VM1138

Ericsson needs to be better at positioning. He seemed really uncomfortable but overall did well. When he develops he'll be a great addition. We did good considering we only have the bottom two of our Top 6 defensemen playing. The thing that scares me is the last of offense. The only one up front we're missing is Cleary. Scoring shouldn't be a problem. Logically it would seem we should be giving up lots more goals than we do, but still scoring a lot. Instead, our hurt defense keeps the puck out of the net, but our top notch offense doesn't do anything. This last quarter of the season is turning out to be bizarre...almost like fate is conspiring against the Wings.

Is it just me, or is the FSD feed like something out of a high school gymnasium tonight?

It looks like Vancouver losing their whole defense a few weeks ago isn't so shocking anymore. The only regular defensemen in decent condition are Lebda and Lilja. Lebda is solid, but Lilja scares me a little.

I really hope Chelios isn't injured.

The headhunting Calgary did in the playoffs last year, orchestrated by the coach and Iginla made me lose all respect for Iginla. To headhunt in a game is unacceptable, no matter what team. Even Anaheim doesn't headhunt the way Iginla was ordering his team to.

So here's an interesting discussion topic. With the injuries plaguing Detroit right now, and with the final stretch coming up soon, would you rather the Wings rest Lidstrom, Cleary, Rafalski and Hasek long after they are healthy to return? I would. We don't really need the wins right now. Even without those players the Wings can string together enough victories to ensure a top playoff spot. Plus, playing without them will put the team in playoff mode, scrapping for every point. And then, if the Wings continue to play well even without them, the addition of them to the lineup will push the Wings over the top. Or would you rather they bring them back as soon as they're ready?

There have been countless "Trade is all but done" stories for every team in the league involving Hossa and Sundin.

If we don't get Hossa I'd like to see him go someplace like Edmonton where he wouldn't be a threat to us.

It's all bull, if nothing else I thnk it's been established that no one knows where Hossa is going, not even the GMs.

I find that really disturbing. There's no one out there that would help as much as they would, and as has been discussed, Hossa, not being a rental, would be a great investment. So if Mlive knows what they're talking about, we're going to get: A) Some crappy defenseman (there aren't too many good ones out there), B) Some slow, small, veteran has-been. But then again, nobody knows at this point, so I thinkMlive. was just speculating.

Marleau has sucked for years and Atlanta already has veterans, they need youth. Filpulla and Hudler are the best that are being offered as far as youth goes. The only player who comes close to filling an Atlanta need is Higgins.

As far as rushing young talent, whyw ould we need to? Cleary and Lilja aren't going anywhere. Quincey and Meech can handle the NHL (though Meech isn't that great). I just don't see the problem depth-wise in acquiring Hossa. And if you want more depth Holland could always test the waters with a Kopecky deal for Federov or soemoen. Unlikely, but I think Federov would be cheap and provide better depth than Kopecky.

I really don't see this happening. So far that's been Detroit's strength, no one has ever really neutralized them since they'ev become dominant. And as for secondary scoring, most teams don't have the depth to focus on secondary guys, so I'm not too concerned about that.

Man, I can't wait for next season. I think our prospects are better than even Hudler and Filpulla were. I can't wait to see Ryno, Ericcson, Quincey, etc. become roster players.

He's also basically at the same level of play as Ryno, from skimming the stats. I'm really thinking McCarty can make something happen here.

I really wish I could have been around for that. It gives me chills thinking about it and that was before my time.

Yeah, Roenick and Chelios are good friends, I think people jumped all over thsi without understanding what the point of the statement was. He was joking.

Could be, except that it's not really "getting in over his head." It's just a bunch of posters. he could've just left it and never gone back to it. But yeah, I guess it was a fake, but it was a pretty darn good one.

Basically someone had befriended "Filpulla" as a joke, not thinking anythign of it, and then he noticed that a status update listed him as being traded to Atlanta. So most people were skeptical about it. But as time went on, there were some strange events. The comments board was taken down ebcause it was full of people asking about the trade, the status was changed. The pictures on there seemed to be personal photos, and of the many friends, most were family and minor league hockey players. So we basically concluded tha tif it was a fake, it would have to be the most obsessive, creepy thing a fan could do. All the signs pointed to it being either legit or so well done to the point of being stalker-ish. And then I guess someone asked Flip and he said it wasn't his. I don't knwo if there's any other evidence, but all those coincidences still seem bizarre to me.

I agree, but I think that Homer might be bumped down to the second line. They'd toy around with who Hossa plays best with, but I'm betting he'd fit in perfectly as a finisher for Datsyuk. I also think hope that Franzen would be put on the second line, not Sammy, but we all know how Babcock refuses to punish Samuellson for playing like crap. I'd also like to see Kopecky drop out of the lineup in favor of McCarty. Right now Kopecky doesn't offer much. And frankly, going into the playoffs being able to rely on a supporting cast of Quincey, Meech, Ellis, McCarty would make Detroit the clear favorite for the Cup once things get really heated. All of this hinges on picking up Hossa. Other players would improve Detroit, sure, but only Hossa would prove to be the cement this team needs to push us over the edge.

Cleary already said he'd take a hometown discount. I don't think there's a danger of losing him anymore, especially after we realized how important he was during The Streak.

The logic some people have here is amazing. You would rather have a bunch of second-liners who can't be counted on to consistently finish a play, isntead of lines including Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Hossa, Holmstrom, and Cleary? I know it would suck to see any of the players go, but really people, take off the homer glasses. Hossa is a no-brainer. This news cycle is just bizarre. First, all signs point to Detroit closing the deal, then, Montreal? Looks like we'll have to wait a couple more days for anythign to finalize. I just hope Holland has a backup plan.

He doesn't want that much. He's not only affordable, but someone worked it out to where we could even have money left under the cap. If a poster can do that certainly Holland can crunch the numbers. And people, Hossa IS the future. He's not an aging veteran. He's only BEGINNING his prime years. He could be with us for just as long as Zetterberg and Datsyuk could be. I say lock him up, especially since as the yeras go on his hit under the cap would be less and less, thus giving us more to work with each year.

I think that the rumors and hints are leaning toward Detroit being the team that is "light years" ahead of the others, according to DW. I'm also sick of people saying they don't want Hossa because he's too expensive or a rental. He's neither, and it's been proven a million times already.

I think the Filpulla for Hossa rumor is the most solid rumor out there right now. I usually like Ansar Kahn but his whole statement is just speculation based on information from like two weeks ago. Things have changed, especially in the last 48 hours.