VM1138

No outsiders allowed!

It's because he's always freakign shooting. He thinks he's a sniper but he has no accuracy or timing. So I agree, Sammy is not a second liner, bump him down to third and see what the kids can do on their own, or with Draper centering them.

I don't know how the numbers would look, but if they could manage to swing Hossa and someone like Satan that would be better than one or the other. Then of course, go for Defense, but keep in mind our defense will all be healthy in the coming weeks, so it's not as important as some have made it out to be. We shouldn't sell the farm for defense.

I just think it's funny that those Toronto fans consider themselves "mediocre." Pretty arrogant to think they're that good, eh?

I wouldn't mind Fedotenko or Satan. Keep in mind though, I'd still like a blockbuster (who doesn't?) like Hossa. THe problem with getting some role players is they have to be able to consistently produce for a second line. Anything below second line is redundant. As other people have posted, we have Draper, Malts, Downey, Drake, Kopecky, etc. We really need solid goal scoring more than some low-end depth.

I don't think the price will be "insane." As people ahve noted, only a few teams were ever in the running for Hossa and that hasn't changed much. I mean, the price can only go so high. It's not salary for re-signing that concerns me, but prospects, and frankly, out of the teams that are in the running and what they are willign to offer, I feel Detroit has the edge. That being said, I don't think we get Hossa. But so long as no one in the West gets him, I'm fine with it.

Who screwed over who? Toronto manhandled him and exposed him to all this just to get a few picks for them to totally screw up with two years from now. He's been virtually betrayed by everyone (including the fans). It's funny when all the respect comes from fans of OTHER teams who wanted him just as bad as his fans wanted to trade him. Leafs fans suck. If you needed any more proof, you're crazy.

How can you not respect Sundin's decision? It's honorable. The only questionable thing is: Why didn't he say right off the bat he would stay? The price of Hossa just went through the roof, I doubt the Wings can afford him now, and I'm betting the chips start falling now as people hurry to follow through with Plan Bs before someone else does.

He can't. Holland knwos he'd be lynched by fanatics if he doesn't make ANY move. Me, I'm predicting we'll pick up two players for sure. Maybe a third. What those players are, nobody knows. But I'm betting it'll be a marquee player as well as soem role players no one was expecting.

Because he wasn't good at forward. Or at least I'm assuming that, since Detroit told him to switch positions.

Yeah, in the Sundin thread I asked when people thought the first big trade will happen. I'm betting on noon tomorrow, adn then afte that, a trade every couple hours

Part of the confusion is that people are citing or exaggerating events and reports, all the rumors from different sources, different dates, and leaving out key information. So basically, no matter what anyone says, no one has ANY idea, not even with hints, where Hossa is going. All of it has been contradicted, countered, or torn apart so far.

Do we have a history of trying to acquire Salei in the past?

Anyone catch Holland's comments after the game? I could be totally reaching, but his remarks and more importantly, his body language seemed to hint that we're getting Hossa. Now, I wonder what secondary players we'll get? Salei and Federov would be nice, but how likely are they?

Well, they would come bcause they know we're goign to turn it on again. If I were a player, I think I'd realize that all these guys are coming back for the playoffs and it is the same team that was unstoppable until two and a half weeks ago. So I'd take another week or two of losses playing for Detroit with the promise of a Cup.

So who gets called up to replace Lilja, do you think? Man... I have to say, during this whole bad streak Franzen and Datsyuk are the only ones trying. Man, they look totally bewildered on the bench. There's no passion, they're not even frustrated, they're just in disbelief.

There's just no energy out there. I'm not the overly pessimistic type, but it's kind of crazy that suddenly we dont even expect them to win. Before, they could be down two goals with 1 minute left and still have a decent shot of winning the game. But this...I think we can all agree we just sort of expect to lose , and if we win, it's a surprise. Don't know why. Defense can only do so much, no one is going to the net. They go along the boards, lose the puck, and run back to our own zone. Hm...I would hope Holland would make a few changes. Though I am one of the ones who believes in a month we'll be back on top and everyone will totally forget about this. Remember 2002? The last month or so was BRUTAL.

This whole NA vs. Europe thing is so old. Soooooo old. Adding another star would just make our second line that much better. What is so hard to understand about this? The lines would look like this, hypothetically: Hossa-Datsyuk-Holmstrom Zetterberg-Filpulla-Cleary And variations for the lower line. This is better than what we ahve now. The logic of "don't add a star, we need an unpredictable second liner" is retarded. That's the only word for it.

I know! I can't even get upset over the injuries and string of bad luck, it's gotten so out of hand it's actually funny now.

So Montreal is not offering Higgins. That would place the Wings at the forefront now in what we can offer, wouldn't it?

Simply put: There is no gritty North American player who can score as regularly as Hossa. No one else is a sure bet like Hossa to be a great impact player. Except Sundin, but no one is willing to sell the bank for a rental.

I just can't believe it's come down to Lilja and Quincey being our number 1 pair of defensemen. Lilja. Turnover machine. Bad positioning. Our best defenseman? Sheesh.

Lebda is a great defenseman. I'm getting sick of people trashing him.

That's the best argument for him. People think it's just nostalgia, but he's still an excellent two-way player, who can provide both. Getting Federov allows you to pick up a defenseman or forward, whichever one is the better all around player, instead of going just by position.

Personally, I feel Meech and Quincey should both be on the Wings long term. THey're great players. Who cares if they're not physical? Having a team of nothing but big physical guys does nothing for you. You need guys who can play and generate offense, which Quincey and Meech certainly can do, especially once they get going in the NHL level. Ericsson is also coming up, to provide the grittiness, so why can't we just have all three and be a great, balanced team?