VM1138

I'm glad I'm not GM. The Hossa situation needs to end, one way or the other. I personally think our defense needs straightening up. We need to lose Lebda, bring up Big E, maybe add another one (though where would they fit). But most of all, our defensive coach needs to be replaced with someone who can plan a defense.

And we'll be back next year. Go Wings!

That's a good point. Maybe I'm just annoyed with people wanting to throw our good players to the wolves to bring in some random player who hasn't really, truly proved himself. Perhaps I was too harsh on Jay B, I just haven't seen him truly show himself to be great, but it may be because he's on a s***ty team. EDIT: And holy crap, Sakic is making 6 million a year?

A summer of rest instead of partying, anger, new youth, and some fresh blood in new players is going to make this Wings team the favorite to win it all next year. I don't see why everyone is acting like this is our last shot at glory. The Wings are going to be back in the Finals next year, as long as they get some rest and fix the defense and replace Sammy with someone with excellent timing.

I think that THAT is what makes this loss the hardest. His teammates may have cost him the respect he so rightfully deserves.

Bouwmeester has been exposed as a mediocre defenseman. Rafalski was our second best defenseman all year. When the entire team has one mistake after another it's bad to focus on one player. Raffy is one of the best defensemen in the league and you want to replace him with Bouwmeester? Yikes. Here's who I see leaving the Wings: Defense: Lebda, Chelios, Meech. Lilja won't leave but will not play all season so he "counts" as a lost roster spot. Goal: Conklin Offense: Sammy, Kopecky, Hudler/Hossa (one or the other) We'll bring up: Defense: Ericcson Goal: Howard (unfortunately he's our only option) Offense: Helm (Yes!), Leino Our extra depth from the AHL: Abdelkader, Kindl I'm not sure what Maltby and Draper do. They can't play in the AHL because their contracts are't up, I think, and I don't see them retiring. And I don't see them being traded. But I really don't see them playing much next season, either. The team will seek out a really gritty, hard hitting forward who wins the small battles down by the boards. The team will seek out a "win it for _____" type player, a veteran with a good work ethic. Dominator, that lineup looks pretty lackluster to me. There's no way we lose Hudler AND Hossa, and that team looks like a HUGE drop in quality from this season.

What's the one thing that will stick with you as something specific to this season? For me, I hope I never see that cycling play again. I used to love it when a Wings player would circle behind the net and set up some great play. But they started doing that, skating out the blue line and no Wings player would skate toward the net and they would inevitably lose the puck. This was a drastic change from last season and is something I'll remember. Their constant resorting to this failed play cost them quite a few games, in my view. What about any of you? The Hossa saga? The complete and utter breakdown in the regular season followed by a stellar playoffs? The Anaheim series? The Osgood saga?

The Ducks are the anti-Wings which makes them perfect arch rivals. The Pens are just a team that happened to get in the way two years in a row. There's no real intensity between the two teams, and aside from Crosby, I don't think there's a player that both teams really rally against.

Thanks, Matt, this is my favorite site for a reason. Keep up the good work!

Just did a quick glance around the forums for other teams and: 1) It surprised me how many of them are happy that Pittsburgh won. Only the teams taht Pittsburgh eliminated seem to be upset. 2) Everyone, even the pro-Wings posters on those sites, are making fun of Hossa and it infuriates me. The guy was RENTAL for Pittsburgh. He didn't do anything wrong by coming to the Wngs. He didn't "Jump ship" because Pittsburgh was going down the tube FAST while he was there. AFTER he left they turned the team around. I hope we keep him, but I think after this playoff run he should be willing to take CONSIDERABLY less money.

No. There's nothing to hate about the Pens except Mr. Invisble (Crosby), I don't expect them to make any noise in the future. Anaheim is our arch rival. There really wasn't a whole lot of intensity during the Finals except for the last ten minutes of each game. Pittsburgh is just sort of...there.

If they're still going to do the signings, I might have to make a day trip down there. I've never met a Wing or gotten anything autographed. I would think it'd be kind of awkward.

We need to get the young guys up and Draper, Maltby and Sammy out before the latter instill a sense of complacency in the hungry young guns. I personally think the Wings stand the best shot in the league at returnign to the Finals next year. But there needs to be tinkering. Not an overhaul, but tinkering, yes. Helm and Ericcson are sure as hell going to be hungry next year after coming so close and having it taken away from them.

He always plays well but can't seem to finish anything, which is sort of important.

I don't see a reason why Detroit can't return to the Finals. Yeah, Pittsburgh is going to have problems. They DID have problems until late in the season. I expect them to be more like the first half of the season, unless they start getting players to go for discounts like Detroit does.

I'm impressed. Even with the booing of Crosby and Bettman, there were more fans staying behind than stayed in Pittsburgh for us last year.

The bright side, guys: Pittsburgh will never get this close to the Cup again. Their team is going to be dismantled and they're going to look a lot more like they did the first part of the season. Crosby may have the cup, but real hockey fans know he did jack s*** in the finals and doesn't deserve the mantle given him. He's not even the best player on his team.

Me, too. I thought I'd be vomiting. I think it'll hurt more when the commercials come out and the media starts talking about how Crosby is now the Real Deal (despite being invisible in the finals). It'll take time to sink in, right now I'm a little angry, moreso than sad.

New talent needs to be brought in, too, along with the Black Aces. The team doesn't need a total overhaul, but clearly Draper, Holmstrom and Maltby are just eating up space. I love these guys but we sort of got to the finals in spite of them, and we can't do that again.

He's solid for us, but we need someone with better timing. Sammy was good for us but there are tons of players in the league like him with more upside.

Hossa needs to stay. The guy carried the team in the regular season. He didn't play bad for us, he just underperformed, as did Datsyuk and even Zetterberg (though he was sound defensively). In fact, it amazes me that the WIngs got this far with their top talent being pretty quiet all playoffs.

The team needs new blood. We got really far considering the team hardly changed. But it was pretty obvious there was no hunger this year. I kind of feel like the Wings very pretty lazy all year, the polar opposite of the 2008 team. We need to keep the core, but yes, Draper, Maltby, etc need to be gone and some new guys brought in to complement the Black Aces.

Ozzie WAS this team. If I were him I'd have serious trouble looking my teammates in the eye after being hung out to dry so often. I'm more sad that Ozzie may never be considered an all time elite hall of famer now that he lost this game.

I've never been this upset with the Wings for losing in the playoffs. They got really far considering they only played maybe two full games all year, and they got really far considering our big stars absolutely disappeared, and they got really far playing half-assed for the first 45 mintues of every game. This team can't return next year. It was probably a bad move keeping the entire team together and only adding Conklin and Hossa. Some energy needs to be fused into this lineup and some chaff let go. And I say that loving every player on the Wings team. But seriously Wings, you really half-assed this whole thing.

Only one game left in the season. Now is the time to play the best hockey of your life! Go Wings!