheim. We are polar opposite teams, moreso than any other team combo in the league. Anaheim simply manhandled anyone who played them, including the Wings at many times. Chicago, all due respect, didn't have the depth or the experience to survive Anaheim, and I'm pretty sure Pittsburgh, considering they barely beat the Wings, would be able to handle Anaheim's style. In fact, I think the only thing that helped the Wings was the rivalry and the experience of playing them in the playoffs before so they knew how to adapt. Chicago would have gotten eaten alive.

Exactly. While playing basically on one leg, and even despite phoning it in a lot, the Wings STILL came within two goals of winning the Stanley Cup. It's kind of scary that a team was so good they could really not put much of an effort forth and still come that close. Without the injuries, the Wings win the Cup, no doubt in my mind. I think we're better positioned to win this upcoming season though. Less "cooks in the kitchen" which will open up room for guys like Zetterberg, Cleary, Flip, etc. High energy combo young guns which we lacked for most of the regular season. No cup hangover, without the partying they should be rested up for the regular season. Plus, we are still expecting a gritty, high energy forward witha bit of a scoring touch. Of course I'm worried, but deep down I think they'll be right back in the Finals. This team is still the team that was basically built for playoffs.

This is a great explanation. However, I do find it a riskky move on his part, considering the KHL is still unstable and is basically just throwing money to draw washed up players. Hudler, however, is not washed up and it just seems a little weird. But hey, good luck to him.

From what I've seen, ignoring the various cliques and groupies around here who just have to push certain players at all costs, I'd have to say Grier is probably one of the best bets. The guy is a grinder in the way that the old grinders used to be. He's got some scoring ability and plays hard. And, most importantly, he works really hard, game in, game out. And on the Wings, working hard gets you places and makes you a success.

Oh, come on. I wasn't claiming the sky is falling. I very clearly stated that I was asking for opinions about what strategy Holland would be using. Not "Let's sign ____" or "OMG THE TEAM WILL SUCK." In a later post I even noted that I don't think the Wings will be bad next year, but certainly this is a bad stream of events. Not catastrophic but it's definitely a bit of a surprise. It's a different spin on things that could start an actual discussion instead of the endless Player X is greater than Player Y.

Certainly the WIngs are still elite. But remember, we're Wings fans. If we're not making the Finals, it's a failed season. Being among the top teams isn't good enough if we're not 1 or 2. We've got a playoff calibre team that will make noise. What we lack at the moment is an edge and someone to give us that much needed boost. We're used to be so far ahead of all the other teams wheras next season it seems it'll be more competitive. So while some of us are a little worried, don't mistake it for some of us thinking the team will suck.

Despite the negative comments, I think this has been the most positive response to a player on these boards. We can never agree on anything but it seems everyone likes Kotalik a lot, despite the two posters who don't. I haven't seen him play enough myself, I just want Holland to make the right move.

Lilja + Moen =/= Hudler. And seriously, Stuart was our second best defenseman during the playoffs. I don't see Holland moving any of our Top 4 defensive core, they're all amazing. Lilja over Lebda unless he's going to be injured all year. So Meech or Lebda will be traded for a solid sixth or seventh defenseman. Hudler will (hopefully) resign and we can go out and get a gritty forward with a scoring touch.

The regular season and the playoffs were like night and day for the Wings. Everyone needs to quit complaining. We were two goals away from winning the Cup despite any and all struggles during the year. Except for the Anaheim series we slept-walked through the entire playoff run and STILL got within two goals of winning the Cup. I'd call that a hell of a team. What we need more than anything is a bit more heart, which a year removed from the Cup and fresh legs will do.

It's hard to hate Sakic. He was great for hockey, the end of an era of great leadership. How we go from Yzerman and Sakic to Crosby is beyond me.

Chicago will be fine. It's wishful thinking. How many times have we said that a team is going to collapse due to the cap, (including myself) only to have the team succeed? Everyone said it about the Wings, we're fine. Everyone said it about the Pens, they're fine. Everyone is saying it about Chicago, they'll be fine. Ken Holland is a bonafide genious, but I think we tend to forget that other GM's can handle working under the cap too, especially when they have a quality team. This renaissance all but assures Toews and Kane will sign for bargains next year. However, I don't think Chicago really made any brilliant moves. Hossa was a nice signing, but I don't recall any team winning the Cup because they added a forward recently. Defense wins Cups, and while Chicago has a nice defense corps, they're weak in goal and other teams (Calgary, Detroit) have better defenses.