VM1138

Sports radio is really bad, too. They play a LOT of Katy Perry-style pop. On a show hosted by forty and fifty year old men. I'm not one to judge but that's a weird demographic to try and appeal to.

Man, those post lockout years were (almost) magnificent. 2006, favorites for the Cup. Sure, they choked big time, but they were still overwhelming favorites and won a ridiculous amount of games. In '07 they shed the choke reputation and were so close to the finals. '08 was a Cup win, '09 was a Game 7 final that we played with one hand behind our back and still almost won. 2010 had so much promise, and then the injury parade started, and mixed with retirements we haven't been the same since.

Neither of Callahan or Ferraro looked ready. Ferraro was considered close to a bust already and got a last ditch shot, I think. Callahan still has a ways to go to be NHL-ready. Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

Tatar has complained about management last season. He's also shown visible signs of annoyance with the way he is treated by Babcock. No one is saying he's rushing for the door, but you don't get the impression he's a lifer, either.He knows he's the only tradeable asset we have. I'm sure he won't be heartbroken if he's traded.My question is, we have too many players on defense if we get Green. Kindl is still here and now the kids don't play. Quincey was a stupid, stupid insurance signing. Except they already said he does factor into their future. They have room for him and he keeps their defense potent along with Niskanen. He's not amazing but he's not hot garbage, either. He fills a need for us. You can't have a team full of players who Excel in each zone. You need a balance. And seeing as how we usually keep our UFA's I'm not worried about re-signing him.That said I hope we don't have to give up Tatar.Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

Well, while it's mind boggling that he got re-signed at all, let alone for $1.5 million and a $1 million bonus, it doesn't really matter. Since they're not going to use up the cap space, they could've given him $10 million and it wouldn't have affected anything but Mr. Ilitch's pocketbook. The team has struggled for a few years, but I don't remember the Wings ever taking such a beating in the eyes of the media and general public. Utterly pointless signing. And the fact that it's for so much money and it's one way doesn't make sense to me. If this were pure loyalty, it would've been under a million and two way. Cleary is here to actually play in the NHL, guys. Good lord. We should start a drinking game. Every time Cleary falls down without being pushed or touched, we take a drink.

How is Zetterberg not a superstar? Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

$1 million is a fine deal for pretty much anyone. Heatley is washed up, though. Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

The Wings didn't want to re-sign Legwand. It's not like he rejected them. We don't usually have a problem keeping UFA's once we have them. Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

I'm thinking Z will play 70+ games. Datsyuk should come close, too. I just can't believe last year was anything but a ridiculous anomaly. And as long as they're not injured at the same time, we should be fine for a few games without one of Datsyuk or Zetterberg. There's just no way next year is as bad as last year. Last season I joined the "Helm is made of glass" crowd, so I expect him to be injured. Alfredsson will hopefully be resting throughout the season in back-to-back games, if he comes back. I just think they will manage the injuries better. There's always a fluke injury that sidelines someone for practically the whole season, but maybe we'll get lucky and it'll be one of the filler guys instead of one of the superstars we rely on.

Of course, the Tigers have been a strong contender for years now, hence those guys coming to Detroit. And Billups...well, I don't follow basketball but didn't he suck when he came back? Likely no one else wanted him and he wanted to go somewhere familiar. The point everyone is making about the city isn't that no one wants to come here just because of that, but if your team is not a contender, there's no reason to choose Detroit over Tampa or Washington or any place with more living perks. If Detroit were winning, we wouldn't have trouble attracting UFAs. But since we're not really any better than the rest of the middling teams, the city of Detroit isn't going to be a selling point.

Of course most people would, but that's knowing how Chara and Pronger turned out. Just because they defied the odds doesn't mean Myers will. Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

Was Holland this high on Datsyuk and Zetterberg? He's implied he will be building our future forward core around Mantha. Everyone is amazed at this kid. The very fact we are seriously discussing whether he will be given a shot without playing minors says something is different about this kid. I doubt he will be better than our top 6 right now, but as soon as an injury hits give him his chance. He may struggle but with our staff it shouldn't stunt his development to be thrown into the heat of battle. Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

Why would the Hawks move good top players just because they are $2 million over the cap? It'd be smarter to just more a cheaper replaceable player. I never understood where the Hossa trade rumors started, for instance. Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

Nyquist might have a sophomore slump. Jurco could have a surprise year, I think. Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

Does his weight affect his game? Does he get passed easily? Is he abnormally slow? I guess I hear the fat accusations but no one seems to discuss his actual playing ability. Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

Found this in a Google search: http://www.talk-sports.net/nhl/sucks.aspx/Dustin_Byfuglien An entire forum devoted to hating Byfuglien. I don't get it. He has a fitness problem. Or did, I don't know if he still does. But I see things like "rapper wannabe" and "rap sheet" which makes me wonder if its some weird race-based judgement. I mean, his rap sheet is what, a drunken boating charge? He doesn't seem that bad to me. Especially if he is turning his fitness level around. Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

Could be, but I thought I remembered reading the week after we were eliminated that they didn't anticipate Quincey returning. They were going to offer him a contract, but it sounded like they were going to low-ball him. So I guess I just assumed it was a low-ball offer that Quincey didn't consider, hence no negotiations. Then, the July 1st Panic hit and it was all "We'll pay you whatever you want!"

I don't think they part with Jurco. He's the big bodied power forward every team wants. Sheahan was just signed, and Holland doesn't do sign and trades. It's gotta be Tatar, Kindl, Andersson, maybe Helm, who while he's an impact player might be slightly redundant now that we have Sheahan.

I forgot about him. Man...we've got a lot of forwards.... Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

What's the story with Byfuglien? He seems absolutely perfect, but there isn't a mad rush to get him, and he wasn't tops on our list of targets. He was great for Chicago a few years ago. Has he dropped off? Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

We can't know for sure, but the fact that they went from no negotiations to a signed contract in a matter of an hour or two makes me think there wasn't a whole lot of prior interest in Quincey around the NHL.

I voted for "Getting injured guy back will be our deadline acquisition." Happens every year. And it never works. You can't "add" someone you already had. And obviously it helps to have everyone healthy. So it's sort of too obvious to be useful, and a lazy excuse not to make any other moves.

The good news is that Babcock doesn't care how much you get paid. If Quincey sucks, he's getting bottom pairing minutes. Or benched. As long as we have another option. If Petry is a slightly better Smith, and is right handed, then he's better than Kindl. And that improves our team. And Dabura's point about not needing a terrific defender is a point I and others have been making for a while. We're good enough defensively with the removal of Kindl and Quincey (which sadly didn't happen) but our entire game suffers as a team from not being able to get the puck out. A guy who can do that would be great, especially if paired with a solid defender like Ericsson or DeKeyser. Balance is key.

Consider what you just wrote. Resign and re-sign mean very different things. If you meant resign, then Babcock will only re-sign if Holland is fired. If you meant re-sign, it means Babcock will only re-sign if Holland returns. Punctuation is important.