VM1138

I thought for SURE Sammy was going to shoot straight into that Edmonton player.

f*** yeah!

That's what we've been sorely missing. Hopefully this sparks somethign in Ericcson.

I still have a feeling about tonight. We're going to witness an explosion sometime soon. This will all turn around.

I'm sure he could have gotten some secondary scoring for relatively cheap (i.e. Satan). Basically, all they were giving up for any non-major players were a few low draft picks, like 5th round.

Why is it that any goalie we play lately looks like a Hall of Famer? Seriously. Has this goalie ever played an NHL game before?

Yeah, I like pretty much everyone on the team, but this team is not the "deep" team that has existed the past few years...I was kind of hoping they would add some more depth. I'm getting pretty tired of the Wings dumping the puck, not taking it back, turning over the puck, and taking one shot and not going for any rebounds. Oh, and passing off the boards straight into the opposing teams' sticks. Oh, and the defensive lapses. No, I'm not a fairweather fan, and this game is far from over, but when it happens so many times in a row, it can be demoralizing. EDIT" And why the hell are they passing without looking? Isn't that one of the most BASIC rules of hockey?

Yep. However, I fail to see how they are the team to beat. THey did get stronger, certainly, but they still can't score. Their only offensive threat is Selanne, and Bertuzzi to a lesser degree. They've got a stacked defense, but so does Detroit. I guess I could see someone saying that they're the first team to rise up to the level of Detroit this season, but I wouldn't say, in all honesty, that they've passed us in quality.

I have a feeling tonight is the night. No more trade deadline pressure, and I'm sure the young guys are grateful for not being traded. I think this will be the spark we need, secondary scoring carries the day tonight.

And let's face it, down the stretch there is no way Pittsburgh can afford Crosby, Hossa AND Malkin.

It's disappointing that we didn't get a blockbuster trade, but people are overreacting WAY too much on here. They're calling for all the management to be fired! Jesus, you'd think Holland did something bad. He DID pick up a physical, solid defenseman. And what do we know about playoff hockey? It's not about goals scored, it's more about how many you allow. You win with goaltending and defense and where I stand, Detroit improved over any other team in the league on defense. Colorado added more, but really, I have doubts over hwo well Salei and Foote will do, Foote especially. So the Wings lost nothing, and gained a solid defenseman? I see nothing wrong with this. Our scoring is still a huge question mark, and should have been addressed, but with strong defense and goaltending, you don't need scoring. All we need is to win a couple 1-0 games and we win the Cup, when you break it down.

Let's relax. Some people have been pushing the panic button a little too much. I can't believe how many people are bashign Holland. I would like to note that most of them are not regular posters around here. But seriously, folks, it's not like the Wings took a step backward here. Signing Stuart was "safe", but when the Wings are on their game thye are SCARY good. You've got to believe that they will get back on their game, since there is no reason for them to be in this slump as of late. It's just a fluke. When the Wings prove each of you wron I expect each of you to write Holland an apology letter.

Well, the teams to beat are still Detroit and Anaheim. Let's compare teams briefly, shall we? Sure, Colorado and Dallas picked up some talent, but let's look at the fact: Detroit is still more of an offensive threat than Anaheim, Dallas, or Colorado, even with their new players. Detroit is tied with Anaheim, or beats them for having the best Defense. Lidstrom, Rafalski and Stuart easily match Neidermeyer, Pronger, and Schneider. No one else comes close on defense. Detroit has the experience and the work ethic to pull out close victories. Dallas cannot close the deal in games, Colorado just can't seem to get it together against the Wings no matter who they have, and Anaheim comes closest in skill, but still relies on lucky breaks in order to beat us. Detroit=still the team to beat, even if the margin isn't as wide as it was yesterday.

He better not be a damn rental! I like Stuart and all, but I fail to see how adding to an already pretty stacked defense really changed the equation in the West at all. As far as I see it, Colorado, Dallas, and Anaheim got more scoring AND even tougher (and they already were physical), wheras Detroit just got a tiny bit deeper on defense and still suffers from lack of scoring and passion. Hm...I still feel we will win the Cup, but today sure didn't make the trip any easier, did it? As long as Stuart can break up Anaheim's cycling plays, we'll be in pretty good shape against those three teams.

STUART?!?!?! THAT'S IT?! I know I'm late to this game, but damn. Not only was he NOT a first choice on defense, it's not even a position that we really NEED someone for. It's nice to know we can have even more backlog on defense while the offense continues to not score.

Exactly. If we can't get talent, don't be wasted our young 'ins for the sake of making ANY move. Once the good ones are gone, no sense trading away young talent for some crappy third tier scorer or defenseman.

I just can't believe how Colorado totally reverted to 2001. An old player returns here and there, but that many of them?

So let's get this straight, after weeks of talking up how we will make a move, Holland has done nothing. Now, virtually no one is left, except the Big Guns Jokinen and Hossa. Anyone else have a feelign we ARE getting one??

Salei to Colorado? What the hell?

Apparently Montreal getting Hossa is a little premature. At least, that rumor hasn't circulated everywhere. The Trade show still mentinos Ottawa as a major place where Hossa might go.

Without Hossa or Jokinen or someone huge (there aren't many left), the Wings just sort of make a lateral move. I'm not a Holland hater, I mean the guy built the teams of the 90s and 2000s, but...I really hope he knows what he's doing...

So Dallas might be getting Richards and Lapointe? Damnit....I'm not sayign we should have gotten Lapointe, his role would be redundant, but going to a team that just solidified their stance as a powerhouse playoff team...that's scary.

It sure seems like Holland missed the boat....again. All the players left are not impact players, they're just role players. The Wings have been amazing all year, and yes, this slump will end, but th efact remains that no one outside of Cleary, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and Holmstrom has produced CONSISTENTLY. Thus, when up against a hot goalie and a stifling defense in the playoffs, we need some consistent scoring. Frankly, we needed a big name. Whoever we pick up now will probably be fine, but won't be the difference between winning the cup. For example, Federov would be a fine acquisition, but really would only make a difference as support for a big name like Hossa.

God, wouldn't that suck if we missed out on a huge trade because of an interview? Hah. Man...this is a dull trade deadline. I haven't got all caught up, but Forsberg has come out of retirement to sign with the Avs and that's the only movement, right? Also, it seems that more and more of the big guys are not being traded after all. It seems Hossa is the only impact player left.

Well what do these people think this is? A message board forum for discussion? We don't tolerate other viewpoints here!